Without further ado, let’s get started.

SNIPER ELITE V2 REMASTERED

Sniper Elite V2 was a solid entry in the stealth franchise back when it first launched, but with its subsequent instalments, it made plenty of improvements to better the quality of the experience. The remaster, released quite recently, had the opportunity to elevate the original title by introducing some of these changes, but sadly, it ends up showing how poorly Sniper Elite 2 has aged. It looks decent enough, sure, but if you’re looking for the definitive Sniper Elite experience, there are much better options out there.

I wasn’t the only one experiencing technical difficulties, either. A quick search of the forums revealed several other issues. Since release, Black Forest Games has released one patch and at least 5 hotfixes, and openly considered re-tooling the game’s combat on the forums to placate a dissatisfied playerbase. Fade to Silence is the latest game to adopt a “release now, finish later” mindset that seems to have infected the industry (see also: Anthem, Fallout 76), and the game’s forums reflect that. Patch, hotfix, hotfix, hotfix, hotfix, hotfix, “Hey guys, we’re thinking of retooling the combat and would like your input because the team can’t decide what to do.” It’s microcosm of the entire product, really: a buggy, derivative, mediocre-at-best (and it’s rarely ever at its best) title that has no idea what it wants to be and was released far before it was ready.

"Combat is suspiciously like the combat that buoyed a very famous series of Japanese action RPGs that shall not be named. You have light and heavy attacks, as well as a dodge roll, and performing any of these actions drains the stamina meter located just below your health bar in the top left corner of the screen."

That’s what Fade to Silence is. But here is also what it is: a survival game. Your character is bought back to life by some sort of dark spirit, wakes in a ruined, man-made cave. After acquiring a torch, you’re run through a very short tutorial that explains the combat, which is suspiciously like the combat that buoyed a very famous series of Japanese action RPGs that shall not be named. You have light and heavy attacks, as well as a dodge roll, and performing any of these actions drains the stamina meter located just below your health bar in the top left corner of the screen.

You can also block and parry enemy attacks, though the game doesn’t tell you how to do that, burying it, and every other tutorial aside from the barebones basics, inside a menu that it doesn’t tell you how to access. There’s also a lock on system and locking on to the enemy displays its health bar at the bottom of the screen, in case the wholesale lifting of the combat from the Japanese action RPG series that shall not be named wasn’t already blindingly obvious to you. The problem is that the combat never lives up to its obvious inspiration, lacking the nuance of the series it so desperately wants to be compared to. That series knew what it was doing, offering many places for depth, mastery, and understanding; Fade to Silence does not. It is merely a rote imitation going through the motions. The fact that Black Forest Games is already openly considering changing this combat system is all you need to know about how well it works.

After you beat down some weird dark fantasy creatures whose presence, much like the spirit who possesses you, the game makes no effort to explain, you’re introduced to your daughter (who you are given absolutely no reason to care about), a safe zone you’re tasked with rebuilding, and given an quest to go build a fire by scavenging firewood. Once you do, the game essentially abandons you to do whatever you want, offering no direction other than to recruit other characters to your cause, “explore, and survive.” There is little narrative to drive you (and what it there is poor), no direction, and no tutorial on how to do anything that isn’t buried in a menu. It just dumps you into a world and hopes you will discover how to survive.

"As you freeze, so does your health bar, reducing your maximum health over time, which makes it harder to survive. The colder you are, the more firewood you’ll need to acquire and the longer you’ll need to rest, which does things like increase how hungry your character is."

Survival means managing meters, which correlate to the state of your body. You can hunt deer with a bow and arrow to acquire food, for instance, and craft health potions from plants and other items scattered about to maintain your health. By far the most interesting mechanic to manage is temperature. It’s brutally cold in Fade to Silence, so firewood is a must. It can be scavenged or, should you acquire enough materials, acquired by chopping down a tree with a crafted axe. The interesting thing is how being cold affects your health. As you freeze, so does your health bar, reducing your maximum health over time, which makes it harder to survive. The colder you are, the more firewood you’ll need to acquire and the longer you’ll need to rest, which does things like increase how hungry your character is. It’s an interesting system that forces you out into the world when supplies are at their lowest, adding an element of tension to the game.

Unfortunately, the game squanders that tension almost immediately by adhering to rote open world design. Items are designated by spots on the map and going to each one to clear them out and acquire the supplies you need becomes very tiresome very quickly. Go here, get firewood. Go here, get deer. Go here… you get the idea. The game tries to add some spice by offering enemy strongholds to clear, which you do by interacting with a specific object and mashing left click, usually taking damage to your health and warmth, but there’s really no reason to do any of this other than to survive. Stories are not a cornerstone of survival games, but Fade to Silence hints at a larger plot by providing other characters, like your daughter, and the intrigue of being possessed by a dark spirit in an environment full of them. How did this happen? What are the consequences of your possession? What are the rules of the world? The game seems very reluctant to tell you, and when it does, the narrative is fairly poor, leaving you little incentive to do anything.

