Video Games
Early Access Features and More Revealed for ‘Dune: Spice Wars’
After the brief reveal at The Game Awards, Funcom and Shiro Games have revealed a bit more info on about their upcoming strategy title based on Frank Herbert’s Dune in Dune: Spice Wars. The info comes from the newly updated Community FAQ page on Spice Wars‘ Steam page, which details the game mechanics, as well as what players can expect during the game’s Early Access phase.
According to the FAQ, Spice Wars will be a hybrid of real-time strategy and 4X strategy (think Civilization). The game will be in real time, but have a slower pace than in a typical RTS. “The game also features exploration, territory control, economic growth, combat, politics and spying, features that make it a true 4X game but do not detract from the core RTS experience that players would expect.” That being said, Spice Wars will feature base building, though you won’t be manually placing buildings on the ground.
As for the Houses that players can choose to play as, at the moment, House Harkonnen and House Atreides have been announced as the playable factions. Shiro is planning to have two other factions at launch, followed by a fifth faction during Early Access. The post also alludes to additional factions in the future.
At the moment, Spice Wars is a single-player focused game, although Shiro plans on adding multiplayer during Early Access. The team states that they’re choosing to focus on the core gameplay first, given the chunk of development time needed to fully realize the game.
As for when we’ll be able to play the game, Shiro plans on having the game out on Steam later this year. “We’ll also look at other potential distribution platforms in the coming months.”
Video Games
Definitive Edition of Throwback Survival Horror Game ‘Doctor Viscera’ Launches June 23 [Trailer]
For those who enjoy their survival horror gaming with a side of old-school cheese, you have Liminal Road’s Doctor Viscera. Released last October on Steam, the game is set to receive its Definitive Edition next week on June 23rd, with plans for a release on consoles to be shared soon. The Doctor Viscera: Definitive Edition will include a variety of improvements, adjustments, and new content designed to make the experience even more intense. All of this content will be available free to existing owners.
For those not in the know, Doctor Viscera is a throwback survival horror title with PSX-inspired visuals, where you must escape the abandoned GrimmHaus Asylum. You must explore the asylum’s various rooms, find useful items, and solve puzzles to unlock new areas and discover escape routes. At the same time, you’ll need to be on the lookout for the Doctor and his grotesque experiments.
The biggest addition to the Definitive Edition is the Nurse, a brand-new enemy who will actively pursue players throughout the campaign. Although slower than the eponymous doctor, the nurse introduces a completely different gameplay dynamic by using ranged attacks with a firearm, forcing players to rethink their routes, strategies, and survival tactics.
Under certain circumstances, you can disarm the Nurse, creating entirely new situations and possibilities within the game.
Doctor Viscera: Definitive Edition also introduces a new area to the map, featuring a tram system. In addition to serving as a new exploration route, it can also be used to quickly escape pursuers and travel between different sections of the asylum.
The update also brings improvements across multiple aspects of the experience, including:
- Level design changes
- Puzzle redesigns
- Performance optimizations
- New immersive audio system
- Controller support
- New menu interfaces
If you’re looking to check out the game before buying it, you can check out the demo that’s also available on Steam.