The final chapter in the popular Five Nights at Freddy's series was slated to launch next month, but it looks like fans are getting an early surprise:.
Card Hunter has brought its absorbing mix of Dungeons & Dragons and card gaming to Steam, and just like its free-to-play Flash-based predecessor from 2013, this expanded edition of Blue Manchu’s ode to 80s-era tabletop roleplaying is cute and clever enough to occupy many hours of your free time. Zippy adventures, loads of loot, and devious mechanics prove a real challenge to anybody’s role-playing and tactical skills, while virtual dungeon masters and a keen eye for nostalgia make the game appealing to a wide audience, but particularly to anyone who has ever rolled a 20-sided die.
This new edition of Card Hunter is much the same as the one that hit browsers a couple of years ago, albeit with a new sci-fi campaign, new artifacts, and cooperative multiplayer. If you could smash together a deck of Magic: The Gathering cards and some first-edition Advanced D&D books and then unmangle the resulting ball of papery mush and create a playable game out of the wreckage, you’d have Card Hunter. Basics have been freely borrowed from ‘70s- and ‘80s-era D&D in that you start off with a three-member party made up of the usual warriors, mages, and clerics from iconic RPG races, such as humans, elves, and dwarves. Characters earn experience, level up, and equip themselves with the traditional weapons, armor, and various magical goodies in the usual way.
Stage an expedition to the Barrier Peaks—er, the Sky Citadel—in Card Hunter’s new campaign
Adventures are selected on a world map that gradually opens up based on your level. Make your choice, and you’re off to a three-battle (or so--most modules have trios, but the number varies occasionally) module given an old-fashioned D&D name like “Diamonds of the Kobolds” or “The Sinister Wood.” These names aren’t as cheesy as the real thing, like “The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh,” but they’re close. And the classic pen-and-paper RPG vibe has been preserved. Two dungeon masters named Melvin and Gary serve as a Greek chorus, commenting on both your adventuring and life in general. Characters are cardboard cutouts shoved into plastic stands that boldly slide across maps atop the fake wood of recreation room tables. Erol Otus-ish black-and-white art on module intro screens and an accompanying elaborate title font complete the time warp back to your mom’s kitchen table circa 1984. Old-timers will love these little touches, especially the retro font. That thing is beyond hideous, but it is so evocative of a time and place that I immediately flashed back more than 30 years to the first time I played the classic “Tomb of Horrors” module. Nostalgia may be the cheapest way to hook people on a game, but it is effective when done right.
Gameplay has been reworked dramatically from tabletop RPG norms, though. Instead of taking turns to move, roll dice for combat, and so forth, all actions are controlled by playing cards within the turn-based, tiled maps that make up the battle arenas in each module. Character skills and equipped gear provide access to specific cards for attacks, blocks, and spells, so that sword in your studly warrior’s mitts supplies a bunch of different attack cards. The staff toted around by your mage offers up various spells, and the mail worn by your cleric grants cards with armor blocks and healing incantations.
Tactical battles involve a lot of serious thinking and planning.
You have up to five cards in your hand per round (although this number can vary slightly depending on the special abilities of certain cards), all drawn from the stock provided by the aforementioned hardware. If you want to cast a healing spell, for instance, you have to play a card featuring one of these functions. The same goes if you want to bash an enemy with a club or even move from one space to another on the tile-based maps featured in every module’s set-piece battles. At the end of every round, you discard unplayed cards to get down to a maximum holdover of two, and then you draw new ones to fill out another hand of five.
Everything has been cunningly put together. Battles roll out as intricate tactical affairs where every action is loaded with tension. I was reminded of the Gold Box D&D games from the late 80s and early 90s, as Card Hunter maintains a lot of the turn-based anxiety from those classics. Cards add an appreciable new element, however, along with some welcome randomness that forces you to take chances. I constantly asked myself questions. "My warrior has Powerful Hack, Reaching Swing, and Skillful Strike up right now, so do I race once to the breach, dear friends, and go all medieval on these zombies? My mage has Surging Blast and a couple of Big Zap spells ready, too, so maybe I should go that route and move him forward? Can he survive out front like that? Or what about my cleric? She’s got two Healing Pulses in her hand, so maybe I should spend a round hanging back and healing. My mage is down to eight hit points, after all."
