Shenmue 3: Everything you need to know

Shenmue 3 is not only real but also out soon, really soon in fact on November 19th. It’s not been an easy ride for the series though. The original Shenmue came out a full two decades ago in 1999 and released on the unfortunately ill-fated Dreamcast. This isn’t a series you can really jump into without knowing some of the history, so bear with me a second. 

Shenmue 3 the story so far

They follow a teenager called Ryo Hazuki who returns to his family dojo only to see things going horribly awry. He sees his father battling a Chinese man called Lan Di, upon trying to help he gets taken out of the fight immediately. It turns out that Lan Di is after some very fancy mirrors, and that leads Ryo on a journey that is part-mystical and part-painfully ordinary. 

Shenmue is partly famous for having mini-games that involve racing forklift trucks and carrying books. Not only that, but you had to walk for two hours at one point. It’s an interesting choice and probably not one that players would enjoy now. But hey, the third one is on its way. 

The plot up to this point has Ryo teaming up with a girl called Shenhua Ling, who is literally the girl of his dreams, as in, he has dreamed of her. The two came across a strange mural that showed off the two mirrors that started the whole story. That’s where we left off, so we can expect to pick up from there. 

A Rocky Road to Release

Shenmue 3 was actually shown off in Sony’s conference during E3 back in 2015. It then launched a Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $2 million in under seven hours before ending with over $6 million raised; which is an awful lot of money. It’s been a bit of a weird road since then, with the game becoming an Epic Store exclusive on PC, and finally getting a solid release date. 

Aside from that strange path, the good news is that some people have actually played it now. In fact, it’s been previewing marvelously well given that it definitely has that unique feeling of a game out of time. It’s had almost universally positive comments from the outlets that have played it, which should be good news to those fans who can’t believe it’s even happening. 

So what’s new in Shenmue 3

The game itself is probably going to be the same strange mix of open-world exploration, odd mini-games, and quick-time events that the games are known for. Of course, graphics have come a fair way since the Dreamcast, so hopefully, it’ll look a lot prettier throughout than its predecessors. 

It’s also worth noting that the series director, writer, and producer Yu Suzuki has said that this isn’t the end of Ryo’s tale. Uh, not even close in fact. According to an interview with Eric Van Allen on US Gamer, this third game should bring us up to around the 40 percent mark of his story. 

That’s just 40 percent of Ryo Hazuki’s story, not even necessarily the tale that he wants to tell in Shenmue itself. It could well be that this series outlives all of us, so we can only hope that there is some kind of manuscript somewhere to make sure things go a bit smoother going forward. I don’t think anyone wants to deal with yet another Game of Thrones/George R R Martin.

Well, we’ll see just what this all looks like when the game releases on November 19th. It’ll be interesting at the very least, and sometimes that’s far better than a game just being good or bad. It should give us all something to talk about if nothing else.

Shenmue 3 releases November 19 for PC, are you looking forward to finally jumping back into the series? Comment below and head over to the Green Man Gaming Community site to join the conversation.

The Best Educational Games on PC

Video games have a tough time breaking through their negative perceptions. It doesn’t help that many are filled with guns, violence, and often deeply regressive attitudes, causing people to write them off as toys, childish things, or worse.

However, games can often be a force for good. We’ve already looked at why video games can help improve mental health, but they can also be a powerful educational tool.

The evidence is everywhere when you scratch the surface. Research undertaken in 2013 shows that games can provide a 23% gain in learning over traditional methods. Games can also be a powerful motivator for learning, another study shows. A 2012 study looked into how games can help shape our attention. Games can help with learning languages, even if the game itself isn’t in another language. Games can assist in overcoming bias and cognitive dissonance. 

Whilst we’re not educators here at Green Man Gaming, we thought in light of this we would take the time to let you know about some of the best educational games you can get your hands on for PC.

5. Spacechem

Any Zachtronics game is going to push your brain to learn new methods of learning logic, but their magnum opus (not their game called Opus Magnum) is Spacechem. By building logic machines that combine chemicals in order to produce specific outputs, you’ll find yourself considering problems in ways you hadn’t ever before.

4. Epistory

Typing is an essential part of the modern world, so why not combine learning how to type with a beautiful world and a wonderful story. Epistory starts off small but eventually leads to longer words, making sure the student makes reasonable and sensible progress throughout.

3. Kerbal Space Program

If you or a child has an interest in space, Kerbal Space Program is an ideal learning tool that not only reinforces information about orbital physics and why space travel is fundamentally difficult, but it also teaches the player how to get up, dust yourself off, and try, try, try again. Also, it’s getting a sequel, so there’ll be more space for everyone.

2. Zoombinis

Help the Zoombinis get through a series of challenging puzzles as they seek out a new home, as you play, you’ll learn how to apply logic, how to spot patterns, and much much more. Zoombinis is a game with a huge learning scope, and it helps that the Zoombinis themselves are just so incredibly cute.

1. The Assassin’s Creed series

The framing device for the Assassin’s Creed series is obviously fictional, but you’ll be surprised how much of the time periods you visit in the series are real and intricately modeled. It’s not just the time periods, the people you meet on your adventures are often real people, acting as a springboard for your own research and learning journey. Did you know that Pope Alexander VI and Cesare Borgia were real and brutal leaders of men, or that Charles Vane and Calico Jack were real pirates? The attention to detail Ubisoft has put into the game series is astounding.

3 Reasons to pick up Monster Hunter: World ahead of Iceborne’s PC Release

Players enjoying Monster Hunter: World on PC will no doubt be waiting in absolute agony for the release of Iceborne, the tundra-themed critically-acclaimed expansion that brought greater depth, extra content and most importantly, more monsters to the base game on consoles earlier this year when it launched for PS4 and Xbox One on September 6. 

Last week it was finally revealed that Monster Hunter World: Iceborne will finally arrive on PC in the new year on January 9th, 2020, which has made a lot of hunters very happy. If you’re new to the franchise that has recently gained serious mainstream attention with the release of World, you might want to consider picking up Monster Hunter: World and giving it a whirl before the blizzard that is Iceborne strikes you down. 

