Minecraft’s new Exploration update adds a host of new features to the esteemed crafting game, including llamas, woodland mansions and maps to special locations.

Minecraft built its legacy by taking a relatively simple premise and perpetually adding new and sometimes unexpected features. From ocelots and horses to NPC villages and abandoned fortresses, the developers of the game have been drip feeding new content to its fans for more than seven years. Even the purchase of the company, Mojang, by Microsoft has yet to put a dent in their trendsetting and untraditional development process.

Minecraft Patch 1.11 is here. The latest additions to the game include a host of new features meant to reignite the desire to explore the game’s randomly generated world.

First, there’s a new randomly-generated structure to explore, namely woodland mansions inhabited by outcast villagers (dubbed Illagers) and a newly named mini-boss, the Evoker. If you’re worried about finding this new locale, cartographer villagers from the game’s randomly-generated villages now sell maps to the new location as well as maps to the underwater temples added in a previous patch.

If your Minecraft endeavors tend to be more agriculturally focused, llamas have also been added to the game. They can be saddled with a rug, which will then have up to ten nearby llamas follow suit to form a caravan for all your mass-exodus-related needs.

The patch is currently live and you can read a full list of the new additions here.

Watch the trailer below:

Overwatch update brings new hero, Sombra, and some significant tweaks to the game’s progression system.

A little over a week after crashing Blizzcon 2016, Overwatch’s newest hero, Sombra, has been added to the game. She brings with her a host of major changes to both the available game modes and the game’s cosmetic-based progression system.

First, quickplay has been changed to a 6v6, one hero limit game mode. It functions more like a lighter version of the full game’s ranked competitive mode. To fill the gap, Blizzard has added a variety of ways to play in the new Arcade mode section. From here you can choose a variety of new ways to play, including 1v1 duels, 3v3 face-offs and even a new iteration of the former 6v6 no hero limit quickplay mode.

The 1v1 duel and 3v3 face-off modes award a cosmetic loot box for the first win of the day and players can earn up to three additional loot boxes for winning up to seven games in any arcade mode throughout the week.

Additionally, the game’s leveling system experience requirements have been greatly reduced, meaning players will level up significantly faster and likewise earn cosmetic loot boxes at a faster rate.

Watch the patch trailer below:

Battleborn players organize an event called “Battleborn Day” in order to draw attention to the underplayed title.

Battleborn is a game that entered the market at an unfortunate time. Being thematically and mechanically similar to Blizzard’s titanic hero-shooter Overwatch, Battleborn was mostly overlooked and seen as either a poor competitor or inferior clone of the powerhouse title. But the game has managed to maintain a relatively small yet genuinely committed community in the months since its release — so committed that they’ve gone above and beyond to put together their own social event to bring in new players.

“Battleborn Day,” dubbed so by members of the game’s official subreddit and adopted by the developers, was an event orchestrated by fans who felt the game needed a boost in players. Engineered to provide a friendly and welcoming environment to new players, the event encouraged veteran players to equip their legendary gear, coach newbies and otherwise take it easy for the day so as not to have new players be crushed immediately.

The event eventually grew in scope and popularity until the game’s developers took notice and subsequently decided to join in on the fun. To help celebrate and promote “Battleborn Day,” they made each of the game’s 29 heroes temporarily available to play, doubled all forms of player progression — such as experience and in-game currency — and introduced a 20 percent discount on all items in the game.

“Battleborn Day” itself was successful overall, with players reporting queue times at an all time low due to the abundance of new players; however, we’ll have to wait and see if it will have any long-term effects on the game’s overall player base.

The post Gaming Week In Review: ‘Minecraft’ update, ‘Overwatch’ Sombra patch is live, reddit creates ‘Battleborn’ day appeared first on Emerald Media.

For more information, you can check out hultcenter.org.

-Mathew Brock

This weekend at the EMU, she will be presenting her “Rights of Nature” speech series, which discusses the commonly held notion that nature should be considered property and argues for nature’s inherent right to exist. She will also talk about the protests happening in Standing Rock, North Dakota.  

