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Affichage des articles dont le libellé est PC. Afficher tous les articles
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est PC. Afficher tous les articles
Call of Cthulhu
Call of Cthulhu
The squids are all right
A new take on the Lovecraft mythos,
following 2005’s Dark Corners of the
Earth, this is again a first-person horror
adventure, but with added RPG
elements, based on the lauded tabletop RPG of
the same name. Developer Cyanide promises a
semi-open world, investigations, and stealth.
Psychological horror was Lovecraft’s stock-in-trade,
and we expect your sanity to play a large part in
the game. You’ll be playing as investigator Edward
Pierce, investigating the deaths of a family in a
creepy mansion, whose basement appears to be
packed with cultists. We also see him in a mental
asylum, which doesn’t bode too well on the
‘staying sane’ front and suggests you may have to
reconcile your experiences in some fashion.
Expect a helping of tentacled beasties too.
Jurassic World Evolution
Jurassic World Evolution
You didn’t ask for reality, you asked for more teeth!
Better known for its spacefaring Elite series, Frontier
Developments is following up the success of Planet
Coaster by giving you the chance to build your very
own Jurassic Park. Attempted once before with
Jurassic Park Genesis, this is a more robust take on the idea, and
in visuals, if nothing else, it impresses with an incredible amount
of detail. Of course, managing the resort is one thing but, as we
know from the films, managing a disaster is another. Expect
problems beyond simply making money, a quality sure to set
this apart from other business simulations.
Monster Hunter World
Monster Hunter World
The series’ return looks jura-tastic


The Monster Hunter series has always
revelled in weirdness – in allowing you
to dress up your character and craft
complex weaponry to take on dragons
and dinosaurs, with which you can craft
even more complex weaponry, and in
having anthropomorphic cats cook dinners for you and
help you hunt down these primeval beasts.
Until now, gamers outside Japan haven’t been that
receptive to the series, but times have changed since the
last Monster Hunter game hit home consoles seven years
ago. The indie market and success of the Dark Souls
series in the intervening years have shown that Western
gamers aren’t averse to a bit of quirkiness these days.
Monster Hunter World marks a big step forward for the
series, debuting a large semi-open map and global online
multiplayer that will make alluring bait for curious players
from around the world. It’s a daunting, wild world made up
of distinct, functioning ecosystems. And it’s replete with
surprises; monsters can be tricked into fighting each other
(a cunning way to save yourself the trouble of weakening
them), the ground can collapse beneath your feet to
reveal an uncharted underworld filled with new beasts,
and up to four players can now join forces to hunt
scaled-up versions of monsters together.
With its unpausable inventories and deep combat that
rewards you for taking the time to truly get to understand
every species you hunt, and expects you to master each
distinctive weapon you wield and environment you fight
in, Monster Hunter World could be described as ‘Dark
Souls by way of Pokémon’ – a proposition that any
discerning gamer should at least cast their gaze on.
Heart Papers Border
Heart Papers Border
Imagine all the people, living life in peace
If ever there’s a time when a game like Hearts Papers Border is necessary, it’s now. Partstrategy,
part-adventure, the goal of the game is to create a world without borders
through kindness. You slowly travel the world, meeting with locals and spreading the
good word of tolerance while updating a blog about your experiences. If you do it well
enough, you’ll gain a following, inspiring more people to demand fairer government and disavow
bigoted beliefs that hold their communities back. A revolution in peace, love, and prosperity. It’s in
Early Access if you want a head start.
Spelunky 2
Spelunky 2
Spelunky harder
Be honest: you cried during the reveal trailer for Spelunky 2. There’s no shame in it, we
did too! The teaser was a clever one, giving us all we need to know to be on our way
for the sequel. We’ll be playing as the daughter of the adventurer from the first game
and, well, that’s it for now. But with a game like Spelunky that’s enough; the prize is in
taking the leap of faith. If creator Derek Yu accomplishes with the second even half of what he did
with the first, it’ll be another adventure for the ages.
Tunic
Tunic
Isometric like a fox
Tunic looks exactly like what it is: Legend Of Zelda, but with a fox. We know, we know –
cute, right? Developer Andrew Shouldice, has designed an isometric action-adventure
that’s an adorable little twist on the theme. So far it looks set to feature lots of swordswinging,
dodge-rolling, pot-smashing action. Publisher Finji previously put out Night In
The Woods in February 2017, so it’s developing a reputation for these Animals-Of-Farthing-Woodthemed
releases. We’re not complaining.