Time to catch up 

Monster Hunter: World is a lot of fun, especially if you like a challenge, and there’s plenty of that waiting for you if you decide to take the plunge. Crucially, if you want to play Iceborne when that comes out, you’ve got your work cut out for you. The expansion is gated by Hunter Rank, and you need to hit level 16 if you want to take on the big scaly boys of Iceborne. This means you should work through the campaign in World whilst you wait for the expansion to come to PC. It could be worse… it’s a whole lot of fun, especially with friends. Even so, if you’re a World player still hovering below the necessary rank, think about hopping on for a few hours to boost up and get ready for the snowfall.

An Unmatched Community

Despite being Capcom’s best-selling game of all time (seriously) it’s fair to say that Monster Hunter: World is still quite inaccessible for a newbie with no experience of the franchise. There are some handy tutorials and arenas to practice in that will get you up to speed, but the joy of Monster Hunter World is usually wrapped up in engaging with the community and going on your first probing hunts in the wild. There’s really nothing like it. Head over to the Monster Hunter: World subreddit or seek out the appropriate Discord groups (there’s plenty) so you can introduce yourself and join the hunt with some fellow fresh starters. There should be plenty of new blood with Iceborne approaching soon, so take advantage of the influx of players and get the hunting party started.

Build Experimentation and Crucial Context

Unlike your console brethren, you won’t be going in blind with Iceborne. Console players have at this point mapped out all of the stats and tactics necessary to take on the beasts of Iceborne, setting out new build guides and mapping out every nook and cranny of Hoarfrost Reach. This means that you can really get into the meta side of things and experiment with different builds.

Think about how you’re going to approach those vicious beasts when they arrive and start grinding now so you can be ready in January. It’s also worthwhile playing through the story to receive the context necessary to understand the narrative, which is already a rip-roaring good time.

Still not convinced? for more information on the base Game, Monster Hunter: World and details on the Iceborne DLC you find out Everything You Need To Know About Monster Hunter: World.

An introduction to Chiptune: How musicians turn retro game consoles into instruments

Ah, the humble Gameboy. As well as revolutionising portable gaming, Nintendo’s wonder device provided us with such classics as Pokemon Yellow and Tetris and is so sturdy it’s known to have survived a Gulf War barracks bombings.

Gameboy Beginnings

The original Gameboy persists in the minds of many who were invigorated by it’s wonder as a child, but you may be shocked to learn that the pocket powerhouse is now a bona fide piece of musical equipment, responsible for an entire genre of music.

Imagine if you will, you’re waiting with your drink in a sold-out venue, and a band arrives on stage holding Game Boys and fiddling with Commodore consoles. If you’re a Chip music fan, this isn’t too far from a good Friday night. 

How does Chiptune work?

Chip music artists use tracker software to basically hack old consoles and turn them into instruments. The Game Boy’s known software is called Little Sound DJ, and it contains “59 phonemes for programmable speech,” as well as drum kits sampled from iconic machines, including 707s, 808s and more. You can create a MIDI interface with it if you want to. For an example, here’s Jamiroquai’s “Virtual Insanity” recreated via a hacked Game Boy. 

You basically turn the sound chip within the console into an instrument that you can control and modify to create tunes that sound unmistakably like soundtracks from the back catalogue of said device. It’s an incredible way to keep the memory of old consoles alive and create new and exciting audio-visual experiences long after they’ve been forgotten.

If you have an old Game Boy lying around, consider looking into the modding and hacking scene if you’re musically minded. You can even emulate the ROM of LSDJ on your PC if you don’t want to buy admittedly expensive old kit. 

Chiptune in the mainstream

Ever since the dawn of hacked console & user-generated video game music in the 70s and 80s, Chip music has exploded, spawning a variety of genres form Nintendocore to Complextro and Bitpop. 

Just last week American boy band Anamanaguchi released their third album [USA] to rave reviews. They’re known for using hacked NES and Game Boy consoles in their music similar to the style mentioned above, yet they also incorporate more standard instrumentation via guitar and drums, creating a Chiptune sound influenced by pop-rock. 

It’s a fascinating mix and explains why they stand out so clearly as Chiptune’s major modern trailblazers. Check out their single Air On Line which has remarkable retro influence from the 70s right through to the early 00s. 

See if you can spot notes of Spyro, Zelda, Final Fantasy and the ethereal vocoders that come together with the physical drums and guitars to create a mystifying song that homages the past whilst being grounded in the present. 

It’s a fascinating field of music that is dying to be explored by video game fans. If you often listen to retro soundtracks on YouTube whilst you work, consider looking into artists like Anamanaguchi, Toby Fox, Chipzel and Sabrepulse that twist your beloved OSTs into their own special art.

Disney Classic Games PC release – I just can’t wait to show you a whole new world

It used to be that any film that was released inevitably had a game tie-in. It was just the way things were, it meant that there was massive waves of film-based gaming to do, and not all of it was terrible. Actually, some of the games were genuinely great, or at least they felt great at the time. 

While it’s easy to look back fondly on the games we played as kids, they don’t always stack up very well. Well, Disney is hoping that’s not the case with the upcoming release of Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King. 

Disney Classics Remastered

There are a few really cool features regarding both of these classic platformers too. For starters, they’ve been given that beautiful graphical enhancement so they’ll look good on your fancy modern TV. That means you can play them while they look as shiny as possible, but if that doesn’t suit your tastes, then there’s good news. You can actually apply a filter that makes it look as though you’re playing using a CRT TV, or even some other kind of old-school relic. Good news if you like feeling as though you need glasses but could also afford a house. 

On top of these visual things, the collection comes with a new “Final Cut” version of Aladdin, which has been tinkered with to make it a better experience as well as apparently adding in some new surprises. This could well be enough of a reason for some people to jump into a whole new world. 

Behind the Scenes Extras

If you prefer a more historical approach to things, then you’ll be keen on the Museum mode, which lets you view interviews with the original teams as well as looking at loads of pictures and concept art for the games that have never previously been released. Plus, if you’re less interested in playing the games than watching them, you can watch a full walkthrough of the games. You can then jump in at any point you want, which allows you to skip bits you simply can’t do or don’t want to do. It’s a very modern convenience for a rather old set of games. 

