NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to the game’s launch.

"EvilVEvil at its core is a co-op game but we have also built it with solo players in mind. There are no enemies in EvilVEvil which locks down a player or requires another player’s support. All objectives can be accomplished with any number of players."

How many different playable characters will the game feature? How significantly will they differ from each other with their abilities and moment-to-moment gameplay?

EvilVEvil is released with 3 playable characters which have their own progression tree as well as their unique set up of abilities. The characters also have some unique artifacts for further customization.

For future content drops we are planning to add 3 new playable characters.

EvilVEvil is clearly placing a strong emphasis on co-op, but is it going to be a viable experience for someone looking to run through it solo?

EvilVEvil at its core is a co-op game but we have also built it with solo players in mind. There are no enemies in EvilVEvil which locks down a player or requires another player’s support. All objectives can be accomplished with any number of players.

Elements of the progression tree will unlock artifacts to further bolster a solo build. For example, the Phoenix artifact gives the player 1 instant-revive (with a cool-down) instead of having to rely on teammates to get revived.

EvilVEvil is also released with an offline mode so you can play the game in solo-mode without internet.

What can you tell us about how artifacts will work within the game’s progression mechanics, and how much build diversity they will promote?

The artifact system for characters and mod system for weapons are meant to allow players to customize their build. You can build towards guns, abilities, quick-melee, hoover, feeding, headshots etc.

The artifact system is also something we want to expand upon in the future and right now the characters have some artifacts that impact their abilities but we hope to double down on this with future content drops.

"We’ve just teased the next content drop, which will add 3 new playable vampires to EvilVEvil plus a new arena game mode which uses all of Evil score systems to maximum and we can’t wait for people to bite into it."

What should players expect from EvilVEvil roster of weapons? How much variety will the game boast on this front, especially with its mix of modern weapons and ancient relics?

EvilVEvil’s weapons are divided into two groups, kinetic and saber weapons. Kinetic weapons are physical weapons that are strong against humanoid enemies and saber weapons are UV-based weapons that work well against demonoid enemies as well as shields.

And EvilVEvil comes with a big variety of shotguns, SMGs, assault rifles, snipers, pistols, LMGs.

Given the game’s co-op focused nature, do you have any post-launch plans for the game by way of new characters, missions, or something else?

Yes. We’ve just teased the next content drop, which will add 3 new playable vampires to EvilVEvil plus a new arena game mode which uses all of Evil score systems to maximum and we can’t wait for people to bite into it! We’ll be revealing more at a later date.

EvilVEvil is a 3-player co-op shooter that takes place in the year 2099. Shortly after waking up from an incredibly deep slumber, players are tasked with taking on the forces of a mysterious cult that, through some incredibly convoluted plan that involves portals to summon demons, wants to destroy the world by summoning a sinister enemy. And that’s really all the story you’re going to get from the game. Owing to its pacing, EvilVEvil doesn’t really offer up a lot of downtime between its action that would allow for some exposition, so the vast majority of the story essentially plays out through conversations that happen during missions.

Fundamentally, however, the story in EvilVEvil is essentially an excuse to set players off on 12 missions to take on the cult. The trio of playable vampires are referred to as “Daywalkers”—vampires that can essentially walk around in the world without fearing sunlight—and the distant future setting could have potentially offered up some fun story quirks, blending genres like urban fantasy and cyberpunk to offer up something unique. Unfortunately, we don’t really get any of that here.

When it comes to pure gameplay, EvilVEvil feels like a competent fast-paced shooter. The weapons are fun to fire and there’s a decent variety, the movement is quick, and you’re essentially encouraged to never be standing still. This is further complemented by fancy abilities that, depending on your character, define your role in the group. Mashaka, for instance, is equipped with a short-range teleport and a fireball as his special abilities, defining him as the mid-range fighter of the group. Victoria, on the other hand, is supposed to be more of a close-range damage dealer, with abilities that allow her to dash through groups of enemies and summon ghosts to kill things for her. Capping off the trio is Leon, who can jump in the air and slam the ground, or pull enemies closer to him, making him the unofficial front-line tank.

"The weapons are fun to fire and there’s a decent variety, the movement is quick, and you’re essentially encouraged to never be standing still."

The more conventional weaponry in the game is made up of the typical shooter archetypes, with assault rifles, snipers, shotguns, SMGs, and hand cannons. There isn’t really anything too unique about the arsenal of weapons available in EvilVEvil. How the game sets itself apart from some other shooters, however, is with the ability for players to dabble in some light weapon modification. These modifications come in the form of mods that provide some light bonuses that are essentially straightforward stat increases, like larger magazine size or increased critical damage.

Personal mods, on the other hand, are way more interesting, but still end up feeling wildly underutilized. As they level up, players unlock Artifacts, which grant you special passive abilities. These abilities range from defensive ones, like having damage reduction after feeding off an enemy, to ones that prompt more aggressive play, like getting regenerating health or getting an exp bonus when you get a kill with your abilities. Again, these passive abilities never really define your play style, and as a result, end up feeling like little more than nice bonuses.

The modding system ties into the game’s core progression too; using a weapon as you play through a mission grants you experience points for both your character as well as your weapons. Leveling up your character gives you access to more artifacts, while leveling up your weapons unlocks more mods, while also increasing your weapon’s capacity for mods. Weapon mods themselves never really feel that important, and even on the highest difficulties, assuming competent gameplay from you and your co-op allies, you’re never going to feel like you absolutely needed the 8 percent higher critical hit chance from that one weapon mod.

"Passive abilities never really define your play style, and as a result, end up feeling like little more than nice bonuses."