Huntdown
Huntdown
Serve the public trust, protect the innocent
Take every ’80s sci-fi film worth mentioning, put them
together as a side-scrolling arcade shooter and you
have Huntdown. The cyberpunk is strong with Easy
Trigger’s first release, following a hitman as they take
out contracts on gang leaders. The ultra-colourful,
hand-drawn pixel graphics and high framerate mean
the game definitely looks the part, the gang violence and dystopian
backdrop demonstrating obvious influences from RoboCop to Blade
Runner to The Warriors. Suitably enough there’s a synth-inspired
soundtrack too, providing the cherry on top of this pink-mulleted cake.
Sword Legacy: Omen
Sword Legacy: Omen
Hard as grails
Hailing from Brazil, Firecast’s Sword
Legacy: Omen is a real RPG fan’s RPG.
It’s got deep, complex mechanics, an
emphasis on tactics and exploration –
you’re looking for Excalibur, hoping it will solve
your kingdom’s problems – and a setting that
merges historical legend with modern myth.
Described as a “bloody, brutal take on Arthurian
legend,” the game includes a stress mechanic
similar to that in Darkest Dungeon (watch you
don’t worry yourself to death!), but has a slightly
lighter aesthetic more akin to Final Fantasy Tactics
or The Banner Saga. Let’s hope it’s as fantastic to
play as it is to look at.
Sunless Skies
Sunless Skies
For queen and colony
Already in Early Access, the sequel to
Sunless Sea is slowly coming along
with the same vigour as its
predecessor. Across the vast cosmos,
alien civilisations are being killed by a mysterious
force. In their wake, the Queen is spreading her
empire, colonising the High Wilderness (as it’s
known). As the captain of a vessel, you choose
from a plethora of different character types and
skillsets before steaming off to explore the stars,
and perhaps do a bit of fighting. After each death,
a new captain is appointed from your crew and
you continue onward, creating your legacy as you
go. A bit like Joss Whedon’s Firefly, really, but with
loads more dialogue and colonialism, and a lot less
Nathan Fillion (none, to be exact).
Wargroove
Wargroove
Sun and steel
If you’ve been waiting with bated
breath since 2008 for a new
Advance Wars, this will make you
gasp. From the studio behind
Starbound, Risk of Rain, and Stardew Valley,
Wargroove is a 16-bit RTS game that merges
tried-and-tested mechanics with contemporary
polish. Including both multiplayer and singleplayer,
the systems are designed with
accessibility in mind, making getting started
easy and cutting yourself off hard, but the really
enticing part is the editor. The scenario creator
lets you create and share your own multifaceted
campaigns with multiple outcomes.
The grudges will know no bounds!
State of Decay 2
State of Decay 2
Land of the dead
The first State Of Decay was a
good game that did itself no
favours. While players enjoyed
the freedom the open-world
survival horror title offered, the
glitch-prone gameplay made
investing time into it difficult. Despite this, Undead
Labs managed to shamble into making a sequel,
with full backing from Microsoft Studios to make its
brand of the living dead as potent as possible.
Along with a generally improved appearance, this
second outing boasts tighter action, more
advanced skill trees and settlement building, and a
more intuitive choice system for character
interaction. The emphasis this time around,
according to the team, is on developing the
relationship between advancing the story, searching
for essential supplies like ammo and medicine, and
taking care of your base. Balancing that lot will
become increasingly tricky, especially as the action
will be affected by how your gang back home are
doing day-to-day.
The lose-lose scenarios have increased, making
choosing who lives and who dies even more
unsettling. Certain skills, like Medic, are in short
supply, and making the wrong choice could mean
a world of pain later on. What’s worse, you can now
pick which member of your posse to play as,
meaning you can’t blame poor AI when your best
gunner gets torn to pieces. It’s all your fault now.
UFO 50
UFO 50
Definitely not Action 52
Creators of several of the most
celebrated indie games of the last few
years have got together for a
NES-styled compilation. It contains 50
individually built titles, all sharing a 32-colour
palette and 8-bit aesthetic. Some are riffs on
classics, such as Kick Club, a variation on the
original Bubble Bobble with the bubbles replaced
by a football, while others are less recognisable.
The one intentionally awful creation, Cyber Owl,
alludes to the infamous Cheetahmen from
notoriously poor NES compendium Action 52.
With collaborators like Derek Yu and Eirik Suhrke,
of Spelunky and Downwell fame respectively, this
promises to be an improvement in overall design,
but don’t expect it to be much easier.