It’s a very fancy collection, and each game actually has multiple versions too. That means that if you fondly remember the Sega versions of the games, then you’ll be able to stick your nose up at the Nintendo versions – like some kind of heathen. It’s a great way of doing this style of release though, and all of the additional content is sure to entice fans both new and old. 

Plus, it’s not even that far away. If you just can’t wait to be king, then you’ll be happy to know that the Disney Classic Games collection has already released on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch as of October 29th. Which is not the spookiest day of the year, and is therefore unlikely to cost you your soul. Good news all around.

EGX Indie Game Highlights

Often times when visiting EGX people tend to go after the big blockbuster games, the huge stands with tens of screens showcasing the latest AAA games. But don’t look passed the Rezzed areas, there are always some really interesting titles hidden away just waiting for you to discover them. Here are a few top picks from this year’s show. 

Circuit Superstars

Circuit Superstars feels a little like a spiritual successor to Micro Machines, and the next step in the evolution of those games. It takes that arcadey feel of driving but refines it to be a little more distinguished. Allowing you to drive with a little more finesse.

At EGX there was the option to play in a split screen 4 player race across 10 laps of the track that features in the trailers already released. Whilst the game feels accessible and easy to pick up you can still hone your driving skills to get the better of your opponents. Taking racing lines, and knowing how best to handle the long sweeping bends or tight hairpins will reward you with better track position and faster times. 

Featuring both local and online multiplayer, plus single player racing against AI there will be plenty for you to get stuck into when the game releases sometime in 2020.

Unto the End

A dark and challenging adventure awaits our hero in Unto the End. Alone and with the odds stacked against you, you must take a Father on a perilous journey to get his family back. 

With a combat system that focuses on skill and timing, you will have to fight intelligently in order to overcome your foes, utilising both ranged and melee weapons. Your adventure will see you traveling through dangerous terrains and tackling opponents all with their own motivations and place in the world. 

The fairly short but sweet demo had players traversing a dark cave system avoiding hazards such as falling boulders. Then venturing above ground across a snow-covered forest. Where enemies waited to ambush you. The combat was challenging but not overwhelming. 

What was a surprise to me was that combat isn’t your only option when encountering strange creatures. In some instances, you are able to resolve things peacefully which could benefit you when trading items, or for encounters later on. 

Unto the End is a really interesting title, with a unique style, engaging combat and an interesting world to get immersed in.

Wanba Warriors

Wanba Warriors was a bit of an odd game, but it was oddly great. It’s a beat em up really, but it has a really distinct visual style and control scheme. If you’ve ever played Getting Over It, then you’ll kind of understand what it’s like. Your movement is determined by rotating your weapon around your body like a windmill and launching yourself around. Your aim is to defeat your opponent.

There are a number of different characters to play – of which you pick two for your fight, each one has their own style of weapons and moves. You then fight to the death and should you beat both of the enemies opponents you win. 

It was pretty absurd and funny, but there was something charming about its bizarness.

Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer’s Legacy

Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer’s Legacy is a roguelite action-RPG in which you will explore stunning landscapes and discover hidden marvels. Along your journey, you’ll encounter dangerous and magical creatures. 

Exploration through the map works in a similar way to games like FTL, Void Bastards or Slay the Spire. There are multiple branching paths you can choose to take. Once you’ve reached your destination you can freely explore that area to find secrets, rest, trade, or progress the story.

Your ultimate goal is to destroy the Staff of Yendor, but there is freedom and choices to take whichever route you want to get there. Unexplored 2 features permadeath and a legacy style system. Meaning if and when you die some elements of the world from your previous life will remain. 

With over 400 locations to explore there will be plenty to get stuck in to. Plus the addition of procedural dungeons and areas, locations will feel fresh and interesting to explore. Unexplored 2: The Wayfarers Legacy looks amazing, played well and had a really interesting premise. Due out sometime next year.

That’s it for our top picks from EGX, what indie games are you looking forward to? Leave a comment below then head over to the Green man Gaming Community site to see what other games we’re looking out for.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare like you’ve never seen before

Call of Duty gets a lot of stick for never really innovating or changing year to year, the thing is, that’s not really fair. The unique three studio yearly cycle means that changes come through somewhat sporadically, but they always come through. 

Call of Duty’s Past Does not Define its Future

Just look at the differences between Infinite Warfare and Black Ops 4. The former had an emphasis on over-the-top futuristic combat with an intensely cinematic story and an almost hero-shooter like quality to the multiplayer. 

Black Ops 4 meanwhile, was all-in on multiplayer, forgoing a single-player mode in favour of three different multiplayer affairs. The traditional multiplayer was exactly what you’d expect from a Call of Duty game, tight-feeling controls and frenetic firefights. There was the zombie mode, which was an excellent co-op mode about trying to survive in different scenarios against an unending horde of the undead. 

Finally, there was Blackout, the first truly triple-A battle royale mode. One that had all the normal trimmings you might expect, but with a level of polish on the shooting that exceeded the other games in that pantheon. It was probably the mode that most people played, and for a good reason, it was infectiously fun. 

Call of Duty’s new Gunfight

It should be no surprise then, that this year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – a reboot of one of the most popular games of all time – is introducing a new mode too: Gunfight. Despite being a somewhat underwhelming name, Gunfight isn’t just a descriptor for the entire First-Person Shooter genre but is this year’s exciting addition to the multiplayer portion of the franchise. 

Gunfight brings first-person shooting back to the intense and claustrophobic feeling that has been lost in a game scape dominated by open-worlds and the constant need to go bigger. It strips the game back to being short and snappy rounds of 2v2 combat. 

A Test of Skill and Nerve

With only you and one other to rely on, fights aren’t what we’re used to. There’s no running around double-jumping, no reviving each other, you get one chance to win.  It’s all about using what you have available to you and your own wits: no gimmicks, no-nonsense, just a simple test of skill and nerve. 

