RAGE 2 Preview

RAGE 2 is the surprising sequel to Id Software’s 2010 shooter. Surprising because nobody thought we’d ever see a sequel, and surprising because of how it approaches the task of being a sequel.

RAGE 2 is coming out later in 2019 and despite being a direct sequel to RAGE. It’s abandoning much of the original RAGE formula and changing things up considerably.

At a recent event hosted by Bethesda UK I was able to get my hands on a build of the game and put it through its paces.

What was RAGE?

The original RAGE was released in 2010 to a mixed reception. Regardless of any issues it may have had, it was at its core a fundamentally solid shooter. With the best shotgun of 2010, by a long way.

Set after a meteor ploughs into the planet, the original RAGE focused on the Arks. Hidden buried underground, these bunkers held enhanced survivors from before the collapse. Waking up in one, the player explores this blasted, desolate world, bringing justice to the downtrodden and directly fighting the Authority, a group focused on preserving human genetic purity armed with advanced technology.

The end of the game shows Arks across the globe waking up, lights turning on in abandoned areas. Setting up the sequel.

What’s new

Set years later, RAGE 2 picks up with some familiar themes. The Authority is still causing problems, the land is still mainly desolate, raiders are everywhere.

But things have changed. You play as Walker, the last of the Rangers of Vineland. The first thing that’s definitely changed is that this character is fully voiced, and also can be either male or female, not locking you into one gender as in the previous game.

The main difference, however, is powers. You aren’t just a soldier with a load of guns. You have a series of powers that enhance your abilities and help you control the battlefield. Here they are:

  • Dash – Lets you zip out of the way of danger. What’s noticeable, if you’ve come from shooters like DOOM etc, is that your movement speed without sprinting is a little slower than in some games. Dash fills that gap, letting you dodge and make your way in and out of combat.
  • Shatter – Smash an enemy. Like a little pushback, but not so little, and with a lot of pushback. Can be used in conjunction with dash to be a quick way to traverse and smash someone in the face.
  • Ground Slam – Does what it says on the tin. Smash down on the ground and cause an AOE knocking enemies back and damaging them. Increases power with the height you fall from.
  • Barrier – It’s a barrier, one you can plop down in the battlefield to provide cover or shape a blast around you. It’s not just passive though, you can upgrade it to be a lot more offensive.
  • Vortex – Toss a grenade out, watch enemies get sucked in then tossed out into the sky. Helps you control the battlefield, and your opponents.

Armed with these, and some well crafted weapons, Walker is a force to be reckoned with.

And those weapons? They feel good, solid. Just like in the original RAGE you can tell time and attention has been put into making these guns feel like, well, guns. The shotgun especially, that’s still excellent.

Upgrades and factions

The main meat of the game comes through performing tasks and missions for three different faction heads. These not only advance the story, but each faction head is tied to an upgrade path.

Instead of having a standard upgrade tree, you earn resources through running missions for these faction heads. These can then be cashed in for upgrades along three different upgrade trees.

That means that if you want X upgrade, you’ll need to be doing missions for Y faction. Meaning if you want a balanced character, you may need to do some juggling.

A massive open world

There’s a huge amount of things to do on the map, all with their own rewards. When I played I performed a couple of missions for the mayor of Wellspring, and even then I stopped multiple times when travelling for diversions and side quests.

That’s the main thing I took away from playing RAGE 2 – how busy the world is. It’s not the world of RAGE where very occasionally you’d see a few bandits driving past, this feels much more bustling.

There’s cars passing you by, often shouting for help as they’re assaulted. Missions dot the map with rewards for capturing locations, driving out bandits, or performing other tasks like assaulting heavily armoured convoys.

It definitely feels like a fundamentally different creature to the original RAGE. And that comes through most in the tone.

Pink all round

By now we’re all probably aware of the more virulent pink that Id and Bethesda are using in their RAGE 2 videos. But it’s not just in colour that the game differs from the original, the tone is completely different.

Part of this is a side effect of having a more bustling, more busy, more green wasteland than the first game.

However, there is definitely a lighter tone at work here. The original RAGE was quite serious in how it portrayed the world after the end of the world. RAGE 2 seems to have dialled things up a bit. Characters are larger and make a lot more jokes, everything’s more colourful, and the world just feels more…more.

Pinks and neons are everywhere in fights, and especially in the main hub of Vineland during the night. Then the game goes from a wasteland-style Mad Max look to an almost Vaporwave look. Imagine walking through a Kavinsky track, that’s the vibe I got.

RAGE 2 is looking bigger than the original and it’s shaping up to be a completely different animal. Whilst retaining the DNA of the setting and some of the factions (and wingsticks), the game itself feels almost like a new entry in a new series, rather than a sequel.

If you bounced off RAGE or are just looking for a big meaty open world shooter to get your teeth into, RAGE 2 might just be the thing you’re looking for.

RAGE 2 is coming to PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on May the 19th.

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 and the best space battles in Warhammer 40k

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 comes out on the 24th of January, bringing a bigger and better look at the space battles of the 40k universe right to a PC near you.

The original was a great RTS but Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is a true monster. It’s a true adaptation of the spirit of the board game, as well as the atmosphere and hyperbole of the amazing 40k universe. Bigger in every way than its predecessor, if you care about ship battles, space battles, or 40k, this is going to be something that demands your attention.

With its imminent launch, its the perfect time to whet your appetite for some naval-inspired space-combat, all served with a side of grimdark. Let’s take a look at five of the best space battles ever in Warhammer 40k.

Note: Some may notice that these are mostly set during the Horus Heresy. I’m going to make a ruling here that the Horus Heresy falls under the umbrella of the 40k universe. Also they had to be from Horus Heresy novels as there are fewer battles described so well in other novels.

Note 2: Spoilers for the following books: Battle for the Abyss, Betrayer, Blood Reaver, Betrayer, Know No Fear, and The Crimson Fist.

