Couchpotato's Random RPG News

[Redglyph]

For fans of Dark Souls and Elder Ring, NeverKnowsBest has posted a couple of videos on the subject.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqMfmAUXA8Q

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B34PBHYmcnQ

 

[Couchpotato]

Five Games That Were Much Better Than I Expected

Talking about my five games that really surpassed my expectations as I played them!

Soulslike Metroidvania BIOMORPH announced for PC - Steam

BIOMORPH is a soulslike metroidvania game. Fight terrifying monsters and steal their shape and powers! Solve ingenious puzzles and navigate a stunning 2D world. Meet quirky characters, rebuild a city, and uncover the secrets of a sprawling, fallen civilization… and of your own mysterious origins.

The Iron Oath Fire and Ice Update Live - Steam

Fire and Ice, is now available! This update features a new player class (the Icebinder), a gear enchantment system, and a Scourge crisis mechanic that adds new quests and special events to the game. We're excited for you all to get your hands on the new class, and we hope you enjoy what we've been working on!

Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms - Strongholds Update Incoming

Just a quick update to inform you that we are pretty confident about releasing the major update with strongholds before leaving for GamesCom. We initially targeted the end of the month to release it but you know we are fast, and we are testing the feature right now so we'll hopefully be able to deliver next week. The update will come with a new round of balancing and misc improvements that will be detailed before the patch of course.

Phoenix Point Julian Gollop Interview - PCGamer

While the X-COM/XCOM series is now 10 games deep, Gollop was only responsible for the original and Apocalypse, the third game. Of course, none of them would have existed without him, his brother Nick, and the tiny team of artists that built the game that started it all. And now you can't fire up a store like Steam or Epic without seeing countless turn-based strategy and tactics romps, many of them capitalising on the success of Firaxis's XCOM.

Diablo 4 survey hints at potential micro-transactions - PCGamesn

A Diablo 4 survey sent out by Activision Blizzard suggests some of the potential microtransactions and pre-order bonuses we might see in the upcoming RPG game.

Monomyth's new Object Placement System

https://twitter.com/x/status/1558555375854575616

 

[Couchpotato]

Fextralife's This Week in RPGs

Midnight Suns Delayed to 2023, Made in Abyss RPG Exploration and Battle, The DioField Chronicle Gameplay Feature, Persona 5 Royal Coming to Xbox, Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak Update 1, Dragon Quest Treasures Gameplay Details, Star Ocean the Divine Force Character Trailer, Path of Exile 2 and Mobile Confirmed in ExileCon 2023 on this week of Top RPG News August 14, 2022

Black Geyser - Post Launch Updates & Future Patches

Talking a bit about the post launch updates to Black Geyser alongside future plans the developer has outlined!

Dungeons of the Amber Griffin - Szargan hunting (Gameplay)

We invite you to watch the gameplay from the game in which we reveal the first page of the bestiary. The Shargan is fairly easy to defeat, but it gets dangerous in the group that can circle the team. You have to feel when to back off.

 

[Couchpotato]

Bloodborne PSX: Recreating Bloodborne as a PlayStation One Game

We talk to Lilith Walther about her fan project to de-make Bloodborne.

Inside the Studio Designing the Follow-up to Hyper Light Drifter

In the first episode of our new series "Hyper Light Development" we meet the team at Heart Machine, learn about their previous projects, and the journey they are about to embark on.

New Middle-earth Game Revealed by Private Division

“We are thrilled to partner with Wētā Workshop to publish a game set in such an extraordinary and celebrated universe,” said Michael Worosz, Chief Strategy Officer, Take-Two Interactive, and Head of Private Division. “The Lord of the Rings IP is home to so many remarkable stories, and no entity is better equipped than the team at Wētā Workshop to create a distinctive, new Middle-earth gaming experience.”

Unity rejects AppLovin's takeover bid, to go with ironSource buyout - Reuters

Unity said on Monday AppLovin's offer was not in the best interest of shareholders and decided it would not qualify as a "Superior Proposal" as defined in Unity's merger agreement with ironSource.

Update on Lost Eidolons for Xbox - Oceandrive

We are deeply grateful for your continued support, and we believe that our way of paying back would be staying true to our goal of providing the best Lost Eidolons experience possible. Based on the learnings from the Xbox closed beta, we identified that we have quite a few areas we need to make improvements in, especially with optimizing and polishing the game. We held multiple internal discussions and came to the conclusion that we needed to make some hard decisions.

