Episode #4 of Dev Diaries, is live and ready for your enjoyment.
This episode, we�re talking specifically about Mining: what it�ll feel like to train it under our proposed changes, its progression, tiering, and more.
As ever, we�re looking for your feedback on our suggestions. Head to our forums, Reddit, and use #DevDiaries on Twitter to share your thoughts, join in the conversation, and have your say on our plans.
Watch on, and enjoy!
The RuneScape Team
It's the most wonderful time of the year, and to prove it, we've got a brand-spanking new gaming laptop for you to enjoy � the perfect way to enjoy all RuneScape has to offer in 2017.
Head to the Winter Sweepstake on our Facebook page (you don't need a Facebook account to enter) and enter your email address for your chance to win a Razer Blade Stealth 4K (512GB) laptop, a real-life Brassican Godsword, and a Cooler Master Storm Devastator keyboard and mouse.
So, get entering. This could be your best Christmas present haul ever!
Be sure to read the Competition FAQ (with information on all the prizes) and Terms and Conditions before entering.
Good luck, and Merry Christmas!
The RuneScape Team
Premier Club is available now, and it's the best-value way to enjoy next year's content.
Expansions are coming � starting with the Golden City of Menaphos � and Premier Club gets you access to those at an unbeatable price, plus all other members' content and a range of awesome benefits.
Gold Premier Club gets you:
This year, Premier Club offers a hearty discount on membership. 12 months is by far the best value, but also consider the three and six month offerings if you're not ready to commit. Upgrades to higher packages are available for as long as your Premier Club membership lasts.
Please Note: Grandfather rates are not factored in when calculating Premier Club membership. You may still purchase Premier Club for the extra benefits, if you wish. Any existing Grandfather-rate subscriptions will be resume once your Premier Club membership has ended.
The Desert Pantheon aura gives you a choice of handy buffs when you need them. It works a bit differently to a regular aura, but we think you'll find it handy and flexible.
Please note:
Premier Club is available now, so treat yourself to an early Christmas present today. Head to the Premier Club page, or redeem Bonds in game.
Got a question? There's an excellent chance it's covered in the FAQ. You can also head to the Support Centre if you're in need of further assistance.
Enjoy - the road to Menaphos begins today!
The RuneScape Team
See the patch notes for further details of today's update.
Each week we stream Q&As, in-game events and more. Watch our streams and find a full streaming schedule over on our Twitch channel.
Check our YouTube channel, too, for all of our previous streams, including a special art stream from last week � well worth a watch!
It's very nearly December, and, you know what that means: Christmas!
We've got a whole load of festive things to show off from our Ninjas, including this year's Winter Weekend bonuses - so don't miss it!
Please post any Christmas/Winter Weekends questions you have for the team on the forums, on Reddit, or by using the #RSQA hashtag on Twitter.
Find out what you can expect from Monday�s patches and more with Mod Shauny this Friday night.
Mod Lee will be hosting some Community PvM goodness live on Twitch.
Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and as always I, @zombiepie, am honored to be your host this week! Last week I rambled about the banality of our cold, cold winter. This week it appears that the community is stuck in the 1990s as it is in a tizzy about Pokémon and other artifacts of the past. While a grump like myself would normally chastise this overabundance of nostalgia, I realize that I am none the better considering the Final FantaSisyphean torment that I have been subjecting myself to. With that let's review the best offerings of the Giant Bomb Community!
Jeff Gerstmann And Alex Navarro: All The Small Things (By: @mepsipax)
If you've always wanted to know what it'd be like if Jeff sang blink-182 with Alex on drums, Giant Bomb user Mepsipax made the magic happen on this amazing mash-up video.
What You'll Actually Use Google Earth VR For (By: @ewansuttie)
What happens when you mash-up Google Earth VR's proper commercial with the VRodeo? Why you get this hilarious video!
DDR: Dance Dan Ryckert--Dancing All Night (By: @clagnaught)
Giant Bomb user clagnaught created a fun video compiling almost every example of the Giant Bomb staff "busting a groove" on camera mixed with the music from Persona 4: Dancing All Night.
Alex Navarro's Birthday Celebration Art (By: @humanity)
For the unaware, last week Alex celebrated his birthday on the 20th of November. To commemorate the occasion Humanity whipped up a batch of AMAZING artwork for Giant Bomb East's workhorse.
The Face Of A Broken Man (By: lyraxguy)
Over on Tumblr here's a picture of the face that Jeff makes on the fiftieth turn for the first eight Mario Party games that have graced the staff.
Pokémon Sun/Moon Community Trading Thread (By: @milijango)
Are you interested in trading Pokémon in Pokémon Sun/Moon with other Giant Bomb users? We have you covered over here!
The Giant Bomb Pokémon Sun/Moon League (By: @goranp)
The Giant Bomb Pokemon League is returning for Pokémon Sun/Moon! Join the planning process, or indicate if you are interested in joining the fun over here.