Battle for the Abyss – The Battle

Unlike most novels in Warhammer, this one focuses entirely around one huge space battle, the titular Battle for the Abyss.

Spanning multiple systems and with a huge toll in ships, the battle to prevent the Furious Abyss from pulverising the Ultramarines core systems with virus bombs.

There’s a real sense of desperation throughout the multiple skirmishes that make up the larger battle. If the Furious Abyss makes it through, that’s it for the Ultramarines, they’d be crippled beyond recovery.

With limited resources and many desperate plans, the loyalist forces eventually prevail. Showing that sometimes you can win even with a bad hand.

Betrayer – The Conquerer’s Claws

The universe of Warhammer 40k is ridiculous. That’s part of why everyone loves it so very much.

But there are few things as ridiculous as the Ursus Claws,

The World Eaters’ Gloriana-class battleship The Conquerer comes equipped with a full array of Ursus Claw systems, vast harpoons attached to giant chains that spear the enemy and drag them in range of boarding actions.

In Betrayer, we get to see these claws in action. The World Eaters, thirsty for blood as always, hunt in space much like they do on the ground. Up close, spitting blood in their foes’ eyes, and tearing their opponents to pieces.

It’s entirely fitting that their flagship is equipped with vicious tearing weapons that shouldn’t work, but absolutely do. Seeing them described in action is absolutely stunning.

Blood Reaver – Covenant of Blood

No-one really likes The Exalted, the commander of the Covenant of Blood, but you can’t deny he knows his strategy.

A smaller ship than many, the Covenant of Blood relies on hit and run tactics to stay alive. But that doesn’t mean it can’t hit back, and hit back it does.

During the recovery of the Echo of Damnation, a former Night Lords ship the Red Corsairs had commandeered, The Exalted knew that the Covenant of Blood wouldn’t survive. But that didn’t stop the ship diving into battle, over and over, to protect the boarding crew retaking the Echo of Damnation.

Through skill and cunning – and a truly thrilling space battle – the Echo of Damnation was recovered. The Exalted and the Covenant of Blood, however, faired less well, but they took their toll in Red Corsair blood before their destruction.

Know No Fear – Treachery

Know No Fear is probably the most thrilling book in Warhammer, it’s tense throughout and the first half of the novel where a battle is coming, we know it’s coming, but the unsuspecting Ultramarines don’t, is astounding.

The first shot of the Battle for Calth happens personally, privately, between friends. But it’s what happens up in space that makes the moment of treachery that much more impactful.

Imagine this, the Ultramarines don’t know they’re at war with the Word Bearers yet, so when the Word Bearers arrive at Calth to join forces and refit their ships there’s no suspicion of a problem. Except you know, reader, you know that shit is about to go down.

The Word Bearer ships are docked, a cruiser approaches but won’t answer hails. It all seems normal.

Then it happens. The cruiser speeds up. It had been captured hours before, and was now a ship-shaped bullet aimed at the heart of Ultramarine defences. Those Word Bearer ships? They were still running hot whilst in dock, their weapons ready to unleash hell.

It’s terrifying and exciting and honestly, needs to be read. The treachery in space at the start of Know No Fear is absolutely Warhammer at its finest.

The Crimson Fist – The Battle of Phall

Sometimes there’s no clear winner in space. Becalmed in the Phall System, an Imperial Fists fleet spent its time drilling and waiting for the Warp to clear again.

The Iron Warriors found them first.

Deadly enemies who loathe the Imperial Fists, the Iron Warriors launched a surprise attack with the aim of cutting out the heart of the Imperial Fists fleet.

Careful preparation meant the Fists were not so easy a prey, and launched a counterattack. The Battle of Phall raged on with neither side able to land a decisive blow. It was only upon hearing Rogal Dorn’s psychic message that the battle ended, leading the Imperial Fists to retreat under heavy fire and sustaining losses.

Like other legions, both fleets here behaved exactly like their ground counterparts. The Imperial Fists were prepared and well defended, and the Iron Warriors relied on numbers and attrition to win.

Though neither side truly won, that the Iron Warriors couldn’t pull off a victory here is said to rankle the Iron Warriors primarch Peturabo still.

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is launching on the 24th of January 2019. Pick it up now, and maybe you’ll be spinning your own tales of the wars you’ve fought in the Gothic Sector with your own fleet.

What have you been reading on Green Man Gaming in 2018?

This is the last one, we promise.

2018 is, by now, long gone. We’re almost a month free of the Year That Never Ended, so let’s look back one last time. This time at the things you read on our blog and newsroom.

Below you’ll find the top five for both the blog and the newsroom, so let’s remember 2018 and the words wot we wrote.

Blog Top Five

Every Warhammer 40k Faction Rated From Worst to Best

A secret (well, not so secret) about Green Man Gaming is that we’ve got a fair few people here who are obsessed with Warhammer, especially 40k. Here we decided to put every 40k faction in order from worst to best. Were we right, or are we talking out of our Cicatrix Maledicta?

DnD Races ranked worst to best

D&D is a popular game where instead of having adventures, you imagine them. Similar to Warhammer above, we’ve got a couple of lively D&D groups in the company, so we took time to let you know what races are the best in the whole of Faerûn.

Everything you need to know for Monster Hunter World PC release

Monster Hunter World was one of the biggest games for us in 2018, and you obviously agreed as this is the third most popular post on our blog for the entire year. Sometimes, you just gotta get that info.

Steam privacy setting changes: Linking your public account

There were a few changes related to privacy in 2018, and one of them is that Steam accounts were set to private by default. Which is absolutely fine, but if you link your Steam account to your Green Man Gaming account then set it to be public, you’ll get a load of benefits. So we told you about that in 2018, and you read the blog article loads.

