The post Astro’s Playroom nearly had a chainsaw level appeared first on Game News.
]]>In the latest issue of Edge magazine, E353 which you can buy here (opens in new tab), Astro’s Playroom director Nicolas Doucet spoke about cut content from the game. “Yeah, we had to cut some stuff that just didn’t fit naturally,” the director says. “We had a really great chainsaw demo where you would rev the chainsaw and just cut through stuff coming at you – you’d cut through ice, through metal.”
“And that felt really good, the adaptive trigger and the haptics were working really well together,” Doucet continues. “But that was one where we tried and tried to find a way to fit it, but it just felt like it just didn’t fit for this type of game. But if somebody wants to make a horror game, you know, that’s a good one. That works [laughs].”
Well, that sure seems like a mantel for Doom to pick up. Although it’s absolutely wishful thinking, I can bet chainsawing through the legions of hell with the DualSense in id Software’s sequel would feel absolutely incredible.
Elsewhere in the latest issue of Edge magazine, Doucet says there aren’t plans for any extra content for Astro’s Playroom in the pipeline. In fact, the Astro’s Playroom development team at Sony aren’t decided as to what they’ll do next, let alone if they’ll expand upon the PS5 pre-packaged game.
This would appear to throw cold water on the theories coming from the Platinum Trophy for Astro’s Playroom. When the PS5 launched last month in November, users noted that the description for the games Platinum Trophy said “see you on our next adventure,” possibly indicating that a sequel was in the works. The comments from Doucet appear to point to the description instead referring to whatever the team at Sony decide to do next.
If you’re still on the road to the Platinum Trophy for Astro’s Playroom, why not head over to our Astro’s Playroom Artefacts guide for a helping hand.
The post Astro’s Playroom nearly had a chainsaw level appeared first on Game News.
]]>The post Read the world exclusive Spelunky 2 review and more in the latest issue of Edge Magazine appeared first on Game News.
]]>Read more
But there was one particular event this month that had everyone at Edge grinning from ear to ear more than anything else. The knowledge that Spelunky 2 – the sequel to one of the most influential indie games of all time, a Roguelike that set the benchmark for a whole new era of game design – would soon be in our hands was exciting enough. And then the good people at Mossmouth agreed to let Edge Magazine (opens in new tab) be the first in the world to review it, and suddenly it was in our grasp within the day.
To say we were ecstatic would be an understatement. Happily, our time spent tinkering with its incredible new set of systems (teleporting axolotls, anyone?) proves the sequel to be precisely the refinement of Spelunky’s magical propensity to surprise and delight that we were hoping for. You’ll have to pick up a copy for yourself to read our full thoughts, of course – but with a cover like this, who could resist?
Spelunky 2
It features an original and exclusive wraparound creation from Spelunky 2 artist Justin Chan, and is available to purchase today from all good UK shops and newsagents. You can also grab a copy online here, and have it delivered to your doorstep, no matter where in the world you are.
Subscribers have already had eyes on this exclusive review since Saturday – alongside two others, to boot. We’ve also delivered our verdict on Supergiant’s excellent action-RPG Hades, and rhythm-shooter BPM: Bullets Per Minute, ahead of anyone else in the industry.
They’ve also been enjoying an exclusive subscriber cover, once again courtesy of the indefatigable Justin Chan. The arrow in the pug’s hat provides a small visual clue as to the general theme of the rest of the issue. We wanted to share with our readers the joy to be found in videogames in these darkest of times.
Playing for Laughs
Not many games have dared to stand where Portal once stood, but a new wave of developers are increasingly focusing on comedy as a way to elevate the next generation of videogames. We talk to some of the industry’s leading lights about what happened to games’ funny bone, and why we’re now starting to see a resurgence of games designed to tickle the player.
King the Castles
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll be well aware of slapstick battle royale sensation Fall Guys (opens in new tab). We caught up with its lead designer to get the full story of exactly how this plucky contender managed to catapult itself to the top of the Steam charts.
Subscribe today
For more industry-beating access to the very best that the videogame industry has to offer, why not subscribe to Edge? You’ll save on the cover price and have your copy delivered to your door (or device) each month, complete with exclusive subscriber covers.
You can subscribe to the print edition (opens in new tab), digital version, or save even more with the print/digital bundle – whatever you choose, you can rest easy in the knowledge you’re getting the full story before anyone else.
The post Read the world exclusive Spelunky 2 review and more in the latest issue of Edge Magazine appeared first on Game News.
]]>The post Gabe Newell opens up on why Steam Machines didnt work out in latest Edge magazine appeared first on Game News.
]]>In a wide ranging interview with Edge, where he also discussed why Valve are referring to Artifact’s large scale update as Artifact 2 (opens in new tab), as well as the competition it shares with Epic Games (opens in new tab), Newell was candid about the failure of Steam Machines.
If you don’t remember the hardware Valve helped to launch in 2013, they were pre-built PCs that ran SteamOS and were designed to sit under your TV so you could play Steam games in the living room. However, it never quite took off with players.
