The Switch is the best place to go for indie games- which we already knew. However, what we don’t have is perspective to which the Switch is better for indie game developers. In spite of the hardware having sold only a fourth as many units as the PS4 has, for example, the Switch version of the recent indie game sensation Dead Cells has reportedly outsold the PS4 version by 4:1.

This news comes to us courtesy of Destructoid, who are citing an unnamed marketing source for the game at PAX West, who revealed, without divulging any specific numbers, that the Switch version of the game is performing far better than the PS4 one, outselling it by a factor of four. Which is ridiculous, of course, and just goes to show how good the scope for software is on the Switch in general, but for indies specifically.

Of course, given that Dead Cells charted so high on the European eShop charts in August, this probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone who was paying attention. Dead Cells is available now on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

The first episode of The Walking Dead: The Final Season had released back in August, and keeping with the monthly release schedule, the second episode will release later this month. If you’re hyped to see more of the second episode, Telltale Games has got you covered with some footage of this episode, that they revealed at PAX West 2018.

The video starts off with Clementine waking up from a nightmare and AJ sitting nearby on lookout. The two then have a conversation about their nightmares, and we also see that AJ doesn’t feel very safe where they are. Given that it’s a game in The Walking Dead series, AJ’s instincts are probably right, and some tragedy is bound to strike sooner or later (not that they’ve been perfectly tragedy-free up until now). Until then however, we can enjoy heartwarming scenes such as the one we get to see in this new footage.

You can check out  the video below. The second episode is set to release on September 25 for the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

At PAX West 2018, Epic Games had revealed some details about Fortnite’s upcoming limited-time event called High Stakes. We had also heard about the new limited-time mode called Getaway, and now we’ve received our first look at gameplay footage of this game mode.

In the Getaway game mode, there will be four safes in supply drops around the map. Players will be in teams of four, and it’s up to them to find these safes and then find the llama jewel. Once players get the llama jewel, they will have to escape to the extraction zone while also battling other teams.

We also get a glimpse into how the Grappler gun works, and what the High Stakes challenges will be. The first challenges will award players 5000 XP for completing ten Getaway matches. The second challenge rewards players with a spray for dealing 500 damage to players who are carrying llama jewels. The final challenge requires you to pick up llama jewel in five different Getaway matches, and the reward is a sky diving trail that shoots out money. If you manage to complete all of these challenges, you will get a crowbar skin for your pickaxe.

If you’re excited for this new event, then keep your eyes peeled because it will become available in the game at some point  this week. Meanwhile, you can watch Getaway gameplay footage in the video below (courtesy of YouTube channel Fortnite Cookies).

https://youtu.be/RfANch3qvOM

Here are the upcoming High Stakes challenges along with their respective rewards, available later this week with v5.40! #Fortnite pic.twitter.com/kLr3lEFUN6

— Fortnite News (@FortniteBR) September 3, 2018

One of the great things about Fortnite is how frequently Epic Games updates the game with new weapons and items, and so, so much more besides, such as new events to keep things fresh. At PAX West 2018, the developers revealed some new details about another update, which is the upcoming limited-time event called High Stakes. This event will bring a new game mode for, well, a limited time, a Grappler Gun, new challenges, and some new outfits as well.

In the new Getaway game mode, some safes will be loaded into supply drops, and they each carry a jewel. It is up to players to get the jewel inside the safe and to then manage to escape while also fighting off enemies. The developers described the game mode quite interestingly, too.

“Here’s the [Getaway] plan,” say the devs. “Four safes have been loaded into supply drops scattered around the island, each carrying a large jewel. You and your crew must locate a safe, pick up the prize inside, and get away with the goods while battling enemies. The first four teams to get to a van with a jewel and make a getaway, win! Are you up for the job?”

As mentioned before, the game mode will only be available for a limited time, but it’s possible that the developers will take the game in new directions depending on how players respond to such game modes.

Regarding the other changes, the new grappler gun is also sure to add some new options regarding vertical traversal in the game. In keeping with the theme of the new event, some new playing-card themed outfits will be available as well. As of now, we don’t know when exactly the event will go live, so stay tuned for more details. Meanwhile, get details on the upcoming updates through the video below.

MMOs have had paid story related expansions for the longest time—World of Warcraft does it, Final Fantasy 14 does it, The Elder Scrolls Online does it. When Destiny launched, it too decided to gate story developments behind paid DLC and expansion, something that Destiny 2 continued doing as well (such as with the upcoming Forsaken expansion).

However, this is one area where Anthem won’t be taking a leaf out of Destiny’s book. Speaking to fans at PAX West, Mark Darrah, executive producer of Anthem, said (via VG247) that BioWare wants all players to experience all the major story beats, and will therefore not be locking story behind paid DLC.

“For storytelling we don’t want to divide the audience, we want people to be able to experience the same stories so none of that is going to be locked,” said Darrah.

Darrah also reiterated that the game will not have any loot boxes, and that microtransactions will only be for cosmetic items—which is good, because this is one area where Destiny 2 has tumbled heavily (not to mention EA themselves with Star Wars Battlefront 2 in the past). Anthem launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on February 22, 2019.

While Valkyria Chronicles 4 is due to launch this month for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, the original Valkyria Chronicles, which this one is a follow up to, is only available on two of those platforms. Valkyria Chronicles originally launched for PS3, but was later on ported to PC and PS4 respectively. Switch and Xbox haven’t had that game, ever.

Well, in the west at least. In Japan, Sega did announce a port of Valkyria Chronicles for Nintendo Switch. Now, that Switch port of the first game will be coming westward, too. At PAX West, Sega announced that Valkyria Chronicles Switch will launch in North America and Europe in October, just a month after Valkyria Chronicles 4.

