Publisher Kalypso Media and developer Frima Studio are pleased to announce that Paths to Madness, the brand-new DLC for popular RPG title Disciples: Liberation is out now for PlayStation 4|5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. For a limited time and on PC only, the disturbed DLC is arriving in Nevandaar with a 10% discount. In addition to announcing the release of the new Paths to Madness DLC, Kalypso Media are also delighted to confirm that Disciples: Liberation is our first title with Verified Steam Deck compatibility.
Starting today, players can join Avyanna in a new journey through Nevandaar as they travel the treacherous Paths to Madness in this just released DLC. But be warned, these paths are not for the faint-hearted, and exploring the darkest corners of Nevandaar is sure to unveil sinister secrets and perilous quests. Players that dare to traverse the paths will encounter the laboratory of a mad necromancer, a secret workshop of the veil, a demonic fortress rife with magic, and even a sacred grove of the Elven Alliance.
Cast your fears aside and step foot on the Paths to Madness, featuring new stories, allies, dungeons, and legendary relics. And, of course, who knows what powerful enemies await…
Features
New paths: Disciples: Liberation – Paths to Madness carves new ways that can be accessed at any time in the game – even with pre-existing playthroughs. And whether you have just set out on your journey or have already forged ahead, these paths will adapt their challenge to your character level.
Eight new stories: Dark side quests spark new storylines with new characters and challenges.
Four strong allies and powerful enemies: Strengthen your army with the Daughter of Sin, the Living Armor, the Blood Ent and the Avatar of Death. After unlocking, the new units can be recruited both in the main game and in the multiplayer.
Four new dungeons are waiting to be explored: Dungeons full of mysteries and secrets lie hidden the far-flung corners of Nevendaar – the laboratory of a mad necromancer, a forge that turns out to be a secret workshop of the Veil, a place brimming with magic in a demonic fortress and a sacred grove of the Elven Alliance hidden among the mountain peaks.
Four lost and legendary relics: The Rod of the Baroness, the Scepter of the Archangel, the Staff of the Lich Queen, and the Dragon Blade of Illumielle are waiting to taste blood once again.
SQUARE ENIX® Ltd., and Original Fire Games today announced that a new update is now available for CIRCUIT SUPERSTARS on PC (via Steam®), Xbox One and PS4®. Now is the perfect time to join the paddock and bring your friends with you!
New Features & Changes:
Improved Physics Model
Original Fire Games have made significant improvements focusing on how cars react to external forces. This new update enhances close racing, helps with online racing synchronization, and improves the experience of racing against AI.
Custom Private Lobbies
Custom Lobbies have been added to empower competitive communities. “Create Online Lobby” option allows players to organize their own events just as they would on Free Play. Their friends or competitors can join the race via a lobby code/invite.
New PlayStation 4® Features
PlayStations 4® specific improvements have been added with this update, such as Anti-Aliasing, Ambient Occlusion and new visible Tire Marks.
New content includes a new vehicle and two new tracks!
Road Rebel
Introducing a new category, Touring cars are here to set a new driving benchmark on every track in Circuit Superstars.
Speedopolis
New track allows players to drive at full speed by calm golfers, an entirely new challenge on Circuit Superstars.
Thunder Point
New track is a fast-paced track that will challenge your skills with any car.
Other improvements include UI Refinement, Reverse track cameras and 2 new Grand Prix Tournaments; Stock CarGP and Touring GP has been added. Plus, several bug fixes, details can be found here: https://www.circuit-superstars.com/blog
CIRCUIT SUPERSTARS is available now on PS4®, PC (via Steam®) and Xbox One, also planned for release on the Nintendo Switch™ system in the second quarter of 2022.
NACON and Cyanide are pleased to announce that their cycling games – Pro Cycling Manager 2022 and Tour de France2022 – will be released respectively on June 9 2022 worldwide and June 28 2022 in North America.
A new game mode and a range of improvements for Tour de France 2022
The game celebrating the third-most-followed competition in the world returns this year with 14,000km of racing across four different countries. Players can enjoy four game modes and manage 26 teams. The world’s top cyclists, such as Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Primož Roglič and David Gaudu, are available to race with players in the game’s 92 cycling stages.
