If you like jumping on enveloping pixelly architecture while basking in an atmosphere of pathological sadness, set aside some time on 20th September, because that’s when Rubeki’s first-person spelunker Lorn’s Lure launches on Steam. Ah, I’ve been waiting a while for this one. Catch a new trailer below.
And it’s lookin’ goooood.
United Label has confirmed that the upcoming hack ‘n’ slash sequel Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter will be launching for the Nintendo Switch in February 2025.
The game was showcased during Microsoft’s Gamescom broadcast, with the new trailer boasting some lovely gameplay footage and an accompanying narration from Witcher voice actor Doug Cockle. Indeed, a quote from the trailer describes the game as “half Witcher, hald Game of Thrones”, so if you’re a fan of either, then you might want to keep an eye out for this one.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
There have been many times in history where humankind has made its mark on the world, but few events have had as much of an impact as man-made flight at the start of the 20th Century. In the span of a few decades, we went from the Wright brothers flying for a few seconds at Kitty Hawk in 1903, to Lindbergh making his historic solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927, and then even larger craft starting to make the trek across the oceans to usher in the age of airliners. One of those, in 1938, was the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, the newest Local Legend that’s available now in Microsoft Flight Simulator.
“It was the most sophisticated airliner of its time because it was light for its size,” describes Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator, Jorg Neumann. “It only weight 17 tons, and it had an extremely wide wingspan, which is why it’s called the Condor. And it was designed to fly high enough (3,000m / 9,800 ft.) where long-range air travel was economical and where you can go without a pressurized cabin; pressurized cabins did not exist for commercial airliners until Boeing’s 307 Stratoliner in 1940.”
It also made a trek from Berlin to Tokyo in the same year, proving to be one of the most innovative and technologically advanced airliners… for a brief time. World War II would dramatically change this era of aviation, and the Condor was soon repurposed for military service.
By the end of the war, only a handful of Condors remained outside of Germany and very little engineering documentation survived. It wasn’t long until spare parts were becoming harder to come by, leading to its grounding and eventual scrapping. This left the Condor, one of the most innovative airliners ever built for its time, essentially lost to history.
“The Condor is kind of a missing link in the development of airliners in Germany, or Europe, before the war. In a way it is a connection between the very first wooden airliners from the 1920s and the Airbus of the 1970s,” explains Heiko Triesch, Head of the Aerospace Department at the German Museum of Technology.
Triesch and a group of volunteers wanted to help restore that missing link, and commissioned the salvage operation of a Condor that had been discovered at the bottom of Trondeim Fjord in Norway. The aircraft was basically in shambles, but a group of enthusiasts were determined to bring the Condor back to life. With assistance from Airbus, and Triesch’s museum, they went to work, calling themselves the “Condorians.”
“There was a core team [of volunteers] at the beginning of the restoration project in 2002 that had done their job training in Bremen during World War II at the Focke-Wulf Company, working on FW200 airplanes,” Triesch says. “They would later become railway drivers or technicians — [you were] not allowed to work on aircraft in Germany for a period of 10 years after the war — but their fascination for aviation never stopped. They became the first volunteers working on the Condor; no one knew more about this aircraft than those veterans.”
The team started with a wreck, significantly destroyed due to saltwater erosion damage. With limited engineering knowledge on how to repair it, it would take some time to begin piecing the Condor back together — but they were determined to figure it out. With a patchwork of parts taken from various other wrecks recovered from around Europe over the years, the restoration of the Condor would take the better part of two decades to complete, finishing recently in 2021. It was around this time that Neumann had reached out with the idea of bringing the Condor to Microsoft Flight Simulator.
“I read the story years ago and knew about the recovery efforts, and that people were reconstructing the Condor,” describes Neumann. “Then it resurfaced all these years later that they had breakthroughs and [had put] the plane back together again. I contacted them and said I have this goal in Microsoft Flight Simulator to preserve aircraft that have sort of been lost in time and they allowed us to come visit and scan the plane.”
But that wasn’t Microsoft Flight Simulator’s only contribution to preserving the memory of this aircraft. The Condorians had the plane, but they didn’t have the cockpit. It turned out, a private collector in Switzerland had put together a Condor cockpit dash but was looking to part with his collection. Microsoft purchased this collection and gave it to the museum, thus giving them an even more complete version of the Condor, which in turn helped bring an even more detailed model into Microsoft Flight Simulator. Neumann highlights the cockpit as the element he’s most proud of being able to reproduce for this Local Legend. – and isn’t coy about implying that this might be the best work the team has done to date.