SFV Bimonthly Tournaments - Next Starts December 10th At 5PM PST (By: @l1ghtn1n)
The next Giant Bomb community Street Fighter V tournament is all set for December 10th! Learn how you too can join the fun NOW!
New Parent Life Carries On (And So Do The Games) (By: @dogbox)
Giant Bomb user dogbox recently became a father and shares how he has managed such a monumental responsibility while also attempting to play games.
Weather S.O.S. Battles & How to Catch Rare Pokemon (By: @quid_pro_bono)
Quid_Pro_Bono has some advice for anyone struggling to catch rare Pokémon in Sun/Moon. Check out his advice, and feel free to share any tips of your own.
Putting the Sassin' into Assassin: Episode 1: Paris & Sunday Summaries 11/20/2016: Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight & Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze(By: @mento)
Giant Bomb moderator Mento finally got around to playing Hitman. Read all about his impressions of the __game as a neophyte to the franchise based on the Paris level. You can also read all about the rip-roaring time Mento had with Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight, and soul-crushing disappointment with Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
Gotta Catch 'Em All! - Parts Six & Seven (By: @danielkempster)
Danielkempster's quest for a "complete National Pokédex" continues, and this week he shares how trading has been a godsend for the purposes of his folly.
Daily Games (Nov 22nd): Space Rangers HD, Recettear, Daily Games (Nov 21st): Space Rangers HD, Civilization 6,& Daily Games: Nov 20th (By: @mikelemmer)
MikeLemmer is committing to a more "regular" blogging schedule. This week he provided three daily updates on his gaming sessions which included epics such as Sid Meier's Civilization VI, to humble B-tier games like Space Rangers HD: A War Apart.
Pokémon Sun/Moon Story And Ending Discussion Thread [SPOILERS!] (By: @pkmnfrk)
There's a story in a Pokémon game? Well, I'll be! Anyways feel free to discuss your impressions of the franchise's latest story outing which most likely involves the main character stopping some sort of environmental doomsday device... because that's what 90% of all stories everywhere are these days.
Does The GTS Make Pokémon Sun/Moon Trivial In Difficulty? (By: @matoya)
Where do you stand regarding the GTS in Pokémon Sun/Moon? Does it save the player from unneeded busywork, or is it a cheap system that deprives the __game of any difficulty? Share and discuss the matter over here.
Are There Any Legendary Games Or Series' That You Missed And Came Back To Later That You Loved? (By: @mock)
Weird, here's a thread I cannot relate to at all, but it is at least an interesting discussion topic. Which iconic games did you fall in love with well after their releases? Share your games and why they connected with you despite their game.
Pokémon Sun/Moon Team Discussion And Sharing Thread (By: @quid_pro_bono)
What does your current Pokémon Sun/Moon team look like? Share and discuss your justifications for every monster in your pocket right now.
Could You Kill A Fygar In Real Life? [Poll And Discussion Thread] (By: @bigsocrates)
It is a simple question really: Could you kill a Fygar in real life? Feel free to disclose your real-life Dig-Dug-based, dragon killing, abilities on this thread.
What Are Your Favorite Mindpup Games? (By: @bisonhero)
What are your favorite games that mess with your mind? Share your favorite psychological thriller and horror games that really managed to mess around with your psyche.
Review A game In A Form Of A Newspaper Headline (By: @mordukai)
A number of users are using an application to review video games in the form of newspaper headlines. The results have at least far less depressing than the actual headlines hitting consumers these days.
What Years Do You Consider The Golden Age Of Gaming? (By: @jec03)
What years do you consider the "Golden Age of Gaming?" Join the community effort in better defining this disingenuous term.
If you're reeling from the epic revelations of Children of Mah and fancy something lighter, fear not! The latest episode of JMods Pronounce... is here.
Watch with admiration - and perhaps pity - as Jagex's finest grapple with some great Gielinorian tongue twisters.
Enjoy, and look out for Mod Mark's preview of the month ahead next Friday. As always, you can keep up with the all official RuneScape video content on our YouTube channel.
The RuneScape Team
Hey kids, do you like cool merchandise? It’d be foolish of you not to! Read on to find out how to get your 2016 Giant Bomb member’s shirt (just in time for 2017!) as well as a few other new items we’re adding to the store today, and some others that we’re going to be putting on sale. We also have some announcements about shipping!
New Items!
First off, here are the five new items that we’re throwing into the store. Important note: All of these are available for pre-order until next Wednesday, December 2nd. When we cut off pre-orders, we’ll start manufacturing all of the items and hope to have most of them shipped out by December 16. For most shipping methods, this will mean that they should arrive by Christmas, but unfortunately we can’t guarantee that right now. Want something neat for yourself that might arrive by Christmas, but might not? Order something! Need to get a gift for a mysterious masked murderer who said he’d chop off your head if he didn’t get something awesome in a box by December 24th? Maybe go with that nice toaster oven instead.
