Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun will offer a single-player, good old-fashioned sprite-based, hardcore experience in the boots of the ultimate killing machine: a Space Marine. You can check out the reveal trailer below:

Load up your Boltgun and plunge into battle headfirst! Experience a perfect blend of Warhammer 40,000, classic, frenetic FPS gameplay and the stylish visuals of your favourite 90’s retro shooters. Play a battle-hardened Space Marine on a perilous mission across the galaxy, as they battle against the Chaos Space Marines and daemons of Chaos.

In glorious boomer shooter style, unleash your devastating Space Marine arsenal as you blast through an explosion of sprites, pixels and blood. Run, jump and charge across huge levels to shoot, shred and slice the worst heretics across the galaxy!

“We are delighted to be working on this fast-paced indie FPS alongside the talented Auroch Digital studio, and our long standing partner Games Workshop,” announces Dessil Basmadjian, Chief Creative Officer at Focus Entertainment. “We are excited by Boltgun’s skilful combination of iconic 90s style, the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and thrilling gameplay that is sure to delight all kinds of players.”

“Auroch Digital is proud to be working with Games Workshop again and Focus Entertainment on Boltgun. As a team of massive Warhammer 40,000 fans, this game has been brewing since 2018 and we’re so excited we can FINALLY shout about it from the rooftops! We can’t wait for players to get their hands on it and to see their reactions” says Nina Adams, Operations Director at Auroch Digital.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is being developed by Auroch Digital and published by Focus Entertainment with a planned release date of 2023 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. It can be wishlisted on Steam here: Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun on Steam (steampowered.com)

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Available in the in-game item shop now, includes heroes Black Panther and Captain Marvel, as well as villain-for-hire Taskmaster.

The Marvel Royalty and Warriors Pack includes:

BLACK PANTHER

• Black Panther Outfit With Kinetically Charged Style
• Vibranium Daggers Dual Pickaxe
• Wakandan Skyrider Glider
• King Cowl’s Back Bling With Kinetically Charged Variant Style

CAPTAIN MARVEL

• Captain Marvel Outfit With Empowered Variant Style
• Alpha Staff Pickaxe
• Power of Mar-Vell Glider
• Kree Backplate Back Bling With Empowered Style

TASKMASTER

• Taskmaster Outfit
• Mimic Shield Back Bling
• Copycat’s Sword Pickaxe

The post Captain Marvel, Black Marvel & Taskmaster join Fortnite appeared first on THUMBSTiX.

Shawn Layden leaves Playstation

In probably the most unexpected and surprisingly-handled news category was the reveal that Shawn Layden, Chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios had left his role and the company.  And this wasnt revealed by a big announcement, or a well written press statement (as Sony usually does) but by a single tweet on the Playstation Twitter account.

There was no reason given for his departure, there has been no comment from Shawn Layden himself, and most weirdly, no actual official press release from Sony on the move. Time will tell just what went on over at Sony, but Shawn was the driving force behind some of the PS4’s biggest first party exclusives, and in turn the success of the PS4 over the last few years.

It is with great emotion that we announce that Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden will be departing SIE. His visionary leadership will be greatly missed. We wish him success in future endeavors and are deeply grateful for his years of service. Thanks for everything, Shawn!

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) September 30, 2019

EGX adds to its game line-up

EGX 2019 is being held from 17th to 20th October at the Excel centre in London and this week has added a number of new titles that will be playable on the show floor. Xbox have previously announced they won’t have an official presence at the show, which is understandable given that XO19 is in London in November, but this week Sony have announced that they will be there.

Concrete Genie, Iron Man VR, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Dreams, Predator: Hunting Grounds and Nioh 2 will all feature on Sony’s stand, along with a Death Stranding “experience”.

Cyberpunk 2077 will also get an “experience”, and this week Square Enix announced that Marvel’s Avengers will also be playable. Nintendo will be in attendance as well, demonstrating a number of titles including Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. One publisher yet to confirm is Ubisoft, who normally attends to show off their latest games, and seeing as how Watch Dogs Legion is set in London I would hope that there will be some chance to see this game in the flesh.