One conclusion we reached is that it would be better to delay the Xbox launch to Q1 2023. Closed beta taught us that Lost Eidolons is not yet presentable in the way we intended and requires much more optimization and polish. So we will take a little more time to be able to offer a game you can enjoy and we can be proud of. Our current plan is to release the PC version of Lost Eidolons first and launch on Xbox in Q1 of 2023. Once we have a firmer date, we will make sure we share it with you.

Why Blade Runner: Enhanced was a mess when it launched - PCGamesn

June of this year saw the fortieth anniversary of Blade Runner, Ridley Scott’s genre-defining cyberpunk film. Nightdive Studios had targeted the anniversary for the launch of its remake of the Blade Runner adventure game, a beloved classic developed by Westwood Studios and originally released in 1997. Launch day arrived on June 23, Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition went up for sale, and the reviews began trickling in. They were not good.

“I’ve only played for 15 minutes and immediate impressions are absolutely awful,” wrote one Steam reviewer. Another said they were disappointed with Nightdive: “I sincerely cannot imagine anyone there looking at this and thinking it was acceptable.”

 

[Couchpotato]

Five Games That Deserve A Remaster/Remake

Talking about a few games that I'd love to see get a new lease on life through a remake or remaster!

Thymesia Review: Is it Worth It? Should You Play it?

n this Thymesia Review, we will take a deep dive into the Soulsbourne hack and slash action RPG, which boasts vast improvements since the last time we tried it back in December 2021.

Guild Wars 2 launches for Steam on August 23 - Steam

Guild Wars 2 is an award-winning online roleplaying game with fast-paced action combat, deep character customization, and no subscription fee required. Choose from an arsenal of professions and weapons, explore a vast open world, compete in PVP modes and more. Join over 16 million players now!

Darkest Dungeon II: Oblivion's Ingress Update Detailed

Join the denizens of this crumbling world and worship the yawning void - new avatars of the Loathing demand your supplication! Hear the demoniac piping of the Herald, prostrate yourself before the Altar, but gaze not upon the high Exemplar, for you are not worthy of such an honor.

Larian Studios Retrospective - PCGamer

When Larian boss Swen Vincke first heard that his debut RPG was going to be called Divine Divinity, he thought it was a joke. But his publisher in Germany, CDV, was all too serious. They'd had a hit with a game called Sudden Strike, and suspected that alliteration might be the key to long-term success. Reader, they were wrong.

Crusader Kings III DLC to receive a price increase, says Paradox

DLC for Crusader Kings III will receive a price increase, revealed developer Paradox. On Twitter, the developer announced that the strategy game's two Flavor Packs, Northern Lords and Fires of Iberia, would have their prices go from $6.99 to $12.99 on September 13.

 

[Couchpotato]

What's Left For Gaming In 2022?

Talking in general about what's left for games in 2022 as we near the last few months of the year for what has been quite a slow year for gaming.

The Dragoness: Command of the Flame Gets Gameplay Guide

Releasing September 1st 2022. Wishlist and play the FREE DEMO now!

Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Bloody Ties - Teaser Trailer

Time to unveil some details about Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Bloody Ties - the first DLC coming to the City. What dangers wait for you? How can you beat them? What will you get in return? One thing is certain… it will be brutal!

 

[Couchpotato]

Broken Roads publisher now Versus Evil. Game is delayed until 2023

It's been difficult keeping quiet all these months, but today, we are excited to officially announce that Broken Roads is coming to PC & consoles in 2023, and will be published by our partners at Versus Evil!

To celebrate this announcement, we've released a brand new trailer. Check it out & don't forget to wishlist!

Xenonauts 2 July Update - Steam

Greetings - July is now complete so it's time for this month's update.

Unfortunately, progress on the game this month has been somewhat disrupted by covid. All of the UK-based team members managed to get ill at one point or another, so - as you can probably imagine - this did not have a great effect on productivity.

While this meant we were not able to release Build V24 last month as planned, we are hard at work on it right now. There have been a lot of crashes to fix that have been introduced by all the new systems we've added since V23 but most of those should have been found and fixed. The team is now focussing on adding and polishing new content.

Sacred Fire Act 2 Released - Steam

Hello everyone! Thanks to the amazing help from our community testers, we’re excited to let you continue your Sacred Fire story, as Act 2 is now available! In this blog, we'll outline what you can expect from the second act.