Also note that we don’t split shipments, so if you pre-order items and also order items that are already in stock, your entire shipment won’t get sent out until the pre-order items are ready to go.
Also note that in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we weren’t able to get many pictures of these items in the normal format and have relied on our mock-ups to show you what they look like. We’ll get better pictures in the store next week and will let you all know when those are available. If you’ve seen someone wear one of our shirts before, though, you should have a pretty good idea of what these’ll look like from the sample images.
But enough terms and conditions! Here are the five new items. Click the links to get longer descriptions or to throw them in your shopping cart!
Giant Bomb 2016 Member’s Shirt: Vinny In Spaaaace!
Giant Bomb Pint Glass
Giant Bomb Shot Glass
Giant Bomb UK Shirt
Giant Bomb AU Shirt
Now, you may ask yourself, why would we be offering new UK and AU-themed shirts when historically our overseas shipping has made ordering items in those countries so laborious? I’m glad you asked! Introducing…
Cheaper International Shipping
We have teamed with our merchandise partner Social Imprints to offer lower shipping to most foreign addresses. Canada, the U.K., Australia, and most European countries should now have an option called International Mail Shipping, which should reduce the price on shipping to around half or a third of what was previously the cheapest shipping option for countries that are eligible. The downside is that delivery will take 1-3 weeks after the item is shipped, so it may be slower than most other options as well. (Note that most of the pre-order items won’t ship until mid-December, so this will most likely push them out until past Christmas if you choose this shipping option! Sorry!) Another downside is that order tracking will end when FedEx delivers the package to whatever national mail service you have to complete the delivery. Sorry about that! Hopefully the cost reduction will even out the negatives here.
In news that comes under the header of “not quite as good,” let’s talk about...
Customs charges
We have had a larger-than-usual number of reports of customs/tariffs charges being applied to Giant Bomb merchandise shipments to non-U.S. addresses in 2016. Usually these shipments will be held up at a customs office and require an additional payment to be released and shipped to the final destination. Unfortunately we cannot take responsibility for these charges and cannot issue refunds for them. If you live overseas, you may want to check with your customs office to see what causes these customs charges to be applied. The U.K. seems to charge VAT if the value of your order and the shipping charges gets above 15 pounds, so keep that in mind!
Other Stuff On Sale!
In addition to putting a bunch of new stuff up on pre-order, we are reducing the price on some of the older merchandise in celebration of whatever sale-related holiday you’d like to participate in this year! All of these prices will last through next Monday, so get your orders in while the getting’s good if you’d like to jump on them. Also note that a lot of the shirts here are no longer being re-stocked, so they may be missing certain sizes. Apologies about that! Take a look at some of the stuff that's on sale:
Preordering and Christmas Orders!
I said this above, but it bears repeating: all of these items are pre-orders, which means that we are going to take as many orders as we can before actually making the items that are ordered (with some extra to keep in our store going forward). We are going to cut off pre-orders on December 2nd, after which these items will go into production, which normally takes around 10 business days. We are hoping to ship most items by December 16th from San Francisco. We cannot guarantee Christmas delivery, unfortunately, especially for overseas shipments, but we are hoping that most of these orders will arrive by the time ol’ Nick comes screaming down your chimney, only to be prevented entry by a Nest thermostat that has somehow turned your flue into an autonomous home defense system.
What's Up Next?
Thanks to everyone who purchases and hopefully enjoys the stuff we sell in our store; your dollars make a meaningful contribution towards letting us do dumb stuff on the internet. We didn't do a good job of launching new stuff this year, or keeping old stuff in stock, for a variety of reasons, but there's a lot of movement towards making 2017 a year with some exciting new stuff coming down the pipe, and maybe not all of it will be t-shirts this time around!
If you have any questions regarding anything above, feel free to leave me a comment here or send something to Support At Giantbomb.com and I will get back to you when I can. I doubt that will be today, though; I've got a turkey to catch. From our families to yours, have a happy Thanksgiving!
They’re weird. They’re cryptic. And done right, they’re wonderful. Here are some of our favourite free online escape games from Armor Games’s archives.
Here’s something to try. Take a random stranger, throw them in a locked room full of strange mechanisms and obscurely interrelated objects, and tell them they can leave when they solve your puzzles. See how quickly that gets you thrown in jail and a bad made-for-TV movie on Lifetime made about you. Bonus points if you tell them you did it because some random woman on the internet told you. But, funny thing, make that into a video __game and suddenly you’ve got fans galore instead of an unsettling Wikipedia entry about yourself.
Escape games are traditionally very straightforward in concept… you’re trapped in a locked room and must click around to find items and clues to solve puzzles that eventually lead to opening the door somehow. Some developers have toyed with the mechanics and definitions, however, and the results… well, we think they’re pretty fine indeed. Here are ten of our top escape themed games. What are your favourites?
