Hazel, Peter, and Zahra talk game plans and Gaming News with highlights of the Gaming Awards, Dbrand Switch 2 Leak, and Nintendo ripoffs. Then the team talks game gift and family game recommendations (see below for our list), and developer directions with Global Game Jam coming at your face in 2025, Squiggly River Games Collective, and grant ideas through Screen Queensland.
Now here’s a list of all our recommendations for this Giftingmas
This week on Zed Games Paul, Peter, and Maylee begin by talking Gaming News with itch.io getting press-ganged by Funko Pop, Wallace and Gromit team up with Pickachu, and superfluous game purchases and awards. Paul gets 4D interdimentional podcasty while talking Mini Mini Golf Golf from Three More Years. And Maylee gets the taste for long pig while reviewing of the cutthroat board game We Forlorn Few from Knifedge Games.
This week on Zed Games…Hazel leads the formidable herd of cats that is Caroline and Peter this week right into the week in #GamingNews talking The Game Awards 2024 controversies, Club Penguin rules coming to Roblox, and Sony reaching for FromSoftware. Rani gets completionist in the cute, cozy, Japanese styled, street sim Minami Lane from Doot and Blibloop. And Paul gets into the retro LCD styling to review Moida Mansion from the famed Lucas Pope.
NOT TO MENTION all the developers who came to our INDIE DEV NIGHT at Netherworld’s Lost Souls Karaoke Bar Thursday November 21st!
OctoKid by AstroFox Studios – VR, single-player Explore the open ocean as an Octopus in VR. As you journey deeper, the ocean will expand with challenges, platforming puzzles and underwater life. Sharks will hunt you, but there are many creatures that are friendly to help you out. Every dive pushes you further into the unknown in this blend of exploration, survival, and oceanic adventure!
Ragdoll Rumbleby Nathan Poulton – PC, multi-player A chaotic party game where toy wizards unleash wild spells in explosive spellcasting battles. Cast crazy abilities, outsmart your opponents, and prove you are the dominant doll!
A Study in Crime by Caleb Kimmings – PC, single-player A Murder has been committed under mysterious circumstances within the Belgrave residence, and you are the only able to solve it right now. go around and find clues, talk to suspects and eventually declare who the killer is.
Bumper Bout by Rocco – PC, two-player A local multiplayer pinball game where your playfields are joined so you can knock balls into each other’s spaces and see who lasts the longest.
Kaamos by Pepperbox Studios – PC, single-player A turn-based puzzle roguelike game about a knight that tries to survive in a sunless medieval land.
Momento by Fat Alien Cat x Nomo Studio – PC, single-player Journey through a life where the objects you choose to keep influence the life you lead. A cozy room decorator with whimsical settings; relaxing gameplay; and charming branching narratives, Momento will be a warm ode to the challenge of following your dreams down the winding road of life.
Pieter Both Village by Generative Arts – PC, single-player A third-person horror action-adventure game inspired by a Mauritian folktale. The protagonist, upon returning home one day, discovers that the villagers have been infected by flu-like symptoms, which makes them violent on encounter. Battling through a haunting village setting, he must uncover the dark truth behind the outbreak.
Vanguard Exiles by The Tea Division – PC, single-player A new style of Auto-Battler designed by legendary game designer, Richard Garfield, where each player pits their Squad against their opponent in an ever-changing environment.
The nominees for 2024 have been announced, bringing a bit of discourse over the inclusion of the Elden Ring DLC: Shadow of the Erdtree. Elden Ring previously won game of the year in 2022. There’s a lot of nominees and categories, so here are a few:
Game of the Year
Astro Bot
Balatro
Black Myth: Wukong
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Best Art Direction
Astro Bot
Black Myth: Wukong
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Neva
Best Score and Music
Astro Bot
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Silent Hill 2
Stellar Blade
Best Independent Game
Animal Well
Balatro
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
Neva
UFO 50
Roblox Rules
Under 13s are now blocked from directly messaging others on Roblox outside of games or experiences in their latest effort to protect children and reassure parents. Additionally, under 13s will only be able to publicly broadcast messages inside of games, and users under the age of 9 will only be able access experiences rated Minimal or Mild.
Yet Another Consolidation
Sony appears to be gearing up to purchase Kadokawa, a parent to dozens of Japanese entertainment companies. Along with Kadokawa owning Gotcha Gotcha Games (known for RPG Maker) and Acquire (known for Mario & Luigi: Brothership), they also own a majority stake in FromSoftware. It’s unknown what this may mean regarding the company’s ability to collaborate with Nintendo, but a deal could be signed in the coming weeks.
News Nibbles!
Farming Simulator 25 has hit 2 million sales, and peaked at over 125,000 active players on launch day.
In Germany, Steam users have only been able to see games with an age rating since 15th of November. Developers will need to complete a questionnaire to receive a rating before being allowed to release in Germany.
Dungeons & Dragons The Twenty-Sided Tavern is a live, theatrical experience coming to Sydney in December this year, where the audience gets to control the quest and the dice rolls are real, meaning that no show is ever the same. It opens 15th December at the Sydney Opera House.
Upcoming Games
November 21st
Dungeons of Dreadrock 2: The Dead King’s Secret – PC
Star Wars Outlaws – PC
On Your Tail – PC, Switch
Loco Motive – PC, Switch
Servonauts – PC
November 22nd
Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection (physical) – PS5, Switch
Paul, Peter, and Maylee get sticky and show the making of the sausage while introducing the BRAND NEW #GamingNews format and LIVE chat politics, patents, original overwatch, and upcoming games. Paul embraces the chaos and raves about visor and text based PROXIMATE from Cain Maddox. Then Rani returns to review the overwhelming but addictive isometric shooter Kill Knight from Playside Studios. And lastly the team returns to remind us of the INDIE DEV NIGHT happening NEXT THURSDAY (Nov 17th 6-9pm) at Netherworld’s Lost Souls Karaoke.
