SIEGE SURVIVAL: GLORIA VICTIS Preview

Info

Developed By: Black Eye Games, Fish Tank Studio.

Published By: Ravenscourt.

Platform Available On: PC

A code was very kindly supplied for the purpose of this review.

Overview

Set in the medieval world of Gloria Victis, Siege Survival: Gloria Victis sees your country invaded and your city under brutal siege. A small group of civilians are trapped in the only remaining stronghold and are the last source of hope for the defending troops hanging on for dear life.

Gameplay

In this preview of Seige Survival: Gloria Victis I will give my initial thoughts of the early build of this medieval adventure, I did bare in mind that with it being an early build I may come across some issues.

Getting into it then, first off you are treated to a cinematic cutscene giving you a short snippet of the story laying the foundations of what lies ahead. The gameplay seems very story driven with you bring able to make certain choices early on in a choose your own adventure style.

Once the game kicks in you are introduced to a lonely survivor whom you must help you do this by completing certain tasks such as scavenging or food items and wood to build a fire and a bed. The way the game flicks between gameplay and story really works and helps build up an intense story to the game more so than you normally would get in a standard strategy game.

The game itself seems to be based around preparation and planning, you need to make sure your characters are rested enough to go and scavenge and also fight but then you also need to make sure you have enough supplies for food and materials so it’s all about a fine balance. Scavenging at night is the most effective as you can move unseen although you must creep otherwise the soldiers will hear you, you also need to make sure you are back at base before sunrise or your cover will be blown.

Movement around the game world seems quite fluid with very little loading between areas, movement is a point and click system which for this style of game is very effective.

At different times throughout the day cycle you will need to brace yourself for impact as the enemy forces will attack the castle, this can be slightly confusing as boulders rain down in different directions, make sure you aren’t in harms way by making sure you are away from the red circles that appear, meaning impact is imminent.

All in all I found Seige Survival a good overall experience with very little issues, only seemed slightly laggy and when you move the curser to move your view it always moved to much but those really didn’t take anything away from the game. I feel as you play more into the game this will be a game that you will become more and more immersed in, I’m looking forward to see the full game released.

Graphics and Sound

For Seige Survival GV the devs have gone for a top down (at an angle) birds eye view which fir this type of game works really well. The game world is very detailed and looks extremely realistic which all adds to the immersion into the story.

The soundtrack is pretty good, not overly dramatic and certainly goes with the theme of the game. The sound effects sound authentic which adds more realism to the overall game.

Summary

Overall I found Seige Survival: Gloria Victis to be an enjoyable game, although it is still in development it still feels and looks a very decent game, one that I would recommend that any strategy fan take a look at on release.

Verdict-Out of 5🌟

I give Seige Survival:Gloria Victis an overall 4🌟 a good overall game with plenty to do and a very deep storyline.

Add Seige Survival:Gloria Victis to your Steam wishlist or try the demo Click Here

FIRST FEUDAL Leaves Early Access

Developer Harpoon Games have announced it’s debut title First Feudal, a sandbox city-builder and colony management simulator with survival elements and combat, is launching on Steam after three years in Early Access. Starting with a small village, some peasants and with limited resources, players must develop their tech and expand their territory and influence into a formidable kingdom capable of defending its newly gained wealth from a host of enemies including roaming bandits, thieves and wild animals.

Check out the trailer below:

First Feudal allows players to lead from the front by joining subjects in chopping down trees and mining, or they can sit on the throne and command their serfs. Peasants can be assigned to one of 10 professions, and it is up to the lord to decide what role they take in the settlement based on their attributes and experience, be it hunter, farmer or trader. Players must keep a close eye on food, fatigue and morale to keep their workers happy, productive and – most importantly – alive. Building houses, hosting bards and brewing alcohol are all worthwhile strategies in making their village a continued success. But players can always remind their subjects who is in charge by cracking the whip at the cost of happiness. It is a delicate balance, as random events force players to make critical decisions that could have significant repercussions, such as choosing between new weapons for defence or food to prevent famine.