Everything you need to know about the new, updated World of Final Fantasy Maxima

World of Final Fantasy was expanded in 2018, with Maxima, a brand new version of World of Final Fantasy that made everything bigger and better. We gave you the facts here, and you must’ve wanted them because you turned up to make this our fifth most read article.

Newsroom Top Five

Valve bans 90,000 Steam accounts

The Great Steam Purge of 2018 happened in July, where 90,000 accounts were removed from the service. Most were found to be in contravention of rules relating to the VAC anti-cheating service. This made it as our number one news from 2018, which we can assume you all clicked in a panic.

EA sets out Clone Wars roadmap for Star Wars: Battlefront II

Poor Battlefront II, it hasn’t had the best of times. But apparently learning of a Clone Wars roadmap was enough to get everyone checking out news about it. Either that or y’know, rubbernecking a car crash.

Free-To-Play Lord Of The Rings MMO Coming From Athlon Games

A Lord of the Rings MMO? From the makers behind Warframe? OK yeah I can see why this one was our third most popular news post of the year.

Trihex given Twitch ban for using derogatory term

Yeah, I ain’t commenting on this one. For my sanity.

Battlefield V Developer Banned From Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Multiplayer For Being Too Good

What if you’re just too good at a game? You might get caught out by anti-cheat systems! Sometimes the amazing happens in gaming, and this seemed to be one of those stories when it broke way back in October.

That’s our year in review, look at all those articles. For more this year, don’t forget to keep checking out our Blog and Newsroom.

Every Resident Evil film ranked from Worst to Best

Resident Evil 2’s remake is coming out on the 25th of January, and if the demo is anything to go by it’s going to be something absolutely special.

I’ve had a different Resident Evil experience, however. I recently watched the final Resident Evil film in the Paul W.S. Anderson / Milla Jojovich series.

This means I have finally seen all of the Resident Evil films, meaning I can tell you, dear reader, which ones are any good, and which ones aren’t worth your time.

Here’s every Resident Evil film, ranked from worst to best:

Note: All films seen voluntarily. No torture involved. There will be spoilers.

Resident Evil: Retribution

The issue with this film is that by this point, it’s just a little tired. A fight fails to really happen (again) Alice gets captured (again), lives out a fake life (again), gets cloned (again), and even Raccoon City’s under attack by zombies (again).

Surprise appearances from previously-killed characters doesn’t do much to save what’s a lacklustre entry in the series. It’s not just that most of what happens feels superfluous, it’s that for the first time in the series it’s become a little boring.

We’ve just been here before, and five films in, I want to be somewhere else.

Verdict: 2 ink ribbons out of 10

Resident Evil: Afterlife

Otherwise known as Resident Evil: 3D Is Popular Now, Let’s Cash In. More objects come flying at your face than if you protested a Trump rally.

Other than that, this film is filled with disappointment. It feels like an ellipsis in the story. The big fight promised throughout Extinction fails to materialise, and the rest of the film leads up to another big fight…which fails to materialise.

Apart from landing a plane on a prison, there’s not much memorable about this one.

Verdict: 3 ink ribbons out of 10

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

Ah the conclusion, it’s over.

The Final Chapter heads back to where it all began, the remains of the Umbrella facility underneath Raccoon City. Time to end Wesker and finish off the zombies once and for all.

It’s great seeing the old place, including one standout action scene back in particularly memorable location. That said though, it’s just fine. There’s nothing really great about this film, nothing really terrible either. It just is. The only real low point is a lot of late-film clone chat which frankly at this point, who cares about?

Verdict: 5 ink ribbons out of 10

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

We’re onto the ‘more good than bad’ part of the list now.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse is probably a bad film, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun. Very much the Resident Evil 2 to the original film, this follows up the underground action with what happens when zombies get out in a populated place.

Everything about this film is ridiculous, from the way Alice is reintroduced to the series, to the action, to the appearances by Nemesis.

The second film in the series is definitely where things went from a focus on action-horror to a more comic-y approach. But that’s no bad thing, at least not in Apocalypse.

Verdict: 6 ink ribbons out of 10

Resident Evil: Extinction

The later Resident Evil films give the impression that the post-apocalyptic T-Virus world is a meaty, dank world full of zombies.

In Resident Evil: Extinction, it’s all gone a bit Mad Max. And that’s no bad thing, because this film works pretty well for it. Searching for survivors in the wasteland is something that looks good for the series, and for a large part of the film it’s a refreshing change in direction.

It’s also helped by being three films into the franchise, so by this point we’re not tired of Alice’s powers, or clone storylines. Instead they’re intriguing, something that unfortunately for the series does not last.

All in all, it’s a solid action-horror-post-apocalyptic film.

Verdict: 7 out ink ribbons of 10

Resident Evil

Was there any doubt that this would be the best in this list?

Resident Evil is that rare thing, a video game film that’s not terrible. It deviates pretty strongly from the source material but it does so with style.

Set in the warren of The Hive, Umbrella Corporation’s research laboratory deep underneath Raccoon City. Alice and a team of soldiers infiltrate to work out why it’s gone dark, and find out what’s going on.

Hint: it’s zombies.

Resident Evil’s not the best film in the world, but it never wants to be. It’s an entertaining scifi-action-horror and that’s never a terrible thing to sit down to. Featuring some genuinely exciting set pieces and some memorable scenes, it does what later films in the franchise can’t. It makes Resident Evil worth watching on the big screen.

Verdict: 9 ink ribbons out of 10

Also it has hamdogs, the finest undead canines that look entirely like someone’s just thrown ham at a dog and gone ‘fuck it, that’ll do’.

Resident Evil 2 is releasing on the 25th of January, and is available for pre-purchase here.

Everything you need to know about the Resident Evil 2 remake

Resident Evil 2 / Biohazard RE:2 is the remake of the original survival horror game which was released by Capcom in 1998. It’s not just a remaster, the game’s been entirely rebuilt from the ground up. It’s time to go back to Raccoon City, it’s going to be a trip of a lifetime.

