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PvP sandbox Life is Feudal hits Steam early access next week
Life is Feudal is one of several indie sandbox MMOs striving to become this generation's Ultima Online, and next week, you can actually play it... if you fork over a few bucks for early access, that is. The game unlocks on Steam on September 19th; existing alpha players will be able to claim their early alpha keys on Steam and partake in the smaller-scale, non-MMO test version of the game. Billing itself as a realistic medieval sandbox, Life is Feudal includes city construction and invasion, a freeform character building system, a single seamless world, terraforming, farming, crafting skills like cooking and alchemy, and full open PvP with looting. The developers maintain a document explaining how the game is similar to and different from other MMOs with such features, however. The game failed to reach its Indiegogo goals last year.
Endless Legend exits Steam Early Access on September 18
Endless Legend will exit Early Access and launch in full on Steam on September 18, Iceberg Interactive announced. The 4X strategy game entered its alpha phase on the PC distribution platform in April, receiving new factions, "fully functional" multiplayer and other updates in July. The game's soundtrack is also available at a name-your-price rate on Bandcamp, courtesy of Game Audio Factory. Endless Legend is currently 10 percent off ($31.49) while still in its beta state. Buying in to the Founder Pack ($40.49) grants players some assorted bonus goods, including half-off Steam coupons for Amplitude Studios' Endless Space and Endless Space Disharmony. One of the developer's other games, Dungeon of the Endless, was among a list of games confirmed for Xbox One at Gamescom last month. Come to think of it, we're pretty sure there's a pattern to Amplitude Studios' recent naming conventions. [Image: Iceberg Interactive]
Interstellar Marines uses the buddy system, gets co-op in September
Interstellar Marines has sold over 100,000 copies since it launched in July 2013 on Steam Early Access, developer Zero Point Software announced this week. The sci-fi game has generated "more than $1.5 million in revenue" for the studio. Still in "heavy development," the tactical FPS will also receive an update on September 18 that adds cooperative multiplayer to the game. Zero Point Software first revealed Interstellar Marines in 2006, and the game received multiple "it's still alive" reassurances over the years. Players can pick up the game on PC, Mac or Linux via Steam for $18.99, which grants access to both the Early Access version of the game and its upcoming expansions and updates, such as the "Project Co-Op" one scheduled for next month. The developer will showcase its spacey shooter at PAX Prime in Seattle this weekend at Alienware's booth (#1246). [Image: Zero Point Software]
Go go desert rangers, Wasteland 2 out September 19
Pack your shotgun, sun cream, anti-radiation pills and don't forget the toothbrush, because after a quarter of a century, the sequel to Wasteland is nearly here. inXile boss Brian Fargo confirmed the post-apocalyptic RPG is nailed in to hit PC, Mac and Linux on September 19. Wasteland 2 was due to arrive this month, but inXile said it delayed the release so it could fulfill reward commitments to backers, who, after all, raised $3 million in funding. After more than 25 years what's another month, hm?
The Stomping Land is switching to Unreal Engine 4
Dino-delay or evolutionary upgrade? The situation might be both for The Stomping Land, which has been on the down low while its developer works to bring it to a new game engine after the old engine lost studio support. "It has been quiet in The Stomping Land community but that is certainly not the case behind the scenes!" Developer Alex "Jig" Fundora told Kotaku. "The game is being moved to Unreal Engine 4 to take advantage of technical and creative opportunities, and while the game was so early in development, I didn't want to keep working for years with a game engine (UDK) that had officially lost support by Epic. The move has put a bit of more work on my plate, but the already discovered opportunities using UE4 are exciting, and I'm confident fans will be satisfied with the long-run decision." The dinosaur-themed survival sandbox went into early access this past May 30th.