Check out the official EGX website for all the news on whats at the show, and expect further announcements in the run up to the show.

New Additions to Xbox Game Pass

I get bored of writing phrases along the lines of “Can Xbox Game Pass get any better value for money?” but the service just keeps improving. The launch of Gears 5 saw a lot of my old gaming buddies purchase Xbox One consoles purely for this service, and Gears in particular. But now they are investigating and playing other titles on the service that they probably wouldn’t have before, which is one of Microsoft’s main ambitions.

Announced as coming to Game Pass in October are; Dishonoured 2, World War Z, Yooka Laylee, Fallout: New Vegas, Felix the Reaper and Panzer Dragoon Orta. This week also saw the release date for a game high up on my Most Wanted list – Lonely Mountains: Downhill, which releases on October 23rd, straight into Game Pass. The latest game from Night School – the developer behind Oxenfree – is Afterparty, and this will launch a week later as well, on the 29th, and will also be a Game Pass title.

Sony quietly turns on Cross Play

Historically Sony have always been dead set against Cross Play, the ill informed comments about “protecting the kids” when discussing joining in with Minecraft cross platform play was the first indicator of this. However, time has passed and policies have changed, and earlier this year Sony announced that the Cross-Play Beta was active, and Fortnite was the main test.

Quietly this week, Sony announced that the Beta was over, and the functionality could now be implemented by any developer who wishes to incorporate it into their games. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare famously has multiplayer cross play, so here is hoping that a lot more games are coming soon. Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida has been active on Twitter recently on this subject, which does point towards a more open approach on gamers all playing together where possible.

A new Avenger joins the team

May 15th 2020 is the release date of Crystal Dynamics Marvel’s Avengers. We knew we would get to play as the main superheroes, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor et al, but also joining the team is Kamala Khan. In a recent announcement on the Square Enix blog it was revealed that the attack on New York which starts off our journey in Marvel’s Avengers, Kamala gets her powers from the Terregan mist.

“Telling our story of Kamala’s coming-of-age brings a fresh, hopeful perspective to the gameplay experience and her unique abilities as Ms. Marvel make her a character every person will want to play,” said Shaun Escayg, Creative Director and Writer at Crystal Dynamics. “Kamala Khan is the defining ingredient that makes our game stand apart from any Avengers story you’ve experienced before.”

With great honor and strength, I am proud to finally announce:
I am KamalaKhan. #kamalakhan #MsMarvel @PlayAvengers https://t.co/IUtvxkfKca

— Sandra Saad (@sandraramzysaad) October 4, 2019

Upcoming releases

Atlas (Xbox One, PC) – October 8th
Concrete Genie (PlayStation VR, PlayStation 4) – October 8th
Indivisible (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) – October 8th
John Wick Hex (PC, Mac) – October 8th
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – October 8th
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – October 8th
Grid (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PC) – October 11th
Killer Queen Black (Switch, PC) – October 11th

See you all next week!

The post Thumbstix Top News of the Week – October 4th 2019 appeared first on THUMBSTiX.

We know the release date for The Last Of Us 2

February 21st 2020 is when we will get to continue the adventures of Joel and Ellie. The Sony State of Play delivered on our expectations and also gave us a brand new trailer to devour. Tuesday 24th September also saw a media event taking place in LA, and the embargo of that lifted on Thursday 26th, so we now know a lot more of what to expect in this long-awaited sequel. This Eurogamer article conveys just how the opening two hours are paced, and has definitely made me hungry for more!

There are a number of editions of the game released, from the standard edition, all the way up to the “Ellie” edition which features both a statue and a replica of Ellie’s rucksack. I’m a sucker for both bags and statues so I am really going to have to rely on willpower to not purchase one of these!

