Essential items for the traveling gamer

Whether video games are your job or just a hobby, when you travel out of the country you need to make preparations. Whilst others can subsist on a diet of books and podcasts, long-haul flights also make for some mean gaming time, especially if you’re trying to catch-up on your RPG backlog. Even so, when you get there you’re going to need a few essential items to ensure you can traverse conventions and play at a moment’s notice, without your electronics kicking the proverbial bucket. Here are five items that should be in every game-loving globetrotter’s luggage.

Portable SSD

A compact data solution that transfers at a lightning pace, you may not know you need a portable SSD until crisis strikes. If you’re travelling far away and want to keep your precious titles and their corresponding data in check, you should seek out one of these mini machines. Perhaps you’d like to capture video at a convention or a friend’s house when you make some money moves in PUBG or Overwatch? The portable SSD has your back. Due to the solid-state architecture, you won’t be waiting around like you would with a USB or portable hard drive. Samsung’s T5 Range is reliable and my personal choice, but there are plenty of options out there.

Power Bank

Now that Nintendo has up and changed the game with its portable powerhouse the Nintendo Switch, you’ll no doubt be taking that, a PS Vita if you’re old school, or your phone or tablet on holiday with you to game on the journey or when you get some downtime. Don’t miss a trick and forget a power bank! And make sure you get one that churns out enough power to make it worthwhile weight in your travel luggage. Look for the wattage and mAh when you’re shopping (the higher output the better) and ensure it has a variety of connections, from USB-C to A and Lightning if you’re using iOS devices. I use Anker’s range of power bank’s, which are nice and sturdy and always reliable.

Noise-cancelling headphones

One of the worst feelings in the world is sitting down on a transatlantic flight, plugging in your bog-standard headphones to your Switch or Vita, and realising you can hear absolutely everything around you, pulling you out of the game world’s immersive grip. The only way to fight this scourge is to pick up a pair of noise-cancelling cans that let you soak in the ambience and stay focused. It’ll ensure that the time flies if you’ve got a big RPG to power through, which is good for those of us who hate flying, or just want to tune out from all the overwhelming noise. Sony and Bose provide the high-end pricy offerings, but personally, I use the Soundcore Life 2. For less than £70 they are unbeatable price-wise and offer fantastic noise-cancelling and comfy cups.

Backpack

Alright, now you’ve got all that, you need something to store them all in. Don’t undermine your kit by slinging it in a sub-par rucksack! There are plenty of cheap and cheerful backpack options that offer up a wealth of zips and pockets for your kit, regardless of size. Think about how it’s going to store your items. If you’re using a gaming laptop or a big tablet on the go, you want a safely separated compartment that keeps them upright so they don’t get crushed by other items. It also needs to be able to keep clothes and other items away from your tech for when you’re passing through security checkpoints or travelling light, to make things easy for you. There are plenty of options out there, including Berghaus’ 30L range and even Amazon’s own laptop bags, my personal favourite being Solo New York’s ‘Elite’ backpack, that has a ridiculous amount of pockets and a perfect separator for big tech items.

So what are your gaming travel accessories you can’t leave the house without? Comment below or drop by the Green Man Gaming Community pages to see what our other gamers think.

Ion Fury – Everything you need to know (and love) about this fabulously retro FPS

Back in the deeply dark days of 1996, there was Duke Nukem 3D, a vintage first-person shooter in which the only thing bigger than Mr. Nukem’s sprawling arsenal of bang-bang, was the cuss-spewing mouth affixed to his square-jawed mug. Now, in 2019, we have Ion Fury. 

Continuing on that grand tradition, Ion Fury is a retro and visceral styled shooter published by 3D Realms that not only wears its retro inspirations so brazenly on its digital sleeve, but introduces some contemporary game design elements to that classic formula to keep things feeling fresh.

Ion Fury Looks The Part Because It Is The Part

A cursory glance of Ion Fury reveals a shooter that doesn’t just look like some facsimile of the genre efforts of yore but instead embraces the exact same tech that those games used all those years ago. 

In the case of Ion Fury this means that developer Voidpoint has leveraged the BUILD engine, the exact same game engine that powered Duke Nukem 3D all the way back in 1996, for use in a shooter set for release in 2019. This means oodles of gorgeous sprite work and more stylized animations than you can shake a hairy stick at, making Ion Fury quite the retro visual treat indeed.

What’s Old Is New Again (With Knobs On)

As much as Ion Fury might outwardly appear to be a po-faced renaissance for late 90s shooters, Voidpoint have also made a number of well-informed nips and tucks to bring it up to date with contemporary expectations, too. 

For a start, Ion Fury allows players to pull off skull-busting headshots, while detailed environmental destruction and seamless level transitions all add up to create an enticing sum of a game that lovingly cribs as much from current design as it does the DNA of titles released during the halcyon days of the FPS genre.

That Health Bar Isn’t Going To Regenerate Itself

Though Ion Fury makes overtures to the more recent fans of the FPS genre, make no mistake – it’s still, at heart, very much rooted in old-school design where a premium is placed on quick reactions and spatial awareness above all else. 

With a health bar that doesn’t regenerate, an almost complete lack of cover to cower behind, non-linear level progression and handcrafted level design that eschews the current fad for procedurally generated maps, Ion Fury is all about running and gunning with barely a moment to catch your breath. 

Guns, Lots Of Guns

A premium metric for any shooter worth its salt, the selection of weapons on hand in Ion Fury is pleasingly absurd and brings widespread destruction with aplomb. 

Though the usual selection of handguns, shotguns and automatic weapons are all available, Ion Fury has its own line in exotic destructive gear with a triple-barrelled pistol, a homing bowling ball hand-grenade and an electrically charged tonfa baton to name just a few of the more unusual weapons you can use to turn your foes into a fine red mist.

Ion Fury’s Story Is Undiluted, Full Sugar Silliness – And We Love It

As if pulled straight from the annals of bad (but good) science fiction, Ion Fury’s story is straight up, weaponised nonsense of the most enjoyable kind. As wisecracking Shelley “Bombshell” Harrison, players must defeat evil transhumanist mastermind Dr. Jadus Heskel and his vicious cybernetic cult of losers.

See? I told you, this isn’t a Call of Duty rehash or some sort of half-baked Tom Clancy nonsense, this is Ion Fury, the Good Stuff. Honest. 

To find out more head over to the official website or check out our community pages and join the conversation.

The 10 best strategy games on PC

There are few genres as synonymous with PC gaming as strategy games. The format is perfect for armchair generals, sitting hunched over keyboard and mouse as you plot your next move or ten. 