God game Maia pulls in $1 million while in Early Access
Maia, a sci-fi colony management sim from developer Simon Roth, has pulled in more than $1 million, and it's not even fully out yet. This figure includes the £140,481 ($225,219) Maia secured on Kickstarter in 2012, plus $11,000 on Indiegogo, pre-sales on Roth's site and Steam Early Access sales, Develop reports. Maia was Greenlit on Steam in August 2013. Roth is using the cash to set up a new development house called Machine Studios. He's hiring developers and may get to work on another, new project once everything is settled. "The real reason I wanted Machine Studios rather than Simon Roth Incorporated is I thought it would be really narcissistic and weird, for one," Roth said. "And also, I didn't want my employees to have to put on their CV, 'I worked at Simon Roth,' when it could be Machine Studios. And so it gives them a better thing to say what they worked for." Maia is $25 on Steam Early Access for PC, Mac and Linux, and it's currently $21.70 on the game's site (purchase includes a Steam key). [Image: Simon Roth]
Breach and Clear follow-up sets a deadline for this fall
Mighty Rabbit Studios announced a follow-up to its tactical military action game Breach and Clear today. Going by the name Breach and Clear: Deadline, the game will arrive on Steam's Early Access service for PC, Mac and Linux this fall for $19.99 (£12.99). Unlike the first game, which began on mobile devices before breaching Steam's walls via Greenlight, publisher Gun Media did not list mobile platforms among Deadline's destinations. Deadline adds to Breach and Clear's warfaring gameplay by introducing real-time strategy elements to the series. Players will boss their squad around with new Command Mode tools, giving orders on-the-fly during battle. The game is set in the "urban expanse of Harbor City," in which players must find the source of a parasitic infection that's causing the city's inhabitants to turn into monsters. They'll also level up their team along the way and complete side quests to earn "rare ammo, weapons and gear." [Image: Gun Media]
NeonXSZ begins descent to Steam August 22
NeonXSZ, the latter three letters of which are pronounced "excesses," will launch on Steam via Early Access on August 22. The game puts players in the cockpit of a ship within cyberspace, joining a war between viruses and machines. While just entering beta, NeonXSZ is "already fully playable for 100-plus hours," according to the single-person developer, Intravenous Software. NeonXSZ features "dozens of ships" complete with more than 850 upgrades, emphasizing treasure-collecting and enemy-blasting gameplay akin to that of classic "6DoF" FPS games like Descent and twitchy shooters such as Quake. The procedurally-generated, open world in NeonXSZ includes "approximately one thousand AI dudes" from four different factions, each at odds with one another. Those enemies drop parts of their hulls, upgrades and weaponry, so loot gathered from players' conquests is not randomized. The alpha version of NeonXSZ arrived on the Desura store in September 2013 for PC, Mac and Linux.
Frozen Endzone now Frozen Cortex, original name 'a bit rubbish'
Mode 7's upcoming turn-based strategy game is now Frozen Cortex and no longer Frozen Endzone, after the developer admitted a rebrand was necessary. In a frank blog post, the Frozen Synapse creator revealed its reasons for the change, one being "the original name was a bit rubbish and we got bored of it." Mode 7 also introduced Mac and Linux versions this week in an update to the Steam Early Access release, as well as "significant" aesthetic changes. The studio added it believes the game looks better in its new guise, and that the original name was tied to perception of a "Madden game with robots."