This week on ZedGames: Special Guest Tom from Netherworld/ZedGames joins Maylee and Paul as they talk Gaming News, Reviews, Community, and Culture. Maylee injects news into your ear holes and then the team discusses the exciting topics – Nintendo game sales, horror visor game Proximate from Cain Maddox, and SAVE&SOUND. Paul gets guilty in the “not a hardcore nunnery RPG” Indika from Odd Meter Games, and Maylee reviews Frostpunk 2 – a different game living in the shadow of the original – from 11 Bit Studios.
This week on Zed Games, Paul and Maylee swap more than PAX tales before Zahra brings us the week in psychically enhancing #GamingNews and the team talk Game Freak freaky leaky news. Paul gets the feels playing Neva from Nomada Studio. And Alexis drops in and the team talks the indie presence at this year’s PAX Aus. Plus some extra interviews in between from the developers from Away From Home (Squishy), Drăculești (Fine Feathered Friends), and Game Over (Jacob Houston)
This week on Zed Games Hazel, Zahra, and Caroline talk playing with their plorts before Zahra brings us the week in Gaming News with the team talking Screen Queensland funding and monopoly. Zahra then plays god in the remake Age of Mythology: Retold. Then the crew touts the treasures awarded in this year’s Australian Game Design Awards.
The Silent Hill 2 Remake has launched, and the Wikipedia page had to be locked due to editors just stating lies like the game had “received the worst reviews imaginable” despite receiving very positive reviews, and otherwise vandalising the page.
The motivation? Unclear, although there was some discourse about the remake being ‘woke’ due to changes to characters’ facial features and clothing, discourse about Bloober Team being the ones to develop the remake, and discourse about there being a remake at all.
I just hope everyone is having fun and that you all win.
Screen Queensland Funding
Nine independent studios in Queensland have been awarded a collective amount of $1.3 million in funding, securing the development of 12 games, and supporting an additional 40 positions for developers throughout the region.
Benefiting from the Games Grant funding includes studios Sbug Games, who developed Webbed, Maxart, who is developing Servonauts, 5 Lives Studio, who are developing Cozy Caravan, and many more.
“We are proud to be driving a step-change in ambition and opportunity across an industry where Queenslanders can be world leaders in the creation of unique and innovative games… we achieved a 133% increase in the number of projects we are now supporting and these indie games are driving real ‘bricks and mortar’ highly skilled technical jobs,” stated Jacqui Feeney, Screen Queensland CEO.
If you’re a dev, next round for grants commences in December 2024.
Epic Games vs Google
Epic Games butted heads with Apple in 2023 regarding the App Store, where Epic alleged that Apple were engaging in monopolistic behaviour, and although they weren’t successful in their case, they were successful in requiring Apple to allow alternative payment methods on the App Store.
Now Epic Games has taken Google Play to court and has won a significant antitrust case, compelling Google Play to open up and offer alternatives to its Google Play store for downloading apps on Android phones. Epic appears to be building up their mobile market, after recently launching its own mobile store. There are plans to draw in developers with a free games program, reduced commission fees for studios using Unreal Engine, and more.
Google do plan to appeal the Epic Games verdict, stating that Apple and Google compete directly for consumers and for app developers, and that ‘Android is open and Google Play is not the only way to get apps’.
Epic and Google will form a small committee to review technical issues with Google’s compliance.
Less Timewarping For You
If you’re a World of Warcraft fan, you’re probably familiar with Timewalking events, where old dungeons and raids are available at their current level, earning rewards and experience. As a recurring event, there is an array of mounts, toys, pets, badges, and Timewarped gear to earn. However, collecting the Timewarped Badges necessary will be a bit more difficult, with the number of badges you earn being nerfed.
With a quest that would’ve originally given you 500 badges, players can only expect that reward for their first character on their account. Subsequent characters will only earn 300 badges for the raid, and 200 for the dungeon.
Right before World of Warcraft’s 20th anniversary event on October 22nd. Fans aren’t too happy.
News Nibbles!
Paradox Interactive seems to be done with Vampire: The Masquerade, according to deputy CEO Mattias Lilja. “It is not in our strategic direction to make this kind of game, so if Bloodlines 2, God willing, is successful, Bloodlines 3 [will be] done by someone else… we don’t know that stuff, so we should probably let other people do it.”
The Shinobi series by Sega will be getting a film adaptation! The hack-and-slash games followed Joe Musashi, a ninja fighting evil, although plot details haven’t been revealed. Stuntman and filmmaker Sam Hargrave will be a director, along with Ken Kobayashi writing the script.
Red Dead Redemption will finally be officially on PC on the 29th of October. Barbie Horse Adventure fans, it will soon be your time. We ride at dawn.
And now for some upcoming games!
October 11th
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero – PS5, Xbox, PC
Europa – Switch
Metaphor: ReFantazio – PS5, Xbox, PC
Nick Jr. Party Adventure – PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC
Starship Troopers: Extermination – PS5, Xbox
Transformers: Galactic Trials – PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC
Paul, Zahra, and Caroline battle the void before Maylee brings us the week in Gaming News and the team talks The Sims microtransactions. Paul dressed up to paddle some balls in Pinball Spire from Apparition Games. Then Zahra double dips with two reviews. Firstly, they put on their gardening shoes in Pikmin Bloom from Niantic Labs and then struggle with the puzzle in Coral Cove. And don’t forget some of us will be down at PAX next week!