There were also game reveals of a number of new titles coming to Playstation, including Humanity, LA Noire: VR Case Files and Arise: A Simple Story. More details were also shown about Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare which launches on October 25th 2019, including a limited time mode which is exclusive to the PS4 for a whole year! Personally, with the continuing trend towards cross play I think these kind of deals are detrimental to the industry. I understand the need for console exclusives, but launching a game on multiple consoles and then including multiplayer cross play, only to lock a game mode exclusively to one console for a year, is going to attract a whole lot of criticism!

We also had a limited edition Death Stranding PS4 announced, however despite first impressions the controller does not contain a baby!

Game Streaming coming to Xbox in October

The beta for xCloud, the Xbox game streaming service is now open for registration for residents of the USA, UK and Korea, and will be starting in October 2019. Four games will be available on the beta, with Gears 5, Halo 5, Sea of Thieves and Killer Instinct all included. Participants will need an Android 6.0 device, an internet connection download speed of 10Mbps, and a bluetooth enabled Xbox controller to make full use of the service. I have already registered, as this service will be perfect for my lifestyle, whether it be travelling for work or waiting around for my son at his swimming training, the ability to connect up and play an hour or two of Sea of Thieves will be fantastic! More details can be found on the Xbox Game Streaming website.

Also announced on the Inside Xbox show were more details of XO19, DayZ, Hitman 2, Afterparty, Code Vein, Felix the Reaper, Children of Morta and the announcement that Atlas is arriving into Xbox Game Preview on October 8th. Check out the official post on Xbox Wire detailing all the news.

The Xbox Games with Gold for October were also announced this week, with Xbox One getting Tembo the Badass Elephant and Friday the 13th: The Game. Whilst on 360 and Xbox One via Backward Compatibility, play Disney Bolt and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge.

Is there a new Batman game on the way?

Both Warner Bros Montreal and Rock Steady have been far too quiet of late, with rumours of new game announcements expected at the last two E3 conferences, but never materialising. But this week, Warner Bros Montreals Twitter feed sparked into life with a couple of teasers, the first on September 22nd, followed by the second a day later, which featured the phrase “Capture the Knight” and a series of rotating symbols which experts believe match those found in the Batman comic series of Court of Owls. Was it also a coincidence that the first teaser came on Batman Day, which this year was the 80th anniversary? No further announcements have been made, so watch this space.

Capture the Knight / Cape sur la nuit pic.twitter.com/yMFXMd4djU

— WB Games Montréal (@WBGamesMTL) September 23, 2019

Respawn working on a VR Medal of Honor game

Back in 2017 Respawn announced that one of its projects was a Triple-A VR game exclusive to the Occulus devices. This week that project was announced to be Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. Set in World War 2, the game is set to have three main acts. Act 1 pits you as the resistance in  Nazi-occupied France prior to the invasion of Normandy. Act 2 is the invasion, beginning with an Omaha Beach level. Act 3 sets you off to destroy the Nazis’ secret weapons, such as the hydroelectric plant in Norway.

The game is being shown off at the Occulus Connect conference and is due for release in 2020.

Apex Legends Season 3 gets a New Map

Hot off the press news, coming in on the afternoon of Friday 27th, is that Season 3 of Apex Legends will be set in a new location. We wave goodbye to Kings Canyon and say hello to Worlds Edge “where molten heat and chemical ice collide”! Thats all we know for now, but expect more news before the season kicks off on October 1st.

So, loads of news this week, and narrowly missing the Top Five were the following;

Hitman goes to the Maldives

The latest update to Hitman 2 sees Agent 47 pulling on his Speedos and heading to Haven Island in the Maldives. Our hero has to assasinate three new targets, and the update also comes with new achievements and trophies, challenges, mastery levels and new gadget unlocks.