Rusty Lake’s Cube Escape series hasn’t been around that long, but they’ve made a reputation for themselves for good reason. Beginning with Cube Escape: Seasons, and, played in order, The Lake, Arles, Harvey’s Box, Case 23, The Mill, Birthday, and Theater, they tell a story that spans decades and some seriously dark secrets. Imagine if you forced Quentin Tarantino, Clive Barker, and Hunter S. Thompson to make a __game after a marathon session of Twin Peaks and you might have an inkling of what the Cube Escape games are like. Play them, but be warned that the games don’t shy away from trying to make you jump or showing you gore.
Red Herring Labs’s Morningstar is one seriously impressive story about trying to escape from a seemingly deserted planet after a terrifying crash, and once again proof positive that nothing nice ever happens in space. From its excited animated opening scene to its high-quality voice acting and presentation, it’s easy to see why Morningstar dazzled when it was released, but it’s not just about being easy on the eyes and ears. If you like a big, complicated game filled with tricky puzzles and twists and turns, Morningstar is worth the time and effort.
If you like free online escape games, then you’ve probably come across the work of Mateusz Skutnik before, and working as Pastel Games, he served up some pretty colourful titles like The Great Kitchen Escape. As the title might imply, you’re trapped in a kitchen, and to get out, you’re going to have to get a little creative with your culinary surroundings. It might not sound like the most exciting premise, but I guarantee that the soundtrack at least will have you feeling like you’re the protagonist in some direct-to-video tween spy movie on the Disney Channel. Be sure to play all seven games in the series… Bathroom, Basement, Attic, Living Room, Bedroom, and House!
You ever get suspicious of the real world? In Gregory Weir’s odd escape game Bars of Black and White, one day blurs into the next until the day you get a mysterious package that literally, like, opens your eyes, maaaaaaan! Admittedly, once you get past the initially obtuse navigation, Bars of Black and White can come across as a bit like the uncle who “lives off the grid” and corners you at Thanksgiving to tell you about teeth fillings, but hey, maybe a bit of paranoia is a good thing. Be sure and find all 30 barcodes hidden throughout the game to scan.
Studio Maarten’s Samsara Room might look stylistically familiar to you, depending on whether you’ve played other games on this list. In it, you wake up in a strange room, but you’re feeling even stranger. The more you explore and begin to pick apart your surroundings, the more you discover there’s something fishy going on here. (That’s a pun. I’m very witty. You’ll see.) It’s a game that’s great at layering its imagery and oddness with dream logic to make some clever puzzles, and well worth the constant “???” your brain will be putting out as you play.
In Big Loop Studios’s Escape from 26, you wake up in a cage. And not, like, you’re in some Liam Neeson movie and you have to escape the bad guys using only your gravelly voice and stubble. But a huge bird cage with a small house inside. How did you get there? Who is holding you captive? Why do you have to wash this smelly kid’s clothes? Then who was phone? It’s strange, sure, but that’s a big part of its Roald Dahl-esque charm, and it’s not too bad to look at either.
Okay, obviously you can’t make a list about escape games and not talk about Mateusz Skutnik’s Submachine. The Submachine series is one of the internet’s best loved for fans of mystery and adventure for over a decade, and for good reason. The plot is complex, full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing and theorizing throughout, and they’re wonderfully eerie and complex. As Submachine opens, you’ll be climbing through a series of rooms with cryptic notes and obscure machinery. At no point, sadly, does a drunken, profane grandfather and his nervous, awkward grandson stumble out of a green portal to help you, but the games are, despite that, still really great. Get your thinking cap on.
ImpendingRiot and Hyptosis crafted a beautiful and deliciously crazy spin on a classic with Alice is Dead – Chapter 1, as well as Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. It goes without saying that you should play them in order, but as the series opens, you wake up trapped inside what appears to be a giant tree with no memory of who you are or what happened. Your only company is a very prettily dressed skeleton, and she’s not much for talking. I’m not going to sugarcoat it… things are going to get freaky. But, like, in a good way. You’re into that, right?
You know that feeling when you think you’ve woken up from a bad dream but you’re not entirely sure? And everything in your room is mostly dark, especially that one heavy shadow in the corner you don’t want to look directly at, because, well, what if? scriptwelder’s Deep Sleep is like that. Followed by Deeper Sleep and The Deepest Sleep, Deep Sleep is a gloomy pixelated journey through a nightmare you’re struggling to wake up from. And no, not the kind where you realize somebody else ate that last piece of pizza in the fridge you’ve been saving. Whew! Scared myself with that one. Some forces shouldn’t be trifled with.
If you’ve never played a Bart Bonte game before, there are two things you should know. One, that you’re going to get a truly funktasting soundtrack no matter what it is. And two, that they’re both cute and clever in equal measure. 40xEscape plops you in front of what seems like the same door 40 different times, but each time you manage to figure out how to open it, the next time presents a new puzzle. You need to figure out what you’re expected to do each time, since you’re never given any instructions, and I like to imagine that the little yellow bird watching you is actually the evil mastermind behind all of it. The motive? Only the finest grubs and suet! Mua-ha-ha-ha! Take that, stupid hairless primate!