For more information on the Winona Laduke and “Honor The Earth” visit the website: www.honortheearth.org.

-Zach Price

-Leanne Harloff

The post Things to do this week Nov. 17-23: Eugene Symphony, Holiday Market and Winona Laduke at the EMU. appeared first on Emerald Media.

Mass Effect: Andromeda has released a new trailer for fans to start gleaning information about the game.

Since the climatic (or anti-climatic depending on who you ask) ending of the Mass Effect trilogy, fans have been wondering what’s in store for the popular sci-fi action-RPG. Over the last few years, we’ve been drip-fed details on the next game in the franchise, Mass Effect: Andromeda. This week, Bioware released a new trailer along with varying details on the new game.

What we know so far is that the game will have little connection to the original trilogy and instead finds the player taking the role of a Pathfinder, a sort of scout sent to far-off planets to find new locations suitable for human colonization. From the newest cinematic trailer, we can garner that things don’t quite go as planned; the protagonist finds himself hurtling through space, confronting new alien species and even encountering some old enemies.

The game will feature open-world gameplay focused on exploration, but still keep many of the core features of the Mass Effect franchise, such as dialogue trees, relationship building with crew members, story choices and cooperative multiplayer.

Mass Effect: Andromeda was delayed from its original release date from some time in Q4 of 2016 to sometime in Q1 of 2017, according to an announcement made last March.

You can watch the trailer here:

The front page of the Steam store has received a new revamp dedicated to improving “discoverability” for customers.

Valve is always looking for ways to sell more games, whether it be an onslaught of holiday sales or simply increasing the chances customers will find something they like. Over the last few days, Valce made some revamps to the front page of its store to help with the latter.

Starting from the left, the genre tabs are far more prominent with a variety of new search options, such as games friends are playing, recently updated games and upcoming games. In the center of the page is a section of featured and recommended suggestions, with everything from popular sales, new releases and games recommended based on your library and search history. Below that are the current sales and special offers, followed by a set of browsing options and then a list of the most popular Steam Curators. Below that you have the standard setup from before, with tabs for new releases, top sellers, upcoming releases and special offers.

The front page also features softer and brighter colors with an overall sleek, less cluttered design. Though it’s still just a gimmick to drive up sales, customers will be sure to appreciate the new ease access.

FacePunch removes experience and leveling system in Rust due to it being contradictory to the game’s goals.

Rust is a game that has been in a perpetual state of early access development for the last few years. Throughout that time, many features have come and go, but the latest of said features was a rudimentary experience and leveling system, similar to what one might find in other survival games like Ark: Survival Evolved. 

One of the biggest parts of the initial version of the crafting-based survival game was unlocking new recipes via in-game blueprints that could be collected from around the world, often hidden in crates, containers or the odd barrel, but more often looted from the bodies of fellow players who had already done the legwork.

But eventually, the development team decided it was too random of a system and one that awarded senseless violence, so instead they took the route of creating an experience and leveling system to replace it. According to the latest update notes on the game’s official development blog, this too was ineffective as there was little incentive for max player characters to keep playing.

To replace the newly created progression void, the team has rolled out its new “component system.” Instead of leveling up or gathering pieces of blueprints, players now have to find components that drop randomly throughout the world, which they can use to unlock their choice of newly craftable technology.

The post Gaming Week In Review: ‘Mass Effect’ trailer, Steam storefront revamp, ‘Rust’ xp system replaced appeared first on Emerald Media.

Overwatch’s next hero, Sombra, makes her debut at Blizzcon 2016 alongside the announcement of an Overwatch competitive Esports league

Sombra is a name that has been whispered among Overwatch fans for the past few months. Blizzard has teased her upcoming appearance with an augmented reality game, with clues appearing as far back as the release of the game’s previous new playable hero: Anna. During the Blizzcon 2016 opening ceremony, Sombra made her debut by hacking into the opening ceremony broadcast. This would have been a surprise if it hadn’t been leaked to the public several days beforehand.

Since Anna’s origin story trailer, Overwatch fans have noticed hidden messages, started decoding secret ciphers and have otherwise pieced together the identity of this mysterious hacker. By decoding messages and symbols hidden throughout the game and various promotional material, players have gradually discovered more about the new character.