New game mode:Tour de France 2022 introduces the all-new Race of the Moment mode, in which players can compare their results online with others in ranked weekly challenges.
The new official course of the 2022 Tour de France: like previous years, players can race around France, this year starting from Denmark. All 21 official new stages are in the game, including the time trial in Copenhagen to start, then Lille Métropole – Arenberg Porte du Hainaut and its cobbled sections, the iconic Hautacam climb in the 18th stage, and the final flat stage on the famous Avenue des Champs-Elysées in Paris.
More varied racing situations: the game’s artificial intelligence now offers a wider range of behaviours, which are better tailored to races and events. Players will experience early breakaways more often and enjoy better collaboration in breakaways.
New classic inspired by a famous Italian race: the Primavera Classic.
New playable teams: Eolo-Kometa Cycling Team, Caja Rural-Seguros RGA and Uno-X Pro Cycling Team join the game for the first time.
Race incidents: players now have the option to enable or disable falls and illnesses as well as set the frequency when enabled. The consequences vary depending on the severity of the incident.
Race preparation: this new system randomly selects five cyclists to be well prepared and five others who could potentially underperform. This encourages players to keep a close eye on their competitors as well as their own team.
More immersive cobbled sections: when racing on these difficult sections, the user interface shudders, just like cyclists experience in real life. Players have never experienced the Arenberg trench like this before.
Pro Cycling Manager 2022 introduces a new interface and more cyclist versatility
Combining management and real-time racing, Pro Cycling Manager puts players into the shoes of a sports director. Scouting, recruitment, sponsor management, training and race strategies are all tasks the director must do to reach the very top of the sport. This new edition has over 260 races and 680 stages, including the 21 official stages of the 2022 Tour de France.
New talent scouting system: in Pro Cycling Manager 2022, players can now choose the territory and young riders they want to monitor, while their scouts develop and improve their effectiveness over time.
New generation of cyclists: the latest edition introduces a new mechanic based on the level and potential of young riders using a six-star rating system. Young cyclists now emerge from the age of 16 and contribute to a pool of athletes three times larger than before. These versatile riders develop in the same way as current stars of the cycling world.
Cyclist development system: for more realism, all riders recruited must now be integrated into the team for optimal development of their talent.
More dynamic opponents: the pelotons in Pro Cycling Manager 2022 have more varied behaviours, breaking with the familiar patterns of previous editions. Players can see their favourite riders take the lead from the start and watch multiple breakaways from the very first hour of the race.
Improved interface: as well as the redesigned interface, menu ergonomics and objective planning, a new cyclist page has been added. It includes new statistics, highlighted skills and results, and an interface to compare the attributes of two athletes.
70 teams available: players can become the sports directors of top teams such as Team Jumbo-Visma, B&B Hotels-KTM and Groupama-FDJ.
Pro Cycling Manager 2022 will release on PC only on June 9 2022 worldwide.
Tour de France 2022 will be available on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC from June 9 2022 in Europe and on June 28 2022 in North America.
At-home arcade and pinball machines have been all the rage in recent years. Unfortunately, we all don’t have thousands of dollars lying around to buy full-size cabinets – especially full-size classic arcade cabinets. Because of this, several custom-made home arcade machine makers have come to answer the call. Some make generic cabinets that run several video game ROMs while other make replicas of specific machines – often with the original artwork and lighting. Arcade1UP is one of the latter companies. They have been making slightly scaled-down versions of classic arcade cabinets for years now. Most recently, they have released the Terminator 2 and The Simpsons games.
Arcade1UP has included their own startup menu that is responsible for running the game and a whole lot more. On this startup menu, you can access three different areas: The first is the actual game while the second is a specially-made FMV documentary about the making of the Terminator 2 arcade game. The third option is the settings screen, but more on that later. In fact, more on all those menu options later as I am getting way ahead of myself. The first thing you must do when receiving your Arcade1UP Terminator 2 arcade machine is build the thing!
