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Sony is 'strengthening' PlayStation Now as it tries to reach 1 billion people
Sony's push to reach 1 billion people includes using PlayStation Now to boost PlayStation Plus.
'Crusader Kings III' brings medieval politics to your PC on September 1st
The medieval strategy game 'Crusader Kings III' releases on September 1st with more ways to protect your dynasty.
Fake news can help you kill the world in 'Plague Inc.'
Strategy game Plague Inc. has been around for ages, but its makers are still working on ways to keep it relevant and interesting. The game, which sees players do their best to wipe out the world with infectious disease, was given an anti-vaxxer scenario earlier this year. Now, the potentially-devastating phenomenon of fake news is on the agenda, too.
‘John Wick Hex’ is strategic, ultra-violent bliss
"John, is a man of focus. Commitment. Sheer will." In the movies, John Wick is portrayed as a force or nature. A terrifying assassin with unrivalled stamina and frightening proficiency with every known firearm. He has brains to match the brawn, too: his vast experience working for the fictional Tarasov family has turned him into a brilliant tactician that's aware of every sight line and incoming threat. Watching the bombastic set pieces, I often found myself wondering: how does Wick avoid being mobbed by 10 people at once? He can't dodge 10 bullets simultaneously, surely? That question is answered by John Wick Hex, the latest game from Thomas Was Alone, Volume and Subsurface Circular developer Bithell Games. The top-down strategy title turns the films into a hyper-violent fusion of chess and Dungeons & Dungeons. Every level is filled with nodes -- denoted by white dots -- enemies and environmental cover. Your mission is to reach the end point and dispatch any lurking mini boss without being turned into a bullet-riddled pinata.
‘John Wick Hex’ comes to Windows and Mac October 8th
John Wick Hex, the top-down strategy game based on the film franchise, arrives on Windows and Mac October 8th. You can pre-order the game now, and it will be available exclusively via the Epic Games store for $19.99.
Even 'Civilization VI' is getting a battle royale mode
Firaxis and 2K are taking an all-too-familiar approach to revitalizing a game: tack on a battle royale mode in a bid to capture the Fortnite crowd. They've released an update to Civilization VI that introduces Red Death, a 12-player competitive mode that grafts battle royale on to a strategy game that was definitely not designed for it. Instead of filling the shoes of a historical political leader, you play as one of numerous post-apocalyptic factions (no nuclear Gandhi, though) determined to get off the planet before a radioactive storm closes in and wipes you out. The basic mechanics remain intact, but your focus is clearly not on advancing society.
'LEGO Star Wars Battles' is a competitive strategy game for mobile
The upcoming LEGO Star Wars Battles is a real-time competitive jam for mobile. While most LEGO games are tied to a specific platform and based on adventures, this title breaks the mold. Anyone with iOS or Android will be able to battle, in real-time, as Luke Skywalker, Rey, Darth Vader and other familiar characters.
'Dota Underlords' has more people playing now than 'Artifact' ever did
Just a day after going live, the Dota Underlords beta is off to a great start. According to stats from SteamDB, as of Friday night it had over 84,000 players at once -- higher than Valve's troubled Dota 2 spinoff Artifact ever had. It topped out at around 60,000, while Underlords has already had over 179,000 simultaneous participants -- a number that the tracking site believes includes players on mobile devices.
Anti-vaxxers are the newest threat in 'Plague Inc.'
Never underestimate the power of a viral petition -- and in this case we mean that quite literally. Strategy game Plague Inc., which sees players do their best to wipe out the world with infectious disease, is going to be given an anti-vaxxer scenario after its developers challenged fans to get a petition past 10,000 signatures. At the time of writing, the total had blown past 20,000.
‘Civilization VI’ brings its addictive empire-building to the iPhone
Fans of Civilization VI who want to create an empire while on the go have another option for how to do so -- it's now available on iPhone. There's good news for iPad players, as those who own the turn-based strategy game on the tablet can snag the iPhone version at no extra cost.
‘Reigns’ gets a ‘Game of Thrones’ spin-off
Plenty of games have explored the ins and outs of ruling countries, and the likes of Age of Empires, Civilization and Crusader Kings remain fan favorites as complex empire-creation simulators. The 2016 mobile game Reigns took a very different angle: Condense kingdom management into short dialogues with influential people, where the wrong choice -- symbolized by a Tinder-style swiping to agree or disagree -- often means instant death. But through the king's (or in the 2017 expansion Her Majesty, queen's) heirs, the country takes shape. If that sounds a lot like Game of Thrones, well, I've got news for you: A new version of the game is slated to come out in October for iOS, Android and PC that's set in the bloody, scheming world of Westeros. It's up to you to decide who sits on the Iron Throne -- one conversation/card swipe at a time.
Mojang card game 'Scrolls' reborn as 'Caller's Bane'
When Scrolls was hit by a Bethesda lawsuit and its online servers died an ugly death, the future of Mojang's collectible card game was looking rather grim. But Scrolls is still alive, and it's just been rebranded as 'Caller's Bane'. Unlike before, it now costs nothing to play.
'Command & Conquer' mobile game wants in on that 'Clash of Clans' money
If you were looking for a full-scale return of the Command & Conquer franchise, this probably isn't it. During the EA Play presentation at E3, the publisher revealed the new mobile game Command & Conquer: Rivals, a simplified 1v1 combat game built for small-scale smartphone play. It takes all the trappings of the venerable RTS and crams them into a format made popular by the wildly financially successful Clash of Clans.
