Call me crazy, but there’s just something about a traditional RPG on a home console that helps bring a franchise to life. Sure, there are plenty in the “pocket-protector lot” that are content to consume their Dungeons and Dragons armed with nothing but pen, paper, and wild imagination. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. For this reason, I’ve always found it interesting when other pen and paper RPGs make the jump to gaming consoles. One such game is Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, which is a progeny of the Mutant series, which dates all the way back to 1984. But the question remains, can the series’ material still feel relevant over 30 years later?

The End Is the Beginning

The world as we know it has come to an end. What remains are a mish-mash collection of quasi-creatures, all on the hunt for the finite resources needed to survive. So, what is a quasi-creature, you ask? What if I told you that the game started out revolving around an anthropomorphic duck and boar, named Dux and Bormin respectively? If you think that sounds weird, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. These critters walk upright, converse fluently in English, and have a penchant for recreating the Big Bang, aimed directly down the gullet of their adversaries.

A vast majority of the combat mechanics, while feeling unique enough to stand on its own, still owes a huge debt to Firaxis’ XCOM franchise. The ability to zoom down into an over-the-shoulder, third-person perspective while ordering squad mates feels awfully familiar, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, being in combat is only a portion of the overall action. When not engaged in direct tactical conflict, the squad freely roams around environments, hunting for salvageable materials, weapon parts, or health packs.

The open traversal is where the I found the most enjoyable aspects of the game resides. During the exploration Dux and Bormin have an endearing dynamic that almost feels like a buddy-cop pairing. The back-and-forth bickering is goddamn hilarious and Dux especially reminded me of the sharp-witted, smartass attitude of Damon Baird from the Gears of War franchise. A vast majority of the narrative is conveyed through these adorably combative exchanges and a steady flow of noir-inspired animated cells. By the time that this game takes place, Max Payne would already be long dead, so I doubt he’d be upset that the development team shamelessly aped his primary exposition delivery vehicle.

What I found most amusing about the dialog was how both primary characters seemed clueless to the fact that they very obviously being taken advantage of. They did very little to push back against their leadership, which had decided that these two mutants were the only ones capable of performing the tasks they were assigned. The fact that the main protagonists were “simple,” was further driven home by how cluelessly they interpreted random objects that were left behind by, “The Ancients.” Not since The Little Mermaid have the true uses for objects been so dramatically incorrect. Eat your heart out, Scuttle!

Bring the Pain

Oddly enough, where most tactics-style action games would focus almost exclusively on keeping players in the combat arena, Road to Eden opts to do the exact opposite. Instead, it’s emphasized early on that stealth is also a perfectly adequate way to progress though each map. In fact, it’s encouraged to an insane level, due to the opposition’s drastically elevated levels and hit points. Granted, if you decide to embrace your inner cat burglar, while you may successfully be able to progress through the campaign, it can still have harshly negative aspects as well. Without the sweet, sweet release of bloodshed there is no way for characters to level up.

This almost feels like a situation where sneaking begets more sneaking. If you’re already under-leveled, it’s necessary to remain hidden in the name of survival. This in-turn continues to limit each character’s leveling progression. It’s a cyclical situation that requires a conscious effort in order to escape. That said, when you are desperately trying to avoid detection, the tension is palpable. Remember, unless an adversary spots a member of the squad, the entire team can move freely without engaging in combat. Well, unless you decide to throw caution to the wind and fire off the first strike. For those out there looking to take advantage of every combat opportunity possible, the sneaking stage can also be effectively used to scout enemy forces to get a general idea how ill-conceived each encounter will be.

Once a battle kicks off, this is where the tactics gameplay takes center stage. I would be reticent to say this is garden-variety combat when you are talking about an anthropized swine firing a shrapnel launching shotgun, but in the world of Road to Eden, it’s fairly run of the mill. The tactical gameplay plays out in a standard turn-based manner. What helps to set the battle mechanics apart from its peers in the genre is the UI. A tremendous amount of information is being thrown at the player at all times. Lines of sight, shot percentages, amount of cover, and even visibility are all key data points that are crammed on screen while choosing an offensive move. Fortunately, the HUD is laid out elegantly enough that once you become familiar with its ins-and-outs, it transforms from potentially overwhelming to downright streamlined.

