Author - Jerry Paxton

Strayed Lights Official Gameplay Trailer Released

Developer Embers has unveiled the first gameplay trailer for upcoming action adventure game Strayed Lights, set to launch April 25 across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and GoG. The video details the innovative and challenging combat system that will lie at the center of a tiny lights’ journey to achieve awakening and overcome their inner demons. By shifting between orange and blue states of being, one can parry enemy attacks and, if timed correctly, absorb their opponent’s energy for powerful onslaughts capable of incredible damage.

As a PAX Rising Showcase 2023 inductee set to be featured on PAX East 2023’s show floor, Strayed Lights immerses players in a mystical and ruinous world brought to life by intuitive, snappy and smart combat design. Combined with an immersive, non-dialogue based narrative, a hand-painted-like art direction, and a meditative soundtrack composed by the Grammy award-winning Austin Wintory, Strayed Lights will refine evocative video game experiences when it releases soon.

In Strayed Lights, players will embody an unbalanced being of light and darkness on its path towards awakening. By mastering the game’s combat flow, a tiny light will evolve to help soothe the souls of daunting adversaries tormented by their own inner demons. Counter, parry, and strike with precision to fully realize the art on display in Strayed Lights’ combat.

“Strayed Lights will be an unforgettable experience for action adventure fans of all ages when it releases across most modern gaming platforms in a few weeks,” says Alexandre Arramon, co-founder and creative director at Embers. “From a combat system designed to be easy-to-learn but challenging-to-master to an intricate universe based on emotions that everyone can feel connected to, we put our heart and soul into our first game. We’re all extremely proud of the outcome and can’t wait to share it with the world soon. In the meantime, we’re excited for fans to get their first hands-on time with the game at this year’s PAX East.”

Strayed Lights will launch April 25 across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and GoG.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Season 11 Update Launch

Today, Ubisoft announced the launch of Season 11 for Tom Clancy’s The Division® 2. Season 11: Reign of Fire introduces players to the latest target that The Division must go after as part of Year 4, along with new weapons, gear and quality of life improvements, and a new apparel event. Season 11: Reign of Fire is available to all The Division® 2  Warlords of New York owners and Ubisoft+ subscribers.

A New Battle Emerges: An alliance has been formed between the Black Tusk and the True Sons! But with Captain Lewis’ troops now siding with The Division, new battle lines are drawn. Natalya Sokolova has emerged from the shadows and is taking a more active role in leading the Black Tusk. Hunters have also been more active in the Capitol and a new recruit has emerged to help decipher encrypted Hunter drone files.

Enter Stovepipe: Season 11 follows the story of the latest target to find – Zachary “Stovepipe” Beattie, an Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Specialist. Tasked to destroy explosives, Stovepipe began collecting schematics and prototypes for increasingly unstable Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). This caught the eye of the Black Tusk, who eventually recruited Stovepipe as one of their own. The Division is now tasked to collect intel for Stovepipe’s whereabouts. To do that, they must find and neutralize four targets (Charles “Chunks” Crawford, Lieutenant Bantam, Mort “Cursed” Kellogg and Beatrice “Auntie” Kaplan). Take down these four targets, and The Division will be able to locate Stovepipe. Season 11 is the third and final season for Year 4 of The Division 2.

Alongside tracking down Stovepipe, players will have a chance to earn:

  • One new Gear Set (“Hotshot”)
  • One new Brand Set (“Habsburg Guard” or “HG”)
  • One new Exotic Weapon (“Sacrum Imperium” marksman rifle)
  • One new piece of exotic gear (“Ninja Bike” backpack from The Division 1)

Weapons, Gear & Vanity Items! Season 11 also includes new weapons, gear and an array of vanity items for players with the Season 11 Pass. In addition, players with the Season Pass can gain access to the following premium track rewards:

  • 12 new weapon skins
  • 11 new gear dyes
  • Two new face masks, including one as the level 100 reward

The Division 2 is available now on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, the Xbox One family of consoles, Xbox Series X | S, Windows PC, including on Ubisoft+, Ubisoft’s subscription service. For the latest news on Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 and other Ubisoft games, please visit news.ubisoft.com.

The Pegasus Expedition – At the Center of it All Update Trailer

Fulqrum Publishing and Kalla Gameworks today announce At the Center of it All – the second major Content Update for story-driven, sci-fi grand strategy title The Pegasus Expedition is now available via Steam, GOG.com and Epic Games Store.