100 lbs Box
Under Construction
Protective Wrap
The Arcade1UP cabinet arrives in pieces, with IKEA style assembly instructions, in a 103-pound box! Thankfully, it was not an overly complicated build – just set aside a few hours so you don’t have to rush. The big trick with constructing the cabinet is to take your time. The cabinet has to support a glass display, control boards, speakers, lighting, etc. So make sure you tighten everything down prior to closing it all in and finishing it up. Also, know that it does not come with any tools, so you’ll have to supply your own Phillips screwdriver. Actually, your wrists will thank you if you use an electric screwdriver – there are quite a number of screws to turn. There are no other tools required, which is nice! Something I noticed while building the cabinet was that the instructions are a bit on the small side. I have fairly good vision and it was difficult to make out all the small print. Once you construct the Arcade1UP Terminator 2 arcade game, you’ll notice that it seems a bit short (actually, it’s a great height for children and young people). You’ll have to also build the included riser box to bring the cabinet up to normal adult height. It’s also a beautiful cabinet – featuring all of the original art that was on the 1991 arcade cabinet.
There are two toggle switches on the main control deck – a power on/off switch and a volume switch. These switches are a bit squishy, but that’s no detriment to the system, it’s just the way they are. Once you plug the Arcade1UP cabinet into a standard 110V power outlet, you’re ready to power it up. To power on the arcade machine, you simply have to short press the power for a moment. Then, the Terminator 2 marquee will light up and the boot up process will occur.
Updates
While the Arcade1UP Terminator 2 arcade game is a bit smaller than its original counterpart, it is plenty big enough for two adults to play at the same time and not feel cramped. The screen is crisp and brightly-lit, the sound is plenty loud, and the two guns feel great for the Terminator 2 game. There is even a switch on each gun to turn on and off its force feedback function – although, the force feedback was always such a cool part of the game how could you disable this in good conscience? The one thing that doesn’t seem quite right about the gun design is its cable management. The guns, when not in use, are holstered into the control deck with these plastic docking points. However, the cords are just folded around and hang out of the holster, dangling for any passerby cat to see and play with. I am not sure why the cords are not internal to the cabinet and pull out along with the guns when they are upholstered. In researching fixes, apparently this is a pretty well-known issue among the home arcade crowd and you will find more than a few YouTube videos detailing solutions that you can do yourself without too much trouble.
Originally launch in 1991, The Terminator 2 arcade game was one of my go-to games at Castle Park when growing up in sunny Riverside, CA. My friend and I spent countless quarters in both that machine and Aerosmith’s Revolution X games. Remember, “Music… is a weapon!”. Well, I never forgot that, digitized Steven Tyler! Thankfully, the Arcade1UP version of Terminator 2 is outstanding and just as good as I remembered from all those years ago. The basic premise of the game is that you’re a Terminator unit reprogrammed to help the human resistance in fighting Skynet. You’ll interact with the game by fielding a nifty, fully-automatic machine pistol (it was more of a rifle in the full-size arcade cabinet). On the side of the gun, you’ll find the special weapons button, and on the rear left side you’ll find the force feedback switch.
The gun tracking seems slightly slower than the original arcade game’s was, but it’s not slow enough to prevent enjoying the game or anything like that. I have been blasting away at Terminators and HKs for several days now, having a great time doing so. Even those people who never played the original game have sang nothing but praises about the game. Also, the FMV making-of video is a special treat as a fan of the original game and at-home arcades in general. It goes into its creation and many other aspects of the game which I was not aware of.
The setup menu will allow you to customize your Terminator 2 experience, from the overall difficulty of the game to starting amounts of energy, bombs, etc. It will even allow you to select a later level to start at instead of always starting at level 1. Arcade1UP has put quite a bit of options in the menu and it is greatly appreciated. After all, you’re not limited to how many quarters you have in your pockets this time. If unlimited lives is not your thing, you can set it to be a more challenging experience to compensate.
I Am the Future
There is a button on the control deck labeled “Live!”. This button allows you to bring up the online leaderboard and network options for the cabinet. That’s right, the Arcade1UP Terminator 2 game is wireless network capable! I highly suggest you connect it to your Wi-Fi before getting too far into the game. The review arcade cabinet downloaded a pretty big update when I first went online with it.
