The latest Nintendo Download update for Europe has arrived, and it’s bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region.As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy!
Switch Retail – New Releases
Fate/EXTELLA LINK(Marvelous Europe, €49.99 / £44.99) – Servants from across the Fate series have come together to battle a new sinister threat to SE.RA.PH. Fully-loaded with new elements, Fate/EXTELLA LINK includes never-before-seen Servants, fresh scenarios, polished graphics and refined gameplay. – Read our Fate/EXTELLA LINK review
The Caligula Effect: Overdose(NIS America, €49.99 / £44.99) – Something’s amiss in the seemingly perfect world of Mobius. Escape from the false paradise and return to reality, or risk losing more than just your identity!
Unravel Two(Electronic Arts, €29.99 / £24.99) – When you cut ties to the past, new bonds form. In Unravel Two, create a Yarny of your very own. Then build relationships with other Yarnys in local co-op or as a single player, fostering friendship and support as you journey together.
Switch eShop – New Releases
Air Conflicts: Pacific Carriers(KalypsoMediaGroup, €19.99 / £14.99) – New warplanes once revolutionized warfare — and the gripping aerial battles of the Second World War have now also found their way onto the Nintendo Switch. Step into the boots of Admiral Lucas Stark (US Navy) and coordinate the defence of Pearl Harbor and the liberation of the Pacific Ocean — or win honour and glory for the Japanese empire as Admiral Hideaki Hashimoto (Imperial Japanese Army).
Air Conflicts: Secret Wars(KalypsoMediaGroup, €19.99 / £14.99) – Air Conflicts: Secret Wars is an arcade flight game with battles spanning both World Wars, featuring seven campaigns and 49 missions that engage players in white-knuckle air battles and secret missions across Europe and North Africa. An impressive selection of famous aircraft of the era is available to the player, each showcasing specific strengths and weaknesses in the battle for air supremacy.
Blaster Master Zero 2(Inti Creates, €9.99 / £8.99) – The story of Blaster Master Zero 2 begins a few months after the events of the first game (released on March 9, 2017), where the main protagonist Jason saves planet Earth from the mutants. Eve has been infected by mutant cells that are slowly corrupting her body, so together with Jason and Fred, they board G-SOPHIA and begin an intergalactic journey to Eve’s home planet, Sophia, in hopes of finding a cure for the mutant infection.
Nuclear Throne(Vlambeer, €12.99 / £10.99) – The indie Super-hit from Vlambeer, finally on Nintendo Switch! Nuclear Throne is a post-apocalyptic roguelike-like top-down shooter. Not ‘the final hope of humanity’ post-apocalyptic, but ‘humanity is extinct and mutants and monsters now roam the world’ post-apocalyptic. Fight your way through the wastelands with powerful weaponry, collecting radiation to mutate some new limbs and abilities. All these things and more you could do if only you were good at this game. Can you reach the Nuclear Throne?
Turok(Nightdive Studios, €17.59 / £15.79) – Turok is back and no dinosaur is safe! When it was first released in 1997, Turok introduced gamers to a world teeming with cunning enemies, traps, puzzles and deadly weapons all within a vast 3D environment ready to explore. Now the classic game has been restored and enhanced with a new visual engine and exciting new features to sink your teeth into! – Read our Turok review
Assault On Metaltron(Blue Sunset Games, €4.89 / £4.19) – First action tower defence game where you power up your towers however you like. Play as Metaltron’s Defender Golem and build towers to defend your planet from the allied forces of humans and orc hordes. The game offers 40 levels of campaign that can be played solo or in co-op and first ever Skirmish mode in tower defence games.
SYMMETRY(Imagination, €9.99 / £8.99) – Symmetry is a survival management game set in a retro-futuristic, sci-fi universe. Your main goal is to manage the crash survivors and help them withstand the desolate, extremely cold environment in order to fix their spacecraft and escape. The non-obvious plot is accompanied by an atmospheric musical score and graphic design that sustains the harsh and mysterious ambience.
Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon EVERY BUDDY!(SQUARE ENIX, €39.99 / £32.99) – A new instalment of the ever-popular series is here! The classic FINAL FANTASY FABLES: Chocobo’s Dungeon is back with an enhanced gameplay system – to be enjoyed by both first-timers and fans of the series! Explore the challenges of the never-ending dungeons (“Insatiable Hunger”), befriend monsters with the new buddy system. You adhere to one simple rule, … every time you enter, the world around you changes shape, but it only moves whenever Chocobo moves! Includes Pre-Order Bonus Buddy Chocobo “Alpha” Pre-Order Bonus: A chocobo is an adventurer’s best friend! With the new Buddy System, you can take a chocobo buddy with you on your adventure. Invite Alpha and begin your journey now!