Pick up rare rainbow prizes on Treasure Hunter from 24th November at 00:00 UTC to 28th November at 23:59 UTC.
Prizes can be multiplied by up to 7 times, so get opening those brightly coloured chests!
While opening the rainbow chests, you can win multiplier tokens, which unlock massive multipliers on your prizes for the rest of the promotion - up to a whopping x7!
This multiplier applies to everything on Treasure Hunter (except for multiplier tokens themselves), so upgrade it as far as you can for maximum benefit!
Look out for rainbow-themed prizes including a cape and necklace. These eye-catching items are sure to make you stand out from the crowd. They're tradeable rares, too, and are sure to be highly sought after.
Rainbow Cape & Necklace
Enjoy, and let us know what you think over on the forums.
The RuneScape Team
Treasure Hunter is playable from within RuneScape, allowing players to use Keys to claim in-game items as prizes. These range from useful resources to rare weapons and exclusive gear.
Playing Treasure Hunter is simple - click the treasure chest icon that pops up when you log in. If you've not played before, just follow the on-screen guide.
Everyone gets at least one Key per day, and RuneScape members get two. You can earn more Keys while playing the game, or stock up by redeeming Bonds.
If you'd like more, you can also buy Keys on the website, or by clicking 'Buy Keys' within the Treasure Hunter interface in-game.
Premier Club's coming next week, and we'll be providing a 30% discount to a year's membership, along with a host of other benefits.
We've listened to your feedback from previous years, and have focused on making this year's Premier Club the best-possible value. We want as many of you as possible to enjoy RuneScape in 2017, and there's no better way to access RuneScape's upcoming members' content � Menaphos, Shattered Worlds, the Evil Dave quest, and more.
Here's the full list of pricing across all regions:
| Currency | 3 Months | 6 Months | 12 Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 24.99 | 44.99 | 79.49 |
| GBP | 15.99 | 27.99 | 49.99 |
| CAD | 26.49 | 46.49 | 83.49 |
| AUD | 30.99 | 53.99 | 96.49 |
| EUR | 22.49 | 39.49 | 71.29 |
| CHF | 23.99 | 41.99 | 75.49 |
| DKK | 132.99 | 233.99 | 419.99 |
| INR | 1,189.00 | 2,049.00 | 3,689.00 |
| MXN | 299.99 | 519.99 | 924.00 |
| MYR | 79.99 | 140.99 | 249.99 |
| NOK | 169.99 | 289.99 | 528.99 |
| NZD | 31.99 | 55.99 | 100.49 |
| PLN | 72.99 | 128.99 | 234.99 |
| SEK | 169.99 | 294.99 | 528.99 |
| SGD | 31.99 | 55.99 | 99.99 |
| BRL | 28.99 | 53.49 | 97.99 |
| Axeso | 255.00 | 450.00 | 810.00 |
| Bonds | 5 | 10 | 20 |
Please note that Grandfather rates will not be taken into account when purchasing Premier Club. Existing recurring subscriptions will resume once your Premier Club membership ends.
Premier Club will be on sale from Monday 28th November 2016, and will include a multitude of other goodies, including cosmetics, a flexible aura that fits your __game style and much more.
The RuneScape Team
We catch up with Thomas Brush, creator of award-winning indie games Coma and Skinny and the upcoming Pinstripe, to talk about his work.
How did you first start out as a developer and go about creating your first game?
My first __game was called Coma, and to this day it has a very special place in my heart. During development, there was never any thought about the project’s success. I simply wanted to make it, and never worried about what people would think. That feeling, I think, is what every __game developer strives for.
Creating something for the sake of creating it is truly a beautiful thing, and that certainly was the case for Coma. Working on it sparingly through high school and my Senior year summer was pure, and required very little emotional effort.
Your games tend to have a very distinctive surreal and otherworldly feel. What sort of things inspire you, and how do you incorporate them into your games?
I’m super inspired by this one musician Anthony Green. His music is not really similar to Atmos’ games at all, but he has a very simple philosophy that kind of goes like this: only create when you feel. So, for the otherworldly aspects of my games, I think the inspiration comes from deep inside, as pretentious as that might sound.
The dreamy nature of Pinstripe, for example, is how I feel in my brain most of the time. I know, it’s silly, but that’s the only way I can describe it. Obviously, I take a ton of inspiration from plenty of artists. Tim Burton, M. Night Shyamalan (unashamed and proud of it), Koji Kondo, etc. But I think the value of actually building a story, game, and soundtrack inspired by an artist’s rawest emotions and passions is where it’s at. I like to think that’s the case for my work.
Pinstripe, your first commercial release, is essentially a one man show developed entirely by you over the course of half a decade. What was that process like, and do you feel like your skills and methods have changed at all as a result?
