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Publishers Slitherine and developers The Artistocrats have launched one of those high-fadoodling “2.0” updates for Starship Troopers – Terran Command, their violently arachnophobic real-time strategy game from 2022. It introduces Territory Mode, which sees you defending three planets featured in the base game and two expansions, and brags of “a level of personalization and replayability never before seen in Terran Command”.
Embark Studios CEO and former EA guy Patrick Söderlund has been chatting about the usage of generative AI and machine learning in Arc Raiders, the forthcoming looter shooter with the neat motorbike helmets. He’s of the opinion that while generative AI tools at large are “pioneering” inventions that “should completely change how this industry functions”, “the human aspect is still essential”. Nonetheless, it’s patently obvious from Embark’s self-commentary in general that the real pioneering element of genAI technologies is cutting specific humans out of the picture, so that More Videogame May Be Made.
Former Ridgeline Games boss and Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto has spoken out against the diminished representation of certain old Ridgeline colleagues in Battlefield 6‘s credits, pointing out that some have been “entirely omitted” despite their years of work laying the “foundation” for EA’s new FPS.
Time to phone Genghis Khan. Tell him the news. There’s gonna be a bit more waiting before you can become 13th century Mongolia’s a truest Yam courier rider/horse befriender. Following its latest Steam Next Fest demo, The Legend of Khiimori‘s early access release has been pushed back to March next year.
I know, throw down your spurs like they’re Yosemite Sam’s hat. There’s neigh way developers Aesir Interactive and NightinGames have done this to you. Well, they have, but they say they’ve got the game’s best interests at heart.
For a myriad of reasons, I can’t really write any particular profane curse words here, but an approximation of my feelings on Birdcage, an anime as hell, “sword action shooting game”, it would be something like, “this game is so ******* sick, like what the ****, how the **** can one game be so ******* stylish.” I’m sure you can fill in the blanks of what words I wish I could use there, but if you’ll allow me, I’d also like to take the time to actually talk about why Birdcage rules so much.
The Nintendo Dual Screen! Or Nintendo DS, as it was actually known. There’s a console that has practically no relevance to this site, except for right now, because of a game called Dementium: The Ward. For those that haven’t heard of it, this is one of the incredibly few horror games available on the handheld console, nowadays a bit of a cult classic because who on earth thought it would be a good idea to do that. It was also pitched as a Silent Hill game, a point we’ll come back to because the big thing here is that it’s making its way to Steam later this month.
There should have been two major extraction shooters launching in the last quarter of this year. One of them is Arc Raiders, which is in fact coming out later this month. The other is Marathon, which, well, you know. Interestingly, though, with both games hosting tests earlier in the year, there was an opportunity for Arc Raiders’ developers to learn something from Marathon.
Though I deeply wish for it to not be the case, unfortunately the reality you and I find ourselves in is one where AI is being forced into every single crevice the worst corporations you know can fit it in to. It hasn’t completely dominated any of the arts just yet, but its usage is becoming more and more common. If you’re one such developer considering doing so, voluntarily, I would normally offer you some potentially unkind words, but instead I’ll point you towards the one and only Nobuo Uematsu, whose stance on AI is one I’m quite fond of.
Sequels! More often than not, they’re completely unnecessary, but until we’re at a point where we don’t have to bow to the whims of the free market, studios of all sizes will likely continue to push them out. Right now people like familiarity, there’s a risk in paying for something new. What if the thing you’re buying is a waste of what little money you have? Ah, but a sequel to a thing I already like, more of the thing I know enjoy, that’s the stuff. So it’s quite refreshing to see Dead Cells developer Motion Twin completely ignore that, and put their heart into making something new, a topic the studio spoke about their feelings on in a recent interview.
Let’s get this over with early: Bloodlines 2 probably should not have been called Bloodlines 2. Shared setting and a couple brief, questionable cameos (plus one utterly rubbish bit of cosmetic DLC) aside, there is little tying this game to Troika’s original janky cult hit FPS/RPG hybrid. This is not an RPG with deep mechanics, a wide variety of character builds or dialogue that reacts to mechanical choices. If that is what you need out of a game bearing this most hallowed of names, then you will be disappointed and frustrated.
But if you are willing to lay decades of dreams to rest and approach it purely on its own terms, you might find an entertaining if flawed romp through the World Of Darkness. A brawl-heavy, linear action game punctuated with Telltale-esque reactive dialogue and held together by a surprisingly compelling, century-spanning undead detective mystery.