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Every game of First Feudal is different thanks to its randomly generated maps and in-depth season mechanic creating constantly unique challenges. To help lords overcome these trials, co-operative multiplayer allows players to rule with up to five friends to build and defend their village. First Feudal also boasts a tech tree system, crafting, and logistics chains. The difficulty is also scalable and can be adjusted with a slider at any point to suit the player’s needs – perfect for those struggling to shepherd their subjects through the hardships of winter. 

Here are some of the key features of the game:

• Start with a small village and build it up into a bustling fortress city as you manage trading, housing and food supplies during all four seasons
• Lead your citizens into battle to repel enemy raiders or take shelter behind your mighty castle walls complete with strategically placed traps
• Research and advance through technology trees to open up new gameplay possibilities
• 10 available professions for players to assign their citizens to, which can be levelled up and improved
• Ironman Mode provides the ultimate test of skill with saves that delete themselves upon death
• Co-operative multiplayer for up to 6 players

First Feudal is out of Early Access and available now on Steam for €18.49/$19.99/£16.99. First Feudal is playable in English, Russian and Simplified Chinese with additional community-led language packs available to download from the Steam Workshop. Keep up to date with the latest First Feudal news on the Harpoon Games website,  join the official Discord channel and follow on Twitter for more.

I have been lucky enough to receive a copy of the game to review so keep your eyes peeled for that up on the site soon.

Get Ready To Jam Up Some Traffic – TRAFFIC JAMS Is Out Today

Vertigo Games, the VR specialist publishing and development arm of the Koch Media Group, and Little Chicken Game Company (REKT!, Track Labs) have today released Traffic Jams, a tongue-in-cheek VR sim with a wacky take on traffic controlling and an asymmetrical multiplayer mode that will let VR players share the fun with the whole family. Traffic Jams is available on Oculus Quest and PC VR for €19,99/$19.99 and supports Oculus store cross-buy. A PlayStation VR release follows later this summer.

“After over a year of hard work, we are very happy and proud to share Traffic Jams with the world,” said Yannis Bolman, CEO at Little Chicken Game Company. “From the first demo, we’ve seen people have so much fun with it. Through the power of VR, players get so immersed that we’ve seen testers jump around when cars started crashing. We put a lot of effort into making the game fun and rewarding, whether you’re a seasoned player or new to VR. We’re excited to see everyone let out their inner traffic controller and control traffic in their own way!”

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In the world of Traffic Jams all traffic lights have gone out. It’s up to you to keep traffic flowing in the face of outrageous events and flagrant road rage! Starting out on a quiet corner in a small town, job offers soon start pouring in from iconic cities around the globe where you’ll need to guide rude pedestrians, impatient drivers, and the occasional meteorite along before road rage strikes. Sound easy? Think again! This wacky VR game throws in monsters, (un)natural disasters, and up to 4 non-VR friends in (couch) party mode!

Published by Vertigo Games and developed by Little Chicken, Traffic Jams is available now for Oculus Quest and PC VR for €19,99/$19.99 and supports Oculus store cross-buy. A PlayStation VR release follows later this summer.

Thief Simulator Review

Info

Developed By: Noble Muffins, Gameboom VR, Console Labs.

Published By: Playway, Forever Entertainment, Console Labs, Ultimate Games.

Platforms Available On: Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Reviewed on Xbox – a code was very kindly supplied for the purpose of this review.

Overview

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a master thief and the planning that goes into pulling off heists, and daring robberies, well now you can find out, here is the full official run down to fill you in:

“Become the real thief. Steal in free roam sandbox neighborhoods. Observe your target and gather information that will help you with the burglary. Take the challenge and rob the best secured houses. Buy some hi-tech burglar equipment and learn new thief tricks. Sell stolen goods to the passers. Do anything that a real thief does! A good thief always observes his target. What’s inside? Who lives there? What’s your target day schedule? Find out when the house is empty and does it have nosy neighbours. Choose from lots of possible approaches to prepare the best plan. Many modern devices available in Thief Simulator might come in handy with gathering intel about your target and it’s neighbourhood. The faster, the better. Find and steal as many valuables as possible in the shortest time possible. Remember that infinite backpacks don’t exist. When it’s about time you have to maintain cold blood. In every house you’ll find tons of useless stuff, which can really slow you down. If you’re not sure that you can take some serious money for it, maybe a good idea would be to leave it behind and save space for some expensive goods. If you fill your backpack with worthless items, you may have to waste your time to throw stuff out just to make space for other things. Be careful, cause some things can draw police attention to you! A real, experienced thief can spot places where there’s most probability of finding some valuables on the fly. Use the flashlight at night to highlight all the valuables in sight and places where you can expect them to be. Disassemble a stolen car and sell parts on the internet. Prepare phones and tablets before selling them in a pawn shop by removing their security. Be careful! In some houses you can meet unexpected guests. If they catch you in the act, they will call the police. In this case hide and wait till they stop looking for you or you can always leave the loot and run away as fast as possible”.

Read on for my full review to see what I thought of this underworld adventure.

Gameplay

Now I’m a big fan of simulation games and have been lucky enough in my time reviewing to have reviewed a few, but I will say that a simulator that teaches me how to be a thief well that’s a new one on me but intriguing all the same. The concept of Thief Simulator is basically to start off small and work your way up through the ranks and pull off bigger and better raids.

You start off by being more direct in your approach by basically smashing your way into the house using your crowbar and smashing up pots and other stuff, feel free to pick up any spare cash lying about but the first couple of tasks is just smash a few things up.

If you’re not sure how to go about things fear not you have your hand virtually held via phone calls at the end of the mission by your contact over the phone who is willing to teach you and put you on the right (or wrong) track. You have a safehouse where you go once the mission is completed here you can train in different methods and sell your wares online. You can learn how to pick locks from standard up to the more technical locks, learn agility to climb fences etc. Once you complete missions you are able to level up and unlock better tools and knowledge enabling you to go for the bigger rewards.

You will need to go off and do your own thing in the respect of you can’t unlock a certain level unless you have the right amount of xp, you gain this by carrying out raids on houses. This is a game you can’t just run about and run straight into a theft, this is all about the planning and strategy, more the long term game, trying to pick a lock without checking your surroundings is a guaranteed fail as if you are seen the feds will be on to you before you know. I lost hours in the game as a tried to make myself better, a case of trial and error until you get it right.

The only thing I would say that Thief Simulator is missing is a multiplayer mode, whether it be online or couch co-op it would’ve been fun to plan a raid with your friends and pull it off, maybe in a future update.

All in all I found Thief Simulator an enjoyable game to play, it is a game that you need not to take too seriously (it’s not a training tool!!!) more something you need to just play and enjoy.

Graphics and Sounds

The graphics of Thief Simulator aren’t the greatest I’ll be honest, it kind of feels you are playing a backwards compatible game on the Xbox, the graphics are OK but just feel a bit clunky but the gameplay for me overshadows this and saves the game as I’m addicted to the game I’m not entirely bothered if it’s a bit clunky I can deal with that as long as the gameplay grabs me which it does.

The soundtrack is pretty good and keeps with the general feel of the game kind of makes you feel like you’re playing a old type of cop show (which are my favourite types of show by the way) add that to the voice acting which in a way is funny as you definitely have the stereotypical bad guy on the other end of the phone.

Summary

To summarise my thoughts on Thief Simulator, it is an overall decent game to play that will keep you entertained for hours, not a game you can pick up and put down though as you will find yourself lost in the game for a good few hours. Addictive gameplay in a game that shouldn’t work but really it does – and kids (big and small) don’t try this at home !!

Verdict – Out 5🌟

I give Thief Simulator a decent score of 4🌟 a game that is definitely worth checking out

Grab your copy of Thief Simulator for Xbox Click Here

Ubisoft Announces New Roadmap for Ghost Recon Breakpoint

Ubisoft revealed its 2021 content roadmap for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint. The upcoming content will be delivered to the live game through two major title updates free for all players, which will continue to improve the experience with new gameplay elements including customisation, progression and more.