Ghost Recon: Breakpoint Open Beta Weekend

The Open Beta of the upcoming Ghost Recon: Breakpoint will take place from Thursday September 26th through to Monday September 29th and will feature; Solo or four player co-op exploration, Six regions to explore (Smuggler Coves, Mount Hodgson, Sinking Country, Fen Bog, New Argyll and Infinity), Five main story missions (three new to the open beta) and several side missions, 12 Faction missions available, with two Faction missions playable every day in each region and PvP (competitive multiplayer) on four maps – Skell Port, PMC Camp, Cold War Bunker and Deserted Harbor.

So, loads to test out ahead of the full game release on October 4th, however your progress will not carry over.

New Releases

Only two notable titles to mention this week, with October 4th seeing the release of the aforementioned Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, and October 1st being the big day for all you Destiny fans out there, with the release of the latest game update, Shadowkeep. This date will see Destiny 2 go free-to-play as Destiny 2: New Light. For those of you who are confused, New Light is all the Destiny 2 year one content for free. It does not include any of the Year 2 content, including the Forsaken expansion. The handy graphic below should make things clearer?

Thats it for this week – Catch you all in another seven days!

The post Thumbstix Top News of the Week – September 27th 2019 appeared first on THUMBSTiX.

Apple Arcade

Apple Arcade released on September 19th, initially onto iPhones with the iOS13 update, and will follow later onto the iPad and Mac devices. Early feedback has been very positive, with the game library totalling 71 games (as of Friday 20th), and including games featuring well known characters such as Sonic and Rayman, which will do wonders to attract the more casual gamer. Some well known and respected game developers and publishers are supporting the service, with Devolver and Konami both having some of these launch games, which should appeal to the more clued-up of us! At £4.99 per month, with no ads or micro-transactions, it seems like the subscription service has a bright future ahead. Don’t forget that you can also connect your Xbox and PS4 controllers to the devices as well, which is a great feature for console gamers.

Personal highlights so far look like Sayonara Wild Heights (AnnPurna) and Where Cards Fall (Snowman). More details of all games currently available can be found on the official Apple Arcade website.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frLeePH8W9Y

Apex Legends

Respawn have officially announced that Season 3 of Apex Legends will launch on October 1st, and with it comes a brand new legend! Crypto has been teased on multiple occasions previously, and was deemed to be the hacker responsible for the destruction of the Repulsor which led to the map changes at the start of season 2. Last weekend Crypto was found by some eagle-eyed players hacking terminals in the Labs area of Kings Canyon, fuelling the speculation that he would be the next character.

This was then all confirmed by Respawn on September 19th, with the news that Apex Legends Season 3: Meltdown would drop on October 1st, with Crypto, a new Battle Pass, a new weapon in the Charge Rifle and Ranked Season 3. More information followed with a Crypto episode of the Apex Legends Stories from the Outlands animated video series (see below).

Crypto’s special ability is rumoured to be “specialised surveillance drones to stay in the fight and out of the spotlight” leading us to believe that he may have the ability to disappear or manually place his own cameras to see where the opposition are on the map. Whatever the skill is, expect the Thumbstix team to continue playing a whole heap of Apex Legends over the coming months! If you are into your Apex lore then it’s also worthwhile to check out the subreddit of r/ApexLore.

Xbox Game Pass additions

Another bunch of new games were announced for Xbox Game Pass earlier this week. Already released on September 19th were Jump Force and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, both 2019 full-price releases that are now free with the subscription services. Jump Force looked like it was going to be a fantastic triple-A fighting game but came out to middling reviews, whilst Bloodstained looked to be a Castlevania inspired side-scrolling RPG that was taken to the hearts of fans of the genre.

Then, coming later in the month are Bad North, Dirt Rally 2.0 and Lego Worlds. More details of the service, including the free to play weekends, can be found on Xbox Wire.

Sony’s State of the Nation

Not actually news for this week, but this will definitely be at the top of the list for next week! Sony have announced a State Of Play event for Tuesday 24th September, and The Last Of Us 2 will be covered off, which hopefully points to a release date announcement. This event falls on the exact same day as the planned Last Of Us 2 media event which is being held in LA, so I am certain that we will know so much more about the game come this time next week.

