HAMBURG, Germany – Sept. 25, 2019 – Publisher Daedalic Entertainment and independent developer Kong Orange have revealed that Felix The Reaper, the soulful puzzle adventure game about a dancing agent of Death, will launch on Oct. 17, 2019, for Xbox One, PlayStation®4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC and Mac via Steam.
The announcement was made during the latest episode of Microsoft’s Inside Xbox show, which also contained the exciting reveal that Felix The Reaper will be part of Xbox Game Pass for console as well as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at launch.
To help introduce Felix The Reaper to the masses, developer Kong Orange has also released a new behind-the-scenes trailer which examines the inspiration behind this quirky puzzle release:
Felix The Reaper is a romantic comedy and 3D puzzle game in which players alter events to end the lives of humans as ordered by the Ministry of Death. Like all reapers, Felix can only move in the shadows, but thankfully he can change the direction of the sun and move objects in a snap to create safe passage through increasingly devilish scenarios. Each destiny fulfilled gets Felix one step closer to his heart’s desire: Betty the Maiden from the Ministry of Life. This eccentrically surprising adventure features original music from a dozen independent musicians, as well as an intricate in-game database on the art and representation of Death throughout history.
Key Features:
A wonderfully original puzzle adventure with uniquely challenging gameplay set in a beautifully colorful, gruesomely sweet world.
Samba through over 20 story levels, plus hardcore difficulty variants for each stage and bonus unlockable time trials.
Play as Felix, a loveable reaper with the heart of a dancer.
Choose your own tunes on Felix‘s Walkman from a variety of indie music artists.
Watch Felix dance with exquisite moves developed by professional dancers.
Experience a fantastic world inspired by and showcasing nearly 1,000 years of art and storytelling depicting Death across multiple cultures.
This human message has been approved by The Ministry of Death – employer of Felix The Reaper – under the rules and regulations clause concerning ministerial mortal relations and human interaction.
September 25, 2019 – Based on the epic novels of Dav Pilkey (over 80 million copies in print!) comes the Captain Underpants Halloween special, DreamWorks The Spooky Tales of Captain Underpants: Hack-A-Ween premiering on Netflix Tuesday, October 8th! When mean Principal Krupp and evil boy-genius Melvin make Halloween illegal and institute“Hall-no-Ween,” George and Harold team up with their friends to hack their favorite holiday, creating Hack-A-Ween. The kids wear disguises instead of costumes, carve cabbages instead of pumpkins, and get snacks instead of candy. The hacked holiday is a huge hit, so when Krupp and Melvin make even more trouble, the kids realize that in order to really save Halloween they will have to negotiate with the enemy. DreamWorks The Spooky Tales of Captain Underpants: Hack-A-Ween tra-la-la’s its way to Netflix October 8.
From Executive Producer Peter Hastings (Animaniacs; Pinky and the Brain), DreamWorks The Spooky Tales of Captain Underpants: Hack-A-Ween features the voices of Academy Award-winner Nat Faxon (Life of The Party; Disenchantment; Married) as Mr. Krupp and Captain Underpants, Ramone Hamilton (The Grinch) as Harold, Jay Gragnani (Bubble Guppies) as George, Jorge Diaz (Jane the Virgin) as Melvin, Sean Astin (Stranger Things) as Narrator, Erica Luttrell (Magic School Bus; Steven Universe) as Erica, Evan Kishiyama (Mickey and the Roadster Racers) as Gooch, and Stephen Tobolowsky (Spaceballs, Groundhog Day) as Creepy Rattlechains.
In celebration of the upcoming special, we have the trailer to share with you!
September 25, 2019 – The Planet Zoo Beta has begun and will run from 8:00am PDT on September 24 to 9:00am PDT on October 8.
Planet Zoo’s beta begins with the new narrative-driven Career mode that sees players begin their journey in the Temperate Biome as they learn to manage and expand an existing zoo, building habitats, adopting animals and tackling a range of Bronze, Silver and Gold objectives. Franchise mode visits the Savannah biome for a deeper simulation with an open sandbox map and the full economy, as well as online connectivity with the Planet Zoo community. The beta Community Goal will be announced soon.
The Planet Zoo beta features a range of wildlife from around the world across both modes, including the West African Lion, Reticulated Giraffe, Bengal Tiger, Snow Leopard and Galapagos Giant Tortoise, with over 30 animals total, each with unique traits and personalities.
Sept. 24, 2019 – Modern Warfare’s campaign trailer gives players a glimpse into the roles of lethal Tier One operators in a heart-racing saga that will affect the global balance of power. With its raw and gritty narrative, the visceral story brings unrivaled intensity and pushes boundaries and breaks rules the way only Modern Warfare can. Also announced alongside the campaign trailer is the XRK Weapons Pack. Those who purchase Modern Warfare digitally will receive the XRK Weapons Pack for day one launch use.
