Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt makers CD Projekt Red have said in no uncertain terms that they “are not interested” in being acquired by another company, while still leaving the door open for the studio to potentially acquire others in the future.
Last year (wahey), you narrowly decided that giving items to other players is better than throwing grenades back. I feel glad for your family and friends, who doubtless received wonderful gifts for Christmas rather than regifted junk. You’re a little sweetie. Well, 55% of you are little sweeties. The rest… best not to dwell. Let’s open this new year with a question of beginnings. What’s better: a fresh new MMO server, or Viscera Cleanup Detail’s Sniffer tool?
Microsoft has announced the games coming to Xbox Game Pass in January 2024, with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Resident Evil 2 headlining this month’s offerings.
Revealed on Xbox Wire, the mysterious adventure game Close to the Sun is available today, January 3. Set in the 1890s, players must board a mysterious ship complex created by Nikola Tesla in an alternative version of history. In our 7/10 review, IGN said: “Close to the Sun is a harrowing and thoughtfully designed first-person exploration adventure that shows a twisted world in which Nikola Tesla’s ideas came to life.”
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is the 2020 entry in the long running and popular franchise in which players take on the role of Eivor, a Viking raider who does as much screaming and smashing as they do sneaking and stealth. Following on from the role-playing game style gameplay of Assassin’s Creed Origins and Odyssey, Valhalla features England as its main map but also lets players visit the likes of Norway and North America.
In our 8/10 review, IGN said: “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a massive, beautiful open world fuelled by brutal living and the dirty work of conquerors. It’s a lot buggier than it should be but also impressive on multiple levels.”
Resident Evil 2 is the other heavy hitter of early January, with the 2019 game completely recreating the beloved survival horror entry for a modern audience. Players take on the role of Leon S. Kennedy as he starts his first day as a police officer in Raccoon City in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, or Jill Valentine who goes searching for her missing brother. These intertwining storylines see both characters forced to overcome one horrifying challenge after the other.
In our 9/10 review, IGN said: “Now this is how you remake a classic. Resident Evil 2 expertly reanimates the horrifying atmosphere and moments of extreme tension that made the original so revered.”
Sticking to the spooky atmosphere, We Happy Few is another horror title joining Xbox Game Pass in January. It sees a group of slightly terrible people try to escape from a prescribed cheerful lifestyle, having to force their way through some horrifying citizens to do so. In our 7/10 review, IGN said: “There’s a great story lurking in We Happy Few, but you’ll have to escape some repetitive levels to find it.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
In 2024, I am learning to do cryptic crosswords. Last year I complained about Puzzmo’s crossword clues being very US-centric and Excors commented that US and UK puzzles seem very different, both in their form and in the fact that UK crosswords are often crytpic. Which is true! Often if you see a “quick crossword” in a UK paper that means “crossword with clues that are general knowledge questions and not an archaic set of riddles – you know, for if you’re waiting for the kettle to boil, or are an idiot”. So I decided to look into how you actually do cryptics. It’s way harder than I thought, but at the same time I did not realise it’s just smug puns.
Mecha BREAK, at first glance, has all the flash of a mecha anime brought to life. I’m talking massive, colorful robot suits, each with their own movesets, roles, and specialties strafing across arena shooter-style maps in bouts of neon-lit glory. What you might not have been able to glean from its energetic reveal trailer at The Game Awards, though, is that it’s actually a multiplayer-only experience. And with Titanfall on ice and Armored Core 6 burying its PvP behind a few chapters of its campaign, it’s cool to see a mech game on this scale fully commit to multiplayer.
Despite their hulking size, mechs in Mecha BREAK don’t feel like lumbering bots of mass destruction. Instead, they move with speed and grace. Strafing to dodge enemy fire just to get in close to hit them with a few melee attacks before parrying their counterattack with your shield and then finishing the job, feels much tighter than you’d expect. Hits land with the appropriate oomph, and each attack lights up the screen with bright colors. It’s clear Mecha BREAK understands that mechs are inherently cool and that a good mech game needs to transmit that coolness through the controller.
Of the three modes planned for Mecha BREAK’s launch, only two — a 3v3 and a 6v6 mode — were available in the closed alpha I played. Both focus on recognizable PvP structures that you might find in any standard multiplayer shooter with a handful of objectives to capture or play towards, and there’s a solid mix of different things happening here. That said, I hope developer-publisher Amazing Seasun makes them a bigger focus in the final version. Plopping objectives on maps about the size of a scaled-up Halo level makes for good chokepoints to encourage skirmishes, but these objectives don’t feel balanced. Momentum gets to be just a bit too intense here; a few of the matches I played ended far too quickly because my team captured and held every objective right at the beginning of the game which gave us the starting boost we needed to achieve an almost complete blowout.