Impossible Mission(System 3 Software, £9.99) – A faithful adaptation of the past retro classic that improves on the original in every way. You have just 6 hours to find all the pieces to solve a mad scientist’s puzzle while avoiding devious human-seeking robots and deadly black orbs. Includes three versions, the C64 original classic, a re-skinned classic and the totally updated new version.
Super Kickers League(Xaloc Studios, €14.99 / £13.49) – The best arcade experience and football fantasy are waiting for you in Super Kickers League. There are no referees, there are no rules, everything is allowed, the only aim is to score more goals than your rival! Play alone or with friends, form a team of captains and combine different skills to win matches, competitions and to unlock different game modes.
ACA NEOGEO BASEBALL STARS 2(HAMSTER, €6.99 / £6.29) – BASEBALL STARS 2 is a sports game released by SNK in 1992. Get the full experience with intense graphics and passionate announcers! Time to see some exciting baseball! Use the Power-bat to send the ball flying for an amazing home run! The Auto-Fielding system allows for even beginners to enjoy the intense gameplay. – Read our ACA NEOGEO BASEBALL STARS 2 review.
Azure Saga: Pathfinder DELUXE Edition(Toge Productions, €7.64 / £6.87) – Far into the future, the human race survives through colonies scattered across the universe. One tale gives humanity’s remnants hope – one of the legendary planet, Azure, a world full of life and abundant resources that could bring humanity back from the brink of extinction. Join a young scientist, Synch, as he travels across the galaxy to meet new companions and find his father.
Block-a-Pix Deluxe(Lightwood Games, €7.99 / £6.99) – Reveal the picture by dividing the grid into smaller rectangular blocks to create a colourful mosaic. Each block must contain one clue number, indicating the size and colour of the block to be painted. Block-a-Pix Deluxe contains 120 puzzles. They produce cute, detailed pictures which have been carefully hand-crafted and are guaranteed to be uniquely solvable.
Grand Prix Story(Kairosoft, €10.00 / £8.99) – Become the boss of your own team, training drivers and acquiring sponsors before conquering the Grand Prix! Develop new vehicles and parts, and customize them any way you like! Do you have what it takes to make it to the winner’s circle?
James Pond Codename Robocod(System 3 Software, €- / £9.99 / CHF -) – James Pond, one of the true gaming legends, returns for his greatest adventure yet in Codename: RoboCod. With scores of mind-bending levels, cunningly hidden rooms, topped off with some of the best cartoon-style graphics around makes James Pond – Codename: RoboCod on Nintendo Switch a true collectors’ classic.
JUNK PLANET(Happinet Corporation, €11.99 / £10.99) – Clean up junk while bringing plants and creatures to life. Freely reclaim the Junk Planet in this 2D sandbox game. The game takes place on Junk Planet, a planet that was bombarded with so much junk, it was completely ruined. It’s here that a peculiar pair meet by chance and their story begins.
Reptilian Rebellion(Herrero, €2.99 / £2.99) – The Reptilian Rebellion has just started. Wait, don’t you know what reptilians are? There are thousands of these green lizard-men living amongst us, but now they have become too dangerous and want to take control of the planet. Don’t let reptilians rule the world and send them to hell.
StarDrone(Beatshapers, €8.82 / £7.59) – In StarDrone, players pilot their Drones across the galaxy, collecting pieces of Equilibrix in order to restore the equilibrium of the universe and stop the evil G-Noids from taking over. However, this journey requires much more than star-gazing, as your Drone is constantly in motion and the more stellar matter you collect, the faster it will travel until you are moving at the speed of light. Along the way, key power-ups will earn you more points that will ultimately let you compete against the world on the StarDrone scoreboards.
Super Phantom Cat: Remake(VEEWO GAMES, €9.99 / £8.99) – Super Phantom Cat is a “Pawsome” retro platformer, or what we like to call “Catformer,” in which you explore quirky environments, clear purrrfect colourful levels, solve the mysteries shrouding the Phantom world and rescue your kidnapped little sister, Ina.
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove!(HumaNature Studios, €19.99 / £17.99) – ToeJam and Earl have crash-landed back on Earth in ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove!, a funky fresh roguelike adventure infused with old skool hip-hop and jam-packed with awesome throwbacks to the 1991 classic. Original Funk Lord (and co-creator) Greg Johnson is back at the helm with the sequel that ToeJam and Earl fans have been waiting for! – Read our ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove! review
Witch and Hero(Flyhigh Works, €4.99 / £4.49) – You play as a Hero accompanied by a Witch and you are seeking revenge, and justice, over the evil Medusa. Medusa turned the Witch into stone, so she is no longer able to move; it’s up to the Hero to defeat the monsters and collect their blood in order to recover the Witch for a limited period of time.