Each fight is set in a small map, one that will have tight turns, small spaces, and very little room to run away. Every player is then given a loadout to play with. There are no guarantees what that will be, but you’ll all be in this with the same weapons and chances, the only thing that will keep you alive until the end is your skill, so be prepared to flex those flick shots , you’re going to need them.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is going to be hitting us hard on October 25th. You can look forward to an intense and immersive solo campaign to play through alongside all of the less serious multiplayer offerings, so it should be a welcome return to form for many fans of the Modern Warfare series.

New currency changes in 9 countries

From today (23rd October 2019), Green Man Gaming has changed the currency that customers use to shop with us from select markets from GBP £ to USD $.

The countries that will see this change are:

  • Czech Republic
  • Bulgaria
  • Croatia
  • Denmark
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • Sweden
  • Ukraine
  • Hungary

We’ve decided to review our pricing currency so we can get the best deals to customers that offer overall cheaper prices for everyone. 

This currency change will also adjust the credit balance in the  Green Man Gaming account of customers in these countries. The new currency amount of credit will be changed automatically from GBP£ to USD$ with immediate effect. 

We’re always listening to our customers and working to improve the Green Man Gaming experience. Please do get in touch with our Customer Support team if you have any questions or would like to share feedback.

Call of Duty: The History of Captain Price

A name synonymous with the franchise itself, Captain John Price is a man that needs no introduction if you’ve played a Modern Warfare game. A dangerously calculated military man with an endearing sense of humor, he brings welcome comic relief and some genuinely powerful moments to the series, bouncing off of his supporting soldiers and lending an ear where necessary. In this article we’re going to run through some of his finest moments, leading up to the reinvention of his character in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which lands later this week. 

All Ghillied Up

“50,000 people used to live here… now it’s a ghost town.” You’ve no doubt heard this line dozens of times before if you’ve played Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and struggled against the iconic mission ‘All Ghillied Up’. Whilst this wasn’t the introduction of Price himself, it serves as a window into his past. Under orders from his own Glaswegian Captain, MacMillan, Lieutenant Price botches an assassination of Zakhaev, tearing his left arm from his body after sneaking through the dog-covered fields of Pripyat.

Prisoner 627

Price then led Bravo Team and Soap MacTavish to the ending mission ‘Game Over’, where he most famously tossed a pistol to his protege so that they (us) could finish off the Fourth Horseman and the Ultranationalists. This seemed like the perfect ending, until we learn that the scheme still held power in Russia, leading to Modern Warfare 2. In this game, Price led Task Force 141 under General Shepherd to take down Vladimir Makarov, the evil leader responsible for ‘No Russian’ who was continuing in the footsteps of Zakhaev. 

A raid gone wrong leaves Price in a Russian Gulag, where the player must rescue him in a shattered state. The team then scramble to defeat Makarov, and Price is later betrayed by General Shepherd and his Shadow Company. In a battle to the death Captain Price nearly loses his life to Shepherd before Soap pulls a knife from his body and sends it hurtling into Shepherd’s head, saving the dynamic duo. 

A suicide mission

With Makarov still at large, Price returns to the fold leading a disavowed Task Force 141 into battle to finish off the Russian extremist once and for all. This is an even more important mission given that their legacy and names have been muddied by their dealings with General Shepherd. Price grieves the loss of his protege Soap in Modern Warfare 3 and comes to terms with a new partner in Yuri, who tried to betray Makarov during the events of ‘No Russian’.

His failure in Pripyat looming heavy on his conscience, he leads Yuri on a revenge mission to kill Makarov, finally succeeding and clearing his name at the Hotel Oasis, where they ruin Makarov’s security force and kill the man himself, losing Yuri in the process. In losing another close friend Price is crushed, but his mission is then complete, and the years of grief and dread created by that sniper shot in Pripyat were declared over. 

Future Soldier

Whilst you may have thought that Price might have hung up his boots by now, he has re-entered the fold for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Voiced by Barry Sloane and not Billy Murray, the new, younger-looking character is part of the Modern Warfare reboot, still sporting his iconic moustache. To see what kind of hijinks he’s set to get up to in the new game, check out the story trailer and get ready to dive in when the game launches on October 25th for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.

Skybolt Zack Everything You Need to Know

Published by Green Man Gaming Publishing, Skybolt Zack is a new breed of platformer from French developers DEVS MUST DIE. Bringing together the combination of rhythm style button matching combos and fast paced platforming elements, Skybolt Zack is sure to draw out the perfectionist in you as you aim for those perfect runs and high scores through the wide variety of levels and worlds.

What do you do? 

Rocket punch your way through 48 challenging levels spread across 15 different environments and 5 unique worlds. Each level features branching paths with varying levels of difficulty depending on the route you take. Following these paths will lead you on to different levels and routes opening the game up for a lot of replayability.

The easier routes tend to be lower down in the level and your movement will mostly involve horizontal movement. Whereas the more challenging routes will see you using a lot more of the verticality of the levels and will require more precise timing, faster reactions and to plan a little further ahead.

How do you play?

You’re free to use almost any controller you want and with that you can also customise your button layout to your preferred combination. Once you’ve settled on that it’s time to jump in to the fantastic looking world accompanied by a retro 90’s platformer inspired playlist. 

Each interactable element of the game – mostly enemy robots, or missiles and bullets flying around, will be mapped to a specific button and will be highlighted with the same colour as on your chosen controller. Once you press the corresponding button and the direction you want to go, you’re rocket punch will propel you to your target and essentially destroy it. From then on you keep on repeating that, picking the path you want to take as you progress. The quicker you can do it and the more buttons you can combo together the better your score at the end will be. 

Zack’s rocket punch isn’t his only options though, he can dash in any direction, focus – allowing you to reach further with your targeting, and quickly change direction when destroying enemies. Providing players with more depth to the gameplay and mastering its levels. Skybolt Zack definitely fits with the “easy to learn, but difficult to master” idiom. 

Game Modes

In Skybolt Zack there are three different game modes for players to get stuck in to. The story is the standard mode that will teach you the basics and let you play at your own pace. Then for the more competitive amongst you, you have Score Attack, where your goal is to try and get the highest score possible. The final game mode is Time Attack, where you’re trying to make it through the level in the best time. 

