GameMaz

Hitman - Game of The Year Edition launched on GOG.com this week - and immediately sparked a row about DRM. GOG is a storefront whose brand is built upon selling games DRM free - that is, they can be played offline in their entirety. Hitman's GOG page , like that of so many games on the platform, highlights it is DRM free. "No activation or online connection required to play," reads the prominent message. While Hitman's story and bonus missions can be played offline, its Escalation missions, Elusive Targets and user-created Contracts require an online connection. This is a warning also displayed prominently on Hitman's GOG store page, although customers say the game launched without it. What has emerged since is you also have to be online to unlock new equipment, starting locations, to get mission scores and level up your location mastery. All this combined caused some GOG users to leave negative reviews for the game complaining about the online nature of certain parts of … [Read more...] about GOG says “we will not tolerate review bombing” after Hitman release sparks online DRM backlash

Work on the new and improved version of Dwarf Fortress is ongoing. To tide us over, we have a new 10 minute gameplay video showing off the game's graphics. The video below shows the new Desert Fortress in action. We see the new menus, a first look at the desert terrain, and what it looks like underground. Dwarf Fortress is perhaps the deepest simulation of a world ever created, an infamously complex. It has for years had ASCII dwarves - little smiley faces fewer pixels than the average emoji. For the upcoming Steam release, Dwarf Fortress is getting actual graphics and much more in a bid to make it a tad accessible. (Dan Pearson's feature, Learning to love Dwarf Fortress, gaming's deepest simulation , is well worth a read if you want to know more.) There's no release date yet for Dwarf Fortress on Steam (as its Steam page says, "time is subjective"). … [Read more...] about Here’s 10 minutes of the Steam version of Dwarf Fortress in action

Art of Rally comes out on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on 6th October, developer Funselektor has announced. The PlayStation release of this stylish take on off-road driving includes all the previous updates in all the previously released versions, with new tracks, cars, environments and improvements now as standard. The new trailer is below: Art of Rally, which initially launched on PC toward the end of last year, delivers a top-down, faintly retro twist on the rally racing formula, sending players careening across low-poly renditions of Finland, Germany, Japan, Norway and Sardinia. Our Martin penned Eurogamer's Art of Rally review and was sufficiently impressed to return a recommended badge. "Like a playable poster for an iconic rally event, Funselektor's top-down racer is a blast," Martin wrote. Art of Rally then launched on Nintendo Switch and Xbox on 12th August. … [Read more...] about Art of Rally hits PS4 and PS5 in October

PlayStation 2 classic Ico has turned 20 years old. In the 2001 adventure game, developed by Japan Studio and Team Ico and directed by Fumito Ueda, you play a young boy born with horns who encounters a princess called Yorda. The pair work to escape a castle, while Ico helps Yorda evade shadowy creatures. The hook - apart from Ico's gorgeous, minimalist visuals and design - is the player controls Ico while assisting Yorda. Digital Foundry revisited Ico in the video, below: Eurogamer has published some wonderful writing about Ico over the years. In a piece about save points , Christian Donlan wrote of the way Ico handles it: "Beautifully, you save using the same device you're probably sitting on while you play. You save on a sofa, albeit a ghostly sofa that only you can see. Still, a soft, familiar, domestic item dropped into this strange, distant game. A lovely touch. And a warm one." Occasional Eurogamer freelance wordsmith Ewan Wilson discussed Ico when writing about the … [Read more...] about PS2 classic Ico turns 20 years old

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - pretty much the best Space Marine game ever made - turned 10 years old this week, and to celebrate it received a special Anniversary Edition on PC (thanks, PCGamesN ). Space Marine was developed by Dawn of War and Company of Heroes maker Relic Entertainment for release in 2011 on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Relic left its strategy roots behind to create a fun third-person hack-and-slash/shooter hybrid that, while failing to set tills alight for now defunct publisher THQ, went down well among Warhammer 40,000 fans. You play an Ultramarine versus the Orks, with a heavy emphasis on melee (you heal via executions). It's a bloodfest. The video below goes into detail on the combat: This new Anniversary Edition includes the original game with all its DLC, as well as a host of fun extras for fans. It's a free upgrade for all existing owners of Space Marine on Steam , too, which is cool. Here's what you get: The Anniversary Edition also … [Read more...] about Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine gets surprise 10th Anniversary Edition