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Point-and-click thriller Gods Will Be Watching stares down a June launch
Gods Will Be Watching is a dark, depressing and mentally taxing point-and-click adventure from Deconstructeam and Hotline Miami publisher Devolver Digital, due out in June for PC, Mac and Linux. Note that when we say "dark, depressing and mentally taxing," we mean it in the most fun way possible. That's this game's shtick: It places Sgt. Burden in the middle of violent interstellar tensions and asks him to decide who lives, who dies, who eats and who gets tortured – including himself – in a number of unpleasant scenarios. At times, it's either his crew or the world. Gods Will Be Watching mixes puzzles and decision-making with pixelated violence and psychological struggle. "Our team set out to make a new breed of point-and click-adventure and capture the feeling of having to make heavy decisions with sometimes dark consequences," Deconstructeam founder Jordi de Paco, says in a press release. "We understand that Gods Will Be Watching is a departure for the genre but think we have an opportunity to break new ground in storytelling and the weight of decisions." Gods Will Be Watching launches on Steam, GOG and Humble in June. It started as a Ludum Dare 26 game, and you can play that original jam project right here. Pre-orders for a DRM version plus a Steam key are up now at a 10 percent discount, or $9. [Image: Devolver Digital]
GOG to use regional pricing for three upcoming games
Good Old Games has shared plans to implement regional pricing for three upcoming titles due in the "next couple of months." The DRM-free digital distribution service explained that the addition is part of efforts to get more preorder options and launch day releases from publishers, in contrast to their expansive offering of retro games. The post is unable to state which titles these pricing options will be available for due to non-disclosure agreements, but it describes them as a strategy game and two RPGs. The post notes GOG's plans for these games are similar to its adjusted Witcher 2 prices in the US, UK, European Union and Australian markets. It will be interesting to see if users will be able to sidestep regional censorship or higher prices with these future titles by buying from another region - Australian Witcher 2 fans were able to do both after GOG stopped basing a user's region off of their IP address. [Image: Good Old Games]
San Francisco beatnik crime hits Steam on March 11 in 1954: Alcatraz
1954: Alcatraz is a gritty, San Francisco-based point-and-click adventure about crime, doing time and the dark side of mid-century American perfection. It's due out for PC on March 11 for $20 on Steam and GOG, published by adventure game veteran Daedalic Entertainment and developed by Irresponsible Games. The game includes two playable characters, Joe and Christine, husband and wife – Joe is behind bars and Christine can help him escape, but she doesn't have to. 1954: Alcatraz incorporates beatnik culture, jazz, high-stakes crime and loads of cash, all in a 3D, comic book art style. Player decisions "extensively influence the plot and lead to various endings," Irresponsible promises. Irresponsible was founded by Gene Mocsy, the designer and artist of Quake 3's engine levels, course artist for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 and 2005, and the world modeler for James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, among other feats.
Roguish FPS Tower of Guns blows up Steam, GOG on March 4
Tower of Guns, a first-person shooter with randomized levels and roguelike elements, is due out for PC on March 4 via Steam, GOG and the game's website, at a 33 percent discount ($10). Developer Joe Mirabello formerly worked on the Amalur MMO at 38 Studios, before that company collapsed. When we talked with him last year, he described Tower of Guns as a mashup of Doom 2 and The Binding of Isaac, and "as far away from a secretive, big-budget MMO as you can get." Tower of Guns allows players to customize 18 different guns with 12 wild mods to create combos such as a rocket launcher that sprays a bunch of rockets with each trigger pull, or a gun that shoots a purple bubble to trap and explode enemies, as shown in the newest trailer. There are 50 items, 15 bosses and seven levels – it's designed to be beat in under an hour, "if you win," Mirabello says. [Image: Terrible Posture Games]
Original Dungeon Keeper free in GOG.com Valentine's Day sale this weekend