To compliment that and to give you somewhere to show off there are also two worldwide leaders boards, one for each of the competitive modes. 
If you want to try Skybolt Zack for yourself you can download the demo. Otherwise the full game releases on November 7th.

Why Attending Conventions Like EGX is Good For the Soul

Currently London here in the UK is abuzz with video games. The annual celebration of the video game industry is popping off in the ExCel centre – that’s right; it’s EGX time.

We’re in attendance this year meaning if you’re there you can get some hands-on time with Pride Run, Skybolt Zack, ShockRods, or you can just stop by and say hello. 

But maybe you’re not there, maybe you’re asking ‘Alex, why should I care about gaming conventions? Why would I bother?’ Well, firstly, I commend your audacity. Secondly, here’s why you should give a damn about gaming conventions like EGX, and why they’re truly good for the soul.

5. It’s good to be bounced around in the Brownian motion of society

We could do all our shopping on the internet. We could go to school at home. We could do our jobs in our pyjamas, and often we might need to do those things for our sanity or health. But it really is generally good to be out and about amongst others at least when you can. Conventions like EGX are an ideal place to just get out for a bit, meet some people, or don’t. It’s up to you.

4. Everyone’s there for one reason

Conversations are easier at conventions like EGX, because everyone’s there for one reason. Saw a game you like? Excited about something? Well, so are they. Everyone’s got a story or a thing they want to talk about, and so instead of spending time on small talk, you can go straight to Big Talk about things you love and things you are excited for.

3. Video Games are great

Let’s not underestimate this: video games are absolutely fantastic. Getting to go to a place and play and see games that aren’t out yet, or even ones that are old and being played on retro systems is just brilliant. You love games, the convention organisers love games, everyone there loves games. 

2. People don’t fit into one mould

You’ve seen the stereotypes. Gamers are male shut-ins wearing 1999-era Matrix leather coats. But, go to a gaming convention like EGX, and you’ll see just how stupid and out of date that stereotype is. Gamers come in all shapes, sizes, genders, and ages. Yes of course there’ll be a few nascent Neos walking around, but that’s just one type of gamer, you’ll see so many that you’ll realise ‘gamer’ is a tag that just applies to what you do, not who you are.

1. It’s a respite from negativity

The world’s a lot sometimes. Disasters, both natural and manmade ravage the world, political unrest is tearing countries and communities asunder, and frankly things are just a bit rubbish most of the time. But at a gaming convention, that stops at the door. Everyone is there to just see something new, see something they love, and it’s genuinely refreshing to soak up that atmosphere. 

Gaming conventions like Gamescom, EGX, Rezzed, or PAX can be expensive, tiring, and busy. But they’re also good for the soul, they’re energising, they recharge your love of gaming and can give you a new outlook on those who game alongside you.
What’s your favourite convention, or are you still just not interested in them? Let us know in the comments below, or head on over to our forum to join in the conversation.

WWE 2K20 Everything You Need to Know

WWE games are about as reliable as EA’s roster of sports franchises. They arrive every year with all the inevitability of the setting sun, with similar gameplay mechanics, graphics and incremental systemic improvements. This years instalment marks WWE 2K20, and it’s fast approaching its launch on October 22nd. If you’re wondering whether this years offering is worth the upgrade, we’re going to run through some of the new features coming to the game.

MyCareer 

Gracing the cover of WWE 2K20 is Becky Lynch, and to complement this the game is affording players the ability to create a female MyPlayer. This tracks for MyCareer too, where you’ll play as both a male and female wrestler and deal with the tribulations of becoming a superstar grappler. You can also play as female wrestlers in Mixed Tag matches.

This years 2K Showcase mode is also focusing on The Women’s Revolution and the Four Horsewomen, so you can relive a number of adrenaline-pumping moments from the female perspective, for the first time in the series history.

2K Towers 

Proving popular with fans, 2K Towers is back once more in 2K20. The mode is a lot like the towers seen in games like Mortal Kombat where you battle through a gauntlet of opponents for prizes. In previous offering you could play as a certain famed wrestler or your MyPlayer and push through a series of fighters, with mixed modes and eras to keep things fresh. For this years 2K Towers the developers are teasing “exciting new challenges” including new tower modes like Fatal-Four Way and Triple Threat. Story-driven towers will also make an appearance, with the developers already revealing a specific tower ahead of launch that focuses on the rise of controversial superstar Roman Reigns.

2K Originals 

WWE 2K20 will be supported post launch with what 2K is calling WWE 2K Originals, a series of content packs that bring “new arenas, superstars, story towers, unlockable character parts, arenas and more.” The first pack is titled “Bump in the Night” and will feature Bray Wyatt. You can get access to the first original for free by pre-ordering the game.

Roster and controls

As well as the above, 2K20 will contain a whopping 238 wrestlers, so you’re sure to find somebody to play as, whether that’s a legendary 90s stunner like Steve Austin or a popular modern titan like AJ Styles.

The developers have also tweaked the control scheme in the game to make it more accessible. Climbing and object interaction are now controlled by separate inputs, meaning you won’t get mixed up as often and perform the wrong action. There’s also the Assist Mode option which uses A.I to automate strong strikes and grapples, choosing the attack for the player. This simplifies the combat for players who may be new to the series.

If this has piqued your interest, watch out for WWE 2K20 when it launches next week on October 22nd for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Monkey King: Hero is Back

There’s a surprisingly rich history of games that interpret the classic story of Journey to the West. A few years ago we got the magnificent Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, with a slightly darker interpretation of the tale (pun intended). Enslaved is possibly the best interpretation so far, which is in no small thanks to the efforts of Ninja Theory, who made it. It took inspiration from the story but placed you in the future in a post-apocalyptic world instead of the days of yore. It was also fairly well received. 

More recently we’ve seen the representation of the characters in side-scrolling Unruly Heroes, which felt as though it got the art style spot on for such a classic story. In that game, you took control of one of four different heroes traversing through the beautiful world and even had a PvP mode. When you also consider the fact that Goku of Dragon Ball fame is also clearly influenced by this fable, it’s clear to see just how much we owe to the original Journey to the West. 