With an army of strategy games ever prodding at your borders and strategy elements being a solid part of every genre, from RPG to adventure game, we thought it was time to take a look at the top 10 best strategy games on PC.

Homeworld: Remastered

There are few moments in gaming as beautiful, as jaw-dropping, and as perfect as the intro to Homeworld. Thankfully this space based strategy game follows it up with a complex and deep strategy sim that pushes all the right buttons in a truly satisfying campaign.

Battle Chess

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSnAiXKU7h8

It’d be remiss of us to not include the ur-strategy game. Chess has been with us for quite a while but one thing the board version cannot include (unless you’re a despot) is violence. Battle Chess completes the game with gory, and often quite funny, animations.

XCOM 2

XCOM 2 is that rare thing, a sequel that plays with the formula. Not only giving you more XCOM for your buck, it twists the setting and the way the game plays, adding new features and making your strategy from the first game obsolete. A modern classic.

Civilization VI

Every Civilization game differs from the previous one in key ways, and with expansions like Gathering Storm coming out for Civilization VI this is looking like one of the most feature-complete strategy games on the market.

Age of Wonders: Planetfall

The Star Union is dead, long live your faction. Find out what happened to the Union whilst carving out your own empire as you fight for survival. Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a late arrival to this list, but an extremely worthy one.

Into the Breach

Mechs? Bugs? Cities? Into the Breach has it all, and with full information at your fingertips and a rewind feature, you’ll never have anyone else to blame as you try to defend the world against invasion in this sci-fi strategy masterpiece.

Mount & Blade: Warband

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX37QA9o-Co

Combining several huge genres into one, Mount & Blade: Warband is a colossal achievement. The core of the game lies in its strategic and tactical layer, as you build an army and then take the front line yourself, leading your forces to victory, or crushing defeat.

Total War: Three Kingdoms

The Three Kingdoms period has been rife for novels, films, games, and more. Total War’s foray into the era not only combines the Total War genius for strategic combat, it includes character-led storytelling that has to be played to be believed.

Crusader Kings II

Overwhelming at first, Crusader Kings II remains the industry’s best anecdote creator. Take control of a demesne or a nation and try to ensure your legacy throughout the ages as plots from within and without threaten to topple your dynasty. 

StarCraft II

Blizzard has always been masters of their craft, and StarCraft II is their crowning achievement. With a single player mode that gives a new idea every level and a multiplayer mode so finely tuned it hurts, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything as slick in the strategy sphere.

Now you’re armed with knowledge and if you have any passing interest in the strategy genre you should have an amazing game to check out next. What’s your favourite strategy game for PC? Let us know in the comments below, or over on the Community Forum.

Age of Wonders: Planetfall Meet the Factions

Age of Wonders: Planetfall is the latest in a string of intriguing-looking 4X strategy games. Traditionally, Age of Wonders has always been deeply rooted in high fantasy, elves, magic, dragons, that kind of thing. This time though, things are very different thanks to a more sci-fi focused setting, and it’s one that the developers seem to have taken too with glee. 

One of the defining features of any strategy game is the factions, who you decide to take control of, and who ends up ruling the world/galaxy/universe as a result. The Age of Wonders: Planetfall factions are particularly interesting which is thanks to the connections they share with each other, and the glorious story-telling that the team behind the game is so good at. If you’re wondering which of these factions is for you, then here is a quick introduction to the six Age of Wonders: Planetfall factions. 

The Vanguard

This is the only run-of-the-mill one of the Age of Wonders: Planetfall factions and is a good choice if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by the chaos offered by the other choices. Rather than being anything exotic, this faction is all about the standard kind of troops you know and love from other games. They are the only branch of humanity left that is still mostly human, having emerged from a cryosleep to find that things have really changed since they were last awake. 

The Amazons

If you’re here for the dinosaurs with lasers, then this is the faction you want to be a part of. These ladies are descended from great geneticists and have managed to tame much of the world’s wildlife and formed beneficial symbiotic relationships with much of it. It means they’re already on friendly terms with certain NPC factions, and it also means they have dinosaurs with lasers. It’s a little bit Dr Evil but in a good way. 

The Dvar

These little guys are the epitome of short-guy syndrome, but what they lack in height they make up for by wearing hulking suits of armour. They specialise in machinery and can even flatten or raise mountains. Rather than worrying about petty things like enemy fire, they tend to smash their way into battle with hammers and jets. A good shout if you like a good shout. 

The Assembly

The Assembly might well be the creepiest of the Age of Wonders: Planetfall factions. Each of these humanoids is descended from clones, who were vat-grown as weapons. They’ve since co-opted a huge array of weapons and augmentations in order to become a force to be reckoned with. Nothing too creepy yet though, right? Well, they also scavenge organs from their dead enemies in order to help themselves live longer. It’s a bit gross unless they’re following the five-second rule. 

The Kir’ko

Despite how some of the factions look, The Kir’ko are the only alien race to be found here. They’re basically big bugs, which means they actually get stronger if you can group them together and they tend to swarm over the map to try and win. They can also absorb other factions into themselves with the aim of reviving the hive queen who was slain long ago. Like a buggy Borg. 

The Syndicate

The last of the Age of Wonders: Planetfall factions is The Syndicate. These are a deeply unpleasant bunch of people who favour the cloak and dagger to open warfare. They’re all descended from aristocracy though, so it’s not a surprise to find out that they’re all basically terrible people. They even use slaves to fight, they’re a good choice if you’re bored of being the good guys. 

To find out more you can check out the official website or head over to the Green Man Gaming Store. If your thinking of picking up Age of Wonders: Planetfall, head on over to the Green Man Gaming community pages to see what our gamers think.

2019 in Gaming Conventions: which shows to attend and what they have to offer

E3 is all said and done and after a bombastic showing in Los Angeles, the industry heads into con season, a wild stretch that runs throughout Autumn delivering event after event in the games industry. We thought we’d cut through the fog and give you a quick summary of each upcoming convention and what they have to offer.

Gamescom 2019 (August 20-24)

Europe’s largest public gaming event returns once again in 2019, and as per usual it will feature a gargantuan presence from the publishing titans within the games industry. This year Geoff Keighley will host ‘Gamescom: Opening Night Live’ – a ‘The Game Awards’ style show with a number of game announcements and reveals just prior to the event days occurring. This event is based in Cologne and whilst the queues can be long, if you live on the continent it’s the main destination if you’re into AAA titles, with a solid indie presence too.

