Month: March 2019

Epic Games launched its own digital game storefront back in December, and to celebrate its first year in business, Epic is giving away a free game every two weeks. The latest free PC game is available now from the Epic Games Store: Slime Rancher, a charming first-person game set on a distant world known as the “Far, Far Range” where you collect cute, colorful slimes, grow crops, and harvest resources.

Essentially, you’re in charge of feeding the slimes, which then produce “plorts” that can be exchanged for Newbucks, the in-game currency you use to purchase various upgrades for your farm. You can also experiment to create new slime types–but sometimes your slime creations may turn deadly. With a wild and vivid open world to explore and a slime farm to run, there’s plenty to keep you entertained in this creative sandbox game (which is also available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4).

Slime Farm, which normally sells for $20 on PC, is available for free in the Epic Games Store until March 21, when it will be replaced by Epic’s next free giveaway, Oxenfree, a supernatural mystery game from Night School Studio. To claim the free download, all you have to do is create an Epic account. It’s worth it to keep the account, as Epic already has a track record of offering unique, high-quality games, with past freebies including gems like What Remains of Edith Finch, Subnautica, Thimbleweed Park, and Axiom Verge.

Download Slime Farm for free in the Epic Games Store »

BioWare has revealed a detailed guide for how weapon inscriptions in Anthem work. The guide answers several long-standing questions the Anthem community has had about the game–specifically what inscription icons mean and what damage numbers actually do.

Inscription icons are probably the most important thing to look for on weapons, as they inform you what’s actually being affected. For every inscription that has a gear icon, the effect only applies to the specific weapon or item. If, however, an inscription is marked with a suit-looking icon, then the effect is applied to every weapon and item equipped to your Javelin.

So, for example, in the image above of the Masterwork Wyvern Blitz sniper rifle we found–which can be seen in our gallery of every Masterwork and Legendary weapon we’ve discovered in Anthem so far–you can see that two inscriptions only apply to the weapon itself and another two affect the entire Javelin. The inscriptions that increase weapon reload speed by 15 percent and physical damage by 150 percent only apply to the Wyvern Blitz. The 18 percent bonus to harvested items and 15 percent increase to grenade launcher ammo are added to a Javelin for as long as the sniper is equipped–even if you’re not actually using it.

The other thing to look out for on weapons is the damage number. The damage number is what a weapon does before inscription effects are applied. So looking at the Wyvern Blitz example again, the sniper rifle does 2715 weapon damage prior to the 150 percent physical damage bonus increase.

BioWare offers an even deeper breakdown on how weapon inscriptions work on Reddit. The breakdown ends with two changes the developer has planned for inscriptions going forward. The first is replacing low inscription rolls with ranges, to increase their effect. The second is an increase to the number of unique inscriptions for each weapon or item. No timetable was provided for either change, as BioWare is not sure when they’ll be ready.

If you’re playing Anthem and you need some help, check out some of our other guides. Anthem is available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

Anthem Guides

Bravely Second: End Layer launched almost three years ago as a follow-up to 2012’s Bravely Default: Flying Fairy. It received fairly positive reviews upon launch, with our own review awarding the game a 7 out of 10. Now, Square Enix has teamed up with Dark Horse Comics to release an art book set to come out later this year.

According to a post by Crunchyroll, Dark Horse and Square Enix will introduce the world to a behind-the-scenes look at Bravely Second with The Art of Bravely Second: End Layer. Launching in North America on November 19, this hardcover art book is 250 pages of “art, production notes, and in-depth commentary from the RPG’s creative team, all in English for the first time.” It’ll cost $40 in the US and will be available to pre-order through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Things From Another World, and local comic shops. There’s no confirmation on when pre-orders will go live.

Check out the not-final cover art below.

Bravely Second picks up two and a half years after the events of Bravely Default. Agnès Oblige becomes the Pope of the Crystal Orthodoxy and is asked to withdraw from an upcoming battle. However, Agnès is intent on participating in the ensuing battle. What results is a tale of betrayal, hope, and the lengths people will go to protect what they love.

In our Bravely Second review our Bravely Second: End Layer review, we said that the game “transcends the limitations that its poor writing and redundant storyline create,” calling it “grand adventure in every sense of the phrase.”

You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

This video has an invalid file format.

Sorry, but you can’t access this content!

Nintendo has revealed its latest Labo set, the VR Kit, which turns the Switch into a virtual reality headset. The new Toy-Con–as Labo kits are called–launches on April 12, and includes new minigames as well as additional physical cardboard to make the VR headset.