Slightly Off Target

For everything that is done right in the presentation, the camera was still quite problematic. Despite having a free-roaming control that could be rotated by the player a full 360 degrees, there were still plenty of times where things like the clip-through outlining of a character model would not be visible through solid objects. Additionally, there were a handful of scenarios where the camera would completely wig out and suddenly think that all of my character models were literal miles away from where they should be on the map. Worse yet, these glitches could not be recovered from, as the focus point kept resetting to the incorrect position, even after being fixed. In this scenario it took a full restoring to a prior save state in order to resolve the issue.

Thankfully its very obvious PC lineage helped greatly, since it would allow for saves to be made at will. Another interesting byproduct of this would be the use of an actual cursor on the pause menu, which had its control mapped to one of the sticks. I can’t remember the last time I saw this, aside from the quirk-tastic Destiny 2 menu system. It isn’t necessarily a bad point, but it may be slightly off-putting to those familiar with traditional console menu navigation.

When you consider that Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden came out of nowhere, the insanely polished tactics gameplay and charming characters are absolutely remarkable. If you’re looking for a darkly charming way to burn hours over the holidays, look no further than this apocalyptic hellscape. Who knew that the end of civilization as we know it could be so damn entertaining?

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden review code provided by publisher. Version 1.0 reviewed on a standard PlayStation 4. For more information on scoring please see our Review Policy here.

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Rock Pocket Games and Funcom have announced Moons of Madness, a first-person “cosmic horror game.” The experience looks to be in the vein of space-set horrors like Alien, but with a Lovecraftian twist. It will be released around Halloween 2019, so be on the lookout this fall.

Check out the first look at Moons of Madness here:

In Moons of Madness, you step into the shoes of Shane Newheart. He works on the Mars-set outpost of Invictus. It is run by the enigmatic Orochi Group (fans of Secret Worlds Legends—another Funcom game—may recognize that name). However, true to form, nothing here is what it seems. As the other members of the Invictus team are found missing from the base, more strange occurrences begin to take place. As you dig deeper into the mystery, you may learn that you aren’t alone on Mars after all.

Moons of Madness looks to be a combination of all different types of horror. While there’s an obvious science fiction element, we’re also promised some Lovecraftian horror, just in case the isolation of space wasn’t scary enough. Based on the trailer, it looks like there’s not a big emphasis on combat, which will make the ensuing events extra-terrifying. While it does take place in the same universe as Secret Worlds Legneds and uses a lot of the same mythology, Moons of Madness can be played completely on its own.

WATCH GALLERY

While Moons of Madness was originally revealed in 2017, this is a new iteration of the concept that came to be after Funcom came on board. This re-reveal promises a game that has “expanded gameplay and scope” from what we first saw. Besides Secret Worlds Legends, Funcom most recently put out games like Mutant Year Zero:Road to Eden and Conan Exiles.

Moons of Madness will release in Fall 2019 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

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Sony has announced April’s free PlayStation Plus games and, again, we’re getting two PS4 titles. Starting on April 2, 2019, you can download 2017’s The Surge, a sci-fi action RPG, as well as 2018’s survival game, Conan Exiles. Many of us might have been expecting more perks with our PS Plus memberships, since PS Vita and PS3 games were dropped from the lineup earlier in March 2019. Since Sony hasn’t said anything about additional games or features, we can only assume they’ll be sticking with two PS4 games each month for the foreseeable future.

As for the titles themselves, they aren’t bad, but arguably indicate a decline in quality over March’s free PS Plus games, The Witness and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered. As of the publishing of this article, you can still download March’s games until April 1st (and no, that’s not an April Fool’s joke).