PAX West (August 30th to September 2nd)

For those of us across the pond, PAX West is a busy but worthwhile trip if you couldn’t quite make it to E3. Unlike Gamescom, it offers plenty of fascinating panels, tons of networking opportunities and a grassroots community spirit, with plenty of indie outreach programs like Pax Rising designed to get people talking about up and coming titles. With a number of free play stations and game rooms for you to play classic and modern titles with your friends or some kind strangers, PAX West is a cool middle ground between E3 and something like EGX Rezzed which has a more homebrewed feel, even if there is an increasing presence from the big publishers.

Tokyo Game Show ( September 12th to September 15th)

If you’ve got boundless love for Japanese games and developers (Square Enix, Capcom, Bandai Namco and the like) and the means to travel to Asia, make sure you work in Tokyo Games Show to your September holiday. With over 250 thousand people attending, the show is a bustling display and one of the oldest and most impressive game conventions on the planet, taking place in the lovely Chiba Prefecture.

EGX (October 17th to October 20th)

Operated by Gamer Network owner ReedPOP!, EGX is the UK’s biggest gaming event which has now landed in London after being based in Birmingham for the past few years. The event has a public focus with over 250 games playable to attendees, but there’s also a cavalcade of indie games due to the Rezzed Zone and The Leftfield Collection, which curate everything weird and wonderful. Well worth the trip if you’re based in Blighty, EGX is full of top publishers, brands, cosplay competitions and much more.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 and the couch co-op renaissance

It’s been a long time coming, but couch co-op games are back in style. It feels like nowadays extra controllers are destined to languish in pits of gnarled wires, obscured by our few remaining physical games and the obligatory plastic peripherals that now clutter the dusty bins of gamer tat that linger near our consoles.

The convenience of online…

It’s not entirely a bad thing – online multiplayer has seen tremendous success and experienced years of necessary innovation with the advent of esports and battle royale – but it’s pushed us all out of our friend’s houses and back into our own bedrooms. Your best online pal might live across the street, but you’ll no doubt play “together” by communicating over Discord, a far cry from when you used to just knock on their door, controller in hand.

It could be a generational shift in opinion, with younger gamers growing up on Minecraft and Fortnite – but money talks, and by removing local co-op from games, you’re forced to buy your own copy. Hell, Wolfenstein: Youngblood launched last week without split-screen, and the entire premise of the game is co-op. Though Bethesda must get some credit for including the Buddy Pass which allows an online friend to duet with you for free – it’s not ideal though is it? More like a compromise. There was a time when local co-op came as standard in stalwart Xbox and PlayStation titles like Halo 3 and Timesplitters, so now in 2019, it’s nice to see some games are bucking the antisocial trend.

A new contender bringing friends together

Enter stage left, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order. A follow-up 10 years senior to the previous game in the series, it doesn’t pull any punches – it’s a simple brawler with responsive controls and hectic combat, just like it’s predecessors. It’s the perfect pick me up on the Switch if you want to rekindle the flame and give your friends a reason to come over for an evening to topple Thanos and his goons.

With a growing roster of 36 distinguished caped crusaders, there’s enough to ensure nobody is picking favourites, as gigantic bruisers like Venom complement even the most nimble of vigilantes in Wasp. One crucial part of its clever couch co-op is the synergy attacks, where every player in a group works to build a meter and then hammer the trigger buttons to combine forces and unleash a devastating attack in tandem. A similar feature has also been seen recently in Super Mario Party with the co-ordinated high-five in between mini-games. It’s these kinds of cute prompts that forces you to communicate and yell at your partners – the secret adrenaline-building sauce to any successful couch co-op game.

The Couch Co-op Console King

Overcooked, Crash Team Racing, Smash and Mario Kart – as well as the two mentioned above, all of these popular couch co-op games have launched on the Nintendo Switch, a console that has become a vanguard for local co-op, despite the fact its latest iteration, the Switch Lite has stripped away the ability to unleash the Joy-Cons…

There’s nothing like net code to ruin a multiplayer game, so it’s nice to see that in 2019 the local aspect hasn’t been totally forgotten. Hopefully, given that most of the titles mentioned today have become wildly successful, we’ll see developers take more of a chance on split-screen, and maybe we’ll have to dig out those dodgy controllers after all!

Hell Let Loose Utah Beach Update

Operation Overlord has always provided an iconic setting in World War 2 games, there have been countless recreations over the years but Black Matter’s version might just be the best yet.

Hell let Loose Update 1

Utah Beach is the first major content patch released for the realistic WW2 FPS Hell Let Loose, which launched early this year on Steam Early Access, and with it has come the brand new map ‘Utah Beach’ as well as some other additions and balances. For the full patch notes, you can check out the Hell Let Loose Steam page.

Whilst the map might share some similarities to Sainte Marie Du Mont with large open fields and hedgerows running alongside the winding roads, there is a lot more diversity across the entire map and more areas that provide the intense firefight experience the game is looking to deliver.

Hill 5

Hill 5 sits almost central to the map, with trenches running all around it and large bunkers to set up machine-gun nests. As the name suggests, the whole area is a hill, if only slightly, meaning that teams wishing to assault the area are often fairly exposed to the bunkers

wide lines of sight. But with its central location on the map, it is also extremely vulnerable to flanks from any side. Should you decide to assault the area, take lots of smoke and stay low. 

WN5

Next stop is WN5, with its large house at the centre, and numerous barns and outhouses providing lots of cover and places to set up garrisons. With its close proximity to the edge of the map, it is a difficult location to attack, with firefights often being long drawn out affairs. But call in some good air support and artillery strikes and you just might make enough of an opening to storm the area.

There is also the addition of the two new light tanks – the ‘Luchs’ on the German side and the ‘Stuart’ for the United States. These create new and exciting ways to play with their better manoeuvrability and rapid-firing weapons, they can be just as deadly as their larger counterparts if not dealt with quickly.

Update 1 has set a high bar for the game by delivering one of the best multiplayer maps in recent times.

Hell Let Loose is a game that relies on communication and teamwork. Utah beach offers the quintessential WW2 FPS experience that Hell Let Loose is going for, with its stunning location, packed full of strong vantage points, deadly flanking routes and some of the most intense gameplay on offer. There are plenty of opportunities for your squad to make game-changing flanking plays as well. 

Since the games launch a few months ago Developers Black Matter has had a strong community presence, with constant discussion and clear communication on what is to be expected, something that is essential for an early access game. They’re looking to bring content patches roughly every six to eight weeks which will include things like new transport vehicles, flame throwers, new maps and improvements to movement, animations, audio and more. 

Wanna know more about this squad-based World War 2 shooter? Check out our Everything You Need To Know article or head over to the Green Man Gaming store.

