Independent video game publisher Graffiti Games to launch three new title in 2018

Graffiti Games, a newly formed independent video game publisher, has announced that it will fund and publish three games for 2018. Though the publisher is new, it consists of people with years and years of experience in the video game industry.

The three games that the publisher is trying to push out into the market this year are:

• The King’s Bird from Serenity Forge - Developed by Colorado based developer, Serenity Forge, The King's Bird is a momentum-driven, precision-platforming game that has players seamlessly dash, glide, and flow through a mysterious world with precision and grace.

• Joggernauts from Space Mace Games - Joggernauts is a co-op auto-runner party game where 2-4 players take turns switching to lead the team through deceptively difficult color-coded platforming levels.

• Unannounced Title From 13AM Games – Lastly there is also an unannounced game that is being developed by 13AM Games, the studio behind the fun co-op game, Runbow. While there is no information about the game as of now, knowing that it is in good hands is somewhat reassuring.

“We're extremely excited to partner with amazing studios like 13AM, Serenity Forge and Space Mace as part of our first-year lineup,” said Alex Josef, CEO of Graffiti Games. “They are making quality games that people will love to play for years to come, and we’re thrilled that we can help them launch their titles. Additionally, we’re looking to partner with more talented developers in the coming years to help bring their games to market and help them get the recognition they deserve.”

75% off on Dead Island Definitive Edition on Steam

If you have not played the survival horror game 'Dead Island', then now would be a great time to get into it. The game is being offered for a 75% discount on steam for the next 12 hours (as of the time of this article). This discount drops the price of the game fro Rs 565 to Rs 141.



You can buy the game on steam - http://store.steampowered.com/app/383150/Dead_Island_Definitive_Edition/

The Definitive Edition of the game is a remastered version of the original game and also packs the Riptide stand alone game and all the DLCs. There is also a 16-bit style side scrolling game, Retro Revenge, bundled in.

Fast paced platformer, Mike Dies, launched with a 15% discount till March 2, 2018

'Mike Dies' has been launched and you can get the game for a 15% discount till March 2, 2018. While the original price of the game is Rs 479, it is available for Rs 407 with the discount.



Developed by Psydra Games, Mike Dies is a survival platformer where your protagonist Mike has to traverse various levels and dodge a lot of aliens on the way. The game offers more than 300 challenging levels and gets a Happy Wheels style death in which the characters limbs generally fly off in all directions upon death. There are also a ton of hidden levels for players to find and explore and many fun boss encounters.

The game is also accompanied by some great pieces of music and in case you want to grab the soundtrack, then you can get it for Rs 169 which is also the discounted price (it costs Rs 199 without discount).

Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet launched for PC, PS4 & Xbox One

Fans of the anime Sword Art Online (SAO) can now get their hands on the latest game based on the franchise. 'Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet' has been released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. This new game from Bandai Namco Entertainment brings a unique blend of shooter and RPG to players with fast paced action packed gameplay. You can pick up the game on Steam for Rs 989 and the Deluxe Edition will cost you Rs 1,608.



Developed on Unreal Engine 4, the game is boasting good looking graphics and a range of weapons and skills to diversify the gameplay. There is a co-op mode in which you can join forces with your friends to take on world bosses or you can opt for 4v4 PVP matches.

For the people who pre-purchased SOA: Fatal Bullet, will be rewarded with Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment. This is an older game that was originally made for PS Vita, the 'Re' version is a Director's Cut version that is for PlayStation 4 and it comes with online capability, additional bosses and the ability to play as a female character.

Burnout Paradise Remasatered to release on March 16, 2018; will offer 8 DLC packs and 4k at 60fps

Rolling down the highway in a fast car, while listening to Axl Rose sing "Take me down to the Paradise City" and then you see a sweet ramp and go full throttle catching a load of air as you gaze at the vast open city below. That is Burnout Paradise, perhaps one of the most recognised titles in the series (at least here in India).

And now Criterion Games, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. has announced Burnout Paradise Remastered, a remaster of the 2008 game that was also unfortunately the last main game of the series. Burnout Paradise Remastered will become available March 16th, 2018 on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It will surely take many veteran gamers on a long trip down the nostalgia highway and also give a taste of the masterpiece to the younger generation that did not play the original.

Pull off high-octane stunts and create insane car destruction in one of the greatest arcade-driving games ever created.



Burnout Paradise Remastered includes the original base game and the eight add-on game packs released during the Year of Paradise, including the extension to the drivable world with Big Surf Island. Burnout Paradise Remastered also features a range of technical enhancements for greater visual fidelity, including high resolution textures for players to explore Paradise City in 4K with supporting 60FPS on the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X. While in my opinion the original game still hold up pretty well, the update look will be a sure welcome as are the DLC packs.

