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Subnautica: Below Zero

Subnautica: Below Zero is an Early Access game on Steam that’s been available for purchase since January 30th 2019. It will be coming to Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch in 2021. This is the second game in the Subnautica series. Subnautica is a mostly underwater sandbox game where you can harvest resources, build bases, and explore a strange alien planet. Below Zero takes place after the events of the original game on the same planet. But you’ll be faced with unique new challenges in Below Zero. There are new monsters that you’ll have to avoid. There’s a new set of mysteries for you to uncover. And as always, you still need to eat and drink to survive.

Many of the animals that appear in the original Subnautica will also make an appearance in Below Zero.

Under the Ice

Subnautica doesn’t have a direct storyline per se. Rather, you can receive radio signals that will beckon you in certain directions. When you reach the source of that signal, you might find something especially interesting there. Maybe you’ll find records of another fellow explorer’s journey to the planet. Or maybe you’ll find evidence that the aliens on this planet are more than meets the eye. As you uncover the planet’s secrets, you’ll be discovering more and more that the planet has to offer. You’ll be uncovering new alien species of fauna and flora that you can exploit for your own purposes. As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock new tools, base upgrades, and vehicles. These small victories keep you interested in exploring new areas and discovering more of what the planet has to offer. 

You’ll spend more time out of the water in Below Zero when compared to the original Subnautica.

Frozen Secrets

Below Zero is still in Early Access so there’s still planned content that will be added to the game. For example, there will likely be more fleshing out of the story through more voice acted scenes. There are also still plenty of bugs that the development team will eventually patch out. They also intend to increase the performance and frame rate on all systems. We might also see even more vehicles, biomes, or other in-game items that could enhance the player’s experience. The original Subnautica was an Early Access game and that ended up playing a huge role in the quality of the game on its release date. Unknown Worlds Entertainment takes full advantage of the gaming community’s feedback to optimize their games and Subnautica: Below Zero will likely be no different. 

#Subnautica #EarlyAccess #Indie #Survival

Ultimate Universe

Ultimate Universe Mod

The Ultimate Universe is/was a total conversion modification of the PC Game, Star Trek: Legacy (released in Late 2006). It is a collaboration of many individuals driven to make the best of Star Trek Legacy. 

 

You MUST start with a Fresh Clean unmodded Legacy install. If you try installing over UU1.0 or 1.5 you will CERTAINLY have problems! This is part 1 of a 2 part installer. Be sure to grab Part 2 of 2 as well, both are required!. UU2.0 is a FULL INSTALL.

Now that’s out of the way. You will find a new menu structure, more
races, enhanced missions, the new Vs Armada, and Instant Vs modes. As
well as the new “Exploring History” mode which is a mostly non combat
mode that explores Earth and Mars development from the NX-01’s time to
the NCC-1701F.

Great new intro, loading screens and main menu
graphic by Mindwipe. Three interviews with the CoWriter of the Stock
Campaign Derek Chester done by Mindwipe himself and a TMP Theme music
vid with Mike Shaw. Rebuilt main menu by Muldrf. Enhanced Explosions and
weapon effects by Miri as well as some nice new glow work on some of
our favorite starships.

Here’s my Favorite Miri Explosion sequence!

New Terran Empire ships by Nix and new Section
31 by Gan as well as some other offerings. Additional ships by Maxloef.
New Map Editor menu structure with easier navigation setup by Tjoz with
nearly all flyable 2.0 ships as well as the stock components.

A fair number of ships by MRJohn have been added. And lets certainly not
forget DJ Curtis’s beautiful Century and Vivace Class starships.
Enhanced UUTools utility and the new LMTools Modding Utilties have been
released as well, also the Legacy Mission Editor is included although the
LMTools has full mission building abilities built in. I have included
the Modinstaller for good measure for any aspiring modders out there
who might find use for it.
Ultimate Universe 2.0 - Part 1

————————————-
Nov 27th, 2009 – Part 2 of 2
You will find a new menu structure, more races, enhanced missions, the new Vs Armada, and Instant Vs modes. As well as the new “Exploring History” mode which is a mostly non combat mode that explores Earth and Mars development from the NX-01’s time to the Ncc-1701F.