Buy Secret Ponchos on Steam, give another to a friend
Spaghetti western shooter Secret Ponchos is best enjoyed with a friend Lady and the Tramp-style, like a plate of pasta. While you won't need to do any smooching with your bestie, those playing the game on Steam can now show a little love by gifting a copy to one friend. The "Secret Ponchos Double Down" promotion grants all buyers an extra Steam code, providing they pick the game up before August 5. The game arrived on Steam in mid-June via Early Access, and is currently available for $14.99. Whether you buy a copy for yourself or are the recipient of one of the free codes, you'll have access to the full version of the game when it arrives later this year. While there's no set release date for Secret Ponchos, it is expected to launch in full on both PC and PS4 this fall. [Image: Switchblade Monkeys]
Habitat finds life on Steam Early Access
Habitat, the Kickstarted space-physics strategy game from 4gency, is now on Steam Early Access for $15 on PC, Mac and Linux, published by Versus Evil. This is the game that lets you fight with the Eiffel Tower in space. Now we all remember. In Habitat, players must use space debris to repair and build their ships, and to create homes for humanity to live in. You're able to create weapons and take out enemy space stations, and then salvage them for parts. It's a blend of strategy, resource management, creativity and zero-gravity physics simulation. Habitat is in Early Access form at the moment, so it's not yet feature complete, but the game currently allows players to manage their teams, fly around procedurally generated space, build ships and weapons out of 40 different items and connectors, and take on those evil space stations. Habitat raised $64,000 of a $50,000 goal on Kickstarter in May, and it's due out in full on PC, Mac, Linux and Xbox One by the end of 2014. [Image: Versus Evil]
Eat your crew to stay afloat in Sunless Sea, now on Steam
Failbetter Games' dark, top-down nautical exploration and survival game Sunless Sea is now available on Steam Early Access. To celebrate its arrival, the developer is discounting the game by 10 percent ($17.09) until Tuesday, July 8. Sunless Sea, which first arrived in alpha form in mid-June on the Humble store, has players exploring an underground ocean in which every decision made impacts a "non-linear, choice-heavy, personalized experience." In order to survive, captains will need to fight large creatures and make tough decisions, such as eating their dead. The game is set in the same universe as one of the developer's previous game, Fallen London, and draws influences from games like FTL: Faster Than Light, Sid Meier's Pirates and Don't Starve. Sunless Sea earned £100,803 ($161,769) on Kickstarter in October 2013, and uses Failbetter's own narrative-focused StoryNexus engine (which it also used for Fallen London). Random House put the engine to use in April 2013 with the free-to-play Black Crown. [Image: Failbetter Games]
H1Z1 working hard on Steam early access prep
SOE Technical Director Tom Schenck penned the first dev blog for H1Z1 yesterday, saying that the team is in overdrive preparing the title for its debut on Steam Early Access. However, in regard to a specific date as to when H1Z1 will be publicly available, Schenck wasn't sharing. Schenck said that the team is strongly focusing on getting the antagonists to look and play the part: "High priority on our Early Access feature list is polishing group behavior and tuning Emergent AI systems to the entire ecosystem. Our AI team is going nuts regulating interactions for all of the NPC characters in the game including zombies, deer, wolves, and more." Other stated priorities for the team right now include fine tuning melee combat, maxing out performance, and bug hunting.
Beasts of Prey is a dinosaur-themed survival sandbox MMOFPS
If The Stomping Land and Durango aren't enough to sate your appetite for dinosaur-themed survival MMO gameplay, then here's a third game to add to that growing menu: Beasts of Prey. It's currently in early access alpha on Steam for $34.99, though developer Octagon Interactive hopes to launch beta in October. What does your money pay for right now, exactly? "Beasts of Prey has been funded privately and your purchase will help us to further develop the game and pay bills for designers/coders & infrastructure. Additionally and more importantly we need your feedback on what we have created so far so we can make the right adjustments to successfully change game-play & mechanics." The game boasts a single-server infrastructure, a detailed crafting and gathering system, a randomly generated world that adjusts its size based on the population, and dinosaurs that can wreck a camo-colored car much faster than a zombie ever could. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Meet the computer that's learning to kill and the man who programmed the chaos
In Kirkland, Washington, sits a computer ready to wage war. It drains the planet's resources, amasses massive armies and prepares for world domination. "It's trying to get smarter and it is, very quickly," says the man who sits next to the computer as it calculates routes toward victory. While the warring machine sounds like something out of a James Cameron film, it's the foundation for the artificial intelligence in Planetary Annihilation, the Kickstarted real-time strategy game from developer Uber Entertainment. That doesn't make it any less terrifying.