Dungeon Keeper Gold is available for free on GOG.com this weekend. The 1997 PC strategy game that includes the Deeper Dungeons expansion joins 29 more games on the distribution service's Valentine's Day sale, with Dungeon Keeper 2 discounted to $1.49. Those looking to redeem the freebie offer will need to click the deal banner on GOG.com's home page by 5:59 a.m. EST on Sunday, as the game's landing page still lists it at $5.99. Among the other deals on GOG.com this weekend, players can pick up System Shock 2 for $1.49, Guacamelee Gold Edition for $3.74, PixelJunk Monsters HD for $1.59 and PixelJunk Shooter for $2.69. The free copy of the original Dungeon Keeper surely beats the mobile, free-to-play version EA launched this year, which was deemed "ridiculous" by Peter Molyneux for its heavy reliance on microtransactions. Dungeon Keeper was also criticized for diverting in-app ratings that were fewer than five stars on Android. [Image: Electronic Arts]
Shadowrun Returns: Dragonfall expansion arrives February 27
Fans eager to return to the cyberpunk noir futurism of Shadowrun Returns will be happy to hear that developer Harebrained Schemes has finally nailed down a release date for the game's first official expansion: February 27. Titled "Dragonfall," the expansion ditches the rain-slicked streets of Seattle in favor of a wholly new tale set in a futuristic Berlin. Instead of continuing the story of the characters seen in Shadowrun Returns, Dragonfall introduces a new team of street samurai, deckers and magic users. Not much is known of the expansion's plot, but it has been revealed that the titular "Dragonfall" is an ominous event foretold in prophecy that threatens to destroy Berlin in apocalyptic fashion. When it debuts on February 27, Dragonfall will feature a $15 price tag. That may seem steep for an addition to a $20 game, but beyond the Dragonfall campaign the expansion also includes a swath of new weapons and items, additions to the game's content editing suite and, most crucially, the ability to save your game whenever you please. For more information, visit Harebrained Schemes' website.
GOG.com sale highlights 30 games from the past 30 years
A new promotion at GOG is bringing 30 games from the past 30 years into the spotlight. A rotating carousel of discounted games will be offered, one at a time – as more people purchase the highlighted deal, it gets more time as a featured game. GOG users can also vote to cut or add a second to each deal's promotion time. Discounts can reach as high as 90% and sale prices can go as low as $0.59. Before this post was published, we saw a bundle of the first three Space Quest games offered up for $2.99. The sale started with Zork Anthology, a six-game collection of the classic text-adventure series, for $1.79. Once GOG has gone through all 30 deals, the sale will end. If you're interested in checking out what's available, point your browser over to GOG.com and get comfortable. There's no telling how long each game will be featured. Image: GOG
Blackguards makes its PC, Mac debut ahead of schedule
Despite the game's original January 24 release date, Daedalic Entertainment has opted to release turn-based roleplaying epic Blackguards a bit early. Described as "a turn-based RPG with strategic combat," Blackguards initially sounds like a typical high-fantasy roleplaying game, with one big twist: Instead of teaming with noble warriors of virtue on a holy quest to slay the minions of evil, you play as a convicted murder who joins forces with other criminals. According to Daedalic, "their good deeds are neither acts of kindness nor heroism, but according to their roguish nature rather a result of their attempts to save their own hides." Visit Steam or GOG and you'll find Blackguards available for purchase in both PC and Mac iterations. Steam is currently offering two versions of Blackguards - a Standard Edition at $36 and a Deluxe Edition at $54 - while GOG solely features the Blackguards: Special Edition for $43.40. Each version of the game includes its own bonus materials, so read the descriptions carefully before you check out. Alternately, if you've already purchased the game's Early Access incarnation on Steam, you'll soon see your game update itself to its final, retail version.
GOG sale offers up Sierra's many 'Quest' games for under $4
GOG.com, distributor of fine digital goods, is discounting a large number of titles in its Winter Quest Fest sale right now. If you've ever wanted to take Sierra's Police Quest, King's Quest, Quest for Glory or Space Quest series for a spin, then you'll definitely want to check out what's on offer. In addition to the many adventure-based Quest games, GOG is also discounting the Gabriel Knight series, Phantasmagoria, The Zork Anthology and classic strategy game Call to Power 2. Each game in the sale is available for under $4 and many are even under $3. The sale lasts for the next three days, so if you're interested in snagging some classic games on the cheap, head on over to GOG and peruse the goods.
