Kickstarter successes coming this year (indie PC titles)

YOOKA LAYLEE

Yep, it’s already the year of the spiritual successor to Banjo- Kazooie.After a £2 million success on Kickstarter, this ultimate buddy platformer looks packed to the nostalgic gills with fun.And it seems  when the devs say it hasan“arsenal of abilities” it also includes a move involving a giant fart. Mature.

HOME FREE
It’s a dog-eat-dogworld. Not literally – that would beavery different kind of game and we like the visuals for this canine simulator without any need for cannibalism. A procedurally generated city will offer multiple challenges as we learn to take on the world as a lone pup,and it unpawses in November.

THIMBLEWEED PARK
Been craving the point-and-click adventures of old? This is bound to make your pixelated dreams come true.From Maniac Mansion and,more importantly, Monkey Island devs Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, it’s described as “an undiscovered LucasArts adventure game.” Count us in. June isn’t too far away, is it?

FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE GAME
Jason is back in his first game in 27years, with asymmetrical multiplayer that sends shivers down our spines.You can play as Mr Vorheesands talk the staff of Camp Crystal Lake, or as a counsellor and try to escape becoming ingredients in some meatys’ mores.Yum.

Aftershock PC Screenshots

We really liked the parkour in Mirror’s Edge so the announcement that this open world MMOFPS would also have parkour got our attention. Focus Studios have just switched from Unity to using the Unreal 4 engine which they say is “better optimised to making a survival game.” They’ve also  included dynamic looting, basebuilding and are planning to include land, sea and air vehicles and  moving AI missions.

DEVELOPER INDIE
PUBLISHER FOCUS STUDIOS
DUE AUGUST 2016

Hitman - Intro Pack System Requirements & Screenshots

Screenshots & Specs

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Rating: 75/100

GameInfo: With the Intro Pack, you'll get an introduction to the world of HITMAN, with the Prologue and Paris episode. You'll get full access to Contracts Mode, Escalation Mode, elusive targets and all other live content.

Minimum:
• OS: OS 64-bit Windows 7
• Processor: Intel CPU Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz / AMD CPU Phenom II X4 940
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 / Radeon HD 7870
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 50 GB available space

Recommended:
• OS: OS 64-bit Windows 7 / 64-bit Windows 8 (8.1) or Windows 10
• Processor: Intel CPU Core i7 3770 3,4 GHz / AMD CPU AMD FX-8350 4 GHz
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GPU GeForce GTX 770 / AMD GPU Radeon R9 290
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 50 GB available space

Screenshots:

Need for Speed - 2016 System Requirements and Screenshots

Screenshots & Specs

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Rating: 72/100

GameInfo: One of the first things you’ll notice when tackling the front of your car is the ability to modify your stance. Whether you are changing the ride height by slamming it to the ground, raising it up, or anything in between, you choose your perfect ride height. Throw in options for rake and both front and rear track width, and you’re on your way to creating something truly unique. Suspension tuning is finished up with your camber. With the angle on both the front and rear wheels being set independently you’ve got the ability to create some truly out of this world looking cars. The PC version has new features, including unlocked framerate with 4K resolution, manual transmission, and steering wheel support for a selection of steering wheels.

The minimum requirements for 720p and 30fps at low settings:

OS: 64-bit Windows 7 or later
Processor: Intel Core i3-4130 or equivalent with four hardware threads
Memory: 6GB RAM
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB, AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB, or equivalent DX11 compatible GPU with 2GB memory
Hard Drive: 30 GB free space

And the recommended requirements for 1080p and 60fps at high settings:

Windows 7 or later
Intel Core i5-4690 or equivalent with four hardware threads
8GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB, AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB, or equivalent DX11 compatible GPU with 4GB memory
30 GB free space

Screenshots:

Denuvo DRM and the future of PC games

Cracking PC video games over the past year or two has proven to be very time consuming and even futile in some instances. Games such as Battlefield Hardline, Batman Arkham Knight, Dragon Age Inquisition, Just Cause 3, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid V the Phantom Pain, Mad Max and even the more recently released Far Cry Primal have all utilized the Denuvo DRM. Its hard to imagine that years ago all you had to do was download a PC game, install some patches if needed, apply the crack files and you were good to go. On the other hand, games such as, Call of Duty Black Ops 3, The Witcher 3, The Evil Within, Alien Isolation, Far Cry 4, Dying Light (as well as its expansion Dying Light the Following), Fallout 4 and Street Fighter V haven't utilized the Denuvo DRM protection scheme. Unfortunately, major titles that don't implement said protection scheme are few and far between.