Beyond the pacing of any individual match, these multiplayer bouts reminded me a lot of Halo. From the time to kill to the types and placements of the objectives to its tense melee showdowns and ranged standoffs – and even down to its map layouts – there’s an unmistakable Halo-like sensibility to the ebb and flow of these matches, and I mean that in the best way possible. I found myself fervently mashing the respawn button through the respawn timer just so I could get back into the action one frame sooner like I was 13 again.
I would like to note, however, that my experience with Mecha BREAK was pretty limited. While I can see the difference in playstyles between various mechs and have cycled through some of the unlockable options, I can’t exactly speak to their diversity in movesets or playstyles beyond their descriptions and their roles like “Attacker,” “Tank,” or “Brawler.” Progression here seems to be pretty well-designed around rewarding regular players through a battle pass-like system, though what I saw is certainly subject to change.
In addition to the hands-on time I had with Mecha BREAK, I also had the opportunity to talk with some of the developers at Amazing Seasun about their approach to designing a multiplayer game, their inspirations, and a handful of other features appearing in Mecha BREAK including its third mode, which wasn’t playable during the closed alpha period. Amazing Seasun hasn’t discussed this mysterious third mode too much, beyond describing it as a PvPvE experience that’s similar to a battle royale. They weren’t able to share much about this mode, spare some very vague details about fighting NPC mecha and enemy players to progress, but if you watch the game’s reveal trailer, you’ll see players fighting a giant boss-like mech.
I came away from the closed alpha and the interview for Mecha BREAK wanting more thanks to the fun, dazzling mech action at its core, but I also came away excited and curious to learn more about its third large-scale multiplayer mode. Here’s hoping we won’t have to wait long to see what it’s all about.
Developer is now sole publisher of the IP.
Developer Frogwares, known for its work on the Sherlock Holmes franchise, has become the sole publisher of its open-world investigative game The Sinking City after a lengthy legal dispute with Nacon (formerly Bigben Interactive).
In a post on social media, Frogwares stated that the latest version of the game will be published on the likes of Steam, Epic Games, GOG, and Gamesplanet in the coming weeks. As we mentioned a little while back, the Switch version of The Sinking City has been unaffected by the ongoing dispute since Frogwares originally published it instead of Nacon.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Happy 2024! We hope your new year’s celebration was full of fun and games and that you have even more in store in the days to come. To help with that, let’s add some more games to your “to be played” list!
Close to the Sun (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Deep in international waters, Tesla’s Helios stands still. An unbound utopia for scientific research, Rose Archer steps aboard in search of her sister, quickly to discover not all is as it seems. Use your wits to guide Rose on her journey to find her sister Ada, overcome dangers unknown to understand the fate of the Helios and its inhabitants in this narrative driven steampunk adventure.
Hell Let Loose (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – January 4
Squad up and take to the battlefields of World War II in the ever-expanding, hardcore, first-person shooter experience that is Hell Let Loose. Join other players online in epic, 100 player battles, taking place across huge, to-scale maps, where working as a team is a matter of life and death, and the right – or wrong – decision can turn the tide of battle. We’ll see you on the front lines!
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 9
Become Eivor, a legendary Viking warrior. Explore England’s Dark Ages as you raid your enemies, grow your settlement, and build your political power in the quest to earn a place among the gods in Valhalla in this critically acclaimed entry in the Assassin’s Creed series.
Figment (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 9
An action-adventure game that invites you to explore a unique, surreal universe filled with music, humor and a multi-layered narrative. Join Dusty and his ever-optimistic friend, Piper, on an adventure through the different sides of the mind, seeking to restore the courage that’s been lost.
Super Mega Baseball 4 (Cloud, Console, and PC) EA Play – January 11
Super Mega Baseball 4 is coming soon to PC Game Pass and Ultimate via EA Play, so grab your glove and your bat. It’s time to go yard with the best to ever play the game. Hit, pitch, throw, and slide into home plate with the series’ signature combination of arcade-inspired style and immersive gameplay depth.
We Happy Few (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 11
Making a return to the Game Pass library! From Compulsion Games, set in a drug-fueled, retro futuristic city in an alternative 1960s England, We Happy Few is an action adventure game in which you hide, fight, and conform your way out of a delusional Joy-obsessed world.