"I'm gonna find…and I'm gonna kill…every last one of them." pic.twitter.com/vO0cC6dGkO

— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) September 20, 2019

The official Naughty Dog twitter account has confirmed the games attendance at the State of Play event with a beautiful post quoting a line from the first ever trailer – “I’m gonna find…and I’m gonna kill…every last one of them.”

Squeals of excitement all round!

Batman comes to Fortnite

The Fortnite behemoth rolls on, this time with a crossover with Batman! Starting on Saturday 21st September and running through to the 6th October, Fortnite x Batman has turned Tilted Town into Gotham City, a “Caped Crusader Pack” of cosmetics and weapons will be available to purchase, and the game will include the usual challenges and rewards based around our favourite hero.

Check out the official website for full details and patch notes.

Releases

As previously mentioned we have had two huge games hitting the Nintendo Switch, with both Untitled Goose Game and The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening arriving on Friday 20th September. Next week brings The Surge 2 on the 24th September and Code Vein and FIFA 20 on the 27th September.

The post Thumbstix Top News of the Week – September 20th 2019 appeared first on THUMBSTiX.

You’ll be able to customise and personalise your female or male in-game avatar with a range of clothing, hairstyles, tattoos, and in-game celebratory emotes.

Ahead of EA Play in a couple of hours a new trailer for FIFA 20 has been released:

EA Play will be showing off the game for 30 mins laters on this evening and you can watch it live right here!

We would love to know your thoughts on the trailer and what you are most looking forward to in this years title.

The post FIFA 20 to launch on September 27 appeared first on THUMBSTiX.

The official website details more on what the game will deliver.

Master Yooka and Laylee’s medley of moves and traverse through charming and challenging 2D levels packed to the brim with collectibles, vibrant environments, and a bumbling batch of baddies to battle. Then, pull up your adventuring boots and explore a sprawling 3D overworld that boasts a wealth of puzzles, game-changing secrets, special challenges and a cast of colourful characters to chat to. You’ll meet some familiar faces, and some new ones, as you help Queen Phoebee restore order to the Royal Stingdom.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair will be arriving to Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch later in 2019.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni0c6sL-YR0&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=MASTER+LIST&utm_campaign=90e5b9704c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_05_13_08_20_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1b25bcb113-90e5b9704c-92453179

Bigben mean to focus on four genres for this year’s releases: Racing, Sport, Simulation, and Action & Adventure.

For the Racing pillar, this year will see the latest edition of the WRC franchise, WRC 8, as well as two new titles: Overpass, a game where players navigate and race across technically challenging off-road courses with buggies and quads; and FIA European Truck Racing Championship, which provides a unique simulation experience at the wheel of a 5-tonne racing truck.

For the Sport pillar, there’s Spike Volleyball, which was released in February. Tour de France and Pro Cycling Manager join the Bigben portfolio following the acquisition of Cyanide. Rugby by EKO marks the return of the simulation that all rugby fans have been eagerly anticipating. On the courts of Tennis World Tour – Roland Garros Edition, gamers can play as Nadal on the legendary Parisian clay courts.

in Simulation games, the critically acclaimed fishing game The Fisherman – Fishing Planet is releasing as a premium version on console; Farmer’s Dynasty is the perfect combination of a farm simulator and life simulator; and Bee Simulator, the game allows players to change their perspective and explore the world through the eyes of a bee.

The Action & Adventure titles include some of Bigben’s most ambitious projects of 2019. Warhammer: Chaosbane (EKO) is a prime example. Releasing on June 4th, players will join the Great War against Chaos and explore the Warhammer Fantasy Battles universe.
In The Sinking City, developed by Frogwares and inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, gamers play as Charles Reed, a private detective who arrives in Oakmont, Massachusetts to investigate the origin of an unprecedented and supernatural flood. Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory (Black Shamrock/Cyanide), inspired by the cult role-playing game Paranoia, is an RPG with original mechanics and quirky humour set in a dystopian world. Other major projects such as Werewolf: The Apocalypse – EarthBlood complete their line-up, with more promised at E3 in June.