We really liked The Surge and praised its complex combat, crafting system, and level design. This is a game heavily inspired by Dark Souls, which at the time was at its peak as a sub-genre. We saw lots of developers take to that style of design and The Surge is an excellent attempt with an interesting sci-fi spin.

It is worth noting, though, that in June of 2018, PS Plus subscribers were able to download The Surge: Complete Edition for free, as part of a weekly deal. It wasn’t labeled as free PS Plus game, but rather just a “sale” on the store for $0. So, you might already have the Complete Edition of this game if you downloaded it last year. The community was unsure if it was a mistake at the time or if it was intentional, since we don’t usually see free games appear outside of the PS Plus lineup.

In addition to The Surge, you’ll also get Conan Exile for free, which we weren’t as wild about here. While we did praise some aspects of it like the sense of accomplishment you get after completing tasks, we had many criticisms, as well. Overall, it felt like an early access game, with janky design, poor optimization, and an unfinished feeling. At least you can play this one without spending extra money.

What do you make of April’s lineup? Does it hold up in quality when compared to March’s free games? Let us know!

[Source: Game Revolution]

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Now that you can download the April 2019 PS Plus games for free, you might be wanting to try out Conan Exiles. (Or, considering how poorly it reviewed, maybe not.) But a recent discovery in which you can earn all of the trophies in less than two hours might make a trial more desirable. Ordinarily, the trophies are grindy and require you to level up your character. But console commands save the day.

A grind wouldn’t be so bad if the game were enjoyable, but since this game is a jank-fest, earning a Platinum trophy without having to play much is a godsend. Thanks to console commands, you can earn trophies without having to. To access console commands, you have to do a couple of things first. First, jump into the game’s offline mode and make sure you’re on the Civilized difficulty. After you’ve made a character, you’ll be ready to access the console commands.

Here’s how it works, according to the True Trophies guide:

• Once the game loads, press the Options button and select Settings
• Use L2 or R2 to select Server Settings
• Select General
• Press X on the Make Me Admin button
• Press Circle to go back to the tab listing and scroll down to Crafting
• Set Crafting Time Multiplier to 0.1, Thrall Crafting Time Multiplier to 0.0 and Fuel Burn Time Multiplier to 0.1.
• Press Square to save

As for the trophies that require you to reach a certain character level, you can simply change those from the Admin Panel in the options. If you select Set Level, you can change the number associated with your character’s level from there.

There are numerous enemies you must defeat for the Platinum, as well. If you enable God, NoSprintCost, and Freeze in the Admin Panel, you can easily use the Spawn NPC option and use the search box to bring in whichever enemy you need.

Experiment with the Admin Panel, and you can use it to earn all of the Conan Exiles trophies. It is worth noting that there is one trophy that cannot be obtained with console commands, due to a bug with the Fly option in the Admin Panel. You’ll need to legitimately earn The Tower of the Elephant trophy, which requires you to kill something by standing on its head.

Since the trophies can all be obtained so easily, does this make you want to jump in and try Conan Exiles?

[Source: True Trophies]

The post You Can Earn the Platinum Trophy in Conan Exiles in Under 2 Hours With Console Commands appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women. However, a good drink could also be added to that list, and that’s what Conan Exiles Debaucheries of Derketo DLC plans to add.

The newest DLC pack, available for $9.99 on its own or as part of the $29.99 Year 2 Season Pass, adds in more armor, buildings, placeables, emotes, and more. The new buildings are made so you can build up in the treetops. By adding platforms and rope bridges, your little treetop hideaway can span an entire forest, putting the Ewoks to shame. In addition, there are two new armor sets available to grab. Both are made up of five pieces each, and allow you to step into the role of either the Guardian or the Dark Templar. Funcom has promised that the new armor will give paying players no advantage over non-paying players, and will have comparable stats to armor already in the game.

