It's difficult to wrap your head around how large the universe is. It's one thing to say that the distance from the here to the moon is ten times the circumference of the Earth, but that figure is incomprehensible. It's hard enough to wrap our tiny minds around the notion that our planet, our home, is finite, much less the preposterous distances between the stars. Galactic Civilizations III understands and fluently wields those disparate perspectives--the mundane and human as well as the astronomical--to craft a game that manages to bring the tiniest shuttlecraft, the mightiest quasar, and all the distant mysteries that lie between into a single coherent vision.
As you might suspect from the name, Galactic Civilizations is a game that, while inspired by Sid Meier's seminal masterpiece, games are expected to have a lot of bugs because they are so open, Galactic Civilizations has a lot of rough edges. I played a final build of the game, and there were still some missing textures, odd graphical glitches, poorly edited music, and one missing technology description. They were all cosmetic, but they were common enough to be distracting.
Galactic Civilizations has always had a comedic bent, but III takes dry humor in games to a new level.
The bigger problems come from how unrefined some of the ancillary features are. One of the biggest additions is the ideology system. As you make choices about how the shape of your civilization progresses, you'll build up points in Benevolence, Pragmatism, or Malevolence. This is intended to be a morality system, but in practice, its effects are loose and intangible. Picking a new step on one of the three trees will usually grant you a one-time bonus, but they aren't substantial, and they don't represent play style. In my second game, I was ruthless and declared war on everyone, but I was able to maintain a façade of altruism by picking certain dialogue options. As a method of embodying the kind of civilization you want to be, the Ideology system doesn't work.
Taken as a whole, Galactic Civilization's failings are minor. For most games, a few major pieces that don’t quite fit together would be a death knell. Galactic Civilizations keeps its focus right where it needs to--on excellent fundamentals. Progressive pacing makes the enormity of space amenable and paradoxically personal, while the sheer number and variety of tools and options at your disposal allow you to succeed and win if you can out-think everyone else.
An email sent out by the company employing these testers, VMC Consulting, indicated that these testers had violated both a non-disclosure agreement and Xbox Live's End User License Agreement. The email said that, as a result of violating Xbox Live's EULA, the offenders' Xbox Live accounts had been permanently banned and their consoles "temporarily blocked." According to the email, this meant their systems were "entirely unusable" until Microsoft decided otherwise.
This prompted concerns from Xbox One owners that Microsoft has a killswitch that allows it to completely disable any Xbox One console. Microsoft's statement suggests violating the terms you agree to when using the system will only result in the console being banned from use online.
Microsoft did not directly address the bans supposedly handed out to these testers, so it remains to be seen whether their consoles have been rendered unusable offline--something that may have been stipulated by the NDA they are said to have broken. The NDA remains an important wrinkle, as these individuals were subject to rules that ordinary Xbox One owners are not.
We've followed up with the company to find out if it possesses the ability to disable a console altogether, but have not yet received a response.
The , Microsoft revealed in a statement from corporate VP of marketing Mike Nichols that Xbox sales increased significantly over the previous year.
"As the best-selling console in the U.S. in April, fans set record April sales and engagement for Xbox One last month. Xbox One console sales in the U.S. increased 63 percent in April 2015 compared to April 2014 and Xbox Live comparisons showed the number of active global users (Xbox One and Xbox 360) grew 24 percent. We are grateful to our fans for their passion and support and are looking forward to sharing more on the best game lineup in Xbox history at E3."
Despite having higher sales numbers for the month, the larger number of software sales went to the PlayStation 4. Sony, in its own statement regarding the NPD, also pointed out that it remains the number one console in overall sales. A representative for SCEA wrote in a statement to GameSpot, "According to NPD, PlayStation continues to lead software sales for April 2015 and PS4 remains the cumulative sales leader in the US. We are looking forward to an amazing E3."
Developing...We'll have formation here in this story when the NPD Group releases its own statement later this afternoon.
developer Techland has announced new details about the game's upcoming Bozak Horde DLC, as well as a release date: May 26.
The Bozak Horde adds a new game mode where you'll face waves of enemies inside of a new area (Harran Stadium) as part of a game set up by someone named Bozak. You'll be able to do this on your own or with a group of up to four players--though it sounds as if the latter is the preferred method for tackling it.
Techland says this has been "designed with co-op gameplay in mind." Players will be faced with a challenge worthy of "even a team of four seasoned survivors," who will be able to showcase their results through the new leaderboards.
Those who are able to defeat the entire horde will be granted a compound hunting bow that is said to be "the ultimate stealth weapon." By completing other objectives, players can unlock new arrow types for it, including electric, incendiary, and exploding, which sure sounds as if it'll render this anything but a stealth weapon.
The Bozak Horde will be available both as part of the season pass and as its own DLC pack for $10.
Sapkowski first wrote The Witcher as a short story in 1986 for the purpose of entering a magazine contest. He came third.
