Few years ago Ubisoft announced a meta system for Assassin's Creed games. Initially it was called Assassin's Creed Infinity and they couldn't properly explain what it is exactly. Now we have more info and its new name is Animus Hub. It sounds like it's going to be a special launcher for Assassin's Creed games, the first of which will be Assassin's Creed Shadows that will be released this November. In addition to launching AC games it will include some kind of cross progression, Battle Passes and Shop with cosmetic items. Not a bad idea for hardcore fans who spend hundreds of hours exploring each Assassin's Creed game.
Controversy is brewing in the gaming world! 馃槷 A petition demanding the cancellation of Assassin's Creed Shadows is gaining significant traction online! Currently, the petition has nearly 73,000 signatures, with over 3,000 added today alone. The controversy centers around the game's protagonists: female shinobi Naoe and African samurai Yasuke. While Yasuke was a real-life historical figure, some fans are unhappy about his portrayal, and others are upset simply because he is black. The petition, organized by Shimizu Toru on Change.org, criticizes the game for historical inaccuracies and deems it a "serious insult" to Japanese culture, even accusing it of racism. Despite the growing number of signatures, it鈥檚 highly unlikely that this petition will lead to the game's cancellation. Most video game petitions fail to impact development, and Assassin's Creed Shadows is still set for a worldwide release on November 15. It's important to note that the Assassin's Creed series has never aimed for perfect historical accuracy. The franchise is known for blending historical settings with fictional stories and sci-fi elements. As such, the game will likely continue as planned. What are your thoughts on this controversy? Share below! #AssassinsCreed #GamingNews #AssassinsCreedShadows #GamingControversy (image credit xbox.com)
That feeling you have when you just finished an amazing game. With StarCraft II that feeling I have once in a while when I replay all the campaigns. Too bad the story is over and in a way I'm glad there are no spin offs or some other crap like World of StarCraft. There is not much space for story rich games in the modern gamedev. There is also less and less demand for competitive real-time strategy games, all that market was consumed with MOBAs. Not many players out there want to spend hundreds of hours just to even stand a chance against other players. Having such good in size and quality single-player part is too expensive nowadays. Those shy attempts to revive an RTS market don't even try to include campaign or a story because creating balanced PvP game is already challenge on its own. I will revisit StarCraft story in the future, hoping there won't be any Reforged failures that will take the original game from me.
Valve has released a major update for Counter-Strike 2, introducing weapon charms and new skins as part of the "Arsenal" operation. They added over 100 new cosmetic items, including stickers and a new case. Players can also acquire charms through the Arsenal Pass, which costs around $15, and attach them to weapons. Additionally, gameplay animations were improved, and bugs were fixed. On the downside, some users have reported performance issues following the update, with frame rates dropping by around 14%.
Frostpunk 2 has been released. 11 bit studios released their game in Steam and Microsoft Store. City builder also available in PC Game Pass since day one. Reviews claim the game is bigger and better its predecessor in every way. In Frostpunk 2 players control a city in postapocaliptic setting where eternal winter rules the world. You have to develop the city, deal with problems of its citizens and political factions. The game offers long campaign and sandbox mode where yo can play with no limits. Frostpunk 2 also offers full mod support that allows community to create their own maps, models and scenarios.
God of War Ragnar枚k is now finally available on PC after almost 2 years being available exclusively on PlayStation. Porting to PC was done by Jetpack Interactive, the same studio that was also porting previous God of War game. God of War Ragnar枚k on PC received several improvements compared to console version. Among other things developers added image upscaling support, support of ultra-wide displays and unlimited framerate. Action made by Santa Monica continues the story from God of War (2018). Kratos and Atreus are traveling in every of Nine worlds to prevent Ragnar枚k, the end of the world. Initial release of God of War Ragnar枚k happened in 2022. Average rating on Metacritic is 94 out of 100.
My favourite Heroes game is Heroes of Might & Magic III and I'm glad that Olden Era is trying to recreate visuals, both on adventure map and in battle. The details on the map are amazing, they look like a painting. Objects to interact with are prominent and you can't miss them, but at the same time they feel as part of the landscape and not too bright to attract attention. Opening fog of war is no longer boring, it looks like paper cover is burning away as you uncover new territories. Last but not least: the tilt-shift effect that makes objects on the adventure map look like miniatures.
During The International 2024 Valve has announced 126th hero for Dota 2. It's a bird-samurai named Kez. It's going to become available with the 4th act of the Crownfall event, where players will oppose the Empire. This hero was one of those that regularly was found in game files and numerous leaks. Valve was adding interest with items and teasers on the website. After the release of the Crownfall Kazurai - the order of samurai birds - was added to the Dota 2 lore. During the last The International Valve has announced previous hero named Ringmaster that was released just recently after almost a year since the announcement.
Unfrozen shared some details about game modes that will be available in Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era. Developers want to make it every type of player to find what they are looking for. First game mode to mention is the Campaign. Unlike previous HoMM games there'll be only one campaign, but it will cover all available factions. Campaign is expected to be non-linear. When the game will be released in early access, campaign will only have the first act. Second mode is Random maps. Players will be able able to generate infinite number of unique maps to play against AI opponents. Random map generator and opponent AI already functions. Another game mode is Custom maps. There'll be few maps available when game goes live, but players will have access to a map editor to create their own maps and share them with the community. Multiplayer is another way of playing Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era. It will be released with 3 fully functional multiplayer modes: Classic, "Single Hero" and Arena. Multiplayer is developed in cooperation with professional players and is expected to fulfil the demand of competitive community. And last but not least - the good old Hot Seat is also expected to be available. You don't expect this kind of thing from modern PC games anymore. Probably the first game I will play in Early Access.
In the latest Squad Busters update, the Transformers are making a big entrance! Optimus Prime and Elita-1 will join the roster as permanent characters. Yes, actual playable heroes, not just skins. Players can unlock these iconic Autobots by collecting Energon in battles during the special Transformers Event, which runs for two weeks starting Monday. Optimus Prime is available in the first week, with Elita-1 following in the second. Both characters have Classic and Super forms, with no Baby forms like other heroes. In addition to unlocking Transformer characters, players can battle new bosses in the limited-time Unicron Attacks mode, while robot-themed skins will be hitting the shop for a limited time. Also launching with this update is the new Star Chest, which contains top-tier rewards, including new characters and ultra-rare Ultimate forms. Every player will receive 10 Star Chests as a login bonus on Monday, with a guaranteed Ultra and the chance for an Ultimate. Green World characters are also getting their Ultimate Evolutions, bringing powerful abilities and unique skins to the battlefield. Looking ahead, Squad Busters is teasing their spooky Graveyard Shift season, which kicks off on October 1st with haunted skins and a brand-new World to explore.