Indie Game Roundup – October 2023

October’s indie games are absolutely stacked. Seriously, the list this month is longer than usual because whittling it down anymore was causing us the kind of psychological pain you’d normally only endure when your two-year-old discovers the Baby Shark videos and throws a tantrum whenever the video ends. Is that good parenting? Maybe! Is it necessary to survive? Absolutely!

Along with loads of games, October brings along some of the best things of the year. An end to the summer (hopefully), Halloween, and also the constant reminder that even trees have a mortal lifespan as their leaves decay and fall off. Wait, not that last one. Look, games are good, most of you won’t read the intro anyway, so let’s just get into the list of October’s best indie games. 

Battle Shapers – 3

We love roguelikes, and Battle Shapers is an FPS sci-fi roguelike which lets you steal powers from ruthless robot overlords and, if we’re being honest, it sounds a lot like an FPS Mega Man game. That couldn’t be more of a compliment if we tried, and the graphics, absurd abilities, and over-the-top guns are all going to carry you home. Or to our deaths. Or maybe to victory. It’ll be fun no matter where you end up though.

The Lamplighters League – 3

We just wrote about the best stealth games, but it could well be that The Lamplighters League ends up being on that list once it’s out. This game sees you recruiting a team of people with unique abilities and then guiding them through various levels trying to find the Banished Court and stop them being all evil and stuff. You get to do real-time sneaking, and if you’re caught, you then get to fight it out in turn-based combat. It just looks fun, and Harebrained Schemes, the developer, has a good pedigree of games behind them. 

Worldless – 4

While we’re on the subject of pretty games, Worldless fits into that category very easily. You take control of a shape with some weapons that can jump (we’re not sure how else to describe it), and you need to explore two different realms as you continue on your adventure. Combat is actually turn-based, but exploitation is fairly free-form and looks more like a classic Metroidvania. The art style is also beautifully abstract, and the soundtrack is already incredible based on just the trailers alone.  

Stop Dead – 5

Stop Dead is a game where if you stop you’ll die, and it looks like a mix of Psy-Ops, Neon White, and Mirror’s Edge. You take control of a telekinetic heroine who can use pretty much anything as a weapon in order to try and take down a rogue AI, who’s decided humans sort of suck and deserve to die. The game has 40 levels to blitz through, and we have a feeling this will be a good one for those who like to seek perfection in their speedruns, although the novel combat should make it good for those of us with other hobbies too. 

Wizard With A Gun – 17

We’re not sure you’re meant to sing “Wizard with a Gun,” but we can’t help it. That aside, this game is a survival sandbox that you can play with a friend, and seems to mostly revolve around not just being a wizard, but then also having a gun. We’re not sure why nobody had thought to give wizards a gun before, but it definitely seems like a notable upgrade. Just imagine if they could curve bullets. Wait, they made a film about that, didn’t they? 

Hellboy Web of Wyrd – 18

We’re not sure anyone would have thought a Hellboy game would be coming out that’s a roguelike brawler, but we’re pretty happy about it. This game’s actually being made in partnership with the creator of Hellboy, Mike Mignola, and aside from the promise of lots of pummelling, we’ve got to talk about the art direction. Lots of games get compared to comic books, but Hellboy looks exactly like a visual novel, and it’s absurdly pretty as a result, the block colours and minimalistic detailing make for a feast for the eyes, so even if it’s bad, it’ll still look good. 

Cavern of Dreams – 19

Cavern of Dreams is an N64-style 3D platformer where you play as Fynn the dragon. Your mission is to save your unhatched siblings from the titular Cavern of Dreams, and along the way, you’ll get new abilities, solve loads of puzzles, and undoubtedly jump on a lot of things. Honestly though, we’re just here for the hit of nostalgia this game is offering us, because in our youths we very briefly didn’t have to pay bills, and that was great. 

Dark Envoy – 24

Our second game on this list with both guns and magic is Dark Envoy, a new RPG with tactical real-time combat. It also has online co-op, and nothing’s better than playing with your friends on the one night a month you both find time to do so. As your party is battling it out, you can briefly pause time to unleash magical skills to take out groups of enemies, separate them from their friends, or cut off their escape routes. There are multiple classes too, which should make for some good replayability if the story is worth it. 

Ghostrunner 2 – 26

Our penultimate choice for October’s indie games is Ghostrunner 2. This game describes itself as a “hardcore FPP slasher set in a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk future.” We’re going to describe it as a really fast-paced game where you get to control a cyberpunk ninja with a big old future sword who can do wall runs and stuff. The first game was magnificent, so we’ve got high hopes for this one too. 

Headbangers: Rhythm Royale – 31

You might think that Headbangers: Rhythm Royale is going to be a follow-up to Brutal Legend, albeit with less Jack Black and more EpicFortniteGamer420, but you’d be wrong. Well, maybe not about dear old EpicFortniteGamer420, but about it being anything to do with Brutal Legend. Instead, this rhythm battle royale game has you and 29 other pigeons competing against each other in lots of rhythm mini-games to see who is the most rhythmic of all. It looks like a nice change of pace, and we’re up for becoming a master-level pigeon. 

Why Evolve Deserved A Better Fate

If you haven’t heard of Evolve, I wouldn’t really blame you. Developed by Turtle Rock Studios, Evolve released all the way back in 2015 for PC and last-gen consoles and was summarily lost in the conversation that surrounded many of the big-hitters which released that year including The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Metal Gear Solid V, Rocket League and Fallout 4, to name just a few. One of the first asymmetrical online multiplayer efforts on the market, Evolve was an innovative PvPvE FPS that was way ahead of its time and certainly deserved a better fate than being delisted from basically every digital front it was originally featured on. Here’s why.

What Was Evolve All About?

Evolve was an online multiplayer first-person shooter that whisked players off to an alien planet and forced them into a fight for survival as either a gargantuan Monster seeking dominance, or a one of a team of Hunters that have been dispatched to slay said big beastie. It was a straightforward concept for sure, but Evolve integrated enough sophistication and depth into that design bedrock to make its PvPvE FPS shenanigans feel truly exceptional.

One Of The Earliest Implementations Of The Hero System

More than a full year before Overwatch would make its world-dominating debut, Evolve assembled a full and varied line-up of hero characters for players to get their teeth into. Not only do Hunters find their hero roster spread across four different class types – Assault, Medic, Support and Trapper, but there are also variations of those roles which when taken together with a range of special abilities that are unique to each Hunter, truly makes each of them feel unique. The Monsters too also feel utterly bespoke, with a vast range of different strengths and weaknesses, defensive and aggression roles, special attacks and so on to really differentiate one from the other. Sure, while Evolve did launch with a fair share of balancing issues in the early going (which hero shooter hasn’t?), the team at Turtle Rock Studios did a good enough job over the long-term making each class feel rewarding and suitably fair. 

Evolve Made The Hunters Feel And Play Like Hunters

As Hunters the idea is to track down the Monster before it consumes enough of the local wildlife to reach stage three, at which point it’ll gain exponentially in strength, stamina and acquire a range of devastating new abilities. Put simply, trying to kill a stage three Monster is an almost impossible feat and so the Hunters must do everything in their power to make sure matters don’t escalate to such a degree in the first place. As the Hunter team, tracking down the Monster before this happens isn’t so straightforward as just cutting across the map until you find them, instead Evolve makes you work for your quarry and in doing so leverages a number of real-life hunting aspects to satisfyingly bring this side of the game to life.

Luckily, a talented team of Hunters has ample opportunity to prevent the Monster from reaching stage three. From massive footprints in the soil, to leftover half-eaten carcasses, distant sounds and the sight of a flock of birds being disturbed, there is no shortage of methods that Hunters can use to track down their monstrous opposition. Certainly doing so, especially against an experienced Monster player, remains one of the most satisfying moments you can savour in an online multiplayer game. 

Playing As The Monster Surprisingly Combines Stealth And Strategy To Great Effect

As the Monster, the dynamic changes entirely. Rather than rushing to confront your foes when you’ll be at your weakest, sharp-minded Monster players will want to put as much distance between them and the Hunters as possible, all the while chewing up as many smaller creatures as possible to fortify your strength ahead of a transformation to the next stage of your evolution. Doing this however is much easier said than done, as you’ll need to be able to read the movements of the Hunters as well as avoiding a range of natural hazards in the environment which might give away your position, or worse still, gravely injure your fresh-faced beast. Of course the reward to successfully pulling off all this balancing act is that you gain access to the Monster’s third stage, whereupon the dynamic shifts again and now it’s the Hunters that are forced to flee from you, as your seemingly unstoppable monstrous form rampages through the map in search of a definitive victory.

A World That Constantly Wants To Kill You 

In a fashion similar to the also excellent PvPvE offering Hunt: Showdown, Evolve’s battles and Monster hunts unfold in a world filled with all manner of flora and fauna that would love nothing more than to usher you toward a fatal end. While the Hunters and the Monster have plenty to keep each other busy simply owing to their mutual hatred for one another, it would be folly to ignore the omnipresent threat that the alien planet of Shear presents to both parties.

Though there are plenty of non-threatening creatures that can be found across the surface of Shear (and it’s often these critters which prove to be a reliable meal for fledgling Monsters), everything else will have your face off in short order given half the chance. From the massive armoured Megamouth to the crocodile-like Cephalodon, danger exists everywhere for both the Hunters and the Monster. Even at stage three, while the absolutely colossal Levithaian won’t be able to kill the monster outright (even though it matches most stage three monsters in size), its vast health reserves mean that during an intense fight with a group of veteran Hunters, such a beast could prove to be a fatal distraction. 

Evolve’s Evacuation Mode Is A Tug Of War Scenario Without Equal

Though Evolve is plenty enjoyable in its default hunt game mode, it’s really the Evacuation mode that stands out as one of the best things about the Turtle Rock Studios developed effort. In Evacuation, there are five matches that are joined together with cinematic cutscenes which dynamically tell a story depending on which side wins which match and which side, Hunters or the Monster, is ultimately victorious. 

In Evacuation mode individual wins and losses in each match also mean more than just alternating cinematic flourishes, since the winning side will gain a unique advantage that they’ll take with them into the next match. If the Monster wins a match for example, it might gain thicker armour in the next round, whereas if the Hunters gain a victory, they might get access to automated turrets which will help them pile the hurt onto the Monster in the next battle. 