“We brought two different groups together [for the Condor in Microsoft Flight Simulator],” Neumann tells me. “First, we have a company called iniBuilds that typically makes our airliners. They worked on the A320neo and they’re making an A330 for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. They are top notch, the best of best in the industry to make airliners [for flight simulators]. And secondly, we worked with Oliver Moser, who I would call a highly enthusiastic aviation fanatic. He inundates himself and basically gets every book, newspaper, or any piece of information he can get. He’s German, so he has a much easier time with the [Condor] documentation and is probably now one of the most foremost knowledgeable people in the world on the subject. He’s responsible for the flight model and the flight deck and everything, while iniBuilds is providing the artwork, the animation, the sounds, and all that.”
This collaboration paid off in creating a highly detailed representation of the Condor, inside and out. Oftentimes when Microsoft and a partner create a Local Legend, there is not enough information available to create a highly accurate representation of a cockpit. Cockpits are usually not preserved in most museum pieces and there usually are also not sufficiently detailed photographs available to really have high confidence that everything is historically 100% accurate, but in the case of the Condor, the team had sufficient information to get everything correct.
In talking to Triesch, I was curious to know what he thought now that the Condor will now be able to “live on” as a digital preservation flight model in Microsoft Flight Simulator: “I remember there were many talks about just trying to get an engine to run, or ‘We’re sorry, this aircraft will never fly again,’ but now we can! For me it’s a miracle. I was told the Fw 200 is gone forever. Now we have an aircraft in Tempelhof and Microsoft Flight Simulator has made it possible to fly it again!”
“When you think about these people spending 20 to 22 years of their life, remaking every inch of this aircraft, for them to know that this [now enables] us to make it an authentic digital model that can be enjoyed by millions of people – yeah, I think it’s super exciting for them,” Neumann adds. “I think we sort of take aviation for granted these days, but it’s these pioneers and early innovations that are really making all this possible. And I think the Condor plays an important part in that story. And it’s a beautiful, beautiful plane.”
The Fw 200 Condor is available now in Microsoft Flight Simulator’s digital marketplace.
Xbox Game Studios
Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition features 37 airplanes, gliders, and helicopters with unique flight models, 25 handcrafted airports, 4 classic commercial airports, 14 heliports and 15 glider airports.
Explore Your World
• Vivid and Detailed Landscapes – Immerse yourself in the vast and beautiful world that is our planet with over 1.5 billion buildings, 2 trillion trees, mountains, roads, rivers and more.
• Living World – The Earth is vibrant and ever-changing and so is the world of Microsoft Flight Simulator, which includes live traffic, real-time weather, and animals.
Earn Your Wings
• Aircraft – Hone your pilot skills in a variety of aircraft from light planes to commercial jets with comprehensive flight models. Every aircraft includes highly detailed and accurate cockpits with realistic instrumentation.
• Checklist System – From pro to beginner, scale your level from full manual to full assist with interactive and highlighted instrument guidance and checklist.
Test Your Skill
• Live Weather -The weather engine enables users to switch on the live weather mode to experience real-time weather including accurate wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, rain and more.
• Day and Night Engine – Experience flight at any time of day or year allowing for night VFR, visual flight rules, navigation.
• Aerodynamic Modeling – A state-of-the-art physics engine with over 1000 control surfaces per plane allows for a truly realistic experience.
Microsoft Flight Simulator has fulfilled the aspirations of aviators worldwide for 40 years. Celebrate the award-winning franchise with the 40th Anniversary Edition, loaded with all-new features, aircraft and content that span the history of aviation.
The 40th Anniversary Edition update introduces:
• 1 true-to-life Airbus A310 Airliner
• 2 helicopters and 14 heliports
• 2 gliders and 15 glider airports
• 7 famous historical aircraft including the Hughes H-4 Hercules (aka the Spruce Goose)
• 4 classic commercial airports
• 24 classic missions from the franchise’s past
Xbox Game Studios
The Deluxe 40th Anniversary Edition includes everything from the Standard Edition plus 5 additional highly accurate planes with unique flight models and 5 additional handcrafted international airports.
Deluxe Additional Aircraft
• Diamond Aircraft DA40-TDI
• Diamond Aircraft DV20
• Textron Aviation Beechcraft Baron G58
• Textron Aviation Cessna 152 Aerobat
• Textron Aviation Cessna 172 Skyhawk
Deluxe Additional Handcrafted Airports
• Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (Netherlands)
• Cairo International Airport (Egypt)
• Cape Town International Airport (South Africa)
• O’Hare International Airport (USA)
• Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (Spain)
Explore Your World
• Vivid and Detailed Landscapes – Immerse yourself in the vast and beautiful world that is our planet with over 1.5 billion buildings, 2 trillion trees, mountains, roads, rivers and more.
• Living World – The Earth is vibrant and ever-changing and so is the world of Microsoft Flight Simulator, which includes live traffic, real-time weather, and animals.
