Ten years ago, teenager Nicole and her mother left the family hotel after discovering her father Leonard's affair with, and pregnancy of Rachel, a girl her own age who eventually committed suicide.
Now that both of her parents have passed, Nicole hopes to fulfill her mother’s last will to sell the hotel and make amends to Rachel's relatives. She returns to the hotel with the family’s lawyer to audit the decaying structure.
As the weather unexpectedly turns for the worst, Nicole has no way to leave the large mountain lodge, and finds support in Irving, a young FEMA agent, using one of the first radio telephones ever built.
With his help, Nicole starts to investigate a mystery far deeper than what people in the valley thought. A story of love and death, where melancholy and nostalgia melt into a thrilling ghost tale.
A strong-willed and brave female protagonist
Explore the vast and detailed hotel, unravelling dark secrets of the familiy's past
Binaural audio for a truly immersive experience
Intriguing, touching and mature storytelling
Multi-layered narrative thriller, combining elements of mystery and horror
As Black History Month comes to a close... I wanted to write an article with a focus on boosting the awareness of Black Americans in gaming, and hopefully it will motivate an increase in video game developers (for more representation and opportunities within the game industry).
There's no secret that the game industry's Black developers are a rarity (1% according to a 2017 IGDA survey)... while on the flipside (as seen in the Pew Research results below) Black American gamers are dominating in Pew's game play data. The industry should be as diverse as the audience.
On that note there is definitely room for an increase in Black American developers, especially since there are more than a few talented people able to do more than just... buy and play video games.
This has nothing to do with the overshadowing of anyone else, it's all about diversity and getting the opportunity to take part in the industry many of us have loved since we could first use a controller, a fight-stick/joystick, a light-gun, VR controls, a handheld gaming device or... a keyboard and mouse.
I say all that to say I would like to see more studios open their doors to the Black community that provides such a huge show of support. At the same time... there is nothing stopping you if you have an interest in video game development. Indie game development doesn't require permission or a publisher, and some awesome games have come by way of indie.
You never know what type of games could emerge from new developers, because imagination is limitless... and it varies from person to person.
If you need a game engine, you have a variety of options like the... Unreal Engine and Unity!
You might scratch your head and wonder how you're going to pull it off without experience... but you have a slew of options, like Udemy!
Udemy is an online learning platform with courses for professionals and students alike... who desire learning new skills, like... learning how to code and learning how to develop games. No college debt required.
I'll close this out with a little motivational history:
There is a game studio by the name of Kiro'o Games located in Yaounde, Cameroon. Kiro'o Games is a video game, animation, development, and publishing company founded in 2002.
It was founded by game designer / screenwriter / programmer, Olivier Madiba. Kiro'o Games caught my eye with the release of their (African) Fantasy RPG... Aurion: The Legacy of the Kori-Odan (released in 2016).
Aurion is an epic action RPG set in a wonderful African Fantasy world with a unique, open and dynamic fighting gameplay.
Enzo Kori-Odan, the prince of Zama is a victim of a coup d'etat orchestrated by his brother in-law on the day of his coronation and wedding with Erine Evou. The royal couple is then exiled and decides to go around the world in search of allies. They will especially have to reunite Enzo’s warring legacy in order to retrieve their throne.
Beyond retrieving their position, the dethroned Royal couple will precisely discover the geopolitical and existential dilemmas attached to their functions of King and Queen. They will have to find answers in order to secure the fate of Zama.
Aurion is at the same time a mystery and an evidence in the Auriona planet. This energy was discovered a long time ago and is manifested in various ways (battle, handicraft, etc) in daily life. Those who use it in battle are called Aurionics letting them increase their power and have access to untold fighting techniques for a short time interval.
Features
Epic and strategic Real-Time Fighting, visual evolutive Combos!
Gather your Legacy and merge the Aurions to create new ones (21 aurionical transformations can be done!)
Powerful duels with immersive fighting dialogues
Unique scenario & lots of powerful enemies and bosses
You are one of the three survivors of the slaughter of Castagath. Rescued by Grand Inquisitor Heimlock, you were drafted into the Republic’s Army of the Purifiers at a very young age to be trained in the military academy and become perfect soldiers against the supernatural. You also had the chance to benefit from Heimlock’s occasional advice and training, which led you and your childhood friends, Valeria and Edric, to be called the “Children of Heimlock”.
Recently, the Brotherhood of Dawn has infiltrated the Crimson Keep, a mysterious republican fortress lost among the northern deserts known as the Red wastes. While the purpose of the attack was unclear, the republican Senate voted a retaliation act against all known locations of the Brotherhood. Led by Grand Inquisitor Heimlock himself, troops are soon deployed on the Coast of wrecks, near the city state of Stormfall, to terminate a camp of Brothers. You are, with your two childhood friends, part of operation Dawnbane, under the supervision of Justicar Maëlys.
Key features
Free character development Wield a great variety of weapons and find your own playstyle thanks to their unique stances and combos. In Wolcen, there is no class, only your weapons set the rules for your skills types. Three types of resources Rage and Willpower interact with each other, using the Resource Opposition System. Stamina allows you to use a dodge-roll to avoid danger or travel faster. Item diversity Gear up according to your offensive and defensive choices with common, magical, rare and legendary items. Break the rules and unlock new possibilities with Unique items and rare affixes.
Skill customization Level up your skills with your character or alternative resources to gain modifier points and create your own unique combination of skill modifiers. Change your damage type, add new functionalities, grant buffs or debuffs, change the skill’s mechanics completely. The options are limitless.
