Written by: Mary Joaquin
Welcome back to the Weekly Gaming Roundup!
Every week, we cover the latest in the gaming world. This week may be heating up with chock-full of launches but don't forget to be kind to your system too to prevent overheating! Cool off with us and see what we have in store for you.
Let's get right into it!
Double Fine senior producer Kevin Johnson took pride in Psychonauts 2’s “no crunch” development on Saturday, June 19.
Though Johnson’s Twitter account is currently set to private, PC Gamer had been able to retrieve the statement.
“Fun fact: Psychonauts 2 has had no crunch,” tweeted Johnson. “The team has been amazing and I'm proud to have been a part of something so special that's been made in the schedule we set forth.”
The upcoming title had been delayed repeatedly since 2019; its Microsoft acquisition likely playing a role. It will finally be released on August 25 on Steam and Xbox Game Pass.
Announced on Sunday, June 20, Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life, the game’s ambitious—and free—update will include one of the most famous movie pirates in pop culture.
Captain Jack Sparrow, voiced by video game-Sparrow staple Jared Butler, will be able to join the player’s crew as an AI companion. Players will also get to visit The Sea of the Damned and The Sunken Kingdom, and fight new enemies. All without having to worry about other players interfering with their progress.
According to Eurogamer, Disney had approached Rare and asked for the collaboration, seeing Sea of Thieves’ similarity to what they envision a Disney pirate game would be.
On Monday, June 21, Astrolabe Interactive announced Sacrifice Your Friends will be released on Xbox old- and new-gen and Switch later this year.
The party-brawler can be played solo or with three others, battling against the cartoony and humorous in a Lovecraftian world. The game promises fast-paced challenges and allows for cross-play.
Sacrifice Your Friends was first funded on Kickstarter October 2019, with a demo made available in March 2020. It had also been a finalist for the Ubisoft Indie Series.
The game is available on Steam Early Access.
Tripwire Interactive launched its free update for Killing Floor 2 with Interstellar Insanity on Tuesday, June 22.
The update introduces the Moonbase map which players traverse for survival, weekly, and endless game modes. It also gives new HRG weapons, such as the HRG Bastion and Blast Brawler for SWAT users and Support users respectively.
To add a lunar flair to the update, players will have to deal with Moonbase’s low gravity as they fight. Killing Floor 2’s weekly rotation also offers scavenger and arachnophobia modes.
Killing Floor 2: Interstellar Insanity is available on PS4, Xbox One and X, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.
Digerati confirmed the release date of Guild of Darksteel for Switch and PC on Wednesday, June 23.
Both platforms can expect the game on July 15, with its PC version available on Steam, GOG, Greenman Gaming, Humble, and Nuuveem. It is Igor Sandman’s debut game and he has already landed nominations for the Belgian Game Awards’ Best Art and Fresh Talent Prize.
Guild of Darksteel is a side-scroller adventure, with players setting out on a journey to find their life’s purpose as an immortal. With its story inspired by game classics Flashback and Vagrant Story and stunning visuals and combat, there is more to uncover about its Ravenrock world than meets the eye.
On Thursday, June 24, speedruns got a bounty on its heads with the launch of Game Ventures, a crowdfunding platform for video game challenge contests.
Its first big bounty is on Resident Evil VIII with $2,000 going to the player who can complete the game on the Village of Shadows difficulty under one hour and forty minutes.
Its Venture Board also lists specifications for Settings, Rules, and Platform Notes. Game Ventures also tracks a Venture’s Notability—the popularity and interest in a feat. Though the prospect of involving money in what can be called game bragging rights, the platform promotes a healthy environment of transparency and fairness in its process.
On Friday, June 25, players skipped the roles of judge and jury to become executioner with the launch of Sentenced VR.
As executioners, players carry the burden of their orders and their conscience. From crimes that fit the punishment to ones that are less so, the hour-long experience puts to question right and wrong. Wield the sword that beheads wisely.
“Killing is often taken for granted as a game mechanic,” said developer and publisher Samuel Gordon. “Enemies are [dehumanized] and responsibility is removed in the process of gamification. I want to use the unique potential of Virtual Reality to do the opposite.”
Sentenced VR is available on Steam VR.
EGD’s Weekly Gaming Round-Up gives a quick look into the newest news in the games industry. From blockbuster triple-A games to indie startups and mods, the Weekly Gaming Round-Up covers it all.
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