Wattam
Wattam
Toy Story Damacy
It’s been a rocky road for Wattam, the latest project
from Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi,
having been dropped by Sony after being
showcased as a PS4 exclusive in 2015. The bizarre
befriend-’em-all about bringing anthropomorphic objects
together to explore an ever-expanding fantasy world had a
re-reveal of sorts in August 2017. Announcing new publisher
Annapurna Interactive, Funomena unveiled a new trailer, added
PC to the console release and let players in on a new “beefier”
build. All involved are adamant we’ll enjoy the oddness in 2018.
Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves
Nerves of steal
There have been a few games
casting us as pirates on the
high seas but certainly none
like this co-op, open-world,
treasure hunting adventure.
You’ll work with friends aboard
your ship, each taking on a crucial role such as
steering or navigation, taking to the seas in search of booty.
You’ll also have to contend with rival
ships and crews, resulting in chaotic naval battles.
Teamwork will be essential to any crew’s success.
What makes Sea Of Thieves stand out is the
simplicity of so many of its mechanics. Want to
share a location with your crew? Hold up the map
in-game and they can see what you do. It’s that
knack for intuitive design that makes it stand out,
and makes it accessible to players of differing
skill levels and interests (time to pressgang
your little brother). The vibrant visuals certainly
help too, keeping things feeling light and not at
all serious. This one has been long in the making but its
promise of an unfettered pirate adventure with
friends remains a tantalising prospect.
Yoku’s Island Express
Yoku’s Island Express
First class
Described as an open-world pinball
adventure, this charming little
platformer oozes nothing but good
vibes. You play as Yoku, a tiny courier
who delivers packages around a bright, tropical
island. You have to ensure parcels reach their
recipients using combination of classic platforming,
pinball, and physics (not the usual courier
technique of punting them over fences). You’ll be
interacting with a cast of characters over multiple
storylines, and can even unlock new skills by
collecting hidden fruit (the best kind). With lush
visuals and an easygoing atmosphere, this seems
like the perfect game to relax with.
Vampyr
Vampyr
One vampire we hope doesn’t suck
A dark action-RPG from the creators of
the beloved Life Is Strange, Vampyr
casts you as Jonathan Reid, a doctor
in London in 1918, during the outbreak
of the Spanish flu. Oh and he’s a vampire.
Choosing between upholding his Hippocratic oath
and indulging his vampiric bloodlust is the core of
the game’s dilemmas. The developer has said the
game will feature a world of distinct NPCs, and
should you decide to feed on one, the effects of
their death will ripple out into the world. Every life
matters. Quite a departure from Life is Strange, to
be sure, but a promising one nonetheless.
Metal Gear Survive
Metal Gear Survive
Kojima may be gone but the series lives on
Taking the universe of Metal Gear and dropping in
zombies and wave-based survival seems dreadfully
uninspired but it’s hard to deny that with MGSV’s slick
mechanics, there’s a lot of promise. Especially when
the game builds upon those possibilities to bring us four-player
co-op, crafting, and even some light base construction. Co-op, in
particular, has a lot of appeal, multiplying the options in any given
scenario. At the very least, you’ll find out whether your mates like
you enough to defend you from the undead hordes, or will use
you as a squishy distraction. MGSV was already incredibly featurerich,
so adding more to that certainly offers a lot in one package.
Survive could end up being a welcome surprise for the series in
Kojima’s absence.
Clicker Heroes 2
Clicker Heroes 2
Kick back, relax and level up.A sequel to 2014’s Clicker Heroes, this is
an ‘idle game’ – which is to say it can
be set up to play itself while you’re
away. No matter what, your chosen
hero will fight their way towards the top-right of the screen. You’ll be choosing gear, levelling up, andpicking skills, all to boost your hero’s journey. The
joy of these ‘idle’ or ‘clicker’ games is to be a relaxing, stress-free environment for players where
you just pop in now and then to see a whole new
location or boss. It’s not for everyone, but for if you’re seeking a more chilled-out adventure, this
might be just the thing.
Dauntless
Dauntless
It’s daunting going up against a classic
This free-to-play title is out to be an independent alternative to the Monster Hunter
series. Like those games, this tasks you and a group of friends with taking on
gigantic beasts, here called Behemoths, using a variety of outlandish weapons. You’ll
need to master the combat, and put some effort into learning the monsters’ abilities
and anticipating their moves, which can surprise – and squash – an unprepared
group. If it borrows a premise and gameplay elements, its look is markedly different,
with bright colours in a sparse, minimalist world. Dauntless will have microtransactions, but the
developers want to limit this to cosmetic items only – you’ll still have to grow your skills to succeed.




















