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Steam reviewer logs 30,000 hours in Cities: Skylines, decides it sucks: "BY FAR most frustrating, enraging game of my entire life"

jordan.gerblick@futurenet.com (Jordan Gerblick) — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:40 +0000

It's not often you spend 30,000 hours playing a single video game, but when that does happen it's usually because you're really, really into it. Not always the case, however, as proven by a fascinating Steam review for Cities: Skylines from a player with nearly 30,000 hours logged.

When I first came across this post on Reddit, I had to check for myself, and sure enough, I was able to track it down and confirm that, at the very least, the reviewer had 29,926.3 hours logged in Cities: Skylines at the time of writing. That doesn't mean the reviewer actually played the game for that long - although it's possible - but that's the amount of time the game client was active. Still, even if half, or even three-quarters of that time, was spent idling, that's still an absolutely absurd amount of playtime for a single-player game.

The Redditor who shared the review did the math, and assuming the 30,000 hours is legit, that would be the equivalent of more than seven hours of playtime, every day, in the 11 years since the game came out. That's a full-time job! Of course, I'm inclined to believe a lot of that time was spent AFK, but no matter how you slice it, that's a lot of Cities: Skylines. According to Steam's data, 68.3 hours were logged in just the last two weeks alone, so it sounds like the player stays pretty consistent.

Anyway, apparently that was enough time for them to decide they don't really like Cities: Skylines. The review, posted April 11, 2026, reads:

"Constant updates break the entire game if it's modded. And it MUST be modded because the vanilla version is so lame it's unbearable. Paradox seems fixated on pastel cartoonish colors and buildings that look ubsurdly rediculous. The constant breaking with updates has made this the BY FAR most frustrating, enraging game of my entire life."

Most hours I've ever seen on a game from r/Steam

Whether or not this person actually sat down and played Cities: Skylines for 30,000 hours, this is a terribly funny review for someone who clearly enjoys the game enough to play it consistently. As a recovering League of Legends player, I completely understand the feeling of playing a game so much that you begin to hate it, but I can't say I can relate to having even a fraction of that amount of playtime in any game I've ever played. I reckon I was pushing 1,000 hours in Diablo 2 and Ultima Online back in the day, but these days I'm lucky if I can last a hundred hours in a game before I get bored.

I think what tickles me about this review, other than the sheer irony, is that Cities: Skyline is a generally very well-received city builder. It's literally number one on our list of the best city building games, and it's without a doubt a better experience than the disastrous sequel that came out in 2023. I'd be inclined to think the above Steam review was written by someone confusing Cities: Skylines 2 for the first game, but with that amount of hours logged, there's no denying they were playing the game they reviewed.

Anyway, here are the best sim games you can play right now.

Cities: Skylines gets its first proper expansion in 3 years as its disastrous sequel once again settles for smaller DLC packs

dustin.bailey@futurenet.com (Dustin Bailey) — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 17:46:24 +0000

Publisher Paradox Interactive has a big – and expensive – celebration in mind for the 11th anniversary of the beloved Cities: Skylines, including a host of DLC coming to both the original city builder and its sequel. This includes the first full expansion pack for the original game in nearly three years, as Paradox continues to weather the fallout from the maligned launch of Cities: Skylines 2.

The new content for the original Cities: Skylines is led by Race Day, an expansion that'll let your city host cycling, motorsports, and foot races. You can either build bespoke race circuits, or designate parts of your city streets as event roads so that they'll shut down to let racers through when the big event gets underway. This expansion launches on March 10, and while there's no official branding, I'm sure it's no coincidence that it comes just a few days after the Formula One season begins this weekend.

Notably, this will be the first full expansion for Cities: Skylines since Hotels & Retreats launched way back in May 2023. That was a few months ahead of the launch of its sequel, but as I wrote about in my Cities: Skylines 2 review, the follow-up landed in such a disastrous technical state that (now-former) developer Colossal Order had little choice but to delay DLC until after the biggest issues were fixed.

Cities: Skylines 2 eventually got one full expansion with Bridges & Ports, which was promised ahead of launch in 2023 but only ended up launching two years later in 2025. Most of the game's DLC has taken the form of community-led content creator packs, which add largely cosmetic new buildings, and expansions to the soundtrack.

The original Cities: Skylines has also been getting new content creator and soundtrack DLC since 2024, when it was becoming clear how much of the community was not ready to move onto the sequel, but there have been no other proper expansions in that time. March 10 will also see the release of Iconic Brutalism, Renewed History, and 8 Gear Radio DLC for CS1, all of which will be available separately or bundled all together with Race Day for $23.99 USD.

Cities: Skylines 2, meanwhile, is just getting those smaller types of DLC, with Office Evolution and City Stations creator packs and Smooth Vibes FM and Skyrail Radio soundtrack expansions. According to a press release, new developer Iceflake Studios will also introduce a free patch which "will bring the Iceflake Arena signature building to the game, and improve toggle zoning, as well as bug fixes and more." All this stuff lands on March 18.

It's not all doom and gloom for Cities: Skylines 2. SteamDB shows that the sequel is actually currently pulling in higher concurrent player counts than its predecessor, though the numbers are close enough that it's easy to see why Paradox might be keen to offer more content to both groups. But I have to wonder how long it'll take before the sequel once again gets full expansion packs of its own.

The original Cities: Skylines still tops our list of the best city-building games you can play today.

Cities: Skylines 2 is getting a new developer as publisher Paradox turns to a new studio, 2 years after the city builder's messy launch with no console release in sight

catherine.lewis@futurenet.com (Catherine Lewis) — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 15:34:39 +0000

Cities: Skylines developer Colossal Order is officially stepping away from its city builder series, with a new studio taking over work on Cities: Skylines 2 alongside existing publisher Paradox Interactive.

Announced in a post shared on the Paradox Forum today, the official Cities: Skylines account states: "After more than a decade of successful collaboration across numerous titles that we're both immensely proud of, Paradox Interactive and Colossal Order have mutually decided to pursue independent paths. The decision was made thoughtfully and in the interest of both teams – ensuring the strongest possible future for the Cities: Skylines franchise."

Under Paradox's leadership, Iceflake Studios will be taking over "all existing and future development for Cities: Skylines 2, including free updates for the current version, continuous work on the Editor and console editions, as well as future expansions and content packs. This means that Cities players will be able to look forward to new updates and content drops for many years."

Iceflake Studios is set to be fully behind the wheel "from the start of 2026," with Colossal Order finishing up work on a "few additional updates" first, including this week's upcoming "Bike Patch" (you'll never guess what that adds).

In a statement, Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen says the devs are "confident that the franchise will continue to thrive under Paradox's leadership," and teases that "we’re excited to channel our experience, creativity, and passion into new projects that align with our long-term vision."

Meanwhile, Iceflake studio manager Lasse Liljedahl is promising big things for Cities: Skylines fans. "We have a decade worth of experience from making city building and management games. We see a strong foundation and so much potential waiting to be unleashed and I can't wait to show you what we have planned for the next chapter of this incredible game."

Cities: Skylines 2 launched back in 2023, but it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for the city builder. Its launch was overshadowed by technical issues, and the promised console release still hasn't arrived – it's been heavily delayed, and even now there's still no release window for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S users. The team doesn't offer a massive amount of reassurance in a new FAQ post about the dev changeover, either, simply saying that "we are continuing to work on the console version and look forward to sharing updates with the community as soon as we are ready."

Cities: Skylines 2 publisher says players "have higher expectations" today and are "less accepting" that games will "fix things over time."

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has stunning imagery, but falls flat on delivering on the promise of its presentation

oscar.taylor-kent@futurenet.com (Oscar Taylor-Kent) — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:00:00 +0000

While I was ultimately disappointed by Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 as a sequel to the first game – which is, after all, one of the best RPGs ever made – there are some areas in which it stands up to it. This vampiric portrayal of Seattle, across a narrative spanning almost a century, does feature some striking imagery that'll be sticking with me for some time. It's just a shame that a lot of it feels wasted on this unambitious sequel that heavily de-emphasized the series' RPG elements – this is a world I'd love to get lost in for an epic, goth-tinged adventure. Be warned, opening this coffin has some spoilers for Bloodlines 2 scenario premises, but not outright narrative spoilers.

That's because, for as much as I remember the many different approaches to quests and detailed dialogue of the first game (the silvertonguing matched, surprisingly, by Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong) – the original Bloodlines' locations are just as striking. The bleakness of the Santa Monica starting location and the beach under the boardwalk crime scene, hanging out in The Asylum nightclub, walking the neon-lit Hollywood. These locations were small, but dense – managing to feel like lived-in spaces bursting with possibilities despite having to manage the scope of an overly ambitious '00s game. While Bloodlines 2 is sometimes able to match up to those aesthetics, the same level of ambition isn't felt – which is disappointing. But, successfully, some images will definitely be sticking with me nevertheless.

Welcome to Seattle

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive, White Wolf Publishing)

Playing as The Nomad – going by Phyre – you're a vampire out of time, an abnormally ancient elder vampire coming out of a century long torpor hibernation. Set in Seattle approaching Christmas in the middle of an equally abnormal blizzard, there's a sense of overwhelm to the environment that carries across in a lot of instances, from the wind-whipped slurry to the glare of neon signs and bright screen advertisements lining every street. Sure, before long, you really notice the small slice of open world you get to run around is painfully empty, but visually it makes a strong first impression.

Fangs for that

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive, White Wolf Publishing)

In our Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 review, we said that "clumsy writing and flat, repetitive world design expose a handful of good ideas that never take root".

Which is added to when you meet your first other vampire – one that's not a voice in your head, anyway, as Malkavian Fabien is. Tracking Fabien's corpse, you come fang to fang with Benny Muldoon – a Brujah bruiser and the sheriff of the city's Camarilla faction of ruling vampires, and an immediate asshole. Something happened to the vampire Prince in charge, and this has sent Benny off the rails, hunting personal vendettas with little care for the secrecy expected of the supernatural and no desire to serve the new prince Ryong.

On a rooftop, Benny and Phyre's standoff is tense. Happening in front of a huge neon sign, the lighting is stark and glaring, and you genuinely feel like the thick white snow could be thickly dyed red at any moment. It's a shame, though, that this early framing is the best you get with Benny, his plotline wrapping up with a series of clunky gauntlets in a construction site later on. By the time I'm kiting something like the fifth enemy around a square room while spamming telekinesis to throw garbage at goons, the memory of that neon-lit encounter has already quickly evaporated. Benny's presence in the story even instantly evaporates after that, regardless of the illusion of narrative choice.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

Bloodlines 2 has a lot of trouble paying off big moments and characters like Benny. Early on, you have a brief encounter with Ysabella, a glammed up Toreador who invites you to check out her nightclub, Atrium. Buoyed by memories of the original Bloodlines' nightclubs, I was eager to visit, hoping for a quest hub or at the very least to lap up some worldbuilding from supernatural fellows or normies – but it was constantly closed. Ah, it's just for a story mission, nothing I can just poke around. In fact, Bloodlines 2 rarely allows you to talk to anyone of interest outside of story quests or to do repetitive, boring sidequests. Seattle is dead this time of night.

Eventually, I'm allowed inside, through a cumbersomely linear main quest – and I'm pleased to come across some pretty striking visuals and ideas. Entering via private rooms and uncovering what's happened to Ysabella's 'blood dolls', I descend into the bowels of the club where bodies bumping to the music have become an almost literal mass, blocking off staircases and hallways in a kind of trance. There's not much room to explore.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

Clubbing is over.

Great, striking stuff – but only briefly. That's about the extent of it. The nightclub funnels you through a downstairs gauntlet against basic enemies, an upstairs gauntlet against basic enemies, and then back down to the first area for a boss fight that also folds in gauntlet waves of basic enemies. The story here comes to a head with a character who I've literally only exchanged a few sentences with because there's been no other way to interact with this part of the world. It's bafflingly poorly paced – and the last we see of this environment. Clubbing is over.

Is it a coincidence that both Benny and Ysabella have upcoming expansion pass DLC slated for Q2 and Q3 2026 respectively? These seem to be prequels set before Phyre wakes up, so won't add much to the bits I found disappointing in the main story, but both quests around these vampires do feel like they're missing a lot at the moment. It doesn't feel like the best decision to me

Old timey

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

It's a fascinating window into the earlier history of bloodsucking society.

Some of Bloodlines 2's best imagery stems from its century-long narrative – many of the story's beats having been set in motion way back in the 1920s. Playing as Fabien through (way too many) flashbacks, you get to investigate Seattle back in the past, as well as a few days before his encounter with Phyre (meaning there's three time periods in total). The '20s portions are locked only to a scant few interior locations, but it's neat to see how some of these areas have changed.

The highpoint is an early party in the joint ruling Princes' – Rosalind Emmerson and Lou Graham – penthouse apartment. It's a fascinating window into the earlier history of bloodsucking society, something we've not really seen in World of Darkness games before. A particularly striking section of the environment is a blood bar where a dead body lies on a table next to stacked wine glasses and candles, with upside down bodies strung up behind a bartender – all with faces covered in blood-stained cloth. It's like a reverse ortolan bird – a cruelly prepared dish traditionally eaten with a napkin over the head – except here the sin of everyday vampire feeding is revelled in, the vampires' cattle blinded instead. There's also an interesting parallel between this old timey set-up with the red salons of Boston from Swansong.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive, White Wolf Publishing)

It's a haunting inclusion in the otherwise decadent and opulent environment. It's also unremarked upon and something you can't interact with. It is, at least, some sort of environmental storytelling in Bloodlines 2's otherwise very sparse and empty world. Instead, Fabien progresses by walking dutifully between characters who are standing around and exhausting dialogue trees until the game tells you that you can move on. Portions of these chats even reference other ones regardless of if you've actually had them yet, assuming you did them in a set order (uh, a quirk of Fabien's memory – I suppose I can headcanon it).

