Mario, Link and Samus for mere Platinum Points, plus postage.
Nintendo has made the fetching Game Boy poster set above available in European My Nintendo Stores.
Featuring key art from three handheld classics — Super Mario Land 2, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, and Metroid II: Return of Samus — these My Nintendo Store exclusives are available on the stores across the region for 600 Platinum Points, plus shipping.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Dwarf Fortress has long had babies, but if you’re using the recent Steam release and its sprite art, they look like adults. That’s going to change soon in what Kitfox call their “cutest update ever”, which will add baby sprites for every creature in-game, from aarvarks to dwarves to troglodytes.Now that Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is available with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Cloud, many of you may be diving into this grand strategy game for the first time, while others may be returning after some time away from their conquering days. Either way, we thought we’d lend a hand to give some starter tips to help get your civilizations established during your first 50 Turns or so.
There are five Victory Conditions (Science, Culture, Religion, Domination, and Score – Diplomacy is available in the Gathering Storm DLC) and each Civilization Leader has a core strength that you should lean into and not away from. For example, Cleopatra (Egypt) gives you Gold and Food bonuses for trade routes, so look to establish those early to help your civilization grow to take advantage of this.
A lot of this information and strategy can be mapped out for you early on from the in-game Technology Tree. It will also give you a rough approximation of how many turns it will take for you to unlock some of these skills. You can even add numerous technologies to a build queue so you can “set and forget” as you work on other aspects of your world domination plan. Or, to make it even easier, if you have a victory condition in mind, simply scroll to the right and select that desired Technology and the game will map out the ideal tech to unlock to achieve it, automatically add it to your queue, and you’ll be on your way.
Seeing as how we’re trying to get up to speed in 50 turns today, we’d recommend you unlock the “Core 3” as soon as you can which are Pottery, Animal Husbandry, and Mining. In less than 30 turns, all of those should be unlocked which opens several other paths for you to start progressing towards and tiles for you to extract resources from. They’re key to you finding early success in the game since they feed into just about everything.
Knowledge is key to success and that comes in revealing the “fog of war” on the world map in Civilization VI. Sending Scouts into the world can yield resource locations, other civilizations, villages, and those pesky Barbarian Camps (more on those in a minute). Scouts can also stumble upon National Wonders which can give a boost to Astrology.
And while a Scout is the obvious unit to use here, Warriors can also be used as an alternate early on. Your odds of another civilization invading your just-established settlement are relatively low early on and sending your Warrior out as a “cheap Scout” can yield early round benefits before you can build a dedicated Scout (which takes about 5 turns). Once you do have your Scout in place, you should pull your Warrior back close to home because the Barbarians can put a serious wrinkle in your plans for early expansion. Speaking of…
Despite your best laid plans, all of it can come quickly crushing down by just a couple of unwelcome raids via the local Barbarian population. It’s advisable you don’t ignore this thorn in your side and look to counter their raids by building some Warriors and Slingers/Archers to seek out their camps and wipe them out entirely.
Before that happens, you should start to plan this offensive. Your Warriors can gain XP by taking out Barbarian Scouts, who are relatively weak. If you can level them up, it will tilt these one-on-one battles more in your favour. Personally, we’ve found that a good combo of 2 Slinger/Archer units with 1 Warrior unit is the best approach during the early game phase. Once you can upgrade Slingers to Archers (by researching Archery after Animal Husbandry), their line of sight allows you to start picking off the Barbarian raiders much further away, allowing you to weaken them for your Warriors to clean up.
Taking care of these Barbarian encampments are key for your success early on so you can start to build ideal units that can bring your expansion plans to fruition, like Settlers, Builders, and Traders that are free from raiders.
By about Turn 30 you should be close to unlocking Pottery, Animal Husbandry, and Mining which will allow you to take advantage of the resources near your starting location (located on adjacent tiles). Builders will be your key unit at this next early phase of the game as you want to get your local economy up and running as fast as you can, which can then open Trading, and feed into your expansion plans.
Builders can only be used three times before they’re expired, but they have the power to Build Improvements instantly – no waiting around for your Farm to take shape. So, if you happen to start out in a very feature rich area, it may be wise to queue two of them up during this phase of the game if you can afford it. They can also be used to repair damaged titles (for free!) that may get raided by Barbarians or other hostile civilizations.