Monkey King: Hail to the King

Well, thanks to the mammoth success of Monkey King: Hero is Back (it’s one of the highest-grossing animated films in China), we’re getting yet another entry in this sub-sub-genre of games that are heavily-influenced, or just completely about, Journey to the West in the form of Monkey King: Hero is Back.

Rather than telling the normal story, or even following alongside the events of the movie, this game is going to be telling a new chapter in the Chinese legend. It’s going to be an action game all about unleashing kung-fu combos and QTE-counter attacks. It also promises not to take itself too seriously, which will be good news for fans of Jackie Chan films and the somewhat slapstick nature of them. 

Monkey King: Not Just an Action Hero

It won’t just be an action game though, there will be a wealth of different skills and super moves to unlock as you get stronger, as well as having to master all of the tools at your disposal. It’ll be a great chance to play a new take on this much-loved tale, and is sure to be a good choice for fans of all things Monkey. Plus, how often is it that we see movie tie-ins anymore, they used to be all the rage, but they’re far rarer nowadays. 

The game is set to come out October 17th on most platforms, and nestles nicely into the double-A space and is cheaper as a result. It could be a great game for little ones as a chance to keep them in the world of Journey to the West, and will probably be an essential pickup for fans of the film who just want to spend a little more time with it.

Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair: A Progressive Love-Letter To The Classics

In case you’ve been having an extended stay under a four-star rock, you’ll know that Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is not only out on store shelves right now, but also that it’s very good.

More than that though, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is as much a loving and glorious love letter to the classic titles of old, as it is progressive in the various aspects of its surprisingly sprawling design. Here’s why.

The Closest You’ll Get To Donkey Kong Country On A Non-Nintendo Machine

Ditching the 3D worlds of the previous game, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair instead shifts the action to a 2D plane for the most part in a way that will be familiar to anyone who has indulged Rare’s side-scrolling genre classic, Donkey Kong Country. 

From the thickly set and somewhat weighty feeling of the platforming, that evokes fond memories of Rare’s classic genre effort, to the challenging (though not unfairly so) level of difficulty, and finally the focus on jump attack chaining between enemies as a traversal mechanic, Playtonic’s latest is an unabashed tribute to Rare’s 1990s SNES platforming shenanigans. 

The Overworld Map Is Straight Outta Hyrule

If the platforming aspect of Yooka-Layee and the Impossible Lair finds its roots in Donkey Kong Country, than so too do the overworld sections of Playtonic’s sequel secure itself from the heritage of another well-known title in Nintendo’s back catalogue.

Between its platforming aspects, In Yooka-Layee and the Impossible Lair the perspective switches to a top down view as the player explores a decently sized overworld map, solving puzzles, uncovering secrets and vanquishing nasties in just the same way that erstwhile Nintendo hero Link has done in the Legend of Zelda games, past and present.

A Drinking Game Like No Other

One of the main reasons to seek out secrets in the game, the numerous tonics that you’ll either come across in hidden pockets of the environment, or purchase with Yooka-Laylee’s hard-won currency of feathers, each affect the game in different and interesting ways.

From the purely cosmetic tonics that simply produce an amusing visual filter, to those draughts of a more functional variety which introduce new moves or affect the difficulty of your foes, the tonics act as an ingenious kind of difficulty slider for the game. Beyond just making things more or less tricky, these fluids introduce a risk and reward dynamic too, whereupon the easier you make it for yourself the less feathers you earn at the end of each level and vice-versa.

It Boasts A Rare Sense Of Humour

Tapping into its rich history of breezy comedy when the bulk of its number still worked at Rare, Playtonic has brought its substantial talents at soft wit and turn of phrase to Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair.

Often twee, and never anything less than charming, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair’s heartwarming sense of humor is not only immediately recognisable from Playtonic’s distinctively British heritage, but also oozing a sort of innocent cleverness that makes it resolutely suitable for younger audiences too. 

A Tale Of Two Worlds

Not content to merely wear classical inspirations on its digital sleeve like an array of lovingly detailed, if somewhat faded tattoos, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair innovates significantly off of its own merits too. 

Nowhere is this ingenuity better on display than in the dual level structure that is threaded throughout the game. Each level in Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is commenced by opening a storybook, however the levels that you’ll be presented with entirely depend on the real world condition of said tome.

A book laying on a dry riverbed might whisk our duo off into a vibrant forest realm for example, but should you open a nearby dam in the overworld causing the area to flood, players will then get the opportunity to attempt an all-new version of that level, half-submerged and stuffed with new challenges and secret opportunities. It’s clever stuff to say the least.

Yooka-Laylee and the impossible Lair is out now on the Green Man Gaming store. To find out what other gamers have to say, visit our community pages

Fortnite’s Map Disappears into Black Hole

Fortnite has never been a game to shy away from shaking things up. They’ve had changes to the map before, a Stranger Things crossover, the Avengers turned up, and even a live concert that broke all sorts of concurrency records. If you can remember back to the dusty distant days of 2017 the game was a fundamentally different beast, being overhauled to be the battle royale everyone knows and loves today.

Day of the Girl: The 10 Best Female Characters in Games

The 11th of October marks the internationally recognised Day of the Girl, and as part of that several video games companies have teamed up with the charity War Child to help raise money to help support young people affected by conflict. You can get more information on the War Child website.

As it’s the Day of the Girl, we thought it would be the perfect time to look at ten of the best female characters to ever grace the video gaming world. 

10 – Tifa Lockhart – Final Fantasy VII

Armed with little other than her fists and a devastating kick, Tifa Lockhart can hold the line at the front of battle with ease. Not only that, her care and tact around protagonist Cloud’s confused recollections is beautiful and caring.

9 – April Ryan – The Longest Journey / Dreamfall

With one of the best personal arcs ever seen in video games, April Ryan goes from struggling art student to dimension-hopping potential saviour of reality, but as the masterpiece The Longest Journey shows, nothing is ever that easy.

8 – Kate Archer – No-One Lives Forever Series

Kate Archer lives in a sexist-trope filled universe and she’s well aware of it, as one of the most aware protagonists in any game she supplements that with a sideline in spying and kicking enemy arse.

7 – Tandi – Fallout Series

Going from wide-eyed teenager in the original to president of the nascent New California Republic in the sequel, Tandi never lets adversity, or the apocalypse, get in her way. An inspiration to everyone.