Peasant Knight(Ratalaika Games, €2.39 / £2.39) – All the while you’re relentlessly dashing forward into traps, enemies, and hazards. Peasant Knight has a tongue-in-cheek tone that fits well the many ways to reach your demise.
Sushi Time!(Baltoro Games, €4.99 / £4.49) – Welcome to Sushi Time! Manage a sushi bar and become a tycoon of Japanese food! Try to deliver the orders on time, but be careful not to mix them up! Upgrade your bar and beautify it, so that you’ll be able to create the best sushi in town!
3DS eShop – New Releases
Horror Stories(RandomSpin, €3.59 / £3.23) – How did you imagine how murders are being committed by serial killers? You find yourself in one of these situations, in which you need to not catch the eye of the killer and try to survive by killing him!
Switch eShop – Demos
Splatoon 2: Special Demo(Nintendo, Free) – A free Special Demo of Splatoon 2 is now available until March 25th. By playing the Special Demo, you can get 33% off Splatoon 2 until March 31st, and some progress you’ve made in the demo will be carried over to the full game! Claim turf anytime, anywhere, with anyone in Splatoon 2, only on Nintendo Switch. Traditional 4-on-4 turf battles return in this full sequel, along with returning modes, new stages, new fashions, new weapons and much more!
Grand Prix Story Demo(Kairosoft, Free) – Become the boss of your own team, training drivers and acquiring sponsors before conquering the Grand Prix! Develop new vehicles and parts, and customize them any way you like! Do you have what it takes to make it to the winner’s circle?
Doodle God : Evolution Demo(JoyBits, Free) – Doodle God: Evolution is a unique edition of the well-known game that includes not only the classic Doodle God, but Doodle Farm as well. And now, in this addicting all ages game, not only fire, earth, water and air but also plankton, mammals or birds will be at your disposal. Mix and match different combinations of elements to build an entire civilization and re-create the evolution of the animal world!
3DS eShop – Demos
Horror Stories Demo(RandomSpin, Free) – How did you imagine how murders are being committed by serial killers? You find yourself in one of these situations, in which you need not to catch the eye of the killer and try to survive by killing him!
Switch eShop – Pre-Orders
Cuphead(StudioMDHR, €19.99 / £16.99, pre-order from 20/03/2019) – Cuphead is a classic run and gun action game heavily focused on boss battles. Inspired by cartoons of the 1930s, the visuals and audio are painstakingly created with the same techniques of the era: traditional hand-drawn cel animation, watercolour backgrounds, and original jazz recordings. Play as Cuphead or Mugman (in single player or local co-op) as you traverse strange worlds, acquire new weapons, learn powerful super moves, and discover hidden secrets while you try to pay your debt back to the devil!
Katana ZERO(Devolver Digital, €13.49 / £12.14, pre-order from 20/03/2019) – Katana ZERO is a stylish neo-noir, action-platformer featuring breakneck action and instant-death combat. Slash, dash, and manipulate time to unravel your past in a beautifully brutal acrobatic display.
Our World Is Ended.(Pqube, €44.99 / £35.99, pre-order from 19/03/2019) – A world between reality and fiction. Explore a faithful recreation of Asakusa, one of Tokyo’s most iconic districts as elements from the game worlds will slowly manifest themselves and threaten to destroy the entire district itself…
My Time at Portia(Team17, €29.99 / £24.99, pre-order from 19/03/2019) – Restore your Pa’s neglected workshop to its former glory by fulfilling commissions, growing crops, raising animals, and befriending the quirky inhabitants of this charming post-apocalyptic land! Armed with your Pa’s old handbook and workbench, you must gather, mine and craft your way to being crowned the number one workshop in Portia. Help the locals rebuild the town and uncover the secrets locked deep away beneath it. Be prepared though…it won’t be easy!
OMG Zombies!(Ghostlight, €1.09 / £0.99, pre-order from 19/03/2019) – As a lone cop armed only with bare wit, a large-calibre sniper rifle and bullets coated in a zombie-exploding pathogen, you are the last man standing at the epicentre of a zombie outbreak. Your mission? To succeed where the police and army failed by clearing the streets of 8 different strains of bloodthirsty zombies and stop Armageddon in its tracks!
SpellKeeper(Silesia Games, €4.49 / £3.74, pre-order from 19/03/2019) – SpellKeeper is a unique logic game with dozens of challenging puzzles and beautifully hand-drawn graphics. Take on the role of the Chosen One and save butterflies trapped in magic cocoons. Use various types of Magic Spells and arrange them on the board in the right way.
Among the Sleep – Enhanced Edition(Soedesco, €22.49 / £22.49, pre-order from 21/03/2019) – In the enhanced edition of this award-winning first-person horror adventure, you step into the pyjamas of a two-year-old child creeping through a dark and distorted house. Find your missing mother as you wander through sinister and surreal surroundings ranging from a haunting playground to a lakeside cottage, with only a teddy bear by your side for comfort. Will you survive long enough to unravel the family secret and make it to the end of this pitch-black nightmare?