Regardless of how the first four rounds in Evacuation go, every fifth and final round eschews the usual hunt style gameplay in favour of a defensive round where the Hunters and Monster are forced into a final death struggle. Here, the Hunters must defend the last standing human base on Shear and also keep themselves alive into the bargain, while the Monster must destroy absolutely everything and everyone in order to succeed. It really is fantastic stuff, not least because depending on the ebb and flow of the individual rounds, each game of Evacuation feels like a mini story campaign in its own right. 

Alan Wake 2 – A Story Primer To Catch You Up With Remedy’s Stunning Sequel

If, like me, you don’t necessarily have the time to replay earlier games in a series before a highly anticipated sequel comes out to rediscover the story, searching around for a more time-friendly and easily digestible recap of the narrative is often preferable. With that in mind and with Alan Wake 2 already proving to be one of the most interesting sequels we’ve seen in a good while, here’s a story primer to get you ready for the return of gaming’s most troubled author. 

Alan Wake – The Story So Far

Seemingly afflicted with an extended bout of writer’s block (aren’t we all, eh?), Alan Wake kicks off with our titular protagonist taking the sagely advice of his agent, Barry Wheeler, to pack it all in for a bit and visit the seemingly quaint mountain town of Bright Falls, Washington, with his wife Alice. Prior to his arrival however, Alan suffers a horrifying nightmare where a group of murky looking figures attempt to end his life. Thankfully, salvation comes in the form of a mysterious figure that invades the nightmare and provides Alan with a means to fight back against these dark apparitions – a trusty flashlight that allows Alan to strip away their darkened shrouds and lay waste to their physical forms with conventional weaponry. 

Once Alan finally touches down in the Twin Peaks-esque Bright Falls, he takes a short trip to the local diner to meet with the landlord of his cabin, Carl Stucky, in order to retrieve the keys to his seemingly charming holiday home. Surprisingly, rather than Señor Stucky being present and accounted for, Alan instead runs into a distinctly creepy older woman who quickly spins him a yarn about Stucky being under the weather and thus by proxy, reveals she has apparently been trusted with the cabin keys before handing them over to Alan and Alice.

As it turns out, the cabin that this old lass directs the couple toward just happens to be in the middle of Cauldron Lake – an expanse of water that has come to form in the depths of a volcanic crater. All good omens so far then. Just as the Wakes are making themselves at home, Alice lets it slip that the main reason why they’ve taken this vacation to Bright Falls in the first place is to cure Alan of his writer’s block. Resolutely miffed by this revelation and the resultant bruising of an already bruised ego, Alan marches out of the cabin but then charges back in again when he hears Alice screaming for aid, only to see her pulled down into the murky waters of the lake by a dark presence. Distraught, Alan decides to hop into the drink after her, only to blackout as he sinks into the murky depths.

Regaining consciousness in his car, which he had seemingly driven off the road without having any memory of how he ended up there, Alan makes for a gas station that is closeby, only to be attacked by the same sort of dark, ethereal figures that attempted to murder him in his earlier nightmare. After he overcomes these enemies, the mysterious figure from that nightmare returns once more, this time leaving behind pages of ‘Departure’, a manuscript written by Alan that he predictably has no memory of writing. Essentially chronicling the events yet to come and revealing that not only are the darkness-shrouded enemies known as the ‘Taken’, but they’re also actually the good townsfolk of Bright Falls that have been possessed by an unseen evil to boot. 

Sadly having to put a wretchedly possessed Carl Stucky into the dirt after reaching the gas station, Alan then reaches out to Sheriff Sarah Breaker regarding Alice’s disappearance. The kicker however, is that only does the good sheriff inform Alan that neither the cabin, nor the island that it sat upon exist any longer, but she also believes him to be a mental health risk and so takes him to the nearby police station just as Alan’s agent, Barry Wheeler, arrives in Bright Falls.

During his time at the police station, Alan receives a call from an individual who claims to be Alice’s kidnapper and somewhat cryptically, the kidnapper wants all of the pages from Departure in exchange for Alice. After tracking them down to a park closeby and engaging in a scrap that sees the kidnapper flee the scene, Alan regroups with Barry to track down more pages of Departure, alerting FBI agent Robert Nightingale to their activities in the process. Once all of the pages have been collected, Alan tracks down the kidnapper to trade all of the pages for Alice – only to stumble upon the mysterious old woman from earlier torturing the kidnapper into admitting that he never took Alice hostage. Before Alan can react, a massive tornado emerges out of nowhere, catapulting Alan into the depths of Cauldron Lake.

Awakening in a nearby lodge, Alan finds he is under the care of Emil Hartman, a psychiatrist who tells Alan he is going through a psychotic break brought about by the trauma of Alice’s disappearance. As a horde of Taken attack the lodge, Alan begins to make his escape, discovering that the kidnapper was a ruse used by Hartman to bring Alan to his lodge. After escaping the lodge and observing the shadow shroud consume the entire structure behind them, Alan and Barry start to uncover the truth of Cauldron Lake from the cowed denizens of Bright Falls.

Chiefly, the duo discover that an unseen horror which goes by the moniker of the ‘Dark Presence’ is locked within the deep watery expanse of the lake, leveraging the ancient powers of the lake to merge reality and fiction into one. As it turns out, the last time the Dark Presence did this it afflicted Thomas Zane, an old poet that just happened to be the mysterious figure that helped out Alan earlier on during his first nightmare, showing him how to destroy the Taken in the process. Furthermore, it’s also revealed that the old woman which Alan met at the local diner, was actually the Dark Presence taking on the appearance of Barbara Jagger, the wife of Thomas Zane who had drowned in the lake many years before.

Realising that history is repeating itself with the Dark Presence leveraging Alice to coerce Alan into the lake so that he can essentially use his writing abilities to blur fiction and reality yet further still, Alan and Barry set out to confront the Dark Presence. However at this point, the ever-persistent Agent Nightingale has caught up with them and promptly arrests the pair, only for the Taken to attack the police station and drag the hapless agent into the grim darkness.

After meeting up with Sheriff Breaker, who has seen enough of this insanity to be properly on board with the whole thing, Alan and Barry are pointed in the direction of a hermit who was an acquaintance of Thomas Zane and has long been preparing for the return of the Dark Presence. A big part of that preparation is a place known as the ‘Well-Lit Room’ – an ethereal area into which the ‘Clicker’ is embedded. An immensely powerful light switch that can channel the power of Alan’s scribble power to wreck the Dark Presence, Alan takes the Clicker and then quickly dives into the depths of Cauldron Lake by himself.

Finding himself seemingly trapped in an extra-dimensional plane of existence known as the ‘Dark Place’, Alan quickly realises that mere thoughts can be made real in this dimension and so after confronting Barbara Jagger, ruins her completely with the Clicker and seemingly expels the influence of the Dark Presence in the process. The stinger of course, is that in order to keep a semblance of balance in the story, Alan must sacrifice himself by finishing the final pages of Departure, stranding himself in the Dark Place while his wife Alice goes free in the waking world. 

Trapped in the Dark Place, Alan soon realises that he is the cause of his current predicament and must reconcile the many elements of his now shattered persona in order to use the power of his writings to free himself. In doing so, Alan returns to his typewriter and begins feverishly typing away on an all-new story titled ‘Return’. 

Alan Wake II – A Synopsis 

Unfolding some thirteen years after Alan Wake was reported missing, FBI Agent Saga Anderson is tasked with visiting Bright Falls to investigate a spate of occult murders that have been reported in the town. Upon arriving, she soon finds herself drawn into a terrifying story of seemingly endless horrors that Alan has written in order to engineer his escape from the Dark Place. In Alan Wake II players will control both Saga Anderson and Alan Wake as the two sides of their very different stories converge.

Shop Alan Wake II for PC

Now you should be ready to catch up with our missing author and discover the true mysteries that lurk beneath the surface of the world. Head over to the Green Man Gaming store and pick up Alan Wake II for PC today.

Everything You Need To Know About Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Arguably one of the most anticipated superhero video game titles ever, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 arrives not only with great fanfare but also standing atop the lofty shoulders of its two fantastic predecessors, Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Bigger and more ambitious in every way, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 looks set to be a marquee superhero extravaganza when it releases this October.

Be sure to keep this guide in your favourites as we cover everything you need to know about Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 including the release date, PC release, gameplay details, latest trailer, and more.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Release Date

The Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 release date has officially been confirmed as October 20, 2023. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is set to have a full release on PlayStation 5, where it will launch as a console exclusive for Sony’s current generation platform. Despite both Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales releasing on PlayStation 4, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will not see a release on Sony’s last-gen console. 

What about the PC Release?

While a Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PC release has yet to be confirmed, it would seem only to be a matter of time until it is. With Sony aggressively bringing great swathes of its PlayStation Studios portfolio to PC, including the recent likes of The Last of Us Part 1 and of course both Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales, this would seem to be very much a matter of ‘when’, rather than ‘if’, so stay tuned. 

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Story

Set ten months after the events chronicled in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, this Spidey sequel reunites both Peter Parker and Miles Morales as the latter is now much more comfortable in his superhero role, while the former welcomes his much missed friend, Harry Osborn back to the sprawl of the Big Apple after an extended time away. Naturally, it isn’t long before some really, really bad dudes show up and seemingly the first of these is Kraven the Hunter, the leader of a band of mercenaries known as ‘The Hunters’, Kraven finds himself drawn to New York City as he hunts down super-powered individuals such as Miles Morales and Peter Parker.

Of course the wild card in all of this is Venom, an alien symbiote that has found its way to earth and when it melds with a host, amplifies their primal strengths and aggression often at the expense of just about everything else. Naturally because Peter Parker can never seem to have a good day, Venom soon melds with Peter, forcing him to confront the darker side of himself that will seek justice at seemingly any cost – including that of his friends’ well-being. To drive home the point that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 would impart a darker tale, Marvel Games head honcho Bill Rosemann has previously described the narrative of Insomniac’s Spidey squeal as being ‘a little darker’, likening the tone to Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back in something of an eyebrow raising revelation.

Confirmed Characters

marvel's spider-man 2 confirmed characters

The breadth and width of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s narrative is such that it boasts a gargantuan cast of characters when compared to its predecessors. Here is every confirmed character for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2:

  • Ganke Lee
  • Harry Osborn
  • Kraven
  • Lizard (Curt Connors) 
  • Mary-Jane Watson
  • Martin Li/Mister Negative
  • Norman Osborn
  • Rio Morales
  • Spider-Man (Miles Morales)
  • Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
  • Venom
  • Wraith (Yuri Watanabe) 

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Gameplay

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Gameplay

On the whole, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 doesn’t stray from the open-world, third-person platforming combat shenanigans that cemented the two previous games in the series as some of the best superhero video games ever made. As such, players can certainly expect to be swinging around a pristine digital rendition of New York City, beating up all manner of gangsters and supervillains, all the while completing a range of side missions, main missions and additional activities.