We get to visit the same location in the modern day, where Lou Graham, now only the former Prince of Seattle still resides, now a complete recluse. Out of all the historically split sections of the game, this works the best – the environment itself exemplifying how the splendor of Seattle society has fallen and the cobwebs have moved in by seeing that juxtaposition for yourself.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

As Phyre, all these years later, it's believable that no party or barely a soul (cursed or otherwise) has entered since that 1920s party. Sparsely lit in comparison, only a few low, warm lights flicker and moonlight spills in through gaps in curtained windows. It's gorgeous. And it's quite the backdrop for your interactions with Lou herself, veiled yet lit by that same moonlight – literally still working to control vampire society from the shadows.

But, again, her plotline accelerates with reckless abandon as Bloodlines 2 progresses, with many big events for Lou happening entirely off-screen. This is such a strong premise, yet the ball is completely dropped. Forget the haunting penthouse location – have a quick slideshow presentation instead.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive, White Wolf Publishing)

So too is the promise of the Seattle Underground squandered, based on the real location where the city literally rebuilt itself over the top of pre-existing foundations. I love the entrance to this location, having Phyre visit the sort of tourist spot that exists in real life before metaphorically ducking under rope to go off the grid and venture deeper into the tunnels. Half-buried trams, and impressive former Chinatown architecture is spectacular to look at – but just ends up bogged down by pushing you through truly miserable waves of enemies through incredibly linear environments. It's quickly just a snoozefest.

I could go on. The dreamy tree imagery that feels like it comes to nothing and refuses to engage in any RPG choice mechanics. The delightfully grimy Haven you take refuge in that simply never evolves. The late night book and coffee shop that teases dark academia blood magic vibes but simply plays home to boring delivery missions sidequests. None of it goes anyway. These moments of promise burst like bubbles, and I want to crawl back into a torpor myself.

I remember working on a much earlier version of this room in #Bloodlines2 Modeled and textured. Well, a different version from way back when. I'm sure this went through many iterations over the years. The lighting is amazing here. I'm glad @ChineseRoom also kept this space. pic.twitter.com/SUE7LsFiEOOctober 22, 2025

I don't envy the developers who had to take on the Bloodlines 2 project. A sequel to a cult classic 2004 PC game, announced in 2019, it was rebooted massively when publisher Paradox Interactive announced developer Hardsuit Labs were no longer working on the game, announcing in 2023 The Chinese Room would be finishing a new version of Bloodlines 2.

The mechanics and story seems to be entirely different between this versions of the project (Hardsuit's revolved around a new thinblood vampire and not an elder), but the Seattle setting and many character designs appear to have returned but repurposed – bending what was left in the toybox into creating a new vision under what appears to be a lot of pressure.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

Which means glimpses of the strong ideas had by the many developers who have had time working on the project across the years, and across development studios can still be felt. It's just a shame that they can't coalesce into a game that does them justice. Bloodlines 2 might be a disappointment for me, but it's at the very least an interesting disappointment – even if it hurts that one of my favorite RPGs didn't get the sequel it deserved. But those moments that shine through will stay in my memory, glittering among the sand. And that's not nothing.

What games should you look forward to playing instead? Our upcoming RPGs list has you covered with some serious questing to be had.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is finally here 21 years after the original RPG, but its 'Mixed' Steam reviews prove it's not love at first bite: "It's not a Bloodlines sequel"

Anna Koselke — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 11:03:52 +0000

It's finally here – two decades after the first title from Troika Games and Activision launched, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 has released… but its reviews show a mixed bag of reactions from newcomers to the RPG and longtime fans of the original alike.

Vampire stans and Bloodlines fans have been united under their excitement for the big Bloodlines follow-up, developed by Still Wakes the Deep studio The Chinese Room and published by Paradox Interactive, for quite some time now – but it appears the new RPG isn't exactly delivering on its hype. The Steam page for Bloodlines 2, which just landed last night, shows "Mixed" reviews so far… and quite a few disappointed players.

"This is not Bloodlines 2," one person exclaims in their review, saying "the game you wish this was" was canceled long ago. Another writes, "Much like you stole another vampire's power from the start, this 'sequel' is Bloodlines in name only." Various players liken the new game not to the OG Bloodlines but to other, more linear titles. "It's infinitely closer to Zeno Clash and Dishonored's lovechild," as somebody puts it.

Further down in the reviews, a fan explains that, "It really depends on your expectations. I personally really enjoy it so far and just treat it as vampire Dishonored." To be completely fair, there are plenty of "Positive" comments too – much like that one – but overall, it seems that hardened Bloodlines stans aren't thrilled with the sequel. Reddit sheds more light on folks' thoughts, with one thread reading, "If you didn't want your game compared to VTMB, you shouldn't have named it VTMB 2."

Another post describes how "the repeat enemies are just embarrassing" in Bloodlines 2, alluding to the controversial launch of Cyberpunk 2077: "Even Cyberpunk on release, which was criticized for lack of NPC diversity, was nowhere near as bad as this." Other player discussions on the forum see people criticizing everything from the lack of manual saves to the inability to dance in the game's nightclubs.

As our own Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 review declares, the "blunt-toothed sequel is just a boring, linear action brawler" rather than the engaging RPG fans of the first game expected – and it looks like others largely agree.

Searching for new games to play after trying Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 for yourself? Be sure to browse our roundup for more.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 review: "My dream vampire RPG has been staked – this blunt-toothed sequel is just a boring, linear action brawler instead"

jasmine.gouldwilson@futurenet.com (Jasmine Gould-Wilson) — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

It's clear The Chinese Room had its work cut out for it with Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. As the long-awaited sequel to a cult classic RPG, I see evidence of that immense pressure in every pixel. It's woven through a thinly-cobbled plot, so fragile even the slightest tug at a loose thread sends the whole thing unravelling.

It's hidden beneath the dreary, funereal pall hanging over the snowy streets in what's supposed to be a seedy and bustling Seattle, the empty silence occasionally interrupted by a line of recycled NPC dialogue as you run back and forth between the same five buildings for the first 20 hours of the 30 it takes to finish it.

I feel it in the wet paper bag punch, dash, punch, dash monotony of each combat encounter, cringe at it whenever Fabien spouts another corny detective-ism that sounds like a film student's first go at a noir script. These stress fractures run deep through Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, breaking it before it has a chance to go anywhere. It reveals both how rushed this game must have been and how high my own expectations were, too, in order to feel so bitterly let down.

Fumbling in the dark

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

FAST FACTS

Release date: October 21, 2025
Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X, PS5
Developer: The Chinese Room
Publisher: Paradox Interactive

From the bottom of my cold black heart, I wanted to love Bloodlines 2. But this isn't a case of great ideas with poor implementation. Rather, it's a fundamentally flawed experience from conception to execution that has me wondering why it was made in the first place, never mind why it was released in this state.

The problems start at the beginning. After finishing the prologue, I exit to the streets and suddenly my computer is buckling under the onslaught of particle physics – thanks for that, snow – despite meeting minimum specs. Swapping to a fancier gaming laptop, it doesn't even boot. Finally switching to PS5, performance fares much better – but even then it crashes during exploration at times, and constantly frame dips when transitioning between locations.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

Beginning the game as Phyre, an elder vampire known as The Nomad (though both are pseudonyms), who has recently woken from a deep hibernation-like Torpor sleep, you take your first confused steps into the new century in an abandoned warehouse. She punches an NPC and sends it splattering against a distant wall. But then, a voice cuts through her consciousness. It's Fabien, the other half of our duo-protagonist serving, and he has no idea how he ended up in your head either.

So begins the curious bisection of Bloodlines 2. Most of the time, you play as Phyre, grappling with a new world in downtown Seattle as you try to make nice with the local Camarilla vampire council. These sections largely involve pummeling enemies – most of the time, half-blood ghouls and renegade vampires of the Anarch faction – and making seemingly important decisions that actually make little to no difference to the story.

The rest of your time is spent in dream flashbacks as detective Fabien, chasing leads and investigating the Rebar Killer across both the 1920s and near-present day Seattle. He's the textbook stereotype of a gumshoe, cracking wise-guy jokes and flirting with filing cabinets (using the mind powers the Malkavian vampire clan are known for) when he could probably just read their contents instead.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive, White Wolf Publishing)

The painful script is one of my most glaring problems with Bloodlines 2. Fabien's attempts at being a cheeky yet motivated detective come off phony, his jovial tone jarring against the old-school noir edge of what he's actually saying, but he's not the only one who rubs me the wrong way instantly.

The tone of the game is all over the place. Bloodlines 2's main plot is set in modern day Seattle, Washington, yet everyone speaks like they crawled out of Pulp Fiction. Every character is a cookie cutter stereotype with zero substance, be it the queer-coded henchman, chin-stroking villain, or lovestruck nerd, and it's hard to care about any of them. I can only assume The Chinese Room was targeting a modern "LA Noire with vampires" feel while also gunning for the first VTM Bloodlines' camp theatrics, but by splitting that focus so literally, the two never find confluence. Ultimately, anything that would have made this the gritty vampire RPG of my dreams is cheapened or glossed over.

If Bloodlines 2 is an RPG, I'm not sure The Chinese Room knows it. The developer has never made an RPG before, but only so much can be excused as a rookie mistake. There's simply no roleplaying to be had here at all.

Dia-slog

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive, White Wolf Publishing)

Bloodlines 2 is neither the best of its ilk nor even a passably good interpretation of its source material.

As memories, Fabien's dialogue choices don't matter at all. Instead, you pursue investigation leads by harnessing his telepathic abilities, adding some context to a modern day storyline that's still peppered with plot holes. Meanwhile, Phyre's chapters play more like a linear action game with slight variances, depending upon what Phyre chooses to do with a total of two characters.

Nothing feels weighty in Bloodlines 2. It's impossible to roleplay in a narrative that's already set its course. That doesn't stop the illusion of choice being everywhere. You're told when you make a dialogue choice that upsets or pleases a given NPC, but without a relationship tab to keep track of them, these reactions are totally superfluous. As for romance, forget about forging a meaningful vampiric bond.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive, White Wolf Publishing)

Flirting with the right people enough times sometimes treats you to a blackout sex scene, complete with lewd slapping, moaning, and a few strings of ham-fisted "kinky" dialogue (this is the most unsexy piece of vampire media I have ever encountered). At the end of the day, though, it doesn't really matter who likes or dislikes Phyre, as everything is plot armored to funnel the story toward a single outcome.

It's not just the lack of meaningful branching narratives. Bloodlines 2 also refuses to interact with many other RPG staples. The ability tree is a misnomer – the four combat and manipulation skills ascribed to your chosen vampire clan are progressively unlocked within the first few hours, and neither your stats nor skills can be upgraded – with others unlocked by visiting Phyre's clan contacts.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

The logic here is that as an elder, more powerful vampire, Phyre already had access to abilities outside their clan, but has forgotten them from spending so long in Torpor. There's one NPC for each of the playable clans, capable of teaching Phyre the four skills attributed to their respective clan once you accrue enough Blood Resonance points in exchange. Note that you still need skill points to purchase them from the ability tree after unlocking them.

Completing missions, side quests, and engaging in combat earns experience, and eventually, new skill points. Blood Resonance points are gathered by drinking from certain citizens emitting the corresponding colored aura. Sounds pretty Sims-y, but it at least folds in some World of Darkness lore and makes an effort at stylizing the unlock system.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive, White Wolf Publishing)

Talking to an NPC with a red pulsating aura causes them to chase after you in a rage, while pink, sanguine NPCs will follow Phyre blindly into dark alleyways, usually full of homeless people who may or may not react. You can also chase blue, melancholic NPCs after they run away from you screaming, though more than once I've seen them run straight through brick walls or try to lead me out-of-bounds.

But, unless you actually want to sample the other clans' combat, you never need to purchase these new skills at all, let alone feed from the people of Seattle for Blood Resonance. I finished the game with 38 unused skill points, which feels like a huge waste of time and the mechanic itself. Considering my default clan skills synergized well enough, there's little need to experiment, as you can only equip four at a time anyway with no ability to hotswap loadouts.

Fangs for the memories

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive, White Wolf Publishing)

It's impossible to roleplay a narrative that's already set its course.

When it comes to the setting and style of the game, I'm let down on both accounts. The city of Seattle is a barren shell, built in the direction of the neon and grime of Cyberpunk 2077's Night City, but with none of the menace that makes it feel threatening, exciting, or compulsive to explore.

'Edgy' ads peppered everywhere end up more cringe and outdated than seedy or exciting – yes, there is even a Hawk Tuah reference. You'd better believe dialogue also references Twilight and High School Musical too.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive, White Wolf Publishing)

It doesn't help that the single map, while larger in scale than any from the first Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, is emptier, with only a handful of interior locations to explore. Aside from some late-game set pieces that actually had me intrigued, you're in for a grating 30 hours spent plodding through the snowy streets or leaping across ghoul-studded rooftops. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that there's no fast travel at all, and no cars to speak of (neither ones you can drive, nor any actually driving down the roads of a supposedly thriving major city)?

NPCs walk up and down the street and do little else. They are also either uncannily observant, able to see Phyre supping from a victim around corners and through walls – weird, considering the lack of population density – or noticeably oblivious when I chow down on some throats on the curbside. What counts for sidequests in Bloodlines 2 are a simple, repetitive slew of kill-or-fetch quests for certain clan leaders, which are only good for grinding skill points. It all speaks to a world that's trying to look dark and brooding but is no scarier than a disinterested kitten.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive, White Wolf Publishing)

Fit check

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

Fashion may have moved on during Phyre's slumber, but some outfits are just timeless. For some reason tied to learning skills, there's a large number of outfits to unlock that are fun try on.