- P (opens in new tab)re-order your copy of Edge Magazine’s Valve special edition (opens in new tab) for delivery to your door. Hurry, while stocks last.
After discussing how Valve fell in love with their plan without seeing customers do the same, he spoke in detail about the key issue regarding Steam Machines. Newell explained, “The hardware we were pushing for was super-incomplete at the time. I thought, ‘This is clearly where we all want to end up, and this is a point along the pathway to getting us there’.
“And people were like, ‘Yes, but you’re asking me to pay you money for the privilege of being on your roadmap, and I’m not really sure what I’m getting out of this at this time’. We needed to be a lot further along in terms of delivering polished consumer experiences before we were trying to get people to actually pay money for those things.”
If there’s a silver lining to this, it’s that Newell discussed with Edge how Valve learned key lessons from the Steam Machines, and how it impacted their design philosophy. Newell said, “The combination of Index and Half-Life: Alyx, to my mind, is where we were always hoping we would get to – which is the ability to be designing hardware and software in concert with each other.”
For more from Gabe Newell, as well as Edge’s Half-Life: Alyx review, pick up your copy from My Favourite Magazines (opens in new tab) here.
Or, if you’d like to guarantee a copy on day of release, you can subscribe to Edge Magazine for 5 digital issues for £5 (opens in new tab) with this special offer, a saving of over 80%.
The post Gabe Newell opens up on why Steam Machines didnt work out in latest Edge magazine appeared first on Game News.
]]>The post Valves Artifact “reboot” is so large, its internally being called Artifact 2, says Gabe Newell appeared first on Game News.
]]>As part of Edge Magazine (opens in new tab)‘s all-access trip to Valve HQ in Bellevue, Washington, the studio’s founder and CEO looked back on the failures of its 2018 card game, and how it plans to respond to its first major flop.
Get five issues of Edge for $5 / £5
This feature first appeared in Edge Magazine. If you want more great long-form games journalism like this every month, delivered straight to your tablet or phone, you can get five issues for $5 / £5 (opens in new tab) while this amazing offer lasts.
“Artifact was an interesting failure in its first go-round.” Newell tells Edge, “We were surprised. We thought that it was a really strong product.”
“We ran an experiment, we got a negative result, and now we need to see if we’ve learned anything from that, so let’s try again,” he says. “And that’s what [the Artifact team] have been doing and that’s what they’re getting ready to release. Based on the reaction to it, what was wrong with the product? How did we get there? Let’s fix those things and take another run at it.”
Edge reports that, internally, the follow-up to Artifact is being referred to as Artifact 2, though it’s unclear if this will be a full blown sequel, a No Man’s Sky (opens in new tab)-style comeback, or something else entirely, but Newell stresses that Valve has “to do a larger reboot in order to justify its existence to customers and to markets.”
Valve is days away from the release of its virtual reality Half-Life prequel, Half-Life: Alyx (opens in new tab), and you can read all about that – as well as Newell’s thoughts on the Epic Game Store and Steam Machines – in the latest issue of Edge Magazine (opens in new tab), on sale Thursday 26th March in stores, with an early digital release on Monday 23rd March.
You can subscribe to Edge magazine for 5 issues for $5 / £5 (opens in new tab) on tablet / phone, and have the full 34-page Valve special edition as your first issue.
The post Valves Artifact “reboot” is so large, its internally being called Artifact 2, says Gabe Newell appeared first on Game News.
]]>The post Edge magazine goes inside Valve Software for an exclusive 34-page feature covering Half-Life: Alyx, Steam and more appeared first on Game News.
]]>- You can pre-order your copy of Edge Magazine’s Valve special edition (opens in new tab) for delivery to your door. Hurry, while stocks last.
In Edge 344, we review Half-Life: Alyx (opens in new tab), and tell the fascinating story of the game’s creation. But to focus solely on Half-Life is to ignore everything else Valve represents. Originally merely a brilliant game developer, the Valve of today is also shopkeeper of the industry’s biggest download store, owner of some of the most popular games on the planet, and has moved from software to services into hardware, making the most powerful VR headset available.
As such this isn’t merely an issue about Half-Life: Alyx. It’s also a chance to check in on one of the most secretive companies in the industry, to talk not only about its new VR game but also the headset around which it is built, the platform through which it will be sold, and the games and initiatives whose success have helped fund it. And yes, to get Gabe Newell on tape, because it’s been far too long.
Edge 344 goes on sale in print on Thursday, March 26 through all major newsagents, featuring this beautiful wraparound cover, custom-designed for us by Valve’s artists:
Subscriber copies will begin arriving in the coming days, and feature an exclusive cover design we’re not revealing yet, in order to preserve the surprise for our subscribers. To guarantee delivery of future issues, check the latest Edge magazine subscription offers (opens in new tab).
We’re mindful that many readers, and potential readers, are stuck at home and unable to head to the shops to get their issue. As such, for the first time – of many, we hope – we’re offering a limited number of pre-orders of our print edition through our online store.