Now, for the bad news. The Terminator 2 arcade game from Arcade1UP costs $699.99 in US Dollars. This is a pretty pricey piece of gaming tech – no doubt. However, when you consider that a used, full-size Terminator 2 arcade cabinet goes for well over $2000 and will probably need a good bit of maintenance over time, $699.99 is a reasonable price for what you’re getting. This is the perfect piece of cool for your home game room or office or, in my case, living room! It has spurred me on to looking at the other Arcade1UP cabinets. They offer a whole host of different games – from TRON to Star Wars (although it looks like that one is long since on back order). The Arcade1Up Terminator 2 arcade cabinet earns out Seal of Excellence for outstanding contributions to gamer-kind!
Publisher Curve Games and Swedish indie development studio Neon Giant are delighted to announce that their popular cyberpunk action-shooter RPG The Ascent is available from today on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
The Ascent is set for an even more immersive experience on PlayStation 5 with the exciting added features of the DualSense Controller and also includes all previous content added to the game on other platforms since launch in July, such as Photo Mode, New Game+, Transmogrification, and free DLC pack content with their unique new weapons, skins and cosmetics.
Co-founder and Creative Director of the studio Arcade Berg said: “We’ve been blown away by the reception and success of The Ascent since July. There’s also been a lot of love from our community, acknowledging we’re a small team committed to continuing to improve the game as much as we can with more content – and we’re so grateful for that support! We’re always thinking about what makes the most sense to be developing next, and I’m super happy that we have been able to bring the game to even more people on the PlayStation platforms! Playstation 5 has particularly sweet features with the haptic feedback of the new DualSense controller, so we’re really excited for PlayStation players to get stuck in!”
Tor Frick, Creative Director and fellow co-founder of Neon Giant added: “We’re really excited to be able to now share the world of Veles with PlayStation players and grow our amazing community. It’s been over half a year since the original release of The Ascent, and all Playstation versions of the game will be getting all the quality of life improvements we’ve made in The Ascent since then. We can’t wait to see what PlayStation players think of The Ascent!”
About The Ascent on PlayStation
The rich and vibrant world on the planet Veles has been enhanced even more with the power of PlayStation and the DualSense Controller.
Haptic Feedback – Haptic Feedback enhances each interaction and battle in The Ascent. Every type of movement characters make will provide a different sensation, whether it’s shooting, dodging, sneaking. Weapons are dynamic and each gun will feel unique in players’ hands, whether it’s shotguns, energy rifles, blade guns or the mighty rocket launchers.
DualSense Controller Speaker – Players can now experience another level of sound within the game via the DualSence Controller Speaker, with the sound of health packs and enemy alerts dropping in the heart of the action and advertisements playing as you roam the neon lined streets in the vast Arcology up close out of the controller speaker.
Power of PlayStation 5 – The PlayStation 5 hardware means The Ascent will be hitting 4K 60 FPS, so players can experience the beautiful world of Veles in high definition.
In addition to these PlayStation 5 specific features, both the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 versions of the game will include all the amazing additions the developers have added to The Ascent since the July launch on PC and Xbox platforms, including:
Photo Mode
New Game+
Transmogrification
Free DLC packs with their unique new weapons, skins and cosmetics.
The Ascent benefits from cross-buy on PlayStation platforms (buy on PlayStation 4 and obtain the PlayStation 5 version for free and vice versa).
Currently, there is no cross play between the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions of The Ascent, but this feature is currently being worked on and will be available to players in the coming months.
It’s been a long way getting here, but it was definitely worth the wait. After the last major update that included more maps, more buildings and more of basically everything we upped the ante and fell into a dash short before the finishing line.
Now with the final update and release, Townsmen VR even got a sandbox mode and is better than ever. A unique one-of-a-kind VR game that lets you control the fate of your settlers. Build, crawl, explore, pet, pick, throw and fight – it’s time to get your hands dirty.
What’s it all about?