Least terrifying of all is Phyre's combat potential. Forget any hopes of a gun arsenal or picking up and wielding a melee weapon, because no matter which clan you pick, Phyre mainly fights with their fists.

You can telekinetically pick up dropped weapons and shoot or throw them at enemies, but these are so hard to spot in the middle of a horde encounter that I end up just spamming R2 and praying for an uzi. Biting enemies is a good way to replenish health and ability charges mid-fray (I do enjoy how the two trigger buttons mirror fangs as the bite command) and you'll also come across armor, power, blood, and health potions dotted around the city. Most of the time, I don't need to think about anything fancy when punching and dodging gets the same job done regardless.

Combat had a chance to be really, really good. There's definitely a tier list when it comes to the best skills in Bloodlines 2 – the Tremere blood daggers are great for stealth, the Toreador's kiss turns hostile enemies friendly for a spell, and it's amusing to dominate enemies with Ventrue's possession skill to make them leap to their deaths. I have just as much fun throwing torn-off heads as blood bombs, however. They do a surprising amount of damage.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive, White Wolf Publishing)

Essentially, there's just not much reason to actually mix and match clan skills with how limited the abilities are in themselves. It's a sad fact that the vampire power fantasy plays second fiddle to the melee brawler playstyle you're boxed into, and if not for the lengthy bite and finisher animations, I'd probably have forgotten I was playing a bloodsucker at all.

Between the frustrating performance issues, clunky combat, shallow RPG tools, and a thoroughly meandering story, I find it hard to recommend Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 at all. This is a game that had so much promise, and maybe that's why it had to fall so spectacularly short of every expectation. It reaffirmed my opinion that the visual novels are the best video game iterations of the World of Darkness you can play right now if you're after an atmospheric, gothic vampire tale. Or maybe Sharkmob's Blood Hunt would be your (blood) bag, if you wanted something more vamp combat-oriented.

Either way, Bloodlines 2 is neither the best of its ilk nor even a passably good interpretation of its source material, and I've come away with bile on my tongue instead of blood red RPG goodness.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 was reviewed on PS5, alongside some additional testing on PC, with code provided by the publisher.

Want a meatier adventure? Check out our best RPGs ranking!

Paradox gives up on dressing the wound, confirms Bloodlines 2 will have Lasombra and Toreador clans in the base game after "frank feedback" – then reveals more expansion pass DLC

ashley.bardhan@futurenet.com (Ashley Bardhan) — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 19:35:44 +0000

This is a one step forward, two steps back kind of thing – Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 publisher Paradox has reversed its unpopular decision to lock two playable clans, or classes, behind paid DLC while simultaneously announcing more paid DLC.

Still, it seems Bloodlines fans are glad to hear the sequel they've been waiting years to play will no longer hold back on the Lasombra and Toreador clans, which nudge Bloodlines 2 up to a total of six playable classes. The original Bloodlines ARPG from 2004 had seven, no strings attached.

"Thanks to our community for the frank feedback on Bloodlines 2 and the Premium Edition," says executive producer Marco Behrmann in a press release, which is also quoted in the description for a new Bloodlines 2 overview trailer you can watch below. "That feedback made it clear: Lasombra and Toreador belong in the base game, so that is what we are doing."

Fans on YouTube are so far responding enthusiastically, thanking Bloodlines 2 developers for unleashing the two socially cunning clans on the base game instead of keeping them behind a closed door.

"I'm now getting the premium edition just to show my support for their decision to include all clans," one comment says.

But that premium edition, as a reminder, is $90 while Bloodlines 2's standard edition is $60.

Paradox reveals in its press release that the Premium Edition's Expansion Pass – which you can buy for an additional $35 with the base game on its October 21 release date, but it won't contain all its intended content until 2026 – will include the newly announced Loose Cannon and The Flower & the Flame Story Packs. These "allow players to explore Seattle through the perspectives of Camarilla Sheriff Benny Muldoon and Primogen Ysabella Moore," according to the press release.

Otherwise, Loose Cannon and The Flower & the Flame can also be purchased as additions, $15 a piece available in Q2 2026 and Q3 2026, respectively. So, in total, Bloodlines 2 has two different digital editions with four different paid add-ons, and two physical editions. Let us remember, under this heap of DLC, that Bloodlines 2 isn't a live-service game. It's a fully-formed vampire RPG – so, I suppose in that sense, my feeling of witnessing a bloodbath is thematic.

Bloodlines 2 devs rush to reattach foot blown off by day-one DLC paywalling 2 factions in an RPG about factions: "As you know, the date has pushed back, but that has been to fatten it out."

"You could go and keep beating up people on top of buildings" forever in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, but devs say "we're not making GTA" because even vampires need to sleep

Ashley Bardhan — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 20:35:23 +0000

Some people – like the crabby criminals in Grand Theft Auto – are so unprincipled, even the vampires that yearn for the sour blood running through their necks really want nothing to do with them. Or, it seemed that way in an interview GamesRadar+ had with Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 developers during Gamescom 2025, where they told us their RPG may have enough violence to fill a millennium, but it's definitely not a Rockstar game.

"The story will always progress forward," narrative designer Ian Thomas says about how most players will spend their time in Bloodlines 2. It's ultimately "up to them" if they'd rather explore or focus on the primary questline, and "you could go and keep beating up people on top of buildings, couldn't you? Forever, actually," but current developer The Chinese Room is "not making GTA."

"We are trying to tell a particular story," Thomas continues, in which there are what he describes as "a series of nights" with their own "particular story beats." Players will need to rest in the Haven, which was usually a nondescript apartment in the original Bloodlines game, in order to avoid the killer sun and make it to the next night. They'll get to dream while they rest – though vampires typically don't, says Thomas – while sharing consciousness with Malkavian detective Fabien and his sensitive, psychic mind.

So although you can punch people with the slow luxury being an immortal demon affords you, you better get the hell to bed. Otherwise, Thomas says "you will run out of content in a particular night if you spend too much time" in it. If you want a place that never sleeps, try Vice City.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is not the faithful sequel I'd hoped to see, but maybe that's a bigger marker of progress than it seems.

Bloodlines 2 publisher says it's "making adjustments ahead of launch" in response to "feedback about the Lasombra and Toreador" clans being locked behind paid DLC

jordan.gerblick@futurenet.com (Jordan Gerblick) — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:02:46 +0000

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 publisher Paradox seems to be walking back its choice to make two of the highly anticipated RPG's clans, essentially classes, locked behind paid DLC.

In case you hadn't heard, Paradox recently unveiled a few different editions of Bloodlines 2: the $60 base game, the $70 Deluxe Edition that tacks on some cosmetics, and the $90 Premium Edition that crucially includes two additional playable clans, the Lasombra and the Toreador. Those clans, as far as we know right now, aren't available by any other means.

The backlash to the two essentially paywalled clans has been swift and unrelenting, and until just now Paradox has done nothing but double down, recently saying, "It's not uncommon for games to come out with additional content."

It now seems it's changing its tune. Over on Discord, and spotted by the eagle-eyed people on Resetera, Paradox community developer DebbieElla seemed to suggest there's some sort of change of plan.

"We are listening to your feedback about the Lasombra and Toreador clan access, and we're making adjustments ahead of launch to reflect this."

Of course, in an ideal world, Paradox would just come out and say, 'never mind! We goofed. All clans are available to all players day one!', but it seems more likely that it'll come up with some sort of compromise to meet in the middle.

"We will share more information about what this means as soon as possible," DebbieElla said.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced Paradox backed itself into a corner here. So much of the damage, PR-wise, has already been done by the publisher simply showing it's willing to pull something like this, and the only response I can think of that would at least partially earn back that goodwill would be a complete reversal, but pre-orders are already live and have been for a week, which means people have presumably already purchased the Premium Edition expecting those two additional clans as an incentive.

If Paradox decides instead to just give everyone the two clans regardless of how much money they spent, I can imagine Premium Edition adopters won't be happy. I'm definitely curious to see how Paradox wriggles itself out of this one.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is not the faithful sequel I'd hoped to see, but maybe that's a bigger marker of progress than it seems

Bloodlines 2 devs rush to reattach foot blown off by day-one DLC paywalling 2 factions in an RPG about factions: "As you know, the date has pushed back, but that has been to fatten it out"

Anna Koselke — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 15:52:01 +0000

Long-awaited sequel Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, developed by Still Wakes the Deep studio The Chinese Room and published by Paradox Interactive, isn't here quite yet – but its paid DLC is understandably already worrying fans.

The first Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines from Troika Games and Activision launched in 2004, meaning that nearly 21 years have passed since the original RPG – two decades of continuously building expectations from excited followers of the sequel's development. Now that its leaked release date from earlier this month of October 21 has been confirmed during the Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025 showcase, anticipation is at an all-time high.

However, the community is also feeling a bit uneasy after learning about the $90 Premium Edition, which includes (and effectively paywalls) two playable clans: the Lasombra and the Toreador. Although Paradox declared that it's "a way to get additional players in that have been asking for that content," following fans' concerns, not everyone is convinced that locking clans behind paid DLC is the right move – especially considering the sequel's shaky history.

After all, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 has faced developer changes, delays, and everything in between since its conception years ago. The Chinese Room, much like Paradox, is doubling down on its decision to paywall the Lasombra and Toreador classes, though. In a new interview with Rock Paper Shotgun, the studio attributes this choice to the additional work it poured into the sequel's development after taking the reins.

Narrative director Ian Thomas explains that the team has "made a huge amount of changes" to the game over time," including a massive amount of story content and features and all the rest of it." Devs "have been expanding it from where we originally planned to land it, I think, constantly, and Paradox have been really good when we go, or when the clients go, or when Paradox go: 'We should add a bit more here. Let's push the date back.'"

That checks out, I suppose – the sequel's release date has indeed been pushed back multiple times, "but that has been to fatten it out into something that we feel does land where the players want it." According to the lead, devs are still "adding additional content even over the last few weeks," too. Part of that post-production "fattening" is the paid content, it seems, but if you ask me (and most of the community, apparently), it might not be the best route.

If the clans, for some reason, aren't fleshed out enough to launch with the base game, why not release them as part of a free update in the future? Admittedly, I'm no dev myself, though – it's just a thought as a fan itching for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2.

Be sure to follow the Gamescom 2025 schedule for more exciting announcements regarding new games, and check out our recap of the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2025.

After 21 years and various delays, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 finally gets a solid release date during Gamescom Opening Night Live

Anna Koselke — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 19:36:11 +0000

Long-awaited sequel Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, developed by Still Wakes the Deep studio The Chinese Room and published by Paradox Interactive, finally has a release date set in stone. It's right around the corner.

Nearly 21 years have passed since the original Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines from Troika Games and Activision launched in 2004, but fans of the RPG are finally within arm's reach of its sequel. The game's leaked release date from earlier this month has turned out to be true after all, as revealed during tonight's Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025 showcase – lifting the veil on Bloodlines 2's October 21 arrival.

That's right, the previously provided October release window has now been solidified with an actual date, and one that's only a couple of months off, at that. Judging by what the sequel's developers have previously shared, from the attention paid to the game's "quantity of detail over scope" in production to its "vampire romance" and more, there's plenty to look forward to in the new Bloodlines entry – and I, for one, will be doing just that.

But the Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 release date is not the only exciting news to come from today's Opening Night Live – there's plenty more to come, as per the Gamescom 2025 schedule.

For anyone interested in following along with the full event, be sure to explore how to watch The Future Games Show 2025 and this week's other showcases.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a vampire to roleplay in an RPG that's over a decade old before October 21 rolls around.

While you wait for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, why not browse through some of the other most exciting new games this year and beyond to keep an eye on?

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 devs aren't "making GTA," so fans of the original action RPG shouldn't expect a "big, open world, sprawling game where the horizon is your limit"

Anna Koselke — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 16:41:10 +0000

Long-awaited sequel Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, developed by Still Wakes the Deep studio The Chinese Room and published by Paradox Interactive, arrives this fall – but don't go into it expecting a massive, open-world experience.

When it comes to the Bloodlines follow-up, the developers are prioritizing quality over quantity, so to speak. Art director Ben Matthews reveals as much in a recent interview with Game Informer, explaining how The Chinese Room isn't trying to make another Grand Theft Auto 6 – it's all about attention to detail and not size.

"One thing we really wanted to pay attention to was quantity of detail over scope," explains the lead in regards to the game's take on Seattle.

That's why in Bloodlines 2, players aren't able to go wherever they please in the city. If they approach the map's borders, the mark on protagonist Phyre's hand will stop them from going any further. "We're not making GTA," continues Matthews. "This isn't a big, open world, sprawling game where the horizon is your limit." Making the sequel's version of Seattle as immersive and dense as possible took priority over expansion for exploration's sake.

"That was something we really paid attention to," as the art director describes, "to try to make everything as dense [as possible]." As a longtime fan of both the original Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines and World of Darkness in general, it makes sense to me. After all, these are games that largely prioritize story and the role-playing experience over exploration, like in, say, Skyrim or even The Witcher 3. It's simply a different sort of title.

Thankfully, there's not long left now until we get to dive into Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 and experience its setting for ourselves. After all, the sequel releases in October, leaving just a few mere months before its hotly anticipated launch.

