It’s the late 80s in the Post-Soviet Czech Republic. Times are tough. People are struggling to find a job that pays well enough to put food on the table. So when a job opportunity arrives to start working for Kvark – a pure nuclear energy company looking for miners to work in the uranium mines, you don’t think twice. It’s hard, it’s dangerous, and yet, thanks to Kvark’s sophisticated propaganda, there are countless applicants for such demanding work. So you are overjoyed when, finally, after a successful interview, you are taken underground as a new employee…
The recruitment went well, but the happy thrill didn’t last, and it quickly turned into fear upon waking up alone, locked in a dark cell. The last thing you remember is the onboarding at reception. Now you are awakened by the sound of nearby explosions and shouting. Confused by not only the surrounding chaos, but also the drastic change in surroundings, you struggle to grasp the situation. All the cells are open and those once locked within are long gone. Seems like you’re the last prisoner in this terrifying facility.
How did you end up in this mess? Why did everybody escape? What the hell is going on? Those are but a few questions ringing in your head louder than the sirens and emergency calls around you.
Stardock, a leading developer of 4X strategy and simulation games, announced Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova, the latest installment in their acclaimed Galactic Civilizations franchise today.
In this space-based strategy game set in the 24th century, players take on the role of a leader of a spacefaring civilization, tasked with exploring and colonizing the known universe. With an array of new features and improvements, Supernova offers an unparalleled 4X strategy experience for players of all skill levels.
“We are thrilled with the new additions Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova brings to the genre,” said Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock. “From a combat system that features starship classes, to graphics engine improvements, and multiplayer mode, players will be able to immerse themselves in a vast and complex universe unlike anything they’ve seen before.”
Some of the new and improved features of Supernova include an updated combat system, Terror Stars that can destroy entire stars and the surrounding planets and ships with a single shot, new alien civilizations to play as or against, a new culture progression system, and a new research system with breakthrough technologies.
In addition, Supernova also features an improved diplomacy system with more complex negotiations and alliances, a streamlined galaxy setup system, enhanced modding capabilities, and an improved graphics engine for stunning visuals.
Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova is coming soon. To join the mailing list and to learn more, visit the official website at www.galciv4.com/supernova.
I recently got the chance to attend a hands-on preview session of EA and Respawn’s upcoming Star Wars: Jedi Survivor. The preview took place in Hollywood and we even brought back a pretty nifty gift box. Check out some gameplay footage as well as video from the event and my thoughts on how the game is shaping up in this video below. Star Wars: Jedi Survivor is due out on April 28th!
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Milestone and Dorna Sports S.L. are pleased to announce the upcoming release of MotoGP™23. Featuring all the official riders and tracks of the 2023 Season for the MotoGP™, Moto2™, Moto3™, and MotoE™ categories, the new chapter of the historic franchise will be available on June 8, 2023, on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch™, and Steam.
Among the most important novelties of MotoGP™23 is the design of the career mode, conceived to give players the freedom to build their own journey to becoming a two-wheel legend. Indeed, the introduction of turning points will affect career paths based on the performance achieved and the decisions made by each player. After debuting in the final part of a Moto3™ season, it will be possible to move faster through the different classes depending on the results obtained; however, finding a contract will not be easy, as each team will only have two spots and players will have to compete with the official riders to take their place. Turning points will also influence bike development during the seasonal tests, with dedicated challenges to speed up evolution. Importantly, this year rivalries will not be confined to the track; for the first time ever, MotoGP™23 will also feature a social network to interact with riders, teams, and manufacturers. Just like in real life, this will be the place to make friends but also to bother rivals, as the AI will behave differently during races also based on the way players act on the social network.
Strongly requested by the community, two brand-new features will bring the simulation to a whole new level of realism. Thanks to the introduction of Dynamic Weather, a dry race can now quickly turn into a wet mayhem, where skills and strategy can make the difference. The race can thus be declared a Flag-to-Flag* race with the possibility to return to the pit-lane and switch bikes to gain a strategic advantage. The Advanced AI will finally grant the in-track behavior of riders to be more coherent with their real-life racing style, as each rider will have a unique personality that will directly affect his actions during the race.
Meeting both hardcore gamers and rookies’ needs, new riding aids for brakes, acceleration, and handling will deliver a gaming experience that is both approachable and ambitious so that everyone can feel the thrills of the real MotoGP™, regardless of the initial skill level. Also, the acclaimed MotoGP™ Academy is back to help players learn the basics or perfect their style with dedicated training sessions.
MotoGP™23 will also offer many multiplayer options, both on and offline. For the first time, cross-play** will allow racing with other players regardless of the platform and console generation, whereas the new Ranked Races will ensure fair fights by getting players of the same rank to compete with each other. And the 2-player local split-screen* is back to let players challenge their friends side by side on the couch.
