Sunday, January 12th 2025
This Week in Gaming (Week 3)
Welcome to the middle of January and a busy week of new game releases. We kick off this week with some driving, on tracks though, as these cars might not be entirely road legal. If cars aren't your thing, then how about a city builder, but in the sky? If that doesn't tickle your fancy, how about a unique looking ARPG? This is followed by something of a PC clone of recent Zelda games, just without any defined goals. This brings us a futuristic side scroller where you fight demons. We round off the week with some Chinese hack and slash action back in the feudal era.
Assetto Corsa EVO / This week's major release / Thursday 16 January
As with its predecessor, Assetto Corsa EVO will include cars from different classes spanning across years of motoring history. From road cars, classics, hypercars, and race cars. The most iconic representation of the automotive and motorsport world. Each vehicle is reproduced through an advanced system that simulates mechanical, electronic, and aerodynamic performance, combined with the fidelity of the circuits created using Laserscan technology. Steam link
Airborne Empire / Monday 13 January / Early Access
Airborne Empire is a one-of-a-kind Open World RPG City Builder. It challenges players to build, manage, and grow their own unique city in the skies. They traverse a vast and rich open world full of new dangers, exotic wonders, and many hidden treasures. They must manage lift, balance, and propulsion needed for a flying city. Sky pirates can upend the city's tranquility, and players must defend their inhabitants - and the kingdoms below! - from destructive attacks. Only clever and daring leaders can grow and protect their homes, seek out and destroy enemy strongholds, and finally reunite the peoples of this world. Steam link
Hyper Light Breaker / Tuesday 14 January / Early Access
Enter the Overgrowth, a new realm in the world of Hyper Light. Play alone or with friends to explore open worlds, create new builds, rip through hordes and overcome the Crowns and the Abyss King. Breaker is a brand new entry in the Hyper Light franchise, with a unique story fully realized in 3D for the first time. Steam link
Aloft / Wednesday 15 January / Early Access
Aloft is a feel-good, cozy survival game set in the clouds, where you can transform any island into a flying ship and explore the vast skies. Navigate the world, discover new islands, gather resources, build your dream home, and take care of your animals, solo or as a group of up to 8 friends. Yet within nature's beauty, a corruption spreads. Root it out and cure the fungi threat that devours all other life. Uncover lost knowledge, brew powerful antidotes, enrich the biodiversity of the islands, and restore balance to the airborne ecosystem. Steam link
Blade Chimera / Thursday 16 January
You are Shin, a demon hunter with no memory of his past. After striking an unusual partnership with Lux, a demon with the ability to shapeshift into a sword and manipulate time, you begin a quest to learn what happened to you and your loved ones. Fight brutal battles against terrible demons. Explore a corrupted and dangerous world. Regain what was once yours. Steam link
Dynasty Warriors: Origins / Friday 17 January
The story of the Three Kingdoms is set in the vast mainland of China where the convictions of different heroes intersect. Experience this magnificent and alluring world through the eyes of the original protagonist, a "nameless hero". Steam link
Assetto Corsa EVO / This week's major release / Thursday 16 January
As with its predecessor, Assetto Corsa EVO will include cars from different classes spanning across years of motoring history. From road cars, classics, hypercars, and race cars. The most iconic representation of the automotive and motorsport world. Each vehicle is reproduced through an advanced system that simulates mechanical, electronic, and aerodynamic performance, combined with the fidelity of the circuits created using Laserscan technology. Steam link
Airborne Empire is a one-of-a-kind Open World RPG City Builder. It challenges players to build, manage, and grow their own unique city in the skies. They traverse a vast and rich open world full of new dangers, exotic wonders, and many hidden treasures. They must manage lift, balance, and propulsion needed for a flying city. Sky pirates can upend the city's tranquility, and players must defend their inhabitants - and the kingdoms below! - from destructive attacks. Only clever and daring leaders can grow and protect their homes, seek out and destroy enemy strongholds, and finally reunite the peoples of this world. Steam link
Enter the Overgrowth, a new realm in the world of Hyper Light. Play alone or with friends to explore open worlds, create new builds, rip through hordes and overcome the Crowns and the Abyss King. Breaker is a brand new entry in the Hyper Light franchise, with a unique story fully realized in 3D for the first time. Steam link
Aloft is a feel-good, cozy survival game set in the clouds, where you can transform any island into a flying ship and explore the vast skies. Navigate the world, discover new islands, gather resources, build your dream home, and take care of your animals, solo or as a group of up to 8 friends. Yet within nature's beauty, a corruption spreads. Root it out and cure the fungi threat that devours all other life. Uncover lost knowledge, brew powerful antidotes, enrich the biodiversity of the islands, and restore balance to the airborne ecosystem. Steam link
You are Shin, a demon hunter with no memory of his past. After striking an unusual partnership with Lux, a demon with the ability to shapeshift into a sword and manipulate time, you begin a quest to learn what happened to you and your loved ones. Fight brutal battles against terrible demons. Explore a corrupted and dangerous world. Regain what was once yours. Steam link
The story of the Three Kingdoms is set in the vast mainland of China where the convictions of different heroes intersect. Experience this magnificent and alluring world through the eyes of the original protagonist, a "nameless hero". Steam link
13 Comments on This Week in Gaming (Week 3)
Also imo, that Dynasty Warrior game looks pretty oldschool fun.
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: RTX 2070, Radeon RX 5600
That's the recommended for Asseto Corsa? Given those screenshots I hope recommended isn't 1080p30. Cause I reckon it will be sliiiightly more demanding in 4k60+
on the other games, none strikes my fancy
It's a sim, and it's made with high performance (high FPS) in mind. If nothing else then because of the VR, which needs high and consistent framerate, low frame times if you don't want to suffer from a motion sickness.
The EVO doesn't look like eye candy at all imo, which is good (from what can be seen so far). Original game with content manager (with preview builds) and weather/ambient mods like Sol and Pure looks way better than this fyi.
You're missing the key points made by devs in the video. But it's not surprising if you're not into racing sims, and AC specifically.
AC EVO has a realtime weather module now, so hopefully it will make paid mods like Pure to gtfo. Next, it has reworked physics and car suspension models, which should translate into more realistic handling feel and feedback.
Also, Kunos is using its proprietary engine again (like with the original game) after learning a lesson with UE "powered" Competizione.
I have faith in Kunos to deliver a great racing sim once again. And since my racing sim setup still haven't moved from the starting point, the new game will have plenty of time to be polished by devs and endorsed/modded by community by then. If not, we still have the golden original AC game with an awesome community to enjoy.