Pitfall Planet(Abstraction Games, €11.99 / £9.59, pre-order from 21/03/2019) – Featuring the cutest pair of robots this side of the Milky Way, Pitfall Planet’s action takes place on a distant, forgotten mining world. Play as the two astrobots, who after being stranded and separated from their ship, must traverse the subterranean caves of the ruined planet, overcoming its many perils in the process.
Snow Battle Princess Sayuki(Ninja Games Japan, €7.49 / £6.74, pre-order from 21/03/2019) – Help Sayuki, a snow princess, break an evil curse set upon her loved one by finding 8 items scattered across 8 lands. The treacherous journey will take you across Blizzard Mountain, Monsters Castle and Hells Valley where you will encounter many mysterious yokai monsters.
Switch ‘N’ Shoot(Matthew Glanville, €3.30 / £2.96, pre-order from 21/03/2019) – Calling all pilots: Earth is under alien attack! Your assistance is required! No experience necessary. Piloting an advanced starfighter with just one button is simple: you switch, you shoot. Every shot fired changes your direction, and mastering this is the key to becoming a legend among the stars. Timing is everything!
Undead’s Building(DOUBLE DRIVE, €3.99 / £3.59, pre-order from 21/03/2019) – Operate an elevator in a zombie invested apartment where the undead wander the hallways! Use the security monitors to check each floor and then move between floors as quickly as possible to pick up survivors. Delay and the undead will eat them before you get there.
Event Horizon(Drageus Games, €2.99 / £2.69, pre-order from 22/03/2019) – Take command of a space fleet and start your galaxy exploration mission. Battle hostile aliens, conduct scientific research, capture resources, trade, build new ships and upgrade existing ones. Thousands and thousands of star systems, ferocious battles and surprising encounters are waiting for you.
Street Basketball(Baltoro Games, €4.19 / £3.84, pre-order from 22/03/2019) – Put your duelling instincts to the test in one-on-one matches! Choose from multiple characters with their signature ability shots. Pick their looks from the list of available outfits. Make them better players by improving their stats!
DLC / Add-On Content
Nintendo Switch
LEGO® DC Super-Villains Batman: The Animated Series Level Pack(WB Games) – €2.99 / £2.49
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 03-22-2019, 03:15 PM - Forum: Windows
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Public preview of Windows Virtual Desktop now available
Last September, we announced Windows Virtual Desktop and began a private preview. Since then, we’ve been hard at work developing the ability to scale and deliver a true multi-session Windows 10 and Office 365 ProPlus virtual desktop and app experience on any device.
Today, we move to the next phase and announce the public preview of Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop. Now, all customers can access this service—the only service that delivers simplified management, a multi-session Windows 10 experience, optimizations for Office 365 ProPlus, and support for Windows Server Remote Desktop Services (RDS) desktops and apps. With Windows Virtual Desktop, you can deploy and scale your Windows desktops and apps on Azure in minutes and enjoy built-in security.
Through our private preview, we had the chance to work closely with customers and partners to help shape this new service. It has been rewarding to see the results so far—a great example being at X5 Music Group, a Warner Music Group company.
“Within the music industry, we have to access, manage, and store large volumes of complex metadata securely. Windows Virtual Desktop is a great way of bringing data-heavy applications into our cloud platform without the need to rewrite the application. Windows Virtual Desktop also provides several additional benefits, such as making it really easy to scale the number of users while minimizing the attack surface of our applications.” —Klas Broman, CTO and Developer Lead, X5 Music Group
As we start public preview, we’ll continue listening and taking feedback, to ensure we’re meeting your needs as we head toward general availability in the second half of calendar year 2019.
With the end of extended support for Windows 7 coming up in January 2020, we also understand some customers need to continue to support Windows 7 legacy applications as they migrate to Windows 10. To support this need, you’ll soon be able to use Windows Virtual Desktop to virtualize Windows 7 desktops with free Extended Security Updates (ESU) until January 2023. This support provides a comprehensive virtualization solution for Windows 7 alongside your Windows 10 and Windows Server desktops and apps.
Solutions to extend Windows Virtual Desktop
In November 2018, we acquired FSLogix, a next-generation app-provisioning platform that reduces the resources, time, and labor required to support desktop and app virtualization. FSLogix technologies enable faster load times for non-persistent users accessing Outlook or OneDrive. FSLogix technology will support both client and server RDS deployments—helping on-premises customers more easily migrate to Windows Virtual Desktop and providing a great solution for customers in hybrid scenarios.