After 7 years and the "increasingly likely" chance it'd be sold off, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 developer The Chinese Room is once again an independent studio

New Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 dev won't say exactly what happened in the 10 years since Helldivers 2 boss bought it at Paradox, just that "we basically started again": "The two games are not alike"

Ashley Bardhan — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 21:03:50 +0000

While I'm sure having a stranger's teeth plunged into your neck and waking up as a frightfully gorgeous vampire person is a harrowing experience in its own right, you have to admit, the developers behind Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 haven't had the easiest time, either. I'm not surprised that The Chinese Room, which recently left Sumo Digital to operate independently, doesn't want to discuss it.

As the story with many games stuck in perpetual limbo goes, Bloodlines 2 was supposed to come out a few years ago. Helldivers 2 boss Shams Jorjani was originally involved in signing the game to Paradox while he was an executive there in 2016, but the game has skipped milestones since then like a pebble across lakewater: it was going to come out in 2019, then it was delayed in 2020, then it was delayed indefinitely, exhumed in 2023, and, finally, it's meant to come out at some point this year. In a new Game Informer interview, currently available only to subscribers, creative director Alex Skidmore is vague about the moments in between.

"The two games are not alike," Skidmore says about the Bloodlines 2 Paradox started with and the one it has now. "We have the code base and everything, but we basically started again because we had a very different vision, I think."

"There's more visceral combat," he explains, though "we share Seattle," Skidmore says of Bloodlines 2's Christmastime location. "Some of the art we used to give us a sort of leap forward."

But "we very much wanted to make it our own game," Skidmore concludes. Sounds good, Mr. Bloodlines – I'm happy as long as I can play it.

Helldivers 2 boss signed the long-awaited Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 at a different company - 10 years later, he's still hoping it "sticks the landing."

After 7 years and the "increasingly likely" chance it'd be sold off, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 developer The Chinese Room is once again an independent studio

Anna Koselke — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 13:23:07 +0000

After seven years, Still Wakes the Deep and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 studio The Chinese Room is going independent once more.

The developer reveals as much in a new announcement to IGN, describing its separation from former parent company, Sumo Digital. The Chinese Room first became a subsidiary of Sumo Digital in 2018, working on games like Little Orpheus, Still Wakes the Deep, and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 since then. In its statement, the studio explains what prompted it to cut ties with Sumo Digital.

According to The Chinese Room, it began looking "increasingly likely" that the studio would soon be sold off, perhaps to a private equity firm or other interested overseas party, by Sumo Digital. Rather than waiting to be bought, The Chinese Room is now set to once again run as an independent company headed by director Ed Daly. The studio's independence comes after a deal facilitated by venture capital investment firm Hiro Capital.

"This management buyout allows us to scratch the creative itch of continuing to work on new, original intellectual property, but also to partner with other studios on other projects when they fit in with our vision," says Daly on The Chinese Room's regained independence. "This is what we are doing and we want to carry on doing it, so we're happy to carry on in this vein." Hiro Capital has also spoken out on the deal.

"The Chinese Room is a huge British success story that has rightly been recognised as a unique creative force capable of competing on the world stage," states Spike Laurie, a partner at Hiro Capital. "From hiring British people to making games set in the UK, they've been one of our foremost creative studios and now they are once again in charge of their own destiny while remaining British."

Laurie continues: "We are at risk of overlooking these creative gems and letting them be sold to overseas corporations. That is a travesty for the $5.5 billion British gaming industry, which has a world-renowned reputation." He concludes, "We need to nurture this talent and support it through difficult times, because it is one of our leading creative exports." That isn't the only exciting news shared in the deal announcement either.

The Chinese Room is currently working on two new games – alongside sequel Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, which is being published by Paradox Interactive and is releasing this October.

Helldivers 2 boss signed the long-awaited Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 at a different company - 10 years later, he's still hoping it "sticks the landing"

Sims competitor Life By You finally releases this summer after its early access delay

Hope Bellingham — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:20:14 +0000

The developer of upcoming Sims competitor, Life By You, has confirmed it's ready to launch on its new Early Access release date, and it's right around the corner.

On April 30, Paradox Interactive confirmed the new launch date for its upcoming life sim, after delaying it twice previously. Originally, Life By You was set to release in September 2023 but was delayed to March 5, 2024, before landing on its current June 4, 2024 release date.

According to a press release, this two-month extension gave the team the additional time needed to "put the finishing touches on the visuals for its human characters and to improve gameplay further." This could help it stand out amongst the flurry of other life sims already out there and the ones currently in development - such as The Sims 5, Paralives, and InZoi.

Although similar in a lot of ways, Life By You isn't just a Sims replica. The life sim will allow players to explore an open world via car, bike, scooter, or even on foot, where they'll encounter other humans and be able to strike up real-language conversations with them - compared to The Sims' fictional language, Simlish. Not forgetting one of the biggest differences: Life by You is pro-nudity.

In the lead-up to today's announcement, Life By You's creative director Rod Humble shared several insights about the upcoming game. Earlier this month, Humble told future players that they can monetize any mods they make for Life By You and that they "don't owe us a dime."

In the same interview with PC Gamer, the developer also said that life sims are "the most complex RPGs ever written" - which means a lot coming from someone who's worked on some of the biggest names in the genre over their career.

While we wait for June 4, here's a list of games like The Sims to keep you busy.

The director of Sims competitor Life By You says players can monetize their future mods: "You don't owe us a dime"

Hope Bellingham — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 16:13:51 +0000

The director of upcoming Sims competitor Life By You has said that players are free to create and monetize their future mods.

In an interview with PC Gamer, Rod Humble - director of Life By You and manager at Paradox Interactive - has given players the green light to monetize any mods they make once the developer's life sim rolls out in a couple of months. "Player creativity is good for us," Humble told the outlet. "It's good for us [even if] we don't make a dime because it was made using our game."

If you're well-versed in all things life sim, you'll probably remember that EA, alongside software company Overwolf, launched a modding platform for The Sims 4 back in 2022. The idea was that it would be a "a better, safer, easier, and a much more fun way" to use mods with the life sim that complies with the company's modding policy. Humble didn't mention The Sims at all, but his approach to mods does seem more laid back than that of EA and Maxis.

"If you make a YouTube series made using Life By You, I want you to know: You monetize all you want. You don't owe us a dime - go for it," Humble continues. "Likewise, if you make a mod and it's downloaded by millions of people and you're like, 'actually I'm going to take my mod to my website and I'm going to start monetizing it,' perhaps on Patreon like a whole bunch of modders do, I want creators to know: Go for it. You don't need our permission."

In the same interview, Humble said that life sims are "the most complex RPGs ever written," and considering all of the customizable elements of Life By You, he certainly has a point. But can Paradox beat The Sims at its own game with Life By You?

While we're on the topic, here's a list of the best Sims 4 mods.

Prison Architect 2 gets spring 2024 release date and a new 3D art style

Hope Bellingham — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 17:00:15 +0000

Paradox Interactive's upcoming prison management sim, Prison Architect 2, has now got a release date - and it's less than three months away.

After promising to share news on the sim's next chapter on January 16, developer Double Eleven has today announced the release date for Prison Architect 2. Shared in a brand-new trailer, we now know that the highly anticipated sequel to Prison Architect is set to launch on March 26, 2024, and will be available on PC (via Steam), Xbox Series X/S, and PS5.

A lot has changed since the first Prison Architect game, perhaps most noticeably the sim's new 3D graphics - which make it look like an entirely different game. In a press release, Double Eleven revealed the sequel will offer advanced simulation systems to give players more creative freedom in a 3D environment.

The main aim of the game is to use your resources to build, manage, and take control of your very own prison - now on multiple floors. This includes designing all of it and managing things like daily schedules and policies. It's not as simple as just building a few cells though, as the design you go for will affect every aspect of your inmates' lives.

Improving on its 2015 predecessor, Prison Architect 2 will also offer new gameplay and creative tools for an "engaging sandbox experience." The sequel will also introduce a new connection system between inmates which will allow players to see which prisoners are friends (or enemies), which will determine who everyone hangs out with, and more importantly, which prisoners are likely to partner up together or breakout into a fight.

To keep players on their toes even more, inmates will also now make decisions based on their wants and needs, and plot their paths "better than ever," according to its developer. You'll want to design and manage accordingly or risk things like prisoner escapes, gang wars, and lots of other destructive and expensive problems.

While we wait for Prison Architect 2, find out what else we've got to look forward to this year with our new games 2024 list.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 guide to thriving on the snowy streets of Seattle

iain.wilson@futurenet.com (Iain Wilson) — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 11:25:24 +0000

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is now here, letting players take on the role of elder vampire Phyre and explore a version of Seattle within the World of Darkness setting. You'll need to choose one of the six available clans to join, all of which have their own distinct traits, before attempting to discover more about events happening around you and the strange disembodied voice in your head. We've got everything you need to know about it here, in our complete guide to Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 guides

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

We've prepared a number of guides for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, to help you navigate some of the game's more difficult decisions and puzzles while also explaining certain aspects that may be unclear to begin with.

How long to beat: If you're considering whether you have enough time to complete the game or will get value for money from it, then here's the answer to how long is Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2?
Clans: There are six Clans to choose from, who all have different abilities and interactions with each other, so to inform your decision we have an explainer for the Bloodlines 2 clans.
What to do with Benny: After he goes on a rampage, you'll be faced with the decision of whether to hand him to Ryong or Katsumi, and we've got advice on who to give Benny to in Bloodlines 2.
Pandora's questions: During an investigation you'll use the Mask of a Thousand Faces to try and get information from Pandora, but if you misspeak she'll shut you down, so get clued up on the questions to ask Pandora in Bloodlines 2.
Painting puzzle: While attempting to infiltrate the Atrium to prevent a breach, you'll encounter a picture puzzle blocking your progress, which you can get past if you follow our instructions for how to solve the painting puzzle in Bloodlines 2.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 review

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive, White Wolf Publishing)

Our Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 review is here, and unfortunately it didn't live up to expectations for us. As judged by our own Jasmine Gould-Wilson, the game only received one and a half stars and was heavily criticised for falling short of the mark, citing clumsy writing and repetitive design as well as poor technical quality and unstable performance.

To quote from that review, "my dream vampire RPG has been staked – this blunt-toothed sequel is just a boring, linear action brawler instead." If you want to read more then click on the link above.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 platforms

(Image credit: The Chinese Room)

In terms of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 platforms, it launched for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X on October 21, 2025.

It is not expected to launch on last-gen consoles (via Gematsu), with the publisher having scrapped that idea when the project changed hands to a new developer in 2020. Sad news for PS4 and Xbox One owners, but it's already an improvement on the computer-only restrictions of the first Bloodlines game back in 2004.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 gameplay

Early Bloodlines 2 gameplay showed us that the game plays out from a first-person perspective, with conversations and feeding animations zooming out to the third-person.

This was originally revealed in an extended deep-dive, showcasing an early mission sequence where a female Brujah-clan Phyre infiltrates a warehouse to investigate a strange mark that has appeared on their hand. Confronting Nosferatu vampire Willem, the reveal shows Phyre wielding her super-strength as a Brujah vampire to punch and feed her way through Willem's confusing illusion puzzle on a mission to get more intel out of him.

We saw more of the feeding mechanics in Bloodlines 2 in the above gameplay reveal, involving pushing down on both console controller triggers when biting into a victim. The main combat shown pertains to the Brujah's fists-first approach, with a targeting mechanic that looks reminiscent of Red Dead Redemption 2's Dead Eye.

According to studio design director Alex Skidmore, "Bloodlines 2 is designed with a balance of roleplaying game and adventure story. A compelling and rich plot you'd expect from an adventure game, but with RPG agency allowing you to act out your vampire fantasy." Something about it does look reminiscent of Arkane's Dishonored series, a reference cited by the developer in the accompanying Steam post.

The Chinese Room says it has reworked this approach, going for a more nuanced vampire roleplay experience, so now Bloodlines 2 has released we can expect "an action experience where players feel confident, almost trolling the enemies with their [vampire] disciplines." This confirms that, as in the first Bloodlines game, our chosen vampire clan and its associated strengths and weaknesses will inform how combat, feeding, and exploration works.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

In another YouTube video featuring gameplay and dev interview footage, we saw Bloodlines 2's voiced protagonist Phyre having a conversation with an NPC, this time showing both characters in animated third-person close-ups. "We put in a rule that the non-combat gameplay should be about something only a vampire could do; keep it aspirational," says The Chinese Room. We see this in the extended gameplay reveal embedded above, where Phyre uses her vampiric senses to solve a puzzle in an abandoned warehouse by way of smashing through hidden gramophones to break Willem's illusion.

As well as those all-important vampire Disciplines, we know to expect four core features no matter which Kindred clan you choose: feeding, telekinesis, vampiric senses, and the voice of thin-blood vampire Fabien listening in on all Phyre does.

Stealth also comes into play, and it's left up to you to decide who you want to pick a fight with. As our features editor Andy Brown explained after playing the adventure, it does have some Dishonored vibes to it in terms of how it plays. For more, be sure to read our Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 hands-on preview.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

The main character in Vampire: Masquerade Bloodlines 2 ignores RPG traditions by being hundreds of years old

Kaan Serin — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 16:52:21 +0000

Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2’s protagonist is an Elder vampire who flips the script on RPG convention.

Paradox Interactive and developer The Chinese Room have today released a long-form YouTube video diving into the long-awaited sequel’s main character: Phyre. Or one possible version of the main character since Phyre’s clothes, background, gender, and more are all customizable. No matter what you do with your fanged hero, they don’t seem too pleased about waking up in modern-day Seattle after a hundred-year-long nap.

The interesting thing about Phyre is that they’re an Elder vampire, someone who’s been cursed with sharp teeth and immortality for centuries. Compared to the RPG rookies we’re usually cast as - the children, the students, the couriers - Phyre is a breath of fresh air. Not literally, because they’re also really old.