 

[Pladio]

Sacred fire was a game I was looking forward to in 2004 but it just feels so old now...

 

[Couchpotato]

Why You Should Play Divinity II Ego Draconis in 2022

Mortismal Gaming Check Out: The DioField Chronicle

Talking a bit about The DioField Chronicle the upcoming strategy rpg from Square Enix, launching next month with a demo available now

Thymesia Beginner Guide: Top 10 Things All Players Should Know

In this Thymesia Beginner Guide, we are going to take a look at how the upcoming Soulslike Action RPG works in terms of its gameplay mechanics, tips and tricks to come out alive in combat, and more.

A Plague Tale: Requiem - Gameplay Overview Trailer

Embark on Hugo and Amicia’s next journey and venture south of 14th century France, before setting sail to a mysterious island out in the Mediterranean Sea.

 

[Couchpotato]

Early Versions of Mythic Power and The Myth Begins - Owlcat

Last time, we told you the story behind the main theme of Wrath of the Righteous. We hope you'd like to learn a little about the work that went into Mythic Power and The Myth Begins, two pieces of in-game music written by composer Mikhail Kotov.

The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: Back to the Futon DLC Wishlist Open - Steam

Once again, your favourite party of unlikely heroes are in a bit of a pickle: arrested by the Dungeon's Fund, they have to accomplish a dangerous mission to earn back their freedom. Join them in their new adventure across time and discover the secret behind the construction of the wackiest of dungeons, the dreaded Dungeon of Naheulbeuk. Prepare to fight the nefariousand drowzycult of Dlul, the God of Sleep, to prevent the world from being stuck in an Eternal Nap. Even worse: if you don't succeed, you could lose all your XP and your loot!

Elden Ring has sold over 16.6 million units as of June 2022 - RPGSite

Bandai Namco's new financial report for the first quarter of the 2022 fiscal year, which ran from April to June, revealed a new sales figure for Elden Ring. The company has sold over 16.6 million units of the game by the end of June 2022.

Broken Roads Official New trailer and Versus Evil Publisher Announcement

We’ve been working with Versus Evil all of this year and are really stoked to partner with them. They've published some of the best RPGs of the last decade and it's great that Broken Roads is joining their lineup.
There have been a number of significant changes and improvements we’ve been tight-lipped about which we will go into more detail next week at gamescom and show off in upcoming dev blogs and videos, including:

• Major improvements to environment and character art
• Shift to fully 3D maps (from 2D tile-based scenes)
• We have revamped combat, but will touch on that in the future
• Entirely reworked skill system, moving from skill trees to integer-based skills
• Overhaul and improvement of all animations
• UI redesign coming in the next few months
• Additional artists, developers and designers are now in the project

We’re also working with Knights of Unity (the team that helped develop Disco Elysium) who have been doing a fantastic job across the board over the last six months, from Unity tools through to many of the in-game improvements mentioned above.

Please enjoy the new trailer, come say hi if you are at gamescom, and we look forward to bringing you more updates soon!

 

[Couchpotato]

Mortismal Gaming Check Out: Thymesia

Talking a bit about the recently released soulslike that sees us trying to sort out a plague in the city of Hermes.

Sovereign Syndicate Steam Demo Trailer - Online at gamescom 2022

Keep an eye on our steam page during Gamescom 2022 our upcoming playable demo. Sovereign Syndicate is an isometric steampunk RPG inspired by games like Baldurs Gate, Disco Elysium, Arcanum and Divinity Original Sin. The game is currently in development by Crimson Herring Studios, a Canadian developer based out of Edmonton, Alberta.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns - Hero Spotlight Meet Scarlet Witch

No one escapes the Scarlet Witch!

Marvel’s Midnight Suns Hero History: Scarlet Witch

With a past like hers, it's fitting that Wanda’s specialty is Chaos Magic.

 

[Couchpotato]

Cyberpunk RPG Jack Move comes to PC on September 8th - Steam & Epic

Jack Move is a JRPG that features a unique blend of gritty cyberpunk story telling, turn based battles and beautiful modern pixel art. Take on the role of Noa, a vigilante hacker who is thrust into a world of murder, kidnapping and dark research after her father goes missing.