Resident Evil 2 – More than before

Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil 2 Remake

Resident Evil 2 was initially released on PC, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, Gamecube, and the utterly forgotten Game.com. Released in 1998 it was the follow-up to the smash hit Resident Evil / Biohazard, the first in what would become a zombie slaying juggernaut franchise.

The new Resident Evil 2 remake retains much of what made the original great, whilst also putting a modern spin on the game with some additions. Tank controls and fixed camera angles aren’t the only way to experience Resident Evil, there’s now added third-person over-the-shoulder combat, akin to Resident Evil 4.

With improved controls, graphics, and gameplay, Resident Evil 2 will bring Resident Evil to a whole new generation.

The Story

After the events of the original Resident Evil, most of the citizens of Raccoon City have been mutated into zombies. The T-Virus, developed by the Umbrella Corporation, has been unleashed and the city is rapidly becoming a wasteland.

Leon S. Kennedy, a police officer on his first day of duty, and Claire Redfield, a student looking for her brother Chris, are the two playable characters. Each has their own reasons for being in Raccoon City and for exploring the ruined environ.

Splitting up to look for survivors, each character’s story intertwines with the others through ‘A’ and ‘B’ scenes throughout the game. Additional characters, such as Sherry Birkin and Ada Wong, pop up and flesh out the roster.

Mysteries, secrets, and conspiracy awaits you in Raccoon City. Will our heroes survive the day and find what they’re looking for, or will the evil Umbrella Corporation have the last laugh?

Downloadable content

Though there haven’t been any significant content updates to the Resident Evil 2 remake since release, they have put together a little Resident Evil 2 – Extra DLC pack. The Extra DLC pack includes two new skins for Leon, three new skins for Claire, a unique weapon and the option to replace all the new music and sound effects with the original music and sound effects, for that extra dose of Nostalgia. All additional content is also available with the deluxe edition.

PC System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

  • OS: Windows 7,Windows 8,Windows 8.1,Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-4460, 2.70GHz or AMD FX™-6300 or better
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 760 or AMD Radeon™ R7 260x with 2GB Video RAM
  • DirectX: Version 11

Recommended Requirements: 

  • OS: Windows 7,Windows 8,Windows 8.1,Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-3770 or AMD FX™-9590 or better
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon™ RX 480 with 3GB VRAM
  • DirectX: Version 11

Pick up your copy of the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 2 RE:make on the Green Man Gaming store.

PC games with vegan themes

Veganuary is here, the time we all (or at least, some of us) put aside our chicken bones, pork ribs, and other meaty products for a month of eating a little less carnivorously.

But what about your video games? Well obviously the games themselves are vegan, apart from the blood, sweat, and tears of developers, there’s few animal products in code.

There might be vegan themes or characters in those video games though. Let’s take a look through the pantheon of video gamery, and pick out some games with vegan themes that you can play on PC.

Note: For this list we’re not going to choose games that you can play in a vegan style but it’s optional, like Minecraft. Because that’s cheating. Obvs.

Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee

What’s it like to be the meat? That’s what Abe’s Odyssee asks.

Not nice as it turns out.

Upon finding out that the main ingredient in a new line of foodstuffs will be Abe and their fellow slaves, they decide it’s time to escape. This new line of snacks is being developed due to the rapid extinction of the animals which make up the other foods. Evil corporations, insatiable and monstrous consumers, living creatures being killed for food, it’s no wonder Abe wants to flee.

Abe’s Odyssee combines empathy for a species destined for the abattoir with a strong environmental and sustainability message. It’s even been remade so it’s prettier and better on PC than ever before.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic’s friends have all been stolen by the evil Dr Robotnik (yes, I’m still calling him that. Bite me.) and it’s up to him to get them back.

Whilst the main focus of Sonic is managing speed and platforming, the narrative focus is about freeing animals from servitude. They’re toiling away, without rest or comfort, in horrible metal cages designed to look like other creatures.

Thankfully a bop on the head and they’re free, and that’s where our hero Sonic comes in. No-one is better at bops on the head. Probably.

That Cow Game

Ever been to an abattoir?

In That Cow Game, that’s exactly what you do. It’s a low-poly jaunt through a charnel house of meat, and it’s all the more affecting for it.

It behooves you to play this, vegan or otherwise. If only because more knowledge of where your food comes from is important.

Whilst a lot of animals are killed in this game, the point is awareness of the cost of the meat industry. And that’s probably the most vegan thing games can do.

State of Decay

Whilst State of Decay isn’t inherently vegan throughout its core mechanics, you can come across vegan survivors who can join your ramshackle group of zombie slayers.

Not only do vegans eat less than your other survivors, they get more morale from an upgraded kitchen unit.

That means you get happier people, for less! Maybe vegans really are better…

In the zombie apocalypse anyway.

ABZU

ABZU is a game about exploration and wonder, but it’s also a game with a fundamental lesson about nature in it.

You see in ABZU you’re surrounded by fish most of the time, the game even gives you specific moments where you can just sit and look at them. Admiring the sealife as it goes about its life.

Later, however, ABZU has a specific lesson for you in it. That you’re tiny. That nature is big and absolutely beautiful, but also terrifying.

It teaches respect for your surroundings, a lesson, regardless of whether or not we eat meat, we should all learn.

Green Man Gaming’s Year in Review – 2018

2018 is over! If you’re only just finding this out, you’re late to the party. But it’s true. The year to end all years has gone at last.

In January of 2018 we showed you 2017 in review, and now it’s time to take a look back at 2018 and see what we’ve learned from our community and from running a gaming website.

We’ve crunched numbers, compiled data, and we’ve got loads of Green Man Gaming community information to share with you.