The update introduces an intense new scenario – At the Center of it All – to the starfaring Early Access title; offering a galactic-spin on the 4X gameplay in which players must race against the clock to occupy all colonies in the galaxy.

Instead of just one star system, the scenario starts players with a large territory of control, encircling the centre of the galaxy, however the player’s reputation will decrease after every turn, so they’ll need to act fast to avoid all-out war with every other faction.

In addition to the new scenario, the content update also introduces a number of quality of life changes and fixes to the game. A full list of changes can be found below…

Changes

  • Added a New Scenario, “At the Center of it All” to the game
  • The Happiness system has been updated
  • Hazardous star systems have been added to the map
  • Deep Space Telescope now reveals all Colonies in the Galaxy
  • Added a fail state if the Galaxy doesn’t have enough colonies left (due to the player detonating them) for the player to finish the main campaign
  • Added permanent space debris clouds to where units have been destroyed in combat
  • Spacebar now pauses combat
  • Re-selecting language now asks if the game may be shut down immediately
  • Added better support for different screen aspect ratios
  • Battlegroups in combat now display the plan they are following
  • Video tutorials have been updated

Fixes

  • Fixed a bug where the Tamanin star system Hur would remain “safe zoned” from other factions even after end of the side quest
  • Fixed a bug where an operative could sabotage non-existent fleet
  • Ankhorum side story had a bug where some dialogue options could to lead to unintended encounters
  • Difficulty options would not apply to fleets received from other factions
  • Governor traits would not always be correctly visible
  • Tutorials could come up in scenarios as well, this has been prevented
  • Anabah could sometimes remain Colonizable even after a certain destructive event

The Pegasus Expedition is now available as a PC Early Access title via Steam, GOG.com and Epic Games Store.

For more information, visit the official Fulqrum Publishing website or follow on Facebook, Twitter and/or Steam, or follow The Pegasus Expedition on Twitter.

LEGO Bricktales Gets Free Easter Update

Crack open those chocolate eggs as brick-building adventure LEGO® Bricktales announces an egg-sta special free Easter update. Featuring lovingly crafted LEGO brick dioramas built entirely with authentic LEGO elements and a creative brick-by-brick building mechanic, LEGO Bricktales is perfectly crafted to delight generations of LEGO fans across the globe.

The LEGO® Bricktales free Easter update introduces an egg-cellent new story set in a small Easter world. This world becomes accessible if the player has cleared the first world (Jungle). On completion, an entrance will appear in the park leading you to the new diorama where you’ll meet the friendly Easter bunny who has a problem with making eggs for this year’s Easter celebration. Disgruntled chickens and snow damage keep them from reaching their goals, so you will need to use your quick thinking and puzzle-solving abilities to help them save Easter.

New features in this Easter update include:

  • A beautifully crafted Easter diorama
  • A storyline where you have to help the Easter bunny save Easter
  • 5 new construction puzzles. Four with a specific challenges and one being an open area where you can build more freely
  • 1 collection quest – Easter eggs will be hidden in the other existing worlds that you can find and use to purchase items
  • 3 new wardrobe items (purchasable with eggs players have found in the world)
  • 1 new music track
  • A new menu entry to notify you of ongoing updates

LEGO Bricktales sees you journeying across 5 beautiful LEGO brick-themed biomes, taking you to the green foliage of the deepest jungles, the scorching sand of sun-drenched deserts, the hustle and bustle of a city corner, the epic sight of a towering medieval castle and the paradise of tropical Caribbean islands. An intuitive new brick-by-brick building mechanic will help you solve the many fun puzzles you encounter on this adventure and bring your creative solutions to life.

“We’re positively hopping to announce the new LEGO Bricktales Easter Update coming to Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC,” said Dieter Schoeller, VP of Production. “We can’t wait to see what creative builds our players will come up with and I know I’ll be checking out social media to see what our players have been putting together using the game’s brick-by-brick building mechanic!”

LEGO Bricktales website: bricktal.es

SnowRunner Vehicles Coming to Dakar Desert Rally

Two amazing Saber Interactive games are coming together for one high-octane off-roading experience. Dakar Desert Rally, the biggest open-world racing game based on the largest rally race on the planet, is introducing a new fleet of vehicles and challenges inspired by the blockbuster off-road game, SnowRunner. The “SnowRunner Trucks” DLC is free to download today on all platforms for owners of the Dakar Desert Rally Season Pass. It is also available to purchase standalone for $9.99.