The rest of the DLC is mostly focused on two settings in particular: taverns and brothels. You’ll be able to place objects like wine racks or tavern counters, giving you somewhere to admire your drink and then get drunk. You can place tables and chess sets, to engage in a bit of a battle of the minds. When you’re ready to move somewhere more private, fancy beds and lush curtains give you what you need. New costumes for nobles, innkeepers, and prostitutes, along with new warpaint and jewelry, can help sell the setting to roleplayers as well. There’s also plenty of new emotions, in case you wanted to show off your juggling skills or get into a passionate argument before the passionate… other stuff. A lot of this new content is shown off in a new trailer as well.

While you’ll be paying for the emotes and costumes, there’s also some free stuff added to the DLC. There’s a new dungeon called the Wine Cellar. Manage to survive and you can grab either the Khari Warrior or Khari Priest armor sets. If you’d like to know more about the game, you can read our review. It’s one of the easiest Platinum trophies out there thanks to an exploit.

The post Conan Exiles Debaucheries of Derketo DLC Lets You Build a Treetop Tavern and Get Emotive appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Developer Rock Pocket Games announced its Lovecraftian-esque cosmic horror title Moons of Madness back in August 2017. At the time, it was slated for a 2018 release on console and PC platforms. It’s clearly undergone a delay or two since then, but the first-person psychological horror experience is finally on its way. Rock Pocket Games and publisher Funcom have announced Moons of Madness will hit the PC later this month on October 22nd. Meanwhile, console players have to wait a while longer. The game will land on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on January 21, 2020.

A brand-new trailer accompanied the release dates announcement. Check it out in the video below:

A mysterious signal from Mars leaves the Orochi corporation’s scientist befuddled. From what they can gather, the message seems to have come from intelligent life on the red planet. Orochi elects to keep the matter private and quietly crafts Invictus, a research base on Mars, with the sole purpose of deciphering the signal. This is where the player character, Shane Newehart, enters into the picture.

As a mere technician on Invictus, Newehart knows nothing of what’s actually going on. His primary job is to ensure the lights stay on until another tech crew arrives to relieve him of his duties. As is always the case in this style of game, things don’t go as planned. Technology systems malfunction and Newehart’s colleagues fail to return from their assigned mission. Worse still is that Newehart begins experiencing hallucinations, horrifying visions that are indiscernible from reality. This, it seems, is where the madness truly sets in.

[Source: Funcom via Gematsu]

The post Console Players Have to Wait a Little Longer to Experience Moons of Madness’ Cosmic Horror appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Despite mixed reviews from many outlets, including PSLS, open-world survival game Conan Exiles has sold well for developer/publisher Funcom. Conan Exiles has continued to receive support since its release in 2018 and will be getting more content in 2020. Recently, Funcom held a financial earnings call, in which the company’s CEO Rui Casais discussed what the future holds for Conan Exiles, although specific sales figures were not shared.

Casais said the game has continued its “strong performance” as a live-service game, with many players flocking to enjoy new content over the past two years. A “larger update” is planned for some time at the beginning of 2020, although no release date was given. During a Q&A session, the CEO teased that the “larger update” could plan for the expansion of the game’s map.

 The current map of Conan Exiles is definitely reaching its limit. […] How the team exactly is doing it, they will reveal when the time is right.

When Conan Exiles was in early access, it featured only a single biome (the desert area), which was then expanded upon through various updates that added other biomes like the jungle, etc. Funcom’s original stance was that no further updates would be coming, but changes in leadership on the design team and ongoing success of the game may have altered that course.

Much of its success could be due in part to it being available as a free PS Plus game earlier in April of 2019. This addition may have pulled in a group of players who were there to stay for the long haul. And considering you could (at least at the time) earn the game’s Platinum trophy in less than two hours thanks to console commands, Conan Exiles has seen its fair share of players at least download the game for an easy Platinum.

At this point, we have no additional details on what Conan Exile’s future in 2020 looks like, but confidence is high at Funcom and there’s clearly something big coming.

