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Shadowrun Returns' Berlin expansion called 'Dragonfall,' arriving January
Harebrained Schemes revealed more details for its Berlin-based expansion to Shadowrun Returns, now known as Shadowrun: Dragonfall. Originally expected to land in October before being delayed to January, the expansion will place players in the stable anarchy of the Free City of Berlin, offering a new "full-length" campaign to play. The expansion will include new weapons such as grenade launchers, long-range sniper rifles and tasers as well as new enemies like gargoyles. Dragonfall will feature a few gameplay improvements as well, such as added options in the game editor like a scripting system to control in-game lighting, keypad passwords and custom strings of dialog. Those toying around with the game editor will have access to the new Berlin art, characters and items as well. Harebrained Schemes noted that it will add the ability to save your game anywhere in the adventure, a helpful feature that will be included in the original Dead Man's Switch campaign. Shadowrun: Dragonfall will launch on PC, Mac and Linux in January 2014 for $14.99 and will be bundled in with the original game in a Shadowrun Campaign Pack for $24.99. Harebrained Schemes will provide free Steam keys for the expansion to those that backed Shadowrun Returns on Kickstarter.
Borderlands 2 gets Wattle Gobbler next week, third Headhunter DLC next month
Borderlands 2 players can get their collective teeth into a second Headhunter pack next week, when The Horrible Hunger of the Ravenous Wattle Gobbler launches on November 26. Gearbox is serving it up on Steam, Xbox 360, and PS3 at the digestible price of $3. The third Headhunter DLC, titled How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day, is due in December. As the name suggests there's a Thanksgiving air to the Wattle Gobbler DLC, with the head you're hunting this time belonging to a giant turkey. Should you succeed, you'll earn new character heads and skins as gaudy emblems of your seasonal success, you monster, you.
Goodbye Deponia demo says hello to PC, Mac on Steam
A free demo for Goodbye Deponia, the third and final game in Daedalic's Deponia series, is available now on Steam for PC and Mac. The demo offers the first chapter of Goodbye Deponia. The game launched in full on October 17 and it's currently $20. A premium edition runs $25 and includes the soundtrack, concept art, animation workbook and a book introducing the Deponia world, while the complete Deponia trilogy goes for $48, all on Steam. If you're ready to say sayonara to Deponia's wacky, adventurous world, grab the demo or dive right into the final game right here.
Valve's showing its own VR prototype in January, working on a VR Steam overlay
Back in March, Valve's Joe Ludwig mentioned how important the company believes virtual reality tech is but ultimately left us hanging, unable to be more detailed without a firm plan on what it might eventually ship. Next year the blanks will be filled in, as Valve has scheduled two very relevant sessions during its Developer Days conference: What VR Could, Should, and Almost Certainly Will Be within Two Years, and Virtual Reality and Steam. Better yet, the descriptions reveal that it will have a prototype of what stunning experience it thinks "affordable" VR hardware will be capable of soon, and the software it's working on including "the Steam Overlay in VR, Steam store changes for VR, and our VR plan for Steamworks." The Oculus Rift has already done a lot to spark our imaginations and given a platform for developers to test out their VR ideas, but putting the power of Steam behind this tech could push it where next-gen consoles haven't. After the departure of the castAR team, we're very interested to see what Valve will do, and its developer days seem like our first opportunity to find out. The two day conference happens January 15th and 16th but it's only open to developers -- if you pop open the registration page anyway we won't blame you.
The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot raids Steam Early Access
Ubisoft's free-to-play RPG The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot is now available on Steam, expanding its grind-happy adventure beyond the browser realm. Combining elements from brawlers and tower defense games, The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot divides gameplay up into brief looting sessions in which you'll raid castles belonging to other players for equipment and treasure. The game joins Steam as part of the Early Access program as it wraps up its closed beta. Following its release earlier this year, The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot was updated to address fan feedback regarding the implementation of "pay to win" items, which have since been removed to promote gameplay balance.
The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot arrives on Steam
The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot, the game with the cheeky title that turns into a monstrosity of an acronym, has arrived on Steam. Ubisoft Montreal's free-to-play game is available as part of Steam's Early Access program, and while it's free, there are several bundled packages for sale. The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot is a multiplayer action game that incorporates castle-building (and pillaging) and is currently in closed beta. Massively will be taking a closer look at this game in the near future, but in the meanwhile, why not give it a whirl and sound off in the comments?
Mutant Mudds Deluxe moves up launch date to November 21
Mutant Mudds Deluxe will hit Steam for PC on November 21 (that's this week!), pushed up from its previous launch date of December 5. Developer Jools Watsham says it's coming out early "because it is ready! Happy holidays!" That's a good enough reason for us. Mutant Mudds launched on the 3DS eShop in early 2012, and since then it's come to Windows and iOS, and it added the Deluxe moniker to arrive on Wii U. Mutant Mudds Deluxe is set to hit PS3 and Vita as a Cross-Buy game this holiday season.