Rotative Passive Skill Tree Make your own path throughout the 21 sub-class sections available in the Gate of Fates to customize your passives and make them fit to your play style.
Strategic fights Wolcen’s creatures have complex patterns including deadly skills. Pay attention to various markers and to animation anticipation to avoid lethal attacks using your dodge roll ability.
Apocalyptic form All characters can shapeshift into one of the 4 Celestial incarnations available, each of them offering 4 different skills, and one devastating ultimate.
Endless replayability Improve your gear by looting or crafting, gather resources to unlock rare missions, face advanced challenges for special rewards, experiment new builds, become the greatest achiever. Whether you like to play solo or with friends, there is always something to do. A taste for beauty Using the Cryengine technology makes Wolcen an immersive and beautiful game with highly detailed armors and weapons. In addition, 8 hours of epic orchestral music will accompany you during your journey.
Unleash your fashion sense Customize your appearance by switching the visuals of your armors and weapons. Loot more than 100 different dyes and tune up your armor to have your very own unique style. The asymmetric armor system will also allow you to change your appearance for left and right shoulder and glove. Difficulty modes Choose how you want to make the campaign with 2 different difficulty settings: the Story mode and the Normal mode. The endgame is shaped to allow a progressive increase in the difficulty.
Regular updates and seasonal events We’re committed to make Wolcen a long-term game with regular updates and additions, including features, Acts, gameplay content, Quality of Life, PvP, Housing, and seasonal events.
This game can land you in the DCL... if you're good. See ya on TV!
I'm not in the business of selling lies... but if this game can land you in a league getting paid for something you love doing, give it a shot. At the end of the day... you never know where it could lead, even if you're scared... chase your dreams... fear will head for the hills after awhile.
Info on how to become a pilot is included!
DESCRIPTION
Download DCL - The Game and fly on the world's most spectacular Drone Racing tracks. DCL - The Game is the official videogame of Drone Champions League - the world's leading Drone Racing series. We are developing the full version and looking forward to its 2019 release date.
WHAT PILOTS SAY Angelo Felchle: "The DCL Game is perfect to practice the hardest and most spectacular tracks in the world. I'm playing a lot if I don't have the time to go outside and fly to stay in shape and get stick-time."
Alex Campbell: "It feels like flying a real drone."
Andrzej Krasny: "This is by far the best Drone Simulator on the market. It enables pilots to race on authentic DCL tracks in epic locations. I can't wait to race against my best friends online."
FLY AROUND THE WORLD Fly through over 30 spectacular tracks and compete online against other pilots from all over the World!
Discover real drone racing tracks like the snow halfpipes of LAAX or the castle ruins of Reutte. Each location will present a new and unique challenge and will demand all your piloting skills!
ARCADE OR SIMULATION? DCL - The Game presents the perfect challenge for every experience level. You can have fun with the Arcade mode even if you have never seen a drone before. You can improve your skills as an amateur pilot or you can practice and compete as an experienced pilot. You will be able to fly in four flight modes:
Arcade Mode: Perfect for beginners thanks to the automated altitude control and simplified controls.
GPS Mode: Flies like your standard camera drone, with stabilization and altitude control.
Angle Mode: Also known as Stabilized mode, available on most amateur racing drones.
Acro Mode: This is how the real drone racing and freestyle pilots control their drones. You will have the complete control over the aircraft, in order to compete at the highest levels.
FLY LIKE A PRO! Control your drone with a keyboard, gamepad or - for the ultimate simulation - connect your transmitter and fly like a real drone pilot! Beginners can fly in Arcade or GPS mode and use keyboard or gamepad as their input method. For full immersion – and to achieve the fastest times – we recommend flying with a transmitter: we recommend this input method, especially if you want to qualify for the DCL Draft Selection, because it prepares you for flying with a real drone!
COMPETE WITH THE BEST PILOTS WORLDWIDE! Show us what you’ve got! Fly the fastest times and qualify for the DCL Draft Selection. The 200 best pilots worldwide will be invited to our Draft Selection Event in Cannes (France) and get the chance to be picked by one of the DCL Teams and compete in a real-world DCL season, the greatest Drone Racing League in the World!
The ever popular Disney's Tsum Tsum is now available on the Nintendo Switch™!
The cute little characters from Disney's Tsum Tsum step foot into a toy store, where they can have a blast playing ten different party games, including curling, hockey, and more! Enjoy many modes of play such as cooperative and versus play. Choose your favorite Tsum and have a good time with friends and family!
What's more, you can go online to play with players from around the world!
Including the classic puzzle game, Tsum Tsum offers worldwide online multiplayer support for the first time ever!
If you were on the fence about buying the infamous Anthem...
keep your eyes peeled, it may be worthwhile. Just look at... No Man's Sky.
Bioware was planning a longer life than the one Anthem was facing after launch, and I still don't know how things will work out... but editor Rob Fahey (in his Feb. 14th article) feels that it's a "rare second chance" that they're able to prevent the game from going into the scrap pile.
Nothing against Rob (I can agree with that part), but this whole situation involving Anthem is one gigantic cow pie (not the edible kind)! I don't see it as a rebuild of the game using the existing... bones, they're more so continuing the build and... replacing the placeholders + fillers that were put there to get you by until the game could actually move forward in development.
I'm not saying that they can't go back and do the right thing, I commend them for doing so... but the game was thrown together for release. EA has to get better with the QA (quality assurance)... we've been here before.
Developers: You can only cut corners so much before you end up cutting the wrong thing. I could really unload on EA right now, but... I'll leave it at that. I think the game is going to turn out to be good once it's fully developed... and no one had better be charged for what should have been the real game in the first place.
