On December 5th, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can look forward to EA Sports WRC on cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S via EA Play. Overthrown also enters early access via Game Preview for the same platforms. December 9th sees the arrival of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, followed by Wildfrost on December 10th.

The second wave of titles for the month is unknown, but Microsoft already has the first week of 2025 outlined. It starts with Carrion for consoles, cloud, and PC across all Game Pass tiers on January 2nd, followed by Road 96 on January 7th for the same.

As for the titles leaving the service, there’s a double whammy of departures. The following titles will be gone on December 15th:

• Amnesia: The Bunker (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Forager (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Forza Horizon 4 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Rise of the Tomb Raider (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Tin Hearts (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Quarry (Cloud and Console)

Then on December 31st, another batch of titles will no longer be available for subscribers:

• BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Close to the Sun (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Humankind (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Lego 2K Drive (Cloud and Console)
• McPixel 3 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Party Animals (Cloud and Console)

PREDATOR: HUNTING GROUNDS

Illfonic’s asymmetrical multiplayer title Predator: Hunting Grounds was a flawed game in more ways than one, but for fans of the property, there was some fun to be had in getting to play as a Predator. With multiple different Predator types to play as and unique abilities to make use of with each of them, the game certainly had some interesting mechanics up its sleeve- even though not all of them were as well executed as they should have been.

Phobia Game Studio’s Carrion has done fairly well since launching on July 23rd, selling more than 200,000 copies. The reverse horror game has been in development since October 2017 and is now available on Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch. On Xbox Game Pass, it’s been experienced by “hundreds of thousands of players” as per publisher Devolver Digital.

The story focuses on an organism that escapes confinement and begins venturing through the facility, devouring all in its path. As it recovers more of its genetic code, the organism regains more of its abilities while growing larger in size. There’s a slight Metroidvania aspect to the gameplay but for all intents and purposes, Carrion is about being the monster and ruthlessly dispatching foes.

Check out the sleek launch trailer for Carrion here. You can also learn more about the game through our interview with game and level designer Krzysztof Chomicki. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months, especially with regards to any future updates.

Today marks the release of one of the most unique monster games out there, Carrion. Unlike most titles of this nature, instead of facing off against the creature, you’re instead in its role and tasked with causing as much havoc and destruction as possible. For a unique game also comes a very unique launch trailer.

The trailer, called “Become the Monster” isn’t your typical launch trailer. It’s quite moody and also done in an animated style. It looks akin to some of the popular anime films of the 1980s and early ’90s as it shows various characters being terrorized by the titular monster. Even if you’re not particularly into that style, it is a very creative trailer. Check it out below.

Carrion is now available on Xbox One, Switch and PC, with the game also being available on Xbox Game Pass for both Xbox One and PC. We had a special interview with the game’s developers, which you can check out through here.

Another month is halfway through, and you know what that means: it’s time for the mid-month Xbox Game Pass refresher. The service has had quite a good run these last few weeks it feels like, and for the latter half of July, we’re in for several treats for both Xbox One and PC.

Probably the biggest release will be Yakuza Kiwami 2, which was announced earlier in the week. We’ll also be getting the once Switch-exclusive puzzler The Touryst, the open world adventure The Forager, a reverse monster game from Devolver Digital in Carrion, and the game preview version of Grounded. All of those are coming to both Xbox One and PC.

Also on the PC side Golf With Your Friends will come over after being available on Xbox One for awhile, and Xbox One will also get Mount and Blade: Warband.

These games will start becoming available as of July 16th through the 30th.

Following the cancellation of E3 2020, various publishers are holding their own digital events or joining initiatives like the Summer Game Fest and Guerrilla Collective. Microsoft has first party Xbox Series X games to showcase in July while Ubisoft Forward will be taking place in the same month. One has to wonder though: What about Devolver Digital?