“When people think of Criterion Games, they often remember the Burnout franchise and for good reason. What we created 10 years ago, is as fun and unique today as it was back then,” said Matt Webster, General Manager, Criterion Games. He further added “With the release of this remaster, we’re able to share this action-packed ride and innovate online vehicle play with a whole new generation of players.”

Burnout Paradise Remastered is available for pre-order for Rs 2,375 ($39.99) on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game will be available for PC through Origin but that will be later this year and will include the Big Surf Island add-on. EA Access members will also get to play Burnout Paradise Remastered before its worldwide launch, starting on March 9th, 2018 via the Play First Trial.

Now I do not want to have false hopes but enough sales for this remaster could translate into a revival of the Burnout series! (fingers crossed)

Get Rocket League for 40% off for a (very) limited time!

If you are not living under a rock, chances are that you must have heard of the super fun online multiplayer Rocket League. The game that took the market by storm due to its simple yet engaging gameplay can now be grabbed for 40% less on Steam being the price of the game down from Rs 565 to just Rs 339. The offer ends February 19 (28 hours left as of the time of writing this article) so make sure you grab your copy fast.

Buy the game here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/252950/Rocket_League/

Along with the base edition of the game, the Deluxe Edition is also up for grabs at the same discount percentage making the price drop from Rs 999 to Rs 599. The Deluxe Edition of Rocket League contains the game as well as the Chaos Run, Revenge of the Battle-Cars and Supersonic Fury DLC packs. You can also get the Fast & Furious DLC bundle for Rs 119 (original price - Rs 199). The DLC based on the famous movie franchise adds a '99 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34, '70 Dodge Charger R/T and Ice Charger to the game.

Rocket League was developed and published by teh California based Psyonix and is available on all major platforms including PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, OS X, Linux and Nintendo Switch. Be sure to share this news with your friends and help them board the Rocket League ship....uh rocket, I mean.

Xbox One X and One S to rock 1440p resolution soon

As time progresses, the standard resolution accepted and supported across platforms also increases. While the 4k buzz is still in the air, the successor to 1080p would most likely be 1440p. Microsoft having realised that, had promised 1440p support on their consoles, a little while ago. While there is no official launch date for that patch, a tweet from Kevin Gammil, Xbox Partner Group Program Manager has hinted that Xbox Insiders might get a taste of it soon.

Many questions recently around the timing of our 1440p support. Those of you in our early preview ring should be pleasantly surprised very soon if you have an Xbox One S or Xbox One X.

— Kevin Gammill (@CmdrDesslock) February 16, 2018

Xbox Insiders are people who signup to access and test features in their development stage so that the devs can benefit and troubleshoot using their experience. The tweet suggests that 1440p would be supported on both, the mighty Xbox One X and the regular Xbox One S. It would be particularly interesting to see what kind of performance/quality mix we get to see at 1440p on the Xbox One X.

While Microsoft's most powerful console yet, the Xbox One X, was available to many parts of the world last year, we in India got an official launch only last month. The Rs 44,990 console supports 4k and other features like HDR and Dolby Atmos to bring a gaming experience that is beyond what consoles have been able to offer till now. While the console is capable of running games at 4k resolution, it also has the ability to downsample the 4k image to 1080p when hooked to a 1080p display.

Farming Simulator 19 announced with a Reveal Trailer

Swiss video game developer GIANTS Software and French publisher Focus Home Interactive have announced that they will be launching the latest entry in the Farming Simulator series, Farming Simulator 19, by the end of 2018 on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.



The makers of the game are claiming that Farming Simulator 19 will boast of the "most striking and immersive visuals and effects to date, along with the deepest and most complete farming experience ever on consoles and PC". We cannot confirm or critique on the thought as of now, as the reveal trailer does not give away much in terms of the graphics or gameplay elements. What it does show is a companion dog which reminded me of Boomer from Far Cry 5, but I am hoping that there won't be a cult leader knocking on my door as I try to make an honest living as a potato farmer.

At launch, the game will feature three distinct open worlds to farm, in solo or with friends. Two entirely new environments will soon be revealed, as well as an all-improved version of the South American environment, which has been overhauled to take advantage of the new engine's capabilities. The latest title in the series will improvements to nearly every aspect of the game, not just greatly enhanced graphics. Its content will be richer than ever. With the addition of new big brands, Farming Simulator 19's garage will feature the franchise's most extensive vehicle roster ever. The game will also introduce new farming activities, new animals including horses, brand new mechanics, as well as new crops.

More details on the game will follow soon so make sure that you check back again!