In terms of the new stuff, one of the biggest new features that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 brings to the table, is that it allows players to switch between Peter Parker and Miles Morales on the fly whenever you’re freely roaming the massive urban expanse of New York City. More than that, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 also has bespoke missions and activities for each of the Spider-Men too, providing Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 with the sort of dynamically integrated narrative that was missing from the previous two games in the series. Furthering the hugely enjoyable combat of the two previous Marvel’s Spider-Man titles, both Peter Parker and Miles Morales now have the ability to parry incoming attacks – a crucial new feature since certain foes have attacks that our collective Spider-Men will be unable to evade. 

Elsewhere, traversal has seen a massive upgrade thanks to the addition of Web Wings to the Spidey suits which both Miles and Peter use, allowing them to swoop across the city and cover far more ground than they otherwise would be able to. As one might well expect, the skill trees from the previous games have also seen a sizable expansion, with a range of additional gadgets, mods and new abilities all neatly augmenting the capabilities of our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Men. Whether it’s the Web Line web-shooter mod that allows our heroes to shoot a line between two surfaces to create an additional pathway above enemies during a stealth section, or the Web Grabber that can silently neutralise a number of foes at once, players will be glad to see that the creative latitude for Spidey shenanigans in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is pleasingly broad. 

Bolstering all of this yet further still, is the addition of a third skill tree which enables the development of shared skills between Miles Morales and Peter Parker, deepening still the progression that is available to players in this regard. It doesn’t even end there either, because when Peter finds himself connected to the Venom symbiote, he gains additional web and tendril based attacks to boot as well. Put simply, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 looks to exceed the previous two games in the series in just about every way.

Where Can I Watch The Latest Trailer?

The latest trailer for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is available to watch right now and you can catch it above. Zeroing in on Insomniac’s massively improved take on New York City, this latest trailer for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 delves into the sizable upgrades that this digital rendition of the Big Apple has received, from the additional two boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn, through to the improved traversal methods and much more besides. 

Everything You Need To Know About Lords Of The Fallen (2023)

One of the most promising Soulslike titles to come along in a good while, Lords of the Fallen looks set to not only bring Epic’s Unreal Engine 5 kicking and screaming into the genre, but also seeks to innovate in a number of unique ways to satisfy veterans and bring newcomers into the Soulslike fold. 

Be sure to keep this guide in your favourites as we cover everything you need to know including the release date, gameplay details, latest trailer, PC specifications and more.

Lords Of The Fallen Release Date

The Lords of the Fallen release date has officially been confirmed as October 13, 2023. Lords of the fallen is set to have a full release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X consoles and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. Given its use of Unreal Engine 5, Lords of the Fallen has somewhat predictably not been confirmed for a release on the last generation PlayStation 4 or Xbox One consoles, or Nintendo Switch, as of right now. 

Is Lords Of The Fallen A Remake Or A Sequel?

The answer is that 2023’s Lords of the Fallen is actually both a remake and a sequel to 2014’s Lords of the Fallen release, as it takes place more than one thousand years after the events of the original game. A veritable kick in the privates for SEO chasing folks everywhere, this year’s Lords of the Fallen has exactly the same name as the original. Though somewhat hilariously, it wasn’t always this way however, as Hexworks’ Soulslike sequel/reboot actually began life as ‘Lords of the Fallen 2’, then was renamed to ‘The Lords of the Fallen’ before finally becoming, rather confusingly, just ‘Lords of the Fallen’. Not confusing at all is it?

Lords Of The Fallen Gameplay

Being very much a Soulslike effort, it probably doesn’t come as any sort of great surprise that Lords of the Fallen is a punishing, third-person action RPG with an emphasis on super precise combat. Casting players as one of the last Dark Crusaders, it has you tearing across a broken world, destroying monsters, uncovering loot and vanquishing ultra-hard bosses. Or at least trying to.

Boasting a game world that is more than five times the size of the realm that players were treated to in its predecessor, this game showcases far more complex and sophisticated worlds that are all interconnected by a vast range of corridors, walkways and hidden passages.

Of course being a Soulsike, Lords of the Fallen also encompasses many of the typical design elements one would expect to see in such titles. Front and centre naturally, is the concept of regenerating enemies whenever you hit a save point, elsewhere and much like other Soulslike offerings from years past, there is a dynamic PvPvE element, where players can be summoned to take down challenging foes in co-op or can invade your game session and make things, well, very bad indeed.

Perhaps the biggest way that Lords of the Fallen separates itself from its peers is in how Hexworks effort deals with death. Rather than just having your hapless, vanquished form rise up from the ground to get battered all over again, the game has you fighting your way through a deathly realm, tangling with all manner of spectres and monsters as you seek to return to your body.

Lords Of The Fallen Classes 

There are currently no less than nine starting classes in Lords of the Fallen, with one additional class that is unlocked separately to bring that total to ten classes overall. From the melee focused Mournstead Infantry, to the arcane arsenal of the Pyric Cultist, you can catch each class below.

  • Blackfeather Ranger 
  • Condemned
  • Dark Crusader
  • Exiled Stalker
  • Hallowed Knight
  • Mournstead Infantry
  • Orian Preacher
  • Partisan
  • Pyric Cultist
  • Udirangr Warwolf

Where Can I Watch The Latest Trailer?

The latest trailer for Lords of the Fallen is available to watch right now and you can catch it above. Far from the slender pickings that we so often get with trailers these days, the latest trailer is actually a mammoth seventeen minute long beast of a video that showcases a long stretch of impressive and uninterrupted gameplay from CI Games latest effort. Given the sheer length of the trailer, it’s no surprise that much of the game’s design is on show. From the punishing combat with all manner of wonderfully grotesque enemies, to the exploration of grim, sprawling lands, this latest trailer arguably provides the best taste of things to come. 

Lords Of The Fallen PC System Requirements

One of the few games in 2023 to leverage Epic’s cutting edge Unreal Engine 5 to fill out a sprawling and opulent dark fantasy world filled with detailed environments and stellar character model work, it’s perhaps somewhat predictable that the PC specs are appropriately high as a result. Perhaps the most telling point of all from the system specifications is that the recommended rig is only for 1080p high quality settings. This means that somewhat inevitably, the PC specs at higher resolutions and quality settings will be much higher than even the currently quoted recommended specification. You can catch the PC system requirements as it currently stands below. 

Minimum: 

  • OS: Windows 10 64bit
  • Processor: intel i5 8400 | AMD Ryzen 5 2600
  • Memory: 12 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 6GBs VRAM | NVIDIA GTX-1060 | AMD Radeon RX 590
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Storage: 45 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: 720p Low Quality Settings | SSD (Preferred) | HDD (Supported)

Recommended:

  • OS: Windows 10 64bit
  • Processor: intel i7 8700 | AMD Ryzen 5 3600
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 8GBs VRAM | NVIDIA RTX-2080 | AMD Radeon RX 6700
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 45 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: 1080p High Quality Settings | SSD Required

Shop Lords of the Fallen PC

Now you know what you need to know it’s time to venture out into the darkness and pick up Lords of the Fallen for PC over on our Green Man Gaming store. Get an unbeatable deal and prepare yourself to die, die, and die again.

GTFO Everything you need to know – Updated

GTFO is a hardcore 4 player co-op FPS game where players descend into a brutal underground facility in a desperate fight for survival. Released on the 10th of December, 2021, GTFO has received a ton of updates making it bigger, better, and more deadly. 

Are you brave enough to enter the Rundown? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is GTFO? 

In GTFO you play as a prisoner, dropped into the Rundown to complete work orders assigned to you by the mysterious Warden. As GTFO is a co-op FPS you’ll be working alongside three other players as you try to survive, exploring a colossal subterranean series of levels known as The Complex. 

GTFO is about good communication and working together in order to complete multi-objective expeditions. The Rundown will act as your mission hub and will change what expeditions are available to you at various times. Some expedition sets may be more difficult to complete and will, therefore, remain active for a month or so. Additionally, others may only appear for a few days before the Rundown changes, offering new challenges. 

The deeper you go, the tougher the challenges will become. With no traditional mission structure, the concept of The Rundown is an interesting one that keeps the game feeling fresh as it rotates its expeditions for players.

It’s dark, it’s scary and you’re going to get killed a lot, but try not to worry too much, you will have some kick-ass equipment to help you survive.

GTFO Gameplay

The key to your success in your missions is making the most of your equipment and weapons. Not only that but learning the layout of the facilities you’re entering will help you achieve your goals. Ammo will be limited, so making sure shots count is vital. You’ll also have access to a number of gadgets to help give you the edge in a fight. 

For example, the motion tracker is vital to planning how you approach rooms; it will show where enemies may be waiting on the other side of doors. The mine deployer and sentry turret will help with creating deadly traps to lure creatures towards. Additionally the foam launcher will slow down enemies by blocking up doorways or by firing it directly on to your enemy. 

You will also die a fair amount, but when you do you’re able to take what you’ve learned from that failed expedition and use it in the next one. Each expedition will take you to various parts of the facility and will feature different styles, objectives and other conditions.

Survive, Fight, Die, Live

GTFO features a disgusting cast of hideous creations to sneak or fight your way past – but trust me, you should try sneaking as much as possible.Many of the creatures you encounter when playing GTFO are in a state of suspended hibernation. This gives you ample chance to go in quiet and achieve your objectives without fighting off hordes of horrible monsters.

But when things do go wrong, you’ve got a ton of weaponry to hand to be able to hold the hordes at bay. Be warned though – GTFO is a hardcore FPS. and death lurks around every corner. If you don’t set up choke points, communicate with your team, or use the right weapons, your team is toast. And we don’t want that.

What’s new in GTFO?

GTFO has received loads of updates following its launch. The latest, ALT://Rundown 6.0 Destination, has increased the amount of punishing expeditions you and your team can take on to 71. 

Complete new objectives, experience 13 new expeditions, fight threats, and earn new rewards. With a brand-new Spartacus MX-2 Helmet to unlock and the devastating Drekker INEX Drei Scattergun, there’s plenty of reasons to dive back into The Complex in this latest update.

