With how many are still stuck indoors and all the death and hospitalizations, it can be easy to feel like we’re in the midst of the end of the world sometimes. But we’re not (or at least I hope we’re not), and there’s lots of stuff being given out for free in these trying times at least, and now you can play something about the end of the world that’s a bit more exciting and less depressing with Generation Zero.

The game was announced to have a free trial period that begins today and ends next week via Steam. The game takes place in an alternate 1980s Sweden where robot invaders have come and you must fight for survival as well as unravel the mystery of these menaces. If you enjoy what you play, you can also purchase it for 60% off.

Generation Zero will be free on Steam until May 4th. The game is also available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. You can read out review through here.

For years, Avalanche Studios have been known for their big open world titles, and generally the mayhem they bring. Working with a variety of partners on the likes of Just Cause, RAGE 2, and Mad Max, they’ve carved out a nice niche for themselves. It does seems there’s some change afoot, and we get a teaser for what looks to be quite a different release from the studio.

In a press release, the studio announced they are restructuring into three different divisions. The first will be simply Avalanche Studios, continuing to focus on their AAA game partnerships, and the second being Expansive Worlds that will handle other small scale projects such as Hunter: Call of the Wild. Finally, they will establish a new brand, Systemic Reaction, that will focus on their unique and self-published work, such as Generation Zero. They also confirmed they have “several” games in development under all three brands and released a teaser for the next game under Systemic Reaction that involved a snowy setting, a dark cave and some very brief first person shooting.

Avalanche Studios has always made some pretty interesting games, so hopefully this structuring will help them continue with that.

The world of Solis is a great fit for Just Cause 4, with its hilly terrain, mountainous reaches, big cities, and a jungle-like atmosphere. From the parts we saw in the briefing, the world is teeming with life. You’ll see see an abundance of people walking the streets, cars crossing high-up bridges, and trouble around every corner. It really looks like there is a lot to do in this world; a vast jungle metropolis, something you don’t see in most places around the world, something unique to South America, and even unique to most games.

What gameplay we saw was Rico gliding over a very lush part of Solis. There’s dust everywhere in the air throughout Just Cause 4, and it’s all heading in different directions. This is actually a wind chart, and with this you can glide with your parachute or wing suit anywhere throughout the country. If you travel in the same direction as the wind, it will take you there faster, or slower if you’re going against it. This wind element is a big factor when it comes to getting around, so you’ll have to get the hang of it right away. But it doesn’t look difficult at all.

Gunplay is vastly similar to Just Cause 3. Rico’s assault rifle looks simple to control. Along with that, we got to see the zip-line, using which Rico can zip from one location with a rope that shoots out from a gun, allowing him to get to high places much easier than finding stairs or climbing something. There’s also a new device in the game, and it acts similarly to Metal Gear Solid 5’s Fulton Recovery balloons. This new weapon of Rico’s allows him to shoot out a tag, causing a massive balloon to pop out and fly away. Depending on how heavy the item is, it may take several balloons to launch certain items. Unlike MGSV, however, you aren’t recovering these items, just sending them into a tizzy for the hell of it. This contraption can be used to your advantage. For example, you can launch a propane tank into the air and shoot at it to get a major explosion, or a big truck full of enemies to have it fly away and over a bridge to their deaths. It looks really awesome, and the physics of the balloons also work with the wind system in the game.

We’re reminded that everything in Just Cause is actually there for interactivity. There aren’t any set pieces off limits, and everything can be messed with. Which lead us to the next big thing: a sky high tornado that is en route to a city to destroy it, but the city is prepared with tornado blockers. We find the blockers and attach our balloon contraption to the first one. The tornado blocking machine is sending out a wave of energy, forcing the tornado to remain at bay, unable to pass further. But as we launch the balloon, the blocker pops up into the air and begins to spin violently and out of control, losing its power. Then a series of enemies arrive. The stealth in the game is on par with the previous entry in the series; this isn’t a good example of how stealth should work, but Rico found enough walls to hide behind to fight off the enemies. Eventually he defeated the enemies and destroyed the next tornado blocker machine. They also malfunction by bullets, but that’s no fun. So another balloon! More enemies, then the next one. Finally, all tornado blockers had left the landscape, and the tornado was free to continue on its destructive path and destroy whatever lied beyond.

The demo ended before we could see the tornado’s destructive power, but watching it get to that point was a lot of fun. There are a ton of things Just Cause 4 allows you to do, but how to get to doing them is all up to you. The ability to do anything in the game’s world seemed to be the big message at this year’s E3, and Just Cause 4 is definitely a game that really wants you to feel that freedom. With some cool new weapons and tech, I can’t wait to see what’s next for this engrossing game.

As information continues to come out following the official reveal of Bethesda’s Rage 2, with a trailer just earlier today, and the box art with platform information arriving just a while after that, we’re now learning more about just who’s involved in the creation of the title.