The categories are:

  • Most Played Steam Game
  • Top Five Most Popular Games
  • Total Playtime
  • Top 5 Most Popular Games by Country
  • Top 10 Countries by Average Player Playtime
  • Top 10 Best-Sellers

We used data gathered from our community of gamers to find out what they’re playing, what each country loves, and how much time gamers are putting into games. This means that the information below is unique in that it gives you an accurate look at 2018 in gaming trends.

But that’s enough about how we got the data, let’s take a look at the data itself. We present to you, 2018, a year in review:

And finally, let’s go to our Founder and CEO, Paul Sulyok, for a comment on 2018 and our community data: “Video games as a form of entertainment has truly come into their own with revenues 2.5 times that of the film industry and 6 times the size of digital music. Gamers are playing even more games than ever before and our community data shows this with an 88% increase in playtime year on year. Games developed in Edinburgh are played by gamers in London, Los Angeles and Lagos simultaneously and the range of games available today is at an all-time high. 

We are truly living in the golden age of video game entertainment today and I can’t wait to see what 2019 will bring.”

Why is Dragon’s Dogma a big deal?

So, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is coming to Switch. You might not know about Dragon’s Dogma and be wondering why this is a big deal.

Well, sit down whippersnapper and open up your eye-holes for some sweet knowledge about this brilliant game.

It was released initially in 2012 for the olden day consoles PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but was then re-released with the subtitle Dark Arisen a few years later on pretty much every console – and on PC. The remastered version contains some extra content, some quality of life changes, as well as full Japanese voice acting, which is nice for those of us who don’t like the English version.

The game puts you in the role of a human, one who very quickly has a series of unfortunate events occur that lead to them becoming the Arisen. You are tasked with defeating the Dragon (capital D because it is very important) and set off on a quest to do so. It’s a fairly standard high fantasy save the world kind of gig, however, that is where the run-of-the-mill stuff ends, and the game starts to emerge out of its cocoon and become a really weird butterfly.

One of the key parts of the game involves recruiting Pawns – not the chess kind – these are strange sub-human beings who exist solely to serve you. Not just you though, oh no, they travel across a plethora of universes in order to help out other Arisen too. You get to create one at the beginning of the game, but the other two can be plucked from any other player’s dimension to complement your preferred build.

You have the usual rogue, warrior, mage thing going on, but you can choose to be a hybrid class too. There are a huge amount of choices to make as you get stronger, each one informing how you end up taking down the various monsters that roam the world of Gransys.

The one thing that is true of all classes is that they can climb. If you imagine the Breath of the Wild’s climbing mechanic, you’re pretty close. Instead of clambering up rocks you will be clinging on for dear life to the side of a manticore, a cyclops, or even the scaled skin of a giant hydra. This allows you to hack away at a specific body part, or just avoid certain attacks if you’re quick. It’s always a ridiculous amount of fun to sunder a limb or smash a giant foe into the ground whilst Shadow of Colossus-ing around them.

The further you progress into this weird world, the more you start to get the feeling that something isn’t quite right. As you beat down some of the bigger threats the story goes from cliché to what-the-hell-is-this-nonsense very quickly. It has one of the best multiple ending choices around and the “true” ending is one that makes you question what it means to be human, what it means to exist, and to live, at all.

It is an absolute rollercoaster of a story that you need to play. Yes you, you need to get this game. You’ll have to wait until April to get it on Switch, but if you own another console or you have a PC you can always play it there. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m off to go Dragon hunting.

Ten under the radar PC games we’re looking forward to in 2019

A Plague Tale: Innocence – Feb 2019

There are few more terrifying things than rats, so naturally developer Asobo Studio has made a game absolutely rammed to the hilt with the ruddy things. Set in 14th century France where everything is going catastrophically to pot, A Plague Tale: Innocence has players controlling young French lass Amicia and her little brother Hugo in an attempt to get them to safety.  

Underpinning its compellingly grim story with oodles of stealth and adventure gameplay, A Plague Tale: Innocence is shaping up to be one of the most terrifying titles of 2019. Bloody rats, I tell you, *shiver*.

Wasteland 3 – TBA 2019

A sequel to, well, Wasteland 2, and developed by the folk behind Torment: Tides of Numenera, Wasteland 3 once more thrusts players out into the irradiated husk of a post-apocalyptic world in search of glory, loot and blood sausages (well, maybe not that last one).

A more ambitious offering in every way than its predecessor, Wasteland 3 is a sprawling, open-world tactical RPG that lovingly recalls the halcyon days of Fallout before it discovered the first person perspective that chucks in co-operative multiplayer in for kicks. One to watch if you like your RPGs near endlessly deep and with tonnes to do.

Biomutant – TBA 2019

If the descriptor for Biomutant which states “Biomutant is an open-world, post-apocalyptic Kung-Fu fable RPG” doesn’t get you going then, quite honestly, I’m not sure what will. On a tremendous, face-smacking quest to heal the Tree of Life and stop a mysterious plague sweeping the land, Biomutant is a third-person open world adventure that has players taking control of a number of different mutated animals who employ Wushu martial arts, enchanted firearms and special magics to get the job done.

Boasting a vibrantly colourful presentation and allowing players to explore the enticing expanses of its post-apocalyptic game world by mech, air-balloon, jet-ski or a range of other mounts, Biomutant could well be the next big open-world adventure you never knew you needed.

In The Valley of Gods – TBA 2019

If you’re a fan of Firewatch or just well-written story efforts in general, then In The Valley of Gods should be very much on your radar. From Campo Santo, the same hugely talented team that brought us the aforementioned Firewatch in 2016, In The Valley of Gods has a similarly compelling premise.

A narrative-driven, first-person single-player adventure, In The Valley of Gods whisks us off to 1920s Egypt and casts players as Rashida, a disgraced explorer who for once more chance at glory, embarks on a voyage of discovery among the old kingdom of the pharaohs. The kicker though? Accompanying her on this odyssey is Zora, a former associate that Rashida vowed to never work with again. Yeah, we’re loving look of this.

