Tag: Launch

[Not Massive] Last Week’s Steam Games You Might Enjoy


I’m trying something new today.

Last week saw over 375 new games listed on Steam, and get this: Roughly half of them didn’t even release. Steam has become such a dumping ground for trash that out of nearly 400 titles slated for release between July 28 and August 3, half of the developers never bothered actually putting them out. And the other half? Don’t get me started. Hentai slider puzzles, trashy RPG maker games, a Brian Boitano simulator, and more! It’s enough to make you not want to bother even looking at the release list.

And that’s where I come in. I took a gander through the release list so you don’t have to, and pulled out more than a dozen games that look like they may actually be worth playing. Please note that this is solely based off of first impressions of the gameplay videos, reviews, and description of the title itself. I haven’t played the games and thus make no statement on their quality or whether you the reader will enjoy them.

Luckily they are for the most part rather cheap and on some sort of launch sale.

#1: Lost Flame

Lost Flame is an old school roguelike title that looks ripped right out of the DOS era. Created by Bartosz Bojarowski, developer of the well received title The Madness of Little Emma and the not as well received game Don’t Chat With Strangers, it appears that Bojarowski’s skills lie with roguelikes and less in the realm of puzzle games. Screenshot for the game is above, Lost Flame is currently in Early Access at the cost of $12.59 USD.

#2: The Church in the Darkness

The Church in the Darkness is a top-down game where you play as Vic, ex-law enforcement officer who heads down to South America to rescue his nephew from a cult. How dangerous is the cult? Will you stop them or join them? Can you rescue your nephew? Church in the Darkness boasts multiple endings as well as voice acting from popular VA’s such as Ellen McLain (GLaDOS) and John Patrick Lowrie (Sniper – Team Fortress 2). The Church in the Darkness is available for $15.99.

#3: Dry Drowning

Dry Drowning is a visual novel with gorgeous art design that creates a world where Max Payne meets Deus Ex. A dystopian city, you play as private detective Mordred Foley, a man on the run from his past and presumably toward a bottle of something alcoholic. Dry Drowning promises more than 150 story branches, 3 endings, as well as time travel mechanics and psychological interrogations.

There’s even a demo if you don’t want to throw down the $16 bones for it.

#4: Half Dead 2

Half Dead 2 looks like a strange player, but unlike most of the other games on this list it has established a community and overwhelmingly positive reception. Half Dead 2 sets you up as a ruthless, bloody criminal who happens to get caught by the intergalactic police. Thankfully you have a chance at not being put to death now that the Emperor has set up a game of survival with the most ruthless killers in the galaxy. Emperors are funny like that.

Survive through rooms with deadly traps in cooperative or competitive play, and on the cheap: Just $4.49.

#5: Glo Phlox

Glo Phlox is adorable, and not just because I misspelled it roughly a dozen times while writing this paragraph. Here we have a twin stick shooter in a metroidvania world promising combat that is easy to learn and difficult to master. It comes to us from Justin Sennema and Eduardo Brasil and current reactions on Steam seem quite positive.

You can check it out at the low cost of $14.39. And speaking of twin stick shooters…

#6: WarForwards

A classic top down shooter with cute anime girls, and only $10. WarForwards won’t be winning any Hotline Miami impersonation awards anytime soon, but developer Roman Pak has put together a shooter that aims to impress and so far has absolutely done so. Early impressions on Steam show an 81% approval rating among the eleven reviews, with users praising the controls, soundtrack, and overall polish.

#7: The Poisoner

A virtual reality game for those of you with the hardware and the software to get through it. If I know my VR like I think I do, the bar for scaring the pants off of people is pretty low, so a game that looks good and sets you with tracking down a deranged serial killer in a cabin in the woods? Might as well just play with no pants. The Poisoner is being developed by PlatformaVR and is currently in Early Access. If you don’t want to put forward the $9.99 for the game now, you can check out the Prelude for less than the cost of a dollar menu cheeseburger.

