Void Bastards | PC, Xbox One | Blue Manchu | Release: Spring 2019
Revealed last year at XO18, Void Bastards is a really clever blend of the methodical progression of a roguelike and the nerve-wracking sense of dread from a spacefaring exploration game. That may sound bleak, but this game is anything but. Coming from developer Blue Manchu, the concept shows a fun appreciation for ’80s comic-books and hard sci-fi, presenting an incredibly colorful universe that can hide some brutal challenges. Taking on the role of a thawed out prisoner, you’ll attempt to travel through the incredibly dangerous Sargasso Nebula, an interstellar field full of pirates, lost ships, and the occasional convenience store chock full of supplies.
In familiar roguelike fashion, you will go on a journey fraught with unexpected gains and losses. And given the danger of space travel, you can easily mark the end of your journey by making a wrong turn somewhere in the nebula. After the character’s death, the next prisoner–all of whom are procedurally generated–will be ready to start their trek from the beginning. Though every character is capable of facing off against the many robots and bizarre alien entities throughout the nebula, they also have their own particular baggage. These quirks can even create an extra challenge and some added laughs, such as characters with persistent coughs that can alert nearby enemies.
Void Bastards has a style that I just couldn’t help but admire. Truth be told, I tend to find the roguelike sub-genre to be a bit overdone, however, I really appreciate how much fun this game is with the setup. It’s a really odd mix of genres that offers some incredibly quirky humor throughout, which kept my somewhat short-lived interstellar jaunt interesting up until its inevitable conclusion.
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In a presentation given during GDC 2019, God of War director Cory Barlog revealed the full story behind the famous E3 2016 demo that debuted the new God of War to the world.
Barlog says the team always knew the game’s big reveal would be at E3 2016, though he didn’t know if it would simply be a logo, a trailer or a full demo. Nine or 10 months before the show, he decided the demo would take place inside the game’s mountain, and pitched this idea to Sony and PR representatives
“About halfway through the pitch I realized ‘this is absolute crap.’ But I’m still giving the pitch,” said Barlog. “So in my mind, I’m starting to think of ways to eject. I start having a few ideas – potentially the beginning of the game, a few visual ideas that are coming up while I’m just running on autopilot on the pitch.”
For years it felt like a third Hellboy movie would never happen. And it’s not.
Seriously, don’t think of this movie as Hellboy 3 (for more on that, see my first point below).
Instead, Neil Marshall’s film is returning to the source material and attempting to bring to a wider audience the world Mike Mignola has been creating now for over a quarter of a century. Below are some of the key ways the new adaptation is trying to achieve that design.
1. Don’t Call It Hellboy 3
Director Neil Marshall is really hoping people don’t approach his movie with that mindset. Maybe it’s because he’s already turned down making that movie.
“I was first approached about possibly doing a Hellboy 3,” the British director tells me in between takes on the film’s Bulgarian set. In fact, we’re sat in a dark corner of the Osiris Club, with dark wooden bookcases encircling us. It’s all very atmospheric. “My response to that was, ‘Well, that’s somebody else’s terrain and I don’t want to step on their turf.’ But I was like, ‘If you are thinking about doing a reboot any time, then I’d love to do that.’”
The 2019 Final Fantasy Fan Fest in Tokyo began today with a keynote address from game director Naoki Yoshida, and the 90-minute briefing was packed with news and insight on the new Shadowbringers expansion for Final Fantasy XIV coming out later this year. Perhaps the biggest news was the announcement of a new Job. The new Job is Dancer.
As the name suggests, Dancer uses dance moves, in a way, to combat their enemies. Performing dances executes certain abilities, while some specific dances buff nearby party members.
Dancer is a ranged DPS Job, and its main arm is used for throwing weapons. It has no associated class, according to Square Enix, and you’ll be able to start using Dancer at level 60.
Another huge announcement was the next playable race for Final Fantasy XIV–the Hrothgar. Cat-like humanoids, the Hrothgar will be available in male and female variants, and each will have unique heads and customisable features. They also each have two clans.
Also during the presentation, Square Enix showed off two new cities, the Crystarium and Eulmore. The Crystarium is a beautiful, expansive place with blue-hued environments. Eulore is also a sight to behold, as it sits atop a massive, ornate, and steampunk-looking structure.
Square Enix also used the news-packed keynote to reveal Final Fantasy XIV’s latest Beast Tribe–the Dwarves. Not a whole lot of information was shared, but the company confirmed these dwarves always have beards and they always wear helmets–even at the dinner table. They’re experts in mining and metallurgy.
The new Dancer
Another big piece of news was the announcement of the game’s next eight-player raid series. It’s called Eden, and while little is known about the specifics, Square Enix confirmed that none other than legendary designer Tetsuya Nomura is working as a character and boss designer for it.
Shadowbringers launches on July 2, but an Early Access period will start on June 28, Square Enix announced. However, that was only a tentative date, so it is subject to change.
An epic new, six-minute trailer for Shadowbringers was shown during the keynote. You can see this trailer above, while a number of brand-new screenshots can be seen embedded in this post.
The Hrothgar
While fans have to wait a while longer for Shadowbringers, the next big update for Final Fantasy XIV, update 4.56, launches on March 26. Everything announced today is on top of all the previous Shadowbringers announcements, which include a level cap jump from 70 to 80, as well as the introduction of a new system called the Trust System. There is also more end-game content and more.
Here are some further facts and details about today’s Shadowbringers news that Square Enix shared after the panel wrapped up (text written by Square Enix):
New Job – Dancer: Dancer joins gunbreaker as one of the new jobs in Shadowbringers. This ranged attacker not only unleashes powerful attacks using throwing weapons, but also performs dances to execute abilities and provide beneficial effects to their party
New Player Race – Hrothgar: The Hrothgar player race compliments the recently announced Viera as the second new playable race in Shadowbringers. The Hrothgar and Viera will both have unique, customizable features specific to their races.
New Player Cities – The Crystarium and Eulmore: Located in Norvrandt, the former will serve as a player hub, while the latter—an affluent city ruled by the elite will play a key role in the Shadowbringers main storyline.
New Raid – Eden: This new high-end raid content will feature multiple challenging bosses, as well as a new character–both designed specifically for this raid series by Kingdom Hearts Director and Final Fantasy series veteran, Tetsuya Nomura.
New Beast Tribe and Primal: The bearded dwarves and the “sin eater,” Innocence.
New Field Area – Lakeland
Good luck sleeping tonight
As for the Final Fantasy Fan Fest, it runs all weekend long, so keep checking back with GameSpot for more. Disclosure: Square Enix paid for GameSpot’s flight to Tokyo and accomodations.