The sheer size of the initial campaign map is so impressive and so loaded with modules that you may never need to spend a cent to get a lot of gaming out of Card Hunter.
Class specialties work just as in regular fantasy role-playing. Going for the jugular with wide-open attacks isn’t always smart. Instead, you have to use mages and clerics to pave the way for swordplay. Buffs include blessings to make attacks instant hits and spells to make characters invulnerable, while you can also wear down foes with abracadabra stuff that strips away blocking cards, melts armor, and more. Area spells can also be used to cause cave-ins that hurt enemies and slow down their movement, establish walls of flame, pits of acid, and more. Every battle calls for specific equipment, especially as you move into higher levels. What works with troglodytes, for example, isn’t as good with imps, mutants, or zombies, etc. Tips can be called up if you fail a battle, so it’s generally pretty easy to figure out how to retreat after a loss and adjust your equipped gear to gain access to the cards needed to better handle the monsters currently on offer.
Of course, a lot also depends on what those monsters have in their hands. Committing to a rushing attack can be suicidal if the bad guys have the cards that they needed to fend you off. Holding off can also be tough, as you never know when you’re going to draw the right cards. Luck is a big part of every battle. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had my warrior all set to finish off a couple of bad guys only to draw nothing but passive armor and movement cards for a couple of turns until my chance at winning passed me by. Maps also enhance the tactical side of the game. Most battles take place in slightly elaborate settings with corridors, trees, and other obstacles that get in the way of movement and spellcasting.
for special bonus 70s-80s nostalgia, the font used in the new Expedition to the Sky Citadel campaign has been borrowed from old Micronauts toy packages.
Card Hunter still has a few problems. The biggest issue for me was the size of everything on a high-res monitor. Text is small, and a lot of the screen is wasted by showing a tremendous amount of the table that the game map is supposed to be sitting on. I loved the nostalgic touches like DM Gary’s “Campaign Notes” notepad and the D&D dice sitting nearby, too, but not at the expense of being able to read card descriptions without squinting. I was in the dark a little more often than I should have been, regardless, as some cards do not fully detail what they do. This can be dangerous, as some can be irrevocably activated with a single click.
volved combat can turn dreary, especially when mages and clerics are involved. I took on a number of battles that turned into one-on-one scraps between spell-casters where the bad guy would run away and just wait for me to attack. This led to lengthy cat-and-mouse affairs where I would hunker down in a corner and draw cards over and over until I got the healing spells and attacks necessary to charge back into battle. I pulled out a few desperate victories using these cowardly maneuvers, but they were never particularly fulfilling. Sometimes I just gave up the battle and restarted, as this was a more agreeable option than committing to 10 or 15 minutes of playing the waiting game.
Some of the new features in this Steam edition of Card Hunter left me a little cold, too. Expedition to the Sky Citadel is an inspired rip-off (complete with another cool retro font, this one clearly inspired by the old Micronauts toys from the 70s and 80s) of the classic AD&D module “Expedition to the Barrier Peaks,” where fantasy heroes explore a crashed spaceship with the guidance of a robot DM. But it’s also incredibly tough, and the pre-rolled party made up so you don’t have to take your own characters to the suggested level 19 before starting it is not good, with an abysmal selection of gear and cards. Buying all new high-level gear for them was the only option to make them playable, but this was unwieldy enough that I went back to the grind with the original campaign.
My gripes about Card Hunter are minor in comparison with the admiration that I have for what the game accomplishes when it comes to creating a mood and a challenge equivalent to that offered by both classic D&D and card gaming. Nostalgia, intelligent combat, and a range of tactical depth is hard to find in different games, let alone rolled up into one very catchy, very reasonably priced package.