The 10 best NFL players – according to Madden 20

Madden 20 is the latest game in the long-running American Football (or to Americans, just ‘Football’) series, and it’s getting its global release today, August 2nd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFfro2KaTLg

The Madden series is not only a faithful recreation of the sport, but EA also analyses and rank nearly 3000 NFL players, rating them on a variety of skills and attributes.

As a result, each player gets a rating by Madden between 1-99 with 99 being termed the coveted ‘99 Club’. Even though Madden 20 is a video game, getting into the elusive 99 Club is a huge deal for the NFL and American Football, with severe bragging rights becoming associated with a high rating in Madden games.

This year the developers have aimed to make the game more realistic than ever, and as a result the rankings are a bit more severe than in previous years. Only 4 players have a 99 rating this year, compared to 7 last year.

Here’s the top 10 players in the NFL, according to Madden 20.

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback – Rated 97

The only quarterback in history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season in both college and the NFL and one of the only players in NFL history to throw at least 50 touchdown passes in a single season

Todd Gurley II, Los Angeles Rams Running Back – Rated 97 

Voted Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press in 2016, he was also later named NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2017.

David Bakhtiari, Green Bay Packers Offensive Tackle – Rated 97

Rated 91st by his peers in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018, he’s also a massive Settlers of Catan fan and is responsible for a group of Packers appearing in Pitch Perfect 2.

Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers Linebacker – Rated 98 

The youngest recipient of the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in history, he also won the Associated Press 2012 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award

Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons Wide Receiver – Rated 98

With a career average of 96.7 receiving yards per game, Julio Jones has the highest career average in NFL history

Antonio Brown, Oakland Raiders Wide Receiver – Rated 98 

Antonio Brown is the only receiver in NFL history to record five receptions and at least 50 yards in every single game of an NFL season, he is also the highest-paid receiver in the game.

Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks Linebackers – Rated 99 

The the highest-paid middle linebacker in the league, Bobby Wagner was drafted by the Seahawks in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft.

Khalil Mack, Chicago Bears Linebacker – Rated 99

The highest paid defensive player in NFL history. Mack is recognised as one of the most dominant defensive players playing in the NFL.

DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans Wide Receiver – Rated 99 

After playing college football at Clemson, Hopkins was drafted by the Texans in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft.

Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams Defensive End – Rated 99

Known as the greatest interior lineman of all time, Donald is renowned for his strength. He has also been proclaimed a unanimous ‘All-American’ during his time at Pittsburgh

Madden 20 is out today, are you playing it and are you deep into the field of American Football? Let us know over on the community forums what you think of this years’ installment.

Control – Everything You Need To Know

One major AAA release that is fast-approaching is Remedy’s Control, a mind-bending single-player thriller with a chilling aesthetic and the makings of a gripping narrative. Much like the rest of Remedy’s games, it’s definitely in need of some explanation if you want to know what you’re in for ahead of launch, so here’s everything you need to know about Control.

What is Control?

Control is the latest action-adventure game from Remedy Entertainment, the talented narrative dream weavers behind Alan Wake and most recently, Quantum Break. Beyond some (very likely) easter eggs, the game is an entirely separate story, a surreal jaunt through brutalist architecture. It’s very hard to pin down pre-release, a hallmark of Remedy’s mysteriously cool catalogue.

What is the story behind Control?

In Control you play as Jesse Faden, who sets out to look for her lost brother in The Oldest House, the headquarters of the murky US organisation the Federal Bureau of Control. In doing so she inadvertently becomes the director of the bureau when a supernatural force known as The Hiss arrive and kill the existing overseer. As Jesse, you have to restore order to The Oldest House with your assumed powers and resolve the supernatural crisis created by the mysterious invading force, liaising with FBC members throughout the narrative. The point of the Federal Bureau of Control is to contain and study strange objects that have been marked by paranormal forces, but given that the HQ has been corrupted, some of these experiments have now been set loose.

Control gameplay – what does it play like?

Control offers a contained narrative but it is also an open-world game that encourages exploration and rewards a curious mind. It’s a lot like a Metroidvania – it’s set in a gigantic space-bending map and there are secret items to find if you explore that can warp the way you play. 

Jesse must recharge her health by taking the essence from fallen enemies, and fights The Hiss with her Service Weapon, a remarkable sidearm that can shift style to adapt to the battle at hand. One fire mode is designed to shoot through penetrable objects like desks and monitors. Jesse also has a suite of supernatural powers at her disposal that she can leverage to destroy the dreaded Hiss. She can float in the air and send crumbling bits of the environment at her foes in deadly blasts, shield herself with objects and perform ‘Jedi Mind Trick’ style feats to turn her foes into friends. Enemies are A.I directed and scale with Jesse as she progresses through the game. Control’s rich progression systems are rife with statistical modifications and customisation options too to keep you interested long after you wrap up the narrative.

When does Control Launch?

Control will launch later this month on August 27, 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Control PC Specifications

OS: Windows 10, 64-bit
CPU: Intel Core i5-8600K / AMD Ryzen 7 2700X or better
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080Ti / AMD Radeon VII or better
Ray-Tracing GPU: GeForce RTX 2080
RAM: 16GB
DirectX: Version 12

Control trailers

How Wolfenstein: Youngblood Freshens Up the Franchise’s Formula

Game developers don’t like standing still, and with good reason too. In an ever-changing industry, refusing to adapt and offer something unique and fresh to gamers is almost like sounding your own death knell.

For MachineGames, Wolfenstein: Youngblood is the literal embodiment of the phrase ‘Out with the old, in with the new’. Gone is the single-player mode only mantra, overreliance on ageing Nazi-killer extraordinaire B.J. Blazkowicz, and core focus on the first-person shooter genre that previous entries depended on. In their place is a co-op title centered around B.J’s twin daughters Jess and Sophie, laced with soft RPG elements, and expansive levels that encourage exploration and new ways to strategically approach combat scenarios.

A new game, a new challenge

Ripping up parts of the development manual that you’ve relied on so heavily could be a recipe for disaster but, for senior game designer Andreas Ojerfors, it was a necessity to prevent MachineGames from becoming too comfortable in their own skin.

“It’s definitely been a challenge, but I think the team was ready to try some new things,” Ojerfors told us at QuakeCon Europe. “We wanted to play around with the format a bit because we had The New Order, The Old Blood, and The New Colossus, so this was going to be our fourth Wolfenstein, so we wanted to give ourselves some new challenges in the studio.”