Bigben has also announced their partnership with Paradox will be extended and that a game under the Vampire: The Masquerade licence is in development. Developed by Big Bad Wolf, creators of the episodic adventure game The Council, the game aims to define a new genre: the narrative RPG, inspired by the rules of the tabletop RPG. The studio will share more information at Gamescom in August.

Cyanide is also pleased to announce a new partnership has been signed for the third edition of Blood Bowl, the iconic game from Games Workshop. Blood Bowl 3 will coincide with the release of the new paper edition in 2020, which is being revamped with all-new game rules. More information about Blood Bowl 3 will be shared in the coming months.

Indeed it looks like a busy and intriguing catalogue of games is coming from Begben in the future. We can’t wait to play them.

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Sunday, June 9: Microsoft – 13:00 PDT / 16:00 EDT / 21:00 BST
Sunday, June 9: Bethesda – 17:30 PDT / 20:30 EDT / 1:30 BST (next day)
Sunday, June 9: Devolver Digital – 19:00 PDT / 22:00 EDT / 3:00 BST (next day)
Monday, June 10: PC Gaming Show – 10:00 PDT / 13:00 EDT / 18:00 BST
Monday, June 10: Ubisoft – 13:00 PDT / 16:00 EDT / 21:00 BST
Monday, June 10: Kinda Funny Games Showcase 16:30 PDT / 19:30 EDT / 00:30 BST (next day)
Monday, June 10: Square Enix – 18:00 PDT / 21:00 EDT / 2:00 BST (next day)
Tuesday. June 11: Nintendo – 9:00 PDT / 12:00 EDT / 17:00 BST

A couple of late nights in there for us Brits, but it’s E3, so I for one will be up late and enjoying the shows. Can’t wait.

The post E3 2019 press conference schedule appeared first on THUMBSTiX.

The Nintendo Switch appears to be the current favourite console of choice for Indie developers, and I also saw a sneak peak of what appeared to be an Xbox title running on the Switch, which I am sure we will hear more about at this years E3. I am absolutely chomping at the bit to be able to play Xbox titles (and gain achievements) on a portable device!

So, on with my thoughts of my personal best of the show. I have picked seven titles that impressed me the most.

Supermarket Shriek

Releasing in the summer on Xbox One, Supermarket Shriek is a simple but hilarious title, especially in couch co-op. And all you need is one button each. The comedy factor is driven by the hilarious on-screen animations and sound effects, as your one button is used to make your character scream. One of the characters is a goat, and the other a small boy, who are sitting in a supermarket trolley. When one of the characters screams the trolley turns left, and then vice versa, whilst both screaming together sends you in a straight line. As the gameplay requires you to navigate obstacle courses in supermarkets, you soon know that it is not as easy as it sounds, and that getting three stars in each level will require a high level of communication. The fun that was being had by all the people who played is testament to the simple but addictive nature of this game. Although it launches with local co-op only, an online mode is being worked on and will be added to the game after launch. There is also the feature of plugging in USB microphones and playing the game by actually screaming!

Supermarket Shriek is being developed by Belfast-based Billy Goat Entertainment Limited and you can find out more about the game on the website, and on the social media account on Twitter. Thanks to Will Barr (@billysonthewall) for the demo. It will launch as an Xbox Game Pass title.

Heave Ho

I knew nothing about Heave Ho until I walked into the Devolver Digital room, and in fact the game was only revealed about a week ago, but the buzz and excitement around this in the room was extraordinary, with gamers gathering around the screens all day. It’s one of those games that’s as fun to watch as to play. It reminded me of the sort of buzz that Gang Beasts attracted a few years ago, and the gameplay is similar even though the games are really different, and Heave Ho is definitely more of a co-operative game. The premise is simple – get your characters from one side of the screen to the other with the use of nothing more than your long and somewhat sticky arms. What follows is a hilarious physics based game involving swinging, catching and throwing, accompanied by great sound effects.