THQ Nordic acquires Koch Media; a bright future for beloved titles like Metro, Darksiders, Saints Row and more

It was a grim time when developer/publisher THQ went bankrupt and had to sell off some of its properties resulting in an uncertain and bleak future for games like the Saints Row series and Darksiders series. But things are definitely looking up as, following an interesting turn of events, almost all the games that were developed under the THQ banner have come in possession of THQ Nordic. A huge chunk of it can be attributed to the recent announcement made by THQ Nordic, stating that it will be taking over Koch Media.

Koch Media had been the one holding the rights to the Saints Row and Metro IPs and post the acquisition they will belong to THQ Nordic. THQ Nordic has the resources and intentions to keep the titles alive. Koch Media which had been valued at 91 million Euros has been acquired for a net 121 million Euros. When combining the assets from both giants, the parent company has control over 36 internal and external studios and about 106 IPs which includes games like Red Faction, MX vs. ATV, Darksiders, Metro, Saints Row, Homefront.

While THQ Nordic has bought Koch Media, the latter will still function as a separate entity with no change in the company. 

Play Rainbow Six Siege Free from February 15-20; 30% discount till March 3, 2018

Ubisoft is known to let players access some of their titles for free during special weekends and the coming February 15-20, 2018 their tactical shooter game 'Rainbow Six Siege' will be available to play for all people. This will be a great opportunity for potential buyers to try out the game and see if they will like the experience that the game has to offer, before actually buying it. There is also a 30% discount offer running till March 3, 2018 which bring the price of the PC version of the game from Rs 2,999 to Rs 2,099. You can buy the game for either PS4 or Xbox One at more or less a similar price.



Rainbow Six Siege is the 11th installment in the series and gives players the choice to play from both sides of the law in first person mode. The game is available for major platforms including PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Launched in 2015, the game is now 3 years old and still enjoying a lot of success with over 25 million players playing the game even now. The free weekend comes just a little before the Chimera DLC that will include two new operators and a new map.

Need For Speed Payback Patch introduces free roam, improved Snapshot Pro and more

Ghost Games released a new patch for 'Need For Speed Payback' one day before Valentine's Day. The patch includes a bunch of additions and improvements but the one that stands out the most would be the much requested free roam mode termed Alldrive: Hangout. Players will be able to roam around Fortune Valley and even meet with other players for just hanging out (hence the name Hangout) and for some scenic screenshots as well.

Speaking of screenshots, Snapshots Pro, the in-game screenshot mechanic has also seen improvements like extended distance for camera as well as the ability to take screenshots mid takedowns. Now that we are super excited about! New filters have also been added and the camera movement sensitivity has been tweaked further.

Gameplay wise, Catch-up packs have been added to the game that can be found in the Tune-up shop and bought with in-game currency. The Catch-up packs help your car gain higher levels and equipment at an increased pace. There are 3 packs:

• Level 6 pack which unlocks after reaching the end of Chapter 3 and costs 71,400
• Level 11 pack which unlocks after reaching the end of Chapter 4 and costs 1,31,000
• Level 16 pack which unlocks after reaching the end of Chapter 5 and costs 1,80,000

On the customisation front, there are new Underglow and Tire Smoke variants that can unlocked and equipped. There is now an option to sell or trade-in all the unequipped speed cards in a given category.

Accompanying these major changes are a host of other fixes like textures acting funny for specific missions, subtitles displaying things that devs did not want players to see and more such things. If you have been plagues by any such issue then you can follow this link to read about all the specific fixes and see if the one that haunted you has gone for good or not - https://goo.gl/bE1unr

Two new Free DLCs announced for Real Farm

Owners of farming simulator game, 'Real Farm' would be glad to know that the game's publisher, SOEDESCO, has announced that the first two DLC for the game would be free. The DLCs - The Potato Pack and the Grünes Tal Map - will launch on March 2, 2018.



Real Farm is currently available for PC, PlayStation 4 and the family of Xbox One devices including Xbox One X. Both of these DLC are free of charge for owners of the game prior to DLC launch. You can buy the gamer on Steam for Rs 569. This agriculture simulator provides you with a vast open world that can be viewed in 4k at 60fps. There are two game modes - Career and Free in which you can manage your livestock, crops and marketplace in real time.

The Potato Pack adds potatoes as a new crop while the Grünes Tal Map adds an entirely new map area. 2 new harvesters have joined the roaster of vehicles that you can drive along with 5 new attachments for the existing ones.

Those who own Real Farm before the DLC launches can enjoy the green valleys of the Grünes Tal Map for free. For those who buy Real Farm after the launch, the map costs €9,99/$9.99. On Steam, Real Farm players automatically receive the Grünes Tal Map DLC once it launches. On PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the map is free to download for 7 days after launch and becomes a paid DLC after that period.