The where and when…

Wolfenstein: Youngblood takes place two decades after the events of The New Colossus. B.J. has gone missing in Nazi-occupied Paris and, as either Jess or Sophie, players are tasked with finding their dad – in Da’at Yichud power suits no less – and ridding France of its unwelcome overlords.

Youngblood isn’t a complete departure from MachineGames’ well-trodden path. It retains the humor, heart, and heaps of violence that the series has become renowned for. In stepping out of their comfort zone and making a game aimed at two players instead of one, however, MachineGames had to overcome numerous obstacles. Chief among their concerns was their pre-programmed AI that, according to Ojerfors, struggled with an extra playable character to contend with.

“As soon as we threw in another player, the AI became super stupid,” Ojerfors amusingly revealed. “They bounced between the two players and didn’t know how to deal with them because everything we built, when it comes to our AI, is geared towards the enemy trying to understand and respond to one player. So we spent a ton of work on making sure that our AI works well with two players. I’d say we did a really good job there and I’m really happy with it because I think our enemy AI is now more responsive and more dangerous than before.”

Teaming up

Dispatching Nazis with a friend also requires a bigger playground. With little to no experience of creating open-ended levels, MachineGames enlisted the help of a studio that knew a thing or two about developing expansive locations – Arkane Studios.

“This was a full partnership with Arkane from the beginning,” Ojerfors admitted. “We came out of the production of The New Colossus and they came out of Dishonoured 2, so we both kind of had an opening in our schedule. We were thinking about what to do next and our game director and their game director talked and said: ‘Okay, let’s try to do something together’. That made it possible to build Youngblood from a production perspective. We built this thing in a year and a half because both studios were working on it.”

In working together, MachineGames and Arkane Studios broke up development to play to each of their strengths. Arkane created the open-world levels for the game’s mid-section, as well as an entirely new weapon and dictating how one of Youngblood’s biggest boss battles would play out. MachineGames, meanwhile, focused on delivering their archetypal linear missions at the game’s beginning and end, and developing the game’s story, cast, aesthetics, and RPG system.

“Most of the RPG elements that we have are there to allow the player to have the freedom that we wanted,” Ojerfors said. “We want you to play the game the way you want to. That means upgrading your character and weapons in the way you want them to play. You can choose the order of missions and to have progression in both difficulty and player access to different upgrades.”

Taking the franchise forward

With Youngblood and its fellow spin-off Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot, MachineGames brings a freshness to the franchise and, providing they’re successful, hope to offer gamers more adventures in the wider Wolfenstein universe in the future.

“Youngblood and Cyberpilot was possible because we worked with Arkane so, in the future, I’m sure we’re going to do more side products,” Ojerfors said. “We’ll probably continue with the rhythm of making a huge game and then making something slightly smaller. That’s a good rhythm for us so far, so I imagine we’ll have other opportunities to do something like Youngblood.”

To find out more you can check out Everything you need to know about Wolfenstein: Youngblood or head to the Store page. If you’ve played the game already come let us know what you think on the Green Man Gaming Community pages.

5 best and 5 worst announcements from SDCC 2019

San Diego Comic Con, or SDCC, runs every year in July and it’s a burning festival of nerdery. Every year we wait for announcements, and every year there’s a cornucopian cavalcade of news.

This year was no exception, we had some extreme highs and amazing new things to gawk at, as well as the usual amount of ‘eh…really?’.

Here’s the five best announcements from SDCC 2019, as well as the five worst. 

Worst: Edward Furlong Returns

Edward Furlong has long disappeared from our screens, but it appears he will be back in this years’ Terminator: Dark Fate. Surprising probably everyone, the trailer for Dark Fate’s pretty good, but do we really need an aged Furlong back?

Best: So many Marvel films

Black Widow! Eternals! Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings! Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness! WandaVision! What If…?! Loki! Hawkeye! The Falcon and Winter Soldier!

Worst: So many Marvel films

In the year 5,000,000,000 the Sun has expanded to a million times its original size. The Earth’s atmosphere has boiled away and not a single speck of life exists on this one bounteous planet. The last act of a dying race before we fade into the fires of eternity is to hold a press conference where we announce: ‘Ant-Man 52,832 coming to cinemas soon as part of Phase 882’.

Best: Blade’s Back, Baby

Blade’s one of the best super, or anti, heroes. Long forgotten in the current MCU not only is it an amazing announcement, the peerless Mahershala Ali will be starring as the daywalker.

Worst: The Walking Dead Shambles On

Another year, another season of The Walking Dead. Is this series 14? 78? 929? Who knows anymore. Will this series ever die? All signs point to, unfortunately, no.

Best: Young Justice Season 4

One of the best animated series of all times was rudely cancelled before being rescued last year for a third season. Not only has it been a great series, we’re getting another one. Here’s to Young Justice S4, long may it reign.

Worst: Snowpiercer TV Series looks the Same as the Film

We’re not saying the Snowpiercer TV series looks bad per se. It just looks extraneous. Appearing to cover the same plot beats as the film, and with a strange impression of Tilda Swinton, we’re just not sure why this even exists.

Best: Thor: Love and Thunder

Taika Waititi made the best Thor film, which also might be the best MCU film. Now he’s back and he’s doing Thor again, this time adapting the critically acclaimed comic arc that saw Jane Foster take on the mantle of Thor. We can’t wait.

Worst: There’s even more Walking Dead

We’re sorry that the Walking Dead gets a double entry here but that’s because there’s simply so much Walking Dead. Fear the Walking Dead has received another season, and AMC’s un-named spinoff is also coming. Who wants this. Who’s clamouring for more Walking Dead. Show yourselves, cowards.

Best: Star Trek: Picard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhBBXHwEsIo

Ah Picard. You bald wonder. The Star Trek: Picard trailer was an absolute joy from beginning to end, and has ignited fires across the world of excitement about more Star Trek. Nodding to loads of Star Trek that’s gone before whilst actually pushing the story forward, we can’t wait.

Those are our picks of the best – and worst – of this year’s SDCC. What did you love, and what did you not-so-love? Let us know in the comments below, or over on our Community forum.

Top ten most ridiculous moments in Wolfenstein

Wolfenstein: Youngblood is on the cusp of release, meaning for the first time a fully co-op adventure in the Wolfenstein series will be unleashed on the world. A direct sequel to 2017’s The New Colossus, Youngblood will see you take on the roles of B.J. Blazkowicz’ daughters as they try to rescue him from the evil Nazis.

No doubt it’ll be an absolute romp, filled with the trademark actioni, stealth, and craziness that the Wolfenstein series has become known for. We thought it was the perfect time to look back over the series at some of the most ridiculous moments in Wolfenstein history.