Finally, the helmet, sticker, racing number, and butt patch graphic editors will allow players to show off their style making their journey into MotoGP™ even more unique.
Today, Netflix and UCP confirmed an all-new anime series based on SCOTT PILGRIM (official title to be announced), coming soon to Netflix. Bryan Lee O’Malley, the author and artist of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series, and BenDavid Grabinski (Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Happily) serve as executive producers/writers/showrunners. The original film’s director, co-writer and producer Edgar Wright serves as executive producer. Award-winning animation house Science SARU serves as animation studio with executive producer Eunyoung Choi and director Abel Gongora.
“We’re getting the band back together! Cera and Winstead, Bhabha, Culkin, Evans, Kendrick, Larson, Pill, Plaza, Routh, Schwartzman, Simmons, Webber, Whitman and Wong. A stellar cast, perfectly assembled by Edgar Wright. And, with Science SARU leading the phenomenal animation, we couldn’t ask for a better team for this adventure,” said Bryan Lee O’Malley and BenDavid Grabinski. “We can’t wait for fans and newcomers alike to see what we and our partners at Science SARU have been cooking up. It’s going to be a wild ride.”
Voice Cast
Executive Producer Edgar Wright added, “One of the proudest and most enjoyable achievements of my career was assembling and working with the dynamite cast of Scott Pilgrim. Since the film’s release in 2010 we’ve done Q&A’s, remembrances and charity read throughs, but there was never the occasion to reunite the whole gang on an actual project. Until now… Original creator Bryan Lee O’Malley, along with writer BenDavid Grabinski have conjured up an anime series of Scott Pilgrim that doesn’t just expand the universe, but also…well, just watch it. I’m more than happy to announce that I have helped coax the entire original cast back to voice their characters on this epic new adventure. You are in for a treat.”
“It’s official: we’ve been obsessed with Scott Pilgrim! This series has been a wild ride, full of fresh and thrilling experiences for everyone at Science SARU. Working with such amazing artists and animators under the visionary leadership of director Abel Gongora has been an absolute dream come true,” said executive producer Eunyoung Choi. “Our team is over the moon about bringing the Scott Pilgrim world to life. We can hardly contain our excitement – this is going to be epic!”
Science SARU is a groundbreaking Japanese animation studio known for popular titles such as DEVILMAN crybaby (2018) and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (2020). Their recent fusions of Japanese tradition and cutting-edge direction, 2022’s The Heike Story and Annie Awards nominee Inu-Oh, were met with international critical acclaim.
The series reunites the cast from the cult favorite film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World including:
Michael Cera is SCOTT PILGRIM and Mary Elizabeth Winstead is RAMONA FLOWERS
Satya Bhabha is MATTHEW PATEL
Kieran Culkin is WALLACE WELLS
Chris Evans is LUCAS LEE
Anna Kendrick is STACEY PILGRIM
Brie Larson is ENVY ADAMS
Alison Pill is KIM PINE
Aubrey Plaza is JULIE POWERS
Brandon Routh is TODD INGRAM
Jason Schwartzman is GIDEON GRAVES
Johnny Simmons is YOUNG NEIL
Mark Webber is STEPHEN STILLS
Mae Whitman is ROXIE
Ellen Wong is KNIVES CHAU
Additional voices to be announced. Additional series information is below:
Genre: Animation
Animation Studio: Science SARU (DEVILMAN crybaby, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, The Heike Story, Inu-Oh)
Executive Producers/Writers/Co-Showrunners: Bryan Lee O’Malley and BenDavid Grabinski
Executive Producers are: Marc Platt (Marc Platt Productions), Jared LeBoff (Marc Platt Productions), Adam Siegel (Marc Platt Productions); Michael Bacall; Edgar Wright (Complete Fiction), Nira Park (Complete Fiction); Eunyoung Choi (Science SARU)
Director is: Abel Gongora (Science SARU)
Original Songs by Anamanaguchi (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game); Score by Anamanaguchi (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game) and Joseph Trapanese (Straight Outta Compton)
NACON and studio Cyanide are pleased to announce that their new LIFE series simulation game, Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator, is now available for PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC in America. The game allows players to immerse themselves in the life of a restaurant owner and progress to the point where they can hope to be selected by the MICHELIN Guide and even receive its famous culinary awards: to do so, they must excel in the kitchen, choose the best ingredients and rely on their team to satisfy their customers every day.