Sombra is from Mexico and is formerly associated with the gang Los Metros — previously seen in Soldier 76’s animated short — but now works for the Talon, the antagonistic shadow organization of the Overwatch universe. In this new short, we get to see her abilities firsthand and get a glimpse at her personal agenda.

Sombra is an offensive hero equipped with a machine pistol and an array of gadgets and hacking skills to shut down enemy heroes. She can hack a hero’s equipment to shut down their abilities, use a cloaking field to briefly turn invisible and has a placeable teleporter she can recall to during battle. Her ultimate is an EMP blast that eliminates the shield and shuts down the abilities of any hero caught in it.

No specific release date has been given for Sombra yet; however, she is expected to enter the fight sometime during the month of November.

To add a little more punch to the unveiling, Blizzard has also announced it will be creating an Overwatch competitive league using a similar model as its Heroes of the Dorm Esports league. Details so far have been sparse, but Blizzard has invited Overwatch players, team owners and fans to compete in upcoming combine-like events to qualify for the competition. The league itself will take off sometime in 2017.

Valve has changed its policy to require actual in-game footage on a game’s featured store page images, including those for its own games

Steam has come under fire the past few months for allowing game developers to post potentially misleading photos on the store page for their game. The most recent controversy included the images and videos for No Man’s Sky, which showcase features that are not in the game and may never make it in.

An email to various Steam game developers has repeatedly surfaced over the last few days to inform them of the upcoming changes to the online game distribution platform’s screenshot policy. According to the email, all images in the screenshot section will soon need to feature actual in-game footage. Valve specifically cites pre-rendered footage, concept art or pictures of awards and marketing material related to the game as things they would like to avoid moving forward. They have stated that their goal is for developers to focus on showing images that are representative of the game as a favor to consumers.

(Image courtesy of FacePunch forum user Sanjuaro.)

To capitalize on its point, Valve has pointed to its own games as an example of misleading promotional images and admitted they need to improve as well. The email on the subject featured the store page of Valve’s popular Dota 2, which featured a variety of concept art instead of in-game screenshots. The artwork had been crudely crossed out to signify it would no longer be viable for use with Valve’s upcoming policy changes. Since then all concept art has been replaced with in-game screenshots on the Dota 2 store page.

The post Gaming week in review: ‘Overwatch’ Sombra and Esports reveal, Valve tightens store page image rules appeared first on Emerald Media.

Thursday, Nov. 3: CHERUB at the McDonald Theater (1010 Willamette St), 8 p.m., tickets $23-$25

Known for its popular single “Doses and Mimosas,” CHERUB — including Nashville natives Jordan Kelley and Jason Huber – plays with a sound that is distinctly indie-electro, with plenty of synths, harmonies and repeated drum tracks to pique the interest of fans of bands like Two Door Cinema Club and CHVRCHES. While the duo’s studio albums provide great ear candy, they are best known for their live performances. In addition to playing funky crowd favorites, Kelley and Huber regularly riff and improvise on live instruments. The resulting atmosphere is nothing short of electric.

With a relatively small but dedicated following of fans, CHERUB is a band that’s easy to recommend to any concert-goer.

-Dana Alston

Friday, Oct. 4: Radio Redux: Alice In Wonderland at Hult Center for the Performing Arts (7th and Willamette), 7:30 p.m., tickets $15-$25

The classic tale of Alice in Wonderland has managed to capture the imaginations of nearly a dozen generations through nearly every form of media to date. This Friday you can experience one of the most classic renditions with Radio Redux’s radio play performance of the 1865 novel.

Radio Redux is a local theater group that focuses on the “theater of the mind” radio programs that were popular from the mid-’30s to early ‘60s. Their upcoming performance will feature a cast of voice actors that will take the audience on an audible journey through wonderland, where they’ll meet all sort of colorful quirky characters.

A second performance will also be taking place on Saturday, Nov. 6. The show also features a free 45-minute pre-talk before the show that explores the ideas and themes of the production.