Spoilers: Below here you’ll find spoilers for, well, all the Wolfenstein games..

Castle Smurfenstein

The original Wolfenstein game was a pretty straitlaced top-down action stealth game. But that wasn’t enough for the budding series’ fans. Castle Smurfenstein is one of the very first art replacement mods, which saw all the Nazis replaced with smurfs. 

The Time Skip

The first Wolfenstein game in years kicked off with a time skip of 14 years. This let The New Order show the world that it wasn’t afraid to mix things up in a major way.

Wolfenstein RPG Existing at all

A Wolfenstein RPG? On mobile? Yep, it’s real, and it’s fairly good. Playing like a Nazi-filled dungeon crawler, its very existence is a testament to the nuttiness of the late 2000s/

Eating Dog Food

We know escaping from Castle Wolfenstein must make you desperate, but in Wolfenstein 3D it made B.J. Blazkowicz so desperate he stooped to eating dog food. Poor Bill.

Incontinent Hitler

In 2017’s The New Colossus, Hitler turns up in a state of advanced age and extreme incontinence. Seeing an aged person be confused and urinating freely would normally be a moment for sympathy but it’s Hitler. Good.

Undead Everywhere

Return to Castle Wolfenstein saw zombies and spirits take to the battlefield, all to be mown down by the guns of our friend B.J., of course.

Magic Powers Medallion

Remember when B.J. had magic powers thanks to a medallion? MachineGames do, as 2009’s underwhelming Wolfenstein reboot is still canon. Facing off against the Nazis, of course, B.J. finds a medallion that imbues him with all kinds of magical powers. Just wish he’d kept hold of it. But it’s ok, because before long he got the…

Da’at Yichud Power Suit

In The New Order B.J. teams up with a scholar who knows of the ancient Jewish sect, the Da’at Yichud. Impossibly ancient and impossibly advanced, they created wonders at the beginning of time. B.J. eventually gets his hands on their Power Suit, a suit that gives him, well, powers. And a snazzy hat.

B.J.’s Head

Speaking of hats, B.J. wouldn’t need one anymore after The New Colossus, as he loses his head quite literally after an execution. But it’s ok because his friends grabbed it before it hit the floor and stuck it on a new body. Isn’t that nice for him.

Mecha-Hitler

Wolfenstein 3D ends with one of the most famous boss fights of all time, Mecha-Hitler. It’s Hitler in a mech suit. He has twin chainguns and a racist brain, and it’s up to you to put him down for good. Needless to say, you do, and the world is better for it.

Those are our picks for the most ridiculous moments in the Wolfenstein games, remember you can pick up Wolfenstein: Youngblood on the Green Man Gaming store, and join in the conversation over on the Green Man Gaming community.

Ancestors: The Human Kind Odyssey – Everything You Need to Know

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey tells the tale of our beginnings as a species. Set in the distant past, before any recorded history, you’ll take on the mantle of our forebears as you struggle to survive on this harsh planet.

Will you be ready to take on the challenge of survival, or will your fledgling species fall to the inexorable march of time? The first step towards survival is knowledge, and we’ve got all the info you need to make sure you’re ready.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey Release Date

Developed by Panache Digital Games and published by Private Division, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey will be the first game from Assassin’s Creed creator Patrice Désilets since Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.

Initially announced at Develop Reboot in Dubrovnik in 2015, the game has seen several changes. Originally an episodic title, the game will now be a single release after support from the newly founded publishing team at Private Division. Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is set for an August 27th 2019 release on PC, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 releases coming later in the year.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey Gameplay

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is a third person survival game set in a tumultuous period of time over ten million years ago. Taking control of a proto-ape, it’s up to the player to Explore the world, Expand the ape clan’s influence, and Evolve over time into the homo-sapiens we know and love today. It is these three Es that set out the players’ path through Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey.

Set in prehistoric Africa, the player will explore the land for opportunities, threats, and to fuel survival itself. A beautiful world awaits, but one that’s beset by dangers. You don’t have to go alone though, your clan is key to survival. Expand their influence and their territory by controlling different apes and forming bonds. Make your own little empire of the past, right there at the dawn of time.

The game itself is set over a period of eight million years, seeing your apes evolve from proto-hominids to something more recognisable as human. Decisions you make whilst playing will determine the path of that evolution, and the traits your descendants will carry with them. Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is shaping up to be an expansive adventure across time and prehistory. Will you take the first steps on the road to civilisation, or will you falter before humanity has even ventured out of the trees? The only way to know is to grab a copy of Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey from Green Man Gaming.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey Trailers

Trailers showing off the game’s approach to exploring and expanding have been released over the last year, with game footage and the developers talking about the key facets of the game. Here’s the Explore trailer:

With the Expanded trailer being released shortly after:

In addition, a more recent announcement trailer has been released, giving a more holistic view of the game:

To find out more you can visit the games official website or head over to the Green Man Gaming Store page.

10 Obscure Spider-Man Villains we want to see on the Big Screen

Spider-Man: Far From Home is the second surprisingly successful collaboration between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures. Out in cinemas now, it’s set in a post-Endgame world where Peter Parker has to take on new threats in a world forever changed.

So far in this new series we’ve seen Spider-Man fight enemies such as the Vulture and Mysterio, and of course previous entries in Spider-Man films saw villains like the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Venom, and more take their moments on the silver stage.

But there’s a huge amount of villains out there for good ol’ Spidey to thwack, so here’s 10 obscure Spider-Man villains we want to see on the big screen.

Typeface

Bringing together the two most fearsome things in the universe, crime and fonts, Typeface is a mastermind who tests Spider-Man to his limits. Armed mainly with a large R on his head for ‘Retribution’, Typeface would be great to see on screen, how on earth would they make him threatening?

Hammerhead

Starting out his crime career as a hitman, Joseph went on to suffer a pretty series head injury. Thankfully in the Marvel universe, crazy doctors are two a penny. Inserting an unbending steel alloy into his skull Hammerhead gained his name, due to his newly distended bonce. Since then he’s taken to smashing it into people, for fun and profit.

The Spot

The Spot’s powers are hole related. He makes holes. He manipulates holes. If you want a hole, The Spot is your guy. If Spider-Man needs punching from a variety of portals or you need to get into a vault, The Spot is the first person to call. The MCU has a history of portal related chicanery, maybe it’s time to add a master of holes to the mix.

