NACON has introduced to us here at STG their new range of Designed for Xbox accessories; the NACON MG-X Series, specially designed for Android mobile devices and cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate; and two new customizable controllers designed for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Windows 10 PC.

With all the functionality of official game controllers, NACON’s MG-X Series allows Xbox fans to enjoy an optimal gaming experience on smartphones.

The two MG-X controllers are sturdy and include adjustable stands that securely accommodate any Android smartphone up to 6.7 inches. In just a few taps, the smartphone wirelessly (Bluetooth 4.2) connects to the controller and provides up to 20 hours of gaming thanks to the included rechargeable battery.

The MG-X is a compact model, which fits all hand sizes and is ultra-portable. With its gamer-focused design, it turns smartphones into a handheld console.

For an experience closer to traditional controllers, players will want to choose the MG-X Pro. With its two handles and traditional controller shape, it provides comfort and robustness to fully enjoy your favorite smartphone games.

The Revolution continues on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S! The Revolution family of controllers is expanding and welcoming its very first Designed for Xbox model. Fully customizable and optimized for competitive gaming on consoles and PC, all of NACON’s expertise in professional controllers has gone into the Revolution X. With full-featured software for creating profiles, a carry case, stick accessories and additional weights, it will appeal to the most demanding gamers.

With ergonomics tailored to a wide range of hand sizes, gamers will love the many customization options available with NACON’s Pro Compact controller. As well as enjoying all the classic features of the Xbox Wireless Controller, fans can choose a standard game mode or advanced mode thanks to the dedicated app available for consoles and PC.

The Pro Compact is a versatile and accessible model with many different settings usually found on professional controllers, including programmable buttons, stick settings and trigger sensitivity controls. It is an ideal choice for gamers looking for the best in comfort and customization.

The MG-X Series designed for cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, as well as the Revolution X and Pro Compact controllers designed for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC, will be available in early 2021.

Everyone that works on STG is a volunteer. If you like the site and it’s contents please think about donating. Even a small amount helps keep the servers running.

The post NACON UNVEILS ITS RANGE OF ‘DESIGNED FOR XBOX’ ACCESSORIES appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Big Ben’s Overpass gives players to chance to try their hand at negotiating extreme terrain on UTV and ATV off-road vehicles.

Years ago, I was living in a house where one of my housemates was a huge motorsports fan. But he wasn’t interested in the clinical science of Formula 1, or even touring cars. He would watch crazy Icelandic drivers driving buggies up the vertical inclines of the island’s inhospitable volcanic landscape. Exhausting to even watch, the drivers would inevitably roll and flip their machines traversing an environment not meant to be driven across.

Overpass, with its off-road action and challenging terrain, reminded me of that crazy Icelandic motorsport.

Overpass is a good attempt at digitally recreating the precision and patience required of 4×4 driving. Don’t expect to be flying around well-manicured dirt tracks. Lead-footed drivers need not apply. The almost impossibly rugged terrain requires a careful hand and disciplined driving.

I’ll be honest, at first, I found the game immensely frustrating. Overpass is not a racing game. It’s more like an extreme obstacle course. It was only when I started to draw on my own limited 4×4 experience that I started to ‘get’ the game.

It didn’t take long, with the help of the tutorial, to figure out what to do. Using combinations of the 4×4 powertrain and diff lock, as well as knowing when to take it slow and when to apply throttle, I was soon able to cross seemingly impassable obstacles.

Unfortunately, on the Xbox One X, the game runs with some of the most distracting screen-tearing visual artifacts I’ve ever experienced on the platform. I have no idea why the game needs the v-sync off (the image refresh to framerate synchronisation that stops screen tearing).

The visuals don’t look like they are pushing the Xbox One’s capabilities to such an extent that the developers should need the extra performance boost gained by switching off v-sync. The visuals really let the game down,a distraction from what is otherwise a very clever off-road driving simulator.

The game features forty-three tracks over several different environments. The tracks are littered with obstacles, such as logs rocks, and even see-saws, that all need to be carefully traversed. There’s also the terrain, itself mounting a challenge of its own.