While there are enemies to fight and strongholds to destroy, the real enemy is the environment itself, and the weather that occurs in it. Weather is easily the most dynamic part of Fade to Silence, and also the game’s most unpredictable – and best element – it’s hard enough to survive in this world during a “normal” day – wood is initially scarce, and you need a lot of it to keep a fire going for any length of time. But during a blizzard? You can forget about it. If you go out into one unprepared, your odds drop by the second, which can turn a standard trip into the wilderness into a harrowing story, and a desperate attempt to stock up on dwindling resources into a fight to find shelter. It’s easy the best part of the game, and something it sells well as your character shields his face from the freezing gusts and your health bar – and the screen itself – begins to freeze.

"Clunky controls, an inconsistent traversal system, and frequent technical issues bring down an experience that already feels unfinished and often poorly designed."

As you venture deeper into the environment, you’ll come across other survivors, who you can recruit to your base as followers and send out to hunt for supplies. They’ll also help your rebuild your base. Keeping them around costs food and firewood, but its more than worth it as it allows you to offload the game’s more mundane tasks so you can explore the world and craft better stuff. Even that, however, comes at a cost. Most survival games measure your progress on what you can craft, and as mentioned before, Fade to Silence does have a crafting system. The issue is that there just isn’t much to it. You have your standard issue healing potions, some food, torches, axes, mining picks, swords, and a few clothes and… that’s it.

For a game about survival, the list of things you can make to help you survive feels remarkably lacking and unfinished, which unfortunately applies to much of the game. Clunky controls, an inconsistent traversal system (why, post-Breath of the Wild, are there arbitrary restrictions on what I can and can’t climb over?), and frequent technical issues bring down an experience that already feels unfinished and often poorly designed. If you absolutely love survival games, you might find something worthwhile here, but as I navigated my character through the soundless environments, looking for the next area to clear and thing to find, scrounging to survive, going through the motions, I realized that we were similar: we both found ourselves in this world, but both of us would rather have been somewhere, anywhere, else.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Fade to Silence is currently in Steam Early Access with a full release due by the end of the month. In anticipation for that release, developer Black Forest Games and controversial publisher THQ Nordic have revealed a trailer to show a bit of the game’s story and environment. Along with it is a cover of the song, “Where is my Mind?” by the famed and influential rock band, The Pixies.

The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic world that has largely been frozen over due to the efforts of a mysterious force. The game promises exploration, puzzles, and a story mode that you can enjoy at your own pace and time, where you must gather resources in your battle against the harsh nature around you, and battle the mysterious forces that plague the world.

Fade to Silence will be available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC April 30^th, and you can see the trailer below.

https://youtu.be/s2sSXhLmnOc

Shovel Knight: Showdown

Fancy a Smash Bros. style showdown? Shovel Knight: Showdown is a competitive multiplayer fighting game which features beloved characters like Shovel Knight, Shield Knight, Specter Knight and even the Enchantress battling it out across different game modes. Up to four players will clash to either collect gems or eliminate each other in melee combat. Story Mode is also included with different rivals, minigames and encounters for each character. Shovel Knight: Showdown will release on April 10th for all supported platforms (except Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita) and will be free for those who own Treasure Trove.

Mortal Kombat 11

Don’t call it a comeback. NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat 11 boasts a more methodical yet bloodier fighting system where the past and future collide. Take control of series’ favourites like Raiden, Scorpion, Noob Saibot and many more while making use of devastating Fatal Blows and gory Fatalities. With a gear system, a brand-new story and stunning visuals, Mortal Kombat 11 is looking to dominate the competition when it releases on April 23rd for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Days Gone

SIE Bend Studio makes no bones about the gameplay for Days Gone. As an open world action adventure in a land full of zombies, players control Deacon St. John as he fights to survive. Keep that motorcycle fueled, upgrade your favourite weapons and battle hordes of zombies across a perilous map full of open roads and dense forests. Deacon will have clear out infected nests and deal with mutated forms of wildlife when he’s not fending off attacks from human adversaries. Even if it does nothing new, Days Gone still promises a gripping post-apocalyptic adventure with a gorgeous world to explore. It’s out on April 26th for PS4.

Super Meat Boy Forever

Team Meat’s beloved platformer is back and features heaps of changes to the traditional formula. More of an auto-runner, Super Meat Boy Forever features plenty of jumping, punching, sliding and dying like its predecessor. Using random generation for its levels and allowing players to control both Meat Boy and Bandage Girl, Super Meat Boy Forever promises a challenging experience for fans. It releases next month for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC, iOS and Android.

