A little over three years since it was announced, Dreamsettler, the spiritual sequel to Hypnospace Outlaw, has been cancelled. Yesterday, lead developer Jay Tholen shared a video simply titled “Dreamsettler is canceled”, where he explained some of his reasoning behind the decision. “This is not a joke, and I’m sorry everyone,” Tholen wrote in the description of the video.
Ever since Gravity Rush 2 came out eight years ago (let’s not focus too hard on how much time that actually is for my mental health), I have, unfortunately, not been able to stop thinking about it. It is a game with a world full of whimsy, video game ass mechanics, and, most interestingly of all, a plot that quite directly deals with topics like class. What more can you want! And yet a sequel has never materialised. Lucky for me, just yesterday a new gravity shifting game entered the scene: Metro Gravity.
I know this is a PC games focused outlet, but I’d like to present to you the most PS3 coded game I’ve seen in a long while: Chains of Lukomoyre. Now, to be clear I mean this in the most loving of ways possible. That era of video games obviously set the foundations for the rinse and repeat we see in a lot of triple-A games these days, but there was still the occasional oddity out there that just had the right vibe. And I think Chains of Lukomoyre fits that vibe quite well.
Unfortunately, it’s that time of the month again. Yesterday, Splitgate 2 developer 1047 Games shared a post on LinkedIn announcing that layoffs had taken place at the company. It was described as a “small group of valued 1047 Games team members,” but as is par for the course for games industry layoffs, there was no mention of how many have been laid off – though of course the usual spiel about “redirecting resources” to make the game better. You know, classic corporation speak.
As it stands, Remedy Entertainment’s latest entry into their Connected Universe, FBC: Firebreak, is not doing so hot. Across the board it’s not been received entirely positively (including by our own James, you can read his review here), not exactly the ideal launch for a live service game. All the same, it being a live service game might ultimately be its benefit thanks to the power of that mystical force called “updates.” In a Steam post shared by the FBC: Firebreak team, some planned improvements were outlined, which certainly sound like they’d make for a better experience.
Indie horror game developer Ruled are onto a nice little spree with their shortform Itch.io releases – seemingly, they are skipping from phobia to phobia. First there was Automatonophobia, a game that navigated the fear of subterranean golems, then there was Chrometophobia, a game dedicated to the fear of spending money, and also to the act of finding “grimbo” gibs for a delicious pie. What’s next on the menu? Ah yes, scarecrows.
Both sides have been openly chummy since that point, with the studio behind The Elder Scrolls even having the team of modders pop by for a visit around the time their project was being shouted out on the official channels. We’ve now learned a bit more about how that social call went and what the two sides chatted about.
I am getting a real kick out of Rematch. As a football game, its closest analogue isn’t FIFA or eFootball, but a certain nitro-boosting sports ’em up that has been going for ten years. I’ve already seen it jokingly described as “Rocket League without cars.” An infuriatingly accurate description that does half my job for me. My list of irritations with it is long. But there is something so compelling about the kick-by-kick play, each match a little drama, that I will gladly scrunch that list of complaints into a ball and toepoke it into a waste paper basket on the other side of the room. GOOOAAALLL!
PC gaming hasn’t seen much 3D hardware since Nvidia shuttered its goggles-based, Alec-damaging 3D Vision prospect in 2019. Death by lack of compelling use cases, or by VR coming along and doing the whole “S’like it’s coming right at me” thing more comprehensively? Maybe a bit of both, but in any case, Samsung is having another go with its new Odyssey 3D gaming monitor. Outwardly resembling just another 4K IPS screen, its three-dimensification of select games involves collaborations with their original developers, with the final effect being delivered without the need for any glasses or headwear at all.
I recently had a go on the Odyssey 3D, and it’s certainly a few steps up from yer dusty Nintendo 3DS. A combination of eye-tracking cameras and an internal array of lenticular lenses produces the 3D effect, maintains it as long as your head stays roughly centred, and at least for me, manages to avoid inflicting agony of the eyes or brain. It’s impressive tech, though if it’s to become a serious desk-topping option, the Odyssey 3D will need a lot more games to get on board with it.
To suddenly make a leviathan 4X strategy game like Victoria 3 free to play the day before the weekend is either an act of historic generosity or a masterstroke of cruelty. My dear friends at Paradox Interactive, I have literally just sent Nic my contributions to this weekend’s What Are We All Playing round-up. And now, sirs and madams, you would have me reckon with approximately a century’s worth of densely tabulated imperialism, optional child labour and people called Leopold.
Not only have I popped my monocle, sirs and madams, but my top hat has gone off like a volcano and my handlebar mustache has twisted itself into a pair of propellers, which are now flying me away into the sunset. I bid you good evening, sirs and madams! I say again: good evening and good night!