Great new intro, loading screens and main menu graphic by Mindwipe. Three interviews with the CoWriter of the Stock Campaign Derek Chester sone by Mindwipe himself and a TMP Theme music vid with Mike Shaw. Rebuilt mainmenu by Muldrf. Enhanced Explosions and weapon effects by Miri as well as some nice new Glow work on some of our favorite starships. New Terran Empire ships by Nix and new Section 31 by Gan as well as some other offerings. Additional ships by Maxloef. New Map Editor menu structure with easier navigation setup by Tjoz with nearly all flyable 2.0 ships as well as the stock components. A fair number of ships by MRJohn have been added. And lets certainly not forget DJ Curtis’s beautiful Century and Vivace Class starships. Enhanced UUTools utility and the new LMTools Modding Utilties have been released as well, also the Legacymissioneditor is included although the LMTools has full mission building abilities built in. I have included the Modinstaller for good measure for any aspiring modders out there who might find use for it.
Ultimate Universe 2.0 - Part 2

————————————-
April 7, 2011 – Hosted by Moddb
Ultimate Universe 2.2 Update (Build 2) – This release includes updates to a fair number of existing ships to add features to them such as breaking nacelles with plasma effects, animated bussards, reduced torpedo circling, bump maps, and some torpedo circling prevention work. There are also a number of new ships, Wagaugusto’s Olympic Class. Phoenix’s TOS Proxima which was released to public in December is now included. The ole Marauder from BC ported by Muldrf with Acidfluxxbass’s take on it’s textures and Miri and Gan’s effects and weapons. Galaxy X (Evolution) Class, The Icarus Class. There are also numerous ships by Rudianos. Additional texture work by Gan and Acidfluxxbass on various ships. Great new effects work by Miri as usual. New Destruction Damage work by Gan making it a bad idea to get to close to a dying ship..

Ultimate Universe 2.2 Update (Build 2)

Please note that this does not represent (yet) the full extent of the mod. This site will, when time permits, contain credits and readmes for the many great talents involved in the making of the mod.

See the Full Mod with more notes at MODDB!

Thank you for years of Support!

Ultimate Universe
Click for BIG Picture!

 

Chris Jones Gaming - 2008 Logo
Ultimate Universe Mod by Chris Jones Gaming

Far Cry 5

The entire Far Cry series is on sale on Steam for 70% to 80% off. Published by Ubisoft, the Far Cry series has stood the test of time since the original release in 2008. Each game has a totally unique story and can be enjoyed completely individually. Ubisoft is expecting to release the next title in the franchise, Far Cry 6, sometime in late May 2021. But until then, we’ll just have to make do with what we have. Far Cry 5, released in 2018, was the most expansive entry in the series. It had the largest map, a well-crafted story mode with different endings, a co-op mode, plenty of weapons, a well-developed progression system, and plenty of other features to keep you entertained. Many players might even find some the most memorable parts of the game to be the cutscenes that play out between some of the action in the story. Like many other titles in the series, Far Cry 5 has a lot to offer.

Each member of Joseph Seed’s family contributes to the cult in a unique way. Faith Seed keeps cult members brainwashed by drugging many of them.

Welcome to Eden’s Gate

Far Cry 5 is set in the formerly peaceful Hope County, Montana. The county has been taken over by an insane cult known as Eden’s Gate. They’re led by the charismatic and crazy cult leader Joseph Seed and his siblings. You’ll have to save the county from Eden’s Gate, one step at a time. The map is split up into regions that are controlled by each sibling. As you liberate each region from the cult, you’ll eventually be able to face that leader and take another step towards ending the deranged cult. Outside of the main story, there are also many side quests that you’ll participate in as you level up. The range of character can be quite bizarre, as Far Cry 5 utilizes humor a bit more than most of its predecessors. By the end of many side quests, you can gain a character as a companion that you can fight alongside for the rest of the game.

Far Cry 5 gives you plenty of ways to get around. You can fly in a plane, helicopter, and even in a wingsuit.

The Land of the Free

Purging Eden’s Gate from Montana won’t be easy. You’ll need to create a plan, assemble a team, gather weapons, and hone your skills to take the cult down. There are tons of different ways that you can go about fighting the cult. The game features many different types of guns, explosives, and vehicles. Beyond the usual cars, you can now fly planes and engage in a dogfight against other pilots. You can choose to focus on combat and go in to fights guns blazing. But you can also focus on stealth and try to assassinate your enemies quietly or from afar. The Far Cry games are AAA titles made by teams that put thousands of hours into its development. Pick this game up on sale if you want a fleshed out and massive game for a low price.

