The Artful Escape, published by Annapurna Interactive and developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur, is now available on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam for $19.99.
The Artful Escape is a musical narrative adventure about a teenage guitar prodigy who sets out on a psychedelic, multidimensional journey to inspire his stage persona. Through light platforming, intergalactic guitar jam sessions and snazzy character customization, players step into the shoes of Francis Vendetti as he faces the shadow of his late uncle, a deceased folk legend, on the eve of Francis’s first show. The game features voice performances by Michael Johnston, Caroline Kinley, Lena Headey, Jason Schwartzman, Mark Strong and Carl Weathers.
In addition, the official The Artful Escape soundtrack is now available through Steam, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, Tidal, and Pandora.
Announced today during QuakeCon at Home, in celebration of 25 years since the release of the dark fantasy first-person shooter, an enhanced version of the original Quake is available today on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass for console and PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and backward compatible on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. Native Xbox Series X|S and PS5 versions bringing native 4K at 120 FPS will be available soon as a free upgrade.
The Original Quake, Enhanced
Experience the authentic, updated, and visually enhanced version of the original Quake.
Featuring resolutions up to 4K and widescreen resolution support, enhanced models, dynamic and color lightning, anti-aliasing, depth of field, and the original soundtrack and theme song by Trent Reznor. There has never been a better time to relive or experience Quake for the first time.
Online, Cross-play, & Local Multiplayer and CO-OP
Fight through the dark fantasy base campaign and expansions in 4-player online or local split-screen co-op, and compete in pure, retro-style combat with support for 8-player (online) or 4-player (local split-screen) matches. Featuring cross-play between all platforms and dedicated server support for online matchmaking and peer-to-peer support for custom matches.
Original and New Expansions Included
Quake also comes with both original expansion packs: “The Scourge of Armagon” and “Dissolution of Eternity,” as well as two expansions developed by the award-winning team at MachineGames: “Dimension of the Past,” and the all-new “Dimension of the Machine.”
The enhanced version of the original Quake is available now. Players who already own Quake on Steam and Bethesda.net will receive this enhanced update for free. For much more on the re-release of Quake, visit bethesda.net.
Winner of the 2018 Ubisoft Indie Special Prize and the Reboot Develop Red 2019 Special Selection Prize, and developed in close consultation with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), The Vale: Shadow of the Crown trades visuals for audio cues, creating a distinct take on action combat that breaks down barriers for low-vision and blind gamers.
Today, Microids and Oddworld Inhabitants are pleased to confirm that the explosive action-adventure platformer Oddworld: Soulstorm is coming to Xbox One consoles and Xbox Series X|S. Retail editions will also be available for Xbox versions.
Game Features:
Explosive Action-Adventure Platformer: Evolving the platforming genre by adding RPG-lite elements with player agency to play as you like, whether aggressively or passively. Pickpocket your enemies, loot lockers, sift through trash cans, and find hidden areas to acquire resources. Exchange resources at vending machines to get products that give you more agency in how you chose to conquer the game’s many challenges. Acquire recipes to craft tools and weapons to use against opposing forces or solve problems. Arm your followers and watch the revolution begin.
Epicness: This isn’t a traditional 2D side scrolling platformer. Soulstorm is a 2.9D action-adventure platformer with 15 hours of gameplay, and dozens more for achievement hunters and perfectionists. Epic environments with massive scale to explore by going into the world, rather than being limited to the traditional side scrolling platformer sense.
Start a Revolution: A dark storyline with a twisted sense of humor that shines a light on the ironies that exist in the human condition. As a slave to big business, a cog in the corporate machine being grinded to death, Abe tries to save them all and along the way he goes from a nobody to potentially starting a global revolution.
Completionists: Can you save every single Mudokon in the game (there are more than 1,000)? Can you achieve the best ending and unlock the final two playable levels? Can you scavenge every trash can and locker, kill or safely apprehend every antagonist, find every hidden area, collect every jelly? 3+m players have had the opportunity to do it…will you be the first to do it on Xbox?
Multiple Endings: Soulstorm has 15 levels, with two additional unlockable levels at the end of the game. There are 4 types of endings in the game, each depending on your Quarma. At the end of each individual level, you receive a Quarma score, which is based on the number of Mudokons you save. If you succeed in saving enough Mudokons throughout all the levels, you’ll get one of the good endings. But beware: if your Quarma score isn’t high enough, you’ll get a more… dire fate!