If you need to know more – check out the gameplay trailer above to whet your appetite.

Buy GTFO Today

Shop GTFO today

Now you should be ready to begin your descent into The Complex to test your FPS skills with your team. First, head over to our Green Man Gaming store and pick up GTFO for an unbeatable price. Then lock and load – you’ll need to prepare if you’re to survive what’s to come.

The Best Indie Stealth Games

The best stealth games are the ones that let you live out your sneaky dreams, and probably save scum your way to victory. Carefully plotting and planning the perfect route is something that Assassin’s Creed games sometimes let you do, but the indie stealth scene is a lot more varied. We’ve got all sorts of different viewpoints and styles on this list of the best stealth games. 

Stealth can be found in a lot of different ways in games. Sometimes it’s all about picking the perfect moment to steal something, sometimes it’s all about evading detection so you never have to fight, and sometimes it’s about sneaking around so you have an advantage when you do fight. Because the world of stealth is so varied, so is our list of the best stealth games, so let’s get stuck in. 

Invisible, Inc

Despite being eight years old, Invisible, Inc remains one of the best stealth games around thanks to an excellent cast of characters, an incredible level of customization, and endlessly replayable campaigns thanks to randomly generated missions. Plus, the animation style holds up incredibly well, which is always nice. 

You have to guide agents through a highly-strung world as you try and complete missions and become more powerful as you go. It’s an incredibly fun system, and the turn-based nature of things allows for more surgical control of everything, and the results are more satisfying as a result. 

Mark of the Ninja

Mark of the Ninja was made by the same people as Invisible, Inc, so you know it’s gotta be good. It’s a little odd that one company is so good at stealth games that they’ve made two completely different ones that both sit among the best stealth games, but hey, we’re not complaining. 

Mark of the Ninja (we’ve linked to the remastered one because it’s shinier) is an incredible action stealth game where you use cursed tattoos to give you superhuman abilities, and you then get to decide how you want to approach each mission. You can choose to kill everyone as you go or only hurt people when it’s necessary. Plus, you get cooler tools and techniques as you go to keep things interesting. 

Gloomwood

Despite being in Early Access, Gloomwood is an exquisite stealth game, and one that you should absolutely be spending your time in. You play as someone trapped in a Victorian city that’s being rapidly consumed by a horrifying curse, and the only way you’re going to get out alive is being really sneaky. 

Aside from some incredibly unusual weapons, you can use pretty much anything you find to help you out, because it’s got that immersive sim blood in it. Gloomwood has major horror themes too, so you’ll really want to stay hidden most of the time, which adds to the immersion the game offers. 

Aragami 2

We’ve got more ninjas for you, because of course we do; this is a list of the best stealth games. Aragami 2 casts you as a mystical and powerful ninja who can fight off invaders and take on contracts to power yourself up and help the shadow clan survive. Unlike many stealth games, this one is filled to the brim with magical powers, which is great fun. 

Also, it’s co-op, and being able to sneak around as a group and time takedowns perfectly or all gang up on troublesome enemies that can’t be surprised. It’s a huge amount of fun either way, but playing through with some friends is definitely the best way to do it, especially if you all have different playstyles. 

Intravenous

Intravenous is a top-down tactical shooter where stealth plays a huge role. While you can theoretically blast your way through things, it’s generally not a wise way to approach things, because while you’re definitely a powerhouse, you’re also outgunned almost constantly, so going in loud is a pretty quick way to end yourself. 

You can enter vent shafts to stay save, shoot out lights to make yourself harder to detect, and even imitate the guard’s loved ones to distract them. It’s somehow incredibly silly and also very violent, which makes for a great way to spend a few hours if you’re looking for some sometimes sneaky, sometimes shooty action. 

Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine

While heist games aren’t strictly the same thing as stealth games, you do have to be sneaky in them, and that means we can put Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine on our list of the best stealth games. You can’t stop us; we’ve already sneaked into your home and added it to the list, or something. 

Anyway, Monaco is a heist game where you get to play as different thieves who need to use their unique skills to find out where whatever you’re trying to steal is, shut down any security or guards that are in the way, and then sneak out again without getting caught. It’s great in single-player, but we recommend you play with friends so one of you can be annoying and loud and mess it all up every time. 

Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew

Finally, we have Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, which is a very new game that lets you not only be cursed pirates, but also be very sneaky about it. It sounds like the dream of every 11-year-old there’s ever been, and the game just so happens to be absolutely incredible to boot, which is always nice, and also fairly important for this list. 

Shadow Gambit lets you plan and pull off incredible heists to steal mysterious treasures from the army of the Inquisition, and use the various magical skills of your crew to do so. You get to choose your crew as you wish and learn how they operate and who they are as you go, and even hang out on a ghost ship too. It’s all very cool, and it’s just a blast to play.

The Best Indie FPS Games

The best first-person shooters aren’t always the ones that you’ve heard of. There are loads of lists out there with games filled to the brim with games like Call of Duty and Battlefield, but you already know all of those. So, what if we took a look at the more indie side of things and listed the best first-person shooters that you might not have heard of? 

That’s a rhetorical question, because we’re going to do it anyway because it seems like a good idea. After all, surely the aim of a good list is to bring to your attention games you might not know. So, here are seven of the best first-person shooters that you might not have heard of, and there are plenty of guns to find and bullets to shoot in each of them. Pew pew?

Bright Memory: Infinite

Bright Memory: Infinite is a game all about style. It combines the gameplay of a first-person shooter with the feel of something more akin to Devil May Cry. Sure, you’ll be shooting at things, but your aim is often about doing so stylishly, and you get to guide the heroine as she blitzes her way through countless enemies in a lot of different scenarios.

Aside from being staggeringly pretty, the gameplay feels absolutely incredible, and the whole experience feels a bit like a tech demo fever dream, and we mean that in the most complimentary way possible. It’s also under £20 without DLC, and only just over if you decide you want to dress the main character in different clothes. This is a first-person game though, so we’d advise against it. 

BattleBit Remastered

If you’d rather play something that’s all about the multiplayer side of things, then good news, because BattleBit Remastered is here, and it’s a staggering monument to the joys of shooting at other digital people. This game has a little more Battlefield in it than Call of Duty, but the variety of weapons and vehicles on display will make you happy either way. 

This game pits groups of up to 254 players against each other in teams and asks them to try and attack and defend objectives, or just shoot each other a lot. There are different classes to learn, loads of weapons which you can customise, and a fair few vehicles to hop in as well. There’s even proximity voice chat, which is great if you want to hear everyone being dejected as you beat them again and again. 

BPM: Bullets Per Minute

BPM: Bullet Per Minute is a rhythm-action FPS roguelike. Which is a lot of SEO words in one game description, but to be fair to it, all of them are true. Shooting and moving to the beat while fighting off demons is an incredibly strange thing to get used to, but once you get the feel of it, you’re basically just playing a really rhythmic Doom. 

The roguelike nature of BPM means that you’ll see different things every time you play, get different weapons, and get different abilities too. There are loads of horrifying demons to try and take out as you dance around, and there are even multiple characters to unlock who play a little bit differently too. 

Severed Steel

Destructible environments are painfully absent these days, and we’re sick of it. Red Faction promised us all the ability to tunnel through walls using rocket launchers, and the fact that it’s not always the case is very upsetting. Severed Steel has fully destructible levels though, and it’s also about moving well and being incredibly cool as you do so. 

If you’re the kind of person who loves perfecting every single motion in a game, then Severed Steel is an absolute treat for both you and your soul. It’s still fun even if you’re a klutz who just about muddles through, but it’s definitely at its best when you’re trying to save precious seconds off of every level. 

Gunfire Reborn 

Gunfire Reborn might just be the best first-person shooter roguelike out there. You play as one of multiple anthropomorphised animals who all have different abilities, including, but not limited to, dual-wielding explosive guns, flying kicks, controlling a mech suit, and the ability to stop time for enemies.


Each character has several upgrade paths that can be unlocked as you progress which can make the same character play in several different ways, the weapons are all incredible and have genuinely inspired reload animations, and there are multiple difficulty settings and multiple modes too. Plus it’s co-op, which just makes the game even better in our opinion. 

SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE

SUPERHOT is a game where time only moves when you do. If you want to play it at its best, then get the VR version, because it’s just life-changing. This version is still incredible though, and while it’s not quite an FPS game in the traditional sense, it does have guns and is played in the first-person perspective, so it’s close enough. 

Each level is a puzzle that you get to solve with violence. You’ll need to punch enemies if they get too close, steal weapons from their hands, dodge bullets, and occasionally try to take out a helicopter gunner with an ashtray or something. Just go and play it already, it’s worth your time, money, and a little bit of your soul too. 

Dusk

Finally we have Dusk, which is one of the games that really helped revive boomer shooters as a genre. Dusk is a retro-inspired FPS game, but one filled with plenty of modern touches. You get to take your character through groups of cultists, militants, and demons, and take them out with everything from sickles to rocket launchers, and it’s basically nonstop action throughout. 

It’s got an incredible metal soundtrack that’ll have your feet tapping and your head banging while you play, and an endless survival mode if you just feel like blowing off steam, and there’s even an online battle mode as well. It’s just a sublime FPS game, and if you’ve yet to try it out, now seems like a very good time to do so. 

Shoulders of Giants is an incredible roguelike where you’re a frog on a mech

The roguelike field is overflowing with truly excellent games, so it can be hard to stand out. Well, what if you played as a frog that stood on top of a giant mech with a sword? That’s the core premise of Shoulders of Giants, and even if that’s all the game did right, we’d be tempted to talk about it. 

However, it’s not the only thing the game does right. In fact, Shoulders of Giants is one of those games that we think it’s really strange that nobody talks about it more. First of all, it’s co-op, and we love a good co-op roguelike, because dying a lot with a friend is the best way to mimic human interaction, or something. 

The froggy side of things handles the ranged combat, while your mech buddy will do all the melee and movement. As you play through each world, you’ll upgrade both characters with new abilities which include, but are not limited to, being able to summon a garbage truck to run over your enemies. The skills here are very inventive, and the enemy designs can match them pretty comfortably too. 

The worlds are also really easy on the eyes, the music is great, and each run feels very different, thanks to all the weird power-ups. You’ve also got a very clear meta-progression system thanks to your hub world being based around becoming more powerful overall, which helps alleviate some of the stresses that roguelikes induce in some players. 

