Author - Jerry Paxton

Dredge 1st Anniversary Trailer

Black Salt Games are today kicking off celebrations for the one-year anniversary of sinister fishing adventure DREDGE which launched on Steam, GOG, Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One last year. As part of the celebration, a demo is now available for PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®5, letting players set sail across the first of DREDGE’s unique biomes in ‘Chapter One’. In the last year, DREDGE has sold over 1 million copies across 180 countries worldwide, and players have spent more than 1,400 years fishing, with 500,000 fully upgrading their boats too.

As Black Salt Games moves into its second year following the release of DREDGE, the studio strives to set an example for how the gaming industry can positively impact the world, and in line with their commitment to environmental stewardship, have made a $100,000 NZD donation to the New Zealand Whale & Dolphin Trust (NZDWT). This donation will support the trust’s ongoing research and conservation efforts, particularly focusing on New Zealand’s native marine species.

Nadia Thorne, CEO of Black Salt Games, said: “Thanks to all of the players around the world we’re in a position to give back to the environment that inspired our game. We’re only beginning to understand what a vital role ocean health plays in our wider climate. Protecting these environments and their inhabitants is not just about preservation; it’s about actively fighting climate change. We’re proud that our success can contribute to these crucial efforts.”

Will Rayment, NZWDT Trustee, said: “We are delighted, and so grateful, that Black Salt Games chose to support the NZ Whale & Dolphin Trust. Their generous donation enables us to continue and expand our research on Aotearoa-New Zealand’s threatened species of marine mammals.”

THE 400 Mini – Launch Trailer

PLAION, a global leading publisher and developer of video games, and Retro Games Ltd., one of the world’s leading producers of re-imagined home computers, are proud to announce that The 400 Mini – a modern day mini recreation of the 1979 pioneering home computer known as the Atari 400 – launches today.

To celebrate the launch, there is something rather special hiding within the innards of this perfectly formed homage to one of Atari’s best capers. While the two companies involved in the creation of The 400 Mini don’t want to give too much away, it is quite possible that there may be more to this mini system than the previously advertised 25 games. Given Easter is upon us, perhaps Atari fans will be able to add another couple of Easter Eggs to their chocolate haul.

“We’ve had a lot of fun over the last three months telling our fans all about The 400 Mini and what it has to offer,” said Paul Andrews, Managing Director at Retro Games Ltd. “If you’ve been following the story, you’ll know all about the 25 pre-installed games, the HDMI and USB compatibility, and the fact that we love retro and want to preserve the history of video games. Our 400 Mini replica has been lovingly crafted to emulate the 1979 design classic, and will look great on any desk, offering the opportunity of a ‘super breakout’ from the daily grind. And if they look hard enough, retro gamers will be rewarded with an egg-stra special treat.”

No compromise was made relative to the iconic look and feel of the original Atari 400 – The 400 Mini is a direct replica, albeit at 50% of the size of the original. Cherished memories from the past must be treated with respect, care, and attention so that players can remember who they used to be when pixels ruled the world. In addition, the rise of digitally released games is making it harder for collectors to physically own their favorite things, and it is these players who are looking to take advantage of limited-run offerings such as The 400 Mini.

For those retro fans looking to buy today before the limited stock runs out, they’ll be pleased to hear that in addition to the pre-installed software, players can also side-load their own games via USB stick.

The 400 Mini is available now for US/CN orders at Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/THE400-Mini-Not-Machine-Specific/dp/B0CS3VD9TJ

For global shipping visit https://retrogames.biz/products/the400-mini/.

Don’t Be Afraid 2 – Gameplay Trailer

It’s time to return to the depths of Don’t Be Afraid, braving even more frightening scenarios as Don’t Be Afraid 2, the immersive psychological-horror escape room game is revealed for a future launch on Steam for PC, Playstation 5, Xbox series X and Nintendo Switch.

Play as David in a harrowingly crafted horror game, deal with horrifying visions as you find your way out of a mansion where the line between dreams and reality is blurred and awaiting to haunt you to the core. After the success of its predecessor, Cat-astrophe Games and Eneida Games are ready to challenge your guts once again!

