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Sid Meier's next exploration game has you roving the galaxy
Legendary game maker Sid Meier is clearly fond of exploration on a grand scale -- hot on the heels of the alien world colonization of Civilization: Beyond Earth, he's ready to take on an entire galaxy. He and Firaxis have unveiled Starships, a follow-up title that has you establishing your own galactic empire, forging alliances and (naturally) engaging in tactical starship battles with customizable vessels. The developers aren't revealing much about the exact mechanics, but there will be "cross-connectivity" with Beyond Earth that has one game affecting the other. You won't have to wait long to see how it works for yourself, at any rate, since the game will reach iPads, Macs and Windows PCs in early 2015.
The Escapists cracks open Xbox One next month
Mouldy Toof Studios' prison-breaking game The Escapists will launch on Xbox One on February 13, the developer announced today. Additionally, the game will launch in full on Steam on that day after nearly six months on Early Access. In it, players plot an extravagant prison escape while abiding by the prison's schedule, crafting weapons and tools while not raising suspicion from guards. The Escapists' full version will feature six unique prisons and six different methods to escape from them, such as digging your way out or taking over the whole facility. The game also includes ten prison jobs that players can perform in order to learn useful skills relevant to their escape strategies. The game is currently $15 on Steam Early Access. Worms series developer Team 17 signed on as The Escapists' publisher in February 2014. [Image: Mouldy Toof Studios]
Warhammer Quest announced for Steam, arrives in January
Warhammer Quest will receive a PC, Mac and Linux version early next year, Rodeo Games announced. The strategy game based on Game Workshop's original 1995 board game will launch on Steam on January 7, 2015. The video game adaptation of Warhammer Quest was introduced in May 2013 on iPhone and iPad, where it is still available for $5. Set in the popular Warhammer universe the game features turn-based tactical RPG action with dungeon exploration. The Steam version will be available at two different pricing tiers: The standard edition begins at $15 (£11 / €15) and features three areas in the game as well as the "Vampire and Zombie" content pack. Players can also opt for the Deluxe edition for $30 (£20 / €28), which includes all the goodies from the standard edition plus "more than $27 (£19 / €25) of additional extras." Those that purchase Warhammer Quest on Steam before January 7 will get a 20 percent discount ($12, $24 for the Deluxe edition). [Image: Rodeo Games]
Scrolls shuffles out of beta, cuts price to $5
Minecraft developer Mojang launched its latest game, Scrolls, in full today. Scrolls is now available on PC, Mac and Android tablets, with an iPad version expected to arrive "some time in the new year." The card hoarding game pits players against one another on a hexagonal battlefield, earning gold and acquiring spells, enchantments and other strategy-boosting goodies. Scrolls entered open beta in June 2013 for $20, though the developer officially dropped the price of the full game to $5. It announced plans to shift the game's price in September, affirming that those who already bought the game will receive the $20 shard package, giving those players the ability to purchase decks, avatars and new scrolls without any additional cost. Mojang also began offering a free trial version of Scrolls today on all three platforms, for those interested in checking the strategy game out firsthand. [Image: Mojang]
Eliotropes land in Dofus and Wakfu
The Eliotropes are coming! Wait, sorry, that's not quite right; the Eliotropes are here if you're playing Wakfu. They're also here if you're playing Dofus. Yes, both of the games based on the same lore are getting the same class on the same day. The class also promises to be a tricky one, as it's centered around making use of martial arts attacks projected over long distances through a series of portals. Eliotropes can serve as healers and positioners in the game's combat system, launching powerful assaults through portals and slipping through those same portals to evade damage. But enemies can also use these portals for transport, making the class a bit more tricky to play well. Check out the videos on the new class just past the break because this new option is already here. And there. Lots of places, really. [Source: Ankama press release]