Start small and expand your might over a world of 13 different islands and archipelagos. Filled to the brim with exciting features, gizmos, and things to lay your virtual hands on. Build more than 20 unique buildings and upgrade them. Immerse yourself in a thrilling story with many exciting quests that will provide you with hours of fun!
Let me show you its features:
A fully-voiced campaign and story arching over 13 islands
Upgrades and add-ons for buildings
Research for further upgrades
Animals like cows, sheep, chickens and wild animals roam the islands
Build a harbour to have a trader’s ship and begin treasuring up riches
Buy things at the market instead of harvesting (if you have the gold, of course)
Reach out and build some bows and crossbows for your soldiers
Deal with pirates and shady merchants
Get creative: Sandbox mode for unlimited god action
A decade after its initial launch, with over 80 million players worldwide and more discovering and playing the game everyday, the fan-favorite, physics-based puzzle game Bridge Constructor is finally receiving its overdue tabletop adaptation with Bridge Constructor: Breaking Point!
Published by Maestro Media (The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls, Tapeworm), with award-winning game designer Jeb Havens (Critical Role’s Uk’otoa, Z-Man Games’ Burrows) and renowned illustrator Charlie Hill (Coca-Cola, A&E Network), Bridge Constructor: Breaking Point is an easy-to-learn and difficult to master game of tile placement, hand management, and press-your-luck that everyone will enjoy.
Suitable for ages 10 and up with 2 – 4 players, the heart of the tabletop game remains true to the original’s concept: engineer the best bridge you can with limited supplies and cross vehicles successfully. The gameplay is half puzzle and half press your luck. Each round you have the choice to pick a bridge tile and either continue to strengthen or rebuild your bridge or cross your vehicles. Choose from Super Light, Light, Medium, or Heavy vehicles that each have their unique points and challenges. Watch out for your fellow engineers though, at any time they might play an event card on you, unleashing devastating damage to your perfectly planned bridge. Who’s got the smarts to cross more vehicles and gather the most points before time runs out?
“We’ve partnered with some of the biggest names in the industry to create memorable Bridge Constructor games, such as Bridge Constructor Portal and Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead, but this is arguably our most ambitious adaptation yet,” said Dieter Schoeller, CEO & Founder of Headup. “Creating a tabletop game from a physics-based video game is no easy feat, but Javon and the team at Maestro Media have shown how incredible such a game can be with Breaking Point and I can’t wait to finally have it out in the world for people to enjoy.”
Bridge Constructor: Breaking Point will launch on Kickstarter this September, with retail and additional distribution plans already in the works.
“With Bridge Constructor being such a creative and inventive concept, there’s endless possibilities for game mechanics and a plethora of other aspects of play, and we wanted to find a way to explore all these areas,” said Javon Frazier, CEO and Founder of Maestro Media. “We’re using Kickstarter as a way to work with the fans of the original game to make the tabletop version the version they want to play and incorporating their ideas into the final product. From our experience, crowdfunding is the perfect method to do just that.”
Fans who sign up and pre-commit early to the campaign will receive two additional exclusive vehicle cards for the game. To learn more about Bridge Constructor: Breaking Point and to sign up for updates, please visit bridgeconstructorgame.com.
Today Frogwares has announced the release of the final major paid DLC to Sherlock Holmes Chapter One and also that they will be able to release Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter on the Nintendo Switch on April 7th, 2022.
Despite being embroiled in a horrendous war, the majority Ukrainian-based team managed this through external partners and a handful of remote-based staff. They are now aiming to adapt to the situation and do what they can to keep the studio semi-functioning and afloat.
“Put simply, we need to keep the studio alive and functioning to the best of our abilities now more than ever. Nobody on the team is expected to work, only those who can and want to. Some on the team have become full-time volunteers in the humanitarian efforts around the country. Others have joined the defense forces. The rest are in various, safer locations abroad or around the country and have made themselves available to work remotely. And we continue to pay all of these people on the team. For those fighting or volunteering, each of their spots on the team will be waiting for them at the end of the war. But essentially it is through a collection of staff that either fled Ukraine to neighboring EU countries and those who have relocated to safer areas who are keeping Frogwares going right now. We are an independent studio with no external financing, investors, or parent company keeping us afloat. So it’s up to us alone and through the support of our players wanting to play our games that will keep this studio alive. And as this war drags out more and more, we and people all around Ukraine are seeing that even if they are not involved in the fighting directly, they need to somehow keep things moving forward. So that when this is all over and it’s time to rebuild and restart, we are not starting from zero.” – Wael Amr, CEO, Frogwares.