-Mathew Brock

Saturday, Nov. 5: Play in the Rain Day at Mount Pisgah Arboretum (34901 Frank Parrish Rd.), 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., free

If you haven’t yet had a chance to explore Mount Pisgah, this is the time to do it. The Mount Pisgah Arboretum will be hosting the sixth annual Play in the Rain Day, open to community members of all ages. The event will have tree climbing, nature exploration, crafts, hayrides and more. Be ready for a day of fresh air. Play in the Rain Day will continue rain or shine, so come prepared. Parking at the event will be free, thanks to Lane County Parks.

The Mount Pisgah Arboretum opened in the 1970s as a nonprofit organization and has since become a sanctuary for trees from around the world. Today it holds multiple hiking trails, outdoor education programs and community events.

-Leanne Harloff

Saturday, Nov. 5: Zeds Dead at McDonald Theater (1010 Willamette St.), 8 p.m., tickets $25 advance and $30 at the door, 18+

The Canadian DJ duo known as Zeds Dead is arriving in Eugene for one of the first concerts of their Northern Lights world tour.

This tour celebrates the first studio album ever released by Dylan Mamid and Zachary Rapp-Rovan, Northern Lights, following years of remixes and EPs. Electronic music fans can look forward to a night of new material from the October-released album and past hits from the duo.

Recognizable hits from Zeds Dead include “You Know” featuring Oliver Heldens and “Lost You.” The two DJs behind Zeds Dead are known to collaborate with popular DJs and producers such as Diplo and Major Lazer, and worked under Diplo’s Mad Decent recording label until this year. Openers for the Saturday night show are Big Wild and Oshi.

-Casey Miller

Monday, Nov. 7: A$AP Ferg at McDonald Theater (1010 Willamette St.), 7 p.m., tickets $27, all ages

A$AP Ferg will be making his seventh stop on his 22-city tour at the McDonald Theater this Monday. In late October, the Harlem-based rapper-producer kicked off his US tour, promoting his sophomore album, Always Strive And Prosper.

The album has an impressive list of features, including ScHoolboy Q, Missy Elliott, Migos and a handful of other artists. The album’s hit single “New Level,” which features rapper Future, was certified gold in early August.

Be sure to get to the show on time so you don’t miss up and coming Atlanta rapper Playboi Carti, who is known for his features on tracks with 21 Savage and Gucci Mane. Rob $tone, who had an underground summer hit with the track “Chill Bill,” will also be opening the show. Don’t be surprised if you hear a track or two from A$AP Mob’s — Ferg’s rap collective — newly released album, which came out on Halloween.

-Zach Price

Wednesday, Nov. 9: Fall Career Fair at the EMU Ballroom (1228 University St.), 12-4 p.m., free

It’s that time of the term again, so get ready to button up your nicest shirt, polish up that resume and put on your most confident poker face. The Fall Career Fair is coming up and it might be time to start scouting out a job.

Division of Student Life and the UO Career Center host the career fair each term to help students seek out a job for after they graduate, either as an internship or just to earn some extra cash while still in school. Over 100 employers will be attending the event in the EMU Ballroom next week.

If you need some help getting ready, there will be a prep event at the UO Career Center this Thursday, Nov. 3. You can find out more on the fair and the career center at career.uoregon.edu.

-Mathew Brock

The post Things to do this week Nov. 3-9: Career Fair, Play in the Rain Day, A$AP Ferg appeared first on Emerald Media.

Emerald arts and culture associate editor Mat Brock and videographer Eric Schucht share their thoughts on the upcoming Pokémon game, “Pokémon Sun and Moon.”

A two-man team from Havana has started a crowdfunding project to create the first Cuban indie game, Savior.

Cuba’s steadily improving relationship with the U.S. and the rest of the world has started opening up many new possibilities for the inhabitants of the island nation. Earlier this week, two men from Havana started a crowdfunding campaign to create the country’s first independently developed video game.

Savior is a 2D action-platformer where players guide a “Little God” through a crumbling world besieged by a donkey-headed antagonist, “The Great God.” The game is inspired by the two developers’ experiences in Cuba and portrayed through crumbling scenery and hand-drawn artwork and animation. 