While the Japanese or English versions of the official website don’t reveal much, enterprising fans have figured out that the translation seen with another language such as Italian or Dutch tells us that Avalanche Studios is co-developing the game, right alongside id Software.

While id Software has more than a handle on the actual gunplay aspect of their games, they seem to have realized that open world is not where their level design chops are. Avalanche’s experience with their playground of destruction series, Just Cause, should bring the open world of Rage 2 to live in ways that the last title just never got to see.

CONFIRMED: @idsoftware and @AvalancheSweden are working together on #RAGE2!

Hey marketing, here are a few notes. Can't blame Canada this time. pic.twitter.com/E38PjUD8Jd

— RAGE 2 (@rage) May 14, 2018

Avalanche Studios, best known as the developers behind Just Cause has just posted job listings for a Technical Director and Senior Programmer for multiplayer. There has been no word out regarding what the studio is currently working on, whether it’s a sequel to the Just Cause series or their Mad Max game or even if it’s an entirely new title.

The job description contains the following lines which are of note: “This is a rare opportunity for the candidate who wants to play an instrumental and leading role in a small team developing next-generation multiplayer experience. If you are a person who likes being challenged and stimulated in an ambitious and talented environment this position will suit you perfectly. Avalanche Studios is developing for both current and next gen platforms.”

The job listing for the senior programmer also says that the studio is looking for someone to help develop their “next-generation open world/sandbox multiplayer engine”. As of now, we have no precise information regarding the release of next-generation console (PS5 and the next Xbox), but speaking to Gamingbolt, Michael Pachter had stated that the console will not be coming out anytime soon but instead that its release may be as late as 2019 or 2020.

Avalanche Studios’ Mad Max was first announced way back in 2013 and will be releasing in a couple of weeks from now. Obviously it’s been a long wait for Mad Max fans but judging by the previous gameplay trailers, the game seems to bring its own set of mechanics that may work well within the open world aspects that the title provides.

So what else is there? Our brilliant folks who are producing content for GamingBolt’s Youtube channel have published a video outlining what you can expect from Mad Max in the most brutally, honest way possible. You can watch the video below the post.

Mad Max launches on September 1st for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. For more on the game, check out our hub page here. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and stay tuned to GamingBolt for more news and updates.

For those of you who need more Just Cause 3 news are in luck, because the developers have just released new images, showing mayhem, chaos and of course lots and lots of explosions.Those of you who have played Just Cause 2, would feel a sense of familiarity dawn on you, because Rico riding a plane while shooting a bazooka seems just about chaotic as it can get.

And of course we cannot ignore the firefight that is going on while Rico is riding the bus, however this is all just another day in the life of Rico. Also if you notice that the in game graphics look really good, and if this is just in the early stages of development, then we cannot wait to see what the final product will look like.

Most of you want to see actual gameplay, and I’m sure in the coming months that the developers would showcase just that. Just Cause is slated to release sometime around 2015 for the Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC.

Thanks, Gameinformer.

VideoGamer.com today received an Email from Avalanche Studios, the creators of the hugely popular open world action game Just Cause and Just Cause 2, saying that they still have “several surprises planned for next year”…please, please, please let one of them be an 8th gen Just Cause game.

The email goes to on to say, “Next year, players will be able to roam the lethal open-world wasteland of Mad Max. In addition, theHunter is on a record breaking streak. More than a million players have signed up for the world’s most realistic wildlife experience since the Steam introduction earlier this year, bringing the total number to over 4 million.”

We haven’t heard much about the Mad Max game that was unveiled at E3 which everyone initially mistook as a Fallout 4 teaser.

All that aside, saying “2015 is set to be the biggest year since the inception of Avalanche Studios more than a decade ago” certainly makes it seem that Avalanche has a lot of faith in the upcoming year. I just want Just Cause 3, seriously, give me that.

Source

According to All Games Beta, Mad Max, a game based on the cult hit action film series starring Mel Gibson, will be hitting multiple consoles in April of 2014. The film series focuses on Max, a wild rogue combing a post apocalyptic desert in search of his lost vehicle. Not only that, the next installment in the successful Just Cause series, Just Cause 3 will see a release in 2015. All of this information comes via Avalanche Studios’s Christofer Sundberg resume at Linkedin.

The game, according to most sources, will follow this basic plot. From reports that have been released thus far, Mad Max will feature third person shooter style game play, which will be combined with Vehicular combat. Think Warthog missions in Halo, but nix the aliens and the military vehicles and replace them with derelicts and vintage 80’s cars.

Fans of the series, and gamers everywhere really, should hope that the game incorporates the signature style and attitude of the Mad Max series. And it seems that developers Avalanche Studios came quite close to losing that feel, in a recent controversy at E3 2013 when the protagonist, Max, had an American accent instead of an Australian one. The error has since been rectified.