Windows Virtual Desktop will also be extended and enriched by leading partners in the following ways:
Citrix can extend Windows Virtual Desktop capabilities with their Citrix Cloud services.
Through our partnership with Samsung, Windows Virtual Desktop will provide highly mobile Firstline Workers access to a full Windows 10 and Office 365 ProPlus experience with Samsung DeX.
Software and service providers will extend Windows Virtual Desktop to offer targeted solutions in the Azure marketplace.
Microsoft Cloud Solution Providers (CSPs) will deliver end-to-end desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) offerings and value-added services to their customers.
Access to Windows Virtual Desktop
To deploy and manage your virtualization environment, you just need to set up an Azure subscription. You can choose the type of virtual machines (VMs) and storage you want to suit your environment. You can optimize costs by taking advantage of Reserved Instances (up to 72 percent discount) and by using multi-session Windows 10.
For users accessing the Windows 10 and Windows 7 desktops and apps, there’s no additional cost if you’re an existing Microsoft 365 F1/E3/E5, Windows 10 Enterprise E3/E5, or Windows VDA customer. For Windows Server desktops and apps, there’s no additional cost if you’re an existing Microsoft RDS Client Access License (CAL) customer.
Get started with the public preview of Windows Virtual Desktop
Windows Virtual Desktop is comprised of the Windows desktops and apps you’re delivering to users and the management solution hosted as a service on Azure by Microsoft. During public preview, desktops and apps can be deployed on VMs in any Azure region, and the management solution and data for these VMs will reside in the United States (US East 2 region). This may result in data transfer to the United States while you test the service in public preview.
We’ll start to scale out the management solution and data localization to all Azure regions starting at general availability. For more information on getting started, considerations for optimal deployment guidance, and to provide feedback as you preview the service, please visit the Windows Virtual Desktop preview page.
The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) allows for the querying and modification of an X.500-based directory service. In other words, LDAP is used over a Local Area Network (LAN) to manage and access a distributed directory service. LDAPs primary purpose is to provide a set of records in a hierarchical structure. What can you do with those records? The best use-case is for user validation/authentication against desktops. If both server and client are set up properly, you can have all your Linux desktops authenticating against your LDAP server. This makes for a great single point of entry so that you can better manage (and control) user accounts.
The most popular iteration of LDAP for Linux is OpenLDAP. OpenLDAP is a free, open-source implementation of the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, and makes it incredibly easy to get your LDAP server up and running.
In this three-part series, I’ll be walking you through the steps of:
Installing OpenLDAP server.
Installing the web-based LDAP Account Manager.
Configuring Linux desktops, such that they can communicate with your LDAP server.
In the end, all of your Linux desktop machines (that have been configured properly) will be able to authenticate against a centralized location, which means you (as the administrator) have much more control over the management of users on your network.
In this first piece, I’ll be demonstrating the installation and configuration of OpenLDAP on Ubuntu Server 18.04. All you will need to make this work is a running instance of Ubuntu Server 18.04 and a user account with sudo privileges. Let’s get to work.
Update/Upgrade
The first thing you’ll want to do is update and upgrade your server. Do note, if the kernel gets updated, the server will need to be rebooted (unless you have Live Patch, or a similar service running). Because of this, run the update/upgrade at a time when the server can be rebooted. To update and upgrade Ubuntu, log into your server and run the following commands:
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade -y
When the upgrade completes, reboot the server (if necessary), and get ready to install and configure OpenLDAP.
Installing OpenLDAP
Since we’ll be using OpenLDAP as our LDAP server software, it can be installed from the standard repository. To install the necessary pieces, log into your Ubuntu Server and issue the following command:
sudo apt-get instal slapd ldap-utils -y
During the installation, you’ll be first asked to create an administrator password for the LDAP directory. Type and verify that password (Figure 1).
Configuring LDAP
With the installation of the components complete, it’s time to configure LDAP. Fortunately, there’s a handy tool we can use to make this happen. From the terminal window, issue the command:
sudo dpkg-reconfigure slapd
In the first window, hit Enter to select No and continue on. In the second window of the configuration tool (Figure 2), you must type the DNS domain name for your server. This will serve as the base DN (the point from where a server will search for users) for your LDAP directory. In my example, I’ve used example.com (you’ll want to change this to fit your needs).
In the next window, type your Organizational name (ie the name of your company or department). You will then be prompted to (once again) create an administrator password (you can use the same one as you did during the installation). Once you’ve taken care of that, you’ll be asked the following questions:
Database backend to use – select MDB.
Do you want the database to be removed with slapd is purged? – Select No.
Move old database? – Select Yes.
OpenLDAP is now ready for data.
Adding Initial Data
Now that OpenLDAP is installed and running, it’s time to populate the directory with a bit of initial data. In the second piece of this series, we’ll be installing a web-based GUI that makes it much easier to handle this task, but it’s always good to know how to add data the manual way.