Josuhe H. Pagliery and Johann H. Armenteros have been experimenting with game design and programming together for the past few years, but have previously faced many challenges when looking to start a larger project. According to the game’s website, financial backing for such a venture was difficult to find in Cuba, and limited internet access and outdated technology have made the development process all but impossible until the last few years.

With support from The Ludwig Foundation of Cuba and U.S.-based tech incubator The Foundation, the two have received the necessary connections and backing to present their game to the public through an Indiegogo campaign.

Their campaign is seeking $10,000 to complete the project and has already received $9,500 pledged in support. You can check on its progress here.

After a catastrophic launch and lackluster free-to-play revival, Turtle Rock Studios has announced it will be ending all development on Evolve.

Evolve is a game that never really made it off the ground. Losing most of its player base within a few weeks of launching and later revamping major mechanics to make it free-to-play, the game may have finally entered its death throes now that Turtle Rock Studios has publicly announced it will be ending all continued development on the game. 

The asymmetrical multiplayer game features four players in the role of monster hunters while the fifth player controls the hunted monster (or in many cases the monster hunting them). Regarded as imbalanced, repetitive and lacking in content at launch, the game relaunched earlier this year with a drastically redesigned progression system, major balancing changes and a free-to-play business model. The relaunch received a moderate reception but still fell flat when compared to the studio’s previous hit, the Left 4 Dead franchise.

Evolve Stage 2 will continue to be downloadable and playable for the foreseeable future. You can download it for free via Steam here.

Ark: Survival Evolved patch contains procedurally generated maps and a host of other features.

Among the many early-access crafting-based multiplayer survival games floating around in the online ether, Ark: Survival Evolved stands out as one of the most well-regarded and technically sound of the specific, yet popular genre. It may have drawn some recent controversy over its publisher releasing a DLC content pack (Ark: Scorched Earth) while the game is still in early access, but its most recent update still brings some major features to the developing game. 

Patch 248 features procedurally generated maps, which will make each map unique by randomly placing mountain ranges, lakes, rivers and the like to further flesh out the game’s “living ecosystem.”

The patch also features several new prehistoric creatures, including the alligator-like Kaprosuchus and boulder-tossing Chalicotherium. You can also now find artifacts hidden around the game world that will temporarily grant an experience boost to help with the game’s notably long leveling grind.

Though the full launch of the game still seems far off, you can check out its current early access build here.

Friday, Oct. 21: The Hidden Histories Of Art: Sights and Sounds of a Medieval Sensorium at Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (1430 Johnson Ln.), 12 p.m., free

Music and art have a strange power to inspire and create emotional responses in people, and since medieval times, the two have paired together like wine and cheese. This Friday, you can experience the pairing yourself at the Jordan Schnitzer with “The Hidden Histories Of Art: Sights and Sounds of a Medieval Sensorium.”

The event will feature artwork paired with a concert of medieval music that was often played during viewing events or communal services. Faculty members and graduate students of the School of Music and Dance will collaborate with Lori Kruckenberg, associate professor of musicology.

You can learn more at http://jsma.uoregon.edu/. -Mathew Brock

Saturday, Oct. 22: Masquerade Ball at Sweet Cheeks Winery (27007 Briggs Hill Rd.), 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., $25, 21+

Throw on a mask and head to Sweet Cheeks Winery, located outside of Eugene and surrounded by rolling hills and twisting grape vines, for an evening of wine, music, great costumes and more. 

The event will include activities from Blue Bus Creatives Photoswagon, B-Dazzzled Face Painting and Bacon Nation, as well as music from DJ Nate Robertson. Masquerade or Halloween costumes are encouraged with the overarching theme of the 1970s. If you’re looking for a great Saturday night, get a costume, grab a friend and head out for an evening of pre-Halloween fun at Sweet Cheeks Winery.

Ticket purchases can be made at sweetcheekswinery.com and include a complimentary glass of Sweet Cheeks wine upon arrival. -Leanne Harloff

Friday and Saturday Oct. 21-22:  UO Ducks Hockey vs. USC at The Rink Exchange (796 West 13th Avenue) 10:15 p.m. 