CD Projekt decided to develop a new engine (named Redengine) to implement their vision for The Witcher 2.
The art design was inspired by the Slavic culture, with minor influences from Celtic, Germanic and Scandinavian mythos.
CD Projekt released the Director's Cut patch for The Witcher to North American players which removed censorship in the game (which was largely censored nudity on the erotic cards).
The original music for The Witcher was composed by Adam Skorupa and Pawel Blaszczak and was released in 2007.
In April of 2009 CD Projekt RED announced that The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf had been put on indefinite hold due to complications with Widescreen Games.
In The Witcher 2, protagonist Geralt is more than a 100 years old
The original name of Dandelion is "Jaskier" (in Polish).
Conan O’Brian reviewed The Witcher III: Wild Hunt on a Clueless Gamer segment.
The Witcher soundtrack was voted "Best Fantasy Game Soundtrack" in the 2007.
I'm also not a fan of Bravely Second's melodramatic dialogue. As the character you followed from beginning to end in Bravely Default, Tiz was an excellent lens through which to view the story; he was hopeful and more often than not the group's voice of reason. But he also felt emotions very deeply and was quietly strong when he needed to be, making him a well-rounded protagonist with a good balance of flaws and strengths. Yu, by contrast, is a mess. He's juicy and emotional in sappy ways, often more anxious than ready to fight. He exhibits sporadic moments of courage, but they fade away quickly as he demonstrates he is unable to really take care of things on his own. I'm not that far into the game, so I can only speak for the first several hours of Bravely Second, but I hope his character development is significant.
Another annoyance I encountered with Bravely Second is something that Japanese players have been complaining about since launch. Bravely Second has its own version of Bravely Default's Norende Village restoration, in which you use online features and 3DS Street Pass to rebuild a destroyed village. In the previous game, you could swap items and builders with other players, allowing you to help each other in the process. In Bravely Second, in order to access the restoration project, you need to register or login to the Square Enix member website. This means if you're not a Square Enix member, you can't do anything with the project. It's a pretty crappy thing to do, considering restoring the village is ultimately helpful to you in the long run. Sticking it behind a registration wall is inconvenient and unnecessarily limiting.
If you enjoyed Bravely Default, Bravely Second is just more love. So far, it feels like the same game with new characters and a few small tweaks. However, some of these changes drag down the experience; the absence of the random encounter slider in particular slows down leveling, one of biggest pillars of the JRPG experience. Despite that, I'm still enjoying combat and fighting alongside old friends from Bravely Default. I'm enjoying seeing how the new job classes work, and if you were invested in the story of Tiz and Agnes, you won't want to skip this game when it, hopefully, gets a worldwide release.
In Last Word’s prim and proper world, words speak louder than actions, and combat is fueled by discourse, shifting the momentum of a conversation. This might sound dull in theory, but in practice, the numerous tactics and systems at play lead to an enjoyably varied, if initially confounding system. Combining tact, power, and a healthy dose of subtlety leaves your discussion partner susceptible to your every whim--providing little more than a deflated ellipsis in response to your last word. Despite its elementary presentation, Last Word stands out as a witty, novel venture carried by clever writing and a creative form of combat.
To buy into Last Word’s concept, you need to suspend your disbelief and accept the bizarre power of the spoken word within this otherwise realistic society. The courtly, cultured characters have the gift of gab, constantly spouting long-winded tales of their family names and the distinguished natures of their storied houses. Their words carry unique weight, though, as whoever speaks the last word and “wins” an argument leaves his or her counterpart powerless. You’ll often see NPCs at a door endlessly trading polite “after yous” or “I insists” in fear of letting someone else finish the conversation.
"After you!" "No, after you!" "No, I defer to you." "I simply insist you enter first." GET IN THE HOUSE ALREADY, DUDES!
This strange societal wrinkle produces plenty of silly moments, but when it comes to actually engaging in longer conversations, the “Discourse” mechanism is anything but simplistic. Think of it as a basic RPG battle, but instead of swinging a blade or blasting enemies with a fireball, you leverage disruptive, submissive, and aggressive forms of banter to push the conversation in your favor. You often open with a disruptive phrase in order to fill up your power meter, followed by something more submissive that spends power to gain tact. Aggressive phrases, which consume stored tact, effect the most change in the conversation bar, so you need to parlay your power into tact before the opportunity to really push the dialogue arises.
More and more systems are stacked atop this foundation. A character’s composure changes from collected, to irritated, and eventually to uncivilized, based on a sort of rock-paper-scissors system. Certain actions serve as counters to others, and if you continue to correctly rebut your foil’s last assertion, their composure cracks and eventually shatters. This adds a bit more venom to your aggressive moves, lowering your opponent’s defense and more quickly swaying the conversation meter in your favor. Purchased skills and attributes continue to add bite to your bark, but it takes practice to sharpen your conversational steel and become a true threat.