An immersion in the daily life of a chef
Players put on their apron and immerse themselves in the life of a restaurant owner with all the realism that the LIFE range seeks to offer. From selecting ingredients to choosing suppliers, managing the brigade and decorating the kitchen, the game offers a management and simulation experience that meets the expectations of budding cooks.
As in the real world, players must prepare for the arrival of an anonymous inspector who may select them for inclusion in the famous MICHELIN Guide. In order to faithfully reflect the eminence of the MICHELIN Guide awards, Chef Life also offers restaurants that are honored with the award the opportunity to receive an official outfit and plaque associated with the award in-game.
A restaurant in your image
In order to create a restaurant that resembles them, restaurant owners have a great deal of freedom to make decisions for their establishment. The decoration of the dining room, the layout of the dishes, the choices made allow their cuisine to reflect their personality!
Finally, whether their goal is to achieve culinary excellence or to be the family restaurant that brings their neighborhood to life, Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator fulfills all the aspirations of gourmets!
A know-how to master
The varied and iconic recipes challenge players to test their mastery of French and Italian gastronomy. Improving their simple recipes to make them gastronomic dishes, adapting their menu to the seasons and to the expectations of their customers allow the players to reach their goals.
Many criteria are used to judge the excellence of their cuisine according to the famous methodology of the anonymous inspectors of the Guide, based on the choice of products, the mastery of culinary techniques and the harmony of flavors. In addition, the consistency of the quality of the experience offered to customers will be evaluated.
Becoming a Starred Restaurant
If their restaurant is up to par, players can hope to be selected by the MICHELIN Guide. This initial recognition rewards the good management and quality of their establishment.
Next, players may decide to covet the Bib Gourmand, an official distinction awarded to players whose restaurant offers affordable prices while ensuring high quality dishes.
Or, depending on his or her ambition, he or she may covet the iconic Etoile du Guide MICHELIN. In this case, it is the excellence of the cuisine and the perfect respect of the criteria of the famous Guide that will determine if the restaurant deserves the title of Etoile Restaurant.
Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator is now available on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Hunt: Showdown, the award-winning, high-stakes, tactical PvPvE FPS from Crytek, received a substantial new update today. Available now on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox, Update 1.12 adds two Questlines with all-new rewards, a range of improvements and bug fixes, and dramatically improves the new player onboarding experience with two bonus tutorials.
New Tutorials
Two new tutorials enable gamers to get up to speed with Hunt’s unique bounty-hunting gameplay quickly and easily, with Doug Cockle from The Witcher franchise voicing veteran Hunter/tutorial guide John Victor. The Basic Tutorial explains Hunt’s core mechanics, including controls, gunplay, monsters, and more. Upon first completion, players will receive a Tier 1 Hunter, as well as the rewards earned during the tutorial. Players can then go on to complete the Advanced Tutorial or access it separately later. In the Advanced Tutorial, Hunters will find a Clue to locate a Boss Target, then fight and banish it before extracting with their reward. Both tutorials allow players to hone their skills quickly before taking the fight to the bayou.
New Questlines
Update 1.12 also adds two new Questlines—The Ward of the Reptilian (available March 29 through May 1, 2023) and Vengeance of the Skinned, which will follow soon after. Each Questline offers Hunters new activities and valuable rewards to earn across six acts, including unlocking new weapon variants, Legendary equipment, and more. For the first time, players can complete quests within Questlines together, meaning that other team members can now contribute to each other’s progress during a match. For example, if your quest is to “Kill enemy Hunters,” your teammate’s kills will also count towards completing the quest.
New Wildcard Contract
Building on the success of the Devil’s Moon Live Event, which introduced the Inferno, a map-altering set of wildfires, Update 1.12 adds a new Wildcard Contract option which, when selected, allows Hunters to join a queue of other players who wish to hunt in the bayou during the Night Time of Day.
Solo Player Improvements, Combat Logs & More
Update 1.12 adds damage history to combat logs, as requested by members of the Hunt: Showdown community. Players can now see up to 90 seconds of activity before their demise to understand how they were killed and what they can do better next time, with detailed stats included. The update also adds new Solo-only conditional effects for specific Traits, to help level the playing field for those who dare to take on teams of Hunters alone. Audio, gameplay, and weapon improvements also arrive in the update, alongside various bug fixes.