With two different endings where will you end up? Will you escape or succumb to your fears? Can you deal with David’s past or will it break you? Struggle your way through the horrors that endure in David’s psyche, navigate a series of sinister escape rooms each more terrifying than the last, and uncover the chilling truth behind the nightmares.

STASIS: BONE TOTEM Console Launch Trailer

Dive into the thrilling underwater adventure with Charlie, Mac, and Moses and solve the mystery of an abandoned oil rig in STASIS: BONE TOTEM, OUT NOW on Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch! Watch the launch trailer!

It’s finally time to take the plunge into the unknown on an abandoned oil rig, well, desperate times call for desperate measures. Luckily, Charlie, Mac, and Moses can rely on each other for help and passive-aggre- erm, emotional support. Solve the terrifying mystery, and dive into STASIS: BONE TOTEM out now on Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch!

The Mill and Virginia Shake Up the Gameplay of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Gun Interactive is proud to have worked with legendary horror actress Barbara Crampton for the newest DLC Victim, Virginia. Based on Crampton herself, she brings her character to life through her amazing voice work! Gun Interactive is more than ecstatic to have Barbara Crampton involved in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Players will be able to use her special ability Boon for a fighting chance to survive against The Slaughter Family. Boon will let players contaminate blood buckets with a special mixture Virginia can make at the crafting tables found across each map. This substance can be thrown at a Family member to make them temporarily blinded. With a tragic backstory of leaving her life as a nurse to find her missing son Jesse, Virginia comes across The Slaughter Family. Having been a nurse in the past, her ability offers a new take on Victim gameplay.

Alongside Virginia, all players will be able to enjoy the new free map, The Mill. This map plays unlike any other, with more verticality introduced where players will be able to traverse more than three floors. A Ghost Town, a dry riverbed, and a few other locations on this map will give players a fresh new experience to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Both The Mill and Virginia are now available. Virginia will be available to purchase for $9.99 USD.

Steam (PC) players can also take advantage of the Free Weekend, running from 3/28/24 at 1PM EDT through 4/1/24 at 1 PM EDT, where they can try before they buy. For first time buyers, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will be 50% and Nancy will be FREE with purchase. For players who already own the game, Nancy will be on sale for 50% off. This deal will run until 3/28/2024 – 4/4/2024.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is available on Playstation®4, Playstation®5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store, as well as Game Pass on Xbox and PC.

Fans can follow TXChainSawGame on the game’s official subreddit, r/TXChainSawGame, as well as on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Undead Inc. Gameplay Trailer

Rightsized Games and Team17 Digital have today announced rogue-like resource management sim Undead Inc. will launch on 2nd May on PC. Stepping into the role of managing director of their very own Endswell Medical franchise, players will be tasked with growing the business, stuffing the coffers, and meeting the demands of an increasingly hungry board of directors, all while keeping their reputation in check, the money flowing, and the bodies buried.

As the public-facing arm of Endswell Medical keeps things running above ground (and above board) its nefarious underbelly is where the real transformative and lucrative magic happens. Players will research and develop bioweapons, questionable pharmaceuticals, and dangerous technology to put up for sale to the highest bidder, all while turning a blind eye to any… situations that may arise.

Of course, eventually the truth will out, and to continue Endswell Medical’s ambitious growth strategy, players will have to uproot their operation, grabbing armfuls of money, equipment, and other unmentionables on the way out – enough to establish a brand-new corporation in a new spot – and start the cycle anew.

Undead Inc. Key Features

  • Research above all: The money won’t make itself, and the most lucrative adventures require a less than ethical path: Deadly bioweapons, questionable pharmaceuticals, illegal technology – nothing is off the table
  • All about the base: Choose from several different biomes to build a base of operations, each with its own opportunities and challenges
  • The end comes for us all: Eventually, the directors’ crimes will catch up with them, so prepare to flee with as much cash, drugs, and research to fund the next Big Pharma in the next town over
  • Management is key to success: Hiring the cheapest labour might sound like a good fit, but ultimately, loose lips sink ships – the right person in the right position can spell the difference between success and a bioweapon on the loose
  • The Director will see you now: Being at the top is tough, and choosing the right director to stand at the helm of the newest Endswell Medical franchise is imperative to success, each on boasts their own special abilities, buffs, and back stories.