[Source: Twinfinite]

The post A ‘Larger Update’ is Coming to Conan Exiles in 2020, Continues Its ‘Strong Performance’ as Live-Service Game appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

If you’ve been waiting for upcoming first-person horror game Moons of Madness to hit PlayStation 4, then the latest news may put you on a moon of sadness. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One release of Moons of Madness has been delayed until March 24th, 2020. Publisher Funcom said that the goal was to give developer Rock Pocket Games more time to optimize the game so it will run better on consoles.

This isn’t the first time it has seen delays. Moons of Madness was originally supposed to come out back in 2018 after its 2017 announcement. The game then got delayed a year before nabbing an October 22nd, 2019 release—at least, the PC version. The console version was supposed to follow a few months later with a January 21st, 2020 release, but this latest delay pushes it into March.

At least you can use the extra time to get caught up on the universe Moons of Madness takes place in. The game shares its world with urban fantasy MMO The Secret World, which in turn has several video game spin-offs including first-person horror game The Park, indie puzzle game The Black Watchman, and competitive multiplayer horror title Hide and Shriek. While no knowledge of any of those games will be required to play Moons of Madness, there’s quite a bit of lore worth exploring, and it should help players connect with the world just a bit better.

With or without this knowledge, Moons of Madness still seeks to provide a thrilling first-person cosmic horror literally set in the stars. You’ll be trapped in a space station when some sort of monster takes it over. Your goal? Find some way back to Earth while avoiding the monsters and what’s left of your former crew. For your cosmic horror fix, you can always try out Observation to hold you over.

The post Moons of Madness Console Release Delayed Until March to Optimize Game appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Tencent is looking to acquire full ownership of developer and publisher Funcom. Funcom is a publically traded company and Tencent currently owns around 29% of the company. Tencent says it will be offering all shareholders 17.00 NOK per share during a period starting in February. Funcom’s current management has announced that they will back the decision and that shareholders should accept the offer. Should the acquisition go through, Tencent has no plans to change management or how the studio operates at all, and that no one new will be brought in. Funcom will effectively get to continue to operate as-is.

Funcom CEO Rui Casais had the following to say about Tencent’s deal:

We have had a great relationship with Tencent as our largest shareholder so far and we are excited about this opportunity. We will continue to develop great games that people all over the world will play, and we believe that the support of Tencent will take Funcom to the next level. Tencent will provide Funcom with operational leverage and insights from its vast knowledge as the leading company in the game space.

With the extra money to be gained from Tencent, Funcom plans to improve its upcoming Dune game. While there haven’t been many details about the project since its announcement, we do know that Dune will be an open-world multiplayer game based on the series of books and upcoming film. Funcom got a contract to make three Dune games in a six-year period, although the MMO is the only announced title at this time. However, the extra Tencent money should help with any future projects as well.

Funcom is a Norwegian-based developer and publisher. It’s mostly known for MMOs such as Anarchy Online, Age of Conan, and The Secret World. Funcom is also behind popular survival game Conan: Exiles and adventure series The Longest Journey. It’s also the publisher behind games like Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden and the upcoming Moons of Madness.

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Mighty Kingdom’s Conan Chop Chop is being delayed yet again. Its February 25th release has now been pushed to an unspecified date in Q2 2020. Therefore, it could launch anywhere between early April and late June on the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam, and Xbox One.

The action-adventure rogue-like originally had a September 2019 release date. Conan Chop Chop’s first delay moved it to late February. According to publisher Funcom, the most recent push will give Mighty Kingdom extra time to complete the team’s vision. Funcom said in a statement, “the developers have been given more time to ensure both Chops are in place in the upcoming hack and slash rogue-lite Conan Chop Chop.”

Set in the Conan the Barbarian universe, Conan Chop Chop sees the world nearing its doom. Should the wicked wizard  Thoth-Amon successfully unleash an ancient evil known as Xaltotun, the world will succumb to perpetual darkness. Of course, only Conan can thwart Thoth-Amon’s treacherous machinations. Actually, that’s not entirely true, players will have the option to play as a few other “badass warrior gods,” all of whom are just as capable as Conan. And the title’s myriad weapons and legendary items will give players numerous ways in which to customize their preferred playstyle.

