Capybara Games Says Below Is Coming This Year

According to a recent interview with engadget Below, the much-delayed adventure game from Capybara Games, is expected to release this year.

"I still can't say the exact date, but we are aiming for this year -- although we've said that over and over, so," [Kris] Piotrowski says. "We have all the systems in place and now we're kind of going deeper and deeper through the world, and polishing and trying to just get it all packaged up."

Below was originally announced during E3 2013, but the extra time has helped Capybara put some polish on the game. Below will run at 4K and 60fps on Xbox One X and they are finalizing the beginning and ending of the game:

"Piotrowski says the development team is putting the final touches on Below -- polishing its intro and outro sections and fine-tuning details across the entire game. Though Capy has a track record of promising a launch and later backing off, this time around it feels different to Piotrowski. After five years of public development, he says Capy is truly, finally, almost done with Below."

Below is planned for Xbox One, and PC and we'll have more on the game as we get it, but remember to check out OK K.O! Let's Play Heroes which came out earlier this year from Capybara Games.

Space Esc8bit Launches on iOS and Android

Space Esc8bit, the 2d endless flier from Virtex Edge Design recently launched on iOS and Android (in both a free, and ad-free paid version). I've been playing the game the last few nights and it's a fast paced and pretty addicting high score chaser. The goal is to simply fly up, avoirding missles, and mines while collecting powerups. Getting the missles to collidge with each other is key to survival, and the game creates some intense pixel-perfect moments.

You can pick it up on Android and iOS, but make sure to check out the trailer and screenshots below:

Race to the stars and dodge an onslaught of incoming missiles before you become drifting star dust your self. Use shields, EMPs and Scatter Missiles to fend off wave after wave of heat seeking missiles and stealth mines. Out now on the App Store and Google Play Store.

You can pick up the game right here on iOS, and Android, and since it's a new release remember to give it a review on either platform. 

March Recap - Interviews, Far Cry 5, Way of the Passive Fist, and More

Going to start recapping each month, so here we go! It was a busy month.

• Guacamelee! 2 is announced for Steam, while Jake interviewed the composer for the first game.
• Far Cry 5 came out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC's. You can also check out the trailer for the games season pass.
• Far Cry 5 wasn't the only release, Way of the Passive Fist from Household Games also came out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
• In announcements, Star Renegades was announced for PC, Runbow is coming to PS4 and Switch this month, and Grip is coming to consoles and PC.
• We did two interviews this month! Jason Canam from Household Games talked about Way of the Passive Fist, as well as his time at Drinkbox Studios, and trophies.
• I also interviewed Twitch Streamer SteelRain27 about how he became a streamer, and his thoughts on the video game scene lately.

Until next month! Friendly reminder we just started a Discord server, so come join the fun.

Far Cry 5 Gaming Headset Announced

With the release of Far Cry 5, it's time for swag! Thrustmaster Canada announced two new gaming headsets with Far Cry 5 styles, specifically designed for the games coop mode.

You can check out the full press release below, and check them out at the Thrustmaster booth #19085 at PAX.

THRUSTMASTER LAUNCHES TWO NEW GAMING HEADSETS

SPECIALLY DESIGNED TO HELP CO-OP TEAMS

INFILTRATE THE WORLD OF FAR CRY 5

Montreal, March 26, 2018 — Thrustmaster is channeling its expertise in gaming headsets into the launch of Far Cry 5 with the release of two multiplatform models, the Y-350CPX and Y-300CPX Far Cry 5 Editions, allowing co-op teams to completely immerse themselves into the awe-inspiring sonic universe of Eden’s Gate.  Both units are available now for $99.99 and $59.99 respectively for PS4™, Xbox One® and PC.

Limited Far Cry 5 Editions

As part of one of 2018’s biggest video game releases and providing Far Cry teams with an edge in co-op play, Thrustmaster is launching two limited-edition Far Cry 5 headsets. Using these headsets, gamers can experience all the intense action taking place in Hope County, Montana – where a fanatical doomsday cult, Eden’s Gate, reigns through terror and violence.

Y-350CPX 7.1 Powered Far Cry 5 Edition

With the Y-350CPX 7.1 Powered Far Cry 5 Edition, Thrustmaster offers a high-end headset with unmatched performance sporting the distinctive colors and look of Far Cry 5. The Y-350CPX provides high-resolution audio with perfect reproduction of bass frequencies for optimal reproduction of in-game explosions, balanced mids for stable transmission of other players’ voices, and unsaturated treble for crystal-clear sounds of incoming fire.