#FarCry #FarCry5 #FarCry6 #Ubisoft

Rocket League

Rocket league was originally released for Microsoft Windows and PS4 on July 7th of 2015 by the California-based game studio Psyonix. Over the years, the game has been released on various other platforms including Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Mac, and even Linux. Last September, Rocket League became free-to-play, opening access to the widest range of players as possible. There are tens of millions of people around the world that have played this game. As time progressed, there have been plenty of cosmetic additions and ways to personalize your vehicle. However, the core gameplay has remained unchanged. The game still remains as simple yet intensely competitive as ever.

There are tons of gamemodes in Rocket League. You can go head to head or play in teams. There are many other rules that can be changed as well.

The Soccer of the Future

What exactly is Rocket League? Ultimately, it’s a futuristic sports game where rocket-powered cars are trying to push a ball into a goal, similar to soccer. During gameplay, the player(s) control the vehicle and utilize a robust physics system to try to outmaneuver their opponent(s) and score on them. Rocket League’s advanced physics system simulates realistic  interactions between the cars and the ball. Momentum and mass are relevant factors during collisions and it can take a great deal of skill and experience to truly master the game. Let alone the tons of additions to the game through free updates and DLC, there was already a great deal of singleplayer and multiplayer content in the base game during its release. Season mode takes the player through a singleplayer campaign where they can unlock customizations for their vehicle and new playable maps. You can also play online in many different types of matches that uniquely fit with the playstyle of your choosing.

Some of the DLC add very well-made customization options, like this Batmobile.

GOOOOOOOOOAL

There are two major reasons that Rocket League has stood the test of time. Firstly, the long-standing interest that has been captured by the online gaming community has played a big role in the game’s continued focus from Psyonix. Several thousands of players have spent countless hours competing in the ranked mode to climb the very competitive ladder to the top. There is still a very dedicated fanbase for this game over five years after its release date. Secondly, the stream of updates and DLC for Rocket League has kept people checking in to see what’s new. The full list of free updates and DLC is very expansive and broad. Generally, they add a wide variety of customization options and new game modes. Through partnerships with other brands like DC Comics, How Wheels, and the NFL just to name a few, there are tons of ways for a player to personalize their vehicle. There are also a wide variety of maps and gamemodes that keep gameplay fresh and interesting. If you’ve never tried the game out, now is the perfect time. Considering it’s free-to-play and been refined for years, there’s plenty of fun content to be enjoyed.

#RocketLeague

Super Drink Bros.

Super Drink Bros is a fun little indie game from the Japanese studio Neko Game Teacher. It’s still in early-access on Steam and you can pick it up for the small price of $4.99. This is a high-speed fighting game where where drink cans battle it out in hardcore combat. Does it sound crazy? Yes. Is it a ridiculous idea? Absolutely. But considering the game’s price, you can actually have some real hilarious fun playing this game with a friend, or even online. Check out the reviews on Steam yourself and you’ll see that the vast majority of players are having fun with it.

One of the characters in Super Drink Bros is a bamboo water bottle with a samurai sword.

Who’s Thirsty?

How many games can you think of where drink cans fight each other? Well, now you can at least think one. The game features multiple different fighters in the form of different types of drinks. Each drink uses a different fighting style. Some drinks fight with their fists. On of the drinks is armed with a gun. There’s even a drink that uses a samurai sword. To top it off, you can even design your own custom can and play with that character. Each fighter has a unique set of moves and characteristics that will make it feel different from the other drinks. There are also mutiple maps that have unique obstacles. For example, fighting in the restaurant will mean that furniture might get in the way. Meanwhile, a fight in the wrestling ring will mean that there’s nothing between you and your opponent.

Every fighter in the game has unique combination of moves.

The Beverage Battle

There are still plenty of features that the developers intend to add in the future. They plan to add a ranked mode so that you can play against players with a similar level of skill. They plan to add a 2vs2 mode so that you can actually team up with a friend against a team of enemy drinks. The team might also add multiple new maps. And of course, there’s also the chance for the characters in the form of cans. The developers have said that the price will increase when the game is fully released, so if you want to mess around with a new inexpensive fighting game, Super Drink Bros might actually be what you’re looking for.