Dota 2 players to enjoy newfound futility in Stanley Parable announcer pack
Indie developer Davey Wreden revealed that the next Dota 2 announcer pack update will feature the dry, understated wit of Kevan Brighting, narrator of the off-kilter PC hit The Stanley Parable. Wreden and The Stanley Parable co-developer William Pugh are currently writing the script for the upcoming add-on. A release date has not been announced. Portal's GLaDOS voiced a previous Dota 2 announcer pack, chiding players with demoralizing comments throughout every match. It's unlikely that Brighting will offer much more in the way of encouragement, but those who enjoyed the mind-warping game he narrated will get a kick out of his take on the proceedings.
Vlambeer's Luftrausers unlikely to take to the skies before early 2014
Super Crate Box dev Vlambeer said it won't release dogfighter Luftrausers before early 2014 "unless a miracle happens." While it's the season for such things, the indie dev believes a 2013 release window is "unlikely" because the PS3, Vita, and Steam game has still to undergo quality assurance. The Luftrauser sequel was first due in 2012, but Vlambeer admitted development hasn't been the smoothest - and that's without mentioning any thievery or clones. "The way we worked with Luftrausers, in hindsight, wasn't really optimal," the company's blog notes. "We assumed that certification would be harsh, but didn't expect it to take more than a month or two. While a part of our team was already focusing on Nuclear Throne and Ridiculous Fishing, we kept being pulled back to fix things or add last minute changes to the game to fit within the requirements. Switching between projects in such different states mentally is extremely exhausting, and a lot of our time was spent orienting on where the game was and where it needed to go." Elsewhere, progress has been steadier. An Android version of Ridiculous Fishing is on the way soon, while Nuclear Throne sold more than 10,000 copies across its first two weeks on Steam Early Access.
Cast a silhouette from the light of this Contrast trailer
There's something lurking in the shadows of this Contrast trailer, and it smells like secrets. Well, and a fire-breathing shadow dragon, but we're not sure how to best describe that scent. Contrast is on Steam, Xbox Live Marketplace, PS3 and is currently free for PS4 owners with PlayStation Plus.
State of Decay's first expansion coming Black Friday
The zombie-riffic survival game State of Decay, just recently available to PC players in the Steam library, is getting its first ever DLC expansion in time for a Black Friday shopping spree. Undead Labs has announced that Breakdown will go on sale November 29th for $6.99 on both Steam and XBLA. Players who purchase the expansion can expect more difficulty along with new achievements and new weapons as they dive into new playable survivors. This expansion also promises less story and more survival; sounds a little bit like Black Friday, no? Check out the action in the new Breakdown trailer below.
Mutant Mudds Deluxe jumps into Steam's foreground on December 5
Mutant Mudds Deluxe will continue its trek toward becoming available on most current gaming platforms by joining the Steam library on December 5. Deluxe is an expansion of the retro-flavored platformer that was originally released on the 3DS eShop. It carries 80 levels that allow players to jump between three 2D playing fields while using powerups and hunting for passages to secret levels. Once it launches, Deluxe will be available to Windows users on Steam.
PSA: Endless Space adds free 'Search for Auriga' DLC
Endless Space isn't quite endless, but it is still a very large strategy game that just grew a bit bigger thanks to the addition of the free Search for Auriga DLC pack. As we reported when the DLC was announced, Search for Auriga adds new heroes, a new planet type, a special wonder and a number of AI and balance improvements to Endless Space. Full details on the DLC's additions and changes can be found on developer Amplitude Studios' website. Before you rush over to Steam to download the DLC - the addition will be automatically downloaded and installed the next time you start Endless Space - keep in mind that it requires you own both Endless Space and the game's Disharmony expansion. Both items can be found on Steam.
Oculus Rift probably isn't going to happen on Xbox One, PS4
The Oculus Rift has captured a fair amount of attention for its ability to help immerse its users in fictional worlds, but it seems that Xbox One and PlayStation 4 owners won't be part of its audience. "Consoles are too limited for what we want to do," Oculus Rift inventor Palmer Luckey told TechRadar. "We're trying to make the best virtual reality device in the world and we want to continue to innovate and upgrade every year - continue making progress internally - and whenever we make big jumps we want to push that to the public." There is currently a single model of the device planned for consumers that will be compatible with Android devices and PCs. The device's parent company, Oculus VR, recently recruited Doom programmer John Carmack as its Chief Technology Officer and is planning to release the Oculus Rift sometime next year.