Most mods and artifacts you unlock can also be upgraded by making use of the in-game currencies and resources earned from killing enemies and completing missions. At best, these upgrades act as straight stat increases, and never really veer off into more interesting additions like potentially adding more bonuses or modifiers.

The progression system is rather straightforward, and ultimately, quite shallow. The fact that weapons are locked depending on your chosen character, requiring grinding to unlock, for example, the assault rifle on Leon, is quite disheartening too. Decisions like these make switching up characters between your co-op buddies quite painful, since you’ll lose much of the toolkit you likely got accustomed to in the form of your unlocked weapons and their respective mods.

Visually, EvilVEvil has some strong art direction, but generally tends to look pretty underwhelming. The game’s general visual design feels especially rough when you take its UI elements into account. Right from the main menu, the title looks like not much development time was devoted to making its UI look decent, or even thematic.

"The game’s general visual design feels especially rough when you take its UI elements into account."

Even player and enemy models look relatively bland, and the interesting art design is let down by sub-par graphics. This seems to be the general theme of the EvilVEvil, since its different missions tend to showcase quite a few interesting ideas for levels, ranging from a warehouse to even an abandoned city block, all of which feel held back because of the game’s fidelity not being able to match up to the vision.

Generally speaking, EvilVEvil is a competent shooter that feels let down by some of its more technical aspects and faulty design decisions. Locking weapon unlocks behind character levels, for example, punishes switching around different characters for variety. The game’s visuals are also quite disappointing, holding back what appears to be strong artistic vision, with interesting ideas for levels, cool guns, and unique character designs.

Throw on top the fact that EvilVEvil doesn’t really have any story worth writing home about, and all of the exposition taking place through a voice just telling you the story while you’re frantically trying to fend off hordes of demons takes away even the plot as a reasonable excuse to play the game. There’s no shortage of competent co-op shooters in the world, especially in the indie market, so just having good guns and movement isn’t really enough anymore. Ultimately, EvilVEvil doesn’t really have enough going on to recommend it over other indie titles like Roboquest, or even more classic co-op shooters like the seminal Left 4 Dead 2.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Set in 1980 during the Cold War, I.G.I. Origins is a prequel to the first game and sees the player engaging in espionage. As Regent, you serve MI6 and complete different missions to prevent all-out nuclear war, eventually leading to the founding of the Institute of Geotactical Intelligence or I.G.I. Along with silenced weapons and rifles, one can use the shadows to their advantage, slinking around enemies without attracting attention and choking them out.

There are also Night Vision Goggles for fighting in the dark (as you do). I.G.I. Origins is coming to Xbox One, PS4, and PC. It’s not confirmed yet for Xbox Series X/S and PS5, but perhaps an announcement will be forthcoming. Stay tuned in the meantime for updates.

Toadman Interactive has confirmed the title of the next I.G.I. game. It’s now officially I.G.I. Origins and will be coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC via Steam in 2021. Antimatter Games, who worked on Rising Storm 2: Vietnam, is heading up development.

As a prequel to the original games, I.G.I. Origins takes place in 1980. The protagonist is an agent named “Regent” who takes on different missions for spymasters around the globe. You’ll be serving with the UK’s foreign intelligent service MI6 throughout the story. Eventually, how the Institute of Geotactical Intelligence aka I.G.I. started will be revealed, which brings us full-circle to “Origins” name.

The series’ penchant for first person shooting/stealth is still in place. You’ll use different gadgets and weapons to succeed and work to prevent “a new era of nuclear annihilation.” Will I.G.I. Origins also come to Xbox Scarlett and PlayStation 5 since its releasing so late for current gen consoles? We’ll have to wait and see so stay tuned for more details.

It’s never too late for a comeback. Toadman Interactive has announced that a third I.G.I. game is in development and currently slated to release in 2021. There’s no official title just yet (the current working title seems to be I.G.I. Origins) but like its predecessors, it will be a tactical first person shooter. Check out the teaser below.

From a story point of view, this will be a prequel that focuses on the origin of the I.G.I. itself. The game is currently being prototyped. Regarding the announcement, Toadman Interactive CEO Robin Flodin said, “I’m so psyched to announce that the prototyping is going well and we already have a fun base game to play in the studio. Today, we are releasing a teaser showing a glimpse of our prototyping and many things will improve as we continue the development.

“The reason we are sending out this update is so that we can allow enthusiasts to provide ideas and feedback when we are in the early stages of development. We want to hear from you fans to make sure you get to see the most out of this game.”

Project I.G.I. will be unfamiliar to most. Developed by Innerloop Studios, the first title released for PC in 2000 and was met with mixed reactions regarding its AI. It was popular enough to warrant a sequel, Project I.G.I. 2: Covert Strike, which suffered from many of the same flaws, along with no save games. How will I.G.I. fare in today’s modern shooter market? Time will tell, but check out the official website for more information and leave your feedback.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkyDbQ56onw

The Dark Souls structure can lend itself to a huge amount of settings and gameplay styles, as opposed to the fantasy and Lovecraftian horror styles we have so far traditionally seen the genre stick to. We started seeing some variation this year- Nioh and The Surge both stand out- and now, another game is throwing its hat in the ring presenting an entirely different kind of take on the Dark Souls formula.

That game is Immortal: Unchained, a new game being developed by Toadman Interactive. Toadman is a development team based in Sweden, formed by veterans who have worked on Fable, Killzone, The Witcher, Warhammer, Just Cause, Battlefield, and more.

The game will be published by Sniper Elite and Elite Dangerous publisher Sold Out Sales & Marketing, who will be releasing it in the second quarter of 2018 for Ps4, Xbox One, and PC. Make sure to check out the launch trailer and screenshots for the game for yourself below.