Check out Conan Chop Chop’s E3 2019 reveal trailer for a good look at what to expect:

In Conan Chop Chop, players can either venture through the world alone or join up to three other players. The multiplayer features will serve both online and local co-op. Either way, there will be plenty to explore, from the unbelievably hot lands of Hyperboria to the freezing landscapes in Vanaheim. These deadly locales won’t serve as the only threat, either. Before Thoth-Amon can be reached, players will need to make their way past several “ruthless bosses,” such as The Giant Sand Worm of Koth.

[Source: Funcom via Gematsu]

The post Conan Chop Chop Delayed Again, Now Launching in Q2 2020 appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Have you been checking out every new game that has the potential to spark joy similar to the original Dead Space game? It seems like I’ve spent the last decade chasing that dragon. When I first saw the trailer for Moons of Madness I thought, “Finally! This might be it!” Thinking about a Lovecraft-inspired horror game set on Mars got my adrenaline pumping. But would this adventure fill the hole in my heart? Let’s find out together.

The Whisperer in Darkness

The Invictus is a Martian high tech research base owned and operated by a secretive private company. Your character, Shane Newehart, is the base’s technician. On the eve of his birthday, Shane’s sleep is interrupted and he leaves his room to discover strange vines growing throughout the base. At the end of his nightmare is a birthday cake and a frightening figure, a precursor to the horrors Shane will discover come morning. If he can just make it to the resupply ship en route to Mars, maybe, just maybe, Shane can escape.

Using your wits and items found about Invictus, Moons of Madness is one part exploration and two parts puzzle-solving. A good deal of the story is tucked away as computer entries, but you’ll get the gist from Shane’s monologues and interactions with the rest of Invictus’ crew members. And the story is a decent one, even if a bit predictable. Horror fans will instinctively feel the story beats, knowing when the jumps are coming as well as the lulls.

The Lurking Fear

A good bit of Moons of Madness is spent solving puzzles, whether those be tuning the correct frequencies or figuring out the right path through a maze. Of these puzzles, almost every one of them is fairly easy to solve; reading logs or just looking around the room tends to provide any answers you need; nothing that really makes you have to think too hard. Hell, even the circuitry puzzles can be solved by randomly rotating squares until the right connections are made.

My biggest gripe has to do with Shane’s movement speed. While you may not need to run often, when you do, it feels like the developers unnecessarily reduced what you would consider a proper run speed in order to fit their suspense-focused agenda. Running isn’t running; it’s walking just fast enough so that you make it to the bathroom before you crap your pants. Or in less crass terms, mall-walking speed. There is no real sense of urgency when Shane “runs” aside from the tendrils that curl around the edge of the screen and that really puts a damper on the overall experience.

What the Moons Bring

Moons of Madness also suffers from checkpoint-only saves. There is no manual save option at all, which can hamper your progress and willingness to continue at certain points. I learned this the hard way when I solved all the puzzles in a room and chose to log out before walking outside. I wanted to resume playing from a point where I knew I would be relatively safe. Unfortunately, the checkpoint didn’t trigger when I successfully completed the puzzles and listened to the important dialogue; it would have happened as soon as I walked outside. So when I logged back in I had to run through the puzzles all over again. A minor annoyance compared to other aspects of the game, sure, but detrimental to my overall experience.

I’m not one of those people who wants to jet off into space and attempt to colonize or explore another planet. I’ve seen the Alien movies. Moons of Madness promised a fictitious version of Mars from the comfort of home, with all of the suspense and jump-scares a girl could want, but unfortunately fails to deliver. As much as I wanted this horror fantasy, I can’t bring myself to go back to Mars. My patience has worn thin. Every time I hover over the graphic on my PS4 I audibly groan. Perhaps I’ll find the energy to return to it at some point, but much like the game itself, I’m not in a rush.