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One M For Mystery DLC – Out Now
The final paid DLC for the studio’s latest game is now available on PC, PS5 and X Series X/S. In this 2+ hour mission, a cunning spy has outsmarted one of Mycroft’s agents and managed to steal confidential documents. Sherlock must now step in to face a shadowy figure known only as “M” as he tries to unravel the work of a master spy and saboteur.
The M For Mystery DLC is free for all owners of the Deluxe Edition and the Season Pass or can be purchased separately.
Sherlock Holmes: The Devils’ Daughter on Switch – Coming April 7th, 2022
Initially released in 2016, Frogwares partnered with Mataboo back in 2021 to bring the game to the Nintendo Switch. Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter is an investigative adventure with a flare of the supernatural. Something dark and sinister is gripping London and has come very close to Sherlock’s own personal life. But is it just smoke and mirrors from cunning crooks or is something truly supernatural at play here? Each case will require you to strike the right balance between logic, gut instinct, morality, and superstitious beliefs. Track down evil in the darkest corners of London and the human soul, be it from this world or possibly another.
Sherlock Holmes: The Devils’ Daughter will be priced at 29.99 USD / 29.99 EUR and is a digital-only release. Pre-orders will go live on March 24th on Nintendo eShop with a 15% off discount. Owners of Frogware’s The Sinking City or Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments on Switch will get an additional 10% off.
The wait is finally over! Animal Shelter Simulator, a highly anticipated game of Games Incubator launches today, March 23 on Steam.
Many players have been waiting in anticipation for the release of Animal Shelter Simulator, a new game of Games Incubator. After a demo and prologue of the game, it is finally the time for the final release.
The players’ objective is to create a haven for all homeless animals waiting for their new homes. It’s not an easy task because of many obstacles waiting for them – medical fees, paying your bills, and employee payments. Just like in real life. Also, players will have to care for animals taking shelter in their facility.
But the most rewarding part of the game is the adoption process for pets, that are currently taken care of in the shelter. The pure enjoyment of seeing as your pupils gain new and loving home rewards all the hardships you encountered you could encounter on your way.
Animal Shelter Simulator launches today – don’t waste any second and get your copy right now! Animals need you!
To help end the cycle of child poverty, Critical Role, through the Critical Role Foundation, is once again joining forces with the one and only Stephen Colbert for a special tabletop roleplaying-based fundraising campaign benefiting Red Nose Day. Red Nose Day is an annual campaign that raises funds to ensure a healthy future for all children. Money raised supports critical programs that keep children safe, healthy, educated and empowered in the US and around the world.
In 2019, Critical Role and Stephen Colbert raised over $120,000 through the Choose Stephen Colbert’s Adventure fundraising campaign, in which Critical Role’s Co-founder and CCO Matthew Mercer conducted a one-shot mini-adventure with Stephen consisting of fan-voted game and story elements. For their next collaboration, Choose Stephen Colbert’s Adventure… Again, they are once again allowing fans to decide on the storytelling elements for Stephen’s mini-adventure through donation-based votes, all benefiting Red Nose Day.
From March 26 at 9AM Pacific through April 1 at 6PM Pacific, donations made through Critical Role’s Tiltify page at critrole.com/rednoseday can be allocated towards voting in special polls which will shape Stephen’s adventure. The more a donor contributes, the more the scales will be tipped in favor of the donor’s preferred story elements. The story elements that gain the most donations will be utilized in the campaign, which will air on Thursday, April 28 at 7PM Pacific.
Matthew Mercer will once again serve as the game master of the campaign, and joining Stephen as fellow adventurers will be a handful of Critical Role founders. You can also donate directly to the campaign at https://critrole.com/foundation/.