• Title Update 4.0.0, coming to players this spring, will focus on improving the players experience with AI teammates, including a new progression system, added customisation and more features requested by the community.
• Title Update 4.1.0 which is set to be one of the biggest operations so far, will release in the fall. 

More details will be revealed later. For all information about the 2021 roadmap, please visit: www.ghostrecon.com/2021roadmap

Launched on 4^th October, 2019, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint went through an important transformation throughout its first year of post launch support. In addition to the release of two narrative episodes and themed events, the game received major additions driven by community feedback, including AI companions and the Ghost Experience, which allows players to customise all their settings and make their experience more immersive.

Super Rare Games Goes off The Rails With Next Release

Super Rare Games partnering with Indoor Astronaut and Daedalic Entertainment to release their chaotic co-op railroad construction game Unrailed! in physical form for the first time on the Nintendo Switch.

Only 4,000 copies total will ever be printed, which go on sale April 15th at 6pm BST (10am PT/1pm ET) for approx £27 (excluding tax and shipping) – available worldwide exclusively at superraregames.com. 

In typical Super Rare Games tradition, this rare print physical release includes all the current content on its cart, a full-colour manual, interior artwork, an exclusive sticker, and three trading cards randomly selected from the five-card set. Fans won’t have long to wait, as Super Rare Games titles ship soon after going on sale.

Unrailed! is a chaotic online and couch co-op multiplayer railroad construction game where you work together with your friends as a team to build a train track across endless procedurally generated worlds. Master encounters with its inhabitants, upgrade your train and keep it from derailing!

Here’s more about the game :

🚂 Build a track further than ever before – Gather resources and craft tracks to extend your railroad to prevent your train from reaching the end. But watch out – there is only one tool of each type. Co-operation and co-ordination of your team is essential to survive this increasingly challenging journey!

🛤️ Plough your way through the world – Every world is unique! You and your team will have to master ever new challenges to stay on track!

🚂 Attach new wagons to master the unknown – Upgrade your train to be prepared for whatever is about to come. Get an atomic engine, upgrade your crafting wagon, attach a supercharger or choose from a vast range of other options.

🛤️ Play with or against your friends – Play cooperatively with up to four players in a single team or challenge the co-op skills of your friends in a two versus two game.

🚂 A Super Rare team favourite – Played and loved by George, Ryan, and Tom at Super Rare Games, this has been our online co-op game of choice every week for the past few months – can you beat our endless high-scores?

For more information, you can check out the official site. Follow Super Rare Games on Twitter for news and updates.

Ghost Recon Breakpoint Next Gen Review

The Ghost Recon franchise has been one of my favourite series of games to play, each title bettering the series and Breakpoint certainly didn’t buck that trend vastly improving on the last release Wildlands (which incidentally was very good).

With Breakpoint already optimised for Xbox One X on release as standard it already looked a stunning game, now with next gen upon us Breakpoint has recently received Series X updates improving frame rate to 60fps and running at a more dynamic 1440p (2560×1440 in performance mode) make an already stunning game even better.

Thanks to Ubisoft for sending me a copy of Breakpoint on Xbox I was able to see first hand how it looked on the Series X, in this review I will share my honest thoughts of how I felt it looked and played.

Overview

For those that are unaware of Breakpoint and what the game is about here is a quick run down :

Experience a military shooter set in a diverse & hostile open world that you can play solo or up to four-player co-op. LIVE THE LIFE OF A TRUE GHOST STRANDED BEHIND ENEMY LINES Injured, without support & hunted down, test your survival skills and fight back. FACE YOUR TOUGHEST ENEMIES With your own play style, take down the Wolves, ex-brothers-in-arms gone rogue and their leader Cole D. Walker. ENJOY A TRUE SOCIAL EXPERIENCE Team up with your friends, and experience shared progression from the main campaign to PvP. Explore rich end-game content including four-player raids.

Impressions

For me Ghost Recon has always set the bar high in terms of graphics and gameplay and I have found all the games to date to have been an immersive and enjoyable experience throughout.