Having said that, what is the future of PC gaming? You either take the chance and wait and wait when and if a PC version of a game gets cracked or you buy the legit copy. Even if you do buy the legit PC version you have two major issues to deal with. The first issue is that even if you uninstall a game there will still be residual leftover from the Denuvo DRM (which can be a bit cumbersome to remove). Also, the Denuvo DRM greatly impacts the performance of a PC video game (Batman Arkham Knight being a great example). The 2nd issue is that once you buy a PC game you usually aren't allowed to return it. If you spend your hard earned money on a glitchy and buggy game then you are stuck with a non-working product. You also lose your money in the process.

I'm not one to condone or encourage piracy in any way shape or form. However, the one major upside to downloading a PC game is that it gives gamers a chance to give the game a test drive so to speak. If I download a PC game and it works really well on my PC then I will happily remove it and buy a legit copy. On the other hand, if I download a video game and it has lots of issues, glitches and bugs then I won't have to worry about losing my money as a result of buying a non-working product.
Do you think that more and more AAA PC games are going to utilize the DRM protection scheme? Perhaps cracking PC games has come to an inevitable end (minus indie games, smaller budget titles and some AAA releases). I'm all for supporting a video game developer that respects its consumer base, releases a fully working product and that doesn't have a shady business model. The last thing that I want to do is to buy a PC version of a game knowing that the Denuvo protection method is going to impact its performance and even after uninstalling the game Denuvo will still leave behind residual junk that will also impact my PC in one way or another. Also, like I said before, nobody wants to buy a glitchy and buggy game. Has console gaming become the go to for PC gamers or is there still hope for PC games out there? What do you think? Please share your opinions and thoughts. Thanks!

Fragments of Him - Screenshots

Currently in development since 2012 and the result of a Gamejam session, Fragments of Him is an interesting title to boot. Attempting to explore death and how the loss of a person affects those around them, the game’s narrative unfurls after the passing of a young man called Will. In it you’re able to interact with Will’s lover, his friend, mother and, in particular, Will’s own memories to further explore each of their lives.

Rogue Stormers - Run ‘n’ gun rogue mayhem

I remember writing up about an upcoming title from Black Forest Games; a steam-punk, Rogue-like title called Dieselstormers. set for a Q2/Q3 2014 release. There was quite a bit of a buzz around it as  this title had been initiated as a Kickstarter project back in 2013, was scrapped, re-hashed and successfully funded in 2014 and on July 17 2014, was released on Steam Early Access.
Pending a lawsuit with Diesel S.p.A, Black Forest Games was forced to drop the name Dieselstormers and thus Rouge Stormers was born. As a side-scrolling Rogue-like RPG shooter, Rogue Stormers takes the elements from each of those genres, fuses them with steam-punk thematic setting and characters for a high paced action packed adventure. The main pull of Rogue Stormers is its procedurally generated  levels that players will have pleasure of exploring; this will mean that players can enjoy the various games without the fear of feeling that each level is repetitive. The rogue-like elements are to surely  add an interesting competitive edge to the game, even though dying will allow you to keep perks, allowing for growing stronger with each raid. Players will take up one of the stormers and traverse  the expansive city of Ravensdale, fending off the hordes of goblins and orcs. Five additional classes will be unlockable while players progress, allowing for varied gameplay due to each class having its own unique set of skills and base weapons. Each successful mission campaign will grant players  crafting materials and gun parts for upgrades. Rogue Stormers will allow up to four players to co-operatively navigate levels in both offline and on-line multiplayer, making it an ideal party game.

Tom Clancy's The Division - System Requirements and Screenshots

Screenshots & Specs

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Rating: 83/100

GameInfo: A devastating pandemic sweeps through New York City, and one by one, basic services are failing. In only days, without food or water, society collapses into chaos. The Division, a classified unit of self-supported tactical agents, is activated. Leading seemingly ordinary lives among us, The Division agents are trained to operate independently of command, as all else fails. Fighting to prevent the fall of society, the agents will find themselves caught up in an epic conspiracy, forced to combat not only the effects of a manmade virus, but also the rising threat of those behind it. When everything collapses, your mission begins.