Narrative director Ian Thomas and series executive vice president Sean Greaney both spoke about how Phyre is “inverting the RPG journey” in the video embedded above. Phyre begins with a significant level of power and sway in vamp society, which is the exact inverse of the first Bloodlines. But you’ll still be going through the satisfying RPG paces as Phyre recovers their dusty powers and potentially exceeds their ancient self.

“Bloodlines 2 comes to life with Phyre as they wake an Elder vampire in a very different world than they remember. They have a certain edge to every encounter, whether combat or social - a few hundred years’ practice makes for an advantage,” says Greaney in a recent press release. “Seattle adapts and changes to the choices and dialogue options players choose, resulting in a different story experience.

The other half of the equation is Fabian, a thin-blood vamp who’s mysteriously trapped inside Phyre’s head, serving up both commentary and context to the now-unfamiliar world. Thomas describes the character as an “anchor” to the modern world and a “compass” for the player - should we choose to listen. Phyre won’t understand the new world order or how phones work, for example, so Fabian could just be our best friend.

Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 was previously in development at Hardsuit Labs, before the publisher pulled the studio off the project and delayed it indefinitely. Paradox then stayed tight-lipped about the project until this summer’s re-reveal with The Chinese Room at the helm - the team best known for Dear Esther.

Just a week after calling sales of its latest game "a big disappointment," Paradox says it's parting ways with Shadowrun dev

Alessandro Fillari — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 21:06:04 +0000

Though Harebrained Schemes' The Lamplighters League was just released and found solid critical success, publisher Paradox Interactive plans to cut ties with developer Harebrained Schemes following plans to write down development costs after slower-than-expected sales of the game.

In a recently released press release, publisher Paradox Interactive announced that a "mutual agreement" was made between both parties and that Harebrained Schemes would separate from the publisher and return as an independent studio on January 1, 2024.

This sudden news comes less than a month after the game's release. First acquired by Paradox Interactive in 2018, The Lamplighters League tactics strategy game was the developer's first project as an internal studio. Before The Lamplighters League, Harebrained Schemes worked on the recent Shadowrun and BattleTech role-playing games, which found great success among the rush of crowdfunding games during the 2010s.

In a press release following news of the game's lackluster success, Paradox Interactive CEO Fredrik Wester stated: "The Lamplighters League is a fun game with many strengths. Even though we see cautiously positive player numbers in subscription services, the commercial reception has been too weak, which is frankly a big disappointment. Game projects are by their nature always risky, but at the end of the day we haven't performed at the level we should. It is painful but makes us more eager to roll up our sleeves and do better."

For now, Harebrained Schemes will still be supporting The Lamplighters League with post-launch updates and patches. In early 2024, the developer will move on from Paradox Interactive and return to being an independent studio. For Paradox Interactive, this marks the second major developer shift in recent years following the reboot of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, which The Chinese Room is now developing.

In our own full review, editor Ali Jones gave the game a positive review and stated: "The Lamplighters League might not stand fully toe-to-toe with the strategy juggernauts of recent years, but it's a plucky competitor - just as long as you don't get bogged down in its attempt to set itself apart from the games it's trying to emulate."

For more on Harebrained Schemes' previous work, check out our roundup of the best strategy games, which includes Battletech.

Cities Skylines 2 is a city builder, but you can make "more rural spaces" if you'd prefer

Hope Bellingham — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 22:45:40 +0000

Cities Skylines 2 will let players build whatever size city they want, even if it's more of a village.

Cities Skylines 2 guides

Cities Skylines 2 tips
Cities Skylines 2 money
Cities Skylines 2 development nodes

In the latest edition of PC Gamer Magazine, Mariina Hallikainen, CEO of developer Colossal Order, explained that not every creation requires players to think big. Despite the fact that Cities: Skylines 2 maps are now "bigger than some countries", players don't actually need to build the next giant metropolis. Instead, they can choose to focus on developing "more rural spaces" like a small village or a town.

"When you are building the city, you don't necessarily have to think about a huge city," Hallikainen says, "you can actually have these more rural spaces. It's completely up to you how you want to go about building the city and what the story for the city is." This freedom could encourage players to create quaint little villages that are much easier to manage compared to big, bustling cities.

Cities Skylines 2's release date is just over a week away, but its publisher has braced future players for a potentially rocky launch. Earlier today, October 16, Paradox Interactive released a statement warning that "we have not achieved the benchmark we targeted." Instead of delaying the game, Paradox has decided to stick to its original release date, saying this is "the best way forward" for the "long-term of the project."

Last month, city builder fans voiced their concerns about Cities: Skylines 2's performance after its console release was delayed and its PC system requirements were increased. Now, Cities Skylines 2 is set to launch on PC (via Steam & Xbox Game Pass) on October 24, 2023, and will arrive on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S sometime in spring 2024.

Need something to keep you busy until the release of Cities Skylines 2? Take a look at our best city-building games list.

Bloodlines 2 rises from the dead with dev update and new screenshots

Hope Bellingham — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 14:15:13 +0000

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 developer has finally given fans a long-awaited update on the sequel.

On June 7, Paradox Interactive released an update on Bloodlines 2 and shared some screenshots of the upcoming game. In the post, the developer writes: "It’s been quite a while between updates while we’ve had our heads down working on the game. We remain just as dedicated to delivering a great Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines game as we were when we announced, and are looking forward to showing you more in September this year."

The post continues: "We’re excited to show you more and hope to have all of you with us in September when we reveal more." In a separate post, Paradox shares five post-alpha in-game screenshots that look extremely promising. Each of the images showcases a different location from the upcoming action RPG - everything from dingy alleyways to an abandoned temple, and even a bar.

Fans have been waiting a long time to see more of Bloodlines 2 after it was delayed indefinitely back in 2021. At the time, Hardsuit Labs was attached to the project as lead developer however was removed from the game for unknown reasons. Now, a different studio is working on the sequel but Paradox is yet to reveal exactly who's behind it. Here's hoping we find out and get to see more of the game in a few months' time.

Need something to play in the meantime? Take a look at our new games 2023 list to see what else we've got to look forward to.

Summer Game Fest 2023 predictions: all of the games we could see during the event

heather.wald@futurenet.com (Heather Wald) — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 16:50:29 +0000

Summer Game Fest 2023 is nearly here, with a cross-industry showcase of announcements and reveals set to arrive on June 8. It's already shaping up to be an exciting event, with more than 40 partners revealed – such as Capcom, Disney, EA, Sega, and more – and a helping of teasers confirming the presence of some big new games. We already know we can expect to see gameplay from the likes of Alan Wake 2 and Mortal Kombat 1, and other upcoming releases, such as Lies of P and the long awaited Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty expansion from CD Projekt Red are also expected to make an appearance.

With Summer Game Fest kicking off the E3 2023 schedule line-up, we have a host of presentations to look forward to, with the Xbox Games Showcase, Starfield Direct, and Ubisoft Forward to follow – to name a few. But with the Summer Game Fest fast approaching, now feels like the perfect time to look ahead and try to predict just what we may see on June 8. We already know some of what's coming, but we likewise expect there to be a surprise or two on the day.

So, from what we know so far, and what we don't, we've put together all of our Summer Game Fest 2023 predictions below (with a side of clown make-up for some).

Death Stranding 2

(Image credit: Kojima Productions)

Given that Death Stranding 2 didn't make an appearance at the latest PlayStation 2023 showcase in May, we could very well see more of the sequel to Kojima Productions' adventure. It feels like the right time to get a closer look at the next installment, especially given that earlier this year Hideo Kojima shared several sneak peeks of Death Stranding 2's development, and we've been hearing a little more from the voice talent attached to the game such as Elle Fanning. Since Kojima has taken to the stage in the past, it seems likely that we'll once again see him make a showing and it would make sense that it would be to debut some more of DS2 after announcing it officially at the Game Awards with a trailer last year.

Cities Skylines 2

(Image credit: Paradox)

Paradox Interactive is among the Summer Game Fest partners, and we already know about some big projects coming up from the publisher that we could very well see. Earlier this year during the Paradox announcement showcase, sequel Cities Skylines 2 was revealed for the first time. Set to be an evolution of the game that came before from developer Colossal Order, we haven't really seen all that much of the next installment since its unveiling. The Summer Game Fest could be the perfect time to do just that, and since we don't yet have a release date, perhaps we get some news on that front, too.

Life by You

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

If we don't see Cities Skylines 2, Life by You is another possibility. The upcoming release, which looks set to be an alternative to The Sims, is also coming from Paradox Interactive and developer Paradox Tectonic. Positioned as the "most moddable" new life sim, we've steadily been learning about what we can expect, such as the fact that it looks set to turn the wildest sims challenges into quests with rewards, and you can create custom careers and jobs for your characters. The release date for Life by You isn't too far off, with it currently slated to arrive on September 12, 2023. As such, Summer Game Fest may present the opportunity to give us a more in-depth look at the game ahead of its launch later this year.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

(Image credit: Square Enix)

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is another big PlayStation exclusive that didn't make an appearance at the recent PlayStation showcase – much to the disappointment of excited fans. While we may have to once again get our clown makeup ready when the highly anticipated follow-up to Final Fantasy 7 Remake doesn't show, there's always a chance we may see another trailer or update during the Summer Game Fest. After all, the developers most recently released a series of answers about Rebirth on Twitter - including the fact that a release date hasn't been decided yet – which has led to speculation that Square Enix may be gearing up to show something off. Square is also among the partners, so it's not entirely outside of the realms of possibility. Still, with Final Fantasy 16 on the near horizon, we may not see Rebirth for some time.

Baldur's Gate 3

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

Baldur's Gate 3 from Larian Studios is officially coming out of early access this year and will land on PC and PS5 on August 31, 2023. With the release date just a matter of months away, seeing it make an appearance during the Summer Game Fest feels like a safe bet. Larian is also confirmed among the partners of the showcase, so it would make sense that we see more of Baldur's Gate 3 as we gear up towards the launch date. It'll be great to see more of the adventure and hear from Larian about all things Baldur's Gate 3 to really amp up the excitement.

Skate 4

(Image credit: EA)

EA's presence at The Summer Game Fest could mean several things. Lots of upcoming games are on the way from the publisher, but one that's overdue a big showing is Skate 4. First announced back in 2020, we don't yet have a concrete release date for the new installment simply titled Skate. We do however know it's set to be free-to-play when it launches, and playtests took place earlier this year. It may be some time before we see it arrive, but perhaps we'll see it pop up during the showcase.

Elden Ring DLC

(Image credit: FromSoftware)

With Bandai Namco among the partners for the showcase, thoughts are once again turning to the possibility of at long last getting to see The Elden Ring DLC. Back in February of this year, developer FromSoftware officially revealed the expansion, which is known as Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, is currently in development. With a single piece of artwork accompanying the announcement, fans are of course hungry for more, and getting a proper glimpse during The Summer Game Fest would undoubtedly set the hype train going at full steam. With the release of Elden Ring over a year ago, this could very well be the time we get to see our first look at the long-awaited post-launch content. It may be wishful thinking, but we can keep on hoping for a release date, too.

Wildcards

While there are some games we can safely assume will likely make a showing, the selection below are among our wildcard predictions – the games that are less likely to pop up but not entirely out of the question. One thing's for sure: these would certainly be welcome surprises.

Respawn's Star Wars FPS

(Image credit: Respawn)

There are so many upcoming Star Wars in the pipeline, with everything from Ubisoft's open world experience set in a galaxy far, far away, to Star Wars: Eclipse from Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream. Since a slate of announcements, we've yet to see all that much of the many projects on the way. Still, if there's one Star Wars game that would certainly surprise us with its presence, it's the new FPS spearheaded by Respawn in collaboration with EA and Lucasfilm Games. It would be fantastic to learn about any of the new Star Wars games, but with EA set to be a part of Summer Game Fest, perhaps the fresh FPS is the one we'll shoot to the stars for.

Silent Hill 2 Remake

(Image credit: Konami )

Back in October 2022, Konami revealed a line-up of Silent Hill projects we've not had a substantial update on in some time. Along with 1960's set Silent Hill f, Silent Hill: Townfall from Annapurna Interactive and No Code, and the real-time interactive project Silent Hill Ascension, it was also revealed that a Silent Hill 2 Remake is officially coming from Bloober Team. The lineup of upcoming horror games certainly stirred up plenty of excitement - not least the prospect of a Silent Hill 2 remake given that the original is among the best horror games of all time. This is a bit of a wildcard pick since it doesn't appear as though Konami will be involved in the Summer Game Fest, but perhaps we could see some Silent Hill surprise this year – there have been some leaks that suggest we could get some teasers, after all.

Naughty Dog

(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

It had been quite some time since we heard about the Last of Us 2 multiplayer standalone Factions before Naughty Dog posted an update confirming it has been pushed back. While we're not likely to get an update on Factions given the set back, it is possible that we get some kind of Last of Us update with the anniversary of the first game looming on June 14. Interestingly, the developer did also confirm in the delay news that a new single-player experience is in development. It may be a long shot, but perhaps we'll get to something Last of Us-shaped when the Summer Game Fest comes around.

Here are 5 games we want to see at the Summer Game Fest.

Life by You cancelation and everything we know about Paradox's life sim

heather.wald@futurenet.com (Heather Wald) — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 14:38:00 +0000

Alas, Life by You has indeed been canceled. Paradox announced on June 17 that the would-be Sims 4 rival is officially no longer in development, sad news for all who had been waiting patiently through a litany of delays over the past 12 months. The game had been deleyed again just weeks before its cancelation, but despite all of the warning signs that all was not well at Paradox Tectonic, it's still a bitter pill to swallow.