Moons of Madness review code provided by publisher. Version 1.01 reviewed on a standard PlayStation 4. For more information on scoring please see our Review Policy.

The post Moons of Madness Review – A Trial of Patience (PS4) appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

During IGN’s recent Summer of Gaming stream, publisher Funcom unveiled a rhythm first-person shooter, Metal: Hellsinger. Developed by The Outsiders, this fascinating project is slated to release in 2021 on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC via Steam, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X platforms.

The genre seems perfectly emblematic of what takes place on screen. Players must rhythmically follow the beat to intensify both the music and the gameplay. See this in action in Metal: Hellsinger’s reveal trailer below:

As noted near the end of the trailer, a number of metal artists will lend their vocal talents to Metal: Hellsinger, including Trivium’s leader singer Matt Heafy, Swedish vocalist Björn Strid of Soilwork fame, and lead vocalist of Arch Enemy, Alissa White-Gluz. Better still, every piece of music is being written and recorded for this project in particular. Such metal mayhem will blast through speakers as players shoot their way through demon hordes in Hell.

In terms of weaponry, Metal: Hellsinger will feature a wide array of guns. Players should also anticipate being able to slice and dice their way through the depths of Hell, courtesy of a “skull-blade.” Each weapon is guaranteed to have a unique “ultimate ability,” which includes the likes of Murder of Crows or The Big Goodbye.

Funcom and The Outsiders tapped Troy Baker to narrate Metal: Hellsinger’s story, a tale that will see players cross into The Infernal Planes. These realms are made up of a “union of a thousand Hells,” each one distinctly diabolical. Apparently, the principle goal is to dethrone The Red Judge by battling through the thousand Hells’ most devastating sectors. As a result, players will pass through an icy world known as Voke, “the maddening world of Stygia,” and more. After finishing the campaign, there will still be much to explore in a Challenge Mode featuring leaderboards.

Metal: Hellsinger has quite the pedigree attached to it as well, coming from David Goldfarb who served as Payday 2’s Game Director. As Lead Designer, Goldfarb also played an instrumental role in the development of DICE’s Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3.

[Source: Funcom via Gematsu]

The post Metal: Hellsinger to Bring Insane Rhythm FPS Mechanics to PS4 and PS5 in 2021 appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Publisher Funcom and developer Mighty Kingdom are postponing the release of Conan Chop Chop once again. Earlier this year, Funcom pushed the title’s launch to an unspecified Q2 2020 date. The latest delay will still see the action-adventure rogue-like roll out this year. However, a firm launch date presently remains under wraps. Funcom intends to announce new release plans “at a later time” via press release and a post on its website.

Plans were originally in place for Conan Chop Chop to land in September of 2019. The game’s initial delay pushed it back several months to February 2020. As noted above, another delay postponed the Might Kingdom title to Q2 2020. In a press release via Gamasutra, Funcom explained that the latest move will “allow for further development.”

Mighty Kingdom’s Conan Chop Chop takes place in the Conan the Barbarian universe, which is nearing its doom. If Conan is unable to stop the wicked wizard Thoth-Amon from releasing an ancient evil known as Xaltotun, the world will forever be shrouded in darkness. Players won’t only assume the role of the mighty Conan, though. The game’s roster of playable characters includes several other warrior gods, too, each just as formidable in combat as the titular Conan. A vast selection of weapons and items also guarantees players have the ability to tailor their own style of play.

Whenever Mighty Kingdom is ready to release Conan Chop Chop, it will launch on the PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam, and the Xbox One platforms.

[Source: Funcom via Gamasutra]

The post Conan Chop Chop Delayed Once More, But Still Slated for a 2020 Launch appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Conan Exiles has released a new expansion titled Isle of Siptah, which adds new points of interest, NPC factions, and a new religion to the open-world survival game. The game’s first major expansion is currently available on PS4 and PS5. The game adds dozens of new dungeons to explore and monsters to kill in a brand new island map and even a giant summonable spider god that will serve as the perfect counter to any arachnophobic rival clans.