#8: Legends of Amberland: The Forgotten Crown

Hit right in the nostalgia gland. Legends of Amberland is a turn based game with grid movement set in the same vein as your favorite titles from the 90’s like Might & Magic and the Goldbox series. Brought to market by indie studio Silver Lemur Games, Legends of Amberland estimates around 20-50 hours to finish, depending on what kind of gamer you are, and sets you on the task of being the good guys and slaying the bad guys. It is also $17.99.

#9: Jupiter Hell

Jupiter Hell looks like Fallout, and the developer’s syke-out in the trailer of “exclusive to the Epic Game Store” had me for a second, despite obviously being available on Steam. A top down shooter, Jupiter Hell is a turn based strategy game that operates on the “time moves when you do” style similar to Super Hot and its ilk. It is a roguelike (of course) set on the moons of Jupiter (of course) with a 90’s aesthetic (of course of course) with procedurally generated levels (of course of course of course).

It looks to be a solid game and so far 85% of the 57 reviewers on Steam agree that it is worth buying. Jupiter Hell is currently in Early Access and runs around $22.49.

#10 Tailypo: The Game

I’ll admit that Tailypo has me greatly confused. For a game that bills itself as set in the Appalachian wild, this game has a lot of scenes in the trailer set in just about everywhere but the Appalachia. Set in 1988, you are a hunter whose life is thrown through a loop following your marriage. Hands up, who wants to guess that this dude’s wife is dead and that’s why he’s retreated to the Appalachia? Bonus points if he killed her. At $24.99 you might want to sit this one out until a sale unless it really attracts your attention.

#11: The Black Widow

Imagine if Ouija boards were created by the same guys that built Skype and you have The Black Widow. Fully voice acted and creepy looking as all hell, The Black Widow will set you back six bucks and has you figuring out a murder mystery while literally talking to the woman who was convicted and sentenced to die for it. The Black Widow follows the story of Australia’s first female serial killer.

#12: 1000$

Their spelling, not mine. One thousand bucks looks like it might blind you, and it doesn’t cost a thousand dollars. For just 84 cents, you can find out what it’s like to have a rare eyesight condition that makes the world look like a slightly higher resolution Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall. Actually you play as a gamer who decides that he wants to upgrade his computer, and thus you need to steal a thousand bucks from your neighbor’s house. I’m not joking. The game is set in America, so your old lady neighbor obviously has a loaded gun.

I applaud developer Bisquit Games for not actually showing the gun toting granny in any of its promo material.

#13: The Blackout Club

The Blackout Club tastes like an odd mixture of Stranger Things, IT, and Left 4 Dead. You play with up to four teenagers who discover some odd happenings in their small town. Every night the town gets up and sleep walks, and nobody remembers it in the morning. When your friend goes missing, you decide to investigate. 87% of the 708 reviewers on Steam had positive things to say about The Blackout Club, developed by Question and on sale for $29.99.

#14: Kindergarten 2

Presumably you need to have played Kindergarten 1 to understand the sequel, since the game bills itself as Groundhog Day with messed up children, and features kids getting murdered. Play through Tuesday over and over again until you get it right, and for $14.99 there is plenty of Tuesday to get through. You may recognize the Nugget character if you’ve watched Game Theory. You can pick up Kindergarten 1 for $4.99, if you haven’t played it yet.

Legends of Aria Hits Steam August 6


If you need Legends of Aria to release on Steam and preferably before August 7, then you have hit a stroke of very specific luck.

Citadel Studios announced today that the global launch of the hit MMO Legends of Aria is coming sooner than you think: August 6. Legends of Aria bills itself as a modern take on classic MMORPGs such as Ultima Online and Eve Online, and is a living breathing world shaped by its players. While much of the game world is safe from the harsh life of open world PvP, lawless regions still exist inhabited by those looking to make your day that much worse.