Phoenix Point – June 2019

Currently doing the rounds in early access, Phoenix Point comes to us from Julian Gollop, the chap responsible for creating and bringing the original X-Com to us all those years ago. Pushed into action against the Pandoravirus, an affliction that can massively alter the DNA and attack capabilities of invading alien forces, Phoenix Point thrusts players into a turn-based, tactical odyssey where the enemy is never the same.

Drop in extensive character customisation, highly destructible environments and a Geoscape surveillance mode that allows you to pinpoint resources and incoming threats, and it looks like Phoenix Point is going to be every bit the supremely assured tactical treat we hoped it would be.

Spelunky 2 – TBA 2019

There is no timeline where more Spelunky is a bad thing, so it is with our pickaxes primed and our climbing ropes uncoiled that we eagerly anticipate the delectable debut of Spelunky 2. While the award-winning original template remains assuredly intact, developer Mossmouth has implemented a veritable avalanche of new features to enhance its sequel offering.

For starters, a range of new enemies await, including everything from armored lizards to a hugely aggressive, toothy mole that chases you across the level. With a range of new traps, mounts (yes, mounts) and refined level design, Spelunky 2 looks set to put the exclamation point on what is already one of the greatest roguelike platformers ever made.   

The Sinking City – March 2019

Putting a welcome open-world spin on the horrors of Lovecraft, The Sinking City comes to us from Sherlock Holmes developer Frogwares and deftly combines the talent of that studio for crafting compelling sleuthing affairs with frenetic third-person combat.

Taking place in the partially submerged city of Oakmont, The Sinking City has players solving cases and vanquishing nightmarish foes in order to get to the bottom of the disturbing mystery that plagues the area. With multiple ways to complete each case and showcasing a world drowning in atmosphere that begs to be explored, The Sinking City looks like it’ll satisfy lovers of Lovecraft and intriguing open-world adventures when it arrives in March.

Untitled Goose Game – Early 2019

Yes, that’s actually the name of the game, but better than that, the premise of this particular curio is that you play a backhearted goose who must torment the humanfolk by stealing food from their picnics and generally making an annoying arsehole of yourself in the process.

With the objective always being to cause as much crafty havoc as possible, and all the while making frequent use of a dedicated honk button, I mean really, how can you not love this game?

Desperados III – Summer 2019

Of perhaps all of the IPs that we didn’t expect to be revived, the superb RTS series Desperados was right up there – thank our lucky sheriff stars then that THQ Nordic have gone and brought it back to life. Even better, Desperados III is being developed by Mimimi Productions – the studio responsible for the sublime Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun.

Taking control of a band of gun-toting vagabonds in 1870s America and Mexico, players must leverage and combine the unique skill-set of five different character classes to assassinate, steal, sabotage and elude their enemies. If you enjoyed the Commandos games from back in the day, or even the previous Desperados titles, than the threequel is shaping up to be a masterful exercise in real-time strategy.

Witchbrook – TBA 2019

So, the folks who published the superb Stardew Valley have a game called Witchbrook popping in over the horizon – it’s basically a Harry Potter, high-school simulation RPG and if you’re not excited by the idea of that, you probably need to check your pulse.

As a witch-in-training living in a magical world, you’ll discover multiple schools of magic, take part in bizarre classes and make friends (or enemies) with your fellow students. Quite honestly, this cannot come soon enough.

The best PC games of 2018

2018 was the longest year since years were invented in 1981. But did you know that some PC games also came out in 2018? It’s true.

But what were the best PC games, the cream of the crop, the games that each month made us stop and go ‘hey, that’s a good game’.

Wonder no more, we have your back. Look below to feast your eyes on each month of 2018, and the best game from each month on PC.

January – Celeste

Everyone’s talking about Celeste this year, and for good reason. It’s an incredibly tight platformer with rock solid controls, and a soundtrack that’ll keep you happy even while you die for the four hundredth time.

Combine that with a set of options which mean even the most platformer-averse person can have a good time, Celeste is a shining example of how things can, and maybe should, be done.

February – Rust

It feels like Rust has been a part of our lives for a long time now, mainly because it’s been early access for quite a while. But now it’s out and we can all finally enjoy its be-donged joys.

Rust is one of those games that defines a genre. The survival game genre and Rust go absolutely hand in hand and now it’s fully released, it can go in your hand too.

March – FFXV: Windows Edition

Final Fantasy XV has had a long and torturous development. It’s taken a long time for this, the best road trip game ever made, to get released, but now it has it was well worth the wait.

It’s lighter on the systems than other Final Fantasy games, but it absolutely makes up for that with buckets of character. Everyone has their own favourite Boy (and that’s Prompto, right?) and favourite thing to do (fishing, yeah?). Even if it’s a bit tonally all over the place at times, it’s still an utter marvel.

April – BattleTech

What’s better than turn based strategy? Turn based strategy with giant stompy robots of course.

BattleTech lets you customise your mechs and manage your fledgling mercenary company throughout a fairly open ended campaign. Think XCOM, but in space. And with big robots! Yeah, it’s good stuff.

May – Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

The original Pillars of Eternity was an utter love letter to the era of Aurora-engine RPGs, and Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire expands on that in every way.

Filled with quests, magic, and brilliant writing, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is set on the Deadfire Archipelago and sees you face off against awoken gods and much worse.

Also there’s boats in it – if you ever want me to fall in love with a game, put boats in it.

June – Vampyr

It is a curiosity of humanity that one of our most persistent myths – and one of our sexiest ones – features us getting all our blood sucked out.

Vampyr sees you take on the role of a newly turned vampire, and sees you decide your path through Victorian London. Drenched in blood and gaslight, Vampyr is an utterly atmospheric exploration of the darker side of the vampire myth.