The character's creator, Toby Gard, said that Lara Croft's original name was supposed to be Laura Cruz. However, the game's developers wanted a more British influence for the female lead. (Photo: Crystal Dynamics)
Her Name Was Chosen Out of a Phonebook
Once it was decided that game's protagonist would be a British woman instead of a Latina, the game's developer, Core Design, found the closest name to Laura Cruz in the local phonebook. And then Lara Croft was born. (Photo: Crystal Dynamics)
Lara Croft Was Originally a Rip-off of Indiana Jones
Gard's original idea for Lara Croft was a male Indiana Jones look-a-like. But he was told the character should be more original. Gard's other ideas before landing on Croft were a muscular woman and a Nazi-like militant. (Photo: Eidos Interactive)
Lara Croft Was Enhanced By a Programming Error
After settling on the name and design of Lara Croft, a programming error accidentally made her breasts 150 percent larger. The creative team decided to stick with the, ahem, mistake. (Photo: Eidos Interactive)
Her Braid Was Absent in the First Tomb Raider
In the original Tomb Raider game, Lara Croft's iconic hair braid didn't make the cut because of graphical limitations. The braid made an appearance in the next installment. (Photo: Eidos Interactive)
She's Been Proposed to Dozens of Times
Despite not actually being a real person, Lara Croft has been the subject of a multitude of marriage proposals, Eidos staffer Tricia Gray told the New York Times. One day Lara will find Mr. Tomb Raider. (Photo: Crystal Dynamics)
She's Honored In Derby, England
Core Designs famously created Lara Croft in Derby, England, and she's honored there today. The archaeologist's birthplace, the former Core Designs office, now has a blue plaque. In 2010, Derby voted to rename an inner ring road as Lara Croft Way. (Photo: Eidos Interactive)
She Owns Six Guinness World Records
Back in 2010, Lara Croft and Tomb Raider were awarded with six Guinness world records, including most successful video game heroine. That's high praise. (Photo: Eidos Interactive)
She Sang Two Songs Only Released in France
Lara Croft's popularity rose so high in the 1990s that she released two songs that dropped solely in France. One of Croft's 'singles' was called "Getting Naked." (Photo: Eidos Interactive)
She Was Created By Six People
Although Gard created the character, Core Designs needed just six people to create the original Tomb Raider game. Nowadays, there are hundreds of people that work on a single video game release. (Photo: Eidos Interactive)
Lara Croft Was Inspired By Neneh Cherry & Tank Girl
When Gard created Lara Croft, his influences were the '90s Euro-rapper Neneh Cherry and the comic book character Tank Girl. Quite the combo. (Photo: Crystal Dynamics)
There Have Been Five Voices of Lara Croft
A total of five women have voiced the game character: Shelley Bond, Judith Gibbons, Jonell Elliot, Keeley Hawes and Camilla Luddington. Bond, the inaugural voice of Lara, voiced the role in only one game. (Photo: Crystal Dynamics)
The character's creator, Toby Gard, said that Lara Croft's original name was supposed to be Laura Cruz. However, the game's developers wanted a more British influence for the female lead. (Photo: Crystal Dynamics)
Her Name Was Chosen Out of a Phonebook
Once it was decided that game's protagonist would be a British woman instead of a Latina, the game's developer, Core Design, found the closest name to Laura Cruz in the local phonebook. And then Lara Croft was born. (Photo: Crystal Dynamics)
Lara Croft Was Originally a Rip-off of Indiana Jones
Gard's original idea for Lara Croft was a male Indiana Jones look-a-like. Bu the was told the character should be more original. Gard's other ideas before landing on Croft were a muscular woman and a Nazi-like militant. (Photo: Eidos Interactive)
Lara Croft Was Enhanced By a Programming Error
After settling on the name and design of Lara Croft, a programming error accidentally made her breasts 150 percent larger. The creative team decided to stick with the, ahem, mistake. (Photo: Eidos Interactive)
Her Braid Was Absent in the First Tomb Raider
In the original Tomb Raider game, Lara Croft's iconic hair braid didn't make the cut because of graphical limitations. The braid made an appearance in the next installment. (Photo: Eidos Interactive)
She's Been Proposed to Dozens of Times
Despite not actually being a real person, Lara Croft has been the subject of a multitude of marriage proposals, Eidos staffer Tricia Gray told the New York Times. One day Lara will find Mr. Tomb Raider. (Photo: Crystal Dynamics)
She's Honored In Derby, England
Core Designs famously created Lara Croft in Derby, England, and she's honored there today. The archaeologist's birthplace, the former Core Designs office, now has a blue plaque. In 2010, Derby voted to rename an inner ring road as Lara Croft Way. (Photo: Eidos Interactive)
