News by Ginny W. and Lindsay M.
Welcome to Digitally Downloaded’s regular catch-up news feature. With each issue we will bring you the best news that you may have missed. Grab the biggest mug you’ve got, fill it with your favourite brew, and catch up with us (and our favourite news anchor, Dee Dee)!
Before the Storm: Episode 3 drops just before Christmas
By Ginny W., Contributor
We now have a release date for episode 3 of Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, titled Hell is Empty. While we’ve already heard a fair bit around the special bonus chapter, Farewell, releasing in early 2018 which will have Ashly Burch on board once again as Chloe Price, Square Enix has only just announced that Hell is Empty will be available on December 20 on Xbox, Playstation and PC.
The first two episodes of Before the Storm have been critically received, and with Brave New World throwing somewhat of a spanner into the plot, it’ll be interesting to see which threads are resolved in Hell is Empty and to hopefully get a better idea of where Farewell will take us.
It may not sound like quintessential Christmas entertainment, but if people can watch Die Hard over the festive season then you can bet that December 20 can’t come soon enough for fans of the series. Life is Strange had an incredibly poignant ending, and the way things are going, this prequel is going to be just as emotionally driven as we’ve been expecting.
New VR update, DLC for our favourite titilating title
By Lindsay M., News Editor
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No, not the holiday season: it’s time for the patch for Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash that ads VR to the title, as well as as DLC character pack. Despite being in the chilly North, I feel the air around me warming to tropical levels. Time to get wet!
Patch 1.03 packs the VR update, and is available now along with the DLC (which I talk about next). You can dress and pose the characters, immersing yourself in their world, or make dioramas featuring up to three characters.
The Valkyrie Drive -Bhikkhuni- character pack brings Peach Beach Splash’s Western version up to date with the Japanese one, bringing Rinka and Ranka from Bhikkhuni into the lineup of third-party characters available. Splash on!
The Pillars of the Earth’s Book 2 releasing soon
By Lindsay M., News Editor
A long, worthy trek for Ken Follet fans, The Pillars of the Earth is based on his book of the same name. Our own Moshe reviewed the title’s original release, book one, here www.digitallydownloaded.net/2017/08/review-ken-folletts-pillars-of-earth.html; he describes the title as “[demonstrating] how video games, when played attentively, [is] the most advanced tool currently available to humanity with which the masses can experience the completely foreign and learn from it.” That’s quite difficult to follow up on, I imagine, but the good news is that Book 2 really is more of what fans loved from Book 1.
Book 2 promises to be more bloody and brutal, but I doubt that’s what players are coming for. It will be available on December 13 for Steam, the end of December for GOG, and on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One sometime in January. It’s not paid DLC, a novelty in this day and age – Book 2 (and later Book 3) are available for all owners of the title free of charge. Essentially, pay once price and get all the DLC at no additional cost. The second instalment alone features over 200 additional hand-painted backgrounds created with a Medieval History expert’s help.
Book 2, titled Sowing the Wind, rejoins Jack and Aliena. They are all grown up and fighting to save Kingsbridge. They, as well as those they knew at love, are threatened by Aliena’s rejected lover… who has become earl and joined bishop Waleran. There’s certainly going to be trouble ahead. This Book promises to be fast-paced with far more action than the last.
Use music to save humanity as Omega Quintet comes to PC
By Lindsay M., News Editor
I’m ashamed to say that Omega Quintet is one of the two dozen titles in my PlayStation 4 backlog; that being said, with the news of the Ghostlight title coming to PC it’s been bumped to the top of my list. That’s right, the RPG/Idol Simulator hybrid is coming to another medium, expanding the game’s reach! I’m sure you remember is, as Matt called it www.digitallydownloaded.net/2015/04/review-omega-quintet-sony-playstation-4.html “a deep JRPG mixed with both satire and humour… something you haven’t seen before.”
A phenomenon known as Blare is threatening all life on earth, eating the minds of humans (ew?). But one small city with five really special girls seems safe from the threat, as these Verse Maidens have powerful abilities. Sure, they’re musical… but an ability is an ability, and this one is just the ticket to defeating Blare. Each girl has a sound weapon. Every battle is a stage. Every girl is customisable. I’m itching to turn on my PS4 as I write this…
As with JRPGs, there is a system of unlockable attacks. The more you unlock, the more powerful your girls will become. Customisation goes past skills (the Harmonix system), with each idol having different outfits, accessories, hair, and mics to choose from. One new addition is that you can use your mouse to create extra effects during concerts.