The University of Oregon club hockey team will face off against the University of Southern California Trojans this Friday and Saturday, for the fifth game of the season. The team is coming off two consecutive losses against the University of Washington two weeks ago. USC is the second team UO has faced in Pacific 8 Conference play.

You can learn more at http://www.oregonduckshockey.com/or at http://www.therinkexchange.com/. -Mathew Brock

Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 22-23: Giant Pumpkin Carving at 5th Street Public Market (296 East Fifth Ave.), 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., free

This weekend, spend some time getting into the Halloween spirit. “Professional giant pumpkin carver” and Willamette High School teacher Tom Lindskog will spend Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. carving massive pumpkins.

Lindskog has been carving giant pumpkins in Eugene for nearly a decade at events like Jack-O-Lanterns on Broadway. While at 5th Street Market, take the time to visit other shops with holiday specials. Stop by Goody’s for that Halloween sweets fix if you aren’t planning on trick-or-treating. -Casey Miller

Monday Oct. 24: Bad Religion with Against Me! and Dave Hause at McDonald Theatre (1010 Willamette St.), 7 p.m., $25 advance, $30 at door

Those looking to introduce a little anarchy should head to the MacDonald Theatre this Monday to see Bad Religion, one of the most prolific and influential bands of the 1990s.

Known for fast-paced, upbeat riffs and three-part harmonies, Bad Religion arose from the late 1970s punk scene to tackle various social ills through music. Heavily influenced by classic acts such as The Sex Pistols, Ramones and The Clash, their sound is ferocious, with lyrics that, despite underlying positivity, focus on serious topics like religion and civil rights. Every headbanging chord comes with some insight and introspection.

By the end of the night, Bad Religion will have you screaming to bring the house down, and with the band’s long history, they’re sure to attract a crowd. Dave Hause and Against Me! will open the show. Tickets are on sale now. –Dana Alston

Heroes of the Storm Weekly Brawl Mode comes out on Oct. 17, and a new hero, Samuro the Blademaster, has been announced

During Blizzcon 2015, Blizzard revealed it was working on an arena mode for its popular MOBA Heroes of the Storm. At the time, it showed heroes fighting in arenas with miniaturized versions of the regular maps, often featuring only a single objective to fight over and randomized heroes. To make good on its promise, Blizzard will be releasing the new Brawl mode next week, along with a new hero based on an influential favorite.

This Brawl mode includes single lane maps, weekly mutators, similar to those in Starcraft 2, and the Arena mode they promised last year. Playing these modes will allow you to earn weekly rewards and also let you commit to shorter games than the traditional 30-60 minute MOBA match.

Additionally, Blizzard will soon be releasing a new take on a classic hero: Samuro the Blademaster. The blademaster was a generic hero unit from Blizzard’s Warcraft 3 but has served as the inspiration for many characters since, including League of Legends’ Garen and Dota 2’s Juggernaut. Samuro will have all of his classic blademaster abilities, such as mirror image, windwalk and the iconic Bladestorm.

InXile Entertainment fulfills crowdfunding project for Wasteland 3 on Fig

The original Wasteland came out in 1988; even if you haven’t heard of it, you’ve likely felt its influence. The Fallout series was originally an unofficial sequel to the original Wasteland, and the infamous Desert Rangers even made a cameo in Fallout: New Vegas.

When Wasteland finally got an official sequel in 2014, many hardcore gamers were able to experience a true return to form in PC gaming. The game often featured immediate irreversible (save for loading one’s save file) consequences for their actions and a punishing combat system that puts most modern games to shame.

Now, the third installment to one of the most important games in PC history is being crowdfunded on Fig and has already blown past its $2.7 million with 26 days to spare. If you’re still looking to contribute, invest or just track the game’s progress, the crowdfunding project will remain open until Nov. 3.

Stardew Valley gets a new content update in Patch 1.1

Stardew Valley turned heads earlier this year by being the modern version of Harvest Moon that no one knew they wanted. With combat, modern story elements and a charming style, the game soared to popularity like few others.