Nintendo says the new kit “encourages passing around Toy-Con creations among a group of people so everyone in the room can easily join in on the fun.” The company continues: “To help encourage this social gameplay, players simply slip the Nintendo Switch console into the Toy-Con VR Goggles and hold it up to their eyes to explore numerous games and experiences–no head-strap needed.”

The new Toy-Con is available in two configurations: the complete VR Kit set includes the Switch software and materials to build all six Labo VR projects–VR Goggles, Blaster, Camera, Bird, Wind Pedal, and Elephant. The VR Starter Set, meanwhile, includes the Switch software, but only the materials needed to build the VR Goggles and Blaster. Both sets also include a safety cap and screen holder, for people who prefer to play the minigames in traditional 2D. Those who buy the Starter Set can then complete their collection later on by purchasing two expansions–one including the Elephant and Camera, the other including the Wind Pedal and Bird.

In The US, the VR Kit is priced at $80, while the Starter Set + Blaster kit goes for $40. Owners of the latter can pick up the two VR Kit expansions for $20 each.

Nintendo has dabbled in VR once before, with the 1995 release of its short-lived Virtual Boy system. The console was a head-mounted device that brought an early form of virtual reality into people’s homes; it suffered from poor commercial performance, however, so was discontinued just a year after launch. Nintendo Labo, meanwhile, first launched in April 2018, and we awarded the first kit a 7/10. For more information on the first set, check out our Nintendo Labo Variety Kit review.

Melbourne-based developer Big Ant Studios has announced its next game. “Cricket 19 – The Official Game of the Ashes” is coming later this year to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Developed in conjunction with the official England and Wales Cricket Board, the game promises to be a faithful representation of the cricket series. It’ll feature men’s and women’s teams, as well as all of the host venues that you’d see on TV or in person.

On the gameplay side, Big Ant is also promising “deep enhancements” to the franchise’s AI engine that promises to deliver AI players that are “more realistic than ever before.”

“When bowling, the AI will suss out your player and team’s weaknesses, and target that with a concentrated bowling strategy. When batting, the AI will rotate the strike to protect weaker players, and actively look for gaps in the field,” reads a line from the game’s press release.

As for other new features, Cricket 19 introduces a “scenario” mode that lets you virtually re-live memorable cricket moments from history. The Career mode has also been updated with further improvements to “build a story around your player.” Specifically, Big Ant said in-game news headlines will affect your player’s career path.

This year’s Cricket 19 is the first entry for Nintendo Switch, and Big Ant talked about the benefit of being able to play on-the-go.

“We have the most active and passionate community. Many of our players logged thousands of hours with our previous cricket titles, and Cricket 19 is very much built on the experience of those players,” Big Ant CEO Ross Symons said in a statement. “Whether you’re looking to enjoy a 20-year cricket career that takes you from the club level to captaining the national team, re-create an ODI or IT20 series or take part in the Ashes, or just bash some balls around with friends, Cricket 19 has you covered.”

Big Ant is collaborating with Maximum Games from the UK on the development of Cricket 19. Maximum Games boss Steve Powell said in a statement that Cricket 19 is the “most detailed simulation of the event that we’ve ever seen.”

The PC edition of Cricket 19, which will be released on Steam, is coming “shortly after” the release of the game for PS4, Xbox One, and Switch in May. More details about Cricket 19’s gameplay and features will be announced in the time ahead.

You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

This video has an invalid file format.

Sorry, but you can’t access this content!

While few details about Amazon’s Lord of the Rings TV show have been released so far, the company is starting to tease the upcoming production. Following the map and poem released last month, we now know when the series will be set.

The setting for the series has been confirmed via two tweets. They show the map once more, but this time zoomed out to reveal the island of Númenor, which fans of JRR Tolkien’s books will know was destroyed thousands of years before the events of Lord of the Rings. In addition, a second tweet of the map includes the caption “Welcome to the Second Age.” Check it out below:

In Tolkien’s mythology, the Second Age is the 3,500-year time period that leads to the alliance of men and elves defeating the evil Sauron. This epic battle is shown at the start of Peter Jackson’s Fellowship of the Ring, the first of his Lord of the Rings movies, which was set in the Third Age. While we knew that the Amazon show would be set before the events of the trilogy, it seems that the writers are going way back into the history of Middle Earth.

The Lord of the Rings show doesn’t currently have a title or release date, and no casting has been announced as yet. But it’s set to be an incredibly expensive series–it was reported last year that it could cost as much as $500 million to produce, which includes the $250 million that Amazon paid for the TV rights to the property.