'Endless' series crosses one million copies sold
The "Endless" series of games reached over one million copies sold, Iceberg Interactive announced. The series consists of three games, Dungeon of the Endless, Endless Legend and Endless Space, and the trio combined to sell 1.2 million units to date. All three games were created by Amplitude Studios, the latest being October's Dungeon of the Endless, a retro-styled roguelike for PC and Mac. Amplitude kicked the series off with Endless Space in 2012, a 4X space strategy game that served as a precursor to Endless Legend, which launched in September. Those that pick up the $20 Crystal Pack for Dungeon of the Endless on Steam receive an additional playable faction for Endless Space's Disharmony expansion as well as extra unit skins for Endless Legend. [Image: Iceberg Interactive]
Elvenar brings city building to a fantasy world
Pristine worlds and virgin landscapes are an affront to sentient sensibilities, which is why the call is going out to colonize the world of Elvenar. Today, InnoGames announced that it is working on a new city building game, this one to be set in a fantasy world. Players in Elvenar will get to choose between Elves and Humans, after which they will get cracking on building a city to honor that race. Like other InnoGames titles, Elvenar will have not only a building component, but trade and battle ones as well. Elvenar is planning on a January 2015 closed beta test for the PC. Mobile editions of the game are also planned, although they will be coming later. Players can pre-register on the official site right now. [Source: InnoGames press release]
Endless Legend gets modding tools in new add-on
The team at Amplitude Studios is having a busy week, having just launched Dungeon of the Endless in full on Steam a few days ago. Now, it's offering a "Shades of Alteration" add-on for another game in its strategy series, Endless Legend. The free DLC adds a Halloween-themed quest to the 4X fantasy-strategy game called "A Tale from the Dark Season," which rewards players with an undiscolsed prize. The update also introduces modding tools to the game, allowing players to create and tweak a number of game elements to their content. Players will be able to add new faction traits, items, skills, city improvements, technology and quests to Endless Legend, as well as adding or changing resources, text and 2D assets in the strategy game using the new mod tools. Endless Legend launched on Steam in September after its near five-month stay on Early Access. The game's Classic Pack is available on PC or Mac for $35, whereas the $45 Emperor Pack adds bonus in-game items. [Image: Iceberg Interactive]
Heroes & Generals adds map, weapons, limited army resources
Heroes & Generals has updated with a new skirmish map, new weapons, a new battle briefing screen, a new messaging system, and more. The Village Skirmish map is located in rural France and boasts a chateau, a small farm, and a sunken ruin as objectives. New weapons include the German P08 pistol and the US M1917 revolver. It's also worth noting that players who favor the generals side of Heroes & Generals shooter/strategy gameplay will now have to "play smarter," according to developer Reto-Moto. This is because the new Spaatz update has introduced limited army resources for both factions. Reto-Moto has released a new Spaatz videolog, which you can watch after the break. [Source: Reto-Moto press release]
Uber axes Human Resources Kickstarter campaign
Planetary Annihilation developer Uber Entertainment canceled its Kickstarter campaign for Human Resources, the developer's human-harvesting, apocalyptic real-time strategy game. "Every Kickstarter prediction model is showing that we will come up woefully short of our goal," the developer wrote in an update on its funding page, adding that it can't continue spending time and money on a project that won't get funded. "One thing is for sure, Human Resources, as pitched in this Kickstarter, is over. But we adore the world of Human Resources and will endeavor to do what we can to bring it to life in some form." The developer raised $384,358 of its $1.4 million goal on the funding platform. The lofty goal would have been difficult for any aspiring developer to overcome; just four of the 341 Kickstarter games tracked in our one-year Crowdfund Bookie research series earned that much money in their campaigns. Even the $844,127 hauled in by Harmonix for Amplitude in May was an anomaly in a funding space that scarcely supports big-budget projects like it once did. Human Resources was planned to end in two weeks on Tuesday, November 4. [Image: Uber Entertainment]