World War Z

A co-operative zombie shooter with multiple classes, each with their own abilities and play-styles, that takes place in locations across the world. Sounds fairly typical but in keeping with its connection to the film, World War Z will see players swarmed by hundreds of zombies at once. No two scenarios will play out the same and there are PvP modes where the zombies can suddenly invade as well. It all looks mildly intriguing but we’re still curious how World War Z will play when it releases on April 16th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Anno 1800

A return to the olden days of colonization and city-building, Anno 1800 takes place at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Players will construct elaborate cities with beautiful ornaments, introduce electricity to their citizens, maintain happiness (or suffer riots as a result) and manipulate the press when things aren’t going. Along with the sheer range of new and returning features like Blueprint Mode and Trade Routes, Anno 1800 will also feature a brand new session called The New World which players can explore and colonize. With several years worth of sequels to draw on, Anno 1800 should be the series’ best yet when it launches on April 16th for PC.

Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain

If you’ve played any of the Earth Defense Force titles, you know what to expect with Iron Rain. There are aliens. They must be shot over a number of missions. Rinse and repeat. Iron Rain includes four classes – the Trooper, Jet Lifter, Heavy Striker and Prowl Rider – each with their own unique abilities and playstyles. With a more serious tone, 50 campaign missions and co-op support for up to five players, Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain could be a good time-waster with its pick and play mechanics. It releases on April 11th for the PS4.

Imperator: Rome

Paradox Development Studio is at it again with another grand strategy title, this time focused on the Roman Empire’s creation. Much like its Europa Universalis series, Imperator: Rome is about nation-building and expanding one’s empire, incorporating different military tactics and trade practices while dealing with rebels and rival nations in the process. Even if it isn’t easy to get into, the era of treachery and war could be one that grand strategy fans will sink their teeth into for years to come. Imperator: Rome releases on April 25th for PC.

Fade to Silence

Developed by Black Forest Games, Fade to Silence is a survival title in a world overrun by ice. If that weren’t enough, you have various monstrosities roaming about, making life even tougher. Along with surviving and gathering resources, upgrading gear and battling against these monsters, players will have to deal with the frigid temperatures. Bringing on followers and building up one’s base to access better resources and gear is also a must. Though it’s currently in early access, Fade to Silence will release on April 30th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Cuphead (Switch)

It seemed impossible but Studio MDHR’s tough-as-nails side-scrolling platformer Cuphead is coming to the Nintendo Switch. Releasing on April 18th, the lovingly animated title sees Cuphead and Mugman on a journey to reclaim their souls from The Devil. To do this, they’ll have to battle a range of difficult bosses with numerous phases and wacky attacks along with clearing some run and gun stages across Fleischer Studios-inspired worlds. Though it’s tough, Cuphead is still an excellent experience and a great addition to the Switch’s library.

While wearing the name of a long dead publisher, THQ Nordic has been anything but inactive over the past year, putting out brand new games and retrieving intellectual properties to bring to life once again in vibrant looking games. While absent from E3, it seems the publisher has all of its cards lined up for Gamescom 2018- even a few they still have up their sleeve.

Announcing through a trailer (which you can view below), the lineup they’ll bring to the big Cologne, Germany show contains plenty of big names. We can look forward to new information for Generation Zero from Avalanche Studios, Biomutant, Fade to Silence and Darksiders 3. On top of this, new announcements have also been teased, one of which is set for the opening ceremony taking place on August 21.

While we’re excited to learn more about all of the different games they have to show at Gamescom, we’ve just recently seen a brand new boss fight from Darksiders 3 that’s worth checking out as well. Which game makes you most excited for the upcoming event? Let us know in the comments below.

After it announced the acquisition of 100 percent share capital in Koch Media, THQ Nordic has revealed an important deal with GOG to bring DRM-free versions of its future games to the service at launch. Such games include Darksiders 3, Biomutant, Fade to Silence and This is the Police 2 which will release on the same day and date as for Steam and other platforms.

While DRM-free titles releasing on GOG on the same day as other services isn’t new, the announcement being made this far out from the games’ releases is fairly new. Given the relative annoyance that some gamers have with DRM of any kind, it’s certainly refreshing to see a publisher provide options for its future titles.

No release dates were announced (Fade to Silence is currently on Steam Early Access) but the above mention games are all due to release in 2018. If Denuvo and other DRM methods have got you down, then maybe GOG is your ticket. Head here to learn more about the deal.

A brand new survival game, one that looks interesting – and this one will be a pure survival game, from what we saw of it – has been announced by THQ Nordic at The Game Awards tonight. It’s called Fade to Silence, and it’s actually a follow-up to the #EndlessWinter teasing that they’ve been doing for a while now.

Now, here’s the good news- the game is out, in Early Access on Steam, and PC players can play it as early as next week. Which is excellent news- but that’s not all, either. You will be able to play the game on consoles soon, too. THQ confirmed it is coming to ‘all next gen consoles’ once it is out of early access, though when that might be was not confirmed.

You can check out the trailer for the game for yourself below- it seems like it will be a game perfect for the winter, don’t you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKEXZVG0g00