The process was not great. Imagine telling yourself you’re going to build a car from scratch and not really knowing how to do it. I think that was the case with Pinstripe. I’ll admit, it feels like a house of cards in terms of the code, file structure, etc.
The positive is that I’ve learned how to build projects to scale efficiently, mainly through failure. That said, I’m happy with the results. I wouldn’t change a thing about the past 5 years. I’ve learned so much about pretty much every aspect of game development, and have grown emotionally through it all more than I thought possible.
Pinstripe is sort of a unique game in that it is often simultaneously creepy and “weird”. How did you go about creating the world, the story, and the characters in it?
Kind of like I was talking about before regarding inspiration, I just went with what I was feeling at any given time. This can be a terrible approach if you’ve got a set budget. But, for Pinstripe, prior to Kickstarter, etc., I just wrote dialogue I enjoyed, thought was personally funny or intriguing, and built the world and story on raw emotion without any real inhibition.
I guess Pinstripe is just a reflection of my personality. The intention behind the project has solidified here towards the end of the project, but to start, it was pretty much a stream of consciousness thing. Kind of like a dream. My dreams are a lot like Pinstripe.
The gameplay in Pinstripe is sort of a mix of everything… puzzles, action, platforming, and so on. How did you decide to use them to build the game’s distinct areas so those elements felt cohesive?
I’m not sure they are. I guess we’ll see what players think on release. But, the decision process was pretty random. Honestly, if I could do it again, I’d be a bit more intentional about actual gameplay. Not my strong suit, but, hopefully, these elements work together in Pinstripe.
In the process of making Pinstripe, you worked with both Kickstarter and a publisher for the first time. What was that like, and do you think it’s something you want to do again?
I’d do it exactly the same again. The benefit of Kickstarter is funding, obviously, and also a sense of direction. It’s kind of like an election campaign: you make a promise, and you keep your promise or get destroyed by your constituency. This is a beautiful thing. It keeps you on track. A publisher, on the other hand, is a shoulder to lean on. When the going’s get tough, or you don’t have enough time on your hands to handle marketing, networking, tradeshows, etc., a publisher is great to have.
My publisher Armor Games has been great. They are there for me pretty much whenever I need them. Good people. Obviously, if a developer signs with a crooked publisher, it’s pretty much the worst thing for creativity and your project. But I’m lucky I landed Armor Games when I did. Sometimes it feels like they are just my buddies helping out with the business side of things, which is an amazing feeling.
Once Pinstripe is released, do you have any plans for your next game in mind, or are you thinking of taking a break?
Yes, currently two projects are in pre-production. Announcement coming early 2017.
For more from Thomas Brush, visit his official site, Atmos Games, and follow Thomas on Twitter. Play Thomas’s original Flash games Coma and Skinny free in your browser here at ArmorGames.com. Check out Pinstripe on Steam or pre-order Pinstripe on AtmosGames.com for its release in early 2017.
November is yet another big month for releases, including Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, the launch of Sony's PS4 Pro, the long awaited Final Fantasy XV, and much more. With so many games slated for this month, we've compiled every major game release date for your convenience. Below you can find some of the month's biggest releases, as well as a comprehensive table covering every single game launching in November. You can also see this week's major releases in the video above.
For a full list of everything coming out during the rest of this year, check out our full 2016 game release date list.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare takes place in a distant future; you __play as Captain Nick Reyes, a Tier 1 Special Operations pilot tasked to lead a crew to defeat the Settlement Defense Front, a hostile military organization vying to take over the entire Solar System.
Further Reading:
Dishonored's tumultuous saga of revenge continues in its sequel. Dishonored 2 puts you in control of Empress Emily Kaldwin and Corvo Attano as they work together to restore their power and influence over the Empire of the Isles.
Further Reading:
Pokemon Sun / Moon takes place in the Hawaiian-inspired Alola region and contains a multitude of new Pokemon to catch. Like other games in the series, you __play as a young trainer as they explore the land and engage in Pokemon battles.
Further Reading:
Watch Dogs 2 is taking us away the gloomy streets of Chicago, moving us to to the bright, colorful city of San Francisco. With a new protagonist to play and a wealth of new hacking options available, the upcoming sequel is looking to be an exciting new adventure that could overcome the shortcomings of the first.
Further Reading:
After nearly a decade of waiting, Final Fantasy XV (formerly Versus XIII) is finally coming out. You play as Noctis, the crown prince of the Kingdom of Lucis, who must emark on an epic journey to retake his homeland from the empire of Niflheim.