Players can choose to drive UTV buggies or ATV quad bikes. Whilst the buggies have better handling, quad bikes afford the player with a little more control by allowing the rider to shift their weight forward, backwards and sideways to help keep the machine from toppling. The vehicles can be switched from 4WD to 2WD (why?). Some vehicles can also switch on the diff lock for better traction. The vehicle simulation does a good job of recreating the high torque and slow speeds required of these machines in order to successfully negotiate obstacles, and the careful balance of throttle / tyre grip required to keep up the momentum.

I sometimes found that the rear-view camera was slow to rotate with the vehicle when approaching hazards, out of view, requiring me to back up, losing time. But the camera is adjustable, so you can better see what approaching from the driving seat rather than the third-person view from behind.

The game features a campaign mode as well as the option for a quick race. When I say race, they are really only time trials. Multiplayer is available with local split screen and hot-seat as well as online.

Ignoring the game’s graphical deficiencies, Overpass succeeds in simulating off-road driving.

Whether or not it’s actually fun, I’m not too sure. At times I found the game very frustrating, but at other times quite exhilarating. This is possible due to the varying difficulties of the tracks and not really having the right vehicle for the terrain. Nevertheless, I can see some less patient driver out there not getting on with it.

At the end of the day, Overpass is a technically competent simulation of off-road driving.very much marred by its lacklustre presentation.This is not a rally game. It’s also not a game that I’d recommend to anyone unless they are looking for a challenging off-road driving game.

The post Overpass (Xbox One) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The third and last phase of the closed beta for Rugby 20 on Xbox One will be from 19 December 2019 to 3 January 2020.

Players who pre-ordered the game may once again dive into the world of the oval-shaped ball during the year-end holidays in anticipation of the full release of the game on 23 January 2020 on Xbox One, PC and January 28 on PlayStation 4 in North America.

Pre-ordering gives you an early taste of the new-generation rugby simulation and gives you the opportunity to share your opinions and feedback with the developers on the game’s official Facebook page.

While the beta only includes national teams, the final version will contain significantly more licensed content, with 69 official teams, 4 leagues and over 2,000 players faithfully reproduced in the game. Rugby fans will be able to replay some of the sport’s greatest matches, solo or with friends.

With a strong focus on simulation, Rugby 20 offers players all the elements that make up modern rugby: tactical changes during matches, attacking pods, passing after contact and set plays. Rugby fans will find all the sport’s essential elements in the video game.

With real tactical depth, the addition of a set plays system, revised motion-capture animations, redesigned AI and innovative gameplay, Rugby 20 is ready to become the new standard for rugby video games.

The post Rugby 20 Reveals Full Extent of its Official Licenses appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The year was 1995 and a vehicle based video game released that changed the playing field.

Destruction Derby was a metal twisting fest of carnage where in-game physics took on a more real world flavour.

Since then most racing video games have included a damage engine, some more realistic than others.

Recently a title that I liken to a tribute to that original classic released; Wreckfest.

Bugbear and Bigben Interactive’s cross between the already mentioned Destruction Derby and another iconic franchise; Flatout initially released in 2018 and now has smashed it’s way on to PS4 and Xbox One.

Wreckfest brings the physics, the crunches, the paint trading and real world carnage to an epic level where you literally find yourself tightly gripping your control pad as you partake in arena death-like matches and high tension adrenalin fuelled races – aiming to be in the top spot, hoping your vehicle makes it through.

Modes of gameplay are the expected; Career, Multiplayer (incl. online) and Custom Event – which is exactly as it sounds. Choose a selection from an array of options to create your own event to challenge others with.

Career has a few options too. World Masters, Challengers, National Amateurs and Pro Internationals. But these are all locked until you forge your way through Regional Juniors which boasts a few diverse games, such as Arena destruction through to ride-on lawnmowers…

Overall the challenging modes not only just under Career but throughout are widely unique from eachother and there’s alot of them.