The other unique thing about Builders in Civilization VI is that they can also Harvest Resources to yield a lump sum to the parent city if you’re in immediate need of resources, like food for example. Later, as you unlock bronze working, you can also use a Builder to remove features to help with further expansions, like placements of campuses. Just be mindful you’re not stripping something that you intend to build later. For example, a Wonder such as Stonehenge needs to be built next to Stone.
We hope these starter tips help you in your quest for domination in Civilization VI. As you’ll no doubt discover (or become reacquainted with), there are dozens upon dozens of different ways to approach the game and much more in-depth strategies to consider as you get into the deeper levels of the game around turns 100 though 200. For now, we hope you enjoy playing Sid Meier’s Civilization VI today with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Cloud. Happy conquering!
2K
Civilization VI for Xbox One includes the latest game updates and improvements and four pieces of additional content which adds four new civilizations, leaders, and scenarios:
•Vikings Scenario Pack
•Poland Civilization & Scenario Pack
•Australia Civilization & Scenario Pack
•Persia and Macedon Civilization & Scenario Pack
Features:
•PLAY YOUR WAY: The path to victory is the one you determine. Become the most scientifically advanced civilization, dominate through sheer military power, or become the foremost destination for the cultural arts.
•THE WORLD’S GREATEST LEADERS: Play as one of 24 different leaders from various countries around the world and throughout history. Build an empire of lucrative trade routes with Cleopatra of Egypt, flex the military might of your legions with Trajan of Rome, or develop a powerhouse of culture with Hojo Tokimune of Japan. Each of the leaders can be played any way you prefer, with unique abilities, units, and infrastructure in their quest for victory.
•EXPANSIVE EMPIRES: See the marvels of your empire spread across the map. Settle in uncharted lands, improve your surroundings, build new districts, and see your cities – and your civilization – prosper.
•ACTIVE RESEARCH: Unlock boosts that speed your civilization’s progress through history. To advance more quickly, use your units to actively explore, develop your environment, and discover new cultures.
•DYNAMIC DIPLOMACY: Interactions with other civilizations change over the course of the game, from primitive first interactions where conflict is a fact of life, to late game alliances and negotiations.
•EXCITING AND UNIQUE SCENARIOS: Civilization VI on Xbox One includes four playable scenarios, each with a different setting and style of gameplay inspired by history. Be part of the colonization of Australia in “Outback Tycoon,” defend Poland from invaders in “Jadwiga’s Legacy,” choose a Viking leader to conquer Europe in “Vikings, Raiders, and Traders!”, or conquer the known world in the “Conquests of Alexander.”
•COOPERATIVE AND COMPETITIVE MULTIPLAYER: Up to 4 players can cooperate or compete for supremacy via online multiplayer.
2K
Key Features:
EXPANSIVE EMPIRES
• See the marvels of your empire spread across the map like never before. Each district, wonder, and improvement is built on its own hex, allowing you to customize your city to your heart’s content.
• From the Commercial Hub to the Spaceport, every district provides unique and powerful bonuses. Pick and choose which districts to build to fit your needs!
• Build better than your opponents, place yourself strategically for your allies, and become the best civilization
ACTIVE RESEARCH
• Boost your civilization’s progress through history to unlock powerful bonuses before anyone else! To advance more quickly, use your units to actively explore, develop your environment, and discover new cultures.
• Research isn’t just limited to science. Explore the Civics tree to unlock powerful new governments and cultural policies
• Cultivate the civilization that fits your playstyle, or switch it up every time you play!
DYNAMIC DIPLOMACY
• As the game progresses, so do your diplomatic relationships. From primitive first interactions where conflict is a fact of life, to late game alliances and negotiations.
• Carry influence with nearby city states to gain its diplomatic allegiance and earn game-changing city-state bonuses
• Enlist spies to gather crucial intel on rival civilizations, steal precious resources, and even topple governments.
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March Updates for the Xbox App on PC: Better Game Discovery, Jump Back In, and More
Dying Light developer Techland has revealed more information and another piece of concept art for its upcoming open-world fantasy action RPG, which is shaping up to look like a big departure from the studio’s previous works.
On Twitter, Techland shared just a bit more information about its unannounced title, writing, “Our newest game is set to be a narrative-driven #fantasy epic with an exotic open world ready to be explored. We strive to create a compelling story-focused #AAA title that combines and refines the best aspects of gameplay that Techland is known for.”
Along with that, Techland posted a piece of concept art, showing a character climbing a tree looking out at a vast, lush world littered with ruins. There also appears to be a broken moon or planet in the sky.
Techland shared a similar tease nearly a year ago, where we also learned the studio brought on narrative director Karolina Stachyra and narrative lead Arkadiusz Borowik for the project, a pair of fantasy veterans who previously worked on The Witcher 2 and 3. The studio also has talent with credits on games such as Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Mad Max, Deathloop, Horizon Zero Dawn, and more.
We don’t have a title or release window for this game, knowing little beyond the concept art and that Techland wants to make this game a “fully next-gen experience”.
Techland’s last game was 2022’s Dying Light 2, which we called. “Another in a long series of big, ambitious games whose potential greatness is visible just beneath a grimey layer of bugs”. In addition to work on the new IP, Techland is just one year into a five-year plan of post-launch content for Dying Light 2.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
already knew that Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly was arriving on April 20th. Now we know that it’ll launch on Game Pass on day one.Emmett Shear, CEO of uber-popular streaming platform Twitch, is resigning from his position after more than 16 years at the helm.
Shear announced his departure in a Twitter thread today. According to screenshots of his blog post, the birth of his son made him pause and reflect on his future at Twitch. He compared its growth from a 24/7 reality show to a site where streamers can broadcast their gameplay to millions of people to raising a child — his first child.
“Twitch often feels to me like a child I’ve been raising as well,” Shear said. “And while I will always want to be there if Twitch needs me, at 16 years old it feels to me that Twitch is ready to move out of the house and venture alone. So it is with great poignancy that I share my decision to resign from Twitch as CEO.”
In October 2006 we started working on live video for the internet. That became Twitch. More than 16 years later, I’m now a father and ready to move to my next phase of life. I wrote a blog post, but the short version is: thank you so much to everyone who built this with me.
— Emmett Shear (@eshear) March 16, 2023
Dan Clancy, the current president of Twitch, will now serve as CEO effective immediately. Shear will continue working at Twitch in an advisory role.
Shear founded Twitch in October 2006 as a 24/7 reality show named Justin.tv, named after one of his co-founders, Justin Kan, and made to document Kan’s life.
As the years passed, Shear said he didn’t think a round-the-clock reality series focusing on one person was the best idea, so in 2013, Justin.tv grew and transformed into Twitch, a site where streamers can broadcast gameplay of their favorite games for millions of people to watch.
In the last decade, it put Fortnite on the map, turned Ninja and Pokimane into stars, and became a fully-owned subsidiary of Amazon. It’s also dealt with no shortage of controversies, including a deepfake scandal and more. Either way, Twitch’s influence on the gaming community is undeniable, attracting millions of users per day.
Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. She has contributed her work to various publications, including Digital Trends, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.
quite lovely even in early access, and its success has apparently enabled developers Stray Fawn Studio to become a publisher.Their first project is publishing Earth Of Oryn, a fellow citybuilder with a medieval setting which is taking inspiration from both Banished, Age Of Empires and RimWorld.
Steam Deck has spent its entire life thus far without even a temporary price drop. That ends today, as the Steam Spring Sale has launched with the first official Steam Deck savings – a 10% cut across the range – alongside the more expected dealsplosion of discounted games.What’s more, this sale could also be the last time that the Steam Deck joins in a Steam sale, at least for a very long time. Lawrence Yang, a Valve designer who recently spoke to us about the Deck’s first year in the wild, has also told me that the company are “looking at this as a one-time deal in celebration of Steam Deck’s anniversary.” You’ll therefore have until March 23rd, when the Spring Sale ends, to seize a saving on the handheld PC before it returns to base pricing – maybe for good.
All three Steam Deck versions are part of the sale, shedding exactly 10% apiece. The 64GB model is down from £349 / $399 to £314.10 / $359.10, the 256GB model drops from £459 / $529 to £413.10 / $476.10, and the top 512GB model falls from £569 / $649 to £512.10 / $584.10. Unlike the sad old days of 2022, there’s no lengthy waiting period once you put your order in, though I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes the full two weeks of Valve’s one-to-two week delivery estimate, what with the likely surge in demand.
#21 – Passing breeze.
For the month before the 3DS and Wii U eShops close for new purchases on 27th March, each day we’re going to highlight a specific eShop game for one of those consoles and give a short pitch as to why we think it deserves your love and attention — before it’s too late. The chance to add these to your library will be gone for good soon and, for one reason or another, these eShop-exclusives are close to our hearts.
Today, Liam highlights a classic retro racer that started out life in the arcades…
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Anno 1800 Console Edition is now available on Xbox Series X|S, and you can play the award-winning city-building strategy game for free from now until March 23. If you have an Xbox Live Gold subscription or an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership, you can also access Anno 1800 Console Edition on your Xbox Series X|S through the Xbox Free Play Days event from now until March 24. During the Free Week, you can play all of Anno 1800’s main content, and if you want to continue building your empire after March 23, your progression will carry over if you buy the game.
Set during the Industrial Revolution, Anno 1800 lets you build large cities, establish logistical networks, charter expeditions around the world, and take on your opponents diplomatically, commercially, or militarily. Protect your cities, help your economy grow, and be ready to adapt to any situation that may occur. Explore the story in campaign mode; customize your opponents, victory conditions, and difficulty level in sandbox mode; and challenge friends or play co-op in online multiplayer.
Anno 1800 Console Edition is available in both Standard and Deluxe versions. The Standard version comes with the base game and all the free game updates released for the PC version, while the Deluxe version adds three cosmetic packs: the Amusements Pack lets you add amusement parks; the Pedestrian Zone Pack comes with a variety of ornamental trees and shrubs; and the Vibrant Cities Pack provides diversity among your common Old World city buildings. The PC version’s DLC and Season Passes are not planned for release on consoles, however nine Cosmetic Packs are already available for purchase and a few more are coming soon.
Take advantage of the Free Week in Anno 1800 from now until March 23 on Xbox Series X|S and get ready to build a new world and guide your cities to prosperity!
UBISOFT
A RICH EARLY ADOPTER OFFER: contains a digital art book, a digital game soundtrack*, the access to the Imperial Pack and the Console Founder Pack!
A complete package that will totally immerse you in the world of the Industrial Revolution of Anno 1800™.
Welcome to the dawn of the Industrial Age in this city-building real-time strategy game. Experience one of the most exciting and fast-changing periods of all time as you discover new technologies, regions, and societies, implement your own strategy, and build a new world to your design.
Play solo or use the online mode to play PvP or co-op modes: How the world remembers your name is up to you.
THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA: Prove your skills as you create huge cities, plan logistic networks, settle lush new continents, send out expeditions around the globe, and dominate opponents by diplomacy, trade, or warfare.
BUILD YOUR OWN EMPIRE by constructing large metropolises, managing a thriving economy, and protecting your creations from others. To guide your cities to prosperity, you’ll need to learn to adapt to any situation that arises.
A UNIQUE CITY-BUILDER EXPERIENCE: Includes a story-based campaign, customizable sandbox mode, and a multiplayer experience.
NEW FEATURES FOR A NEW AGE, through expeditions across the globe to seek fame and fortune and a new workforce feature that will make the management of your factories more demanding and realistic.
DIFFERENT WAYS TO PLAY: You decide what you want your game to be! Challenge yourself with a variety of AI characters or focus on building and beautifying a huge empire.
*Access the digital artbook and soundtrack upon game release on the official Anno 1800 Console Page: https:\www.annogame.comconsole
UBISOFT
Welcome to the dawn of the Industrial Age in this city-building real-time strategy game. Experience one of the most exciting and fast-changing periods of all time as you discover new technologies, regions, and societies, implement your own strategy, and build a new world to your design.
Play solo or use the online mode to play PvP or co-op modes: How the world remembers your name is up to you.
THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA: Prove your skills as you create huge cities, plan logistic networks, settle lush new continents, send out expeditions around the globe, and dominate opponents by diplomacy, trade, or warfare.
BUILD YOUR OWN EMPIRE by constructing large metropolises, managing a thriving economy, and protecting your creations from others. To guide your cities to prosperity, you’ll need to learn to adapt to any situation that arises.
A UNIQUE CITY-BUILDER EXPERIENCE: Includes a story-based campaign, customizable sandbox mode, and a multiplayer experience.
NEW FEATURES FOR A NEW AGE, through expeditions across the globe to seek fame and fortune and a new workforce feature that will make the management of your factories more demanding and realistic than ever.
DIFFERENT WAYS TO PLAY: You decide what you want your game to be! Challenge yourself with a variety of AI characters or focus on building and beautifying a huge empire.
*Access the digital artbook and soundtrack upon game release on the official Anno 1800 Console Page: https:\www.annogame.comconsole
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