Further Reading:
| Game | Platform | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Owlboy | PC | November 1 |
| Root Letter | PS4, PS Vita | November 1 |
| Seraph | Xbox One, PS4, PC | November 1 |
| Super Dungeon Bros. | Xbox One, PS4, PC | November 1 |
| Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare | Xbox One, PS4, PC | November 4 |
| Football Manager 2017 | PC | November 4 |
| Mario Party Star Rush | 3DS | November 4 |
| Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization | PS4, Vita | November 4 |
| Eagle Flight | PlayStation VR | November 8 |
| Harvest Moon: Skytree Village | 3DS | November 8 |
| Robinson: The Journey | PlayStation VR | November 8 |
| PlayStation 4 Pro | PS4 | November 10 |
| Tyranny | PC | November 10 |
| Dishonored 2 | Xbox One, PS4, PC | November 11 |
| Silence | PC | November 11 |
| Overcooked Gourmet Edition | Xbox One, PS4 | November 15 |
| Watch Dogs 2 | Xbox One, PS4 | November 15 |
| The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier Episode 1 | Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS4, PC | November 15 |
| Assassin's Creed: Ezio Collection | Xbox One, PS4 | November 17 |
| Planet Coaster | PC | November 17 |
| Pokemon Sun / Moon | 3DS | November 18 |
| Killing Floor 2 | PS4, PC | November 18 |
| The Amnesia Collection | PS4 | November 22 |
| We Sing | Xbox One, PS4 | November 22 |
| Darksiders: Warmastered Edition | Xbox One, PS4 | November 22 |
| Final Fantasy XV | Xbox One, PS4 | November 29 |
| The Crew: Calling All Units | Xbox One, PS4, PC | November 29 |
| Watch Dogs 2 | PC | November 29 |
The Division's second paid expansion, Survival, launches on November 22 for Xbox One and PC, Ubisoft confirmed in a blog post. This adds the Survival game mode, which sees groups of up to 24 players fighting to survive against the elements and eachother. It takes place in a modified version of The Division's Manhattan, and matches can last up to two hours.
All DLC for The Division launches first on Xbox One and PC; PlayStation 4 users can pick up Survival starting on December 20. Survival has been available to PC players through The Division's public test server for a few weeks now.
Survival debuts tomorrow alongside a major update, 1.5, which will come out first on Xbox One and PC. It'll arrive "slightly later" on PS4, though Ubisoft did not announce a specific time.
The patch notes explain that a new world tier bracket (224+ gear score) will be added, featuring level-34 enemy NPCs. Additionally, the stash size has been increased substantially, rising from 70 to 150 total items. There are also a number of weapon tweaks, one of the biggest being that hip fire for all weapon types now has stronger recoil than aiming down sights. Marksman rifles are impacted the least by this, while pistols are affected the most.
There are also a number of bug fixes, including one for a problem where players could become temporarily invincible after using Survivor Link. The patch notes also explain that the update fixes "a weird door." You can see the full patch notes for The Division's 1.5 update below.
After Survival will be Last Stand, which is appropriately enough The Division's final expansion. It was scheduled to come out this winter, but is now due out in early 2017.
As part of Naughty Dog's ongoing support for Uncharted 4, the developer today announced the game's next feature: co-op. Uncharted 4: Survival, as it's called, is a new wave-based mode where you and up to two others can fight off waves of increasingly difficult enemies. This can also be played solo.
If this sounds familiar, it's because the premise is similar to Uncharted 2 and 3's Co-op Arena mode. "We've built upon and evolved the core gameplay experience with an entirely new level of depth, challenge, and variety," Naughty Dog game designer Vinit Agarwal explained in a PlayStation Blog post. "From new enemy types and powerful new bosses to a dedicated progression system and expansive upgradable arsenal, Survival is all about strategy, camaraderie, and skill."
Survival has 10 maps and 50 total waves of enemies, which are Shoreline mercs, armored brutes, snipers, and hunters. As stated, they all become more difficult to defeat as waves progress. After every 10 waves, you'll face off against legendary pirates from the game's campaign, one of which is Henry Avery. He is literally on fire in the video above; see him starting at around 45 seconds in.
To make it through waves, you not only need to defeat enemies but also complete objectives like collect treasure in a pre-set time or defeat specially marked enemies. There will also be on-the-fly modifiers to mix things up such as one where you only have pistols. Another is one where only headshots and melee attacks do damage.
Throughout Survival, players will earn cash (just like in multiplayer), which can then be spent on better weapons and items. Additionally, Survival has its own progression system, separate from standard multiplayer. Players will earn weapon upgrades and new items, while some boosters will be exclusive to Survival. What's more, Survival will have multiple difficulty modes, including Hard and Crushing.
Survival, like Uncharted 4's previous expansions, is completely free. It arrives in mid-December, and people who attend PlayStation Experience (December 3-4) can __play it first. Check out the roadmap below to learn more about what to expect in the future.
In addition to more multiplayer content, Naughty Dog is making a franchise-first single-player add-on for Uncharted 4. However, there is no word on the story it will tell or when it will launch.
In September, Capcom revealed that a Monster Hunter movie was in the works. Now, we know that veteran director Paul W.S. Anderson, who made 1995's Mortal Kombat and all the Resident Evil films starring Milla Jovovich, is taking on the project.