You have a modest selection of vehicles to select from, these differ for the type and range depending on what the challenge you are currently in. Naturally as you progress more sturdier and beefy rides become available.

Competitions are fierce and do not expect an easy ride if you’re a novice.

As fast and furious as the gameplay is, loading times are slow. Very slow. For those that like to put their foot down and drive faster than their speedo can recognise this may be a put off.

But, if you like a bit of quiet tension between races and matches Wreckfest is a lot of fun. Whether you choose to go solo or battle it out in online matches a game such as this had been way overdue and Bigben have done it right.

The post Wreckfest (Xbox One) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The rise of Occultists is wreaking havoc.

As their evil plans begin to spread throughout the land you are called upon by Teclis, a higher Elf as the hero to save all.

But is Teclis just using your goodwill for his own plans…?

Warhammer: Chaosbane is a top down RPG dungeon crawler.

You begin with the selection of three character sets; Dwarf, Elf and Soldier.

Each bears their own strengths and weaknesses and as you get in to play will have their own unique skill-sets which as you level up, will be able to upgrade and hone new abilities.

Skillpoints are awarded at the end of each Mission, which is given out by Teclis. You will generally chat to him at the end of every successful quest for your next objective.

Those that have played hack and slash dungeon crawlers before will be familiar with the play, as you loot, collect items from those that you kill and destroy objects in your environment to reap their hidden goodies.

This brings me to a point – the amount of destructible items in your environments is slim. A few barrels here and there and if you explore an entire area you will come across Chests.

Larger foes give items aswell, but for the most part you will collect a lot of Gold.

This is used as in-game currency, however to begin with any form of trade with merchants is locked – until your reputation reaches a certain level, or until you have made your way through a good portion of play.

So, if you want to relieve yourself of your unused items you can donate it to a merchant – which you do gain benefit from, such as an item here or there and a reputation increase.

The better your reputation the better items you get and how other in-game NPCs may or may not react to you.

The onscreen HUD details your currently button assigned skills, your health which upon a timed recharge can be topped up endlessly.

From around level 10 for your chosen hero you will gain Bloodlust. This enables you perform a super-move in combat. To refill your Bloodlust gauge you will need to work through many waves of enemies throughout the Levels and collects Blood Orbs as you kill them.

Die and your Gold, or Fragments (that you also collect from time to time) become super valuable to you. To revive it’s going to cost you a set amount of Gold or Fragments – if you have none of that, it’s back to the beginning of that Level.

Equipping armour of heavier more powerful weapons is simple enough from the Inventory menu which is basically an item wheel with each icon being a container for your currently collected and available goodies.

Skills are upgraded by way of spending Skillpoints and are character level specific.

Change your play difficulty at anytime and you’ll find that your items degrade.

Warhammer: Chaosbane is pure excellence though I do see some that play this may tire of the repetitiveness of the Levels.

While each area is a different location as far the narrative goes – they do look strikingly the same and even, breakable objects can be found in similar places. 

Combat is sourced from waves of enemies that tend to cluster in parts of each Level and while clearing through a horde of enemies of varying sizes, strengths and beasts the bestiary is not that vast, so expect a lot of the same combat and enemies to kill throughout.

On the face of it, Bigben Interactive and EKO Software have created a fantastic Warhammer RPG, and the first dungeon crawler in the Warhammer gaming space. Chaosbane naturally has a online component in ‘Find a Game’ aswell as differing modes for each Level which need to be unlocked.

I loved this game, a lot and fans of hack and slashers / dungeon crawlers are likely to agree that it is expansive enough with a engaging Warhammer based narrative that just keeps you playing. Many times I said, ‘okay – one more Level’ and before I knew it I had done three or four.

Asides from a couple of shortcuts with environmental assets, Warhammer: Chaosbane is an exceptional game and one that just keeps you going and replayability is endless with online.

The post Warhammer: Chaosbane (PlayStation 4) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Ukrainian developers, Frogwares invite players to investigate macabre goings on in a tormented sinking city.