Resident Evil 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 16
Revisit the critically acclaimed nightmare of Raccoon City in Resident Evil 2 with new visuals, modern gameplay mechanics, and an over-the-shoulder perspective. Join rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield as they fight to survive a mysterious viral outbreak in Raccoon City that has turned its citizens into terrifying, flesh-eating zombies.
Those Who Remain (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 16
As the lights go out, the embers of darkness are stoked in the sleepy town of Dormont. Confront uncomfortable horrors, keep your sanity in check, and survive the night in this story-driven first-person psychological-thriller.
Dead by Daylight: Chucky – Available now
Game Pass members save 10% on their purchase! Meet your new best friend ‘til the end. Dead by Daylight: Chucky brings an iconic horror legend into The Fog with a new Killer: The Good Guy – Chucky. Purchasing this add-on unlocks an exclusive Charm: Good Guys Box. Wanna play?
Hello Neighbor 2 Anniversary Update – Available now
To celebrate the recent anniversary of Hello Neighbor 2 there is a new free update to check out. Visit the whole new area – the forest located on the outskirts of Raven Brooks. Explore the church and adjoining graveyard, once a renowned landmark and popular destination for townsfolk, now abandoned and eerily weird. Recent reports of a strange, cloaked figure seen lurking throughout the woods are probably completely unfounded. Are you brave enough to find it out?
Sea of Thieves: Season Ten – Available now
Sea of Thieves: Season Ten continues with the arrival of a new way to sail! Enjoy playing Safer Seas mode at your own pace, alone or with a crew of friends, immersing yourself in your adventures without interruption. Other crews and greater rewards await in the existing High Seas mode. Learn more here.
Sea of Thieves: Nightshine Parrot Pack – Available Now
This pack contains the Nightshine Parrot Jacket, Nightshine Parrot Sails, Nightshine Parrot Figurehead, Nightshine Parrot Hat and Nightshine Parrot Cutlass, as well as 10,000 gold to spend in-game.
The following games are leaving soon, so make sure to tie up any loose ends before they go. Remember to use your membership discount to save up to 20% to keep them in your library.
January 5:
January 15:
That wraps us up! Be sure to toss us a follow on our socials at Xbox Game Pass or Xbox Game Pass PC and stay tuned for more updates. Catch you next time!
The post Coming to Xbox Game Pass: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Resident Evil 2, Hell Let Loose, and More appeared first on Xbox Wire.
I greet news of the completion of a Unity remaster for The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall with equal parts excitement and horror. Excitement because I have never played Daggerfall and it is one of the weirder, more fantastical Elder Scrolls RPGs – the one with multiple endings which sequels have explained away as somehow all being canon thanks to a metaphysical event called a Dragon Break, whereby timelines branch and reconnect. And horror because I have never played Daggerfall, which is said to be 62,0000 square miles in size, and I’m getting to that point in life where I seriously ask myself whether I can finish certain games before I perish.
Still the journey is more important than reaching the destination, right? Perhaps I can treat it like an occasional walking sim.
Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher developer CD Projekt Red is not interested in being acquired despite the likes of Xbox and PlayStation actively seeking out studios to purchase.
Adam Kiciński, chief strategy officer of parent company CD Projekt S.A., told Polish outlet Parkiet that the company is happy and healthy as an independent being.
“We are not interested in integrating ourselves into any larger entity,” Kiciński said. “Throughout our entire lives we have worked towards the position we currently hold. We believe that in a few years, we will be even bigger and stronger.”
CD Projekt Red is certainly getting bigger as an expansion into North America is currently underway. The aptly titled CD Projekt Red North America will include teams at an already established Vancouver studio plus a new Boston-based studio currently being built. These teams will work adjacent to the CD Projekt Red developers in Poland but will focus on the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, codenamed Orion, instead of the next mainline Witcher game, codenamed Polaris.
Another studio owned by CD Projekt, perhaps indicating its desire to be an acquirer instead of an acquiree, is The Molasses Flood, which remains independent under the main company as it works on a multiplayer Witcher game codenamed Sirius.
The video game industry has seen somewhat of an acquisitions race take place between titans Xbox and PlayStation, though the former perhaps claimed a win for good when it completed its purchase of Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard in 2023.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
What’s up, Doc?
Publisher and developer Pichon Games has announced that the gorgeous but gory horror adventure The Bunny Graveyard will be making the jump (heheh) over to Switch at some point in 2024.
Originally released on Steam last September, the game sees you playing as a mouse cursor on a computer (yes, really) and setting out to help a bunny discover the truth behind its existence. Of course, this is a horror adventure, so we can expect a fair number of jumps and scares along the way — many of which can be seen in the above Steam launch trailer.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