PQube announces western release of Labyrinth of Zangetsu - Steam

Fight Japanese folklore inspired Yokai in a stunning ink-brush illustrated Dungeon Crawler! Set in the moonlit city of Ido, the world has blackened under the 'Ink of Ruin' disaster. Conscript a team of warriors to venture deep into the Labyrinths to conquer and sanctify the land!

Songs of Conquest Preview - Gamebanshee

I'm writing this preview after spending roughly 40 hours with Songs of Conquest, which includes beating the currently available campaigns, playing a few skirmish maps, and engaging in some hotseat multiplayer. And if you ask me, that's roughly what you would expect from a full game, not just an early access release.

What's currently in the game is familiar yet fresh, fairly well-polished, and most of all, fun. And in order to become truly great, the game simply needs more stuff - more factions, more neutral monsters, more unique combat scenarios and points of interest, more artifacts, more missions, and maps.

If the developers can deliver that, Songs of Conquest can become one of the finest representatives of its genre. And while it's still early, at this point, there's no reason to doubt the team.

 

[Couchpotato]

The Ascent: Cyber Heist DLC Released - Steam

Completed The Ascent but are itching for more? Cyber Heist is for you! Solo or in co-op with your friends, take on new challenging missions, explore brand new environments, fight your way against new enemies, and experience new ways of fighting using melee weapons!

The Ascent: Cyber Heist is set after The Ascent’s main story and is accessible for those who’ve completed the main campaign and want to take on a new contract!

Kira, your former employer, has a new top-secret job, and as a newly independent contractor how could you refuse? Venture outside of your familiar arcology into a brand new arcology owned by the Malhorst-Gelb Group. There’s some new ground-breaking tech ripe for the taking, but you’re not the only one with sights on the prize.

Put your skills to the test as you take on this new challenging job. Explore brand new environments, fight your way against new enemies and experience new ways of fighting using melee weapons!

Fallout 76 - Expeditions: The Pitt Update Detailed - Bethesda

Revisit an industrial wasteland crippled by conflict and contamination in Fallout 76’s Expeditions: The Pitt, arriving as a free update to all players September 13. Leave the borders of Appalachia for the first time ever in Fallout 76 as you help a fledgling faction against an onslaught of Raiders, earn exciting new rewards and make a name for yourself in The Pitt.

Bethesda Removes Starfield And Redfall Mentions From Gamescom Blog - IGN

Bethesda has seemingly dashed hopes of seeing new gameplay for Starfield and Redfall at Gamescom. Fans on Reddit discovered that Bethesda quietly removed a line pertaining to both games from its blog post hyping up a community event at the German gaming show next week.

The blog post originally said (via Eurogamer), "Come see Redfall and Starfield gameplay and get your hands on Fallout 76 while you're there. Of course, we also have a few surprises and goodies in store for you."

Owlcat games Rogue Trader Twitter Update

https://twitter.com/x/status/1559560121717596165

 

[Ripper]

I thought it was weird that the shown Starfield gameplay footage was running at such low FPS - I thought that looked rough. I sometimes wonder what goes on at Bethesda.

 

[Couchpotato]

20-minute in-engine video for Hogwarts Legacy

Enjoy the sounds of summer in Hogwarts Legacy as you explore beyond the castle grounds to neighboring hamlets.

Bringing Redfall to life with Arkane Austin: Developer Video

The team at Arkane Austin gives you an insider look at Redfall. How were the vampires created? What type of weapons can you find? What makes Redfall Arkane's most ambitious game to date?

The Ascent - Cyber Heist Gameplay

Here we take a quick look at the just released The Ascent - Cyber Heist gameplay on PC. This new DLC costs around £5 and includes new enemies and places to explore.

Midnight Fight Express Gameplay

This one is more fun than expected as the moves and action are really enjoyable.

 

[Couchpotato]

Thymesia VS Dark Souls - Which Is Right For You? - GameLuster

We know it’s hardly a fair fight this week, with the Dark Souls series practically being part of gaming history at this point. This comparison seeks to help players make decisions on what games they want to play, and while we know it’ll be hard to live up to Dark Souls, we also want to let potential players know what Thymesia has to offer. It may have been more trendy for our comparison to include Elden Ring, but we’re trying to be fair here. Elden Ring is very different to past Souls games with its open world design, so we won’t be including it today. Now let’s dive into the comparison!

Blizzard confirms no loot boxes in Diablo IV - Gamesindustry

Blizzard has confirmed that there won't be any form of loot boxes or pay-to-win elements in upcoming RPG title Diablo IV, as part of an in-depth look at its live service and monetisation plans.