GOG.com points at, clicks the deals button on Telltale, Daedalic adventure games
GOG.com is offering 16 adventure games or bundles on sale, with discounts up to 85 percent off until Tuesday, January 14. Each PC or Mac game in the sale is published by either Daedalic Entertainment or Telltale Games, including games in the Sam and Max series, Deponia series and Tales of Monkey Island. Among the more noteworthy deals is a combo pack for two games in the Edna and Harvey series: The Breakout and Harvey's New Eyes for $2.99, which amounts to $17 in savings. Additionally, players can pick up the Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures pack for $2.99, which saves an additional $17 on four episodes: Fright of the Bumblebees, The Last Resort, Muzzled, and The Bogey Man. Head past the break to see the full list of discounted games and their respective prices.
GOG.com celebrates 5 years, looks at the past to shape its future
It's been five years since GOG.com (Good Old Games) launched, though the team spent over a year prior working in secret, preparing for launch. This is just one of the many factoids dropped in the mini-documentary above chronicling the rise of the DRM-free classic games service. A lot of the video focuses on the run-up to launch and when GOG shut down, but there are other interesting facts to glean. GOG has gifted 18 million games to users so far and sold at least one game in more than 190 countries. It would take 360 million hours to play all of the games that have been downloaded on GOG, and users have an average of 14 games each. As of right now, GOG has 190 indie games, more than 250 Mac games and over 650 games total in its catalogue. Regarding the future, there are only two certainties: GOG will remain DRM-free and they'll never pretend to be monks again.
PSA: Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics pulled from GOG.com
Digital distribution channel GOG.com has pulled Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics from its virtual shelves. The decision is in regards to new IP owner Bethesda, which officially took over full franchise rights from Interplay as of January 1, 2014. The settlement between the two companies was reached early last year after years of litigation over a Fallout MMO in development at Interplay. If you've purchased any of these Fallout games through GOG prior to Tuesday, December 31, 2013 at 3:59PM GMT, you can still re-download through the "My Games" section, but new customers are hereby barred from purchasing and downloading these games through GOG from here on out.
Today's deals on Good Old Games, FIFA 14, Gran Turismo 6 and Steam
Today is your last chance to take advantage of Good Old Gaming's Winter Sale, with most of its catalog available for 50 percent off or more. Highlights include the Complete Wing Commander bundle for $11.92, a Sci-Fi Combat Sims bundle that includes Descent 1 - 3 for $10.94, and the Fantasy Through History bundle that offers Torchlight and more for $11.35. Steam's ninth day of sales offers Torchlight 2 for $4.99, Deadpool for $9.99, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons for $4.49 and Saints Row 4 for $19.99. If you're feeling charitable, you can grab SR4's Child's Play Pack for $1.19, which dresses your president in Digital Dino or Robochimp outfits. Deep Silver will donate all of the involved proceeds to Child's Play. Console gamers aren't left out of the post-holiday savings, either - Amazon is offering the PS3 racer Gran Turismo 6 for $39.99 today. PS3 and Xbox 360 copies of FIFA 14 are also $34.99, with PC downloads going for $29.99. Lastly, Square Enix's mobile sale is on until January 5, offering deals on mobile ports of classics like Secret of Mana for $3.99 on iOS, The World Ends With You for $8.99 on iOS, and all kinds of Final Fantasy games for iOS and Android.
Get three free Fallouts today in GOG's Winter Sale
Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics are free on GOG right now through Saturday, December 14 at 9AM ET. All this free Fallout is in celebration of GOG's 2013 DRM-Free Winter Sale, which offers more than 600 games for at least 50 percent off through December 29 at 9AM ET. GOG has roped in a few well-known YouTube personalities to promote daily sales of up to 75 percent off, and GOG users can vote on bundles they wish to see 80 percent off the following day. GOG members are also able to choose one of three daily mystery deals. All purchases are covered by GOG's 30-day money-back guarantee, which allows players to get their money back if a game doesn't run or has game-breaking bugs. The Fallout series is officially changing owners – from Interplay to Bethesda – on January 1, and GOG will have to remove Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics from its library. But they're free now, so go on and grab 'em.