Developers continue to mine the esoteric works of H.P. Lovecraft and his Cthulhu Mythos, and understandably so. Lovecraft’s tales offer gamers weird and surreal gaming experiences with peculiar and unique narratives, compared to the usual fayre. It’s an opportunity to play with an established brand for what is probably isn’t a very steep licensing price. Unfortunately, like many of Lovecraft’s stories, these games usually come across as dated.

Thankfully, The Sinking City is an exception. Whilst lacking in a bit of polish, there is, for those that persevere, a very entertaining game lurking beneath the so-so visuals and clunky combat mechanics.

The game is set in the 1920s, in keeping with H.P Lovecraft’s stores, and centres on Charles Reed, a private investigator. He is looking into the nightmarish visions that are drawing people to the mysterious flooded town of Oakmont. The isolated town isn’t marked on maps and seems full of secrets and occult goings on.

Shortly after his arrival, Charles is hired by influential local, Robert Throgmorton to investigate the disappearance of a team that he sent out to investigate the possible origin of the visions. Players familiar with Lovecraft’s short story, The Call of Cthulhu with will note the references. In Lovecraft’s tale it was an oceanic upheaval that revealed the ruins of the Elder Gods and for a short time released Cthulhu unleashing strange visions upon artists and poets around the world.

The Sinking City keeps its cards close to its chest and does little to invite new players into the game. Instead of supplying a map full of handy icons pointing to the next location, players have to piece together clues and find locations themselves.

For the first couple of hours I did not enjoy the game at all. The slightly more involved game mechanics, took some getting used to, but I was already jarred by the game’s rough presentation. If I wasn’t reviewing the game, I’d have likely put it down before things really got started. And I imagine, many players will do just that.

But, if you put the game down before Charles dons a deep-sea diving suit and dives to the depths of the ocean, you quit too early. You’ll have missed out on a game that, despite appearances, has a lot to offer players that like a good supernatural mystery.

The game is set in a fairly large open-world city. Whilst much of Oakmont is accessible on foot, the flooded areas are reached via conveniently located motor boats. The game has a fast travel system that allows players to travel between telephone boxes, once they have been discovered.

Investigating cases involves following leads and searching locations for objects and information. Once the location has been properly searched, Charles can step into the scene, using his mind’s eye ability, observing static representations of prior events. Placing them in order unravels what happened and reveals clues. By using his mind palace Charles can combine clues to make deductions that can be used to advance the case. It’s hardly surprising that many of the developer’s previous games have been Sherlock Holmes adventures.

As well as a main case, additional optional cases are offered for investigation by the residents of the town. These range from entire sub-plots to collecting items from building in the flooded part of the city.

In all fairness, the game’s visuals aren’t bad, is just that playing the game on an Xbox One X, the console struggled to retain a decent frame rate. Whilst for a game that more about detective work, the frame-rate isn’t too much of a hindrance. On the occasions that you need to engage in combat, the game’s performance makes an already poor combat mechanic that much worse.

Bullets are used as currency in Oakmont; thus, they are very scarce. So, trying to hit a weird and very athletic monster with your few remaining bullets, using an aiming mechanic that barely works, tends to become an exercise in frustration. Thankfully, there’s plenty of salvage to be found to craft better equipment and abilities to upgrade in order to even the odds.

Overall, The Sinking City has a lot to offer those with the patience to overlook its technical faults. The deduction gameplay is not going to be for everyone, but for most it should be a welcome change in an age where games usually spoon-feed players. The story is well-written and very intriguing and, of course, for Lovecraft fans the game’s a must. It does, however take a while to get going. Those all-important first few hours do little overcome the games shortcomings. But if you stick with it, The Sinking City reveals itself to be a deep and interesting, if at times unnerving, adventure game.

The post The Sinking City (Xbox One) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Bigben and development studio KT Racing are pleased to announce TT Isle of Man 2, the sequel to the official game of the Isle of Man’s iconic Tourist Trophy motorcycle race. Several images have been released for the announcement. The game will be available in 2020 on consoles and PC.