Some people are just better than you. It's best to accept it.
Even with a tutorial that helps you navigate through the dense schemes, Last Word’s Discourse feature is far too opaque early on. All the different tones and meters take time and effort to both understand and intelligently utilize, so you have to bang your head against the systems and fail a few times before the flow of conversations becomes clear. After you learn the ropes, this unique take on turn-based action begins to shine, and the fair-yet-steep difficulty curve gives you ample opportunity to test your tongue.
Outside of the conversational duels, the regular discussions you have with the cast are brainy and nimble. Last Word never falls too in love with its aristocratic tone, staying on the right side of "tongue-in-cheek" through its intentional pretentiousness. There’s a deep well of text to draw from, too, since the other major mechanism at play surrounds gossiping with your peers about specific hot-button topics. Leveling up these topics by talking to the right person at the right time opens up new narrative avenues, and if you manage to examine each corner of your environment and learn everything you can from its guests, a few interesting wrinkles are added to the last few story sequences. For a game trapped in windowed mode and focused on a single location, Last Word is rich in subsidiary content.
Coming to terms with Last Word's mechanics isn't easy at first.
On the surface, the characters appear as little more than colored silhouettes, their different hues based on each house of origin. But once you enter a conversation, hand-drawn caricatures appear, sporting expressions and audible squawks that pair well with their personalities. Each member of the small cast has a name as fanciful as their persona--from Whitty Gawship to Professor Chet Chatters. It’s a peculiar world with far too much one-upmanship for anyone to want to live in, but for a four-hour visit, it’s a treat.
It isn’t exactly easy to pick up, but the layered Discourse system in Last Word is worth the few verbal jabs and hooks needed in order to master it. The turn-based structure succeeds at supplying a fun alternative to the cavalcade of fantasy RPGs on the market, and while it can be easy to roll your eyes at all the patterned bow ties and discussions of fine wines, the posh tenor never tips so far that it becomes pretentious. Last Word shows that you don’t need a towering sword or a 15-minute summoning sequence to create an exciting battle system--sometimes it just takes a sharp script and an even sharper tongue.
Editor's note: Due to a discrepancy between the version of the game used for review and the full release, the original Action Henk review contained some inaccuracies. It has been updated to reflect the game as released. - KV, 5/14/2015
I like to think of Action Henk as a retired action hero on the fast road to retaking the spotlight. A distended beer belly hanging far over his belt, Henk is a small action figure sporting a wide, yet determined grin separating an impressive set of 1980s sideburns. It’s hard not to root for him as he slides down ramps and over obstacles at a relentless velocity. This side-scrolling, speed-running platformer has the rush of a classic
There is still some stress involved. At the end of most sections, you face a tough boss challenge. These races can require a lot of patience and restarts as they test your speed-running skills. The final section missions, however, are the most difficult, and are capped off with a boss challenge that had me wearing down my restart key. Earning a gold medal in every level of a section unlocks a touch bonus mission to collect coins. The medal also unlocks the rainbow medal ghost, as well as the ghost for the top player of the level--both of which are the hardest challenges you can face. The game doesn't suffer much from technical issues; there is minor lag in some levels, but it doesn't stay noticeable for long.
Though reaching the final series of levels is possible in only a few hours, there is still a lot of extra content to experience and discover. Completing challenges such as boss battles unlocks new characters and skins--the Sonic costume for Henk with his belly bursting through the front is an easy favorite. Action Henk is a community-focused game, and includes tools to build and share your own custom level and download other users’ levels from its Steam page. I tried a few of the higher rated tracks, many of which are great. Some send you through enough loops to make your head spin, while others are designed for pure speed. There is also an online racing mode, where you and a group of fellow speed-runners compete for the best time in a level. You are given a time limit and as many restarts as possible to secure the best time and a chance to bop the top runner off the first-place podium. There is one problem with multiplayer, however. Having a text chat box is great, as it gives you the opportunity to talk smack or get running advice form the pros. But because of its size and position on the dark background, it covers too much of the screen.
The disco levels are groovy!
Completing Action Henk will set you back around five hours or so, and you will be at the edge of your seat for most of that time. The speed is immensely satisfying, and earning those precious gold medals after replaying levels feels good. It’s a heart-pumping adventure starring action figures and toy tracks, so give yourself a break and come play.
Ahead of the game's release next week, Polish developer CD Projekt Red on Thursday released a new cinematic trailer for that speaks to the size of game's massive world.
Horror? Lovecraftian monsters? Procedural generation? You got it. Zorine and Jess check out the latest in Early Access Indie Horror games, Phantasmal!
Konami say mobile is the future of gaming, Sony fully back No Man’s Sky, and Deadly Premonition dev Swery’s next game is deemed “too perverted.”
Join us as we take a look at the early hours of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and more.