Big Man

Big Man, out of costume, was anything but. Diminutive of stature and weak of body, he disguised his appearance with a mask, a big coat and…platform shoes. Yep, the reason he’s the Big Man? Big Shoes. Move over Superman, it’s not glasses that hide your identity, it’s some giant clogs. Honestly we just want to see this ridiculous villain on the silver screen, please.

Shathra

An interdimensional insectoid associated with the spider wasp, her goal was to feed Spider-Man to her children. Masquerading as a lady named ‘Sharon’, she went undercover with…Fox News. Eventually meeting her end due to a swarm of spiders, she’d make a perfect villain for current film-Spidey.

Stilt-Man

Stilt-Man has stilts. They make him big and strong. But the most important thing is that he goes by ‘Stilt-Man’. I don’t care how tough you are, how devious, how fiendish. When your name is Stilt-Man I am not going to be scared of you. Which is why he should definitely be put in the films, as a first-act easily destroyed enemy for Spidey.

Spider-Mugger

A mugger who wears a Spider-Man mask, making this the most meta of villains. Has Spider-Man gone rogue, or is this just a problem you have when your mask is a ubiquitous purchase for children to play with? The latter, obviously.

Big Wheel

Similar to many villains, Big Wheel is named because he drives a big wheel. Equipped with an array of guns and robot arms, this rolling menace is perfect for a cinematic universe already beset by circular vehicular foes.

Black Fox

Not all villains are bent on destruction, some like the Black Fox are just after a few dollars in their pockets. A master thief, the Black Fox is also somewhat violence-averse, probably why he’s managed to reach such an advanced age. With Spider-Man having a soft spot for older men, due to the whole Uncle Ben incident, he’d be a great foil for the film.

Crime-Master

Crime-Master fits the MCU perfectly, because he’s just a man. A man who knows about crime. A master of crime, if you will. Maybe even a Crime-Master. He just wants to take over, to subsume organised crime elements under his crimey wing. With the MCU often being a bit more realistic and Spider-Man stories often being a little more down to earth, Crime-Master could be a perfect bad guy for him to tackle.

What obscure Spider-Man villain do you want to see on the big screen? Hit us up in the comments below or join us in the community forums, that is if you’re not too busy watching Spider-Man: Far From Home, of course.

Doom Eternal – Everything You Need To Know

Doom Eternal follows up on 2016’s explosive and brutal Doom with more everything. More action, more weapons, more abilities, and more destruction. Launching later this year, you’ll need to have your wits and a huge amount of weapons around you in order to survive.

Thankfully we’re here to share with you the latest information about Doom Eternal, so check below to make sure you’re ready for hell on Earth.

Doom Eternal Release Date and Development

Initially announced during E3 2018 to a raucous reception, Doom Eternal is being developed by id Software and will be published by Bethesda Softworks. Doom Eternal is the first game to be developed using the id Tech 7 engine, which promises to offer ten times the graphical fidelity of id Tech 6.

Doom Eternal has been announced for a November 22, 2019 release date, for Windows PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

Doom Eternal Gameplay

Players familiar with 2016’s Doom will be right at home with Doom Eternal, the same extreme mobility run-and-gun action is back, but this time there’s a few twists on the formula. The focus on Doom’s unique ‘push-forward’ approach to combat is back with the player rewarded for aggression and mobility with powerups, health, or ammo. You’ll also be seeing some familiar faces on Earth, with some classic enemies from the Doom series making their return, in particular the Arch-vile, Pain Elemental, and Arachnotron. Extra lives will be making their first appearance in the Doom series, found around levels they can allow you to continue the carnage without reloading.

Mobility is seeing a revamp in Doom Eternal. The Super Shotgun has now been upgraded with a grappling hook, for use on enemies or the scenery. In addition, poles and lifts are scattered throughout the game’s levels, allowing access to more areas.

Multiplayer, though not the focus of the original game, has also received an upgrade. An asymmetric multiplayer mode called ‘Invasion’ will be present, allowing players to invade other players games, similar to the PvP mode from the Dark Souls series. Traditional multiplayer modes will be making a return, more of which can be seen in the multiplayer trailer from E3 2019.

Doom Eternal Trailers

The initial teaser released during E3 2018 showed off a little of the carnage awaiting the Doom Slayer on Earth.

The first gameplay trailer was released later in 2018 at QuakeCon, where we finally got to see the Doom Slayer in action.

During E3 2019 two further trailers were released. The first showing off the new multiplayer mode added to the game.

With the second E3 2019 trailer giving a little more insight into the story of Doom Eternal.

Now you should have all the information you need to be ready for Hell to be unleashed upon Earth. Grab your shotgun, grab your green armour, and grab Doom Eternal at a great pre-purchase price right here at Green Man Gaming. Are you excited for this next chapter in the Doom series? Let us know in the comments.

Top 10 Retro 80’s Inspired Games

Stranger Things has unleashed its third season on Netflix, weaving together a cornucopia of 1980s influences, it’s a slice of nostalgia served in episodic form.

But it’s not just television that looks to the 1980s for inspiration. Games also look back to that decade, hitting you up with 80s themes, a deluge of scanlines, and monochrome inputs.

Here’s 10 great games that take the decade of the 1980s for inspiration.

Double Dragon: Neon

What’s more 1980s than two burly men with insanely cropped hair, punching the crap out of a cavalcade of enemies? Well,  two burly men with insanely cropped hair, punching the crap out of a cavalcade of enemies with added neon, of course.

Transformers: Devastation

Based on Generation 1 of Transformers, Transformers: Devastation looks exactly like those Saturday morning cartoons you used to sit cross legged on the floor to watch. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a Platinum game too, so you know it has the absolute tightest of controls.

198X

Arcades were everything in the 1980s, so an arcade inspired coming-of-age story is exactly what any 1980s fan needs. Set across 5 chapters, 198X is a look back at a time when going to the arcade meant discovering new worlds, new games, and learning more about yourself.

Beat Cop

Inspired by 1980s cop shows, Beat Cop takes you back to the grimy streets of New York. With a non-linear story packed full of dirty cops, dirty streets, and dirty language, Beat Cop lets you live your best mustachioed mullet wearing cop life.

Retro City Rampage

Taking inspiration from, well, almost everything, Retro City Rampage is an 8-bit open world reference-a-thon with guns, violence, and heaps of style. Part of the joy of Retro City Rampage isn’t just the game itself, though it is a great game, it’s seeing just how much you remember of that hallowed decade.

Hotline Miami

Hotline Miami is the pinnacle of 1980s inspired gaming. Taking the decade for setting and inspiration, but putting a modern twist on everything, it’s a gory violence filled exquisite romp of revenge and murder. Even after completing the game you’ll be listening to the thumping soundtrack for months afterwards.