Get behind the wheel of five of SnowRunner’s most massively mighty trucks, capable of taking on any challenge: the TUZ 16, TUZ 108, TUZ 420, ZiKZ 605R, and YAR 87. Overcome extreme open-world environments in either Free Roam mode or Rally Raid competition. Put your skills to the test against the elements with nine new stages and two new events exclusive to the “SnowRunner Trucks” DLC.

Today also marks the release of Patch 1.7 for Dakar Desert Rally, rolling out a number of general game fixes, improvements, and simulation tools like the new steering wheel wizard. You can find the complete list of patch notes here.

Dakar Desert Rally authentically captures the intense scale and thrill of one of the world’s most challenging off-road events across over 20,000 square kilometers of diverse terrain with dynamic weather. Choose from some of the sport’s most renowned racing teams, or create your own and build up your garage with a long line of cars, bikes, trucks, quads and SSVs from the world’s top manufacturers. Forge your path to victory across a variety of game modes, including an arcade-style Sport mode for quick pick-up-and-play action, Professional and Simulation modes for a true rally experience, and online multiplayer for up to four players for the ultimate competitive challenge.

Dakar Desert Rally is available on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. For more information, check out DakarTheGame.com, and #DaretoDrive by following the game on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and Facebook.

Microsoft Flight Simulator Antonov An-225 Mriya Aircraft Available for Purchase

This morning on Xbox WireMicrosoft Flight Simulator announced that as part of ongoing digital preservation efforts, the world’s largest aircraft, the Ukrainian-built Antonov An-225 Mriya is available in the in-game marketplace on PC today for $19.99. All proceeds will go to the Antonov Corporation to re-build the An-225.

The Antonov An-225 Mriya is an ultra-heavy lift jet transport aircraft featuring six engines, holds the record as the world’s longest plane and many other size-related aviation records. Only one Mriya was ever completed, and it was rendered catastrophically inoperable in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Efforts are underway to attempt to rebuild the aircraft and fly it again.

The Antonov An-225 Mriya is available in the in-game marketplace on PC today. It will be available for Xbox Series X|S and on Xbox Cloud Gaming starting in late March. For more information about Microsoft Flight Simulator, stay tuned to Xbox Wire and follow us on Twitter for the latest news and updates.

Arrow Streaming Service Unveils March 2023 Releases

Arrow Video is excited to announce the March 2023 lineup of their subscription-based ARROW platform, available to subscribers in the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland.

In March ARROW are proud to take subscribers into a deep dive into the work of some of cinema’s most eclectic and exciting filmmakers, including Dennis Hopper, Nicolas Roeg, Mike Hodges, Jeffrey Combs and more.

Arrow March 2023 Lineup

On March 3, ARROW presents two documentaries from Paul Joyce: Dennis Hopper: Some Kind of Genius (UK/IRE/US/CA), an entertaining and intimate interview with the legendary star of Apocalypse Now and Blue Velvet whose directorial debut, Easy Rider, changed Hollywood forever; and Nothing As It Seems: The Films of Nicolas Roeg (UK/IRE/US/CA), an insightful look at the formidable British director behind cult classics Walkabout, Performance, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Don’t Look Now and The Witches.

Keeping with the spirit of celebrating auteurs, March 3 kicks off the Seasons with Re-Animated: The Jeffrey Combs Collection. Cult film legend Jeffrey Combs’ mere presence makes any film he’s in automatically 27% better, and whose talent at making any character absolutely unforgettable makes anything he’s in a must-see.

Re-Animated: The Jeffrey Combs Collection collects together some of his most memorable roles, from Dr. Herbert West to Doctor Mordrid and including his incredible turn as a put-upon father who reaches his breaking point versus a Castle Freak.

Titles Include: Castle Freak, Doctor Mordrid, Lurking Fear.

To commemorate over fifty years of bloodsoaked thrillers, on March 10 ARROW launches Nico Mastorakis: Hellas Raiser.