We just think it’s neat, and if you’ve been waiting for a roguelike that does things a little bit differently, then Shoulders of Giants is a great shout. Also, and we can’t stress this enough, you get to play as a frog with a gun on top of a mech with a sword. 

Superliminal Will Bend Your Brain Into New Shapes

Puzzle games come in a lot of forms. There are things like match-3 puzzles, mazes, word puzzles, and more. Some of the best puzzle games are the ones that play with your expectations though, and Superliminal won’t just play with them; it’ll ruin them forever with its unusual blend of perception-based puzzling, and completely absurd solutions. 

Puzzles in this game have you coming across a seemingly unreachable ledge, or a place where you clearly need a specific item, but with no version of that item around. You then have to look around the world to see if you can find a picture of that item, or a small box that you can turn into a massive box by moving it closer to you and plonking it down. 

One of our favourite puzzles involves the moon, and we’re not going to say anymore about it because we’d be giving the game away, but we spent dozens of minutes on it fruitlessly before finally solving it, and being amazed at just how inventive the solutions could be. 

There’s also one section that changes the feel of Superliminal completely and will have you on the edge of your seat, but again, we don’t want to spoil things. Just trust us when we say that, if you can, playing this in one sitting is the best way to do so, and if you can get a group huddled around a computer, all of whom haven’t played it, then you’ll find it even more enjoyable. 

Plus, if you really like how it does things, you can get a similar experience from Viewfinder, which is a few years newer, and involves pictures instead of just celestial bodies. Look at that, we’ve sneakily recommended two games in one place. You can’t do anything about it either, that’s just how it is now. 

Orx is a tactical roguelike tower defence game filled with cool power ups and interesting decisions

Orx is a roguelike tower defence game where, instead of just building towers, you build up a whole city in each level. Each level has you placing cards down to change the way your city evolves; sometimes those will be roads that will help you generate money, sometimes they’ll be a military camp to create a moveable defence force, and sometimes they’ll be upgrades or tactical changes. 

As it stands, there are two different factions to choose from. The first one, the Rune Wardens you control build up immense castles which rain arrows upon anything that comes near them, while the second one, the Dune Reavers, is all about roaming mercenary groups. There’s going to be more coming during the Early Access period too, and that can only be good. 

There’s a huge difference in how you can play these groups, and it means that there are loads of options for each individual match, as well as each playthrough on the whole. For example, the Rune Wardens can do huge damage by creating an absolutely massive castle at its centre, but the range of it might not be enough to take out the enemies on the outskirts of your kingdom.

So, to counter that, you might build one massive citadel at the centre of your kingdom, but you’ll need different outposts dotted around to truly defend yourself. You can then upgrade those further with different arrow types, or attack speed upgrades via various cards. There are loads of cards to unlock and upgrade as you go as well, which can completely change your strategy. 

It’s just a very satisfying way to spend a few hours of your time, and you can even save your progress in each run and jump back in later, which is a feature every roguelike really needs to sort out as soon as it can. 

Indie Game Roundup – September 2023

The best indie games coming in September are going to gently ease you into the Autumnal months and into a warm embrace. Summer is setting now, if you actually had one this year, and sure, it’s unseasonably warm basically everywhere in the world right now, but why worry about that when you could be ignoring everything around you in favour of playing some games? 

Sure, some people would call that escapism, but maybe those people own rocket ships and can go to other planets if things get worse. Anyway, games are good, and the best September indie games are going to be great. Here we’ve got seven different games to check out, and you’ll be able to find something to look forward to here for sure. 

Dreamers – 1

A good game doesn’t always have to involve loads of action. A lot of truly excellent games are about puzzles and exploration, maybe some cool mini-games. That’s what’s going on here with Dreamers, which promises to take you on an emotional journey about friendship and personal growth. You’ll get to meet loads of interesting NPCs, explore some beautiful places, and have some fun in mini-games too. 

Chants of Sennaar – 5

Next, we have Chants of Sennaar, which actually has a demo if you want to try it out without paying. Chant of Sennaar has you playing as a traveller who stumbles across the Peoples of the Tower, very heavily inspired by the myth of Babel, and your role is to try and reunite them all. You’ll need to use your head to do this though, as there are plenty of mysteries to uncover and solve, and the art style is stunning. 

Lies of P – 19

You’ve probably heard of Lies of P because this new Soulslike game turns Pinocchio into a Twink and then covers the whole thing in a layer of Bloodborne, the likes of which PC players have never seen before. The game looks amazing, undoubtedly, with slick action, some cool weapon creation ideas, and a unique lie mechanic that’ll test Pinocchio’s integrity. We’re just hoping that last feature really shines, because it could make for a truly unique Soulslike if so. 

Witchfire – 20

Witchfire has one of the wildest sentences we’ve seen on a store page; it reads “from the creators of Painkiller, Bulletstorm, and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter.” It’s just a strange mix of games, and one of them seemingly doesn’t belong there. Despite that, it’s all there, and we can’t help but be interested in this new roguelite shooter as a result. It’s actually only hitting Early Access this month, but watch the trailer for it, and we reckon you’ll be all-in, just like we are. 

Party Animals – 20

Party Animals has you and your friends becoming animals, and then throwing down against each other. It’s clearly very silly, and has more than a touch of Gang Beasts within it. The world needs more games like Gang Beasts, so we’re very glad to see this one coming up, especially as it seems to add a few more weapons and modes to the over-the-top floppy physics. Also the pig looks punk, and how can you not love that? 

PayDay 3 – 21

We’re pretty sure everyone owns a copy of PayDay 2, even if they’ve not played it. Seriously it’s hard to imagine a situation where someone doesn’t because the game is ubiquitous. Naturally then, the sequel to that game is going to be a big deal, and with the heavily-upgraded graphics, a host of new abilities, and a generally slicker feel, PayDay 3 looks like it’ll be an absolute blast to jump into. Just make sure you can actually trust your friends to be competent, because they’re going to get you all killed otherwise. 

Fortune’s Run – 28

indie games september 2023 - fortune's run

Fortune’s Run looks awesome. We mean that in terms of visuals and gameplay elements. This first-person shooter lets you punch and kick if you want to, interact with the world to pull off awesome environmental kills, hack things, sneak, and just generally get all into the immersive sim side of things. It also looks like it’s a game from the 90s in the best possible way, and it even has a demo if you prefer to check things out before getting stuck in. 

All Robocop Games Ranked

With 1980s movie tie-in wizards Teyon bringing everybody’s favourite tin-plated copper back for the forthcoming RoboCop: Rogue City, now seems as good a time as any to take a look back at how the law enforcing cyborg has fared in video games up until now. From the arcades to home computers and consoles, here is every RoboCop game ranked from worst to best.

RoboCop (2003)

Inspired by the films rather than directly based upon any of them and whispered in the same company as such fantastically terrible offerings as Superman 64, RoboCop’s 2003 release was a travesty of epic proportions that ensured it remained at the absolute nadir of RoboCop video game tie-ins. Released for PS2, Xbox and Gamecube home consoles, 2003’s RoboCop was an innovation bereft first-person shooter summarily undone by terribly slow movement (I know RoboCop is a plodding chap, but this was beyond silly), sluggish targeting, too many bullet sponge enemies, a lack of ammo and little or no cover to use. With nothing else to recommend this absolute stinker of a genre effort, RoboCop’s 2003 incarnation is widely recognised as one of the worst video game tie-ins of all-time. 

RoboCop (2004)

Coded in Java for the mobile phones of the early to mid 2000s, RoboCop’s 2004 offering was pretty terrible, even for the time. A side-scrolling blaster that looked to evoke fond memories of the first two games from 1988 and 1990 respectively while channelling the story beats of the first movie, RoboCop’s mobile debut was a sluggish and audio-visually ugly take on the franchise. From the incredibly slow moving sprites, to the glitchy animations, unresponsive controls and ear-clawingly terrible sound effects where gunshots sounded like musical instruments going off rather than anything approximating actual gunfire, RoboCop’s mobile debut is weapons grade awful and should be avoided like a fast moving van filled with barrels of corrosive acid. 

RoboCop (2014)

A tie-in of sorts to that risible remake of the original movie which nobody asked for, 2014’s RoboCop was developed exclusively for mobile platforms and, well, the overzealous approach to squeezing your wallet for all its worth with a range of costly microtransactions that don’t so much compliment the game but rather exist at its core, was emblematic of similar offerings from that period of time. No better way to steal money than free enterprise, I guess. Anyway, beyond its ultra-grabby and cynical pay-to-win sensibilities, 2014’s RoboCop also happened to be a resolutely dull, third-person cover shooter where its titular protagonist would blast through waves of machines and other such enemies in a holographic training simulation. That said, the quality of the character models was actually pretty decent for the time, so that’s something, eh?

RoboCop 3 (1991-1993)

While the truth is that quite honestly there are no good versions of RoboCop 3 simply because all of them represent varying degrees of mediocrity and awfulness, what is intriguing is just how vastly different the home console versions were from the home computer iterations of the game. While the 8-bit and 16-bit versions of RoboCop 3 were depressingly terrible side-scrolling blasters that weren’t a patch on either of its two predecessors, the Amiga, Atari ST and PC versions of the same game were an entirely different proposition altogether. Taking place entirely from a first-person perspective, RoboCop 3 had you driving around Detroit shooting up fully polygonal, three-dimensional enemies in a way that felt oddly cutting edge – at least on the surface. Sure, both the driving and the shooting were nowhere near as satisfying as they needed to be, but by the same token it’s difficult to not be impressed by what was wrought here given the limitations of the platforms involved. Another neat fact about RoboCop 3 was that it was a tie-in to a movie that wouldn’t be released until more than two years later – essentially spoiling the plot of the third RoboCop film a good twenty-four months before it would finally end up in cinemas. Yikes.  

RoboCop Versus The Terminator (1993)

Despite a rather sniffy reception from critics, I think it’s fair to say that the RoboCop Versus The Terminator certainly held a place in the hearts and minds of console players who were able to get their grubby paws on it. A mashup of two of the 1980s most recognisable sci-fi face shooters, Robocop Versus The Terminator was another side-scroller, albeit one that had a chunk of style. This is thanks in no small part to the amped up violence which resulted in  some seriously gory kills, while some surprisingly satisfying gunplay underpinned the story as players once more took on the role of the resurrected Officer Murphy, who found himself tasked with stopping SkyNet from destroying the human race. Just a regular day on the beat, then.  