FREMONT, CA, September 24th, 2019 – Elgato, the leading provider of hardware and software for content creators, today announced the launch of HD60 S+, an external video capture card that lets content creators play high-fidelity console games in stunning 4K60 HDR10 while simultaneously streaming or recording gameplay in 1080p60 HDR10. It’s easy to get set up and streaming with HD60 S+ thanks to a simple USB 3.0 connection and full compatibility with today’s most prominent streaming applications including OBS Studio, Streamlabs OBS, and XSplit. Accompanied by powerful Elgato 4KCU recording software, HD60 S+ is ideal for content creators looking to grow audiences on Twitch, YouTube, and Mixer.
Building upon the original hugely popular HD60 S, HD60 S+ allows 4K60 HDR10 zero-lag passthrough, with onboard video downscaling to enable streaming to any platform in industry standard full HD 1080p60 quality and recording unlimited 1080p60 HDR10 footage to your hard drive. HD60 S+ also benefits from ultra-low latency Instant Gameview technology, keeping gameplay, mic, webcam, and other sources perfectly synched.
Elgato’s 4KCU software powers HD60 S+, offering exclusive features to help you get the most out of it. Take advantage of Flashback Recording to save your gameplay retroactively with convenient DVR-like controls, and Live Commentary to record microphone audio as a separate track. These tools allow you to adjust gameplay, game audio, and microphone audio independently in post-production with ease, creating better, polished, more professional content. Record the superior color depth of HDR10 that would be lost using other software, and leverage advanced file formats that let you easily arrange gameplay footage, gameplay audio, and microphone audio independently in your favorite video editor.
An external capture solution that produces high quality footage without compromising high-fidelity gameplay, HD60 S+ empowers beginners and experienced content creators alike.
Availability, Warranty and Pricing
Elgato HD60 S+ is available immediately from the Elgato worldwide network of authorized retailers and distributors.
Elgato HD60 S+ is backed by a two-year warranty and the CORSAIR & Elgato worldwide customer service and technical support network.
For up-to-date pricing of all newly released Elgato products, please refer to the Elgato website or contact your local CORSAIR/Elgato sales or PR representative.
Sept. 24, 2019 –Jaws of Oblivion, the latest expansion for The Elder Scrolls: Legends, takes players to Mehrunes Dagon’s Daedric plane of Oblivion on October 8 for PC, iOS, and Android devices. With 75+ brand new cards inspired by Bethesda Game Studios’ beloved The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Jaws of Oblivion will pull devastating Deadra through the fiery gates of Oblivion and onto the playmat.
Check out the Jaws of Oblivion trailer here:
Alongside 75+ new cards, Jaws of Oblivion introduces players to:
• A fiery new playmat
• Two new premade Theme Decks – Mankar’s Paradise and Martin Septim’s Ascendance
• Four new card backs
• New music and visual effects
• New Invade mechanic that summons otherworldly Oblivion Gates, giving your Daedric creatures more power the more you Invade
Prepare for the Gates to open by preordering Jaws of Oblivion today for $49.99. You will receive 50 Jaws of Oblivion card packs when the set releases, plus a premium card back and epic “The Herald” title to use as soon as you complete your purchase.
Will you close shut the Jaws of Oblivion or let chaos run rampant? Choose for yourself when the next expansion for The Elder Scrolls: Legends launches October 8.
LOS ANGELES (Sept. 24, 2019) – Today, SQUARE ENIX® revealed the North American package art for FINAL FANTASY® VII REMAKE alongside a number of new screenshots and character renders, providing a deeper look at how players can explore the city of Midgar and battle the tyrannical Shinra Corporation.
The package art, reminiscent of the North American cover of the original FINAL FANTASY VII, features protagonist Cloud Strife with his iconic buster sword, staring down the headquarters of the shadowy enemy he has agreed to help take down.
Additionally, new screenshots were released today, bringing more of the Sector 7 Slums and the Seventh Heaven bar to life. Cloud, Tifa, Barrett and Aerith are also showcased in action-packed battles, providing an in-depth look at magic and summons, the materia system, powerful limit breaks, and more.
Furthermore, a new gameplay video is now available, in which Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith go head to head with a ferocious beast, Abzu. The exhilarating fight highlighting each characters’ unique battle style can be viewed here:
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE is a reimagining of the iconic original game that re-defined the RPG genre, diving deeper into the world and its characters than ever before. The first game in the project will be set in the eclectic city of Midgar and presents a fully standalone gaming experience that provides a great starting point to the series.