The Civil War gets steamy in Ironclad Tactics on Android
Paying attention to our Civil War lectures would have been a lot easier if the phrase "steam-powered robots" had been uttered a single time. Ironclad Tactics risks a few liberties with that chapter of history, and its tactical, card-based take on the United States' bloodiest conflict has now been dealt to tablets running Android OS 4.0 and up as a free download. Despite the presence of micro transactions, players can earn new cards just by playing the game. Ironclad Tactics' campaign follows Maxwell and Joseph, developers of "ironclad" infantry-esque robots, with the pair both being employed by the United States Navy's Bureau of Steam Engineering. After it's discovered that Confederate forces also have ironclads, Maxwell and Joseph are ordered to help fend them off with their own mechanized arsenal. Ironclad Tactics will also eventually march onto the PS4, but if you'd rather get started on a larger-than-tablet warfront right away, the $14.99 Steam version drops micro transactions in favor of add-on campaigns on PC, Mac and Linux. Should you still be undecided about a card-focused spin on history, glimpses of gameplay are shown in Ironclad Tactics' PS4 trailer after the break. [Image: Zachtronics]
Raise an army in Rise of Rome
Commanding armies, building a city, and employing strategies to complete a variety of quests are a big part of the action in Rise of Rome. On the quest to create a strong roman empire, players can upgrade their city for defense and upgrade their army to be able to conquer more territory. Rise of Rome is compatible with iOS devices running iOS 5.0 or later. In Rise of Rome players are lord of their own city and are trying to defeat enemies in historical battle locations like Assyria or Sparta. The game features characters based off of real life commanders like Rameses II or Caesar. Players must manage resources in their city along while balancing military strategies and upgrading the city. Some of the buildings in the city affect what level of gear their military can use, while other buildings affect more routine activities like tax collection. You can level up each building using one of the currencies in the game, copper. Players can use copper in Rise of Rome to afford a lot of different items from building upgrades to weapons. Upgrading a building like the bank allows players to store more copper for use in projects later. However, you cannot upgrade any building more than the level of city hall. For example, if city hall is level three, you cannot have a blacksmith building of level four. Players can choose to take their armies and go to war with others to conquer territory. In some successful campaigns, the conquered army's leader may join a player's army. Players can provide these leaders who join their team with strong armor, weapons, and other upgrades which strengthen player's strategies. The wait time for upgrading increases the more you play during the game's day cycle, which encourages players to be strategic with what construction, war, and research projects they perform. Rise of Rome does offer in-app purchases so players can afford upgrades that cost in game gold or if they need more VIP points. However, if players are resourceful, they can use copper to keep building up their city and continue playing without needing to resort to in app purchases. There are a lot of quests to accomplish each time you play, however, some of the gameplay feels repetitive and this leads players to stay in the game less time than they could otherwise. This is especially apparent with the way the game sort of punishes players for staying in the game past completing some battles and upgrading a few times. A few drawbacks to the overall experience of Rise of Rome are that there is a bug that happens for iOS 8 users that causes layout problems when logging in. It can sometimes be confusing to know what to do next or how to win tough battles, and that you have to log in to Facebook or Game Center to start playing. Having to log into either Facebook or Game Center before the game even starts is annoying as players don't know if they will like the game before logging in. Rise of Rome is free on the App Store and recommended for players who enjoy strategy games that require a balance between building up defenses and commanding armies.