An improved gameplay experience
Since Soulstorm first launched on April 6, Oddworld Inhabitants have been listening to players’ feedback and suggestions and released seven updates to enhance the game’s experience. They are thrilled to say Oddworld: Soulstorm’s gameplay has been refined on all platforms through fixes, removal of bugs, level design and balance adjustments, as well as quality of life improvements. No game is bug free, but the version that players can download right now for PS5, PS4, and Epic Games Store is one the studio is proud of and believes they will enjoy. Same goes for the PS5 and PS4 physical versions that can be found at retailers. The Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One versions will have the same fixes already implemented.
About Oddworld: Soulstorm
Oddworld: Soulstorm is the bigger, badder, bolder action-adventure platforming sequel to the renowned video game series, and the explosive second installment in the quintology. You play as Abe, the reluctant Mudokon hero whose actions sparked an uprising and now must lead his fellow Mudokons in their fight for freedom against the Magog Cartel and the planet’s ruling power.
Abe will struggle for survival against the planet’s ruling and well-funded power. They are armed with all means of oppression, from propaganda to biological to ruthless deadly force.
Explore massive cinematic scale and 2.9D environments filled with breathtaking visuals. Scavenge for supplies, craft weapons, arm your followers, solve puzzles, and attempt to safely deliver all of Abe’s 1,000+ followers to freedom.
Oddworld: Soulstorm is currently available on the Epic Games Store for PC. The physical and digital PS5 and PS4 versions are available right now. It is in development for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles.
Rebellion, one of Europe’s most successful independent studios, has today announced that its acclaimed villainy simulator, Evil Genius 2, is coming to consoles later this year. Launching on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 4/5 in Q4 2021, Evil Genius 2 puts you in the shoes of the ultimate bad guy as you plot, scheme and execute your plans for world domination.
Evil Genius 2 lets you unleash your own unique brand of super-villainy upon humanity. Build your lair, recruit and train a workforce of loyal minions and powerful henchmen to defend your base from the meddling Forces of Justice.
Evil Genius 2 launched on PC earlier this year to critical acclaim.
The console release of Evil Genius 2 will bring the joy of villainy to an even bigger audience when it comes to Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 4 and 5 in Q4 2021.
Great grinning head of John the Baptist in a porkpie hat stuffed in a rhinestone bowling bag! Sam & Max are back on Xbox!
The Xbox One version of Sam & Max Save the World was just revealed in this morning’s [email protected] Twitch showcase and is available right now. The game sells for $19.99 or equivalent in local currency.
Sam & Max Save the World, a comedy adventure based on the dog and rabbity-thing crime fighting duo created by Steve Purcell, was the first true episodic game. Telltale Games originally released the six-episode season on PC between October 2006 and April 2007. The game later came to Xbox 360 in 2009.
When Telltale closed its doors in 2018, a small group of the original team acquired the game rights and remastered the season with higher resolution graphics, improved audio, new musical tracks, and a number of other enhancements. A full list of changes in the remastered version can be viewed here.
Today’s Xbox One release joins PC and Nintendo Switch versions that came out in December.
The Story
It’s just another day at the office for the self-proclaimed Freelance Police when the Commissioner calls in with a disturbing report: former child stars are running amok in the street! What starts as an open-and-shut case of idiotic vandalism grows into an all-out conspiracy as Sam and Max encounter one miscreant after another who have been mysteriously hypnotized. (You can tell from the “spinny thing” they do with their eyes.)
Who’s the source of this malfeasance, and what is their dastardly plan? Cracking this case will require Sam’s nose for detective work, Max’s lack of conscience, an assortment of inventory items, and a little help from neighbors Sybil Pandemik, Bosco, and Jimmy Two-Teeth. From Sam & Max’s street to the White House lawn, inside the internet, and all the way to the moon, this baffling mystery gets weirder and funnier as it unfolds.
You belong to The Ascent Group, but can you survive without it? Publisher Curve Digital and Swedish indie studio Neon Giant are excited to invite gamers to make their mark in the brave new world of Veles, as the studio’s highly anticipated debut title The Ascent launches today on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Xbox Game Pass at 6pm BST / 7pm CEST / 10am PDT.