Along with unforgettable characters and a powerful story, FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE features a hybrid battle system that merges real-time action with strategic, command-based combat. For players who wish to focus purely on battle strategy, a menu-focused ‘Classic Mode’ provides a gameplay style more similar to the original game. More information regarding the newly revealed Classic Mode can be found on the Square Enix Blog: https://t.co/wvnRTN82RK.
The Deluxe Edition, available to pre-order now, contains a hardback art book featuring stunning concept art, a soundtrack selection CD, Summon Materia DLC allowing players to summon Cactuar in game, and a Sephiroth SteelBook® Case. The Digital Deluxe Edition contains a digital art book, a digital soundtrack selection, and Summon Materia DLC allowing players to summon Carbuncle and Cactuar in game.
Those who pre-order any version of the game will also receive the Chocobo™ Chick Summon Materia DLC at launch. Those who pre-order any digital edition from the PlayStation®Store will also receive the Cloud & Sephiroth Dynamic Theme for the PlayStation®4 system.
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE will be available for the PlayStation®4 system from March 3, 2020 with English, Japanese, French and German voiceover and English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. For more information, visit: http://ffvii-remake.com.
The title is not yet rated. Please visit the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) website at www.esrb.org for more information about ratings.
The spooky season is upon us and it is time once again to review Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights. Located in beautiful Hollywood, CA the Halloween Horror Nights event has long been lauded as a must-see haunted attraction in Southern California. How does 2019 stack up to previous years? Read on to find out more!
Universal Studios is, as the name suggests, a studio. So, it is no surprise that once again that the haunted houses (or “maze”) offerings at Halloween Horror Nights are based on a movie or television program. The top maze of 2019 is, hands-down, Ghostbusters. Based on the 1984 Ivan Reitman film of the same name, Ghostbusters takes guests through various scenes from the film. From the fire station all the way to Dana Barrett’s Central Park apartment building. This haunted house isn’t scary in the traditional sense but does an outstanding job of bringing the laughs and scares of the movie to life (or unlife). I especially loved the use of projection mapping to create proton pack beams along the walls of various scenes.
The next best haunted house in the bunch has to be Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Taking various scenes from the cult-classic film, Killer Klowns is scary and fun, with lots of carnival fog scents to go around. It was such a good maze that it made me want to rush home and watch the movie again – it’s been way too long since I got the chance to view it.
Unfortunately, instead of taking the Terror Tram in a new direction this year – or – just running evening studio tour trams, the event designers have opted for it to be entirely dark. I would have rather seen them utilize the tour trams as transport to take guests the quarter of a mile (one way) journey from the lower lot to the back lot. Speaking of the quarter mile walk to the backlot, the park needs to do something with The Toxic Tunnel. It’s like a psychedelic nightmare from which you can’t escape – and not in a good way. I walked out of the tunnel feeling overstimulated and not-scared at all. It’s simply headache-inducing and it needs to go.
Also, it seems like Halloween Horror Nights designers still just can’t get enough of empty black hallways, empty black switchbacks, and “boo boxes”. With the budget and design power of Horror Nights, I expect more creativity from them and this has become a trope of their own making. I fondly remember the days when these tropes were nowhere to be found at Halloween Horror Nights mazes and I hope they move away from them in 2020.
Over in the backlot, you can walk though All Hallow’s Evil, an outstanding maze/street zone hybrid (with no roof allowing ample air flow) with amazing characters and props. This was probably my second favorite thing to experience in my entire evening at Horror Nights. There is so much breathing room that I wish Universal would consider adding more of these maze/street zone hybrids.
My third favorite maze in the Horror Nights lineup is Creepshow. Taking scenes from the 1982 George A. Romero/Stephen King film, the maze integrated some elements from the upcoming Shudder streaming service TV series. Seeing Tom Savini’s “Fluffy” creature from Creepshow segment “The Crate” come to life before my eyes was an absolute treat.
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man left me with an interesting mix of feelings. On one hand, I LOVE classic Universal Monsters and the 1943 film this maze is based on. However, the narrative of the Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man haunted house seems to go in different directions. The maze introduces Frankenstein very quickly while, in the film, he doesn’t present himself until chipped out of a frozen cellar by the Wolf Man. Also, because many guests have not seen this film, some of the people we spoke with outside the maze seemed ambivalent about the whole thing.
Jordan Peele’s Us does an outstanding job of taking guests through some of the scenes from the acclaimed film. It is creepy, visceral, and has some terrific music and audio cues. Also, the “Red” masks worn by some of the actors are super creepy with their bulging eyes.
House of 1000 Corpses has returned to Halloween Horror Nights and, in honor of the late Sid Haig, I wanted to be sure and mention it in this piece. Universal Studios has done a great job with the maze and fans of the franchise will be sure to notice a ton of easter eggs scattered throughout. The maze starts out with guests entering The Museum of Monsters & Madmen and then into the Firefly house (and eventually below it). The costumes are terrific and the masks featuring character’s faces from the film are very realistic. It’s also a real treat to hear Haig’s laugh throughout the maze. Rest in Peace, Sid.