Players can read the complete list of changes in the Update 1.12 patch notes, as well as learn more about the game, by visiting www.huntshowdown.com. Hunt: Showdown is out now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
The final DLC pack for Civilization VI: Leader Pass – Rulers of England Pack – is now available! Fill out your growing collection of monarchs with the Rulers of England Pack*, which includes Elizabeth I (England), Varangian Harald Hardrada (Norway), and Victoria – Age of Steam (England). Check out the First Look here; specific details about the Leaders are also available below:
Elizabeth I (England)
Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, ascended to England’s throne at the age of 25. Her reign is widely regarded as something of a Golden Age in English History. Under Elizabeth’s rule, the Anglican Church was established as the official church of the country, Sir Francis Drake defeated the Spanish Armada, and important literary figures including William Shakespeare popularized Elizabethan theater as an integral part of English culture that endures to this day. In-game, Elizabeth I tries to have as many trade routes as possible, and prefers civilizations that trade with her cities.
New Ability: Drake’s Legacy
England’s Trade Route Capacity is increased by 2 after acquiring your first Great Admiral.
Trade Routes to city-states provide +3 Gold for every specialty district in the origin city.
+100% Yields from plundering Trade Routes.
Varangian Harald Hardrada (Norway)
Born into the Norwegian royal family, Harald Sigurdsson served in King Olaf II’s army until he was forced into exile following defeat in the Battle of Stiklestad. He subsequently spent many years fighting as a mercenary across the Mediterranean and the Middle East. When he returned to Norway he co-ruled alongside his nephew Magnus. Despite his storied life as a great warrior and leader, he’s perhaps best known for failing to conquer England in 1066, when he was defeated and killed by King Harold II’s army. Harald is protective of city states and dislikes any civilization that attacks them.
New Ability: Varangian Guard
(Base game) 75% Discount on levying units, and all units pay 2 less maintenance.
(Rise and Fall & Gathering Storm DLCs) 75% Discount on levying units, and levied units receive Culture, Faith, and Science from kills equal to 50% of the opponent’s combat strength.
Victoria – Age of Steam (England)
At just 18 years old when she became Queen, Victoria was the first English monarch to reside in Buckingham Palace. The British Empire expanded greatly during her reign, spanning a quarter of the world’s land and population. At home, industrialization had a profound effect on society during this period, thanks in part to steam-powered machinery that let the emerging working class mass-produce goods on a previously impossible scale. Victoria’s Industrial Revolution agenda results in her trying to build up industry and liking civilizations that also focus on production.
New Ability: Age of Steam
+10% Production in cities for every Industrial Zone building in that city.
+2 Production to all Strategic Resources.
With the release of the Rulers of England DLC pack, Civilization VI: Leader Pass** is now complete and available across Windows PC via Steam, Epic and Windows Store, MacOS via Steam and the Mac App Store, and iOS via the App Store. Civilization VI: Leader Pass adds 18 new playable leader selections to Civilization VI, offering players more ways to rule. For more details, visit www.civilization.com.
MLB 9 Innings 23, the globally popular mobile baseball game licensed by MLB and MLB Players, Inc., begins a new season today with a major update. Developed and serviced by Com2uS, the leading global online game development and publishing company, MLB 9 Innings 23 stars legendary players Mike Trout and Ken Griffey Jr. as this year’s featured athletes while boasting new historic players and collectable legends, plus the most recent major league information, player date, and league schedules so fans can play along with the 2023 season in real time.
The new season trailer features superstar center fielder Mike Trout, legendary outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., and star of the classic coming-of-age sports comedy The Sandlot, Patrick Renna. Watch the trailer on YouTube or Mike Trout’s Instagram page.
“MLB 9 Innings is what the pros play throughout the baseball season,” said Trout. “Appearing alongside Griff and Patrick to showcase a game I love is a dream, and I know baseball fans will be thrilled by the action they can take on-the-go this season with MLB 9 Innings 23.”
Com2uS celebrates the launch of this new season update with special in-game events beginning April 1. Recruit five Historic Players from the exclusive shop using points earned in-game. The shop’s inventory varies on a monthly basis; either recruit duplicate individuals from among the Historic Players or swap them for player-boosting upgrade materials. Plus, all fans who log into the game by April 30 will receive free rewards like the Team Select Diamond Pack, Premium Skill Change Tickets, and Upgrade Tickets.
MLB 9 Innings 23 reflects accurate real-life information for the 2023 MLB season, including player statistics, uniforms, stadiums, and the actual league schedules. Recruit players who took part in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) through the in-game WBC Shop until April 8. Celebrate the history of baseball alongside its present by collecting new player cards featuring six legends, including Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente.
“MLB 9 Innings 23 has endeavored to capture all the changes in the major leagues as the new season has begun,” commented Jihoon Han, Head of Game Business Group, “We hope players will enjoy the true fun of baseball in MLB 9 Innings 23 with historical heroes.”
Since 2016, MLB 9 Innings has been among the top 10 selling sports games in 83 countries on Google Play and in 57 countries on the Apple App Store. MLB 9 Innings 23 is available to download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