I have always thought of Ghost Recon as graphically superior to most war shooters on console, with only the other major titles COD and Battlefield stepping up their game, Breakpoint is certainly no different as graphically it blew me away, it was impressive on last gen consoles but seeing it run on next gen with it’s recent updates is just mind blowing. I found myself on a few occasions getting lost in the view and just looking around in awe of my surroundings, with every little detail looking stunning to say the least

You can really see the effects of the 60 fps frame rate upgrade especially up close and when in water as these screenshots of mine show :

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If you want to get really picky the only time for me that the graphics fail slightly is when you send your drone up to recon the area you can see the trees forming before you but I’ll be honest to have a game running at this level and be so vast you have to allow some issues.

Even when you are driving vehicles, the dirt bikes being my favourite!!, you still see very little issues if any and that’s with the environment flashing by you at speed.

You have the option of how you want to upgrade the game, players will instantly be able to enjoy the graphical enhancements that Ghost Recon Breakpoint has to offer, with multiple options for prioritizing either performance or resolution:

I personally tend to go with performance mode as I feel the game tends to run more smoothly and giving a better dynamic performance at 2560×1440 max.

Overall Thoughts

Overall I’d say that the visual upgrades are very welcome and have definitely enhanced what was already an amazing looming game, I was overall impressed by the performance of the graphics and the overall feel of the game. With massive updates to the game itself in recent months I don’t see Breakpoint coming off my play pile anytime soon

Verdict – Out of 5🌟

My verdict of the updated Breakpoint, a much deserved full 5🌟 an upgrade to an already epic game – if you haven’t already then you really need to grab a copy.

Get your copy of Breakpoint on Xbox – an absolute bargain to be had here the Ultimate Edition is only £24.99 that’s a whopping £75.00 off and comes with all the DLC Click Here this is running for the next 8 days (from 08/04/21)

ASUS Announce MINI PC PB62

ASUS today announced Mini PC PB62, a durable computer that delivers powerful performance to provide flexibility, expandability and performance to suit a range of business applications, including digital signage, point-of-sales (POS) system, kiosks and intelligent vending machines. Mini PC PB62 is powered by the latest desktop-grade up to 11th Generation Intel® Core™ processor and fast DDR4 3200 MHz memory. 

Engineered for performance: 11th Gen Intel Core, DDR4 3200 MHz memory and Intel Optane

With the latest up to 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processors, Mini PC PB62 is catered for with support for either a 35- or 65-watt CPU – so it’s ready to be specified for supreme efficiency or maximum performance. PB62 also has built-in support for Intel Optane™ H20 memory, the technology that greatly improves storage speeds, enables frequently-used documents, pictures, videos and applications to be accessed more quickly while improving overall system performance to maximise productivity and efficiency.

Up to 64 GB of fast DDR4 3200 MHz memory ensures smooth multitasking, and a three-storage design with one M.2 PCIe® 4.0 x4 SSD, one M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD and one 2.5-inch HDD provides the perfect mix of fast data transfers and high storage capacity to handle intensive computing tasks.

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Military-grade durability: MIL-810H military standards tested for outstanding quality

Mini PC PB62 is built to last, with military-grade durability. Tested to the latest and rigorous MIL-STD-810H[1] standard, PB62 is subjected to extremes of temperature, altitude and humidity, and repeatedly dropped and vibrated to ensure that it’s fit to perform even in harsh conditions.

Fresh chassis selection: All-new white cash is designed to fit in flexible environment

With its compact size and VESA-compatible mount design, Mini PC PB62 is perfect for use in offices, hospitals or retail environments. And now, for the first time in the ASUS Mini PC series, PB62 is available in a choice of two colors – classic black or stunning white – so it’s ready to blend into any environment. It even includes an integrated Kensington lock slot and a padlock-eye design, providing ready-made security for any situation.