July – The Banner Saga 3

The original Banner Saga showed us all what could be achieved narratively by managing a group of Vikings.

The Banner Saga 3 continues and improves on this legacy, with this version being the best one yet. Filled with difficult decisions that will see your wandering Vikings either embrace safety, or meet an early (and grisly) end.

August – Monster Hunter: World

The Monster Hunter series has long been a stalwart of Nintendo systems and the news that it would be opened up to other consoles and the PC was met with concern.

Well, concern over. Monster Hunter: World is an absolute triumph. With deep meaningful combat and a huge amount of monsters to hunt, skin, and craft things out of. Monster Hunter: World is a game you’ll be playing for ages.

September – Dragon Quest XI

Speaking of ages, here’s the absolutely colossal Dragon Quest XI.

Another series that’s most associated with Nintendo, Dragon Quest XI is the latest in a long series of slime-killing JPRGs, and it’s an absolute wonder.

Featuring a load of things to do, an absolutely huge main quest, and some of the best voice acting of the year (yeah, we were surprised too), Dragon Quest XI is a must-have for any JPRG enthusiast.

October – Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

We didn’t expect Call of Duty to ditch single player, and we certainly didn’t expect it to develop the best Battle Royale mode.

But it did, and it did.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is all multiplayer and it might even be better for it. With diverse modes and robust combat, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is one of the best multiplayer experiences you can have.

November – Hitman 2

Hitman 2 follows up 2016’s Hitman by improving on absolutely everything, which must’ve been hard to do because Hitman was an astounding murder sandbox already.

The levels are huge, the ways to kill are many and varied, and there’s always a way for you to perfect your kill as you seek out the best way to get Silent Assassin.

Hitman 2 is more of the same, maybe – but when that ‘same’ is this good, who’s complaining?

December – Insurgency: Sandstorm

Insurgency: Sandstorm is the game you’re looking for if other shooters are just a bit too arcadey for you.

With sound design that’s frankly disturbing in how good it is, and gunplay that’s as accurate as you can get without firing the gun yourself, Insurgency: Sandstorm is the multiplayer game for anyone wanting to just immerse yourself in brutal multiplayer conflicts.

This month in Indie Games – January

That’s right, after only 3 years we are finally out of 2018 and into 2019. Finally it’s the year for us, what could possibly go wrong?

Don’t test that, I don’t want to know.

Anyway, in more hopeful news we get even more games to look forward to. It never ends, hurrah. 2018 was absolutely packed with indie releases and 2019 looks to be no different, so here are some games to look out for in January.

Pikuniku

Pikuniku is a strange looking puzzle-exploration game. It is wonderfully colourful and looks to be a lot of fun. It seems to be a very optimistic, and very peculiar little game and has local co-op to keep things really interesting. As you work your way through you get to see more of this delightfully dystopian world, and maybe try to uncover some of its secrets. Pikuniku is coming to PC and Switch January 7th.

Bury me, my love

Sometimes video games have to tackle difficult subject matters. Bury me, my Love is one of these games. It tells the story of Nour, a Syrian refugee trying to flee the horrors of her homeland in order to come to Europe. You can tell just from this small synopsis that this game is going to be intense. Bury me, my Love is coming to PC and Switch January 10th.

Hell Warders

Hell Warders has had a fairly positive reception while in early access and is nearing its full release. This is a hero-based tower defence game that has you literally fighting off the hordes of underworld. You get to choose a class and then get knee deep in demons as you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your friends. Hell Warders is coming to PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch January 17th.

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG

YIIK (Y 2 K, as in the year 2000) is a Japanese style RPG set in the 1990s. It follows the story of Sammy Pak who goes missing, the only clue you have to go on is a video showing her being pulled from an elevator. The people behind this reads a little bit like an all-star indie cast of incredibly talented people. It’ll be interesting to see how much nostalgia this makes as well as how many people who didn’t see the 90s enjoy it. YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is coming to PC, PS4, and Switch January 17th.

Slay the Spire

If you want an intensely challenging, turn-based roguelike that has deck building and RPG mechanics than boy are you in luck. The gameplay loop is one of the most satisfying in recent years and it’s managed that whilst only in Early Access. The full release promises even more content for this strange dungeon crawler and is sure to be a must-play for those seeking a challenge. Fully released on PC January 23rd. Coming to Switch at some point.

Sunless Skies

Sunless Skies sees you journeying around space in a locomotive as part of the British Empire. Honestly, this game looks absolutely great and is full of eldritch wonders and horrors. Rather than playing as one character you’ll play as a lineage of space captains and always continue the journey with the next in your line. You get to make countless decisions and see where things take you. Sunless Skies is officially launching on January 31st.

As you can see, it looks to be a very strong start to the year. No doubt there will be hidden gems aplenty as we make our way through another hellscape – I mean year. Get ready for roguelikes, metroidvanias, visual novels, and weird dating sims.

Green Team Tips – Episode 10

Maybe you want to start streaming, maybe you’re an experienced content creator, or maybe you’re just looking to learn something and improve your knowledge.

The Green Team is here to save you, each week we’ll be profiling three of our Green Team, along with the hints and tips they want to share with YOU about content creation. So strap yourself into your learning chair and let The Green Team level up your brain.

iPixelDot

Describe your channel – Variety streamer <3

Favourite game – Fallout!

Favourite Content Creator – Seriously… too many to name

If you had to give one tip to other content creators, what would it be? – Don’t stop!

Best Strike

Describe your channel – Playing all sorts of games mainly battle royale for now. But I like to try out any games and just have fun.

Favourite game – Call of Duty Black Ops 4

Favourite Content Creator – B0aty

If you had to give one tip to other content creators, what would it be? – Starting youtube or livestreaming is hard. But if you spend the time and the effort and keep on making videos / livestreaming. You will start slowly growing. I would say having 1 main game and making daily videos of that game is the best way to grow your channel. But at the same time try to make videos about different games. It will be more fun this way. Dont focus on views. Just have fun playing and making videos.