Minimum:

• OS: Windows® 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64-bit versions only)
• Processor: Intel Core i5-2400 | AMD FX-6100, or better
• Memory: 6 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 with 2 GB VRAM (current equivalent NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760) | AMD Radeon HD 7770 with 2 GB VRAM, or better
• DirectX: Version 11
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 40 GB available space

Recommended:

• OS: Windows® 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64-bit versions only)
• Processor: Intel Core i7-3770 | AMD FX-8350, or better
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | AMD Radeon R9 290, or better - See supported List*
• DirectX: Version 11
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 40 GB available space

Screenshots:

DOOM - PC System Requirements Revealed

Bethesda and id Software have revealed the PC system requirements for the closed beta phase of DOOM. The interesting thing here is that id Software has upped both the minimum and the recommended requirements for its upcoming first-person shooter title.

Minimum Spec (720p)

Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64-bit versions only)
Intel Core i5-2400 or better / AMD FX-8320 or better
8 GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 (2GB) or better / AMD Radeon HD 7870 (2GB) or better
Up to 22GB HDD space
Steam account
Broadband internet connection

*Please note that the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti, and mobile GPUs are not supported for the DOOM Beta. Please check back later for minimum or recommended system specs for the final game

Recommended Spec (1080p)

Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64-bit versions only)
Intel Core i7-3770 or better / AMD FX-8350 or better
8GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (4GB) or better / AMD Radeon R9 290 (4GB) or better
Up to 22GB HDD space
Steam account
Broadband internet connection

And these were the PC requirements for DOOM’s alpha build:

Minimum Spec (720p)

64-bit Windows 7/Windows 8.1
Intel Core i5 @ 3.3 GHz or better / AMD FX-8350 @ 4.0 GHz or better
8 GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 (2GB VRAM) / AMD Radeon HD 7870 (2GB VRAM)
6GB HDD space
Steam account
High speed internet connection

Recommended Spec (1080p)

64-bit Windows 7/Windows 8.1
Intel Core i7 @ 3.4GHz or better / AMD FX-8350 @ 4.0GHz or better
8GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 (3GB or more VRAM) / AMD Radeon R9 280 (3GB or more VRAM)
6GB HDD space
Steam account
High speed internet connection

Moon Hunters - System Requirements and Screenshots

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Rating: 80/100

GameInfo: Play alone or with friends. A co-op personality-test RPG about exploring an ancient, occult world that's different every time. How will you be remembered?

Minimum:
• OS: Windows XP SP2 or later
• Processor: Dual Core CPU - 2.6ghz
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: 1GB of VRAM: Intel HD 3000 GPU / AMD HD 5450 / Nvidia 9400 GT
• DirectX: Version 9.0
• Storage: 2 GB available space

Recommended:
• OS: Windows 8
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Storage: 4 GB available space

BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Extend PC Reviews

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Rating: 84/100

GameInfo: The most definitive installment of the renouned 2D fighting game franchise, BlazBlue, can finally be taken into your living room. Uncover the secrets, of the Chrono Phantasma Extend.

Critic Reviews

Critic		Score
4Players	This is not as mass compatible as Street Fighter 5, but with a deep fighting system, beautiful visuals and a lot of content this might just be the best old school beat-em-up you might get on PC.	84/100

Torment Tides of Numenera - Preview

Seventeen years on, Torment returns - and it’s weirder than ever

Sitting somewhere between traditional RPG and a choose-your-own- adventure, this is a cerebral journey into Earth’s far, far future. You’re a consciousness newly born into a body discarded by an elusive immortal called The Changing God,hunted through time and space by a transdimensional force called The Sorrow. And it gets weirder from there.