The indie-centric publisher is infamous for its E3 “presentations” which alternate between over-the-top and ultra-violent. And while Devolver Direct 2020 is still happening, the company said it wasn’t sure when due to “THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES.” That being said, it said that the showcase “should be a good one.”

There are a number of titles that it will be publishing in 2020 including Disc Room, Carrion, Sludge Life, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout and Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass. Then there are titles like Eitr and Weird West that still don’t have release dates. Stay tuned for more details on them all the same and keep an eye out for the inevitable return of Nina Struthers.

Devolver Direct 2020 is happening but we’re not sure when due to THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES.

Should be a good one though.

— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) May 12, 2020

RESIDENT EVIL 3

Everyone’s confidence in both, Capcom and Resident Evil is sky high right now, and for very good reason. Given how good Resident Evil 2 was, the prospect of a similar remake of Resident Evil 3 sounds incredibly exciting, and from all that we’ve seen of it, there’s every reason to suspect that it will live up to expectations.

"We were abducted by amorphous alien beings and they told us “please make a game with us as main characters”."

Turning the tables and letting players be the ones making everyone else miserable is a great idea for a game in a horror setting- how did the concept come about?

We were abducted by amorphous alien beings and they told us “please make a game with us as main characters”.

Why did you choose to go with a metroidvania design approach with Carrion? Can you mention any games, recent or otherwise, that have been influential for you during development?

Once we decided how the monster would interact with the environment and how it would evolve new abilities throughout the game, we realized what puzzle-solving potential this would yield. Building the whole world around the skill progression was the logical next step, and that’s how we ended up designing a Metroidvania, albeit a somewhat unorthodox one.

When it comes to influences, the most evident ones would be the Metroid and Alien vs Predator games – for obvious reasons – but when it comes to things such as level or puzzle design, we should probably mention the Zelda and Souls series, as well as The Witness.

Can you talk about the in-game mechanic of rejecting mass, and how that interacts with what abilities players, as the monster, have access to?

It’s what we call a mass-based class system. Depending on the current size of the monster, it has access to a different set of abilities, most of which have different combat and puzzle-solving appliances. The monster grows by consuming people, but it can also lose mass – either by purposefully depositing it in designated spots or losing health in combat. Players will have to learn to utilize those mechanics to manage how large their monster is and overcome the challenges the game throws at them – being as large as possible isn’t always the answer here.

Can you tell us about how combat will evolve through the game as players gain more powers and become stronger and larger?

First of all, the combat becomes more varied with time, as players will have to start actively rotating between the classes (sometimes even mid-combat), so eventually it’s all about them being able to dynamically adjust to the situation on the battlefield. It’s not only about the opponents they’re currently facing, but also the active skills at their disposal.

Secondly, humans quickly realize that simple handguns won’t cut it anymore, so they start utilizing heavier weaponry, as well as mechs and automated defense systems.

"When it comes to influences, the most evident ones would be the Metroid and Alien vs Predator games – for obvious reasons – but when it comes to things such as level or puzzle design, we should probably mention the Zelda and Souls series, as well as The Witness."

What was the process like of settling on mechanics for how the monster would fight enemies, and stalk its prey, and consume their flesh? Was there ever a fear that the player might end up feeling too overpowered?

The process was filled with pain and suffering, not unlike the process of being eaten alive by a hulking mass of living flesh (if you need more details, please ask the aliens who abducted us, we’re actively trying to repress those memories). The main problem was that – as far as we’re concerned – there’s hardly a gold standard for playing as an amorphous tentaculated meat blob, so there was lots of trial and error involved. In fact, we’re still tweaking those mechanics, as we’re constantly finding new ways of making the experience more heartwarmingly gruesome and satisfying.

Map design is something that can make or break a metroidvania title- what can players expect from Carrion’s map, in terms of both size and variety?

We believe in quality, not quantity, and we wanted the game to reflect that. The map isn’t overwhelmingly large, which allows us to provide players with a steady influx of new skills, enemies and obstacles that should keep the experience fresh throughout the whole campaign.