This motorcycle racing sim is developed by KT Racing, a development studio specialising in racing games and known for creating the first TT Isle of Man game and other games based on the WRC franchise. The new game will recreate the Snaefell Mountain course even more accurately and offer a vastly improved riding experience so that all the thrills of racing are faithfully captured.

Created in 1907, the Isle of Man TT is one of the world’s most iconic races for motorcyclists.

It is certainly the most demanding and difficult motorcycle race. The course snakes through the Isle of Man’s winding and narrow roads. Riders reach speeds of over 300 km/h, take off over bumps and scrape against low walls on a 60-km course with more than 250 bends to be memorised by heart: it’s a breathtaking challenge!

TT Isle of Man 2 will be available in 2020 on consoles and PC.

The post THE WORLD’S MOST CHALLENGING MOTORCYCLE RACE IS BACK! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Roland Garros, BNP Paribas and BIGBEN are delighted to announce the second edition of the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas, an e-sport competition played on the Tennis World Tour video game, which will crown this year’s world tennis gaming champion.

The qualifying rounds will be launched in ten different countries in February to decide which national champions will take part in the international final, which will be played during the Roland Garros tournament.

Following on from the enthusiasm shown for the first Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas, we wanted to go one step further this year with the second edition of this international e-tennis tournament, to offer fans and gamers the best possible experience. I’m convinced that this new worldwide competition and its new features will incite great enthusiasm in participants from the competition’s ten host countries. We are proud to share this ambition with our partners BNP Paribas and BIGBEN, and are eager to get this new season started!” explained Stéphane Morel, Deputy CEO of the French Tennis Federation’s Marketing and Business Development department.

This year, the tournament is even bigger! Germany and the United States are joining the eight countries from the 2018 line-up: France, China, India, Brazil, Great Britain, Belgium, Italy and Spain. For this second edition, the Roland Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas is forging new bonds with the tennis world by organising certain national finals off-court at some of the tour’s tournaments, such as the Internazionali BNL di Roma and the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes de Lyon. BNP Paribas will also host national finals in its premises in Shanghai, Bombay, Frankfurt and London.

The national qualifying rounds will be launched on the Tennis World Tour’s online mode on PlayStation 4, to open the competition up to as many people as possible. The eight best players in each country’s first qualifying phase will then come together in person to play a final qualifying round in their respective country. The winners of these national finals will be invited to represent their country in the grand final, which will decide the winner of the 2019 Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas.

Two special tournaments will be organized. One is reserved for registered members of the French Tennis Federation, and the other is an online tournament for members of the We Are Tennis by BNP Paribas platform. Held during the first week of Roland Garros, this tournament will decide who takes the last place in the final.

For the second year in a row, this international grand final will be held during the Parisian Grand Slam, with spectacular staging that is designed to immerse the participants in an atmosphere that echoes that of the most prestigious professional tournaments. The participants will share an exceptional cash prize of €10,000, half of which will be awarded to the winner!

In this second edition of the tournament, the participants will play each other on a pre-release version of the latest Tennis World Tour – Roland-Garros Edition video game, which is due to be released on the 16th of May, 2019 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. It is a unique opportunity to discover the game’s new features, in particular the newly-renovated Philippe Chatrier court, centre court at Roland Garros.

“We are delighted to extend our partnership with the FFT and to support the RG eSeries by BNP Paribas for the second year running. For several months, the studio has been working on improving the gaming experience and enabling this tournament’s participants to play each other on the famous Philippe-Chatrier court that will feature in the Roland-Garros Edition of Tennis World Tour, which is due to be released in May. Eagerly-awaited by the community, this online competition is an integral part of the game, so we are delighted to be part of this fantastic tournament,” announced Thomas Carpentier, product manager at BIGBEN.

This year once again, BNP Paribas are confirming their commitment to supporting “all branches of tennis” by continuing to develop innovations and new practices connected with video gaming.