ZBCSTUDIOQ

Describe your channel – High skill gameplay, competative multiplayer and rpg.

Favourite game – Skyrim

Favourite Content Creator – ESL

If you had to give one tip to other content creators, what would it be? – Be stable!

If you’re part of the Green Team and want to join in, check here. If you’re not part of the Green Team then what are you waiting for? Use these tips and sign up here!

Green Man Gaming’s Holiday Sale – Break it down for me

The nights have drawn in, the wind is cold in your bones, the temperature has plummeted. That’s right, our yearly Holiday Sale has started!

Of course this only applies in the Northern hemisphere, if you’re in the Southern you’re probably lounging on a beach somewhere or sweating up a storm, wondering why the heck this article begins with a description of the cold.

But no matter where you are, our Holiday Sale is here for you and we’ve got some killer deals for you this year.

With over 1800 games on sale, it might be hard for you to find The Game. You know, the one. The thing game you don’t even know you want yet.

So relax, take a sip of that mulled wine/margherita, put on a sweater/swimsuit, and let us guide you to the game of your dreams.

Staff Picks

Green Man Gaming isn’t just a company of people who want to sell games, we’re a company of people who want to play games too. Unfortunately work and real life keeps getting in the way, but that doesn’t mean we can’t tell you about some of our favourites that are on sale right now.

  • Frostpunk – Stern choices and stern weather, it’s all fun and games until it isn’t in this city management game.
  • Hitman 2 –  Like a game of murder mousetrap where the ball is death and winning is death too.
  • Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen – The dragon’s got your heart, time to get it back: the violent way.
  • Fallout: New Vegas – What did the team that made Fallout and Fallout 2 do next? Made the best modern Fallout, of course.
  • PUBG – Still the best Battle Royale game out there, and it’s still going strong even though it’s been more than a fortnight since it came out.
  • XCOM 2 – Oh no, you lost the first game (well, canonically). Now the aliens are here to stay, so get your squad and get rid of them.
  • Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age – Can you believe people had a problem with this game when it was released? Buy it now and find out how wrong they were.
  • Final Fantasy IX – Can you believe people had a problem with this…wait I’ve said this before. Still true though, FFIX is brilliant.
  • Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – If ancient Greeks and a heck load of murder don’t float your boat, maybe that this game has boats in it will. Also it’s great.
  • RUINER – Cyberpunk violence with a soundtrack that slaps? RUINER’s got that and loads more.
  • Deep Sky Derelicts – Dungeons in space? Absolutely.
  • Monster Hunter World – Loads has been said about the tight combat and huge amount of things to do, but really we’re just here for the Palicos.
  • No Man’s Sky – Now with more content than you can shake a stick at, and it’s a big stick too. One of those space sticks.
  • World of Warships – What if the whole world were warships and the only way you could kiss people was with guns?
  • Cities Skylines – The only city building game that Did It Right after the great City Building Explosion of the mid 2010s.
  • ABZU – Scary, beautiful, serene, and much more. ABZU has all the emotions. ALL OF THEM.
  • Warhammer 40,000 Mechanicus – What if XCOM had zombie robots and you played as a group of technology worshipping cyborgs? Oh and you’re never sure if you’re the good guys or not.

Top Titles in your Country

Chances are you live in a country. If you do, hello fellow country dweller! We also live in a country!

Each country is a bit different from the other countries. Did you know, for example, here in the UK we love Resident Evil VII, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, and Far Cry 5? It’s true!

Unless you don’t live in a country in which case you can’t participate, but that’s ok. We love you too.

Best Sellers – 2018

It’s been a hell of a year. In that we mean it’s been a hell of a year, and also that for many people this year has been hell.

But it’s been a year of games. Video games.

Some of the best sellers came out this year, like Monster Hunter World and Vermintide II, but some are just classics that you can’t get enough of, like The Division and Borderlands 2.

People have bought a heck load of games in 2018, and this is just a fraction of the huge variety of games that you and people like you have picked up. Well done for buying games! Now buy some more (this message brought to you by my boss).

Extend Your Game

Games are great, but the sadness of games is that they end. Not every game goes on forever. That’s just life.

But you can extend your game. You can make your time with that game last that little bit longer.

Some genius wizard called Derek Leander Cross invented something to make games a little longer back in 2006 and DLC (named after him) has been booming ever since.

In our Holiday Sale we’ve partitioned a little section off for DLC. Maybe you’ll tack on a little extra to your Assassin’s Creed journey, maybe you’ll see what the residents of Far Harbor have in store for you in Fallout 4, maybe you’ll just pick up some season passes because who knows what’ll come out for your favourite game.

Genres

Maybe you play all kinds of games, but maybe you’re just looking for something specific. We’ve got a load of different sections in our Holiday Sale which make finding that special something a little easier.

Here’s the list, your favourite genre is already divided up for you and ready for you to dip a toe in and grab yourself something you think you’ll love:

How nice is that? So if you love Simulation games, you know you can click that link and bam, games you’ll probably love will be right there.

Go check ‘em out. Don’t worry – we’ll wait.

Publishers

Honestly there’s so much to this sale we’re just going to have to take a little time and give you each publishers’ sale page. Each one has the games that publisher has put in our sale, so if you’re looking for Bethesda or Square Enix games, we got ‘em, and you can find them below:

So that’s it, that’s our Holiday Sale – all broken down for your easy digestion. Want to just check the whole thing out though? You can, just head on over to this link and you’ll be on your way to gaming heaven. And don’t forget that you can use the code GMG12 to save an extra 12% on your purchase!

Psst, now the hasty clickers have gone. Did you also know you can win some games and an i7 7700k Intel Processor?