RoboCop (1988)

A direct tie-in to the events chronicled in the 1987 blockbuster, RoboCop stormed into the arcades a year later in 1988 and would go on to release on basically every home computer and a handful of 8-bit consoles from the same era. A side-scrolling shooter that hewed closely to the events of the movie while chucking in first-person shooting gallery sections to break things up, RoboCop impressed players the world over with its detailed sprite work, satisfying side-scroller shooter action and most surprisingly, story interludes that were fully voiced by the actual actors from the 1987 flick. Clocking in at well over a million copies sold worldwide on home platforms, RoboCop also had the rare distinction of being really rather good no matter which platform you bought it for, with both console and home computer ports of the game giving roundly decent accounts of themselves. 

It also has one of the greatest game theme tunes of all time, a strangely chill ditty that has seen use in places such as a famous UK tv appliance advert. It’s a strange world.

RoboCop 2 (1990-1991)

Imagine for a second that some bright spark decided to marry RoboCop to Final Fight and now imagine that it actually happened, because that’s essentially what the arcade version of RoboCop 2 is. A completely different offering from the wildly inconsistent home versions of RoboCop 2, the arcade version of RoboCop’s second videogame outing was a whole lot of fun, loosely translating the plot of the 1990 sequel movie into a side-scrolling, effort that combined beat em up and shooter elements to create one of the better movie tie-ins of the day. Not only did RoboCop 2’s arcade incarnation allow players to fully explore both the X and Y axis of any given stage, much as you would in a side-scrolling brawler such as Double Dragon or Final Fight, but so too were there an impressive assortment of different weapons for RoboCop to pick up and some pleasingly challenging bosses to tangle with too. I’d (still) buy that for a dollar, certainly.

RoboCop 2 on the 8-bit and 16-bit consoles and home computers of the day however, was a markedly different beast when compared to its coin-popping counterpart. A side-scrolling shooter akin to its immediate predecessor, RoboCop 2 not only brought back the first-person shooting bonus sections that punctuated the original games, but also introduced new puzzle sections where you had to match up various computer chip layouts in order to proceed. The less said about those, the better. Interestingly, RoboCop 2’s release on home platforms typically fared better on the 16-bit machines than it did on the earlier NES, Amstrad and ZX Spectrum machines of the day, with ports to the latter formats often described as being too sluggish to play versus the 16-bit versions of that era. 

Check out RoboCop: Rogue City

robocop rogue city on green man gaming

With RoboCop: Rogue City aiming to recreate the look and feel of the original film, why not head over to our store and check it out. We don’t know about you, but we’d buy that for (more) than a dollar.

If you’re looking for something similar but different, our list of the best cyberpunk indie games you can play should help you get ready for RoboCop.

Hunt: Showdown Is Five Years Old – Time to Revisit It

Celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, Hunt: Showdown sees in the start of its next half-decade looking more formidable than ever it has. Enjoying an all-time peak of concurrent players as recently as June 2023, Crytek’s PvPvE first-person shooter continues to go from strength to strength, thanks in no small part to its deft marriage of unique mechanics, relentlessly engaging gunplay and emergent player driven battlefield theatre from which all manner of unique and violent stories can unfurl. If you’ve yet to immerse yourself in the grim bliss of Hunt: Showdown, here’s why you should revisit Crytek’s arguably finest hour on its fifth anniversary.

An Entirely Unique Setting From A Familiar Time

While the 1800s is a period of time that is firmly and somewhat romantically ensconced in the minds of gamers everywhere thanks to the likes of Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, Red Dead Redemption 2, Frogwares’ Sherlock Holmes titles and many other titles, none have precisely tackled the setting that makes Hunt: Showdown so compelling. Set in the year 1895, Hunt: Showdown trades the cobbled streets and echoes of civilisation for an altogether more savage frontier – the Louisiana Bayou. A sprawling landscape pockmarked by murky winding rivers, ruined mills, abandoned forts and long since discarded relics of the American Civil War, the many locales of the Louisiana swamplands prove to be an evocative backdrop for the horror and violence which unfold around it on the regular. 

Success Is Measured In Degrees

The goal in Hunt: Showdown is to track down as many clues as possible which point towards the location of one or two of the game’s five bosses. From here, you’re tasked with taking down this boss, either solo or as part of a group, before trying to extract with the bounty tokens so that you might both upgrade your chosen hunter with new skills and abilities for the next time around. Perhaps the greatest aspect of Hunt: Showdown’s design however, is that you don’t need to necessarily complete these objectives, kill all of the bosses and escape with all of the bounty tokens to be successful. Instead, success in Hunt: Showdown is measured in degrees, where even a seemingly uneventful run which does not end in a successful bounty extraction can be counted as a win.

For example, you gain experience points not just for every boss killed and token that is successfully looted, but also for every regular enemy that is felled too. This means that it’s entirely possible for you to rack up a massive number of mob kills, never see another player, or kill a boss and yet still extract with a bunch of experience points and perhaps most importantly, your hunter whole and intact. As a result, each bounty hunt in Hunt: Showdown feels worthwhile because even if you don’t get away with the top prize, you can still make progress by just killing a few enemies and finding a few clues. This also introduces a real risk and reward dynamic to the proceedings too, allowing you to progress as far as your appetite for danger allows. Throw in frequent themed events which introduce new objectives to complete outside of the usual hunts and the latitude for success in Hunt: Showdown is perhaps more appreciably broad than anything else out there.

Stealth And Patience Are The Order Of The Day in Hunt: Showdown

Quite unlike its genre peers, which generally favour fast-paced, highly kinetic confrontational gun battles, Hunt: Showdown instead bountifully rewards players for thinking first and shooting later – not least because the manual reloading mechanisms and slow firing rates of its largely period accurate firearms mean that when you shoot, you had better not miss. Given the abundance of swampland flora that thrives around the swamplands, coupled with the generous availability of abandoned structures, Hunt: Showdown provides players with ample opportunity for stealth and concealment, both of which are opportunities that veteran Hunt: Showdown players are familiar with. 

Indeed, death can come swiftly and without warning in Hunt: Showdown, so it pays dividends to find some bushes or a concealed spot to just take thirty seconds or so to properly scope out your surroundings before you press on, not least because there are all manners of noise hazards, such as broken glass, bottle traps and more which can alert nearby enemies. As such, Hunt: Showdown invariably feels a lot more intense than any of its genre peers and it’s this palpable tension that very much defines its design at every level, establishing Crytek’s game as one of the most underrated stealth games of the last decade into the bargain. 

Hunt: Showdown Has The Best Implementation Of Three-Dimensional Sound To Date

An absolutely essential ingredient in Hunt: Showdown’s stealth based, tension-driven gameplay beats is the tremendous implementation of three-dimensional sound that has been wrought here. An intricately layered soundscape that is quite unlike any other I have ever heard, the method of its employ in Hunt: Showdown directly ties in with everything that you do during a hunt. Positional audio vectors mean that you can hear the sounds of gunfire far off in the distance in a particular direction, allowing you to either insert yourself in that particular gunfight, or shy away from it to complete your own objectives.

Hunt: Showdown’s stellar three-dimensional sound implementation also does great work in more intimate settings too. Picture a scenario where you’ve extensively booby trapped a building while you’re trying to summon the bounty token to prep it for extraction. With bear traps set up behind points of ingress and enough broken glass lying around the place to start up your own hardcore wrestling match, that structure essentially becomes a sounding chamber for incoming threats, with Hunt: Showdown’s superb three-dimensional audio letting you hear every little movement and thus allow you to respond quickly and appropriately as a result. 

Each Hunt Feels Like Your Own Personal Survival Horror Story 

hunt: showdown survival horror

Whether you’re stalking an abandoned farm and laying waste to a horde of zombies, or wading through the thick murk of the Bayou to escape a massive armoured terror, each hunt can often feel like a bespoke survival horror story that is tailored to you and very often, the bosses of Hunt: Showdown are a great example of this concept. Certainly, you really haven’t filled your pants properly until you’ve heard a screeching, massive spider furiously skittering around – while on fire – all the while you’re trying to save your own skin.

Beyond the blunt force trauma of such horrors, there’s a huge amount of cleverness built into this whole idea of an emergent player narrative too, thanks in no small part to the ‘E’ part of Hunt: Showdown’s PvPvE shenanigans. I’ve lost count of the number of times I have witnessed two hunters fight each other, only for the local enemies to intercede and send the whole thing into chaos by either distracting one player for the other to gain the upper-hand, or more of than not, killing both players entirely. Because of this, each playthrough feels completely unique, owing largely to the volatility of the many computer controlled denizens of the Bayou. This is why after more than five years, Hunt: Showdown is still hitting all-time peak usage – because no other game can offer this sort of peerless theatre from which such memorable player driven stories and meme-worthy moments can emerge.

Everything You Need To Know About Payday 3

With a decade between Payday 3 and its immediate predecessor, it’s fair to say that Starbreeze Studios squad-based, heist action threequel has been a long time coming. A co-op heist actioner with a real tactical backbone, Payday 3 shifts the action from Washington DC – the locale of the previous game in the series – to the vibrant sights and sounds of New York City, where the Payday Gang must marshall their skills to not only loot everything they can get their hands on, but also seek out a mysterious underworld group that threatens their very existence. 

Be sure to keep this guide in your favourites as we cover everything you need to know about Payday 3 including the release date, gameplay details, latest trailer, PC specifications and more.

Payday 3 Release Date

The Payday 3 release date has officially been confirmed as September 21, 2023. Payday 3 is set to have a full release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X consoles and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. It has not been confirmed for a release on the last generation PlayStation 4 or Xbox One consoles as of right now. 

Is there Early Access? 

Payday 3 does indeed have early access for those who want to perfect the planning and execution of their heists ahead of the official release date. Payday 3 early access kicks off on Monday, September 18, 2023. To enter the early access period, you must own either the Gold or Silver Edition versions of the game. Beyond entry into the early access period, the Gold and Silver Editions of Payday 3 also pack in a season pass too. The Payday 3 Silver Edition season pass packs in six months of forthcoming expansion content, while the Payday 3 Gold Edition season pass gives players a full year of additional content. 

Pre Order Bonuses

The Payday 3 pre-order bonuses are the Obsidian Gitz Outfit and the Venomous Verdigris Mask. Regardless of which edition that you pre-order, both of these bonuses will be available to you on day one. 

Payday 3 Gameplay

Sticking with the co-op, stealth and action beats of its predecessors, Payday 3 is very much an adherent to that old maxim ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, broadly speaking. That said, Starbreeze Studios has hardly rested on its laurels and have introduced a number of new features and made a broadly welcome sweep of improvements to the core mechanics.  