Wondering what went wrong? Here's everything we know about Life by You's unfortunate cancelation, from the official announcement to its fraught history of postponements.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

Is Life by You canceled?

Yes, Life by You has been officially canceled. The game was scheduled to be released on June 4th before it was postponed to an undisclosed date as of June 17. Deputy CEO Mattias Lilja took to the Paradox Forum to break the news, saying: "Sadly, we’ve decided to cancel the release of our long-awaited life sim Life by You. This was an incredibly difficult call to make and is a clear failure on Paradox’s part to meet both our own and the community's expectations."

Life by You delays

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

Before its cancelation, Life By You had been delayed three times. The last announcement was made on the publisher's website by Paradox Interactive CEO Mattias Lilja, who expressed thanks for the continued support from the community. "This was not an easy decision, especially since we understand the anticipation and excitement that many players have for the game. However, we believe that additional development time is needed," Lilja wrote.

Unlike with past delays, a new Life By You target release window was not given by Paradox at this time. "While we would have preferred to commit to a new release window, we believe it is more prudent to hold off while we plan ahead, rather than committing to a new date that we cannot be certain to meet."

This delay came off the back of one earlier this year that saw Life by You pushed from a March 5 to June 4 release date. The game was intended to launch into Early Access last year on September 12, 2023, but it was delayed so that the development team could focus on new features and visual improvements.

Life by You trailer

The first Life by You announcement trailer (which you can watch above) that dropped during the showcase gave us our first proper look at the open-world setting and how we can control anyone at any time. It also shows off some of the interactions controllable humans can have along with insight into customization, character creation, and much more. A lot of the features do share similarities with The Sims; the more open feel and use of vehicles to get around (hello skateboards!) brings to mind The Sims 3.

Sims competitor Life by You doesn't have loading screens because its NPCs are "accurately modeled every second of every year"

Hope Bellingham — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 16:26:19 +0000

Upcoming The Sims rival Life by You doesn't have any loading screens, meaning the whole world is constantly working away in the background.

In an interview with Rock Paper Shotgun, Rod Humble, life sim veteran and head of Paradox Interactive's Berkeley studio, explained the complexity of creating a completely open world in its upcoming game. As Humble explains, the ultimate goal for Life by You was to build "an open-world life simulator where the core tenant was freedom," and loading screens stood in the way of that freedom.

Loading screens are "the biggest friction" in modern life sims, Humble says, but getting rid of them is no easy feat. Having everything taking place simultaneously comes with its own set of challenges, as Humble explains: "What happens to the clock? The answer is, it's all simulating, all the time. Now you've got every person in the world who's operating with the same rules, and you have to make sure that they're being accurately modelled every second of every year because we have real life spans here."

"Agents don't live for 14 days, they live 75+ years," the developer continues, "And so unlocking that system and getting real-time to work with a simulation where every agent is being simulated the same way as the player's agent, that was the real challenge." According to Humble, this took the team "quite a few years" to figure out, but he says it was worth all of the work put into it as the result is an extremely immersive life sim.

Comparing Life by You to other life sims, like The Sims 4 or maybe even The Sims 5, Humble tells RPS: "What happens to the person who works in the restaurant when you go home? There's a loading screen, and typically in games, that person doesn't exist anymore." As for Paradox's life sim, Humble says "we don't get that option. That person goes home, and you might live opposite them."

We got our first proper look at Life by You just last week when the team at Paradox Interactive showcased everything the life sim has to offer in a dedicated livestream. It was during this showcase that we got to see gameplay, character customization, and just how much freedom players will get in the life sim. This is also when we found out about the game's September 12, 2023, early access release date.

Need something to play while we wait for Life by You? Take a look at some games like The Sims you can try today.

Paradox's The Sims rival Life by You gets September early access release

Hope Bellingham — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 17:13:48 +0000

Paradox revealed more about its upcoming life sim Life by You today, including the game's open-world setting, customization options, dialogue system, and its all-important early access release date.

During the Life by You announcement event, Paradox debuted a brand new trailer that showed off more of the upcoming game. As explained by The Sims veteran (and current Paradox manager) Rod Humble, Life by You is a completely open-world game - meaning it doesn't have any loading screens and you'll be able to take control of any of the characters at any time, regardless of how far apart each of them is.

Perhaps the most exciting part of this open-world game is the fact that your characters can get around using things like cars, bikes, motorbikes, skateboards, and on foot. You'll be able to click areas for your characters to move to as well as take direct control of them, meaning you can literally drive around town in third-person mode. Players will also have the choice to time skip as far as they want to in the game, meaning you can age up your characters at the click of a button.

Life by You will also have a build tool that will allow you to make edits to everything from homes, public buildings, businesses, and even things like the beach - giving players a lot more freedom to make the world their own. It's not just the big things players can edit either, thanks to the Object Editor tool, players can even make changes to things around the house.

Also revealed during the stream, Life by You will have a unique conversation system that uses real-language conversations which will help to tell your character's story, build relationships, and interact with the world and the people within it. As well as this, the game also features a conversation creator tool that allows players to edit and develop their own conversations in the game.

The main takeaway from this stream though is that we'll be able to play Life by You via early access on September 12, 2023. As explained in the stream, the devs will use this period to take on player feedback which in turn will result in more content and an improved game by the time it fully releases.

You can wishlist and pre-order Life by You on PC via Steam and the Epic Game Store now.

Need something else to play while we wait for Life by You? Take a look at our games like The Sims list.

Ahead of Cities: Skylines 2, the devs detail the final DLC for the original game

dustin.bailey@futurenet.com (Dustin Bailey) — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 09:00:59 +0000

Eight years after the launch of Cities: Skylines, developer Colossal Order has unveiled the game's final DLC roadmap as the studio moves to fully support the upcoming sequel.

I want to be clear here: the press release we received from Colossal Order and publisher Paradox Interactive makes multiple references to things like "the last content packs" and "the final expansion." The devs intend to continue "general support" for the game through the end of the year, but with DLC releases concluding in May, this is truly the end of an era.

On March 22, Cities: Skylines will get three Content Creator packs - mostly cosmetic building collections built in collaboration with the game's most prolific modders. Those three packs are Africa in Miniature, with 28 new buildings inspired by Africa's urban architecture; Sports Venues, with stadiums featuring "realistic" baseball, soccer, and football animations; and Shopping Malls, with 60 assets covering everything from department stores to fast food joints. The same date will also see the launch of three Radio Station packs, including tunes with African, 80s, and pop-punk themes.

March 22 will also see the launch of a free content update that "improves the transport system" for the base game as well as the After Dark, Snowfall, Natural Disasters, and Mass Transit expansions.

Then, the final Cities: Skylines DLC lands in May, led by an as-yet-untitled mini-expansion with a vacation theme. May will also see the launch of two more Radio Station packs, and three more Content Packs, titled Industrial Evolution, Brooklyn and Queens, and Railroads of Japan - all of which sound pretty self-explanatory.

(Image credit: Colossal Order/Paradox Interactive)

Cities: Skylines launched on March 10, 2015, and as with most games published by Paradox these eight years have been supported with an absolute mountain of DLC expansions ranging from completely essential to completely forgettable. While you can get it all substantially cheaper if you wait for a sale, it costs well over $300 to grab everything at full price.

It's safe to expect a similar DLC rollout for Cities: Skylines 2, though we haven't gotten any official details on what to expect from the sequel just yet. An early list of Cities: Skylines 2 achievements does have some very exciting hints about what to expect in terms of new gameplay mechanics, though. The sequel is due to launch sometime in 2023.

There are plenty more of the best city-building games to check out while we await what's next from Cities: Skylines.

Cities Skylines 2 release date and everything we know so far

sam.loveridge@futurenet.com (Sam Loveridge) — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 12:25:54 +0000

The wait is almost over for Cities: Skylines 2. Announced back in March 2023 and sequel to one of the most beloved and best city builder games out there, the dedicated community can look forward to even more comprehensive management, building, and life sim systems than seen in the original.

Developer Colossal Order has been keeping its fanbase well-fed, drip-feeding us some juicy new tidbits on its upcoming sequel via Q&As on Twitter. Following a what we learned at Gamescom 2023, our hands-on Cities: Skylines 2 preview shows what else we can expect from the game when it launches this October.

It's definitely one of those upcoming PC games to keep an eye out for, not to mention one of our top new games for 2023 if you live and breathe city-builders. Here's a breakdown of everything we know about Cities: Skylines 2, from a release date to gameplay details.

Recent Cities: Skylines 2 news

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

Cities Skylines 2 release date

(Image credit: Paradox)

The Cities Skylines 2 release date is set for October 24, 2023 for PC only. Sadly, it was confirmed on September 29 that the game's release onto PS5, Xbox Series X, and Game Pass has been delayed to Spring 2024.

Cities Skylines 2 Game Pass

(Image credit: Paradox)

Cities Skylines 2 will be a part of the full Xbox Game Pass list, meaning that any Game Pass subscribers will be able to play the new city builder from day one through the service. Paradox is yet to confirm whether Cities Skylines 2 will be available for both Xbox and PC Game Pass players, although this does appear to be the case.

Cities Skylines 2 trailer

You can watch the first Cities Skylines 2 trailer above, which isn't actual gameplay from the upcoming city builder but does give us a little insight into what Paradox and developer Colossal Order wants to achieve with the title.

We then got the Cities Skylines 2 gameplay trailer at the Xbox Games Showcase in June, revealing a great look at what you'll be able to create. All the footage shown in the gameplay trailer is captured in-game too, so it's going to be pretty!

Cities Skylines 2 pre-order bonuses

If you pre-order Cities Skylines 2 you'll get access to nine unique buildings, all of which are based on world famous landmarks. They are as follows:

The London Eye
Notre Dame
National Gallery
Grand Hotel
Botanical Garden
Näsinneula
Xi'an Bell Tower
Sungnye
National Diet

You'll also get a map based on the geography of Tampere, Finland, which just so happens to be where developer Colossal Order is based.

Cities Skylines 2 Expansion Pass

If you purchase the Cities Skylines - Ultimate Edition you'll get access to the Expansion Pass. This includes instant access to the San Francisco set, an assets pack and radio station that'll drop in Q4 2023, the content creator pack and radio station coming in Q1 2024, and the full expansion and another radio station in Q2 2024.

Cities Skylines 2 gameplay – What's new?

(Image credit: Paradox)

Cities Skylines 2 gameplay will be an evolution over the original title. It's dubbed the "most realistic city builder - ever" on its Steam page, where it also mentions "new epic scale". That's backed up by the Cities Skylines 2 achievements that have leaked, which state that you'll be able to utilize 150 map tiles in a single city, rather than the nine from the original game. There are also mentions of hailstorms, tornados, and forest fires – some of which were only available via DLC packs for the original game. You'll also be able to "Follow a citizen's lifepath from childhood to old age", which certainly suggests a depth of simulation much greater than the OG Cities Skylines.

"With unprecedented amounts of customization and player control, Cities: Skylines 2 will continue to push boundaries for the city-building franchise," said Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive.

The official press release states that you'll be able to experience the managing of everything from individual households to the transport and economy systems of the city, including plenty of construction and customization options, and "advanced modding capabilities". It goes on to say this will be the "most open-ended city-building sandbox on the planet", so pretty lofty goals here.

Each of the game's maps - some if which are "bigger than some countries" - will have its own challenges, including unique climates and other opportunities. The climates can impact the pollution, weather, and provide seasonal challenges too. Then, when you're building your city, every choice you make will ripple across it, thanks to intricate AI and economic systems.

You'll even be able to follow around specific citizens as they go about their daily lives. There's even an achievement you can unlock to reward you for your stalkery antics, meaning the game doesn't just let you observe the lives of your townsfolk, it encourages it.

Will Cities Skylines 2 multiplayer exist?

(Image credit: Paradox)

There are currently no plans to make a Cities: Skylines 2 multiplayer mode.

In March, Colossal Order posted a small Q&A on the studio's official Twitter account. In response to a question asking whether there would be scope to add multiplayer, the devs said: "Adding multiplayer support takes an incredible amount of time and resources that would take away from building the core player experience we are striving to create". So it's safe to say we won't be seeing multiplayer come to Cities: Skylines 2.

While clever players of the original game have modded in multiplayer support, we will note that it's never been an official feature of the Cities Skylines series.

Cities Skylines is one of the best Xbox Game Pass games to play while we cross our fingers for more news on its sequel, hopefully during Summer Game Fest 2023.

Life By You could be the first real alternative to The Sims

dustin.bailey@futurenet.com (Dustin Bailey) — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 19:02:06 +0000

Life simulation fans could finally have their first real alternative to The Sims with Life By You, which was revealed today at the Paradox Announcement Show.

Well, I say revealed, but the Life By You announcement was pretty light - a true reveal event is scheduled for March 20. But the teaser trailer offers no room for confusion over what this game is trying to accomplish. Almost every shot shows you isometrically peering into somebody's virtual home, complete with the cutaway wall view that's defined the look of The Sims since 2000.

This game has pedigree, too. Development at Paradox's new Tectonic studio is being led by Rod Humble, a veteran of The Sims 2 and 3, and the trailer seems to hint at a bunch of features that have gone MIA in the most recent entry.

One shot sees what looks like a drivable car. Others seem to suggest you'll be able to control your simulated people in a big, open-world environment well beyond the bounds of their house. These features were part of The Sims 3, and their removal remains one of the biggest points of critique against The Sims 4.

The one point that's giving potential fans pause right now is the tech. Some of those scenes are very stuttery, and while in-development games are always subject to improvements, it's a bit concerning to see a public trailer launch with frame rates you can count by hand. Here's hoping the March 20 presentation shows something a bit tighter, especially since Paradox says the game is due out in 2023.