#Indie #DrinkBros #Fighting

Slime Rancher

Slime Rancher is one of Steam Early Access’s greatest success stories. It’s the first game produced by the California based studio Monomi Park. The game has sold over 3 million units and usually has hundreds of thousands of monthly players. That’s an impressive feat for an indie studio’s debut project. The game first arrived on Steam in January of 2016 and was fully released in August of 2017. Since then, a stream of free DLC and content updates have kept the game fresh. The studio’s long-lasting devotion to the game continued to drive it’s sales on Xbox, Playstation, and PC. Slime Rancher proves that you don’t need a giant team to make a well-received game with a healthy community of dedicated players.

There are a wide variety of slimes that you can find on the Far, Far Range.

Not an Average Farm

In Slime Rancher, you play as Beatrix LeBeau. She’s traveled to an alien planet inhabited by creatures known as “slimes”. She’s inherited a ranch on the planet and she plans to make a fortune by collecting and combining the the tons of different types of slimes. Slime Rancher is a sandbox game, meaning that you’re placed placed into a large world with minimal instruction on what to do. You interact with the world the way that you choose to interact with the world. You explore the wild at your own pace and discover the game’s hidden secrets as you navigate the world. As you learn more about the mysterious planet, you’ll also come across more and more interesting and unique slimes. Hardcore fans of the game have spent many hundreds of hours collecting all the slimes, making their own hybrid slimes, and simply taking care of the slimes that they already have. The potential fun is potentially endless, especially considering the consistent stream of additional free content.

Who couldn’t love an angel slime?

The Far, Far Range

How has Slime Rancher been able to maintain its player base? Well, players are excited to see what comes next in the game. Without forcing the player down a questline, they want to see what the rest of the world has to offer. A beautiful soundtrack and welcoming graphics also help to keep people coming right back. People are excited when more content keeps getting added that upgrades everything from the gadgets, to the ranch, to the crops, to the slimes. As long as Monomi Park keeps showing Slime Rancher the love that its shown the game in the past, the player base is probably here to stay.

#SlimeRancher #Indie #Sandbox

The Pope: Power & Sin

The Pope: Power and Sin

The Pope: Power & Sin is an indie game from Polish studio Forestlight Games that will be released in 2021. Playing as the Catholic Pope at the dawn of the Renaissance, the game presents the player with many influential choices. Currently, it appears that this game will likely be a novelty that a gamer would only buy if they really want to say that they’ve “been the Pope”. With sub-par graphics and confusing gameplay, it’s likely that most people will want to steer clear of this game. But, you might still be able to have fun if you play light-heartedly and find fun in some of the absurd situations that the Pope finds himself in.

screensht of choices
There are many ways for the Pope to deal with his problems.

Unholy Head of the Church

The Pope: Power & Sin is inspired by Pope Alexander VI, who served from 1492-1503. During this time in history, the Pope was involved in several scandals and corrupted the authenticity of the Church. As the Pope, you focus less on the Church and more on securing power, riches, and pleasure for yourself. You can unite the Italian peninsula and expand the Church’s reach. You can expand your wealth by raising taxes on the people. The methods through which you secure political allies can vary greatly. It’s up to the player if they want to use peace, bribery, threats, or even violence to motivate important political players. As the Pope, God will always be on your side no matter what decision you make.

screenshot of the Pope lying in a pool of blood
There will be major consequences for the decisions that the Pope makes.

Power vs. Morality

This game clearly intends for the player to look forward to manipulating the power of the Pope. If you think you’ll enjoy enacting out the corruption of the Church’s highest authority, then you might be able to extract some fun out of this game. However, you can tell that the game has a low budget by its graphics and animations. Don’t expect a historical RPG or political strategy game that will be on par with the greatest in the respective genres. All-in-all, this is a novelty game that takes place in a historical setting that is rarely visited by video games. If you want to experience the crazy situations that the Pope finds himself in, look out for this low-budget game in 2021.

#Indie #Historical #Pope

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated

SpongeBob in front of his pineapple house

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is coming to Android and IOS on January 21st. The game was initially released for PC and major consoles in June and July of last year. This is actually a remake of the original Battle for Bikini Bottom, which was released in 2003. Updates from the original game include a multiplayer mode, cut content from the original, and updated graphics. This remake was published by THQ Nordic and developed by Purple Lamp Studios. Reviews for the game have been across the board, but the remake is sure to bring nostalgia to fans of the older SpongeBob games.

SpongeBob running from robots
Robots make up the bulk of the enemies in Battle for Bikini Bottom.