Stranger Things is back, unfortunately, with an afterthought of a maze from event designers. The maze covers various scenes from both season 2 and 3 of the Netflix series. However, it doesn’t cover them very well, leaving me confused as to why they didn’t focus more on the kids or Eleven and her battle with the Mind Flayer or even the epic chase between the Mind Flayer and the kids or the Russian connection with Hopper and Joyce. The maze misses so many beats and feels like a rehash of last year’s maze without the cohesive narrative and most of the actors. Couple this with an over-reliance on the Horror Nights boo boxes and I would not recommend bending over backwards to wait a long time in line for this one.
Universal Studios is offering various ticket packages for Horror Nights – including their R.I.P. Tour package. We did not get to experience this high end ticket, but hear it features special dining and a private tour. As far as dining goes, the event does have numerous snack kiosks setup around the studio as well as the regular theme park food stops. I still think Universal Studios needs an in-park, full restaurant – perhaps one built on a second floor, allowing guests to overlook the scares below, but I digress…
Here’s part one of our Horror Nights vLog series (you can find the others on our YouTube channel):
Overall, Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights 2019 is a fun, energetic haunted attraction with average to very good haunted houses. Losing the studio tour tram (as a haunted attraction or evening tour) is a big loss to the event. However, there is still a lot of production value in most of the new mazes for 2019 and they are well worth the price of admission. The wait times can get pretty long if you don’t upgrade your ticket to the express/front of the line option, so just keep that in mind.
PARIS, FRANCE – SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 – French independent developer, Tactical Adventures, announced today that Wizards of the Coast has granted them a license to use the Dungeons & Dragons SRD 5.1 content and rules in their upcoming tactical role-playing video game Solasta: Crown of the Magister. Tactical Adventures released a completely free, one-hour pre-alpha demo of Solasta: Crown of the Magister on Steam earlier this month. In addition to the free demo a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter has seen the support from over 4,300 backers, and more than $190,000 pledged out of the $200,000 goal with nine days left in the campaign.
Critical Role, the smash hit show featuring popular voice actors playing Dungeons & Dragons, recently featured a gameplay session of Solasta: Crown of the Magister’sfree demo. Check out the video here:
And here’s the Solasta gameplay trailer:
“We are absolutely thrilled at the response Solasta has been receiving. On top of it, garnering the license from Wizards of the Coast is a big step forward for the game,” said Mathieu Girard, founder of Tactical Adventures and Creative Director of the game. “We are excited to fully embrace the SRD5 rules, and the license opens up many more creative opportunities to build Solasta as our fans expect.”
The dynamic and mysterious world of Solasta features elements of verticality, allowing players to use their surroundings as an element of strategy. Players can position ranged characters on high vantage points or send their thief down into shafts and caverns to scope out what’s ahead. In Solasta, light is a tool to explore the depths and hollows of dungeons or can be used as a weapon against the creatures of the dark, but if not careful, it can also give away the party’s position. Solasta is a unique team-based adventure where each character plays a critical role in the campaign and can be a hero. Players must take advantage of each character’s strengths and weaknesses if they are to succeed.
Solasta: Crown of the Magister Features:
Verticality: Solasta is a three-dimensional world, rather than a series of flat maps. Locations can be explored by climbing walls, flying, teleporting, crawling through tunnels, finding secret passages, or falling through unstable ground, allowing the player to use the environment to take on encounters in multiple different ways.
Team Based Adventure: Players will have many options to choose races, classes, backgrounds, and can even roll for stats as they create their party. All members are essential – together you will adventure through Solasta as a group, where you must work together in pursuit of your quest.
Tactical CRPG: Each encounter can be handled in multiple ways. Will you use the high ground to strike your enemies from above as a Darkweaver Rogue, or shove your enemies into deep chasms as a Mountaineer Fighter? Your choices alone will determine the destiny of your party.
Light: Light will not only help to see your surroundings as you explore deep underground or in a dungeon. It can also be used as a weapon against the light-fearing creatures you will encounter along your journey. Careful, though – light can also give away your position.
Created by Tabletop Players: Tactical Adventures is a team of highly experienced Tabletop players and veteran game developers who are passionate about the genre, striving to create the best Tactical RPG videogame
Kickstarter: Tactical Adventures is giving players the opportunity to be heard by joining the community and backing Solasta on Kickstarter. The campaign features an amazing tiered reward system and a free hour pre-alpha demo available to everyone.
Solasta: Crown of the Magister is now available to back on Kickstarter with a free demo available to play on Steam.