Comprehensive connectivity: Extensive selection of I/O ports for a wide range of usage scenarios

ASUS Mini PC PB62 provides fast and convenient connectivity with four USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports and one 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C® on the front panel, plus one USB 3.2 Gen 1 and two USB 2.0 ports on the rear panel. Additionally, a configurable port[2] allows the user to add HDMI 2.0, VGA, COM, DisplayPort or LAN functionality to create the perfect fit for any need – from signage and point-of-sale systems to kiosks and intelligent vending machines. The latest WiFi 6 and Bluetooth® 5.2 are also built-in for superior wireless speed, simplicity and stability.

Expansive visuals: Stunning 4K graphics with support for up to three simultaneous displays

Mini PC PB62 comes equipped with integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630, so it’s able to display videos and images in stunning 4K UHD resolution. With two DisplayPort connectors and a configurable port, PB62 also makes it easy to extend the workspace across up to three displays.

 

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

Please contact your local ASUS representative for further information.

Razer and Stormind Games Collab To Bring Enhanced Gameplay to BATORA : LOST HAVEN

Stormind Games, the development studio specialized in premium video games with intense stories for PC and consoles, today announced their newborn partnership with Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, to integrate Razer Chroma RGB lighting into the studio’s brand new IP, Batora: Lost Haven.

Batora: Lost Haven – the isometric action-RPG announced in January – will integrate Razer Chroma, the world’s largest RGB ecosystem, to let players truly immerse themselves in the game’s Retro Sci-Fi atmosphere and unique gameplay: thanks to this partnership, all gamers who will play it will get to enjoy the immersive lighting experiences that Razer allows to create for all their Chroma-enabled devices.  

As Batora: Lost Haven’s main feature is the duality between physical and mental requiring players to switch to the correct mode to keep their powers and health bars balanced; Stormind Games’ programmers are integrating commands for Chroma-enabled devices with the game’s events and mechanics, so the implementation of Chroma’s RGB lighting customization will give players immediate visual feedback of the mode they’re in, immersing them into the gaming experience and helping them “visualize” their powers by associating them to specific colors and effects.

“We’re really excited to partner with Stormind Games to bring an immersive experience to Batora: Lost Haven via Razer Chroma RGB.” Says Kushal Tandon, Director of Marketing and Business development at Razer. “Gamers can watch all their Chroma enabled peripherals, smart lighting and connected devices come to life and react dynamically when playing Batora”

“At Stormind Games, we pride ourselves on developing intense stories,” asserts Antonio Cannata, CEO at Stormind Games. “We want our games to give players compelling adventures, and Batora: Lost Haven, an action-RPG with a rich and moving storyline, is the perfect example of that focus. Partnering with Razer and integrating their Chroma devices into Batora, we believe will add an even more profound level of immersion that will really make a difference in the way they experience the game”.

Batora: Lost Haven, which will launch for PC, Playstation 4 and 5, Xbox One and X, and Nintendo Switch.

WARDENS RISING Is Coming To PC and Consoles

Upcoming PC/console genre-bending game Wardens Rising, aims to combine fast-paced action and MOBA-style base defense into one uniquely thrilling and often intense, PvE coop action hero shooter package.

A wide variety of content, customizable hero loadouts, alternative game modes with procedurally generated content, and the ability to create invasions will provide tons of replay-ability and keep you engaged for countless hours.

Currently in development at up-and-coming studio Big Moxi Games, Wardens Rising is a fresh take on multiple genres that delivers a novel experience.

In Wardens Rising you will play as heroes in an elite fighting force assembled to save humanity from massive invasions by interdimensional enemies. An action-packed coop PvE MOBA-like experience of sorts, Wardens Rising gameplay is a mix of action hero shooter and base defense, where player heroes must protect energy cores across the realm from 100’s enemies in a single battle by using their special abilities, building and upgrading defense towers, and deploying tactical items on-the-fly.

Between invasions heroes can upgrade their abilities and stats as well as unlock and upgrade new content to equip in their technology loadout. The isometric perspective helps you see what’s happening in battle with the invading enemy forces as well as to plan the best location to build defense towers and deploy tactical items like traps, walls, healing, teleporters and more!

Available to add to your Steam wishlist now Click Here

Keep up to date with everything Wardens Rising over at on Discord Click Here