Heave Ho is being developed by Le Cartel and published by Devolver Digital. It will be launching on PC and Switch in Summer 2019.

Lonely Mountains: Downhill

Lonely Mountains: Downhill was another game in the ID@Xbox room, and is an arcade mountain bike game where your goal is to ride down a mountain as fast as you can without crashing. Sounds simple, but it is also fiendishly difficult and addictive. It’s one of those “just one more go” games which you end up playing until 4am! Graphically simple but detailed and very pretty, and although the control scheme was tricky to start with I soon realised that it was very intuitive, as unlike a lot of games of this ilk you simply have to push the stick in the direction you want to go. This is definitely an essential purchase for me, which is brilliant as it will be launching day and date into Game Pass!

Lonely Mountains: Downhill is being developed by Megagon Industies and you can find out more about the game on the website, and on the social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook. Thanks to developer Jan Bubenik (@DrWDSo) for showing us the game.

Phogs

I played Phogs at EGX Rezzed in 2018 and it looks to be progressing nicely. Again, its another two player game where you control a Phog, a two headed stretchy dog that you control through levels, solving puzzles as you go. Again, its a very physics based game, as you both control one half of the same animal as you bite, stretch and curl your way through the environment, collecting bones and helping characters as you go. Playing through the demo this year was as much fun as last year, as Phogs is a real joy to play. There have been additions, the most obvious being the use of light to get through areas. For example, if one end was to bite onto a light then the other end acts like a torch. Phogs is full of charm.

Phogs is being developed by BitLoom Games in cooperation with Coatsink and will be released in 2019 on most major platforms. You can find out more about the game on the official website.

Afterparty 

This is developers Night School Studio’s follow up to the brilliant adventure game Oxenfree. This time its set in Hell, where recently deceased friends Lola and Milo must outdrink Satan in order to activate a loophole, thus granting them a re-entry back to life. The small section that I played was full of humour and felt very similar to the stylings of Oxenfree. The way the dialogue choices blend into the movement of the characters on screen just feels so integrated and never takes you out of the lovingly created world. There are also multiple mini-games to play as you go on the biggest bender ever, with beer-pong just one of many.

Like it’s predecessor, Afterparty also features multiple endings, and your actions may have disastrous consequences for other inhabitants of the Underworld. Lola is also voiced by Star Wars Battlefront II’s Janina Gavankar, so there is some good voice talent involved.

Again Afterparty will launch into the Xbox Game Pass service, and will be released in 2019. You can find out more on the official website and on Facebook and Twitter.

Katana Zero

Another great title coming to PC and Switch on April 18th from Devolver Digital, this time developed by Askiisoft. It reminded me of the excellent Dead Cells in it’s style and combat, but Katana Zero requires you to battle through smaller more compact stages. Upon death (which you will see a lot) the game rewinds back to the start, much like a VHS rewinding a 80’s action film, where upon you get to try again. The game has a neo-noir styling and also features a dialogue system with the game numerous NPC’s. Some of the areas also contained switches for lasers, and at certain times you could use these to take out onrushing enemies. Katana Zero looks like a perfect Switch game for short intense play periods.

For more information about Katana Zero please visit the official website and follow Justin from Askiisoft on Twitter!

My Friend Pedro

Rounding off the trio on my list from Devolver Digital, My Friend Pedro is probably one of the most stylish shooters we will see this year. It main lure of this game is the copious amount of acrobatics and guns, as you flip and shoot your way through a level full of enemies. There are also lots of extra points on offer as you can shoot bullets off objects like hanging frying pans, or kick severed heads at the enemies. There is a learning curve here, in order for the fluency to become natural, but when you get this mastered then My Friend Pedro is going to be a load of fun. Oh, and there are lots of Bananas as well!

My Friend Pedro is developed by DeadToast Entertainment and will be released in June 2019 on the Switch and PC. More details on the website, and on the Facebook and Twitter social media accounts.

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