“The organisation of this second edition of the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas, in collaboration with the FFT, was a logical step for us. As a long-term sponsor of tennis, the bank has always supported the innovations developed in this sport, especially ones that concern the younger generations,” explained Vincent-Baptiste Closon, international sponsorships manager at BNP Paribas.

For more information or to enter the qualifying rounds, go HERE.

[Adsense-C]

The post World’s first tennis gaming tournament is back! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Bigben and Eko Software are announcing that preorders of Warhammer: Chaosbane are now available on Xbox Store aswell as the PS Store with the game’s release date set for the 4th of June, 2019.

Warhammer: Chaosbane will offer two beta phases starting in March. These will be accessible only to the players who have preordered the game. Aside from this exclusive access, they’ll receive an experience bonus active for the entirety of the character’s progression as well as a pack of 4 legendary crates.

The first beta phase will take place in March and the second in April. Players will have an exclusive opportunity to discover the beginning of the campaign and test the different classes and their synergy in cooperative mode. More precise information concerning the dates and the content of these phases will be provided at a later date.

In Warhammer: Chaosbane, each class offers the player distinct abilities and gameplay. As you cooperate, online or locally, with up to 4 players, cooperation and strategy will be essential to doing away with the hordes of Chaos. Unleash Bloodlust, a unique mechanic in Warhammer: Chaosbane, which lets loose a devastating power that can change the outcome of a battle.

The first hack and slash to take place in the Warhammer Fantasy Battles world, Warhammer: Chaosbane plunges the player into the heart of the Old World, a continent marked by the Great War Against Chaos, a bloody conflict which ravaged the Empire of men. They will embody a human, a high elf, a wood elf, or a dwarf, and discover the iconic locations of the Warhammer Fantasy Battles universe that’s captured the imaginations of millions of fans across the world.

WARHAMMER: Chaosbane will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC starting June the 4th, 2019 and beginning May 31st for owners of the Magnus Edition.

The post CHAOSBANE – BETA appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

After a two-year absence, the legendary WRC game is back. Bigben and Kylotonn are pleased to announce that WRC 8, FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) 2019 official video game, will be available in September for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Thanks to the community’s feedback and the pointers from the eSports WRC Championship, Kylotonn has taken advantage of this period to improve all aspects of the game: better graphics, more technical routes, smoother pace notes and a more comprehensive career mode. WRC 8 will go above and beyond WRC 7, especially in the steering requirements and the realistic physics of the vehicles.

While the WRC enjoyed an epic season in 2018, with the destiny of the drivers’ title only being decided on the final morning of the season in Australia, 2019 is already shaping up as another fascinating year. In WRC 8, players will be able to choose their driver from the official teams of the 2019 season marked by the return of Sébastien Ogier (6 times World Champion) from Citroën Racing, accompanied by Esapekka Lappi, while Toyota will try to defend its 2018 manufacturers’ title with Jari-Matti Latvala, Kris Meeke and Ott Tänak.

2019 is also marked by the return of the nine-time World Champion and WRC legend, Sébastien Loeb, driving this year for Hyundai Motorsport in support of Thierry Neuville, Andreas Mikkelsen andDani Sordo. M-Sport Ford, will rely on Elfyn Evans and Teemu Suninento draw attention again.

WRC 8 will also offers a selection of WRC 2 and Junior WRC drivers as well as a few historic models to be revealed very shortly. Talent and concentration will be needed to overcome more than 100 special stages taking place in 14 countries. Upgrade your car to unprecedented new levels of detail and develop your team in an in-depth and intense career mode.

A new dynamic weather system has been developed to add random elements to the driving experience, but also to increase realism in the game. Managing the weather is a real challenge for the drivers: modified grip, car settings adjustments, tire selection optimization, weather team relationship to ensure the best tips and information on the latest conditions. More than mere visual effects, climatic conditions become crucial, especially in the management of your career.

Play as the best drivers in the Championship and experience the competition as if you were there. WRC 8 will be available in September 2019 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

The post THE OFFICIAL WRC GAME IS BACK! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.