Are ya Ready Kids

Battle for Bikini Bottom is a 3D platformer. Most of the gameplay consists of collecting various items and destroying evil robots created by Plankton. You can play as SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy in these levels. Each one of these characters have their own abilities too. As the trio travels across Bikini Bottom, they encounter plenty of giant robot versions of classic SpongeBob characters. These giant robots make up many of the enemies in the game’s boss fights. There are also several other classic characters from the show that make an appearance in the game. You can also go to many of the show’s most iconic locations.

SpongeBob fighting King Jellyfish
Giant robots aren’t the only bosses that SpongeBob and his friends must face.

Aye Aye Captain

What’s changed from the 2003 version? Not much outside of higher-end visuals and modern resolutions. However, there is now an offline and online horde mode that lets you play with a friend. You can choose from a wider set of classic SpongeBob characters and fight against hordes of robots. You can play as Gary, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, Robot Plankton, and the singleplayer characters. This game is a family-friendly classic that tries to appeal to both the original audience and a younger generation of gamers. Retail price for PC is $29.99, but the mobile version will only be $9.99.

#SpongeBob #Classic #Remaster

Flea

Flea is an indie game released by the one-man studio Lowtek Games on October 30th 2020. Alastair Low ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to create a platforming game that would support a physical NES release. The NES was originally released in 1983 by Nintendo and changed the gaming industry as a whole. Having been a huge fan of NES games when he was younger, Low wanted to create a new game that would run on his favorite old console. Alongside the Flea physical NES cartridges that have been produced, you can also buy physical discs for the SEGA Dreamcast or download the game on Steam. All in all, this is a very unconventional 2020 release with a fun backstory behind it.

Flea uses other bugs as enemies, like mosquitoes.

Back to the Basics

Flea is a 2D retro platformer. It’s a relatively simple game where you play as Henry the Hyperactive Flea. Henry jumps around and navigates enemies that take the form of different types of bugs You also collect blood in order to complete the levels. There are a total of 80 levels with plenty of interesting characters in the game. Characters include the Fleadom Fighters, Humflea, Taiflea, and the Itchhiker to name a few. This game doesn’t bring much innovation to the table, but that’s the point. Flea attempts to entertain the player by bringing them a classic video game experience straight from the 80’s.

Nostalgia Galore

Like many of the games that appeared on the original NES, Flea can be very challenging. Although certain levels might be brutally difficult, there is enough fun to be had so that most fans of retro games will be able to get through to the end. Flea is $10 on Steam but it’s 50% off until January 5th at noon. If you’re a fan of retro platformers, then consider giving Flea a shot.

#Indie #Platformer #NES

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is set to be released for PC and next-gen consoles some time in 2021. It’ll be the first game in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. Produced by the Ukrainian company GSC Game World, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is a dark horror game set in an open-world environment with first-person shooter combat. Set in a fictional timeline of the Chernobyl disaster, the player explores the wastes of the “Zone”. The Zone is where scientists conducted vile experiments that went horribly wrong after the nuclear explosion. The game is filled with characters and mutants that will keep the player on edge. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is the fourth game in the critically-acclaimed series and it has been nearly twelve years since the most recent release. This new game will be the biggest by far and will run on a much better engine.

a ferris wheel
The Zone has a very creepy and eerie feel to it.

Disaster at Chernobyl

Like the past titles, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 faces the player with a multitude of major decisions to make as they play the game. There are many different endings for the game, all of which are determined by the choices that you made. The game also has a high replayability, as every playthrough will have different events unfolding in the world. GSC Game World wants the Zone to feel like it’s alive and moving all the time. Not only do you directly impact the fate of the Zone, there are special events that will impact it as well that might be out of your control. Altogether, the state of the Zone can end up being wildly different by the end of two different playthroughs.

strange mutants in tanks
You’ll find very strange things in the Zone, including mutants.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is Back

Just like the older games, you will play as a brand new character in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. Playing as Skif, you are one of the stalkers. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. stands for Scavengers, Trespassers, Adventurers, Loners, Killers, Explorers and Robbers. They’re people who’ve come to the Zone to exploit it for financial gain. They hope to find precious treasures and artifacts that have been abandoned in the dangers of the Zone. Some stalkers work alone while some stalkers band together into factions. As a stalker, you’ll be pit against humans and mutants alike. The first-person perspective helps make the player really feel the situation that their character is in. The fear of what might be behind a corner is amplified and you really are nervous about what’s going to happen to the character. If you’re a fan of horror and having control of the narrative, be on the lookout for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 in 2021.

#STALKER #STALKER2 #Horror

Gaming News and the Ultimate Universe