With co-op play a primary component of Far Cry 5, the Y-350CPX Far Cry 5 Edition will be the “go-to” choice for that mode thanks to an impressive range of features:

• High-performance microphone: unidirectional, detachable and adjustable. Designed to only target the player’s voice for the most effective communication with teammates, and the least amount of interference.
• Y Sound Commander unit for customizable control of the integrated 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound technology, an on/off mic switch, and the ability to toggle the ability to hear your own voice through the headset.
• 60 mm/2.36” drivers for the most powerful bass available in the console gaming market.
• Memory foam cushions for effective passive isolation, combined with electronic bass boost built into the controller, provides double electro-acoustic bass amplification.
• Professional-grade fit and finish with memory foam cushions, noise-reducing foam microphone cover and a red, white & blue braided cable.

Y-300CPX Far Cry 5 Edition

The Y-300CPX Far Cry 5 Edition is the high-fidelity stereo version of the Y-350CPX model. The Y-300CPX ensures a perfect balance between bass, mids and treble thanks to very high-performance audio rendering, with an ideal frequency response curve for the soundscape in Far Cry 5. Using this headset, co-op teams will have all of their senses on high alert in the game’s particularly demanding environments:

• Unidirectional, detachable and adjustable microphone, for perfect customization.
• 50 mm/1.97” drivers.
• Exclusive double electro-acoustic bass amplification technology.
• Multifunctional controller to adjust the game’s audio levels, as well as the bass level.

* Subject to the Nintendo Switch™ chat function limitations / Splitter cable required: included with the Y-350CPX model, not included with the Y-300CPX model.

Guacamelee! 2 Announced For Steam

Announced late last year at PlayStation Experience, DrinkBox Studios announced today that Guacamelee! 2 will be coming to Steam - infact you can add the game to your Steam wishlist today!

We're excited to announce that Guacamelee! 2 is coming to Steam!

If you're thinking of picking up the game, we'd love it if you could add us to your Steam Wishlist. Every person helps!https://t.co/B8U1vaYvqb

— Drinkbox Studios (@DrinkBoxStudios) March 30, 2018

Both versions of the game are said to be coming "soon", however to celebrate, DrinkBox put all their games on massive sales on Steam so check it out!

Interview - Twitch Streamer SteelRain27

This week I interviewed Toronto Twitch streamer SteelRain27 where we discussed his past, how he got into Twitch streaming, and his thoughts on the state of gaming, specifically what he thinks on Sea of Thieves, and much more.

You can follow him on Twitter and Twitch and check out the interview below. Friendly reminder that Patrons at the $4.00+ level got early access to the interview.

Far Cry 5 Out Now On PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC

We've talked about it for a while now, but Ubisoft's next entry in the Far Cry franchise is out, available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.  There is also a season pass if you're looking to expand your game a bit.

I've been playing the game and enjoying it quite a bit. It's familiar Far Cry goodness with a few changes (some good, some bad) - we'll have a review later next week. Until then, check out the official trailer!

Far Cry 5 is here! Spark a resistance to take back Hope County from the fanatic doomsday cult that has taken control. Learn more at farcry.com. Far Cry 5 Is Available Now.

UBISOFT ANNOUNCES FAR CRY® 5 IS NOW AVAILABLE

Join the Resistance Against a Fanatical Doomsday Cult as Far Cry Comes to America

 Montreal — March 27, 2018 — Today, Ubisoft announced that Far Cry® 5, the latest installment of the award-winning Far Cry franchise, is now available for a suggested retail price of $79.99 on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X and Windows PC. In addition, Far Cry 5 has been enhanced with additional features for PS4™Pro systems. Far Cry 5 is rated M for Mature.

Set in America, a first for the franchise, Far Cry 5 offers players total freedom to navigate a serene-looking yet deeply twisted world as the new junior deputy of fictional Hope County, Montana. Players will find that their arrival accelerates a years-long silent coup by a fanatical doomsday cult, the Project at Eden's Gate, igniting a violent takeover of the county. Under siege and cut off from the rest of the world, players will join forces with residents of Hope County and form the Resistance.

Far Cry 5, developed by Ubisoft Montreal in collaboration with other studios,* is a first-person shooter set in a completely open world. Players will have the freedom of choice, wrapped in an immersive story with memorable characters, where they can experience Far Cry Moments: unpredictable and unforgettable moments in the game – like getting attacked by a bear while quietly fishing or being rescued by Boomer at just the right time. Players can play any way they want, including recruiting Guns for Hire, Fangs for Hire and a Friend for Hire, which allows players to play the entire game in co-op, a franchise first.