Deadline reports that Anderson and his producing partner Jeremy Bolt are shopping a Monster Hunter movie to studios right now. Anderson wrote a script, which, alongside VFX renderings of creatures from the film, are being pitched to studios by their manager, Ken Kamins. The filmmakers have put together a "detailed game plan" that also includes a partnership with Toronto-based VFX studio Mr. X. Anderson worked with that team for the Resident Evil series. Below is a rendering of what a Monster Hunter movie could look like--yes, that's a dragon wreaking havoc on LAX.
As ‘#ResidentEvil’ Nears $1 Billion, #PaulWSAnderson & #JeremyBolt Set ‘#MonsterHunter:’ Q&A https://t.co/5jrQ1i9o56
— Michael Fleming (@DeadlineMike) November 21, 2016
Anderson also discussed his meeting with Capcom executives about getting the Monster Hunter movie rights. "We were very respectful, down to me getting on a plane to Japan. But contractually, we could have just done whatever we wanted," Anderson said.
Bolt added, "They've said what they love about Paul is he understood the spirit of the game and expanded and made more of it. Commercially and creatively, they really respect that. They are trusting us again, on Monster Hunter."
There are no official plot details for the Monster Hunter movie yet, but Anderson spoke at a high level about why he thinks the franchise is so appealing.
"What I love about Monster Hunter is the incredibly beautiful, immersive world they've created. It's on the level of like a Star Wars movie, in terms of world creation," he said. "There are no real central characters so it’s a bit like when we first approached Resident Evil and imposed our own characters and story on that world. I think this is a perfect IP for us to do exactly that same thing again.
"You're fighting these giant creatures, some as big as a city block," he added. "They live underneath the Earth and when they burst out, it's like the best of Dune. You also have these flying dragons, giant spiders, the most wonderful creatures. That's what really attracted me. I felt there was a fresh, exciting world that we could expose and build a whole world around, like a Marvel or Star Wars universe. Everything is about world creation, nowadays, and how can you build a world where you can have multiple stories going on? I thought this was our opportunity to have a cinematic universe."
Anderson teased that he has "about two movies" planned out for Monster Hunter. Shoots will take place in China or South Africa, with a budget similar to Resident Evil's.
Video game movies have a track record of being mediocre or worse. Anderson said he doesn't pay much attention to critics, and explained why.
"For us, the ultimate arbiter of whether a film is good or bad is when you sit with 350 people who've paid their money to see your movie," he said. "Do you entertain them? Do you do your job as an entertainer? Do you scare them? Do you make them cheer? Do they applaud at the end? That’s always been our approach. We haven’t cared that much about critics because also, as we got older, movies that get ripped a new asshole get critically reappraised later."
Part of the reason some video game movies are poorly received, Anderson argued, comes down to the filmmakers being disconnected from the source material.
"You see filmmakers giving interviews, saying, 'I never played the video game,'" he said. "It is very disrespectful to the IP. How can you adapt something without understanding the original IP? You'd never dream of adapting a book without reading it. Somehow, people feel with video games it's OK just to kind of jump in there without really understanding its DNA."
Go to Deadline to read the full interview; it's in-depth and fascinating.
There is no word yet on when the Monster Hunter movie will come out or who will star in it. Anderson will presumably direct it.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, which will be Anderson's final movie in the series, is scheduled to come out on January 27, 2017. Though he and star Jovovich (his wife) are saying goodbye to the series, it could live on with a different director and star.
The next Resident Evil game is January 2017's Resident Evil 7. The game's $180 collector's edition was announced today.
With Black Friday just days away, we already know many of the gaming deals you can expect to see this year. If you were hoping the combination of the Switch's announcement and Black Friday would drive some good Wii U system deals, it looks like you may be out of luck.
While there aren't quite as many deals of interest to Nintendo fans as those on other platforms, there are still some worthwhile deals for both Wii U and 3DS. We've rounded up some of the best for you below. Keep in mind that stock (and timing) may be limited, and that not every game on sale has necessarily been listed in the flyers. We also don't yet know what deals will pop up on Amazon and elsewhere.
Be sure to let us know what you plan on getting or if you've found any better deals in the comments below! And don't forget to check out our roundups of PS4 and Xbox One deals.
Nintendo advertised this one well in advance of Black Friday, revealing it will offer two special-edition versions of the New 3DS for $100 at select retailers. Mind you, this is not the larger New 3DS XL, but it is the cheapest that this system has ever been offered for, and you get to choose from two exclusive designs. [Full details]
Meijer is offering select 3DS games for $20-$30: Mario Kart 7, Super Smash Bros., Super Mario 3D Land, Kirby: Planet Robobot, and The Legend of Zelda: TriForce Heroes.
Toys R Us has all games that cost $19.99 or less available 2 for $25.
Wii U
3DS
Buy one, get one 10 percent off eShop points cards at Target.
Check out deals on other platforms through the links below:
For retailer-specific lists, check out these posts:
