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 Maylee gets handsy with Paul and Caroline before classifying classification, spouting shutdowns, and withdrawing Warcraft in this week’s Gaming News. Caroline gets uncomfortably scared in the psychological horror aka “horror me scared” game Mouthwashing from Wrong Organ. Then Paul brings the colour by opening his third eye in the bondage cursed queer horror game Sorry We’re Closed from à la mode games.
This week on Zed Games Zahra wrangles the dynamic due of Maylee and Peter as they talk all things Gaming News including by not limited to; Witcher Saga Announced, Steam DLC Crackdown, PS5P rumour, and Extra Gaming Bytes. Paul goes dad mode while reviewing LEGO Horizon Adventures, and Zahra takes a step back while talking the gaming staple fishing while chatting Webfishing.
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
Image of Allan Laban via JACKBOX GAMES and Gnome and Headless Knight via KEYFAIRY.COM.AU
This week on Zed Games Hazel and Zahra with special guests Tex and Mars from Owl Machine talk the week in Gaming News from Caroline. The team then chats with Tex Barnes and Mars Bleach about their upcoming game Key Fairy. Paul then manages to pitch to Jackbox Games CCO, Allard Laban at this year’s PAX and interview them about the upcoming Jackbox game Survey Scramble. And mixed in are some promos from Ascending Inferno from Oppolyon Studios and Fishbowl from Imissmyfriends.studio.
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)
Game Freak has issued a statement that they experienced a data breach, affecting the cases of 2,606 current and former employees. The Pokemon developers assured that the vulnerability had been patched since.
The data leak also reportedly contained data such as:
a yet-to-be-announced Pokemon game, reportedly codenamed “Gaia”,
A project codenamed “Synapse”, which MIGHT hint towards a Pokemon MMO,
Plot information for an unreleased sequel to Detective Pikachu movie (the one that was supposed to release this year),
A live action show on Netflix,
Switch 2 stuff,
And, reportedly, a lot more. None of that has been confirmed by Game Freak however.
Panic! At The Disco Elysium
The most Disco Elysium thing just happened… multiple groups of former Disco Elysium developers have each formed studios, and they have all had identical announcements: we will be making a spiritual successor to Disco Elysium.
Of course this has sparked debate about which one would be the ‘true’ spiritual successor, whatever that means. Each project is a little different.
Longdue Games Studios is making what they call a ‘psychogeographic RPG’, where the world and characters shift depending on your choices.
Dark Math Games has XXX Nightshift, which looks just like Disco Elysium in tone, UI design, and even voice acting.
Summer Eternal has come out with a dramatic, blood-red website, and a manifesto about the exploitation of game developers.
There is also a project by ZA/UM, but many key developers have been dropped from it, as well as a fifth studio that formed during all this called Red Info Ltd, with no projects announced as of yet.
So that makes five studios, four ‘Disco Elysium’ projects announced.
STEAM DECK
PAX Aus has treated us well this year, bringing the announcement that Valve will officially bring the Steam Deck to Australia in November! Preorders are open now if you want to lock one in, if preordering is your thing.
The 256GB LCD deck is $649, the 512GB OLED deck is $899, and the 1TB OLED deck is $1,049.
News Nibbles!
Sony has announced PlayStation: The Concert, a world tour that’ll display a compilation of music from various Sony games, like The Last of Us, and God of War. Europe’s tour dates and stops have been announced, the United States and other countries (hopefully that’s us!) will have to be patient.
Tetris Forever will be released on November 12th! A celebration of Tetris, it’ll contain 15 classic Tetris games, an hour-long documentary, and a new ‘Tetris experience’ where players can warp through different Tetris eras.
Those involved in the lawsuits contesting that the Activision Blizzard aquisition in 2022 have settled, where both sides agreed to dismiss the case permanently, and pay their own legal fees.
Until Dawn will be in theatres in April, 2025! Directed by David Sandberg, it’s a live-action adaptation of the 2015 horror game, which is basically an interactive movie to begin with. No word on whether it’ll be released outside of the United States however.
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.