The Switch release in the west will be digital only, but it will also only be $20; if you own Valkyria Chronicles 4 on Switch as well, you get another 25% off of that, so it works out to being a very good deal, to those who want more of Valkyria’s brand of turn based strategy action on their Switch.

Valkyria Chronicles launches on Nintendo Switch on October 16. It’s available now for PS3, PS4, and PC. You can watch the announcement trailer below.

RPG Maker MV will finally bring the popular game making engine to consoles when it launches for the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. So far, we have not had a western release date for the title’s release; now we do. NIS America have announced at PAX West that RPG Maker MV will launch in North America and Europe on February 26, 2019. Someone needs to tell NISA that the February date all games are launching on is February 22- they seem to have missed it by four days.

In Japan, the game is launching this November, as previously announced; given that in the west, major heavy hitters like Fallout and now Battlefield are hitting in that same month, it makes sense that NIS America will want to avoid that release window for what is bound to be a much smaller and more niche release.

RPG Maker MV will let you create and share your creations with other console players. The good news is that the Switch and Xbox One versions of the game will be cross compatible, giving you a greater pool of players to reach.

Of course, while consoles are only now getting a taste of RPG making action, other systems have been in on the fun for a while now. RPG Maker MV has been available on PC and Mac for a while now, with RPG Maker Fes being out on Nintendo 3DS too.

When Ubisoft revealed Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, they hinted at mythological creatures, such as Medusa, being included in the game. Not too long ago, we got our first look at that facet of the upcoming sequel, and it looked suitably exciting. Now, at their PAX West 2018 panel, Ubisoft have delved a little deeper into that, showing us new footage Alexios, the male protagonist, in action as he sets off on the quest that leads to the hunt for Medusa.

The gameplay footage showcases the island of Lesbos, and we get to a lot of diverse environments along with some naval gameplay as well. Towards the end of the video, you can even see Alexios face off against Medusa in an epic battle. You can check out the gameplay footage below. We’ve embedded the entire livestream, but it’s been timestamped to the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey section, so just hit play.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is set to release for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on October 5. Recently, the game’s entire world map was revealed, and it was was confirmed that it would be 62% bigger than Assassin’s Creed Origins’ Ancient Egypt. Read more on that through here.

PAX West was fairly busy for BioWare as it detailed a whole bunch of things for its upcoming shared-world shooter Anthem. Along with revealing the “Our World, My Story” trailer and dating the demo, the developer also confirmed that conversations would only have two dialogue choices. While that does create some concern, BioWare is committed to expanding on the story post-launch.

In fact, the developer hopes to implement this kind of continuous story-telling for future games like Dragon Age or Mass Effect. According to VG247, lead producer Mike Gamble said at PAX West, “We’ve got the continuation of stories after we’ve launched. If you remember back to the ancient times we released a game and that would the story for a set of characters, and we released DLC that enabled us to tell unique bits of story afterwards.

“For Anthem, where we’d all like to see us head, is the ability to tell new great stories throughout the years, throughout the months after launch. So after Anthem, we can say, okay, now we’re going to expand the storyline for one of those Agents, or now that certain points in the game world have happened, this changes the relationship, this changes this character, this changes the type of missions for certain characters. Or even we add new characters, we add new Agents.

“We can do all that and Anthem gives us the tools to do all that. My point is that I hope that future games, whether it’s Dragon Age or the other one that starts with ‘Mass’, continues to utilise this kind of storytelling.”

Executive producer Mark Darrah said that he believes future games will also mimic the reactive storytelling seen in Anthem. “One of the things that we’ve really done in Anthem is focus a lot of attention on Tarsis,” he said. “It’s the primary place where we do the reactive storytelling.

“As a result, we’ve pushed Tarsis further than we’ve ever pushed any of our hubs before. It’s a reactive space, a space that feels more living, more alive. And I think going forward with future Dragon Age games, or others games, that you’re going to see that reactivity, that depth in our hubs that we’re bringing out in Anthem.”

It’s an interesting proposition. However, with the changes to the dialogue system and many having already decried Anthem as not being a true BioWare RPG, it remains to be seen how Dragon Age and Mass Effect will change as a result. Will this focus on continuous story-telling conflict with the traditional campaign of past BioWare games? Time will tell, especially since the developer is most focused on Anthem above everything else.

Anthem will release on February 22nd 2019 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

BioWare’s Anthem received a smattering of new details at PAX West, including a date for the demo, and a new trailer discussing the “Our World, My Story” approach. However, for all the choices that players can make in their personal stories, there will only be two dialogue choices for conversations.

This was confirmed by PC Gamer when it attended a pre-panel briefing at PAX West. It also noted that the choices differ slightly in tone but don’t fit with any morality system. Upon asking executive producer Mark Darrah why the dialogue system was made so simple, he responded, “We are showing this to an audience that is not used to these kinds of decisions and conversations. We wanted to keep it simpler, but we also don’t want to present you with any false choices.”

While the shared world aspect, which includes the third person shooting, is consistent for all, the decisions made by the player in Fort Tarsis were outlined as being more personal. Players could learn more about the various characters present and even get to know their crew better. In this way, Anthem imbibes an individual narrative without conflicting with the shared world nature of the game.

However, BioWare has been hyping Anthem as more of a co-op action shooter with RPG elements rather than a full-blown role-playing game. Though the developer considers Anthem as an “evolution” of its craft, you have to wonder how Dragon Age and Mass Effect fans are going to respond to the limited dialogue options. Anthem is out on February 22nd, 2019 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.