One of the best ways to add data to the LDAP directory is via text file, which can then be imported in with the ldapaddcommand. Create a new file with the command:
In the above file, every entry in all caps needs to be modified to fit your company needs. Once you’ve modified the above file, save and close it with the [Ctrl]+[x] key combination.
To add the data from the file to the LDAP directory, issue the command:
Remember to alter the dc entries (EXAMPLE and COM) in the above command to match your domain name. After running the command, you will be prompted for the LDAP admin password. When you successfully authentication to the LDAP server, the data will be added. You can then ensure the data is there, by running a search like so:
Where EXAMPLE and COM is your domain name and USER is the user to search for. The command should report the entry you searched for (Figure 3).
Now that you have your first entry into your LDAP directory, you can edit the above file to create even more. Or, you can wait until the next entry into the series (installing LDAP Account Manager) and take care of the process with the web-based GUI. Either way, you’re one step closer to having LDAP authentication on your network.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 03-22-2019, 09:11 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Google Reveals Stance On Exclusive Games For Stadia
Google's Stadia is a service that allows players to stream video games via the cloud across a variety of different devices. With most of the finer details about Stadia still under wraps, we sat down with Google VP Phil Harrison at GDC 2019 to further dive into the service.
During the interview, we asked about game exclusives on Stadia. "It was a conversation that I had with Google leadership before I joined the company." Harrison said. "[My] point of view was in order to really deliver on the promise of this platform, we had to build our own games. We had to build our own experiences, and that was a very fundamental, strategic direction that we needed to move in."
He continued, "I understand that [for a gamer] the word 'exclusive' can sometimes be a challenging terminology. [I would] rather we moved the narrative towards [games] that are built specifically for a data center. And if those games also show up on other streaming platforms, that's okay, because what that means is that the developers are starting to innovate and think about the future and [build] a 21st century game, rather than a 20th century game."
Harrison further clarified that any game that Google makes will "obviously only" be on Stadia. At GDC 2019, Google revealed it has a new first-party studio that's being led by Jade Raymond, a former head at both Ubisoft and EA. The new studio hasn't announced any specific games or projects it's working on yet.
We also asked Harrison about Sadia's pricing model. Apparently, one already exists, but Harrison said Google just isn't ready to talk about it yet. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot predicts Stadia will launch with a "multitude" of pricing models. "Either you buy full price and you play; or you will be able to also register, possibly, to play either one hour or two hours a day. There will be plenty of ways," he said.
Harrison did confirm that Stadia will never support offline downloads. It's just "not technically possible," he told GameSpot. "It would be a compromise of our vision if we were to do that."
Video: Hollow 2 Hopes To Win Over FPS Fans With New Action Trailer
Forever Entertainment has been hard at work on Hollow 2 recently, a sequel to last year’s first-person survival game Hollow. A brand new trailer has been released today to give players a taste of the action.
It’s safe to say that we weren’t the biggest fans of Hollow when we played it last February. We felt that its visuals, controls, story, and more left a lot to be desired, and it would appear that the team has been taking these things into account for this new effort.
The PR team behind the game tells us that while Hollow received mixed reviews from press, it actually sold really well on Switch (generous sales might have helped here). For Hollow 2, Forever Entertainment has “tried to implement player feedback and added much more dynamic gameplay”, hopefully resulting in a better overall package.
It’ll be interesting to see how this one performs when it arrives later this year; the game will actually be arriving on Switch before other platforms, but we don’t have a solid date just yet.
Did you play the original? Would you be interested in an improved sequel? Let us know down below.
Anniversary: Pokémon Snap Turns 20 Years Old Today
Twenty years ago today, on 21st March 1999, Pokémon Snap was first released in Japan.
A Nintendo 64 exclusive, Pokémon Snap follows the adventures of Todd Snap, a Pokémon photographer who is tasked with taking perfect shots of the adorable critters and showing them to Professor Oak for inspection. It features 63 of the original 151 Pokémon from Pokémon Red and Blue, with some only appearing after certain criteria are met by the player.
If, like us, you’re now feeling older than Professor Oak himself, know that the western releases for the game actually arrived several months after the Japanese launch. North America first got the game on 30th June that same year, but it didn’t make its way over to Europe until 15th September 2000.
Despite gaining a loving fanbase and being the eleventh best-selling game on the N64, Pokémon Snap has never received a sequel. It has seen re-releases on the Wii and Wii U Virtual Consoles, but the idea has never been expanded upon; Game Freak’s Junichi Masuda once talked about a sequel needing to have “cool ideas” to work for the current generation of players.
The latest Nintendo systems have all felt perfect for a new game in our eyes – the 3DS’ camera, the Wii U’s GamePad, and the handheld gyro capabilities of the Switch – but there’s still no sign of something new. Hopefully it’ll happen one day.