A solo and co-op action-shooter RPG set in a sci-fi cyberpunk world, The Ascent is the first title from Neon Giant, a new 12-person studio composed of games industry veterans who were some of the minds behind iconic AAA titles such as the Gears of War, Bulletstorm and Wolfenstein franchises.
The Ascent sees players dive into ‘The Ascent Group’ arcology, a self-contained corporate-run metropolis, stretching high into the sky and filled with creatures from all over the galaxy. Taking on the role of an indentured worker, the world starts to go haywire when The Ascent Group shuts down for unknown reasons. Life becomes a case of survival, with rival corporations and crime syndicates looking to fill the empty space and players having to take up arms to hold them off.
“About three years ago we founded Neon Giant; a small game dev studio with the belief that with the right focus and mindset, even just a few people can create grand experiences and high quality games,” said Tor Frick, Creative Director and co-founder of Neon Giant. “We have a passion for creating living worlds and action gameplay – it’s in our DNA from our shared history in the industry and The Ascent is the result of our team’s passion and hard work.”
Fellow co-founder and Creative Director of the studio Arcade Berg added: “In The Ascent you start off at the bottom of the food chain – that’s just the life of an indent – but as you progress, you will get to grow more powerful, find shiny guns, toys and augmentations making you able to live out your twisted power fantasies – if you choose – with robot tentacles coming out of your back. We will take you across the world, wide and high, in a megacity filled with turmoil and introduce you to characters who have found ways to thrive in this environment. We hope our game is as fun and exciting for you playing it as it was for us to make it.”
About The Ascent
The Ascent offers players the chance to step into an action-orientated sci-fi RPG powered by Unreal Engine that takes the genre to new levels, available to play in both single-player and up to four-player co-op. The game will target 60 fps and have full 4K support on the Xbox Series X, offering amazing gameplay performance for new generation console players.
Features:
A free-roam play style in a cyberpunk inspired dystopian world
Classic RPG mechanics to enable players to build up their character including cyberware, augmentations and looting
An unprecedented sense of verticality within its world, with different levels and platforms discernible within play
Double-aim mechanic enables players to utilise the full screen and choose between multiple targets anywhere in the environment
A narrative-led adventure playable in single and up to four-player co-op modes
The Ascent is now available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles and PC and Xbox Game Pass.
Natsume Inc., a worldwide developer and publisher of family-oriented video games, today announced Harvest Moon: One World will be launching this August on Xbox One and Xbox Series X. The game is rated E for Everyone and will retail for $49.99 USD. In addition, all four DLC packs for the game will be available for purchase at launch, either individually, or in a bundle! The game can be pre-ordered today at GameStop.
A New Harvest Moon with Global Appeal! Take a trip around the world in the latest entry in the long-running Harvest Moon series! Players will ride camels across the deserts of Pastilla, venture deep into the snowy mountains of Salmiakki, and even visit a volcano near the cozy mountain town of Lebkuchen!
Can you imagine a world without cabbage, tomatoes, or even carrots? Believe it or not, that’s the world you’ll find yourself in at the beginning of Harvest Moon: One World, as the Harvest Goddess, the queen of crops herself, has vanished…
However, before the Harvest Goddess disappeared from this world, she imbued the tiny Harvest Wisps with the knowledge of various seeds, thus ensuring the various fruits and vegetables of the world would not be lost. Using the power given to these Harvest Wisps, you’ll unlock various seeds as you progress through the game! But the Harvest Wisps can be tricky to find, as they all appear at different times and places. You’ll need to use your noggin to make sure you seek out as many of them as you can!
Explore 5 unique and colorful areas: the sprawling grasslands of Calisson, the gorgeous beaches of Halo Halo, the searing desert heat of Pastilla, the cozy hills of Lebkuchen, and the snowy mountains of Salmiakki!
Play as a boy or a girl and woo one of 5 handsome bachelors and 5 beautiful bachelorettes, each with their own unique personality and backstory!
Raise and keep animals such as cows, sheep, goats, and even reindeer!
Use your Expando-Farm to easily travel from one area to another!