If you're looking for games like The Sims, your options are few and far between. Indie title Paralives has been the most exciting potential competitor out there, but it's spent years in development and there's no clear indication when it's set to release, so Life By You might just beat it to market. Meanwhile, The Sims 5 - or more properly Project Rene - is still in very early development and apparently "years out."

Today also saw the announcement of Cities: Skylines 2, another title that's sure to tickle the fancy of old-school Maxis fans, and the reveal of a new pulp adventure strategy game called The Lamplighters League.

Cities: Skylines 2 seems to be tackling the original city builder's biggest problem head-on

dustin.bailey@futurenet.com (Dustin Bailey) — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 17:36:49 +0000

The biggest city-building game out there today is finally getting its long-awaited sequel, as publisher Paradox Interactive has lifted the veil on Cities: Skylines 2.

Cities: Skylines 2 is due to release in 2023 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. Developer Colossal Order is emphasizing "a deep simulation and a living economy" for the sequel, according to the Steam store page, and promise that this will be the "most realistic city builder - ever."

While the original game is well-loved for its intuitive building controls and wide-ranging creation options, old-school city builder fanatics have long complained that it doesn't match the depth of simulation offered in older genre entries like SimCity 4. The devs seem to be tackling those complaints head-on for the sequel.

Sims series fans got thrown another bone as part of today's Paradox Announcement Show, too, with the reveal of Life by You, a life simulator that seems to be drawing direct parallels to the classic life simulation games by Maxis. Sims 2 and 3 veteran Rod Humble is leading development at Paradox Tectonic. More details on Life by You will be revealed at a separate showcase event on March 20.

Today's show also featured the reveal of The Lamplighters League, and new expansions for Surviving the Aftermath, Crusader Kings 3, and Europa Universalis 4. Paradox Arc, the publisher's indie initiative, also unveiled the sci-fi auto-battler Mechabellum, the turn-based RPG sequel Knights of Pen & Paper 3, and the Wolf Wars expansion for the deckbuilding RPG Across the Obelisk.

You can't build a list of the best city-building games without Cities: Skylines, but there are plenty more excellent entries in the genre.

How to watch the Paradox Announcement Show 2023 and the likely Cities: Skylines 2 reveal

dustin.bailey@futurenet.com (Dustin Bailey) — Sun, 05 Mar 2023 17:00:15 +0000

Update, March 6: The Paradox Announcement Show 2023 did indeed see the announcement of Cities: Skylines 2, alongside the reveal of The Lamplighters League from developer Harebrained Schemes, and a new Sims-like life sim called Life by You.

Original story, March 5: The Paradox Announcement Show 2023 is about to bring us some major game reveals from Paradox Interactive, including what pretty much everyone expects to be the reveal of Cities: Skylines 2.

You can tune into the Paradox Announcement Show 2023 at 9am PST / 12pm EST / 5pm GMT via the publisher's YouTube channel - or you can just hit play on the embedded video below to watch it right on this page. Paradox promises that the show will feature "three new games, four new expansions, gameplay reveals, and updates!"

Likely the most notable of these new games is the next title from Cities: Skylines developer Colossal Order. The studio's next game has been long-awaited, and the entire community is hinging its hopes on this being the reveal of Cities: Skylines 2. The original remains one of the best city-building games out there, and with so few titles gunning for SimCity's long-vacant crown, it's going to be very exciting to see what's next.

Old-school Sim series fans have another reason to be excited with the reveal of the first game from Paradox Tectonic, a studio headed up by one of the lead developers behind The Sims 2 and 3. They're definitely pushing that connection in the teaser, too: "We're expanding your creativity. Life simulator visionary, Rod Humble, and Paradox Tectonic are itching to unveil its new ground-breaking project."

The third of these new games is the next project from Harebrained Schemes, the studio behind the excellent modern takes on Shadowrun and Battletech. The teaser is putting a big emphasis on the narrative here, saying that Harebrained Schemes is "going to bring video game storytelling home."

We don't know which games those four expansions will be spread across, but Paradox does say you can expect reveals of some sort for Crusader Kings 3 and Europa Universalis 4. There will also be "several announcements" from Paradox Arc, the publisher's indie initiative.

Paradox has brought us many of the best strategy games available today.

Cities: Skylines 2 is at the top of every fan's mind as the devs tease their next game

dustin.bailey@futurenet.com (Dustin Bailey) — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 21:15:47 +0000

Fans of city-building games are setting their expectations high for Cities: Skylines 2 as developer Colossal Order prepares to announce their next title.

The Paradox Announcement Show 2023 is set to broadcast on March 6 at 9am PST / 12pm EST / 5pm GMT. The event is set to feature the announcement of a new game from Shadowrun Returns and Battletech developer Harebrained Schemes, the reveal of the next project from Sims veteran Rod Humble, and info on four expansions spread across Paradox's infamously DLC-heavy catalog.

But perhaps the most notable announcement is coming from Colossal Order, as Paradox says "the genre-defining studio behind global smash hit Cities: Skylines will reveal its newest incredible game." We've known that Colossal Order has been working on something new for years, and fans are more hopeful than ever that this will be the stage that finally unveils Cities: Skylines 2.

This isn't like the long-suffering hopefuls for Elden Ring DLC or Hollow Knight: Silksong donning their clown makeup every time a big new press conference rolls around. Everyone's pretty much certain that the Cities sequel is going to be the headline announcement here. The range of sentiments from fans is pretty matter-of-fact: "Cities 2 I think is a given," "Cities: Skylines 2 more or less confirmed," "Extremely likely - Cities: Skylines 2." For its part, Paradox is playing coy… mostly.

Confirming a Colossal Order logoFebruary 27, 2023

Cities: Skylines is effectively uncontested when it comes to modern takes on traditional city-building games. EA's big SimCity reboot in 2013 was notoriously maligned, and hardcore genre fans have been awaiting a true successor to SimCity 4 since that game's release in 2003. Cities: Skylines is beloved for its robust building tools, but even its most ardent fans will generally admit that it lacks the in-depth economic and social simulation that made SimCity 4 so challenging and rewarding. That's a big part of why the Cities: Skylines fanbase has been so eager for a sequel to improve on the shortcomings of the original.

We're not lacking for ways to play Cities: Skylines as it stands, in any case. The city builder's next-gen update just hit PS5 and Xbox Series X and S, and the spin-off Cities VR is now available on PSVR 2.

If you're looking for the best city-building games, we've got a list to help you fulfill your mayoral fantasies.

Victoria 3 finally launches in October, but it's dropping its day one Game Pass launch

dustin.bailey@futurenet.com (Dustin Bailey) — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 14:10:41 +0000

Update, August 31, 2022: Victoria 3 is no longer set to be released on PC Game Pass. A representative of Paradox Interactive reached out to confirm that the game will be exclusive to to Steam at launch.

"The game will be a Steam exclusive at the release - after discussion with our partners it was decided that Victoria 3 won't be a part of Game Pass or Microsoft Store," Paradox says in an official forum post. "Xbox fans of Paradox’s epic grand strategy titles can enjoy our games like Crusader Kings III, Stellaris, Shadowrun Trilogy, Hearts of Iron IV and more with Game Pass today and we look forward to sharing more details on our next partnership with Xbox in the future."

Original story: Victoria 3, the long-awaited next entry in the Paradox line of grand strategy games, finally has a release date, set for October 25.

Confirmation of the October 25 release date for Victoria 3 comes alongside an extensive gameplay reveal from the game's developers. I'd try to recap some of the highlights, but, well… It's still ongoing as I write this and it's already over three hours long, so maybe you should just tune for yourself if you want to take a look at Victoria 3 in action.

Victoria 3 was confirmed as a day one addition to PC Game Pass alongside its original announcement last year. Players have noted that Game Pass branding has been conspicuously absent from recent trailers for the game, though there's been no official indication of a change in plans for that day one Game Pass launch. Much of Paradox's catalog, including the recent Crusader Kings 3, is also available on PC Game Pass. You can also grab the game via Steam, of course.

If you're not familiar with Paradox's grand strategy format, the basic idea is that you take control of a single historical figure through a meticulously-detailed simulation of the social, political, and military machinations of the era.

Victoria 3 is big on the social and political sides in particular, putting you in control of one of 100 nations in 1836 and letting your relations with the countries around you dictate your fate over the century that follows.

Whether you're looking to make war or find alternate paths to victory, there are plenty of options among the best strategy games.

How do you make a strategy game? Paradox and Firaxis sound off

GamesRadar — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 18:30:00 +0000

So, so strategic

From StarCraft to Civilization, XCOM to Europa Universalis IV, strategy games are some of the most rewarding experiences to be found in the medium--but they're also the most complex. Whereas some developers have attempted to simplify the genre, others revel in its intricacies, creating wonderful sandboxes for players to dig around and explore.

Two developers with very different approaches are Paradox and Firaxis. Firaxis, with releases including XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Civilization V, prides itself on making amazingly deep games that are accessible to any audience. Paradox is known for making deeper, more complex products that are beloved by those looking for incredibly dense, satisfying experiences. How do their methods differ? We asked the same questions to Thomas Johansson (project lead at Paradox Development Studio) and the Firaxis duo Ed Beach/Dennis Shirk (designers of Civ V and its expansions) to see how they approach such a complex genre.

How does working on strategy games differ from other genres?

"I would say that since strategy games are so complex, the focus of development tends to be more focused on making a working game world," Johansson explained. Though he hasn't worked personally on other genres, he said that you "cant as easily predict what the player will see," in a strategy game. "You have to make sure he or she is playing inside a believable world," says Johansson.

Firaxis' designers didn't entirely agree with the notion of world-building being paramount. "Strategy games rely heavily on their underlying gameplay systems and mechanics to convey the fun of the game, and you get to use the players imagination to fill in details of the game world and the story," we were told. "They also need to support a variety of gameplay styles and ways to win, which is part of the appeal of strategy games. When a player finishes we want them to say 'Great! Next time Im going to try something different.'

Strategy games have incredible depth and complexity. How hard is it blending all of those systems together?

Firaxis' games are usually more user-friendly than most, so its approach to game design is a bit simpler. "Weve got a principle here of building systems that are relatively simple by themselves, but which combine in interesting ways, and which require you to pick from a variety of attractive choices," Beach and Shirk explained. "We like to start with a very simple approach for each new system, then add elements that tie the systems together as each mechanic matures." Paradox, on the other hand, takes a much more complex approach.

"It's definitely one of our biggest challenges," Johansson said. "Since our games are sandbox, it is up to you as a player to set your own goals and choose your own destiny. We need to make systems that are fun, give a reasonably historical outcome, and have the complexity that is the Paradox Development Studio signum. As developers, we definitely have to be careful when adding the little extra 'Wouldnt it be cool if...' features, because all of a sudden a small change completely unbalances something else down the line."

Do you ever use playtesting to find out if people comprehend different, complicated systems?

Johansson said that Paradox has ramped up its use of playtesting, especially when developing its latest title: Europa Universalis IV--"particularly when it comes to the tutorial and the multiplayer," he explained. "It's something I see us doing a lot more of in the future. When you've been doing these games for so long, both us and our fans develop a common language...you need fresh eyes to see whats comes natural to someone who has played some of the previous games, and someone who has never seen one."

Firaxis has been taking this approach for a bit longer. "The internal team is always playing the game and bringing their feedback to the designers, even from the earliest prototypes of the game. We also have a dedicated team of external beta testers that has been around for over a decade, commenting on and contributing to each of our releases," we were told by the developers. "And right after we ship a title is a critical time to listen to fan feedback, and try to make adjustments based on peoples experiences with the game."

Do you ever end up removing elements that are fun, but just make things too complex?

While the developers usually had differing approaches to game design, both totally agreed on this point: complicated things usually aren't fun. If something gets cut because it was too complex, it's also usually because it wasn't entertaining. "Things that are too complicated are, in general, not fun," Johansson reinforced. "When you make games like ours, you have to separate between gameplay that you would like in theory and gameplay that you really like to play. You recognize games that get this wrong; its the games that you really want to like because they have such great depth and complexity--but for some reason, you never manage to play more than an hour or two."

Firaxis agreed. "In general, if somethings too complex, it can become un-fun pretty quickly. And with our approach of 'adding complexity incrementally,' we usually dont fall into this trap. In general, we feel that the fun of a strategy game usually comes from having a bunch of simple systems that interact in complex and interesting ways, rather than having any single system that's complex on its own."

Are there ever times where things are removed for simplicity's sake that you then, later, wish could be added back in?

That question sort of bled into this one, with neither developer really feeling as though they've needed to cut content that would've actually worked. Shirk and Beach explained that "Very little gets removed, systems-wise. We focus on trying to improve the system so we dont have to cut it."

Johansson said that he "can't recall any instance where it happened that a feature was removed for usability reasons that I wished we added. It is much more common that you realize that a feature is more complex than you originally anticipated. Sometimes you have to abstain from features for time constraints reasons, of course, and complex features tend to take more time and make more bugs. In that aspect, you just have to add them to the 'maybe later' list."

If so, do you ever just add them back in? Via patch or expansion?

"Well, we usually do have a wish-list of features that did not make it into the game, due to budget and time limitations for a certain project," Johansson said, explaining that content could be added back in via patches, expansions, or downloadable content. "Just to explain, in our strategy RPG Crusader Kings II, we introduced a modular system, and the main reason was for patching. If you choose not to buy any DLC, you still receive all the patches and game updates. Because our goal is that, regardless of what DLC you decide to get for the game, you should still receive the very best game we make. "

Firaxis' focus is usually more on expansions than huge patches that add functionality. "Patches are a great way to make adjustments to systems, and expansions are where we really get to stretch our legs and put in new systems to add on to the core game."