Valve: Early Access devs may be 'unable to finish their game'
Valve has issued an update to its Steam Early Access FAQ, warning users that some featured games may never reach a completed state. "It's up to the developer to determine when they are ready to 'release,'" an unaltered section of the FAQ reads. "Some developers have a concrete deadline in mind, while others will get a better sense as the development of the game progresses." GamesBeat reports that the following statement was appended recently: "You should be aware that some teams will be unable to 'finish' their game. So you should only buy an Early Access game if you are excited about playing it in its current state."
Planetary Annihilation adds single-player 'Galactic War' campaign
It turns out that war can definitely change, as long as its battle began as a Steam Early Access project. Uber Entertainment has announced the single-player campaign for its Kickstarter-funded strategy title Planetary Annihilation is now available as a free update via Steam. The campaign, titled Galactic War, puts players in the space boots of "a reawakened Commander with a limited tech tree." Galactic War's real-time engagements take place on the game's procedurally-generated planetary systems, with randomized technology drops, maps, unique abilities and perks "to make each playthrough feel different." "Rediscover, rebuild, and take control. Play as a reawakened Commander, scour the stars for technology, and annihilate enemy Commanders to secure the galaxy," a press release noted, flying in the face of everything Ron Perlman ever told us. Planetary Annihilation earned over $2 million in its Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, far surpassing the game's $900,000 goal. The game is available on Steam Early Access for $50 and, until now, has been a dedicated multiplayer experience. [Image: Uber Entertainment]
Steam saw more games in first half of 2014 than all of 2013
Not even halfway through 2014, Valve has already seen more games released on its Steam service than in all of 2013. Gamasutra reports that if the trend continues, we'll see more than 2,000 games released on Steam in 2014, compared to just more than 600 in 2013. While that sounds great for gamers, more isn't necessarily better. Just because a game makes it through Steam's Greenlight or Early Access programs does not make it a trustworthy, worthwhile purchase, as was demonstrated when Earth: 2066 was pulled from Steam for dishonest advertising. Tom Ohle, director at Evolve PR, and founder of indie publisher Nkidu Games, told Gamasutra that Steam was "approaching iOS App Store-like saturation," making it harder for some games and publishers to break out and catch a Steam user's eye. The gates may be more open than ever, but that also means more people are going to try and squeeze their way through. [Image: Gamasutra]
Heavy Bullets is an FPS that makes you recycle your ammo
All these first-person shooters today, spraying their bullets across the battlefield, never picking them up when they're done firing. So wasteful! Thank goodness developer Terri Vellmann and publisher Devolver Digital are releasing Heavy Bullets, a PC game that teaches players the value of recycling ammunition. Heavy Bullets transports players into a low-poly, intensely neon maze full of dangerous enemies, power-ups and bosses. Your goal is to reach the end of Level 8 and reset the security mainframe. You begin each attempt with a special revolver and six bullets which must be picked up and reloaded after they've been fired at an enemy. It's like our mothers always said: "Don't you just leave those bullets on the ground. Those are perfectly good bullets, young man." Bullets aren't your only option, though; homing bombs, coin magnets and high heels are all up for grabs to help you on your quest to be the most environmentally-conscious master blaster this side of the game grid. Heavy Bullets' world is also procedurally generated, making each run different. Heavy Bullets is available via Steam Early Access and the Humble Store for $10, though both storefronts are holding 15 percent off sales, making it $8.49 for the moment. [Image: Devolver Digital]
Dead Island: Epidemic now spreading on Steam Early Access
Deep Silver's in-progress MOBA Dead Island: Epidemic is now available via Steam Early Access, giving players an early look at a closed beta version ahead of its public launch. Dead Island: Epidemic is an online cooperative action game in which teams of players employ crafted weapons and character skills to fend off zombie hordes. Early Access players will get exclusive weapons and upgrades not available in the final release, due later this year. While the final version of Epidemic will be free-to-play, access to the closed beta requires purchasing either the Patient Zero Pack ($16.99) or the Deadicated Pack ($39.99). Players can also opt for the Contagion Pack ($44.99), which includes all content from the Patient Zero and Dedicated packs, along with three additional copies of the game to share with friends. [Image: Deep Silver]
