Almost 20 years since the last single player MechWarrior game hit pilot’s PCs, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries from Piranha Games is now available for download on the Epic Games Store ($49.99 standard, $59.99 collectors edition.)

Additionally, the full suite of short stories leading up to the events in MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries have been released, and now an anthology collection of all eight is available: https://mw5mercs.com/novellas. The new and original series is penned by Randall N. Bills, author of over half a dozen novels, and whose led the publication of hundreds of sourcebooks and rulebooks set within the BattleTech and MechWarrior universe over the past two decades. (https://store.catalystgamelabs.com.)

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries marks the return of the series’ mission-focused campaign structure, allowing pilots to call the shots while leading either AI-controlled allies or up to three friends through optional co-op into dangerous contracts. Unit leaders will decide which risky missions to accept, where their priorities lie across the Inner Sphere’s volatile conflict zones, as well as how to best utilize the resources earned from their dances with death.

Featuring expansively destructible environments, pilots can tear through structures while swatting helicopters out of the sky and reducing rival pilots’ rides to scrap. Strategize in the moments in-between battles in the Mech Bay with mission recovery and choose your pre-deployment loadouts to maximize your chances of glory on the battlefield. Whether you play solo or team up via co-op with friends, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is all about risk, reward, and consequence.

MW5:M includes both a linear, plot-filled campaign and an "instant action" combat option, and both of these work in single-player and online co-op flavors. The former includes progression over a series of missions, which means you'll accumulate currency, scrap, and weapons left on the battlefield, along with experience-point progress for both your general skills and specific weapons. The latter opens with a menu that lets you pick certain battling options--objectives, biome, enemy faction--and spawn a randomly generated mix of terrain and enemies; in these one-off scenarios, progress isn't saved.

I opted to test my HOTAS rig with the campaign, since it includes a control tutorial. The first issue I ran into while HOTAS testing was the need to keep a mouse and keyboard handy. You'll have to "walk" through a base between missions, which I couldn't figure out how to map to the joysticks. The second issue was that the tutorial was not built for alternative control schemes. Even with certain functions mapped to my joystick or throttle, the on-screen GUI still displayed keyboard-button commands—and worse, many tutorial steps wouldn't complete until I tapped the keyboard version of the demanded button.

Based on feedback from MW5:M developers Piranha Games, this issue will likely linger for a while after launch, if not indefinitely. If you want to play the game with preferred HOTAS hardware, even if it is supported by a "plug-and-play patch," you'll want to go into the options menu and map your every control function before starting the game (and write down your chosen functions on an index card, since in-game menus won't remind you of your button choices).

If the story doesn't interest you, then hop into Instant Action. In this mode, you can choose any mission type and any of the mechs available in the game. Feel like trying the Atlas, Warhammer, or King Crab? Go for it, strike out on your own, and have some fun. Honestly, this was the part I enjoyed most.

There's also co-op, allowing you to team up with your friends and take on missions together. It's available in both the story and Instant Action modes.

Overall, MechWarrior 5's gameplay is well thought out. Fighting other mechs feels gritty, forcing you to strategize to figure out the best way to take them down. Going into battle under the tonnage limit means you'll be at a disadvantage, so be sure to have a good spread of mechs to meet the challenge. You need to juggle what to bring with you, too, whether that's more ammo for your AutoCannon, additional bullets for your machine gun so that you can pelt enemies and buildings, or heat sinks to lower the risk of overheating when using energy weapons.

When on a mission, you have to pay attention to your mech's status, your weapon range, and the enemies' spread. There's a lot to worry about, not to mention your evasive movement patterns and keeping on course. To be sure, it's not for everyone, but players who like the complexity of piloting and maintaining a mech will find a lot to love.

And that leads me to my biggest gripe with MechWarrior 5: the encroaching boredom. The gameplay, as I said, is pretty good, but it can grow dry and tiring before too long. To handle the sharp difficulty spikes, you'll need to grind missions in lower-tier areas to gain enough skill points and funds to take on upper-level tasks and quests. You'll go through a staggering amount of money just traveling to new star systems and repairing your mechs after a battle. Not to mention the real-world time it takes to sit through loading screens, which come complete with frame drops and, once again, repetition.

Finally having reached the conclusion the question becomes, do I recommend MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries? No, I cannot say I do, but I also am not recommending against it. Based on my perspective and preferences, it definitely has flaws, enough so I cannot recommend it. I am also not recommending against it because I do not consider it a bad game. I feel there is just enough misalignment in what I enjoy in a game and what this offers to fail to recommend, but I recognize much of this is a misalignment in preference that I cannot and will not call it bad. There are definitely people out there this will better, even perfectly align with, but I am not among them.

The graphics are pretty good, and while there are imperfections like repeated textures for the ground, given the somewhat open design to the game with myriad worlds to visit, such imperfections are hardly unacceptable. The story is not that strong and while much of my criticisms can be dismissed by remembering the game is about mech battles, the one I do not want to dismiss is I feel no investment into the MechWarrior/BattleTech Universe. The gameplay has various flaws, with some being issues I would hope can be addressed as though they are bugs (the "radar" for example) while others stem from the misalignment I described above, and so might never change. Nothing wrong with that, but it does help to know going in.

I also want to remind everyone that I have only played this solo. Co-operative play is also possible and could produce a very different experience, both because the AI co-pilots can be somewhat incompetent but also because playing with friends can always change an experience, compared to playing alone.