Earn Your Wings
• Aircraft – Hone your pilot skills in a variety of aircraft from light planes to commercial jets with comprehensive flight models. Every aircraft includes highly detailed and accurate cockpits with realistic instrumentation.
• Checklist System – From pro to beginner, scale your level from full manual to full assist with interactive and highlighted instrument guidance and checklist.
Test Your Skill
• Live Weather -The weather engine enables users to switch on the live weather mode to experience real-time weather including accurate wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, rain and more.
• Day and Night Engine – Experience flight at any time of day or year allowing for night VFR, visual flight rules, navigation.
• Aerodynamic Modeling – A state-of-the-art physics engine with over 1000 control surfaces per plane allows for a truly realistic experience.
Microsoft Flight Simulator has fulfilled the aspirations of aviators worldwide for 40 years. Celebrate the award-winning franchise with the 40th Anniversary Edition, loaded with all-new features, aircraft and content that span the history of aviation.
The 40th Anniversary Edition update introduces:
• 1 true-to-life Airbus A310 Airliner
• 2 helicopters and 14 heliports
• 2 gliders and 15 glider airports
• 7 famous historical aircraft including the Hughes H-4 Hercules (aka the Spruce Goose)
• 4 classic commercial airports
• 24 classic missions from the franchise’s past
Xbox Game Studios
The Premium Deluxe 40th Anniversary Edition includes everything from the Deluxe Edition plus 5 additional highly accurate planes with unique flight models and 5 additional handcrafted international airports.
Premium Deluxe Additional Aircraft
• Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner
• Cirrus Aircraft SR22
• Pipistrel Virus SW 121
• Textron Aviation Cessna Citation Longitude
• Zlin Aviation Shock Ultra
Premium Deluxe Additional Airports
• Denver International Airport (USA)
• Dubai International Airport (United Arab Emirates)
• Frankfurt Airport (Germany)
• Heathrow Airport (United Kingdom)
• San Francisco International Airport (USA)
Explore Your World
• Vivid and Detailed Landscapes – Immerse yourself in the vast and beautiful world that is our planet with over 1.5 billion buildings, 2 trillion trees, mountains, roads, rivers and more.
• Living World – The Earth is vibrant and ever-changing and so is the world of Microsoft Flight Simulator, which includes live traffic, real-time weather, and animals.
Earn Your Wings
• Aircraft – Hone your pilot skills in a variety of aircraft from light planes to commercial jets with comprehensive flight models. Every aircraft includes highly detailed and accurate cockpits with realistic instrumentation.
• Checklist System – From pro to beginner, scale your level from full manual to full assist with interactive and highlighted instrument guidance and checklist.
Test Your Skill
• Live Weather -The weather engine enables users to switch on the live weather mode to experience real-time weather including accurate wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, rain and more.
• Day and Night Engine – Experience flight at any time of day or year allowing for night VFR, visual flight rules, navigation.
• Aerodynamic Modeling – A state-of-the-art physics engine with over 1000 control surfaces per plane allows for a truly realistic experience.
Microsoft Flight Simulator has fulfilled the aspirations of aviators worldwide for 40 years. Celebrate the award-winning franchise with the 40th Anniversary Edition, loaded with all-new features, aircraft and content that span the history of aviation.
The 40th Anniversary Edition update introduces:
• 1 true-to-life Airbus A310 Airliner
• 2 helicopters and 14 heliports
• 2 gliders and 15 glider airports
• 7 famous historical aircraft including the Hughes H-4 Hercules (aka the Spruce Goose)
• 4 classic commercial airports
• 24 classic missions from the franchise’s past
The post How Microsoft Flight Simulator Helped a Groundbreaking Lost Airliner Soar Once Again appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Last week, we asked you to showcase the best teachers in the gaming world using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
horace0816 shares a stoic profile of Sadanobu Ishikawa
BitarHector shares a touching moment with Joel and Ellie
Lny_Trpr_EE7 shares a wizard passing down knowledge
Amianan_NiRaGuB shares Sokrates being a philosopher
wmcapture shares Jackie Welles deep in thought
juniaxe shares Marvin Branagh helping Leon
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Squads
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on August 28, 2024
Next week, showcase how teamwork makes the dream work by showing off your squad. Highlight your favorite crew for Share of the Week using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
Inzoi, The Sims competitor from PUBG developer Krafton, is expected to release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S eventually.
Krafton has captured the attention of The Sims fans with a free Inzoi character creator demo available to download on Steam until August 25 at 9pm Pacific, but many are wondering if, like The Sims, it will ever move beyond PC and come to console too.
Fans will be relieved to hear a console release is likely, as a Frequently Asked Questions segment of Inzoi’s Discord, operated by Krafton itself, states the game “is currently on PC (Steam) and is later expected to be on consoles like PS5 and Xbox.”