OTXO Console Launch Trailer

Today OTXO (pronounced ‘oh-cho’), the brutally intense action-roguelike from Super Rare Games and Lateralis Heavy Industries, descends upon PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4 and Nintendo Switch!

Hailed as a worthy successor to Hotline Miami, OTXO throws players into a dark mansion as a nameless protagonist on a desperate mission. Players will blast through relentless enemies, painting the walls red and customizing their attack plan with each bloody, roguelike run.

As players delve deeper into the mansion, carving a bloody path through enemies, they’ll begin to unravel its mysteries. With each brutal battle, the mansion may reveal its secrets, and perhaps even unlock the puzzle of the players’ own forgotten past.

Endless replayability awaits. The mansion’s layout shifts with each run, offering a fresh challenge every time. Players can choose from a vast arsenal of weapons, unlock over 100 abilities, and master the strategic slow-motion ‘Focus’ mechanic to conquer OTXO’s ever-changing depths.

Tropico Meta Quest Launch Trailer

Feral Interactive has today announced that Tropico is now available for Meta Quest, bringing Kalypso Media’s ever-popular city builder with a tongue-in-cheek political twist to VR for the first time.

Tropico invites Meta Quest players to immerse themselves completely in the role of El Presidente, overseeing all aspects of island life as they propel the Tropican people into prosperity. Featuring all missions and DLC from Tropico 4 on PC, virtual Presidentes will use intuitive VR controls to meet the aspirations of their people, all while navigating relations with neighboring superpowers, dealing with political opponents and surviving natural disasters. With 40 missions and an endlessly replayable Sandbox mode included, Tropico for Meta Quest offers a refreshing new perspective on the complete island management experience.

Square Enix Unveils Inside FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH Docuseries

SQUARE ENIX® has released a four-part documentary series titled Inside FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH. The series uncovers the stories behind the making of the Metacritic “Must Play” game, which has been heralded as “the best Final Fantasy of the century” by The Washington Post, through the eyes of the legendary development team including Director Naoki Hamaguchi, Producer Yoshinori Kitase Creative Director Tetsuya Nomura, Story & Scenario Kazushige Nojima, and many others.

Watch all episodes of Inside FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH here: https://www.youtube.com/squareenixna.

In this four-part documentary series, dive deep into the creation of this new, standalone RPG with candid insights and never-before-heard stories from a lineup of the series’ directors, artists, designers and voice talent. This series offers fans and newcomers a backstage pass to hear secrets about the game’s vast and vibrant world, the powerful bonds between party members and the rich, multi-faceted stories and quests that await in this legendary adventure.

Across the four episodes, the documentary features interviews with:

  • Naoki Hamaguchi (Director)
  • Yoshinori Kitase (Producer)
  • Tetsuya Nomura (Creative Director)
  • Makoto Ise (Sound Director)
  • Keiji Kawamori (Music Supervisor)
  • Mitsuto Suzuki (Composer)
  • Takako Miyake (Environment Director)
  • Iichiro Yamaguchi (Lighting Director)
  • Shintaro Takai (Art Director)
  • Mizushi Sugawara (Environment Artwork Supervisor)
  • Teruki Endo (Battle Director)
  • Motomu Toriyama (Co-Director)
  • Kazushige Nojima (STELLAVISTA LTD.) (Story & Scenario)
  • Dai Suzuki (Main Character Modeler & Lead Character Artist)
  • Hiroyuki Yamaji (Animation Director (Battle))
  • Hidekazu Miyake (Cutscene Director)
  • Junichi Hayashi (Cutscene Co-Director)
  • Akira Iwasawa (Facial Director)
  • Cody Christian (Voice of Cloud Strife)
  • Britt Baron (Voice of Tifa Lockhart)
  • Briana White (Voice of Aerith Gainsborough)
  • John Eric Bentley (Voice of Barret Wallace)
  • Max Mittelman (Voice of Red XIII)
  • Suzie Yeung (Voice of Yuffie Kisaragi)
  • Matthew Mercer (Voice of Vincent Valentine)
  • Caleb Pierce (Voice of Zack Fair)
  • Eri Asano (Localization Producer)
  • Ben Sabin (English Translator)
  • Laurent Sautière (French Translator)
  • Diana Kawamata (German Translator)

FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, the acclaimed game that has garnered over 50 perfect review scores from critics across the globe, is a new, standalone adventure set across a vast and vibrant planet. The game sees Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Aerith and Red XIII escape from the dystopian city of Midgar into the wide world beyond. To hunt down Sephiroth, a haunting figure from Cloud’s past bent on ruling the planet, these unlikely heroes join forces with new companions like the spirited ninja operative Yuffie and the wisecracking, feline-shaped robot Cait Sith. FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH delivers an unforgettable experience to players filled with unexpected twists, memorable characters and jaw-dropping set pieces that longtime fans and newcomers can both enjoy.

FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH follows the previous installment, FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, which was released in 2020 to universal acclaim from players and critics around the globe. After earning more than 20 perfect scores from media and being selected as a PlayStation® “Editor’s Choice” pick, FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE became the highest-selling digital release on the PlayStation® platform in SQUARE ENIX’s history, exceeding more than 7 million shipments and digital sales worldwide since its release.

FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH is now available for the PS5® console and rated T (Teen) by the ESRB. For more information, visit https://ffvii.square-enix-games.com/games/rebirth/.

Enlisted: Reinforced Early Access Launch Trailer

**Update: Enlisted Has Been Removed from Steam, here is the official message from Gaijen:

Dear Players,

We see that many of you are very dissatisfied with the Early Access version we made available on Steam. Some of you are not happy that the game is bundled with a paid DLC on Steam. Some of you couldn’t link your existing Gaijin.Net accounts to the Steam version due to technical issues. We’re deeply sorry for this.

We’ve removed the Early Access version of Enlisted: Reinforced from the Steam Store for now. All users who purchased a Steam access pack for Enlisted: Reinforced can continue playing via Steam. Meanwhile, we’ll do our best to assess what we can do to address the issues you raised.

Unfortunately, there is a significant technical obstacle preventing us from making the linking process smooth enough. It occurs if a player has already linked their Steam account to another Gaijin.Net game, but the email used there and the one used for Enlisted do not match. This completely breaks our linking procedure.

The existing Steam version was never intended to be available to a massive number of players, hence the “Early Access” status, so making it available to existing huge audience of Enlisted fans could probably lead to even more dissatisfaction, as more people would face these technical issues, or new ones.

We’d like to apologise once again for letting down both our existing players and those who wishlisted the game on Steam. Please follow the news on our website while we continue exploring our Steam options, looking for a solution for a linking issue and polishing all aspects of the game.

Original News Release

Darkflow Software and Gaijin Entertainment announce that the WW2 online shooter Enlisted: Reinforced is now available on Steam. Early Access to the game is granted to those who purchase one of the access packs with unique game content. Enlisted: Reinforced also runs on Steam Deck and supports full cross-play with all platforms where Enlisted is available.

Early Access phase will give developers time to improve support for the unique features of Steam and Steam Deck (a Linux version of the game was created for this device from scratch).

Early Access packs include premium soldier squads and vehicles, that will allow commanders who are new to Enlisted to fight any opponents on equal terms even in their first battles. Players who continue to support the developers using the Gaijin.Net client can purchase similar packs in the Gaijin.Net store to receive the same gaming experience as users of the Steam version.

Enlisted: Reinforced boasts all the content created for Enlisted in recent years – hundreds of weapons, vehicles and equipment that actually existed during WW2. Some of the latest additions to Enlisted include Type Hei automatic rifles, M26 Pershing heavy tanks, Ki-84 ko fighters & more. After the recent update, the game allows you to control the tail gunners of the aircraft. Major updates for Enlisted are usually released several times a year, bringing even more content.

The visuals are also constantly being improved: i.e. in March, Enlisted added support for the DirectX 12 API (currently being tested) and FSR 2.0 scaling technology. On previous generation consoles, a “high performance mode” preset was added, which can increase FPS up to 60 frames per second. The version for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 runs in 1080p resolution, and on PlayStation 4 Pro – 1800p.

More information about these and other changes in the game can be found on the official website of the game.