Wakfu lands on Steam, nixes subs
The unique tactical MMO Wakfu is getting sort of a re-launch today with a debut on Steam. This "new and revamped" version of the game will feature a new beginner experience and completely eliminate subscriptions. The studio is selling booster packs as one of the ways to make ends meet. Ankama COO Olivier Comte celebrated the release: "We are proud to bring Wakfu on Steam and give the opportunity to more and more players to discover this universe. We are starting with English, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Thai players, but more will follow soon." [Source: Ankama press release]
SteamWorld Heist goes turn-based in spring 2015 [Update]
Image and Form Games announced its next project today, turn-based strategy game SteamWorld Heist. The next entry in the SteamWorld series is all about "space adventures and survival," according to the developer's announcement blog. In it, players captain "a team of ragtag robots" that loot the ruins of a destroyed world, boarding the ships of enemies and partaking in turn-based battles. The game follows the events in last year's SteamWorld Dig after a "cataclysmic event" crushed the planet and forced its citizens to spaceships. Still, Image and Form Games carefully noted that it's not a direct sequel to the game, just that it takes place in the same universe. The developer is aiming to launch SteamWorld Heist in spring 2015, and has not yet listed its targeted platforms. Update: According to a Nintendo of Europe interview with Image and Form, the game has been confirmed for 3DS. [Image: Image and Form Games]
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]
Frozen Synapse primes itself for Vita on September 23
Turn-based tactical game Frozen Synapse Prime will reach Vita on September 23, PlayStation Blog revealed. Its soundtrack will also be available on PSN at that time, bundled with the game in the Prime Soundtrack Edition. The asynchronous strategy game allows players to tackle multiple matches at once, and also features a single-player campaign set in a dystopian future. Frozen Synapse Prime is the Vita port of Mode 7's strategy game, first revealed as Frozen Synapse Tactics in February 2013 before changing the game's name last month. The move from PC and Mac is being handled by LittleBigPlanet Vita developer Double Eleven, the same studio that brought PixelJunk Studio Ultimate to PS4 and Vita in June as well as PlayDead's Limbo to Vita last year. [Image: Double Eleven]
The Behemoth finally has enough clout to get away with Game 4
The Behemoth, better known as the house that made Castle Crashers, is continuing a pattern in which it approaches new genres with each project. Its newest venture, Game 4, is a turn-based strategy game for PC and Xbox One that retains the developer's quirky humor and trademark charms while stripping away some of the expected tropes found in the genre. In it, players collect a team of interchangeable, oddball heroes wielding the strangest weapons and helmets, then select their movement paths on the battlefield and observe as attacks play out. It's an intriguing direction for a studio that made its biggest mark with a beat-em-up.
Wakfu heads to Steam on September 18th
If you've lamented the fact that Steam currently has a distinct lack of isometric tactical-ish MMORPGs available at the moment, you'll be happy to know that Wakfu is heading to the platform on September 18th. The game is currently in closed testing until September 16th, with no character wipes planned between now and the launch. Closed beta players will receive a special reward in the form of an item inspired by Valve's properties. A thread has been created for the developers to share places where keys are available, for those who want to get in on the Steam testing before it's too late. If you'd rather just wait a little bit until the launch on the 18th, that works too. [Source: Ankama press release]
Prison Defense: when good defense games go bad
Prison Defense is a strategic defense game reminiscent of Plants vs. Zombies except with police and prisoners. You play as the police trying to keep prisoners from escaping in 40 levels. Each level is set up in a similar way, there are a number of cages set up on the floor, players tap each crate to uncover either an enemy or a weapon. Players must then take a weapon they uncover and set it up on one side of the floor so it will be used against the enemies making their way from the right side of the floor. Since the enemies don't show up until after you open a cage with an enemy in it, you have a better chance of winning if you can get a weapon set up early but this is hard to do. Prison Defense is compatible with iPads running iOS 6.0. Prison Defense features different enemy types from a basic light damage enemy to a heavy tank. This adds some variety to the gameplay as you have to tailor your strategy based on the type of enemy you are facing. However, this does not make the gameplay that much more interesting as you are still doing the same things as you were before with the less damaging enemies because even though you try putting the shotgun characters behind the bigger prisoners to damage them more. It feels more like luck if you are actually successful with this strategy when you don't know what is in each cage and how much health the enemies have left. In the first 10 levels the difficulty quickly changes from very easy to extremely hard. The addition of new enemy types creates another challenge for players. They have to be very quick about their actions. Also, if they place a weapon in the wrong place the game is very punishing. Players can loss the level just by mistakenly placing one weapon in the wrong