Anno 1800 players can seek out new resources and opportunities in the frigid northern lands in The Passage DLC, available now for standalone purchase and included in the Season Pass. The biggest new content release since launch brings a host of new challenges, but you don’t have to face them alone. A free update today has added a co-op mode (supporting up to four factions and up to 16 players) and an in-depth statistics system to help you get a better view of your empire’s economy. If you’re curious what all the hustle and bustle is about (or want to recruit some friends to join you), Anno 1800 is available to download and play for free (includes population tiers 1-3) from December 11-18 through Uplay and the Epic Games Store.

Today on PlayStation’s State of Play broadcast, Capcom celebrated the 20th anniversary of the survival horror classic Resident Evil™ 3: Nemesis by unveiling a completely reimagined Resident Evil™ 3. On the heels of the award-winning Resident Evil™ 2, this highly demanded follow-up in the 94 million unit selling franchise once again utilizes Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine to complete the Raccoon City story arc. Resident Evil 3 stars Jill Valentine – one of video games’ most iconic heroines – as she escapes from a crumbling Raccoon City while being pursued by the unrelenting bioweapon Nemesis. Players can also participate in previously untold Umbrella experiments on the outskirts of Raccoon City in the included online asymmetrical multiplayer game Resident Evil™ Resistance, previously known as the working title Project Resistance. Resident Evil 3 will be available on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X and Steam on April 3, 2020.

Resident Evil 3 is set amidst the nightmarish outbreak of the T-virus, a biological weapon developed by the pharmaceutical company Umbrella Corporation. The game marks the debut of Nemesis – a towering humanoid bioweapon designed for both brutality and high-functioning intelligence – whose dogged hunt of S.T.A.R.S. member Jill Valentine made him an icon of the Resident Evil™ series. Armed with an arsenal of high-powered weaponry and wrapped in a black suit to hide his mutilated features, Nemesis will maim, pulverize or destroy any obstacle on the path to his target.

Jill’s harrowing escape takes place in the panic-stricken hours leading up to and following the events of the acclaimed best-selling Resident Evil 2. Intense combat and puzzle solving combine to deliver the heart-pounding final chapter of Raccoon City’s collapse. The horrific settings from the original game and new content come to life as never before with RE Engine, previously utilized to create the acclaimed Resident Evil™ 7 biohazard, Resident Evil 2 and Devil May Cry™ 5 with high-definition graphics and modernized gameplay mechanics.

Complementing the action-packed single player campaign is Resident Evil Resistance, an asymmetrical 4 vs. 1 multiplayer game originally unveiled as a working title at Tokyo Game Show earlier this year. As the Mastermind behind the scenes, players can assume the role of key Resident Evil characters like Annette Birkin in a series of deadly experiments. Manipulate the environment and wield a deck of cards to place vicious creatures, set traps and weaponized security cameras to snare hapless Survivors. A first for the franchise, Masterminds can even directly control elite bioweapons like G-Birkin and Tyrant. In turn, four Survivors must effectively work together, making the most of a variety of weapons and each player’s unique special abilities, to stand a chance of escaping the experiment before time runs out.

Resident Evil 3 will be available on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X and Steam on April 3, 2020. Those who pre-order will also receive the exclusive Classic Costume Pack that features the original design for Jill Valentine and hairstyle for Carlos Oliveira (Please check with your retailer to confirm they’ll have this pre-order bonus available).

Let’s put an end to resource-heavy clients running all the time and us juggling between multiple apps to access our games and see what our friends are playing. GOG GALAXY 2.0 conveniently shows you all your games as one library and makes it easier than ever to stay in touch with your friends across PC and console platforms.

“For the past few years, we’ve seen continuous fragmentation of our game collections and gaming friends lists, further proving the need for an application that unites them all,” says Piotr Karwowski, Managing Director at GOG. “And I’m sure there are even more clients and launchers on the way,” Karwowski adds. “We’re amazed and thankful for the reaction from the community to the app and taking it even further by creating integrations with 20 gaming platforms – allowing everyone to see all their games and friends in GOG GALAXY 2.0.”

The closed beta brought numerous big updates like seeing friends’ online status from different platforms in GOG GALAXY 2.0 or adding Global Search. The latter allows multiple options – finding games and friends, launching games with a single press of a key and giving the ability to manually add any game to the library.

Minimum
OS Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 (64-bit versions)
CPU Intel Core i3-7100/AMD Ryzen 3 1200
GPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770/AMD Radeon R9 280X
RAM 8GB
DirectX Version 11
Storage 55GB free space (SSD)

Recommended
OS Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 (64-bit versions)
CPU Intel Core i7-6700K/AMD Ryzen 7 1700
GPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070/AMD RX Vega 56
RAM 16GB
DirectX Version 11
Storage 55GB free space (SSD)

Languages Supported
English, French, German, Russian

David Ismailer, President of 2K, said:

“As we continue growing our product portfolio, we remain inspired by opportunities to invest further in our valuable IP, great people and their collective, long-term potential. BioShock is one of the most beloved, critically praised and highest-rated franchises of the last console generation. We can’t wait to see where its powerful narrative and iconic, first-person shooter gameplay head in the future with our new studio team at Cloud Chamber leading the charge.”

Kelley Gilmore, Global Studio Head, Cloud Chamber, added:

“We founded Cloud Chamber to create yet-to-be-discovered worlds – and their stories within – that push the boundaries of what is possible in the video game medium. Our team believes in the beauty and strength of diversity, in both the makeup of the studio and the nature of its thinking. We are a deeply experienced group of game makers, including many responsible for BioShock’s principal creation, advancement and longstanding notoriety, and honored to be part of the 2K family as stewards of this iconic franchise.”

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