Do you have any fond memories of playing Pokémon Snap? Would you like to see a sequel or even a remastered release of the original? Share your thoughts on the game with us in the comments.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 03-22-2019, 02:56 AM - Forum: Lounge
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How Much Will Stadia Cost? Pricing Model Is Decided, But Google Isn't Sharing
Google's announcement of Stadia is a big step towards the future of cloud gaming. The service allows players to stream video games via the cloud across a variety of different devices. Google is still keeping a lot of details about Stadia close to the chest, leaving us with some big questions. Perhaps chief among them is how much it will cost to use the streaming service, a subject that could play a major role in its success. During GDC 2019, Google VP Phil Harrison sat down with GameSpot to further delve into the service and the topic of price.
During the interview, we asked Harrison about Stadia's pricing model. We didn't get too many details, but Harrison did reveal that a pricing model for Sadia already exists--it's just being revealed at a later date. In an interview with Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, Guillemot predicted Stadia would launch with a "multitude" of pricing models. "Either you buy full price and you play; or you will be able to also register, possibly, to play either one hour or two hours a day. There will be plenty of ways," he said.
Harrison was able to talk about the process behind deciding the specific model for Stadia, though. "[It was a lot] of very deep conversations with our developer and publisher partners over many many months, and years in some cases. A lot of deep consumer research. We have had a fantastic user research team as a core part of the Stadia team for two years now. And so, we have our point of view, we then test various hypotheses with consumers and publishing partners, and then get to the right result."
During the interview, Harrison did confirm that Stadia would not support offline downloads. When asked if Google would consider adding the option down the line, Harrison said it was "not technically possible." He further clarified that adding offline downloads to Stadia "would be a compromise of our vision."
During the Google GDC keynote, the company announced that Stadia is scheduled to launch in 2019 in the US, Canada, UK, and "most of" Europe. More details, such as which games are coming to the service, will be revealed at a later time. For now, we know both Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Doom Eternal are confirmed for the service. If you happened to miss the keynote, we've compiled every bit of Google gaming news.
If you're still confused about how cloud gaming works, be sure to read our in-depth explanation. We've also outlined the top companies investing in cloud gaming tech.
The whole thing looks fantastic, from its bopping soundtrack to its gorgeous visuals, and it turns out that part of that successful art direction is thanks to a couple of members of the Sonic Mania dev team. It appears that both Midio and Paul Veer – two pixel artists who worked on Sonic’s wonderful 2D outing – have applied their talents to this upcoming game. Both were congratulated on their efforts by Sonic Mania art director, Tom Fry.
We don’t have a release date for the new Zelda goodness just yet, but you can learn more about it here if you need to catch up.
Has this one already been plonked on your Switch game wishlist? More Zelda on Switch can only be a good thing from where we’re sitting.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 03-22-2019, 02:56 AM - Forum: Windows
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‘Vigor’ free weekend begins for Xbox Live Gold members
Xbox Live Gold members can play Vigor for free on Xbox One starting today until March 24, which makes this the perfect time to explore the beautiful landscapes of post-war Norway, scavenge for loot amongst other Outlanders in tense map-based encounters and start rebuilding your safe haven amidst a fallen civilization.
This free weekend hits shortly after the release of the 0.8 “Signal” update, which brought new content and game events, a player lobby and gesture system, as well as implementing numerous improvements and an enhanced gameplay experience overall. Previous updates 0.7 and 0.6 have already added optional objectives, randomized events, duos mode, improved weapon play (with over 17 additional weapons added) and numerous bug fixes and optimizations.
Although Vigor will release onto Xbox One as a free-to-play title this year, players can opt to continue playing – and supporting – the game after the Xbox Live free play weekend has ended by purchasing the game during its Xbox Game Preview period, which will also unlock the Founder’s Pack. This not only gives you immediate full access to the game but also rewards you with exclusive in-game items only obtainable during the Xbox Game Preview period of development. Please note that any progress made before 1.0 will be reset once the game fully releases – more info soon on vigorgame.com.
If the idea of a tense shoot n’ loot experience set against the picturesque backdrop of 90s Norway piques your interest, then be sure to head to the Gold Member of the Microsoft Store and download Vigor for free starting today.
Interview with Immortal Rogue Developer Kyle Barrett
It’s not often we get to do developer interviews these days, but thanks to the efforts of an interested reader, we’re pleased to be able to share with you a Q&A with Kyle Barrett, solo developer on generation-hopping rogue-like Immortal Rogue (which we recently reviewed). This interview was conducted by Sam Jeffreys, a designer for Feral Interactive who happens to be a fan of PT and now Kyle’s work. Sam is not an official staff writer, but he generously donated his time and his words to bring us this article. (ED)
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Pocket Tactics:How did you get started in game development?