Krafton announced Inzoi in November 2023 and the release of the character creator indicates development is progressing smoothly, but a late 2024 release window is currently the only indication of a full launch. It also seems a console release won’t happen alongside the PC launch, so those on PS5 and Xbox will likely be waiting even longer.
Inzoi is “a life simulation game where players become gods within the game, allowing them to change everything as they wish and experience endless new stories in various forms of life.” This was enough to capture the attention of disgruntled The Sims fans, with many claiming they’ll switch to Inzoi for good once it’s fully released.
The incredibly detailed and realistic character creator has already been used to recreate some real-life figures and pop culture characters, including Taylor Swift, Harry Potter, Wario, Abraham Lincoln, and more.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
gamescom 2024 has come and gone, and as the annual event ends, now comes the time for awards to games that appeared this year. With categories, such as best visuals and audio to more platform-specific ones (excluding Nintendo this year), like best Xbox games, this list provides every gamescom 2024 award and this year’s recipient.
Of this year’s recipients, Capcom’s upcoming project, Monster Hunter Wilds, won the most awards, winning in every single category it was nominated in, such as Most Entertaining and Most Epic. Supermassive Games and Bandai Namco’s upcoming project, Little Nightmares 3, also won multiple accolades, winning three out of the four categories it was nominated for, such as Best Visuals and Best Audio.
If you want to know more, check out the biggest announcements at this year’s gamescom. If you want to know what was specifically unveiled at Opening Night Live earlier this week, check out our roundup.
The full list of winners for the gamescom 2023 awards are as follows:
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
Everything I know about the French Revolution has hitherto come from two literary works: Hilary Mantel’s excellent doorstopper A Place Of Greater Safety, and Kate Beaton’s webcomics. Neither Mantel nor Beaton mention mechs, which are a core feature of Studio Imugi’s new “ideology driven” turn-based strategy game Bonaparte: A Mechanized Revolution. I, for one, feel like I’ve been grossly ill-informed. Kate, Hilary – I’ve been quoting you for years at parties and it seems like all this time, people have been silently judging me for my ignorance of the role giant clockwork soldiers played in the fall of the Bastille.
Star Wars fans beware: Spoilers for Ubisoft’s upcoming open world game Star Wars Outlaws have leaked online.
As reported by VGC, a user on live streaming platform Kick has been streaming Star Wars Outlaws a full four days before its release date, though it’s unclear how they came to acquire a copy. Footage from the stream has naturally spread far and wide across the internet, potentially spoiling the highly anticipated game for many.
Star Wars Outlaws launches August 27, 2024 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC for those willing to spend $109.99 on the Gold Edition, $129.99 on the Ultimate Edition, or $17.99 a month for the Ubisoft Plus subscription service. The $69.99 Standard Edition arrives three days later on August 30.
Falling more in line with the Star Wars Jedi series compared to the likes of Star Wars Battlefront or Star Wars Squadrons, Star Wars Outlaws is a solely single player experience that puts players in the shoes of wannabe scoundrel Kay Vess as she looks to make her mark on the galaxy far, far away.
Players can explore five different planets from Star Wars lore new and old, including Tatooine, a Toshara moon, Akiva, Kijimi, and Cantonica. All open worlds of their own, these are around the size of two or three zones in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and some can be crossed in four or five minutes on a speeder.
It’s not the first time Star Wars Outlaws has suffered from leaks, as a 13 minute string of gameplay hit the internet in July 2024. Those looking forward to the game may want to take precautions while scrolling social media in the coming days.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
Take the ballroom scene from Disney’s Beauty And The Beast, swap the wailing utensils for an army of chibi cats, endow Belle with low-key Doctor Manhattan-grade powers of matter transformation, and you’re perhaps beginning to approximate the experience of Infinity Nikki – an open world dress-up adventure from Singapore-based Infold and former Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild developer Kentaro Tominaga.
Trailered this week at Gamescom 2024, it’s the fifth installment in the hitherto mobile-focussed Nikki series and it’s seemingly going down a storm, with over 12 million pre-registrations so far (albeit, many of them motivated by the prospect of collectively unlocked in-game bonuses). It’s also a free-to-play game, and I have the usual unanswered questions about currencies and gacha, but I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt for the minute, because I have not spent nearly enough of my life considering the tactical applications of ballgowns. Here’s that trailer.
Transfer your save over to the full game.
Just like the twists and turns of the courtroom, Capcom has today pulled a last-minute “not so fast!” out of its back pocket and dropped an Ace Attorney Investigations Collection free demo on the Switch eShop.
This free preview will give you access to the beginning of both games in the collection — Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit — and you’ll be able to transfer your well-earned save data over to the full game when it is released on 6th September.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