Far Cry 5 also includes Far Cry® Arcade, the biggest and most versatile map editor mode for the Far Cry series. In Far Cry Arcade, players can create new scenarios by utilizing assets from other titles in the series, as well as other Ubisoft franchises, including Assassin’s Creed® IV Black Flag®, Assassin’s Creed® Unity or Watch_Dogs®, for solo, co-op or competitive experiences.

Players can also purchase the Gold Edition of Far Cry 5, which includes the base game, season pass and bonus content, for $129.99 or digitally for $119.99. The Far Cry 5 season pass transports players to uncanny adventures across three unique settings with the upcoming DLCs – Hours of Darkness, Dead Living Zombies and Lost on Mars – and more. On top of that, players who purchase the season pass for PS4™ and Xbox One get Far Cry® 3 Classic Edition at no additional cost, while PC players get the full version of Far Cry® 3 at no extra cost on May 29. Far Cry 3 Classic Edition will also be available as a standalone purchase on June 26.

For more information on Far Cry 5, please visit farcry.com and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/farcry.usa and on Twitter at twitter.com/farcrygame or hashtag #farcry5.

For the latest on Far Cry 5 and other Ubisoft games, please visit news.ubisoft.com.

*Associate Ubisoft studios are Toronto, Kiev, Shanghai, Reflections, Bucharest and Pune.

ABOUT UBISOFT

Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2016–17 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,460 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

© 2012–2018 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed, Black Flag, Watch Dogs, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are registered or unregistered trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. Far Cry 3, Far Cry 3 Classic Edition, and Far Cry 5 based on Crytek’s original Far Cry directed by Cevat Yerli.

Futuristic Racer Grip Announced For Consoles

Happy GDC! Caged Element has announced their futuristic racer Grip will be making the jump from Steam (which has been out since the summer) to Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Switch. They've patterned with Wired Productions to work on the port.

Racers! We’ve teamed up with @WiredP to bring GRIP to PC, Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch this year, both digitally and in stores! Thank you for all your support so far, more details will be revealed in the coming weeks and months! #GRIPthegame pic.twitter.com/p9Bdfpplaa

— GRIP Video Game (@gripvideogame) March 20, 2018

Grip's Game Director Chris Mallinson took to the PlayStation Blog to talk about Caged Element, and even threw in a bit about what sounds like free post-launch DLC:

Caged Element was formed and we started work on Grip – a combat racer for the new generation. We’ve had a wealth of talent join us over the years – all of them being fans of our inspiration, and most of them having previous racing game experience. The latter comes in handy for sure, but when the cars in your game can drive on any surface and on either side, the challenge of creating interesting and balanced tracks is amplified. Thankfully, we’re confident that when the game launches, players will appreciate the wealth of track designs we’ve come up with. And there’s more to come after launch – all of them being free.

GRIP is a high octane, hardcore combat racer, packing ferocious speed and armed to the teeth with heavy weapons. www.gripvideogame.com | www.facebook.com/gripvideogame | www.twitter.com/gripvideogame Evolved from the age of street racing, the world of GRIP is brutal and cut-throat to the core.

We don't have a release date yet, but if you have no patience you can check the game out on Steam Early Access.

Interview - Jason Canam From Household Games

Our first audio-interview! We've put the podcast on hold for he time being, and instead we'll be doing interview with local developers/people. Bret and I have a few ideas on hand as well.

First up is Jason Canam from Household Games who just recently released Way of the Passive Fist on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Jason and I chat about his time at Drinkbox Studios, starting Household Games, accessibility in games, trophies/achievements and more!

Check it out and remember to subscribe on iTunes.

Race to Sparklepop Out On Android

A game coming out of the Toronto Game Jam 2017 is out now on Android devices as a free download.  Race to Sparklepop has you and your friends racing balloons past sharp and pointing objects.

Race to Sparklepop was created by:

• Jason Wesley (follow him on Twitter) as game designer/programmer
• Alex Maletich did the sound and music design (follow him on Twitter).
• Felicia Valenti did the voice work (follow her on Twitter)

Remember to download the game on Android! What will come out of the GameJam this year?

Play Rock Bottom On Itch.io

Platypus Paradox's second submission to the Northern Game Design Challenge was Rock Bottom, which is a 2d pixel platformer that was made under 48 hours.

"We've all felt the pain of loss, depression or anxiety. It's almost impossible to not be affected by at least one of these things in day to day life. They can make you feel like you've sunk to a depth that there is no easy escape.  What if that pit was a real entity you needed to conquer in order to  move on? That is the world of Rock Bottom. Face increasingly more difficult platforming levels to climb to the top, collecting new skills and finding the secrets of the story hidden throughout." 