6 – Commander Shepard – Mass Effect Series

Commander Shepard is the space-faring alien-punching hero we all want to secretly be, and despite there being a gender choice option, femShep is everyone’s canon, right?

5 – Sylvanas – WarCraft Series

She may have a bit of a troubled past and er, well, present, and possibly future, but Sylvanas overcame death itself to rise again and lead the Horde (and the Alliance, I suppose) to victory over the intergalactic threat of the Burning Legion. You have to give her props for that.

4 – Piper Wright – Fallout 4

Caring deeply about people and the truth, Piper is the heart of Fallout 4. She runs a paper, looks after her little sister, and still finds time to go hunting feral ghouls with you. 

3 – Bayonetta – Bayonetta Series

Bayonetta is in control. Of her image, of her actions, and of the bullets and kicks she sends shooting off in combat. Her games are incredibly over the top, but Bayonetta herself is always in a commanding position.

2 – Emily Kaldwin – Dishonored Series

She may have needed a little help in the first game, but Emily Kaldwin in the sequel fully embraces not only her power but her ability to choose life and death over the minions and mooks she comes across. She’s an Empress you could really vote for, if empires worked that way.

1 – Lara Croft – Tomb Raider Series

You can’t have a list of women in video games or female characters without mentioning Lara Croft. A mirror held up to male protagonists, she kicks arse and adventures and makes no apologies for it. At her best when firing two guns or locking her stalwart butler in a freezer, she’s our choice for best female character ever.

Who is your favourite female character in video games? Let us know in the comments below, or head on over to our community forum to have your say and join the conversation.

Scandimania – The Best Scandinavian Games

We love our friends from the more Scandinavian countries, you might even say we have Scandimania. Which is perfect as we’re currently running a promotion showcasing the absolute best games made in those countries, with prices cut so low you’ll think Beowulf is swinging the price-slashing sword.

With so much on offer you might need a little help finding the cream of the crop. So sit back, get yourself a warm drink, soak up your hygge-decorated room, and check out what we’ve got for you.

Hitman 2

Hitman 2016 was a masterclass in returning to the roots of the genre, and Hitman 2 improves on the formula in every way. Every level is a Mousetrap-style cavalcade of death and opportunity, meaning you can spend hours setting up the perfect kill, or ‘accident’. 

Inside

Limbo was a brilliant and utterly spooky game with a monochromatic art style, the follow- up – Inside – is both much more heartwarming, and much more terrifying. With evil scientists chasing your lone child protagonist through a mad science-filled universe, it’s chilling and gripping stuff.

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden

The world is broken, but it’s ok because life still exists, albeit in a mutated form. Take control of a team of mutants, including our favourite – Dux, in a post-human adventure with rich tactical combat and multiple gameplay options meaning two missions are never the same.

The Longest Journey

April Ryan is having a tough time of things, she keeps having these weird dreams that get in the way of her life. Maybe, just maybe, they’re more than dreams. With a dimension-spanning story that frankly has yet to be beaten, The Longest Journey demands to be part of any adventure game fans’ library.

Warhammer: Vermintide 2

Everyone loves the Skaven, those chittering hordes from Games Workshop’s Warhammer setting. Warhammer: Vermintide 2 doesn’t just give you the Skaven from the original game, Nurgle’s blessed diseased troops are also ready for you to swing an axe, blade, or fling fire at in this co-op survive-a-thon. Bring a friend, bring three friends. You’ll need them.

Kathy Rain

Set in the 90s, Kathy Rain stars a college student who’s investigating the death of her grandfather, or rather, the mysteries surrounding his life and the illness that kept him in a wheelchair, mute, for decades. Kathy Rain is an adventure game with heart, a cracking plot, and puzzles that’ll have you scratching your head for hours.

Stellaris

Everyone loves space, well, almost everyone. So head to space in Stellaris and build your ideal society there, maybe a race of alien warlords, maybe you’ll be a peace seeking Federation. It’s all up to you, space 4X games have never been so complete.

Cities: Skylines

The Cities series has been going from strength to strength, but never better than in Cities: Skylines. It fully embodies the dream that the older Sim City games began to explore and lets you build shining metropolises, or crime filled slums, if you wish. With a tonne of DLC and full mod support, it might just be a permanent install.

Now you should have all the information you need to go and check out our Scandimania sale with deadly laser focused precision. What’s your favourite game developed in Scandinavia? Let us know in the comments below, or over on our community forum.

Deliver Us the Moon: Truth is Scarier Than Fiction

First things first, Deliver Us the Moon is neither a game about Deliveries nor about the almighty power of yeeting. Instead, it is a sci-fi thriller set after an apocalypse caused by a lack of resources. You see, we – the people – have successfully used up all of the Earth’s natural resources and instead of having an achievement pop up (You Done Goofed), it turns out that we have to take to the stars to try and keep everyone alive. We could have just switched to greener energy a few years before all of this happened of course, but hey. 

If that sounds a little far-fetched to you, then you’re obviously not paying attention. Deliver Us the Moon isn’t scary or unnerving because it’s about some unfathomable evil, or having to change yet another nappy, it’s because of just how close to home it is. Space demons and whatnot are good and all, but true fear comes not from the unknown, but from the all too realistic, or at least a riff on it. That’s what Deliver Us The Moon is going for. 

The story of Deliver Us the Moon

In the wake of the horrendous conditions on earth, the World Space Agency is created (thankfully it’s not called the Space Force). Among various other missions they undertook, they managed to secure a new source of energy from the moon. It’s all going well until the station suddenly stops communicating back to Earth, leaving the planet wondering just what happened. 

You take on the role of the last astronaut, one sent to the moon to try and find out what happened. You’ve got a lot of pressure on your shoulders on account of the whole ‘saving the Earth’ thing, so they send you along with a robot called ASE. 

The two of you get to do everything from launching the rocket into space, landing on the space station, and even casually strolling around the moon itself. At least, it would be were it not for the fact that the moon isn’t exactly accommodating to your needs. You’ll have to contest with constantly depleting oxygen tanks along with the cold, hard, uncaring void of space. So, that’s nice. 