Now the game’s creator, Eric Barone, has made good on his promise to keep working on the game with a load of new content in the game’s version 1.1 patch. For starters, there’s a lot of new content such as choosing different types of farmland (near a river, on a hill or in the monster-filled wilderness) and new magical items and buildings to help get around the world. There are also new candidates for marriage and even the option to divorce your spouse if you so desire. The update includes some balance fixes, such as making farm animals more profitable to raise and making crops slightly less valuable.

You can check out the full list of changes here.

If there’s anything better than a good game, it’s a good sequel to a game. Whether you like building an empire, being a superhero or just mowing through hordes of demons, here’s three that are coming out this term that you can that you can look forward to.

Sid Meier’s Civilization XI

The Civilization franchise started in 1991 and still serves as the poster child for the modern 4X strategy game genre. Its latest installment by Firaxis Games, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, hopes to do its predecessors proud in honor of the series’ 25th anniversary. After Civilization: Beyond Earth was criticized by fans for basically being a re-themed Civilization V, this new installment seems to be trying to innovate by improving the game’s basic formula.

Like most games in the series, you play as one of the world’s many civilizations, each with its own unique leader and special abilities. This time around, we’re treated to the return of some old favorites as well as some brand new faces. Gandhi has returned as the leader of India and Theodore Roosevelt makes his debut as the leader of the United States.

This title retains the series’ classic 4X strategy gameplay, but now there is a larger focus on each individual city. The game’s more complicated mechanics have also been streamlined. Cities now grow to multiple hexes and can be customized by creating special districts with different advantages. Combat has also changed dramatically, whereas now it focuses on having the majority of one’s army on a single hex tile. Finally, the AI has been designed in a way that makes it both unpredictable and historically realistic. Other civilizations will have hidden motives and will be more interesting to negotiate with.

Rewrite history on Oct. 26 for $59.99 on PC, Mac, and Linux.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

South Park: The Stick of Truth, created by Ubisoft and the South Park creative team, was well received by fans of the series and gamers alike. The game itself was basically a 12-hour long interactive episode where players could create their very own South Park character and mingle with the show’s colorful cast. It’s no surprise that the game has spawned a sequel, one that promises to be every bit as authentically South Park as the first.

In South Park: The Fractured But Whole, the kids have decided that fantasy roleplaying just isn’t cool anymore and that Superheroes is the new hip game of the week. Sadly, this means your character isn’t a mighty king anymore and is now just a nerd in a crown. Don’t worry though, with new classes, new customization options and a new superhero parody storyline, you’ll likely get over it pretty fast.

From what we’ve seen so far, the game is a turned-based-RPG, but they’ve added a grid-based battlefield to the mix this time. Now you can strategically position your characters and take advantage of the terrain by knocking enemies out of position or into objects for extra damage.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole was originally set to release on Dec. 7, but has been delayed to an unknown date. Pre-order now for $59.99 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One and get South Park: The Stick of Truth for free.

Shadow Warrior 2

The Shadow Warrior series is for people with particular tastes. If all you really want from a game is to sit back, relax and spend a few hours obliterating hordes of demons while splattering their blood and viscera over otherwise pristine environments, you’re in luck. The 2013 remake of the classic 1997 Doom-clone Shadow Warrior has now inspired a sequel with the upcoming Shadow Warrior 2.

Set fives years after the last game, the exploits of the game’s wisecracking main character, Lo Wang, have resulted in a world where humans and demons live side-by-side. As fate would have it, Wang runs into trouble with his old boss, Orochi Zilla, and must use his arsenal of over 70 weapons to slice, shoot and blast through anything dumb enough to stand in his way.

The big additions to this installment are a co-op mode with up to three additional players and elements of procedural generation that give each mission a small amount of variation. Other than that, it’s your classic first-person shooter. Find new weapons, upgrade them and basically kill anything that moves.

You can start slashing demons on Oct. 13 for $39.99 on PC, Mac, Linux, Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

If you’re looking for more games coming out this term you can check out The Emerald’s roundup of 12 other games coming out this fall.