Greek genre film god Nico Mastorakis has been banging out pulpy thrillers jam-packed full of excitement, action and gore since the 1970s. To celebrate the arrival of his cyber-thriller .com for Murder on ARROW, here is a season of some of Mastorakis’ best. From his telekinetic Giallo debut, Death Has Blue Eyes; to his Video Nasty, Island of Death; James Earl Jones battling underwater terror in Bloodtide and Meg Foster vs. a sickle-wielding psycho in The Wind; sit back and prepare yourself for all-out entertainment from the Hellas Raiser himself.

Titles Include: .com For Murder, Island of Death, Nightmare at Noon.

Barbarella Forever!

On March 17, ARROW invites subscribers to take a look at a trio of documentaries focusing on cult classics and those who defined them: Barbarella Forever! (UK/IRE/US/CA): a never-before-seen look behind the scenes of the making of the sexy and swinging sci-fi cult classic, Barbarella, starring Jane Fonda; Mike Hodges: A Film-Maker’s Life (UK/IRE/US/CA): an intimate work concerning the life and work of recently deceased British genre filmmaker Mike Hodges; and Fall Breakers: The Making of The Mutilator (UK/IRE/US/CA): a retrospective documentary on the making of the 1980’s slasher horror splatter cult classic The Mutilator (1984).

Also on March 17, enjoy a Season of tune-based terror: Death By Stereo.

Turn this collection on with music and audio-based ARROW features, shorts and turn the extras up to 11!

From sound as a weapon in LFO, to a caged female house band in Blood Dolls, Death By Stereo features wild musical numbers, feuding punk bands and musicians in danger, as well as music videos from effects legend Screamin’ Mad George, a singalong Re-animator dance anthem (for real) and even Goblin’s Claudio Simonetti discussing the score for Dario Argento’s Deep Red.

Titles Include: LFO, Burst City, Hellbent.

Horror Movie Survival Guide

The final Season of the month comes courtesy of our friends at the hit Horror Movie Survival Guide podcast. Julia Marchese and Teri Gamble have been in training to be Final Girls for over 200 episodes now, so they know a thing or two about horror. Come with us now, as they delve into the ARROW archives to Select their favorite films for Horror Movie Survival Guide Selects.

Titles Include: The Deeper You Dig, Season of the Witch, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, The Hills Have Eyes, The Crazies, Blood Feast, Ringu, Things To Come, Blind Beast, Horrors of Malformed Men, Two Witches, The Stylist, Vampyres, Puppet Master, Children of the Corn, The Italian Connection, The Devil’s Rain, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage.

The final release of March celebrates Hong Kong’s premier action choreographer of the 1970s, Sammo Hung. The all action director and actor’s 1979 feature gave his Peking Opera brother-in-arms, acrobatic ace Yuen Biao, his first chance at leading man status: Knockabout. A thrill-a-minute action spectacular that would pave the way for later masterpiece, Hung’s film launches on March 28 (US/CA).

Combining Hung’s hard-hitting choreography with the Mo Lei Tau style of humor that was increasing in popularity at the time, Knockabout is a thrill-a-minute action spectacular that would pave the way for later masterpieces such as Hung and Biao’s subsequent collaboration, the Wing Chun tour-de-force The Prodigal Son.

Making of Barotrauma Trailer

After an Early Access journey filled to the brim with updates, the sci-fi u-boat sim Barotrauma is finally going to emerge into version 1.0 on Steam on March 13th, with lots of new features and a wonderful community on board. The game is on track to entice even more brave submariners to dive into Europa’s depths with its huge variety of u-boats and missions, disgusting enemies, varied biomes and hilarious ragdoll physics. As Barotrauma is approaching its 1.0 release, the game reached another major milestone: more than 2.5 million players already call this superb submarine spectacle their own.

Barotrauma is a sci-fi submarine sim with both a single-player mode as well as co-op with up to 16 players, who navigate the depths of Jupiter’s frozen moon Europa and fulfill various missions. Together with their active and passionate community, developers FakeFish and Undertow Games have greatly expanded and improved the game since its Early Access launch in summer 2019: They overhauled the campaign and tutorials, added new monsters, missions and outposts, improved graphics and environments, implemented a scripted event system and much much more. All of this was made possible with the feedback and support of more than 30,000 Discord members as well as 60,000 player-made entries on the Steam Workshop. To show their deep devotion to their players and their fanbase the devs even added a player-made submarine to the base-game as part of a community competition.