Torment: Tides of Numenera is a spiritual successor to 1999’s Planescape: Torment, a game that took the classic PC RPG formula and gave it philosophical purpose. It had a single question at its core: ‘what can change the nature of a man?’ This new Torment has a different query: ‘what does one life mean?’ After a fatal injury sustained in the intro, you rebuild your personality, bit-by-bit, through flashbacks and visions encountered in the recesses of your own psyche. This determines your personality, but also how you approach problem-solving, as the two are closely linked in the  Numenera pen-and-paper RPG system on which this game is based. Grave meaning Although the isometric perspective and retro pre rendered art recall Pillars Of Eternity, combat is much less of a focus. It’s certainly present – and uses a similar ‘real time with pause’ system – but is also optional. If you want to talk your way out of a confrontation – or even convince an opponent to step down mid-brawl – you can do that, or at least try. That’s the heart of what the ‘Torment’ name entails: a sequence of interesting decisions with complex consequences that, approached honestly, tell you something about who you are. It’s great to have the series back.

Format PC Publisher InXile Entertainment Developer InXile Entertainment ETA Summer2016

Best PC 2D Games in 2016

Chasm
We’re going down, down…

This Metroid-y side-on platformer has been in the oven since 2013, and in that time it’s just kept on growing. Aside from the gorgeous pixelated style, which now has new dynamic particles, easily readable hit effects, and other such action-centric features, we’ve also got whiff of multiple new areas. While central character Daltyn will eventually come to plunge into the depths of a mysterious cavern near to a snowy mining town, he’ll also explore forests full of fungal fiends and a lore-filled outpost. Discord aims for the story to be of the “play it, don’t say it” variety, which sounds very Dark souls-ish to us. We’re in.



Thimbleweed Park
Click, click, click, click, boom

Monkey Island man Ron Gilbert hopes to grow his legacy with this Kickstarted, character-swapping point-and-click. The story weaves together a whole tangle of plot threads: there’s the cursed clown who can’t remove his makeup, the X-Files-inspired detectives investigating a murder, and one poor man who awakes to discover he’s dead. Gilbert’s favoured SCUMM system makes a return, offering nine methods of interaction (push, pull, use, etc.) with a given object. One example, which hints at the type humour you can expect, is ‘use balloon animal with corpse’. We’ll leave the results of that to your imagination.


South Park: the Fractured But Whole
Marvel at this DC-quel

Cartman cracks wise early on in the announcement trailer that the boys can’t rest on their laurels as “the combat sucked” in The Stick Of Truth, but series creatorsTrey Parker and Matt Stone surely know it wasn’t the fights that we came to that game for. As long as the jokes keep firing faster than Cartman munches through Cheesy Puffs, we’ll be chuffed. If the boys manage to skewer the conventions of superheroes as well as they did RPGs, The Fractured But Whole – never change South Park – could very well be 2016’s funniest game. That Tony Stark definitely needs taking down a peg or two.


DARKEST DUNGEON
Most Haunted meets Cash In The Attic

Ever wanted to get your hands on a mansion and live the rest of your life out in luxury? As its name suggests, Darkest Dungeon may give you the keys to your very own castle, but it does so in the knowledge that deep below its floorboards, the house of your dreams is actually infested with monsters that appear out of portals to who knows where. It’s your job, then, to explore the randomly generated dungeons in true roguelike fashion, and take them out. At least you’ve got a squad of heroes at your disposal, each with their own unique skills – including the newly revealed, shapeshifting Abomination.

Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 - Reviews

Reviews

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Need to Know

Videos

Rating: 79/100

GameInfo: In Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2, the zombies have conquered, and the plants are on the attack for the first time in this shooter. In your Backyard Battleground you can edit your character’s abilities and customizations, choose quests, jump into co-op or multiplayer action modes, or invite up to three friends in to your backyard to start a party and take on AI – defeat a wave, and a more powerful wave will show up. You can also switch teams to challenge your friends. Backyard Battleground is your own frontline base to plan your attack before you enter the battle for Zomburbia.