Good Old Games now offers money back guarantee for games you can't run
For all the convenience digital games sales have brought us, they've come at the cost of the return policy. Buy a downloadable title you don't like? Tough noogies, kid - no take-backs. Well, unless you bought from Good Old Games. To help stem customer concern that a given title might not run on their computer, GOG has implemented a new money back guarantee that promises a full refund for any unplayable game. The caveat, of course, is you have to try: the team's support group pledges to do everything in its power to get its catalog's game running on your computer. If it can't, you get your cash back. Easy. Perhaps more notable, is the 14-day return policy it's attaching to any PC game the user hasn't downloaded. Sure, two weeks of leeway is kind of a standard, but for digital distribution services it's also a little unprecedented. Steam only offers refunds on pre-orders, and only if the request is processed before the game is released. Origin's policy is a little more forgiving, and gives gamers 24 hours (after a game is first launched) to let buyers remorse set in, or up to a week if the game is unplayed. Comparatively, 14 days almost seems generous. It's not a groundbreaking reform of digital purchase refunds, but at least it's a start - check out the company's announcement video after the break.
Set up a cheap gag with GOG's Black Friday deals
The selection of heavily discounted games in GOG.com's Black Friday slashfest may seem underwhelming if you don't subscribe to the service's nostalgic elevation of PC oldies - and that's okay. The Black Friday promo, which concludes on Tuesday, December 3 at 10:59 a.m. GMT, cuts 70 percent off the asking price of DRM-free games like Simon the Sorcerer, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Alone in the Dark, Tex Murphy, Worms 2 and The Feeble Files. More than half of the 65-strong selection is down to $1.79. No online subversion of Black Friday's brutish retail traditions should go without tongue-in-cheek fanfare, so we're making sure our cart contains these two games before checkout: Capitalism Plus; Ultimate Body Blows.
Good Old Games adds 36 games to its Mac storefront
Good Old Games has discovered a new branch of software compatibility wizardry that apparently involves a magic bucket, which has resulted in 36 games being added to its storefront for Mac. Some of these have previously been available for Mac on other services like Steam, but we're not one to question the selection process of magic buckets. Among the newcomers is Fallout Tactics, Smugglers 5, Iron Storm, Enclave and Wizardry 8. The full list is provided here, though, if you'd prefer to see which of the new additions cater most to your interests.
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.
Shadowrun Returns drops DRM, may appear on GOG
Harebrained Schemes has announced plans to sell all future copies of Shadowrun Returns (as well as its upcoming expansions) sans pesky digital rights management schemes. "Thanks to a new agreement we were able to negotiate with our partners at Microsoft, Harebrained Schemes is pleased to announce that we are now able to release fully DRM-free versions of Shadowrun Returns and future expansions such as Berlin," reads a message on the Shadowrun Returns Kickstarter page. Other than the removal of DRM, Harebrained Schemes assures fans that these new copies of Shadowrun Returns will receive the same level of developer support as any other version of the game. "You'll be able to download all game patches, use the Shadowrun Returns editor and experience user-generated content downloaded from third-party sites such as Nexus," the message states. Those few who ignored our glowing 4/5 star review and still haven't played Shadowrun Returns may have another chance to pick up the game when it makes its Good Old Games debut. Harebrained Schemes is currently working toward this goal, though there is as yet no word on when or if the game might hit GOG.
GOG 'Fall Insomnia' sale is a carousel of rotating individual deals
GOG is running an interesting promotion where select games are being offered, one at a time, for up to 80% off. But here's the weird part: GOG is offering the deals in limited quantities. "But, wait, how can it run out of games if they're being digitally distributed?" Good question, Timmy. Also, your name is Timmy now. Make sure you tell your loved ones. The sale will go until "GOG.com is out of games," the press release past the break states. In our brief amount of time monitoring the sale page, it seems the games will rotate as each sells through 250 copies. Hotline Miami, System Shock 2, Rayman Origins, Baldur's Gate, Fez, Alpha Centauri and more will find their way into the sales spotlight during this promotion, and GOG even promises a few free games will be sprinkled in for good measure. The GOG promotion is currently underway so feel free to head on over to see what's in the sale spotlight right now.