Isle of Siptah was previously launched via early access on Steam for PCs, back in September 2020. During this time, the expansion underwent numerous tweaks and improvements through player feedback. Project Director Scott Junior stated that the player feedback resulted in a “massive and vibrant island, with loads to explore, and more freedom to pursue the objectives you enjoy the most.”

Siptah features many new locations, the most prominent being the Tower of Siptah. The tower itself is surrounded by a large, powerful storm that spawns dark creatures. Other locations, such as a friendly NPC town in the north, as well as various NPC camps around the island, give plenty of content for both veteran and newcomer players to enjoy.

Elder vault dungeons are also a new feature to the island, of which there are a total of 14 on the map. While it’s recommended that characters reach level 60 before entering, these locations give some decent loot for players who are brave enough to journey inside. Among this loot is a new resource called “Eldarium”, which will allow players to craft new Eldarium weapons and armor sets. Additionally, Isle of Siptah has also added new Salvager and Stormglass architecture for players to use in base building.

Funcom has also released a launch trailer for the new expansion, which gives a glimpse at some of the new content added. You can check it out below:

Conan Exiles and the Isle of Siptah expansion are both currently available on the PS4 and PS5. If you’re interested in more information, you can also check out our PS4 review of the game.

[Source: Gamespot, Funcom Press Release]

The post Conan Exiles Isle of Siptah Expansion Adds a Disgustingly Giant Spider God and Plenty of New Content appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

The Outsiders and Funcom have announced that their rhythm first-person shooter Metal: Hellsinger has been delayed to 2022 “in order to meet the high expectations for the game.”

In a press release announcing the delay, The Outsiders mentioned that Metal: Hellsinger is in development for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. The game was previously announced for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as well. It’s unclear if the omission of last-gen versions in the announcement is a mistake or if those versions have been cancelled. Neither Funcom nor The Outsiders have officially notified fans of the cancellation. However, Gematsu has reported that the last-gen versions are no longer in development.

Here’s an overview of Metal: Hellsinger:

Part human, part demon, and obsessed with vengeance. Become The Unknown, and fight through the fiercest domains of Hell. Destroy the demon hordes and their leaders to set yourself up for an epic showdown with The Red Judge herself.

Every legend has a song. And yours is one of metal, vengeance, and destruction.

Key features include:

• Slay to the Beat – Metal: Hellsinger is a rhythm first-person shooter, where your ability to shoot on the beat will enhance your gameplay experience. The more in sync you are with the rhythm, the more intense the music will become and the more destruction you will cause.
• Demonic Arsenal – Defeat the demon hordes with a skull-clad blade or a wide range of murderous guns. Each weapon has its own ultimate ability, such as Murder of Crows or The Big Goodbye.
• Epic Story and Challenge Mode – Play through an epic storyline, narrated by award-winning actor Troy Baker. Then conquer the leaderboards or challenge your friends to beat your score in Challenge Mode.
• Fight through Fire, Ice, Metal, and Madness – Although commonly known as Hell, The Infernal Planes is in reality a union of a thousand Hells, all of which are terrifying and diabolical in their own way. In order to dethrone The Red Judge, you must fight your way through the fiercest corners, from the icy world of Voke to the maddening world of Stygia.
• From the Lead Designer of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Metal: Hellsinger is created by an experienced first-person shooter team at The Outsiders and is the passion project of David Goldfarb, game director on Payday 2 and lead designer on Battlefield 3 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
• Original Metal Soundtrack – Every track is created specifically for the game with vocals by metal icons, such as Matt Heafy (Trivium), Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity), Björn Strid (Soilwork), and Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy).

[Source: Funcom]

The post Rhythm FPS Metal: Hellsinger Pushed to 2022, PS4 and Xbox One Versions Apparently Cancelled appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.