“Not only have we added a new playable skillset in the Bard and a whole new armor and weapon enchanting system to make the crafters in our community even more important, but we’re making the world of Aria a much friendlier place to live,” said Derek Brinkmann, CEO. “We’re ecstatic to finally be launching Legends of Aria on Steam after so much hard work and love were poured into the game. We cannot wait for MMO players of all sorts to join us on our journey.”

Legends of Aria will launch into Early Access on Steam on August 6. New features include the bard class as well as equipment enhancement, rulesets, a fresh start server, an optional premium subscription, quality of life improvements, and much more. Check out the official website for more information.

Black Desert Launches on PS4 August 22


Pearl Abyss today announced that pre-order editions of Black Desert are now available for Playstation 4 ahead of the official launch date of August 22. Packages will be 10% off for Playstation Plus members, and include various extra goodies including early access. Playstation 4 Pro users can also enjoy 4K support, an expansive game world with stunning graphics.

For more information, check out the official website or watch the trailer down below.l

Source: Playstation Store

FFXIV: Shadowbringers Hits PC And Console Worldwide


Final Fantasy XIV players have plenty to be happy about, as Square Enix has officially launched the latest expansion; Shadowbringers. Shadowbringers introduces two new player races, new jobs, and a level cap increase to 80. Along with the new player jobs/races, players will be able to challenge dungeons with a party of trusted non-playable characters, as well as tackle previously completed quests under a new game+ system.

If you are interested in getting into Final Fantasy XIV, there is a trial available with no purchase necessary. A Tales of Adventure pack is available to speed a character through the Stormblood story content for those who do not wish to grind through the story a second or third time.

Source: Square Enix Press Release

TERA Reloaded Hits Xbox One and Playstation 4


En Masse Entertainment has finally launched the biggest update ever for TERA on consoles. Tera: Reloaded introduces the Elin Gunner class and brings with her intense firepower. Whether or not you’re interested in the high-caliber cutie, you’ll be able to indulge in the new enchanting system, Guardian Legion Missions offering daily quests, and new endgame dungeons with a hot new gear system.

Twitch Prime members will also find a number of promotional goodies coming to Twitch Prime April 2. The package includes cosmetics, codes, and more for all of En Masse Entertainment games. TERA players can check out the trailer at the link below or just boot up your console and start playing.

[Community] 2019: The Year In Which Walmart Messed Up My Soda Pre-Order


Want to hear a joke? I pre-ordered energy drinks. Want to hear a bigger joke? They botched it.

Last month I talked about how Walmart partnered with Ubisoft and Mountain Dew to offer pre-orders for Mountain Dew Game Fuel, an energy drink that came out on store shelves this month. For $20 you could get a 12 pack of the assorted flavors and the pack came with a Division 2 box of tchotchkes and early access to the Division 2 beta. How could this possibly go wrong? It’s soda.

To be fair, I found out that the box is actually a good deal if you like sugary energy drinks since for $20 you get a 12 pack and stores in my area are selling the individual cans for $3 apiece, which would set you back $36 for the equivalent amount. I honestly forgot about this whole ordeal since I never received an email from Walmart that the order shipped, and dealing with a funeral over the past week completely tossed it out of my memory that the soda was supposed to ship on January 14.

I never received my soda, but the beta code came through fine and so did the box of stuff. I did get an email from Walmart confirming that my case is on backorder, so not only is 2019 the year that the energy drink industry adopts pre-orders from game developers, it also takes on screwing up people’s pre-orders. I’ve been on Twitter and various social media websites and there are a fair number of other people who haven’t received their orders, or for whom Walmart lost their orders entirely. Congrats, you’re the Mighty No. 9 of energy drinks.

The goodies included in the box are an assortment of tchotchkes including a screwdriver, an odd whistle/compass/light, a hat, and an 8gig dog tag drive that appears to be breaking for some people with the connector not pulling out. Honestly I thought that if anything would go wrong with this order it would be the whole beta code being distributed properly. But Walmart proved me wrong, and the thing I actually wanted to buy is now not coming.

Walmart explained in the email that if they can’t get my order by MARCH 8 then it will be cancelled and refunded. Two months for Walmart to track down twelve cans of Mountain Dew, I hope they can pull it off.