You can check out some screenshots below and play the game for free on itchi.io right here. The game was created in under 2 days, but check out Platypus Studios on Twitter for more from the studio.

Makers Of Halcyon 6 Announces Next Game: Star Renegades

The makers behind Halcyon 6 have announced their next game. Massive Damage announced today Star Renegades, another tactical squad based rogue RPG, which you can add to your Steam wishlist here. The game will include an Intelligent Adversary system which will generate enemies and bosses as you play, while also unlocking hundreds of characters.

Fusing a reactive, tactical turn-based battle system that emphasizes interrupts and counters, with a procedurally generated and emergent mission-based campaign and an intelligent Adversary system with enemy officers that evolve and move up in the ranks, every playthrough is unique, challenging, and never the same.

Wishlist on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/651670/Star_Renegades/ From the makers of Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander comes a new squad-based rogue-lite strategy RPG. Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/massive_damage And Facebook: http://facebook.com/massivedamagegames http://starrenegades.com

According to the Steam page, Star Renegades is "coming soon."

EGLX Gives $95000 To Pitch Competition Winners

Figured this would be a good evening to talk about some competition winners. EGLX (which happened this weekend, and was great) had a pitch competition where they gave away a combined $95000 to independent studios/creators in the area.

MightyYell Studios, Oddbird Studios, Falling Squirrel, and Steph were the winners, and we'll have more on their work in the coming months right here on TorontoGameDevs.

Congrats to all #EGLX2018 Pitch Competition winners!

The Big Con by @MightyYell Studios: $50,000
Super Random Heroes by @OddBirdStudio: $30,000
The Vale by @FallingSquirrel Inc.: $10,000@stephh3_3's Games Marketing Agency: $5000

Can't wait to see your projects come to life! pic.twitter.com/lEau28LWgD

— EGLX (@EGLXofficial) March 11, 2018

Alientrap Wins Ubisoft's Inside Series

Just like Reptoid Games winning last year, Ubisoft Toronto and United Bank had the second Indie Series which provides $50,000, mentorship from Ubisoft Toronto, and a few other things.

Alientrap, who are working on Wytchwood, Gunhead, and are looking for some Unity help, took home the main prize. Falling Squirrel took home second place, and $25,000.

Today eight Ontario indie game development studios pitched a panel of Ubisoft and National Bank experts, and after rigorous competition, Alientrap Games were announced as the winners of the second edition of Ubisoft Indie Series presented by National Bank. This year’s grand prize consists of $50,000 (CAD), mentorship from Ubisoft experts to help with development, personalized financial diagnosis and council by National Bank experts, distribution on the Uplay PC store, marketing support for their game and entrepreneurial training experience by National Bank.

Falling Squirrel took home the National Bank Special Prize for their entry, The Vale, which includes $25,000 (CAD), mentorship by Ubisoft experts to help with development, and personalized financial diagnosis and counsel provided by National Bank experts.

About the Ubisoft Indie Series

Back for a second edition, the Ubisoft Indie Series presented by National Bank is an annual competition for independent game development studios, offering cash prizes, mentorship, and creative, marketing and financial tools to help local studios and their games reach new heights.

Ubisoft is a supporter of the video game ecosystem

Ubisoft opened its first Canadian studio in 1997 and its first studio in Ontario in 2010: Ubisoft Toronto. Since then, the company has played an active role in developing a passionate and creative ecosystem where studios, small and large, have collaborated to make the videogame industry shine on an international level. Making games is difficult and presents many challenges: financially, creatively, and more. This is precisely why we want to connect with our colleagues, share knowledge and expertise, and together, ensure Canada continues to grow as a game development leader worldwide.

Road to EGLX: Oddbird Studios - Arrow Heads

Continuing our Road to EGLX, we're looking at Arrow Heads from Oddbird Studios - a game we've actually talked about for a while now. It launched back in September, after winning Level Up, and now will be at EGLX for all to play.

If you'd rather play before hand to get some skills and dominate one of its Game Designers Brendan (it won't be hard), you can pick the game up on Steam. Check out the trailer below.

Make sure to pick up some tickets to the show!

Now available for purchase on Steam! http://store.steampowered.com/app/580890/Arrow_Heads/ Grab your friends, neighbors, extended family and that handsome cashier from the grocery store and get ready for some sweet, award-winning, couch and online multiplayer. With your trusty bow, shoot, dodge and deflect arrows in this zany isometric archery game.