Kyle Barrett:Well, I think the very first time I made a game I was about 10 and used the Age of Empires 2 scenario editor to make a little RPG for all of my friends to play. From there I started dabbling in GameMaker, the StarCraft editor, Morrowind mods, etc.
For some reason (probably because there was no real game industry where I grew up), I never thought making games could be a career. It wasn’t until I was over halfway through earning a degree in architecture that I had the idea to start sending out game design specs to my favorite companies. Eventually I got my foot in the door at a start-up in the bay area and the rest was history.
Pocket Tactics:Vampires, branching timelines, an elegant one finger control system… What came first, and how did everything fit into place?
Kyle Barrett: It was a combination of a couple separate ideas. One of those original design specs I created to try and get an industry job had this cool (or at least I thought it was cool) matrix that showed how worlds could evolve based on authoritarian factors and technological progress. I always wanted to put that in a game, ideally without a multi-million dollar production budget. I don’t remember where the vampire metaphor came from exactly, but it seemed like a great way to utilize a system with such a long narrative timespan.
The control system comes more from a personal challenge. Since I primarily work in mobile, I like trying to come up with control schemes that can provide dynamic gameplay with minimal touchscreen inputs. While there are pretty decent dual stick control schemes out there, they just don’t feel natural for a platform that doesn’t actually have buttons or joysticks.
Pocket Tactics:How long was the development time?
Kyle Barrett: Three months! I’m kind of proud of that. I knew I had three months where my work obligations weren’t going to be as intense, so I picked a concept I thought I could execute in that time period.
The first month was rapid prototyping and figuring out how the game would work. The second month I spent figuring out the art style and creating assets. The last month was spent importing the assets and polishing. It did take me a fourth month to fully launch the game, but that was because I neglected doing any marketing while I was focused on development.
Pocket Tactics:And what was your dev tool of choice?
Kyle Barrett: I used GameMaker Studio 2. While I mostly use Unity for industry work, GameMaker has always been my go to for rapid iteration and prototyping. It’s come a looong way since the ‘90s, and made a solo project much more feasible.
Pocket Tactics:Immortal Rogue is your second mobile title. What lessons did you learn from Ever Knight?
Kyle Barrett: Pretty much all the stuff that let me make Immortal quickly. How to work with the engine I was using, what animation tools and processes to use, the quirks of publishing on different mobile devices, etc. It probably took me longer to make Ever Knight than Immortal, even though EK is a much simpler game. The best advice I could ever give someone who wants to learn a game development tool is to just try making and publishing a simple project. I learned a ton.
Pocket Tactics:You have a full-time job in the games industry. How do you balance that with being a solo indie dev?
Kyle Barrett: I don’t have kids so that probably helps. But really, I think it’s about creating a habit and setting aside regular time blocks where you can work. For me, a few hours a night and larger chunks on the weekend seemed to work. I had to give up another hobby, but it was totally worth it.
It also helps if your bosses are cool and supportive (which mine totally were). Pro tip: mark down any game you want to make as a ‘previous invention’ when signing a job offer, so you can develop and own that project without making things messy for you or your company.
Pocket Tactics:What are your core design philosophies? What should every one of your projects have?
Kyle Barrett: That’s a tough one. For a personal project, I get excited if it has three things:
An enticing player fantasy or story that could stand on its own (like the story of a vampire living through all of history).
An addictive/novel core gameplay loop that works even in greybox. If I’m not playing the greybox in my free time then it’s probably not fun enough yet.
Systems that tie the first two elements together in a way that they enrich one another. So it’s sort of like a sandwich: Metaphor on top, core gameplay on the bottom, and systems in the middle.
Oh, and an art style that’s fun to draw…. So four things.
Pocket Tactics:I love seeing early concepts and prototypes. Is there anything you could share?
Kyle Barrett: The first few weeks went through a ton of changes as I figured out how the gesture controls and visuals would work together. I actually started with Ever Knight sprites. (Oldest to newest from left to right)
Pocket Tactics:Any tips for indie devs on staying the course and keeping focused?
Kyle Barrett: I’m still pretty new to the indie side of things. I think just setting a small, achievable goal and following through is the first step. Also, prioritize! You don’t have to do everything; Find a simple mechanic or idea and build your game around that. Bells and whistles are fine but they don’t make a game fun if the meat isn’t there first.
Pocket Tactics:Why knights?
Kyle Barrett: Because they’re awesome! I was originally thinking the hooded character would be Immortal’s mascot, but I ended up liking how the knight armor looked too much. Also, a shout out to my friend Matt Elser (http://www.elserart.com/) for making the awesome splash art character.
Thanks again to Sam for writing this up for us, and thanks to Kyle for agreeing to be interviewed.