We also took some liberties with the classic Metroidvania formula. Given the reverse-horror nature of the game, we wanted the players to feel the gory impact they make on the world, and so we decided that – unlike in most Metroidvanias out there – all defeated enemies would stay dead and remain such even after you left the area. This decision prompted us to design the map in a way that would cut down on needless backtracking, and we achieved that by splitting the map into separate, largely self-contained zones (each being like a mini Metroidvania in and of itself), all connected by an overworld. In a way, it resembles the classic Zelda “overworld and dungeons” formula, when you think about it.

Roughly how long will an average playthrough of Carrion be? 

Hopefully long enough to exceed the Steam refund time limit!

Are you looking into next-gen versions of Carrion as well, especially as get closer to next-gen console releases?

For now, we’re focused 100% on the current-gen platforms. A next-gen release isn’t out of the question, but given the art style and low hardware requirements of the game, it wouldn’t differ in any substantial way. Once you take backward compatibility into account, the main reason for making those ports would be to earn us some sweet indie game dev street-cred for having an early next-gen release.

"For now, we’re focused 100% on the current-gen platforms. A next-gen release isn’t out of the question, but given the art style and low hardware requirements of the game, it wouldn’t differ in any substantial way."

Is there anything else you want to tell us about the game?

If the game sells well enough, then maybe we will be allowed to live on Earth again among other human beings like ourselves, so please take that into consideration. Thankfully, our new prehensile appendages, extra eyes, and multiple minds interconnected within a single body help us boost our skills and productivity quite extensively, so we’re able to tackle any threat with confidence, whether it’s a flamethrower, or a game design mind-boggler to solve. If that was your last question, then let us slither away back to our hive so we can carry on making the game. Or, better yet, would you like to come over for dinner?

The Game Awards 2019 are taking place tomorrow but creator and host Geoff Keighley has announced a rather interesting offer for those at home. It’s called The Game Festival and will go live later today on Steam at 10 AM PT. The idea is to provide several demos for players to try out at home.

As noted in a recent Medium post, Keighley said, “Six years ago I bet everything I had to create The Game Awards as a way to celebrate our passion for gaming. Now feels like the right time to take the next step with The Game Festival, a completely digital approach to the consumer event space.

“Let’s face it: Not everyone can attend a physical trade show or consumer event. The Game Festival is designed from the ground-up as an event without barriers, extending the benefits of a physical event to the global gaming community that watches The Game Awards.”

Some of the game demos are System Shock, which is a remake of the classic FPS/RPG by Nightdive Studios; Chucklefish’s RPG adventure Eastward; Spiritfarer from Sundered developer Thunder Lotus; Haven from The Game Bakers of Furi fame; and even Carrion from Phobia. Overall that’s pretty solid. The list of confirmed demos for games is as follows:

• System Shock (Nightdive Studios)
• Eastward (Pixpil/Chucklefish)
• Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus)
• Moving Out (SMG Studio/Devm Games/Team17)
• Röki (Polygon Treehouse/United Label)
• Chicory (Greg Lobanov)
• Wooden Nickel (Brain&Brain)
• Haven (The Game Bakers)
• Heavenly Bodies (2pt Interactive)
• Acid Knife (Powerhoof)
• The Drifter (Powerhoof)
• CARRION (Phobia/Devolver)
• SkateBIRD (Glass Bottom Games)

The Game Festival will be available from 10 AM PT today till 10 AM PT on December 14th. Better carve out some time because once the event ends, the demos will be gone. Even those that have been downloaded and/or installed will become unplayable. There are also plans to bring The Game Festival to consoles in 2020 but for now, it’s a Steam affair.

As for The Game Awards, they start today at 7 PM PT and will offer up 15 new world premiers. These include Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima and NetEase’s Naraka: Bladepoint.