Full list of updates since EA launch:

  • New graphics and environments
  • Campaign overhaul
  • Explorable outposts
  • Wrecked submarines, abandoned outposts and improved alien ruins
  • Submarine upgrading and switching
  • More and new monsters and missions
  • New scripted event system
  • Talent system for character progression
  • Reworked tutorials

The community is especially looking forward to the introduction of rival factions with version 1.0 and the new ending of the campaign. Joonas Rikkonen, Barotrauma’s lead developer, on the Barotrauma community states: “Barotrauma has been a great community-assisted effort for almost a decade now, and we’re thrilled to be reaching 1.0 after all these years. We can’t wait to hear what our players think about the faction overhaul and the real ending of the campaign, and look forward to making more updates even after this release.”

Paradox Announcement Show 2023 Official Trailer

Paradox Interactive, a developer and publisher of announcements about announcements, today revealed an upcoming Announcement Show which will air on March 6, 2023, at 18.00 CET and feature world-first reveals of brand-new games from the publisher’s network of studios and partners.

The show, presented in partnership with Xbox, will premiere on Paradox’s YouTube and Twitch channels, and will include the debut of new games from Seattle-based Harebrained Schemes, the master storytellers behind The Shadowrun Trilogy and BATTLETECH; Paradox Tectonic, the Berkeley-based studio working with industry veteran Rod Humble; and Colossal Order, the Tampere-based developers of the genre-leading global hit Cities: Skylines.

Details about the Paradox Announcement Show and its program can be found today on the show’s website.

“I don’t want to say we have too many announcements, but it’s hard to choose which one has me most thrilled,” said Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive. “Talking directly with our players about our games, sharing their excitement for what’s coming next, comparing how many hours we’ve played – it’s something everyone at Paradox profoundly enjoys. I’m also eager not to have to keep these announcements secret for much longer.”

In addition to reveals of new games, the Paradox Announcement show will feature new content for a variety of existing titles in the Paradox library, with new expansions, free updates, as well as news from the Paradox Arc publishing initiative. For updates on the show, fans can visit the website or follow Paradox Interactive on their social media platforms.

About Paradox Interactive

The Paradox group today consists of both publishing and internal development of games and brands. Paradox has a broad portfolio of games and owns the most important brands, including Stellaris, Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron, Crusader Kings, Cities: Skylines, Prison Architect, Victoria, Age of Wonders and the World of Darkness catalog of brands.

Since 2004, the company has published its games all over the world, initially through physical distribution but primarily in digital channels after 2006. Paradox games are developed primarily for PC and console platforms, but the company also releases games on mobile. The largest markets today include the US, UK, China, Germany, France, and Scandinavia. In total, Paradox games have over five million players each month.

For more information, please visit http://www.paradoxinteractive.com

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Launch Trailer

Today, KOEI Tecmo and developer Team NINJA released the final demo for their highly-anticipated action-RPG, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. The demo will be available from Feb. 24 through March 26, 2023 and is available across all systems the game is scheduled to release on, including Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, and on PC via Windows and Steam®.

The final demo features two early stages of the game that were not featured in the first demo, including Chapter 1: Village of Calamity along with Chapter 2: Two Chivalrous Heroes. Both chapters showcase the electrifying combat and intense fighting of a demon-plagued, fantasy Three Kingdoms, as an anonymous militia soldier fights his way through waves of monsters and enemy soldiers in this Later Han Dynasty thriller.

Online multiplayer will also be available in the demo, and by transferring the cleared saved data from these early stages to the main game, players will earn the in-game item “Crouching Dragon Helmet” upon the game’s release.

To help celebrate the final demo, KOEI TECMO also unleashed the game’s epic launch trailer, showcasing some of the historic warriors from the Three Kingdoms featured throughout the adventure.

Players who purchase either the physical or digital version of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty by March 16 will receive special “Baihu Armor”, while those who pre-order the game digitally will receive both the early purchase bonus along with the pre-order bonus: “Zhuque Armor”.

A limited-edition SteelBook version of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will also be available at launch. The SteelBook Launch Edition includes an exclusive collectible case along with bonus DLC items “Crown of Zhurong” and “Crown of Gonggong”.

For more information on Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, visit the official site, Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/koeitecmous and Follow us on Twitter @WoLongOfficial and @koeitecmoUS.