In this weeks bulletin, we discuss the new Assassin’s Creed game, Communism in Fallout 76, paper versions of old hardware, a new retro emulator, the Scandinavian folklore based Röki, a TV series based on Brothers in Arms, 12 narrative games which will get you into reading again and a new book about diversity in video games!
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla unvealed
The big news of this week: the new Assassin’s Creed game has been announced. It seems we are going to sail some boats and fight whilst dual wielding axes. Of course I’m talking about a Viking themed AC game! This was no real surprise, but Ubisoft made sure to make a party of the release. This wednesday, Ubisoft announced the title and setting for the new Assassin’s Creed game with a 8 hour livestream of artist Bosslogic making a digital artwork of the game (which is the featured image of this bulletin). Yesterday, Ubisoft also dropped the trailer for the game, which you can check here. You can also check the developer commentary below! Or have a look at our latest stream, where we discuss the trailer. Are you excited? I am!
Communism in Fallout 76
With the addition of the Atom Store in Fallout 76, you can buy many new items, some related to communism. The Collectron is one of them. It will collect useful items for you whilst you are doing other stuff in the nuclear wasteland. However, that’s where the spectre of revolution is looming. Bethesda have made the Collectron in such a way, that it will bring back lots of communist propaganda from the world, and not so much useful items. There is no way to stop it collecting propaganda, you either accept it or not. Read more on the Collectron and it’s quirky ways on Rock Paper Shotgun!
Build paper versions of classic computers
Old hardware has a cool look to it. However, it might not be very useful for your daily computing needs. Well, luckily for us, designer Rocky Bergen has made (free) paper models of old computers. A great way to spend some time, you can now awe at the amazing design of older computers without having 20 kilo’s of equipment lying around! Read more at Rocky’s website here!
Evercade review
Some more ‘old’ hardware for you: the Evercade. The new handheld, retro emulator where you can play some golden retro games. The designers have even gone for a full-retro vibe, with the games coming in cartridges instead of a SD card. You can even hook it up to a large screen with a HDMI-link! Furthermore, the emulator will cost you around $100, with each cartridge coming in at around $20. However, these cartridges ship with full color manuals, adding to the experience. A nice piece of kit for the retro gaming enthusiasts, according to John Linneman of Eurogamer. Read his review here, or watch the review by Digital Foundry below!
Röki: dark and mysterious Scandinavian folklore
I’m a big fan of narrative games. The LudoNarraCon, a digital convention of narrative games held last week, was a great way to get to know some new narrative games. Emma Matthews of PC Gamer did the same, and stumbled upon Röki, a game based on Scandinavian Folklore. A dark and mysterious game where you wander around a cold and dark forest. The demo is still available free to play this friday (!). It will also be released on the Nintendo Switch. Read more of Emma Matthews experiences here!
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 is getting a TV adaptation
Gearbox’s much loved WW2 themed FPS Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 is getting a TV adaptation. The Brothers in Arms series are based upon a group of soldiers of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, fighting through Normandy and the Netherlands. The story of the TV series will slightly deviate from the game however, as the soldiers set about rescuing their colonel from enemy troops. More to be announced soon! Read more in this article of Eurogamer.
12 games for when you’re too restless to read
Reading is a great way to pass some time, but in these difficult times of lockdowns, getting your mind in a read-setting can be hard. The Guardian made a list of 12 games who on their own accord, play with words and narratives, which might get you ready for some more reading. Take a look at the list here!
Gamer Trouble
Last week, we posted a call for papers about women in video games. If this is a topic you’re interested in, as well as other related discussions on diversity in video games, you might want to check out this new book: Gamer Trouble. Feminist Confrontations in Digital Culture by Amanda Phillips. In the book, Phillips excavates the turbulent relationships between surface and depth in contemporary gaming culture, taking readers under the hood of the mechanisms of video games in order to understand the ways that difference gets baked into its technological, ludic, ideological, and social systems.