Do you have any suggestions for indie devs having problems wrangling the complexities of the strategy genre?

Both developers had useful information for indie devs. Paradox explained that you should "never do a feature without first thinking about how to visualize it and why its fun for the player. A great pitfall of really complex strategy games is that you might design systems that model your world instead of making gameplay features that are fun and challenging. Always keep in mind that the game should be fun to play. The gamers should have the freedom to take their own choices when playing and they should be able to play the game again and again, where every game is a whole new experience."

Firaxis' message was more in line with the developer's tactics: start simple. "Dont be afraid to revise and iterate on your games systems. And probably the most important thing of all: Never underestimate the value of feedback! Listen to your players and what they tell you about your game. Sid [Meier] always says: Feedback is fact, which means what your players tell you about the game is key to making your game a better experience for them."

So, go make a game!

Obviously, se'd like to thank Paradox and Firaxis for helping out with this article. Did you learn anything? Is there anything else you'd like to ask them? Find out in the questions below?

And if you're looking for more, check out best upcoming indie devs and top 7 indie crossovers.

Magicka: Wizard Wars conjures 4-on-4 mage duels

connor.sheridan@futurenet.com (Connor Sheridan) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0000

In the grim darkness of Midgard's future, there is only Magicka: Wizard Wars. The quirky adventure game gets a competitive makeover in this new online title from Paradox North.

Two teams of four wizards face off with Magicka's trademark elemental cocktails as the many-robed mages balance maximum destruction with minimum teammate insta-gibbing. Each brief, deadly match contributes to the game's persistent character progression.

Stockholm-based newcomer Paradox North will take over development duties from Magicka creator Arrowhead Game Studios, which launched The Showdown Effect earlier this month. Paradox North executive VP John Hargelid said the series' frantic, slapstick combat puts an interesting spin on competitive play.

"Magicka has always allowed for some unique gameplay and, with Wizard Wars, we've really captured the true experience of PvP wizardry," Hargelid said. "When you put the team-focused, hardcore competition of online games together with characters whose attacks are fluid and dynamic--and then give teammates the ability to implode, freeze, and fling each other by accident--it's really something special to watch, and to play, and to yell at your friends about afterwards."

Publisher Paradox Interactive said the game "may or may not arrive in winter" but we're pretty sure they were joking about this Game-of-Thrones-inspired live-action trailer.

Dungeonland preview - Hands-on Cannibal Kingdom

lveloria@futureus.com (Lorenzo Veloria) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Paradox's recently showed off more of it's upcoming medieval co-op, hack 'n slash title Dungeonland. We had a chance to play a few rounds of the Dungeon Master mode (which has since received a few visual upgrades), fight through a new macabre level called Cannibal Kingdom, and tinker with the game's character customization options. If you haven't been paying attention to Dungeonland, now's the time to start.

Dungeonland is essentially a multiplayer dungeon crawler with a huge co-op focus. Think Gauntlet, except with an all-seeing overlord throwing bad guys in your way. Up to three players can hack, slash, stab, and bash their way through the Dungeon Master's (AI or player-controlled) hordes of goblins, trolls, cute purple worms, and muscle-bound ducks that would put Schwarzenegger to shame. The goal of the heroes is overcome the challenges of the labyrinth, defeat the boss at the end of the level, and collect as much gold from the expedition as possible--fairly standard stuff.

The loot system in Dungeonland is a bit different than the typical dungeon crawler. You won't be grinding through the levels to gather better gear--only gold. The gold can be used in the item shop to get unique costumes, which range from fairy wings and astronaut suits to ninja gear and Viking armor. Weapons can be purchased as well, but none of the equipment provides any stat bonuses; it's all purely visual customization. Potions, however, can be bought and activated for special combat skills, like a charge attack for the Warrior or a teleportation attack for the Rogue.

The classic "holy trinity" of RPGs is in full effect for Dungeonland. The Warrior is your classic tank, the Rogue does the most damage, and the Mage can heal allies and damage enemies with elemental-based attacks. We played as the Rogue, who was extremely proficient at sinking his blades into his enemies. The backstab ability is particularly useful: A successful strike from behind any enemy is an instant kill, which came in handy when we were ambushed by a horde of mutant ducks. Surviving enemy attacks requires good team coordination and lots of communication. Your team shares a pool of extra lives, so if you let your buddies bite the dust too many times, it'll be game over for everyone.

The levels always play out differently each time you enter a match--even when you are playing against the Dungeon Master AI. Since the AI reacts to the way you're playing and could have a different set of skills, monsters, and traps to throw at you in each map, every match turns unpredictable. In one section, you might face a relatively easy group of trolls--but in a second run-through, the Dungeon Master might drop in a massive duck enemy that spawns a minion every time it takes damage.

The new level, Cannibal Kingdom, had a prehistoric Jurassic Park theme to it. The layout felt similar to some of the previous areas we had played, but there were some distinct areas that affected gameplay. One section had us cautiously battling over tar pits, which slowed our movement as we tried to wade through. Environmental traps like the tar make it extremely difficult to run away from danger when things get a little hairy.

Dungeonland keeps a lighthearted theme with the medieval mayhem, and is a blast to play in three person co-op. In the Cannibal Kingdom level, you might notice tributes and nods to publisher, like when you realize you're standing on Paradox's fossil logo. Also, if you pay close attention to the background, a certain square-pantsed sponge's pet snail--which apparently is one of the developer's favorite TV shows--just might make an appearance.

You can check out Dungeonland when it comes to PC in January 2013. For more information on the Dungeon Master mode, check out our Dungeonland Dungeon Master mode interview with the developers.

War of the Roses pre-order info announced

andrew.groen@gmail.com (Andrew Groen) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 22:02:24 +0000

Fatshark and Paradox Interactive - the developer and publisher behind War of the Roses - announced today that their upcoming game will include a brace of pre-order options for fans looking to get a little something extra for their purchase. They also released a brief new video seen below which hypes a bit of the content.

War of the Roses is getting two preorder packs themed after the two main factions in the game: the Lancasters and Yorks. While the two feature essentially the same items, The House of Lancaster Deluxe Edition is only available on Steam, while the House of York Deluxe is available at a variety of other outlets. Both packs feature the game's soundtrack along with unique armor, weapons, and crests as well as access to the beta.

War of the Roses pre-orders close on September 25 and the game heads to retail and download on October 2, 2012.

Salem preview Animal Crossing meets Manhunt

Lucas Sullivan — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 17:15:01 +0000

Granted: it might not look all that pretty (it is a Java game, after all), but for whatever Paradox Interactive’s Salem might lack in visual fidelity, it makes up for with inventive game mechanics and unprecedented cycles of vengeance. The spiritual successor to cult favorite Haven & Hearth, Salem is a permadeath (as in, your character is gone forever if they die even once), free-to-play MMO that lets you track down and kill anyone who messes with your property – that alone makes it worth noticing.

As the name would suggest, Salem takes place in a historical setting similar to the first settlements in the New World – only this version is a bit more whimsical, with fictitious creatures, items, and anglo-gothic lore referencing the works of fantasy writers like Lewis Carroll and H.P. Lovecraft. The basic game mechanics might even seem strange at first: instead of performing actions with mana or stamina, your abilities are all based on 16th-century medical theories. You’ll have to properly manage your four humors - blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile - if you want to succeed. Gross, yes, but refreshing in an “odd uniqueness” kind of way.

Gameplay-wise, Salem could be described as a hybrid between Animal Crossing, Minecraft, and Manhunt (more on that later). Arriving in Boston with nothing but the old-timey clothes on your back (or nothing at all, as the above video indicates), you’re given the freedom to gather, build, or destroy whatever you so choose. Proficiencies (Salem’s version of professions or skill trees) determine what your dinky pilgrim is capable of, though everyone must start things off by learning Childish Things in the Perennial Philosophy tree. Makes sense. Crafting is a huge part of the game, much like Minecraft: in order to improve your Proficiencies, feed yourself, or construct a roof to sleep under, you’ll need to get on point with your crafting game.

Once you’ve decided that you’re ready to face the wilderness alone, you’re whisked to an arbitrary location on the gigantic, randomly-generated map. Everyone on the server occupies the same gamespace (with around 1,000 players per server at the moment), so you’re bound to run into someone eventually – but for now, you’ll have some peace and quiet to gather materials in the hopes of building a home.

To mark your territory, you’ll need to construct a claim pole denoting that this land is your land. Once that’s done, you can get to work building mansions, mills, gardens, and whatever other construction you feel like carrying out on your newfound property. Items also work in an interesting, divergent way compared to other MMOs; for instance, slay a deer, and you’ll be able to loot over ten items from the same corpse, including the hide, chunks of venison, and last but not least, the deer’s brain. You know they say: you’ve got to use every single part of the virtual animal.

But where things get the most interesting is in Salem’s crime system. Criminal skills are developed like any other: as you perform dastardly deeds, your illegal actions will become more and more devastating. It’s like Yoda always says: anger leads to vandalism, vandalism leads to theft, theft leads to cold-blooded murder. Yep – if you’re evil enough to keep at it, you’re able to earn the power of taking away someone’s only life in an MMO. That kind of potential for hardcore crime is usually relegated to special servers in the scarce MMOs that incorporate it; in Salem, it’s the norm.

But don’t think that crime sprees can last forever. When you commit a felonious act, you’ll leave clues behind – clues that other players can collect before their two-week expiration. Once someone’s collected enough clues from the scenes of your crimes, they’ll gain the power to locate and track down your location. Even better: once they’ve found you, if you’ve committed enough heinous acts to warrant bad karma, they can summon your character to them even if you aren’t logged in. And, subsequently, slaughter you like a defenseless chimp. That means there’s a price to pay for wanton destruction of your fellow players’ territory: just like the movie Taken, they will find you, and they will kill you. This can lead to multi-character chains of vengeance, with players vehemently stalking and killing the person who took their previous, permanently-ended life.

This kind of high-stakes use of your time, where everything you’ve worked for and built can be taken away forever at another player’s whim, is unlike any other MMO on the current market. It may be a tad too hardcore for some, but for those that really dig their teeth into it, it looks like Salem will have loads of stuff for them to occupy their time. With a design that’s built to be “infinitely expandable” and a huge potential for player-created narratives, Salem has much more to offer than what a quick glance would reveal.

King Arthur II: The Role-Playing Wargame demo now available

Tom Goulter — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:57:06 +0000

Neocore Games' King Arthur II: The Role-Playing Wargame launches tomorrow, but that still gives you long enough to learn the ropes ahead of time with the game's newly-available demo release. Available at the game's official site, publisher Paradox Interactive estimates the taster of King Arthur II's tutorial and first mission ought to provide players with around an hour's worth of preview playtime.

We previewed King Arthur II, sequel to Neocore's own original, back in November of last year, and found a game potentially worthy of standing alongside genre heavyweights like Total War. If you find yourself just loving the heck out of the demo, Paradox is also offering a pre-order bonus of the prologue chapter, King Arthur II: Dead Legions, which sets the stage for the game's events. You'll have to be quick to preorder though, as the full game releases tomorrow, Jan 27.

EA adds 10 new partners to Origin

mirbradford@gmail.com (Matt Bradford) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:46:10 +0000

Ten new videogame partners have inked a deal with EA to distribute their games on the mega-studio's digital downloading service, Origin. Starting with this week's addition of Trion Worlds (Rift), EA will soon feature titles from CD PROJEKT RED (The Witcher series), Freebird Games (To the Moon), Autumn Games (Skullgirls), Recoil Games (Rochard), 1C Company (King's Bounty), inXile entertainment (Choplifter HD), Core Learning Ltd., Paradox Interactive (A Game of Dwarves), and N3V Games (Arcania).

“More than anything else, Origin is focused on providing you with choices,” wrote Craig Rechenmacher, EA's vp of business development and marketing. “From blockbuster franchises to high-quality independent titles, we’re bringing the industry’s best content to one place. We’re excited to welcome our new partners and their diverse range of games for you to enjoy on Origin.”

These newbies join Origin's growing list of notable publishers and developers including THQ, Capcom, and Warner Interactive. Of course, Origin is also home to EA's first party titles, and as we learned last week, a membership to the service is becoming mandatory for high profile games like Mass Effect 3.

Paradox Interactive wants you dead. Why death matters in new MMO Salem

mirbradford@gmail.com (Matt Bradford) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 08:12:12 +0000

Paradox Interactive wants you dead. For good. In an age of respawns, restarts, Vita-Chambers and phoenix downs, the Swedish publisher has announced that its upcoming MMO, Salem, will offer no mercy for fallen players beyond the ability to mourn their old lives and start over from scratch.

Announced during Paradox's press event in New York this Thursday, Salem will be a free-to-play MMO set in early day New England that tasks players with surviving the hardships of pioneer life in 'the New World' by any means possible. As the title suggests, the experience will include witchcraft and other dark themes that, according to Game Designer/Creative Director Bjorn Johannessen inan interview with PC Gamer, will draw heavily from the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Tim Burton and Edgar Allen Poe. Among its more macabregameplay elementswill beSalem's 'permanent death' feature which, as Johannessen eagerly explained, will mean that, %26ldquo;When [your character] dies, he stays dead This is unlike many MMOs where you reincarnate in one form or another, but in this case if you die, you stay dead.%26rdquo;

One look into his eyes, and you'll know he's not playing around...

Permanent death is a video game concept that sounds like great fun on paper, but can be a huge, inconvenient piss-off when it actually happens. It'll be interesting to see how far Paradox is willing to take this concept, and whether or not permanent death will mean assuming an old life under a new name or actually having to relive the horrors of being a complete newb.

Jan 21, 2011

Source:PC Gamer

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