Get five issues of Edge for only £5 / $5
We’re also launching our digital edition earlier than the planned street date of March 26; it’ll be live at 5pm GMT next Monday, March 23. Our latest subscriber offer gets you your first five digital issues for just £5/ $5 (opens in new tab) – and if you sign up now, your subscription will begin with our Valve special edition.
Here’s a glimpse at what else awaits inside.
Valve Time
With a photographer in tow, we conducted more than 20 interviews with Valve staff in a bid to paint a picture of where the company stands in 2020. We tell the story of how Half-Life: Alyx was made, then look into the past, present, and future of everything else that defines this remarkable studio: from games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota Underlords, and Artifact – yes, it has a future – to its plans for Steam and its hardware business.
An Audience With… Gabe Newell
What happens when you sit down for an hour with one of the industry’s finest, and most forward-thinking minds? Quite a lot, as it happens, from how we’ll be controlling games with our brains – and vice versa – within the next few years, to how single-player games will soon be powered by virtual people that live in our computers. In rare, wide-ranging conversation, Newell reflects on the milestone moments that have taken Valve to where it is today, and offers some tantalising hints at where it’s headed next.
Half-Life: Alyx reviewed
Valve is one of only a handful of development studios to have multiple Edge 10s under its belt. Can a game built from the ground up around a proprietary VR headset deliver the studio its third? Our review investigates, and in our Post Script we examine whether Alyx is the proof of concept for consumer VR in general.
Subscribe today
For more industry-beating access to the very best that the videogame industry has to offer, why not subscribe to Edge? You’ll save on the cover price and have your copy delivered to your door (or device) each month, complete with exclusive subscriber covers.
You can subscribe to the print edition (opens in new tab), digital version (opens in new tab), or save even more with the print/digital bundle (opens in new tab) – whatever you choose, you can rest easy in the knowledge you’re getting the full story before anyone else.
The post Edge magazine goes inside Valve Software for an exclusive 34-page feature covering Half-Life: Alyx, Steam and more appeared first on Game News.
]]>The post How the Hytale Model Maker will let you be a fighting pigeon appeared first on Game News.
]]>In its cover feature on how Hytale is looking to radically evolve the blockgame genre, Edge has spoken to the developer who is (mine)crafting the game, and got a look at its Model Maker in action. Publishing lead Chris Thursten explained to Edge how it works: “This is a kind of a modding interface, functionally, or customisation interface that touches almost every aspect of the game and it can be used on the fly to change a hell of a lot of things.”
An example of this is when Thursten’s avatar turns into a pigeon. It’s not just any silver-winged bird though, but one that has a sword perched underneath the aforementioned wing, which isn’t just a cosmetic touch, but actually functional in the game. Content lead Sean McCafferty expanded on how weapons working with any character is possible, as the engine can share animations across different models due to a naming convention it uses.
It’s more than just models that you can tinker with in Hytale’s world, as you’ll also be able to change the weather, time of day, and so much more. Plus, if you have the permission of the owner of the server you’re playing on, all of this can be done without reloading in the game. Thurtsen explained: “What this means functionally is that there’s no sending files between modders as they work on a custom game.”
To discover more about Hytale, from its evolution from a Minecraft server called Hypixel to a standalone game built from scratch with a custom engine and a launch trailer with over 54 million views, make sure you pick your copy of Edge 342 (opens in new tab). Or, why not subscribe to get it delivered to your door every month? It even comes with a gorgeous variant cover to boot.
The post How the Hytale Model Maker will let you be a fighting pigeon appeared first on Game News.
]]>The post Edge magazine issue 339 celebrates the defining games of the decade across 12 collectors edition covers appeared first on Game News.
]]>Edge issue 339 (opens in new tab), which goes on sale in print and digital forms Thursday, November 7, crowns the dozen games that we believe define gaming’s most transformative decade to date. This is not a ‘best of’ list; it celebrates the games which have impacted the industry in ways that go far beyond their mere quality. Spelunky, for instance, is here not just for being brilliant, but also for birthing the Roguelike. Amnesia: The Dark Descent didn’t just redefine video game horror; it also gave us the Let’s Play.
A 12-cover split run means each title is given the prominence it deserves; inside, in-depth analysis gives (we hope) proper context to each inclusion. Here’s all 12 covers, which have been randomly sorted at newsagents’ and in subscriber letterboxes up and down the land.
Limited-edition ‘Games of the Decade’ box set
For collectors, we’ve produced a limited-edition box set containing all 12 covers, available from Thursday, November 7. You can get your hands on that here (opens in new tab), although you should act fast before it sells out.
For more industry-beating access to the very best that the video game industry has to offer, why not subscribe to Edge? You’ll save on the cover price and have your copy delivered to your door (or device) each month, complete with exclusive subscriber covers.
You can subscribe to the print edition (opens in new tab), digital version, or save even more with the print/digital bundle – whatever you choose, you can rest easy in the knowledge you’re getting the full story before anyone else.
The post Edge magazine issue 339 celebrates the defining games of the decade across 12 collectors edition covers appeared first on Game News.
]]>