The farming fun continues in four DLC packs! The Interior Design & Tool Upgrade Pack, Far East Adventure Pack, Precious Pets Pack, and Mythical Wild Animals Pack are available for purchase at launch!
Interior Design & Tool Upgrade Pack
Live your best life! Customize the interior of your house with 5 fabulous designs! You will also be able to upgrade your hoe, watering can, hammer, axe, and fishing rod an additional level, making growing crops, fishing, and mining easier and faster! This pack includes an additional level for all of your tools and five Different Interior Design Sets: Farm, Castle, Steampunk, Spaceship, and Starlight!
Far East Adventure Pack
A whole new world! A new chapter, new characters, and even new crops await you in the Far East Adventure Pack! Unlock an entire island! Explore the exotic land of Wagashi! Woo the locals! Meet new animals! Play though an entire new chapter in the game as you explore exotic Wagashi! Woo a new bachelor and bachelorette: the stoic Shogen and the cheery Sana! Plant new crops like rice, chop down bamboo trees, and meet some amazing new animals!
Precious Pets Pack
Adorableness Overload! From Siamese cats to silver dapple horses, the Precious Pets Pack includes 12 unique animals that will love settling down on your farm!
Mythical Wild Animals Pack
Not just in fairy tales! Chocolate mint tigers and lava rabbits, oh my! Those are just two of the 10 fanciful wild animals you will unlock in the Mythical Wild Animals Pack!
To learn more about all DLC Packs, visit the Natsume blog.
Harvest Moon: One World is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and is currently available for $49.99 USD on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.
Video game publishers All in! Games and Perp Games together with development studio, The Farm 51, are pleased to announce that Chernobylite, the highly anticipated sci-fi survival horror RPG, will be released for PlayStation 4 (Digital+Physical) and Xbox One (Digital) on September 7th, 2021.
Chernobylite will be available digitally on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One storefronts for $29.99 / €29.99 / £24.99. Fans eager to get their hands on a physical version of Chernobylite for PlayStation 4 will be able to purchase a copy from their local retailers on September 7 in North America, and on September 10 throughout Europe for an SRP of $34.99 / €34.99 / £29.99.
The physical retail edition of Chernobylite on PlayStation 4 will feature a physical map of the Exclusion Zone, digital postcards, a digital artbook ‘The Art of Chernobylite’, and more!
“With the PC launch right around the corner, we’re thrilled to reveal that we’ve locked in Chernobylite’s console release for this September,” said Piotr Żygadło, CEO at All in! Games. “Working on our first simultaneous physical release together with Perp Games has been a great experience so far and a huge milestone for All in! Games. We are confident that Chernobylite will be one of the most exciting indie games of 2021 and intend to continue to give it our full support.”
“It’s humbling to see how Chernobylite’s original concept, an interactive VR documentary, has become a full-blown video game, soon to be available across a variety of platforms,” said Wojciech Pazdur, Director of Development at The Farm 51. “We can’t wait for people to start exploring the hauntingly beautiful recreation of the real-world Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.”
About Chernobylite
Chernobylite is a science-fiction survival horror RPG, set in the hyper-realistic, 3D-scanned wasteland of Chernobyl’s Exclusion Zone. You’ll take on the role of Igor, a physicist and ex-employee of the Chernobyl Power Plant, returning to Pripyat to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his fiancee, 30 years prior. Compete with a hostile military presence and other stalkers, face supernatural creatures as well as a harsh and unforgiving environment in your search to uncover the truth. Get ready for a thrilling adventure of survival, conspiracy, horror, love, and obsession. Will you survive your fears?
Non-Linear Storytelling & Strategy –No playthrough is the same. The choices and story are in your hands. Choose wisely whether to trust your comrades or not, use resources for survival or research, and to face conflicts or avoid them. The future is up to you.
Stealth, Survival, & Combat –Survival in the Zone is not easy, and each day brings new challenges as your comrades die and supplies diminish. Avoid detection with stealth takedowns or engage in open-armed combat. Danger lurks around every corner.
Base Building & Crafting – Construct a base from which to plan your daily operations and excursions. Utilize workstations to craft gadgets, traps, and weapons, or modify existing equipment to your needs.
Resource & Team Management –Companions are key to your survival and the resolution of your journey. Each day requires careful planning and assignment of resources and tasks to your comrades.