Deliver Us More Puzzles and Exploration Please

At its heart, the gameplay will involve a lot of puzzle-solving and exploration, but the atmosphere will maintain that creepy vibe that permeates so much of our space-based literature and media. After all, in space, no one can hear you scream. Especially after you’ve cut off communications. 

It could well turn out that the whole thing has just been caused by space-kittens, which are like normal kittens, but without gravity holding them back. If that isn’t scary, then I don’t what is. You can get stuck into Deliver Us The Moon is out on the 10th of October, just in time for the season of spooky games.

For more information head over to the official website then join the Green Man Gaming Community to see what other gamers have to say.

How Video Game Sounds and References Work Their Way Into Modern Music

Most of the modern public have played a video game, so it’s no surprise really that many musicians have got their mitts on a controller or two. From The Who’s ‘Pinball Wizard’ to Lana Del Rey’s less subtle ‘Video Games’, we’ve come a long way when it comes to carefully homaging our beloved hobby, and there’s plenty of receipts. Talking about video games and even including sound effects and samples from them has become commonplace in the music industry. Perhaps this stems from a realization that addicting soundtracks can be co-opted into platinum earworms, or maybe it’s personal taste and the gaming lineage of artists that colours their seminal work. Let’s get into it.

Rap’s ties to video game culture

It seems that most often its hip hop and rap that allude to gaming in the most common capacity. At some point, Kanye West’s work (and by proxy, the rap genre in general) became infested by Street Fighter II sound effects. Yes, that’s right, “You Win,” “Perfect” and “Fight!” can be heard in everything from Charlie Heat’s ‘Facts’, Bryson Tiller’s ‘Sorry not Sorry’ and the now iconic Kanye cut ‘The Life of Pablo Part 2.’

Whilst most famous video game samples in music tend to stem from the pre-millennium era, there are a smattering of modern samples that have cropped up in recent years, pertaining to some games from the previous console generation. One of the most strange incidents involves the use of the song His World by Tomoya Ohtani, a track on the soundtrack of the much-reviled Sonic 06. Impeccable taste!

PK Fire!

Drake producer Ness sampled and flipped it, turning it into the backing track for Drake and Peckham rapper Giggs’ bars on 2017’s KMT from the album More Life. Seriously! If you thought that was wild, consider that two albums before this, Drake rapped over a sped up version of David Wise’s ‘Haunted Chase’ from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong’s Quest. All of this sounds like one tremendous joke, but trust me when I say that this happens, and it’s frequent. Recently, Virginia rapper DRAM broke onto the scene with his addictive earworm Cha Cha, only to sample Koji Kondo’s ‘Star Road’ from Super Mario World. The list is endless.

Samples as art

Instead of sampling, sometimes artists will simply use video game sound effects as staging on their projects, uninterrupted and in full. Frank Ocean’s critically-revered Channel Orange project released in July of 2012, yet the opening track ‘Start’ is background noise of Mr. Ocean receiving a phone notification and booting up his PlayStation. An unavoidable part of the DNA of that album is now video games, which is a startling, fantastic homage to the hobby we all know and love. Whilst sound clips and quotes from movies often make the cut in music, it can be fun to listen to your favourite songs and try to figure out where you heard that familiar sample from. You never know, it could be tied to something in your Steam library…!

Do you know of any artists, perhaps from other genres that have added video game sound effects and samples to their music? Let us know!

The Outer Worlds: How it builds on Obsidian’s New Vegas Formula

One of the most exciting games to be revealed in the past few years was Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds. Announced during The Game Awards in 2018, it looked to be a deeply unique take on the open-world format. Obsidian, unchained from a particular franchise and allowed to run free with their wild ideas. 

The game is set in an alternate future where mega-corporations have doomed society thanks to political apathy, leading to business-owned colonies and capitalist ruin. Your character is a rogue unfrozen from cryosleep, let loose to figure out the murky dealings behind the corporations that control The Outer Worlds.

One of the reasons many were excited for this game was due to the success of Fallout: New Vegas, the Obsidian-developed darling RPG that has loomed heavy on the gaming subconscious ever since it’s release. The game is widely revered as one of the finest RPG games of all time, and that’s without delving into Obsidian’s back catalogue where there are plenty more of that criteria to pick from. 

The Outer Worlds looks like much more of the same, but there are particular areas in which the studio are building on the formula they found great success with.

Tactical Time Dilation

You either love V.A.T.S or you’re a liar. In Fallout, there’s not many better feelings than eviscerating the limb of a mutant with your rifle from miles away, or popping the head off a fellow town dweller when they try to turn on you after a haggle gone wrong. Obsidian know this and have decided to create their own system for The Outer Worlds. Tactical Time Dilation is a much less intrusive tactical aiming system which affords the player the ability to mitigate the flow of time, study an opponent and line up the perfect headshot whilst you direct your companions to sweep up the mobs.

Spaceship hub space

Another intersesting facet of The Outer Worlds is the fact you can have a hub space in the form of your spaceship, which is unlocked early in the game. Where you could have a home of some description in New Vegas, this travelling home base will create another layer of immersion and allow you to feel like you’re truly part of Obsidian’s world. The ship also doubles as your fast-travel system, which is a more natural method of traversing the varied environments,

Companions

Living on your spaceship hub will be your companions, with many to choose from throughout the game. Obsidian has built the companions to have their own personalities, and they will often butt in on conversations to give their opinion, and can potentially leave your party if you judge a situation poorly in a way that affects their moral code. You can also follow the ‘leader’ skill tree to receive perks that will be focused on making your companions more efficient in battle. 

Honourable mentions

Stealth has received a bump in efficiency thanks to the ability to wear disguises tied to each corporation, so you can explore compounds and keep hidden to engage in sneak attacks or get an advantage during a mission. Special weapons also return including a working shrink ray, and the perk system has been enhanced thanks to the introduction of flaws, where players will suffer a discrediting ailment if they are damaged during combat by a specific enemy, essentially a de buff to offset the power of perks.

The Outer Worlds will launch on the Epic Games Store, PS4 and Xbox One this October 25th.