Stories Untold

An anthology horror game set over four episodes, Stories Untold never better and never more 1980s than in its first chapter. The House Abandon sees you playing a text adventure game on an ancient computer in an empty house. Something stalks the character in the text adventure, and soon you begin to wonder…is something stalking you as well?

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

The 1980s were a silly time, of muscles and secret Russian bases and Arnie doing one-liners everywhere. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon takes all that ridiculousness, ramps it up, and then layers it over the Far Cry formula. If that doesn’t sound like your jam, then I don’t know what to say to you.

Shovel Knight

Precision platforming is back in a big way, and one of the biggest names is Shovel Knight. Taking inspiration of the bastard-hard games released for the NES in the 80s, Shovel Knight is an homage and an evolution of those themes and ideas. All the 8-bit beauty wouldn’t do it any good if it weren’t a wonderful game though, and thankfully, it is.

Generation Zero

You’re a teenager, you’re returning home after a camping trip, but something’s gone wrong. Killer machines have descended on your home of Sweden in the 1980s and everyone you knew is missing. That’s the setup to Generation Zero, a first person survival adventure set during the Cold War, and if there’s a more tantalising setup out there, we’ve yet to find it.

Those are our picks for 10 great games with 1980s retro vibes, what’s your favourite game that pays homage to the 80s? Let us know in the comments, after you’re finished binging Stranger Things, of course.

The Outer Worlds – Everything You Need To Know

The Outer Worlds is the next sprawling single-player RPG from masters-of-their-craft Obsidian. Renowned for densely layered worlds filled with quests and adventure, we’re sure that The Outer Worlds will satisfy roleplayers looking for their next meaty roleplaying game.

The edge of colony space is a wild place, and you’ll need every scrap of initiative and knowledge to survive and thrive in the distant reaches of space. Here’s everything you need to know.

The Outer Worlds Release Date and Development

Originally announced during 2017 with hints about its development dropped in May of 2016, The Outer Worlds is being developed by veteran game developers Obsidian, in association with Take-Two Interactive. Published by Take-Two Interactive’s publishing wing, the Private Division, the game’s development and publishing deals were finalised prior to Obsidian’s acquisition by Microsoft. The Outer Worlds is set for an October 25th, 2019 release on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

The Outer Worlds Trailers

The initial announcement trailer showed off the game and the universe that players will be exploring, along with referencing the bona-fides of the development team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGLTgt0EEqc

That isn’t all the Outer Worlds has for you in the way of trailers though, a further trailer dropped during E3 2019, with a deeper look at the irreverent adventure through space.

The Outer Worlds Gameplay

The Outer Worlds is a single-player story driven roleplaying game set in the outer reaches of known space, on the frontier between the unknown and the nascent Halcyon Colony. In true Obsidian tradition, the way the game’s story and plot unfolds will be largely up to the player. Your decisions and choices, for your character, for your interactions, for the world, all alter the outcome of the game. Companion stories and the world itself are malleable, all relying on the specific choices you make throughout playing The Outer Worlds.

A brand new feature in The Outer Worlds is the concept of flaws. The player character has a selection of flaws to choose from, each enhancing the roleplaying and approach you’ll take when playing. Flaws open up interesting new choices and character development options, and make your character truly yours.

You don’t have to go it alone out there, companions allow you to select and recruit your very own crew. Each with unique abilities, missions, and plot points, you’ll find your story becoming more expansive and full of interesting decisions when you have a full roster of adventurers to call on. Will you help them reach their goals, or twist them to serve your own? Even your companions tie into your choices. Now you’ve checked out the details, you should be ready to jet into space and take on the threats affecting Halcyon, and the deep conspiracy at the heart of this troubled area.

The Outer Worlds is starting its adventure on the 25th of October, 2019. For more details you can visit the official website, or check it out on the Green Man Gaming store.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood – Everything You Need To Know

Wolfenstein: Youngblood is the next chapter in the long-running Wolfenstein series. Taking us to the 1980s for the first time, and introducing co-op to the series, Wolfenstein: Youngblood will explode into action in just a few short weeks.

Maybe you’re not sure you’re ready to take the fight to Nazi-occupied Paris in the 1980s, but fear not, we have all the info you need.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood Release Date and Development

Announced during E3 2018, Wolfenstein: Youngblood is the first co-op game to be introduced into the Wolfenstein series. Developed by MachineGames, developers of the recent Wolfenstein games, and Arkane Lyon, whose previous work included the Dishonored series, Wolfenstein: Youngblood is set for a July 25, 2019 release on PC, with PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch the next day on July 26th, 2019.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood Trailers

Wolfenstein: Youngblood was announced at the E3 2019 Bethesda conference, with a trailer showing off the twin protagonists and setup for the game:

A more in-depth look at the game’s narrative recently emerged from Bethesda, showing you where you’ll be fighting, the disappearance of B.J. Blazkowicz, and more.

Finally, during E3 2019 we received a further trailer, this time with more gameplay and more information to get your teeth around.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood Gameplay and Setting

Set nineteen years after The New Colossus, Youngblood picks up the action after B,J. Blazkowicz disappears during a mission to Nazi-occupied France. His twin daughters, Jessica and Sophia, are forced into action and the race is on to find their missing father.

Similar to previous games in the Wolfenstein series, Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a first person shooter. The game can be played either in co-op with each player taking on the role of either Jessica or Sophia Blazkowicz, or in single player with an AI companion taking over the other sister.

In a departure from previous entries in the series, the majority of Wolfenstein: Youngblood can be completed in a non-linear order. Missions can be taken sending the twins out into the world on the hunt for their missing father, unlocking new abilities and upgrades as they go.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood Editions

Pre-purchasers of Wolfenstein: Youngblood will receive the Legacy Pack, a collection of outfits and weapons used by B.J. Blazkowicz over previous games. These include:

  • New Colossus Jacket power suit skin
  • BJ’s U.S. Army power suit skin
  • Old Blood Pipe
  • Old Blood Knife
  • WW2 Weapon Skin Set, for all ranged weapons

In addition, the Deluxe Edition includes two bonuses exclusive to this edition::

  • Buddy Pass – Allows you to play the full game in co-op with a friend, even if they don’t own the game-
  • Cyborg Skin Pack

That’s the lowdown on Wolfenstein: Youngblood, you should be ready to lock, load, and kick some serious Nazi butt. Head on over to the Green Man Gaming store and pre-purchase Wolfenstein: Youngblood to make sure you’re first to the front lines on July the 26th. For more information, you can also head to the official website.