Let this be a lesson; don’t pre-order energy drinks.

Maplestory M Launches Dragon Master Class


Maplestory M today has launched its latest update, introducing the new Dragon Master class Evan as well as minigames and seasonal events. In addition to the new quest, Maplestory M is also introducing the minigame station along with four new minigames. Players will be able to gain coins through the minigame station and use those coins for rewards from the in-game shop.

Events following today’s update are as follows:

  • Evan Burning Event  – Through January 17, Evan characters between levels 3 – 75 will be given 2 bonus levels each time they level up 1 level
  • Evan update celebration– Through January 2, all players will receive special rewards including Buff Pets to help playing the game
  • Evan Growth Support Event– Through January 24, Special Growth Support Boxes, which include 3 stages of “Dragon Mount,” Evan exclusive chair and medal are given as players level up the new Evan class
  • Christmas Tree Decoration Event– Between December 24 to January 5, players can decorate Christmas trees with ornaments to earn Tree EXP for rewards
  • New Year’s Attendance Event– Between January 1 to January 24, players who log-in for 14 days anytime during the event period will receive Unique Accessory Draw Ticket, Equipment Support Box, pets and various rewards
  • Golden Pig Dice Event– Between January 10 to January 24, players can celebrate Golden Pig Year by obtaining special rewards from the board by rolling dice

Maplestory M has reached 10 million downloads in its first 100 days following launch. More information can be found at the official website.

Funcom’s Mutant Year Zero Has Launched


Funcom today launches their latest title: Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden.

The title promises to combine the turn based strategy of XCOM with realtime stealth and exploration of a post-human world reclaimed by nature and mutants. In a world where nuclear war has not only wiped out the last vestiges of humanity, you take on the roles of several mutated animals and humanoids to find Eden, a legendary safe haven in the wasteland that is the post-apocalyptic Earth. Or it may just not exist.

Mutant Year Zero is available on PC, Xbox, and Playstation. Xbox Game Pass owners can get their hands on the game as part of the subscription now. willing to wait two days will find the game added to their library on December 6.

Old School RuneScape Launches Mobile Today


The world mourns its loss of collective productivity today as Jagex has officially launched Old School RuneScape out of beta in its mobile form. The classic MMORPG hits Android and iOS devices following months of beta testing, with over one million users having pre-registered. Users are able to log in with their existing PC accounts and continue on either platform continuing to level up their characters.

Jagex CEO Phil Mansell stated:

“Today’s launch of Old School RuneScape on mobile leads the charge as we bring two of the world’s most popular MMORPGs to the world’s most popular gaming devices. We believe in taking our living games to wherever our players want them and, with the mobile editions offering full and seamless cross-platform play with PC, players can now continue their adventures on either platform and on the move. The arrival of Old School RuneScape on mobile, and our ongoing work to also bring RuneScape to mobile, is testament to our investment in the continued growth for both titles and building our vision for living games.”

Dark Eclipse Launches On PS4: First VR Moba Game


Dark Eclipse, the first PS VR MOBA title, launches today in North America and Europe from SUNSOFT as a free download on the Playstation store. Developer is looking to shake up the genre by pitting two players against one another in head-to-head matches, each player controlling a team of three leaders, each with unique skills and abilities, along with the power to recruit soldiers who level up during the match. The ultimate goal, as usual with the genre, is to conquer your enemy’s base.

“We created DARK ECLIPSE to capture the MOBA genre’s competitive magic, while restructuring many of its core elements to take advantage of VR’s unique capabilities,” said Shohei Sakakibara, Producer and Project Leader at SUNSOFT. “We’re dedicated to fostering an active community and making DARK ECLIPSE VR’s first competitive gaming phenomenon with a legitimate esports fanbase.”

Leaders can be purchased with in-game currency or through the Playstation Store starter packs. The base game is available for free on the Playstation Store.

(Source: SUNSOFT press release)