Inside the thankless task of developing for low-spec gaming - PCGamer

Chuhai Labs co-founder Giles Goddard thinks minimum settings are going out of fashion. A veteran of Nintendo in Japan who has worked on everything from Amiga and N64 to Wii and Oculus Quest, he's noticed a change over the years with regard to developing for different PC specifications. "It used to be that the developers would aim for the lowest spec, and they'd make it look great on that, regardless of anything," he says. "And then, if you had a faster PC or graphics board, you could put more bells and whistles on top for post-processing effects or whatever, but only to make what was already there nicer-looking.

Embracer Group buys a part of The Lord of the Rings for a Pittance -Wccftech

The Embracer Group did it again. The Swedish video game and media holding company founded by Lars Wingefors eleven years ago (though it was still called THQ Nordic before the 2019 rebranding) has embarked on a veritable acquisition spree in the last few years, gathering prized IPs and respected game developers such as 4A Games, Flying Wild Hog, Gearbox, and 3D Realms to name a few.

More recently, the Embracer Group entered into an agreement with Square Enix to acquire their Western studios (Eidos Montréal, Square Enix Montréal, and Crystal Dynamics) alongside popular IPs like Tomb Raider, Deux Ex, Thief, and Legacy of Kain for a mere $300 million, leading Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch to say it was the steal of the century.

The Swedish company may have outdone itself with the latest round of acquisitions, though. Earlier this year, Variety first reported that the Saul Zaentz Company had decided to sell off its Middle-earth Enterprises (formerly Tolkien Enterprises) division, which owns catalog and worldwide rights to motion pictures, video games, board games, merchandising, theme parks, and stage productions related to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit literary works, as well as yet-to-be-explored matching rights in other Middle-earth-related literary works authorized by the Tolkien Estate and HarperCollins.

 

[wolfgrimdark]

Some great news bits thanks @Couchpotato

 

[Redglyph]

Yes, good articles, thanks!

Too bad we won't get more gameplay of Starfield but we already had a big one after all.

And this Embracer Group is getting too big for its own sake.

 

[Couchpotato]

Black Myth: Wukong 8 Minute Exclusive Gameplay

Get an exclusive look at the first-ever 4K gameplay of Black Myth: Wukong with ray tracing and NVIDIA DLSS. Featuring collectibles, hidden elements, new combat and enemies, the latest Black Myth: Wukong gameplay takes you back into the mysterious forest.

Flawed Games Can Still Be Enjoyable! - Sassy Gamers

I’ve been liking more games lately. It makes a refreshing change. It’s so easy in the current world to feel skeptical about everything, especially in the games industry. We see it all the time now; people find that negative news and discussing problems are easier to generate interest. Nothing gets people talking like a broken game that annoys people. It gets people engaged. While it’s important to keep track of that, it’s easy to focus only on the negatives.

Bloodborne Makes It Harder to Go Back to Dark Souls - Gamerant

Bloodborne's playstyle is a unique take on the traditional Soulsborne formula, making it difficult to return to the mainline series of games.

Diablo IV Quarterly Update - Blizzard

Today we'll be talking about some of what’s coming to Diablo IV after the game ships. This is often referred to as a live service, and we have ambitious plans here. Our associate game director for live service, Joseph Piepiora, and our director of product, Kegan Clark, are here to talk details. Everything they describe is in addition to delivering the complete Diablo IV experience, the rich endgame features you expect at launch, and regular expansions that continue the story.

Hogwarts Legacy Animations are Terrible - PCGamesn

A clip of Hogwarts Legacy animation is making the rounds on Reddit, and not exactly for reasons that make the upcoming fantasy game look good. The (very brief) clip shows an NPC student walking along a path outside Hogwarts Castle, and it is, admittedly, very rough. The biggest issue commenters noticed is a backwards slide the character’s dormant foot does when the other one is moving forward, almost like they’re trying to moonwalk.

 

[Couchpotato]

Mortismal Gaming Mass Effect: Andromeda - First Impressions

Talking a bit about my initial experiences with Mass Effect Andromeda as I move to review the title!

Black Myth: Wukong - Official In-Game Cutscene

Check out this new in-game cutscene from upcoming action-adventure RPG, Black Myth: Wukong. In this six-minute cinematic, we get a closer look at some of the characters and their story. Take a look for a peek at what's to come.