row. Each level can be played in three different modes: normal, plus, and hard. The animations of the characters feels slow in the normal mode and players can be waiting for the game to end as they watch a prisoner escape by slowly walking to the wall. The plus mode gives players a scenario they have to play through. This can include such completing the level in a certain amount of time or in fast forward, which alleviates some of the slow gameplay. This mode was one of the more fun modes as it offers a challenge that is still enjoyable and players feel accomplished when they complete the scenario. Hard mode doesn't feel very different from the normal mode, the enemies seem a little stronger, but since the normal mode is already hard usually, the difficulty feels very similar. The crates in Prison Defense are meant to give players a challenge by making them quickly open another crate that hopefully holds a weapon to use against the enemies, however, some of the crates are dangerous and contain TNT. The TNT doesn't seem to fit in very much with the gameplay as it hurts only your characters and not the prisoners. This makes the game extremely difficult if you have a great strategic defense set up and you happen to open the crate that destroys this defense. There is no way to get back that defense if you have opened up all the other crates with weapons in them and usually means the prisoners will escape. Sometimes the weapons in the cages you uncover disappear after a short period of time when you haven't gotten to set them up somewhere. One last downside of Prison Defense is that occasionally you will see a full screen ad that pops up after winning a level. This distracts from the gameplay and it is really easy to accidentally tap on the ad as you are expecting the button to continue. Prison Defense is free on the App Store and has some similarities to Plants vs. Zombies which shows throughout the game. Some of the levels are too hard for most players to enjoy and it lacks the entertainment value of a humorous theme and gameplay. I do not recommended bothering with Prison Defense.
Flick Knights is flicktastic fun
Flick Knights is a turn-based strategy game where you play against others online or in local play. The goal of Flick Knights is to flick your characters into the opposing team's characters to cause enough damage to flick them out of the arena and clear a path to their target button which you can flick one of your characters into to score a point. The first team to drain the other team's vat of liquid at their base wins. Flick Knights is compatible with iOS devices running iOS 6.0 or later. In Flick Knights, players create their own team by giving it a name, team uniform, characters, and team colors. Flick Knights features an array of different characters to include in your team, each with their own unique attack, strengths, and weaknesses. You can upgrade each character using coins received in the game. You can even buy new characters to include in your team using coins or gems. This helps keep the game feeling customizable and adds to the fun of building a custom team. There is a short registration process at the beginning of the game which requires an email address before you can make your team and play online. This is a minor annoyance but it is a very short process done in a rather unobtrusive way and makes sense for the online nature of the game. After registering and making a team, players can choose to either play an asynchronous match, live match, or a local match. The asynchronous matches are turn based with other online players and have a 48 hour turn limit which means players may be waiting awhile for the other player to make their move before they can continue playing. I was not able to do any of the live matches because the server did not find anyone for me to play against after numerous times of trying to connect which is a little disappointing as I was really looking forward to this type of gameplay. It is inteded to be a match against a live opponent with timed turns. The local matches are a lot of fun as you can play against someone next to you on the same device. My suggestion for the matches is that it would be really nice if there was a bot mode that you could practice in. It can be hard to keep playing this game if you can't find someone to play with and I ended up playing local matches against myself which is fun to a point but it takes away the random nature of the game. The human element of the gameplay, waiting to see where the other player puts their team members, what strategy they employ, is really cool and it is reminiscent of a chess match. Like in chess, you have to balance defending your base, the queen, and attacking the opponent's base, their queen. There is a lot of room for trying out new strategies and you have to keep on your toes because an opponent could get past your team and score easily if you don't consider what their next moves may be. Another feature that would help in the matches would be if in local play you got to pick your own team to play as and customize the members of that team. Currently, the teams are blue vs. red and the team members are randomized. It would be interesting if each player got to choose a certain character to play as that they might not have yet to test out if they want to get that character later. Flick Knights is a exceptionally fun turn-based strategy game that incorporates a lot of interesting characters, team customization options, and a strong reliance on being agile in strategies which creates an enjoyable experience that keeps players coming back. Flick Knights is free on the App Store and definitely recommended for those who love online multiplayer games.