'Valkyria Chronicles' sequel will go back to its strategy roots
Sega is finally making a proper sequel to Valkyria Chronicles. The original, which came out in 2008, was a refreshing blend of top-down strategy and third-person warfare. You led rookie officer Welkin Gunther and his makeshift squad through a fantasy-infused version of World War II. The tactical combat and watercolor artwork made it a cult hit, however Sega (until now, anyway) didn't seem interested in a console follow-up. Instead, the publisher released two sequels for the PlayStation Portable and a panned spin-off, Valkyria Revolution, for the PS4 and Vita earlier this year.
'Civilization' reinvents itself again this October
It's been a long time coming, but a new Civ, Civilization VI, will hit PC this October. Traditionally Civ games have come every four or five years, but the release of the Beyond Earth spin-off in 2014 and its subsequent Rising Tide expansion appear to have pushed things back a little. So... what's new in Civilization VI? It's early days still, but the short answer appears to be "lots."
Try a free strategy game from the makers of 'Minecraft'
Developer Mojang might be best known for wildly popular and influential Minecraft, but it's no one-trick pony. Which brings us to Crown & Council, the studio's latest that, from the sounds of it, is a fast-paced strategy game in the vein of Risk or Civilization. In the tradition of Minecraft, the studio says that the game was developed entirely by one person, Henrik Pettersson. It uses a charming 16-bit style of pixel art and maybe best of all, it's absolutely free on Steam. Need something new to play over the weekend? Now you're all set.
'Godus Wars' developer kills microtransactions after outcry
Last week Peter Molyneux had to contend with a hacked Twitter account, but this week he's dealing with disgruntled gamers. His 22cans studio just released a Steam Early Access version of Godus Wars, the much-anticipated, more fighty sequel to Godus. However, buyers weren't happy to discover that the title, which is free to buyers of the original Godus and $14.99 for everyone else, included a $5 microtransaction package. As Steam user Mucker_2202 said, "to release this into early access and ask for any kind of payment should be a crime."
'The Elder Scrolls: Legends' is Bethesda's new strategy card game
The Elder Scrolls: Legends is a strategy card game (a la Hearthstone) heading to PC and iPad later this year. Bethesda announced Legends during its pre-E3 press conference and showed off a non-gameplay trailer showcasing the epic-ness involved in the Elder Scrolls universe.
Gearbox's beautiful 'Homeworld' remake reaches PCs February 25th
If you're a long-time PC gamer, you probably have a soft spot for the Homeworld series. Relic's epic saga was both eye-catching and proof that real-time strategy could work in the void of space. However, time hasn't been kind to the games -- the first came out when 3D graphics cards were relatively new, and THQ's acquisition of Relic (plus its eventual bankruptcy) made follow-ups difficult. At last, though, you'll have a way to relive the Mothership's journey while doing justice to your modern gaming rig. Gearbox, which bought the rights to the series, has revealed that its previously teased Homeworld Remastered Collection will reach Windows PCs on February 25th. The remake spruces up just about every aspect of the two Homeworld games, ranging from much better-looking ship models and effects to reworked cutscenes. You also get a beta multiplayer experience that merges the online modes of both titles.
Geocannon lets you travel anywhere and conquer the city
You can conquer the world if you try hard enough. I'm sure some adult told you that at one point when you were younger. It seems like kind of a stretch though, doesn't it? Well, conquering the physical world is probably best left off your bucket list. It might be nice to conquer the world in virtual form instead. That's cool, right? Less casualties, too. With Geocannon, that power is in your hands. Pick any location on Earth and battle it out with other players on a real map to claim that area as your own. The game is free with in-app purchases for iPhone and iPad. Did you know that every single city in the world is actually covered with giant crates? It's true, well, at least in the game of Geocannon. These crates are the secret to slowly but surely conquering the world. Visit any city and Geocannon loads a 3D version of its satellite imagery as a playing field. The technology is just mind-blowing. Being able to visit any city in the world alone is just stunning already, but add a gaming layer to that and the concept gets slightly better. Your initial weapons are just a magnet and a bomb. Crates are scattered all around the territory. Launch the magnet (green) to collect as many of these crates together as possible. Then tap the pin to switch from the magnet to the bomb (red) and destroy them. The more you're able to bomb in one shot, the higher your score is. Geocannon plays online or offline, but offline is boring. When you log in with Facebook, you battle against every other Geocannon player to own that city. Whoever scores the most points during their short visit in that city claims ownership. It's also important to monitor your "geopower" which is basically a number representing how likely you are to score well relative to other locations. Your geopower is at its greatest when you're closest to your current location. It's wise to start off playing in cities nearby to strengthen your abilities and geopower, then expand outward. When you get to level three, you unlock another important weapon: black hole. This acts like the magnet by gathering crates wherever you launch it, but takes the functionality a step further by sucking them up and dumping them right where you place your pin. That, as well as the ability to move your pin around the city, are two free upgrades. Other upgrades are available for in-app purchases of US$0.99 and up. They mostly just enhance what is already possible though. It took me a little bit to really get into this game, but it has a very peculiar charm to it. The game isn't even in my preferred genre, but there's no denying that visiting cities all around the world and earning points is entertaining. Collecting crates and bombing them also has a soothing effect too, almost a stress reliever. My one real gripe with Geocannon is it takes too long to level up. I've been playing for days and own multiple cities, yet I'm still on level one. It's kind of disheartening. Geocannon is free with in-app purchases and is universal for iOS devices.