As before, the overarching goal in Payday 3 is to complete your objectives which often revolve around looting as much as you possibly can from a single location. In previous games, each heist was typically split into a number of phases and while that approach remains, the developers have added in additional phases to make things a little more varied and fair. The first of these is the new ‘Search Mode’ phase, where if a sentry discovers something amiss, they’ll begin carefully searching the area for the cause of it and will return to their own patrol patterns should their search not bear any fruit. 

If however, the Search Mode is triggered again shortly thereafter, another all-new phase kicks into action. This new negotiation phase is where, if you have the hostages available to bargain with, you can essentially trade their number with the authorities to gain some precious extra time before the tactical teams break in and generous amounts of the brown stuff hit the fan. Implementing these two phases is arguably to Payday 3’s benefit, not least because it underlines the Michael Mann-esque spectacle of its heists and related shenanigans.  

Another new mechanic that has been introduced to the mix this time around are Overkill weapons. Supplementing the loadout of the Payday Gang, Overkill weapons – as one might well infer from their moniker – provide players with high powered weaponry with which to inflict devastating damage on their foes for a limited time once a number of enemies have been felled. 

When it comes to the core of the Payday experience, Stabreeze’s threequel has made ample strides here as well. As well as more than 100 new skills to buy and leverage, in addition to a range of new buffs, it also introduces Private Security modifiers which change every week. Providing additional challenges that are tied to the level of difficulty chosen, these Private Security modifiers are built for Payday veterans and include such new challenges as extra sentries, harder devices to hack and more besides.

Where Can I Watch The Latest Trailer?

The latest trailer is available to watch right now and you can catch it above. Like the previous games before it, the latest instalment places a sizable emphasis on stealth and subterfuge, and this latest trailer shines a spotlight on just that. In the trailer, we see our  team of specialists sneaking their way into an opulent art gallery, before neutralising the threats that lay within and making their merry way with bags of precious loot. It’s the stuff heist dreams are made of.  

Payday 3 PC System Requirements

Thanks to the ample scalability provided by Unreal Engine 4, Payday 3 will run handsomely on just about any PC gaming rig from the last five years or so. There is a twist in this particular tale, however. Developer Starbreeze Studios has openly stated that during the post-release period, the game engine will be upgraded to Unreal Engine 5 in order to take advantage of the cutting edge rendering features that are enabled by that engine. The knock on effect of this though, is that the PC specifications stated below will almost certainly be increased on account of increased processing power demanded by Epic’s latest offering of graphics processing technology. 

Minimum: 

  • OS: Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-9400F
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1650 (4 GB)
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection

Recommended:

  • OS: Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i7-9700K
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1080 (8GB)
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection

Shop Payday 3 for PC

shop payday 3 pc here

Now you’re tooled up with details, it’s time to head over to our store and grab Payday 3 for PC. We reckon you’ll find a deal so good, you’ll think it should be illegal.

(but it isn’t).

Everything you need to know about Starfield – Updated

Starfield is releasing in the next few weeks after what feels like a colossal wait. If you’ve been looking to take a step into the unknown, then this colossal space adventure looks set to be your standout title of 2023. Veteran Elder Scrolls developers Bethesda promise to put on an adventure of galactic proportions and frankly, we can’t wait.

If you’re not sure about Starfield or just need more details to whet your appetite before the release, here’s everything you need to know.

Starfield Release Date and Platforms

Originally slated for a November 11, 2022 release (which would put it exactly 11 years after Skyrim), the game was pushed back a couple of times. The final release date for Starfield is September 6, 2023 – or if you pick up the Starfield Premium Edition, Constellation Edition, or Premium Edition Upgrade you’ll be able to start playing from September 1, 2023.

You will be able to get your hands on Starfield on PC and Xbox Series X/S, with Starfield coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one.

Starfield PC System Requirements

Is your system tough enough to take on the challenge of Starfield? Check out the system requirements below:

Minimum PC Requirements:

  • OS: Windows 10
  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 2600x, Intel Core i7-6800K
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 5700, NVIDIA GeForce 1070 Ti
  • Network: Internet connection required
  • Disk Space: 125 GB available space
  • Direct X: Version 12
  • Additional notes: SSD Required
  • Architecture: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system

Recommended PC Requirements:

  • OS: Windows 11,Windows 10
  • Processor: Windows 10/11 with updates
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080
  • Network: Internet connection required
  • Disk Space: 125 GB available space
  • Direct X: Version 12
  • Additional Notes: SSD Required
  • Architecture: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system

Starfield Live Action Trailer

If there’s one thing Bethesda likes to do as part of their marketing and hype cycle for a game, it’s to put together live action trailers. Starfield is no different, with a live action trailer released during Gamescom 2023’s Opening Night Live. Set to a moody cover of Elton John’s Rocket Man, this should whet the appetite of any prospective space adventurer.

Starfield Gameplay

Starfield is an open world RPG that steps beyond Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series to experience a vast galaxy filled with explorable planets. Customisation is at the forefront, you’ll be able to customise your character both at the start of the game and when levelling up, your spaceship, and even your guns. In addition, you’ll be able to establish outposts throughout the galaxy as you explore this slice of the universe.

Combat will play a huge part of Starfield, with many enemies to take down from bandits to more organised groups of foes. You’ll also be engaging with the conversation system, making decisions that will impact your adventures and how you’re perceived throughout the galaxy. 

Players familiar with the Elder Scrolls may see some mechanics that make them feel at home too, pickpocketing, lock picking, persuasion minigames, NPC companions, factions, and base building will all be present, albeit with a sci-fi twist.

Starfield Character Creation and Ship Customisation

Bethesda showed off the game’s character creation tools, with plenty of options for body types and skin tones. In addition, you’ll select a background which comes with starting skills that help you define how your character begins their adventure.

These ‘classes’ are termed things like combat medic, professor, homesteader, or bouncer, which each gives you certain starting skills. These skills will be instantly familiar to anyone who’s spent time in a modern RPG, as they cover areas like persuasion, bargaining, medicine, and of course because we’re in space – lasers.

When you level up you’ll be able to customise your character more, choosing new skills and upgrading them by using them or completing certain challenges. You’ll also have access to traits that will give you bonuses – but many also come with negatives you’ll have to take into account. For example, ‘Spaced’ makes you more robust in space but less tough on the ground. ‘Dream Home’ gives you a wonderful house but you’ll need to pay upkeep on it. ‘Kid Stuff’ brings your character’s parents into the game, allowing you to visit them – but 10% of your money will go to them. If you’ve played Oblivion before you’ll recognise the adoring fan you get from ‘Hero Worshiped’ who’ll annoy you and give presents in equal measure. Each of these will give you problems to solve that will help define your RPG character.

In addition to customising your character both at the start of the game and as you level up, you’ll also get to put together your own spaceship. With an entire ship customisation array for you to poke through containing tons of ship modules from in-game manufacturers, your ship will be an extension of how you play – much like your character is.

Even further than that, you’ll be able to craft guns, putting together custom creations with mods you salvage, buy, or research yourself.

Starfield’s Open Galaxy

starfield's huge open world/galaxy

Bethesda has gone on the record stating that there will be over 1,000 planets in Starfield’s galaxy and you’ll be able to land on and explore them all. These will be generated through a mix of procedural generation and hand-creation, hopefully giving us a nice mix of barren planets and others with more crafted experiences.

The game will take place in an area known as the ‘Settled Systems’, a region of space that spans 50 light years around Sol. Two factions vie for supremacy over this area, the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective who at the start of the game are enjoying a period of tenuous peace.  You’ll visit cities such as New Atlantis, Akila City, and Neon – all filled with quests, NPCs, factions, and more.

As this is an open world game in the vein of the Elder Scrolls / Fallout games, expect to see tons of interactions and choices open to you as you play, which will enhance your RPG experience. Thieves can pickpocket or lockpick their way to riches and loot, silver-tongued rogues can persuade others and gain NPC companions, and of course there’s lashings of ranged and melee combat to indulge in should all other options fail.

In a game of this size you may be worried about making a difference in the world, but there are ways you can leave your mark. Similar to the Elder Scrolls games, many factions will exist in the world that are independent from each other, allowing you to pick and choose your way through the universe. You’ll also be able to found outposts and build your own base, something that will be instantly familiar to players of Fallout 4 and Fallout 76.

Looking for something a little more bite-size? Check out our list of the best indie games you can play while waiting for Starfield.

Starfield Mod Support

can you mod it?

We know thanks to interviews with Bethesda head honcho Todd Howard that like their previous games, Starfield will have full mod support. Unlike their other games, Starfield has been built in Creation Engine 2, which means there will be questions about what format modding will take. That said, we know that mod support has been the backbone of Bethesda’s success, so we can expect to see a comprehensive creation suite available to modders.

Will Starfield have Multiplayer?

will there be multiplayer?

Starfield will be an entirely single-player experience. Bethesda have released no plans to include any form of multiplayer, co-op, or PvP in their game, much as with previous titles like Skyrim or Fallout 4.

That said, with talented modders out there, who know what the future holds.

Starfield Trailers

Way back in 2018 we got our first look at Starfield with an announcement trailer:

In 2021 that was followed up with the official teaser trailer:

Bethesda have also released several videos going in-depth with the locations, such as Akila City:

Neon:

And New Atlantis:

If you want to get more info on Starfield, here’s the first episode of the Into the Starfield series:

For more Starfield trailers, head to YouTube and check the playlist out here.

Shop for Starfield on the Green Man Gaming Store

check out starfield on the green man gaming shop

Now you’re equipped to take on your next task, head to our store and pick up Starfield today. This is going to be one of the biggest games of the year and we’re sure we’ll be able to put together an interstellar deal for you. Why not blast off with Starfield and Green Man Gaming.

Videoverse Is A Touching Throwback To The Internet’s Early Days

The internet has changed a lot since its inception, but those who are around the age of 30 will know this better than most. Long gone are the days of haunting forums or updating your MSN Messenger status with whatever edgy lyrics took your fancy on the day. There’s no denying that things have gotten more convenient, but there’s also no denying that that’s not necessarily a good thing. 

Videoverse is a brand-new game that throws us all back to that era of the internet via a decision-based narrative adventure game. You take control of a dude called Emmett, who loves video games and art, and you basically get to live his life a little bit, mostly surrounded by his friends.