She Owns Six Guinness World Records
Back in 2010, Lara Croft and Tomb Raider were awarded with six Guinness world records, including most successful video game heroine. That's high praise. (Photo: Eidos Interactive)
She Sang Two Songs Only Released in France
Lara Croft's popularity rose so high in the 1990s that she released two songs that dropped solely in France. One of Croft's 'singles' was called "Getting Naked." (Photo: Eidos Interactive)
She Was Created By Six People
Although Gard created the character, Core Designs needed just six people to create the original Tomb Raider game. Nowadays, there are hundreds of people that work on a single video game release. (Photo: Eidos Interactive)
Lara Croft Was Inspired By Neneh Cherry & Tank Girl
When Gard created Lara Croft, his influences were the '90s Euro-rapper Neneh Cherry and the comic book character Tank Girl. Quite the combo. (Photo: Crystal Dynamics)
There Have Been Five Voices of Lara Croft
A total of five women have voiced the game character: Shelley Bond, Judith Gibbons, Jonell Elliot, Keeley Hawes and Camilla Luddington. Bond, the inaugural voice of Lara, voiced the role in only one game. (Photo: Crystal Dynamics)
Following the massive success of Jurassic World, Universal Pictures on Thursday confirmed that a sequel is in production. The original movie's stars, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, are set to return.
The untitled movie opens June 22, 2018.
The park is open...again
Though the original movie's stars are confirmed to return, it doesn't look like director Colin Trevorrow will also come back to direct. His name was not mentioned in today's announcement, and he's previously talked about not wanting to take the reins again.
"Jurassic Park is like Star Wars. Different directors can give a different taste to each movie," he said in a . At $1.52 billion in global box office receipts, it's the third biggest movie of all time, behind only Avatar and Titanic.
During the opening ceremony for QuakeCon 2015 today, Bethesda marketing boss Pete Hines announced a new Fallout collection coming this year prior to the launch of .
If you're going to the Gamescom conference in Germany next month, you'll be able to play a bunch of Ubisoft's upcoming games. These include
Ubisoft is also bringing its Rabbids VR project, called Rabbids Virtual Reality Ride, to the show. It uses a motion seat an a VR headset to make what is basically a Rabbids roller coaster.
In addition, there will be several competitions and events happening in Ubisoft's booth. Attendees can compete in the Just Dance World Cup qualifications to try and make it to the finals at Paris Games Week in October. Ubisoft will also hold a competitive Rainbow Six Siege competition for the best Rainbow Six players in the world.
Gamescom takes place August 5-9 in Cologne, Germany. Watch GameSpot all of Gamescom week for news, impressions, and videos from the conference.
This review contains spoilers. For a spoiler-free review of Journey, you can read our original review . I have heard people describe this final climb in terms of an afterlife, and that's a reasonable interpretation of the scene, in which you float higher and higher towards the mountain's zenith. But even in the moment, whether or not you make this conscious religious association, you might feel weepy in spite of yourself. The gift was given, and it was taken away. And then, you were liberally showered with gifts, and so you ascended, higher and higher, towards your next journey.
It is possible that Journey will not move you. In such a case, it is simply a beautiful game with a glorious soundtrack, grounded by a wistful cello melody later threaded through a warm quilt of winds and strings. The chance you might be swept away, however, makes it worth plunging your feet into the warm sand. If you are returning to Journey, a higher resolution and a higher frame rate are your ostensible rewards for returning--a return that doesn't cost you anything if you already own the game on the PlayStation 3. But Journey's real rewards aren't so pedestrian. Journey offers you comfort. It gives you companionship in a lovely but forsaken world. It gives you reason to dream even when facing loss.
Much like last year, Best Buy has an online-only sale dubbed "Black Friday in July" that kicks off tomorrow, July 24. If you have a free My Best Buy account, however, you can access these deals right now.
Assuming all of its sales are already live, what's on offer probably isn't worthy of a name like Black Friday (even though Black Friday deals are often lackluster, too). Still, there are a number of game-related offers worth checking out.
It's been about twenty years since the discovery of the first definitive proof that there are planets outside our solar system, and today of $100 million, paid by a Russian billionaire and endorsed by Stephen Hawking.
