In this week’s bulletin, we discuss ODIN: Valhalla Rising, an Oral History of Age of Empires, GOTY, Empire of Sin, Amazing Cultivation Simulator, 50 years of gaming revenue, Mask of the Rose, Ancient Cities, Sumerians, Tolkien’s house and our Imperator Rome Series!
ODIN: Valhalla Rising
Yes more Valhalla, but not the Assassin’s Creed one! ODIN: Valhalla Rising is a MMORGP in development by the Korean Lionheart Studio. The game will feature an open-world, where players get to explore Norse mythology. It looks ambitious, but promising. The game is set to launch in 2021, initially only in Korea, but with growing interest for Korean made games in the rest of the world, it seems that it will also be available elsewhere. Read more on Gamerant.
An Oral History of Age of Empires
Age of Empires is one of those games which made a lasting impact on gaming as we know it now. And the series has an interesting history. Shacknews made a very cool feature, with some of the main people behind the game. It’s a really long read, so I can’t really summarize it, but there is a lot to take in. Read more about it on Shacknews.
Interactive Pasts Games of the Year
You might have already seen it pass by, but you’re all invited to send us your nominations for game(s) of the year! You can nominate up to five games, from any genre or with any topic, as long as they are not in closed beta or anything like that. Board games and other non-digital games are also allowed! Read more on Games of the Year (in menu bar as well).
Empire of Sin
Empire of Sin was released a few days ago, and the reviews are in. And they are mixed, to say the least. PCGamesN made a very useful overview of all the scores, and we can see a variation of scores, from 5/10 to 8/10. We had a stab at the game ourselves on yesterday’s stream (see below) and were also quite in the middle. It’s an interesting game sure, and the historical content is fun, but it does get a bit repetitive after a while.
However, the era the game depicts (Prohibition) is not often represented in video games. In a talk posted on Paradox’ YouTube, designer Brenda Romero talks with author Daniel Okrent, who wrote books on the era. Interesting video for sure!
Amazing Cultivation Simulator
The Amazing Cultivation Simulator (yes that’s the name) is a management game about spiritual balance. Originally a Chinese game, it’s now available on Steam. Taking inspiration from games such as Rimworld (especially visually and mechanically), you build up your settlement and rebuild the Taiyi Sect, based on early Chinese literature. Read more on PCGamesN.
50 years of Gaming History Revenue
What if you visualise 50 years of gaming history, and especially the revenue made by games? You get the image Visual Capitalist made (see below). It’s amazing to see how different elements and platforms of gaming have grown and shrunk over the years (like arcade). However, it only seems to be getting bigger, most due to the huge revenue generated by Mobile Games. Read more about the image on Visual Capitalist.
Mask of the Rose
This week, Mask of the Rose was announced by Failbetter Games. Set in their Fallen Londen universe, Mask of the Rose is a visual novel based on Victorian era Film Noir. Failbetter will use a Kickstarter campain, which will launch in February 2021, to fund the game. Read more on Failbettergames or watch the trailer below!
Ancient Cities Early Access date
Uncasual Games announced that their game Ancient Cities will hit Early Access on the 17th of December! The game had a closed beta for quite some time (which I played), but was under NDA and not available to everyone. From 17 December onward, everyone can support and play the game. And we can also stream it, so keep your eyes open for that!
Sumerians in Early Access
Some more citybuilding news: Sumerians is now also in Early Access. In development by Decumanus Games, you can now build some very nice ziggurats in a Mesopotamia based game! Dr. Ymir really loves it (although he claims to be bad at it). I’ve played it as well, and it’s pretty good! And it’s only €15, so that’s quite cheap for a pretty fun game. And since it is in EA, more will be added over time. Go play it, it’s cool!
Help save Tolkien’s house!
You most likely know J.R.R Tolkien, the writer of the The Lord of the Rings. Well, he lived somewhere in England, and a project is set up to save his house for the future. Called Project Northmoor, it aims to buy the house, restore it and make it a preservation center about Tolkien. No museum, but a center where people can see and learn about Tolkien and the time he wrote the books. Check out more on Project Northmoor!
Imperator Rome series
TimesnewRoman made another awesome video on Imperator Rome! In this weeks episode, she looks at Britian, and how barbaric it is! Check it below, and stay tuned for more.