It’s hard to talk about the game in much detail without going into what makes it so wonderful, but at the core of the story is Emmett’s interactions with his friends, which are primarily via Videoverse, but all of that is at risk because Videoverse will be shutting down soon. What follows is a game about how connections evolve as technology does, and how friendships can change in different circumstances. 

You get to explore the way relationships can be influenced by not just the digital places they’re made, but also how interacting with people in a product that’s dying can feel, and the way that urgency can influence things. It’s just a stunning story from start to finish, and it won’t eat up too much of your time to see it all the way through, which frankly is something we all need in the midst of one of the busiest years for seemingly unending games we’ve had yet. 

If you’re not sold yet, keep in mind this comes from the developer who made One Night Stand, which was just as fantastic. If you’ve not played that yet, make sure you do yourself a favour and check it out as well, but probably after you’ve finished helping Emmett though his story first. 

Lunacid Is A FromSoftware Throwback Like You Wouldn’t Believe

When you mention FromSoftware, everyone automatically jumps to Dark Souls, or maybe Elden Ring now, given how monstrously popular that game was. However, before they started Soulslikes, they made a variety of other games. While I’d love to turn this into an article about Lost Kingdoms, I’ve yet to find an indie game that properly draws inspiration from it. Instead, this is about a game called Lunacid, which is very heavily inspired by King’s Field, a series of dungeon-crawling action RPGs that FromSoftware made all the way back in 1994. 

Lunacid is as close to a modern-day King’s Field game as you can get. It’s set in a world where a gigantic beast came from the sea and covered the Earth in a poison fog, and now everything’s basically gone to poop. As a result of this, anyone who’s even slightly off gets chucked into The Great Well, and that’s where you come in, as the story starts with you being thrown in. 

From here, you get to choose a class, then you walk around in first-person and explore the Great Well, always working your way down, and fighting off strange beasts and monsters on the way. It’s important to note that, while you do a fair bit of fighting in Lunacid, it’s not really the focus. 

The focus here is on exploration, wonder, and some incredibly cool moments. Your class will dictate a little bit about how you fight, but the basics are you walk in, hit something, walk away before you get hit. You get some cool spells along the way too, but you have to be careful when using them as they require time to charge for the most part. 

The game even tracks the real-world luna phases for some its mechanics, and that’s the kind of cool that old-school games could never manage. So, if you want to try out an old FromSoftware game, but want it to have some modern sensibilities, then please do yourself a favour and jump into Lunacid. 

Mothergunship Turns You Into A Running And Gunning One-Person-Army

Mothergunship is a bullet-hell FPS game where you get to create your own guns out of different component parts. It plays a bit like Doom, with you being able to run about at high speeds and hop around as you shoot at things, and while the gameplay is genuinely enjoyable, the joy of the game comes from constructing a gun so uncomfortably large that you can barely see what’s going on every time you fire it. 

You can have one gun on each arm, but each of those can be made up of as many parts as you can fit, basically. That means you can have a tri-pronged railgun/grenade launcher/energy blaster on one arm, and a line-up of four different shotguns on the other. Each time you pull the trigger every gun on that arm is going to fire, and you find little modifiers that might upgrade the fire rate, or give them special ammunition as you go too. 

Now, this is a roguelike game, so you’ll be dying a lot, but progression feels pretty steady because you unlock new gun parts as you go, and the combat is one that you can actively learn because bosses fire in specific patterns, and you’ll nearly always end up with some over-the-top weapons at your disposal too. 

It’s also playable in co-op, and we just love a good roguelike co-op game, because the only thing better than dying a lot is also dragging a friend with you. On top of that, there’s also a VR version of the game called Mothergunship: Forge, which is a little less about running around, and more about ducking and diving. 

You still get to build the weapons in the VR version too, but you get to do it with your hands instead, and pieces you’re using float in mid-air while you’re figuring out what to do with the latest rifle you’ve just picked up. It feels incredibly cool to mess around with in both the normal and VR version, and we urge you to pick them up and go and shoot things in the game. 

Everything You Need To Know About Mortal Kombat 1

The latest entry in the legendarily violent one on one fighting game series, Mortal Kombat 1 is simultaneously a narrative reset for this much beloved brawler and also a continuation of everything that we saw with Mortal Kombat 11. With all new characters joining a raft of faces from the past, in addition to all new stages, modes, fatalities, a new Kameo system and much more, Mortal Kombat 1 looks set to be the most ambitious entry in Netherrealm Studios’ long-running series to date. 

Be sure to keep this guide in your favourites as we cover everything you need to know about Mortal Kombat 1 including the release date, gameplay details, latest trailer, PC specifications, early access information and more.

Mortal Kombat 1 Release Date

The Mortal Kombat 1 release date has officially been confirmed as September 19, 2023. Mortal Kombat 1 is set to have a full release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X consoles, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. Mortal Kombat 1 has not been confirmed for a release on the last generation PlayStation 4 or Xbox One consoles as of this writing. 

What’s the Story?

As alluded to already, Mortal Kombat 1 represents a restart for the somewhat labyrinthine canon of the Mortal Kombat franchise which spans across some 23(!) different titles. Taking place directly after the events chronicled in the single-player campaign of Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, Mortal Kombat 1 unfolds in an entirely fresh universe ushered in by the new deity, Fire God Liu Kang, who owes his newfound omnipotence to a transfer of power from the Thunder God, Raiden. 

Seemingly a reset of everything we know about the series, Scorpion and Sub Zero for example appear to be blood brothers rather than sworn enemies, Mortal Kombat 1 focuses on a mysterious threat to this universe and one that may undo everything that Fire God Liu Kang has created. I’m not sure about you, but that seems as good a reason for a colossal dust up as any.  

Mortal Kombat 1 Gameplay

Though a cursory glance at Mortal Kombat 1’s fistic pursuits might suggest a game that hasn’t really changed since its predecessor, the truth is that developer Netherrealm Studios has actually made some neat tweaks to the Mortal Kombat formula. By far the biggest of these new changes is the addition of Kameo fighters to the mix. Reminiscent of the tag-in support you might see in a game such as Marvel Vs Capcom, the Kameo fighters in Mortal Kombat 1 allow players to not just briefly bring in another fighter to add extra damage to their combos, but these Kameo fighters can also perform their own fatalities as well.

Kameo fighters also have utility beyond extending combos and performing fatalities too. Chiefly, X-ray moves can now be jointly performed by primary fighters and the Kameo fighters that have been chosen, resulting in a symphony of bone-breaking savagery. Additionally, all of the other modes that Mortal Kombat fans have come to love, such as an in-depth story mode, Kombat Towers, online tournaments and more all make a comeback in Mortal Kombat 1 to boot. 

Mortal Kombat 1 Characters

With a range of old and new faces making their mark, it’s fair to say that this is one of the most varied rosters of any recent entry in the series. You can catch the full list of confirmed characters below:

  • Ashrah
  • Baraka
  • Ermac (Included with Kombat Pack DLC)
  • Geras
  • Havik
  • Homelander (Included with Kombat Pack DLC)
  • Johnny Cage
  • Kenshi
  • Kitana
  • Kung Lao
  • Li Mei
  • Liu Kang
  • Mileena
  • Omni-Man (Included with Kombat Pack DLC)
  • Peacemaker (Included with Kombat Pack DLC)
  • Quan Chi (Included with Kombat Pack DLC)
  • Raiden
  • Rain
  • Reptile
  • Scorpion
  • Shang Tsung (Available as a pre-order exclusive) 
  • Smoke
  • Sub-Zero
  • Takeda (Included with Kombat Pack DLC)
  • Tanya

Mortal Kombat 1 Kameo Fighters

An entirely new feature, Kameo fighters can support primary characters mid-battle by extending and augmenting their combo attacks. You can catch the full list of confirmed Kameo fighters below:

  • Cyrax
  • Frost
  • Goro
  • Jax Briggs
  • Kano
  • Kung Lao
  • Sareena
  • Scorpion
  • Sektor
  • Sub-Zero
  • Sonya Blade
  • Stryker

Mortal Kombat 1 Early Access 

Mortal Kombat 1 early access can be obtained by purchasing either the Kollector’s Edition or Premium Edition on PC, PS5, Xbox Series S\X or Nintendo Switch platforms. The early access period begins on Thursday, September 14, 2023, allowing eager fighters a good few days to get familiar with Netherrealm Studios’ latest ahead of its official release five days later. Additionally, if Xbox Series S\X and PS5 gamers pre-order the game (including the standard version), they can also get a leg up on everyone else by gaining access to a special closed beta that will be kicking off sometime later in August 2023. 

What are the Preorder Bonuses?

Currently, the only preorder bonus that is currently available to players that put their money down ahead of time, is access to wily sorcerer Shang Tsung as a playable character. 

Where Can I Watch The Latest Trailer?

The latest trailer for is available to watch right now and you can catch it above. Easily the most eye-opening video released so far, the ‘banished’ trailer provides players with an extended look at returning fighters Ashrah,Havik and Reptile. Of the three, Reptile’s return appears to be the most impressive, with the reptilian ravager able to switch between his human and lizard forms mid-battle, which provides him with some wildly ingenious combo potential. Beyond that, it’s also a little odd to hear Reptile (or Syzoth, as he is known among his folks), actually speak with something resembling a human tongue – not least because it allows him to adequately convey the sadness he has at being made an outcast by his people, on account of his penchant for shapeshifting into human form. Oooh, drama! 

Mortal Kombat 1 PC Requirements

mortal kombat 1 system requirements

Despite leveraging the ageing Unreal Engine 4, Mortal Kombat 1 nonetheless pushes that engine to its limits with extremely detailed environments, gorgeous character models and a veritable kaleidoscope of stunning visual effects. That said, by using Unreal Engine 4 rather than its feature stuffed successor, this game is eminently scalable across a wide range of PC hardware configurations. So with that in mind, you can catch the minimum and recommended PC specifications below. 

Minimum PC specifications:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
  • Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-6600 | AMD Ryzen™ 3 3100 or Ryzen™ 5 2600
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GeForce® GTX 980 or AMD Radeon™ RX 470 or Intel® Arc™ A750
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Storage: 100 GB available space

Recommended PC specifications:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit
  • Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-8400 | AMD Ryzen™ 5 3600X
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GeForce® GTX 1080 Ti or AMD Radeon™ RX 5700 XT or Intel® Arc™ A770
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Storage: 100 GB available space

Shop for Mortal Kombat 1 on PC

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