Extraterrestrial puzzle-platformer Paradise Lost to invade Steam, Wii U
Alien-on-the-run sim Paradise Lost: First Contact proved a breakout hit on Kickstarter, after achieving its $70,000 goal in under half its allotted time. In Paradise Lost you play as a tentacled test subject from another world, using your telekinetic powers to break out of a pixelated Earth research lab. The concept caught the attention of more than 3000 backers who ensured the puzzle-platformer is coming to Steam for PC, Mac, and Linux in fall 2014. Not only is the game confirmed for those platforms, it's definitely on the way to Wii U too. Developer Asthree originally listed the Wii U port as a $250,000 stretch goal, but after listening to backer feedback the Spanish studio made it a definite thing. Now the stretch goal is for a same-day Wii U version, set at $230,000. If the fundraiser falls short, the game will still come to the Nintendo platform but some time after it' hits Steam. Asthree also added an additional multiplayer mode as the furthest of its stretch goals at $270,000. Other stretch goals include achievements, additional languages, and secret chapters, plus a realistic-ish $200,000 goal for PS4, PS3, and Vita ports.
Classic post-apocalyptic RPG Wasteland out now on Steam, GOG
Responding to fan demand for a modern re-release of its acclaimed classic RPG Wasteland, InXile Entertainment is now offering up a repackaged version for purchase via Steam and Good Old Games. Released in 1988 for the Commodore 64, Apple II, and DOS, Wasteland puts players in control of a large and varied party of characters who wander the harsh deserts of the American Southwest in the aftermath of a nuclear war. Though subsequent attempts at a sequel met with limited success after its initial release, Wasteland later served as inspiration for Interplay's Fallout series. InXile is currently developing Wasteland 2, a Kickstarter-funded follow-up that was delayed past its intended October release due to its expanded scope and emphasis on player choice. Kickstarter campaign supporters received early access to the re-released Wasteland 1, which has been downloaded more than 33,000 times since its backer-exclusive release last Friday.
Antichamber 66% off on Steam today, Skullgirls free this weekend
Steam rolled out a new batch of limited-time PC game deals, dropping the price of the Escher-inspired first-person adventure game Antichamber by 66 percent as Lab Zero Games' 2D fighter Skullgirls gears up for a free weekend. Steam's Weekend Deal additionally drops the price of Overkill Software's multiplayer heist sim Payday 2 by 40 percent, to mark the release of its new Armored Transport DLC. Kerbal Space Program rounds out this weekend's deal selection with a 40 percent discount. Skullgirls is also available at a discounted rate over the course of its free weekend, ending Monday at 10 a.m. Pacific time.
Dota 2 gets new heroes, crafting, and Diretide
Last week, the folks at Valve apologized to the Dota 2 community for silently skipping the game's Halloween-themed Diretide event. In the apology, the Dota team promised that Diretide would go live with the next big update, which they hinted would include a bunch of other features the community would be happy to see. Today, Valve announced the update, titled Three Spirits. And true to the Dota team's word, it's a big one. It includes two new heroes in the form of Earth Spirit and Ember Spirit (counterparts to the existing Storm Spirit), an in-game coaching mechanic that enables teams and individuals to improve their play, and a crafting and socketing system that provides for customizing existing items or combining unneeded ones to make something better and more useful. The patch also brings a new showcase view of matches, a lane-picker, colorblind mode, new training missions and more. Oh, and yes, Diretide is coming; the event runs from November 14th to November 28th. Check out the full patch notes on the official Three Spirits site.
Adventurous sizing puzzler Scale tips past funding goal
Imagine Portal, but in a whimsical dreamscape, and with a gun that can make anything larger or smaller at will. You're getting closer to imagining CubeHeart's Scale, a game that will transcend imagination and enter reality after achieving its $87,000 Kickstarter goal this week, with just days to go. That means the ambitious-looking first-person puzzler is on its way to PC, Mac, Linux, and Steam Machines. Scale is based around a prison break, admittedly a very bizarre-sounding prison break. The game's heroine is Penny Prince, the inventor of a powerful resizing device who accidentally uses it to destroy the entire east coast. She's convicted on more than 9 million counts of "Depraved Heart Murder," but manages to construct a makeshift version of her invention and use it to escape. The game seemingly follows her exploits as she searches for freedom - and her confiscated cat. There's still time for CubeHeart to hit some stretch goals, with the $100,000 target for Oculus Rift support looking eminently realistic. At the other end of the Scale, the $200,000 goal for a PS4 version looks out of reach.
Gunman Clive, Grimind approved in Steam Greenlight's latest community picks
Steam announced its latest batch of games approved by community vote at Steam Greenlight, naming Bertil Horberg's 3DSWare hit Gunman Clive and Indie Games Uprising standout Smooth Operators among 40 new games set to join Steam's online catalog in the coming months. Other community-approved future releases include Nyu Media's doujin shoot-'em-up The Tale of ALLTYNEX, Pawel Mogila's horror-themed puzzle-platformer Grimind, and Milkstone Studios' overhead-view racing game Little Racers: Street. The update also approves a long-dormant remake of the classic arcade game Toki, which dropped off the radar after developer Golgoth revealed that it was struggling to find a publisher on Xbox Live Arcade in 2009. Golgoth notes in a recent Greenlight update that further details regarding the remake will be available soon.