Critic Reviews

Critic		Score
We Got This Covered	Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is a great breath of fresh air in an otherwise starch genre. Not only is it a humorous treat for the eyes and ears, but it's also a very rich, balanced, and enjoyable game, which packs a hell of a lot of content into its less than 20gb install file.	90/100
InsideGamer	This is a shooter that will make any bad mood fade away instantly. It does not matter if you'd rather play on the zombie side or the side of the flowers; both will offer fun new characters that will grant you many hours of multiplayer fun. The campaign is a bit short, so in a next game we would like to see more of that.	85/100
Giant Bomb	This oddball shooter sequel piles on more of everything from the first game, which is exactly what that game needed.	80/100
Game Rant	Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2‘s solo quests, hub world, and robust split-screen options make it a significant improvement over its predecessor.	80/100
Vandal Online	Garden Warfare 2 doesn't take any risks, instead it just try to make everything better. Still, the best part is that it's pretty much unique, and there isn't any other game it can be compared to.	80/100
Attack of the Fanboy	Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 improves on its already great predecessor in a bunch of ways. New characters, game modes, and other modifications make for a better, though very familiar experience. This is definitely an iterative sequel, offering nothing revolutionary, but for those that want more PvZ action, it'll easily fit the bill.	80/100
USgamer	Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 brings back pretty much everything from the original game, and builds on it with decent single-player content, six new characters, and a handful of new multiplayer additions. At its core, the game is still hugely fun to play, and it remains open and accessible to gamers of all skill levels. It's just that the new content feels somewhat lean.	80/100
GameCrate	Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 offers good combination of multiplayer third-person shooter gameplay and platformer collect-a-thons of days past.	75/100
ActionTrip	It just lacks the depth and growth potential to have any genuine longevity. Do yourself a favor and wait for this one to hit the bargain bins. It is worth playing, but if its predecessor was any indication, you won’t have to wait long to get this experience at a far more acceptable price.	75/100
Metro GameCentral	It feels more like an expansion than a sequel, and misses some easy opportunities to improve on the original, but this is still the best family-friendly shooter outside of Splatoon.	70/100

PC Game Releases - March 2016

PC Games Calendar March 2016

PC Game	Category	Estimated Release
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Extend	Fighting	March 2, 2016
Last Days of Old Earth	Strategy	March 3, 2016
Path of Exile: Ascendancy	Rpg	March 4, 2016
The Division	Action	March 8, 2016
WWE 2K16	Sports	March 11, 2016
Hitman	Action	March 11, 2016
Need for Speed	Racing	March 15, 2016
Trackmania Turbo	Racing	March 24, 2016
MXGP2	Racing	March 31, 2016

Indie Games

Yrminsul - Mar 2

Blacksea Odyssey - Mar 2

Bus Simulator 16 - Mar 2

Crazy Pixel Streaker - Mar 2

Acorn Assault: Rodent Revolution - Mar 2

Party Jousting - Mar 2

Overpower - Mar 2

Star Sky 2 - Mar 2

Split - Mar 2

Wild Animal Racing - Mar 2

Bezier - Mar 3

Black Desert Online - Mar 3

bit Dungeon+ - March 3, 2016

Space Overlords - Mar 3

E.T. Armies - Mar 3

Blue Rider - Mar 3

Forgotten Ball - Mar 3

Case #8 - Mar 3

Beast Blaster - Mar 3

Spellbind - Mar 4

S.O.R.S - Mar 4

Ultimate Chicken Horse - Mar 4

Rhino's Rage - Mar 4

Switchcars - Mar 4

CUPID - A free to play Visual Novel - Mar 4

Sunrider: Liberation Day - Mar 4

Super Kitty Boing Boing - Mar 4

Alien Blitz - Mar 7

Jump Tanks - Mar 8

Mind Zero - Mar 8

Shardlight - Mar 8

Kelvin and the Infamous Machine - Mar 8

Panzermadels: Tank Dating Simulator - Mar 9

Moon Hunters - Mar 10

The Guest - Mar 10

Upwards, Lonely Robot - Mar 10

DeathSmiles - Mar 10

Take the Dream IX - Mar 11

Ares Omega - Mar 11

Hitman - Mar 11

htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary - Mar 14

Albino Lullaby: Episode 2 - Mar 15

Victory and Glory: Napoleon - Mar 17

Chesster - Mar 17

PRiO - Mar 18

Republique - Mar 22

Republique: Episode 5 - Terminus - Mar 22

Polaris Sector - Mar 22

Chronicle: RuneScape Legends - Mar 23

Samorost 3 - Mar 24

Slain! - Mar 24

Paws: A Shelter 2 Game - Mar 24

The Descendant - Mar 24

Automata Empire - Mar 25

Villagers - Mar 25

EVE: Valkyrie - Mar 28

ADR1FT - Mar 28

FORCED SHOWDOWN - Mar 29

A Legend of Luca - Mar 31

Vernon's Legacy - Mar 31

X-17 - Mar 31