Well, even more than before I’ve long admiredReturn of the Obra Dinnfor its distinct lo-fi art direction, but today marks my first time playing it. There’s a new demo out on Windows and Mac that’s similar to what debuted last month at the Game Developers Conference, and it’s pretty darn neat!You can download it here. This is the upcoming first-person mystery game fromPapers, Pleasedesigner Lucas Pope about a vessel once lost at sea that has reappeared without its crew....

Speedster Fighters. DLC. An inevitable match. It didn’t used to be that way when you unlocked everything on the cart/disc on day one, with the added benefit of immediately getting into the lab with every character. Alongside all of the negatives that go with the era of paid DLC, it adds a whole new layer of strategy for competitive players. In addition to mastering minutiae like frame data for every character already in the base game, they also now need to pick up on DLC fighters over time and assess their impact on the rest of the cast; pouring over streams and any bit of data they can get their hands on before release....

What won’t Rovio do? Rovio’s temporarily trading warfare of the avian type for a more mechanized approach.Angry Birds Transformerswas revealed today, much to the delight of eight-year olds that love wearing all of their favorite things on one t-shirt. Apart from the tagline of “Birds disguised as robots in disguise,” and that it’s “coming soon to app stores” not much is known aboutAngry Birds Transformers. Then again, judging solely from the title, we probably have all of the information we need....

Set for some point in 2013 Although theAngry Birds Trilogyhad a 360, PS3, and 3DS release last year, it looks like the Activision/Rovio/Nintendo partnership is seeing more action in 2013, as the trilogy is now set for Wii and Wii U release. Activision announced thatTrilogy, consisting ofAngry Birds,Seasons, andRio, is set to hit both consoles alongside of new content. No details are mentioned for the Wii U version, other than the fact that there will be “Wii U specific” features....

Avast, ye mateys Ubisoft’s new pirate game,Skull & Bones, is a recycled idea. No one has delusions that it’s wholly original, because its source material is so obvious. Ubisoft is borrowing from itself here, but not in a way that feels uninspired. Rather,Skull & Bonesfeels like the natural evolution and conclusion of a genuinely great mechanic. Quick history lesson: The first iteration ofSkull & Bones‘ pirating systems debuted inAssassin’s Creed III....

Only I Remain We’ve all been there. A game presents us with a moment or situation that fills us with dread. It could be the inexorable approach of a supernatural menace or looking down from the top of an impossibly tall building. Games will play on your fears and push you. But how do you overcome and prevail? In honor of the ween of hallow and the month of October, the Bloggers Wanted prompt is all about “overcoming your fears in video games....

Whether it’s Layers of Fear 3, a remake, or something else remains to be seen Bloober Team is playing around in the twisted world ofLayers of Fearagain following its dual-reality psychological horror gameThe Medium. In a new Unreal Engine 5 teaser, we’re shown an uneasy painter swirling around some pretty paint while voices fill his head. This looks and sounds like the “insane painter” protagonist fromLayers of Fear, and there’s also a nod toLayers of Fear 2with that admission ticket on the table — for those of you who skipped it, the game took place on a ship....

Now backed by the Indie Fund Brain&Brainbrightened one of my busy event-covering days last year with its charming Scandinavian folktale adventureBurly Men at Sea, but I haven’t heard much about it since. It’s coming along. There’s a cheerful new trailer, for one, and pre-orders have opened on theHumble Store, so we now know the price point. It’s normally going to cost $9.99 for Windows and Mac, but early buyers can trim 20 percent off....

I just threw something on There is perhaps no greater fashion-forward gaming genre than Japanese fighting games. Truly, titles such asGuilty Gear, The King of Fighters, BlazBlue, andDNF Duelhave rosters stacked with fighters who also happen to be paragons of sartorial integrity, who fully embrace the mantra that you onlytrulykick-ass if you look fabulous while doing so. Aoko Aozaki, ofMelty Blood: Type Lumina, follows no such mantra… While so many fighting game characters see fit to bedeck themselves in fantastic fashions, traditional warrior ware or terrifying body armor getups, Aoko simply rocks the fuck out of bed, throws on yesterday’s tee and some slacks, and hits the ring....

Spears ‘n’ Shields SNK is fully geared up for the release of its newest fighting title,Samurai Shodown,crow-barring in the last few character trailers ahead of the game’s official launch this week. These two new videos feature classic character Kyoshiro and one of the game’s all-new superstars, Wu-Ruixiang. Kyoshiro Senryo made his debut inSamurai Shodownback in 1993. A master of the theatrical art of Kabuki, Kyoshiro catches his opponents off-guard with his bizarre look and movements, before cutting them down with his exceptional naginata skills....

Marvelous Mecha Mayhem It’s time for a fresh new game to be added to the queue ofEpic Games Store‘s freebie page, and it seems that Marvelous’ hyper-dramatic mech battlerDaemon x Machinawill be made available to download gratis for all EGS users from January 27. you’re able to check out CJ Andriessen’s reviewright here. Originally released on Nintendo Switch in the fall of 2019, before being ported to PC in early 2020,Daemon x Machinasees players step into power Arsenal technology on a mission to battle back against all of planet Earth’s A....

Time to make new plans Bungie intended for Tuesday tomark the releaseof both the Iron Banner PvP event and the prestige version of the Leviathan raid, but only the former is happening tomorrow. What’s to blame? An exploit. The studio only described the exploit in general terms, noting that it “causes the encounters to be stripped of their intended challenge.” In order to give the team time to address the problem, the Leviathan prestige raid has been pushed to next Wednesday, October 18 at 10:00am Pacific....

If you purchased it in the Early Access phase, you’ll be getting a giftable key Publisher Devolver Digital and game developer Terri Vellmann are pleased to announce that the gloriously neon-soaked, procedurally generated first-person shooter,Heavy Bullets, is leaving Steam Early Access today. It’s available for PC, Mac, and Linux onSteamand theHumble Storewith a launch-week discount of 15% for those interested. For those unfamiliar with the title,Heavy Bulletsis a randomized FPS dungeon crawler where you are tasked with making your way through a colorful (understatement) maze full of hostile creatures and malfunctioning security equipment....