Ubisoft announced today that Dead Living Zombies, the third and final part of the Far Cry 5 season pass, will be out on August 28. The expansion will support solo or co-op play through missions set in military bases, farmlands, and "urban rooftops," complete with narration provided by D-list film director Guy Marvel, who describes his latest cinematic venture in a new teaser as "Return of the Living Dead meets Bridges of Madison County."  

Also: It's Romeo and Juliet, but "set in a zombie-filled world"—and Romeo is a hulking, hideous mash-up of all the pop-culture monsters you can think of. Like Frankenstein, right? (Yes, I know, "Frankenstein's monster.") The Juliet role isn't explained but my bet is that she's a gun-toting, take-no-guffola heroine at the front of the fight, where she'll lead the stand against the brain-sucking hordes while simultaneously struggling to come to terms with her feelings for one of them. Mmm, gravitas.

There's some obvious potential there for good fun, and I hope Dead Living Zombies lives up to it: The previous DLCs, Hours of Darkness and Lost on Mars, showed similar camp-comedy promise, but while they both seemed aimed at recapturing the glories of Blood Dragon, I don't think either of them matched up to it particularly well. It'll be nice if Dead Living Zombies can wrap things up on a high note.   

Burden of Command looks like a strategy wargame: Maybe Panzer General, maybe Hearts of Iron 3, or maybe something in between. Developer Green Tree Games insists that it is not, however. They describe it as "Band of Brothers meets XCOM," a blend of RPG and tactics that's "infused with battlefield psychology, where every decision counts."  

Tactical battles are an essential part of the game, and players will have to master morale, maneuvers, recovery, and other basic military mechanics in order to succeed. But the scale is small, and the personal experience of war is the overarching focus: You play an officer in the US Army's 7th Infantry Regiment—the Cottonbalers—and must lead your soldiers through the second half of World War Two. 

In case there's any doubt about its story-driven bonafides, Chris Avellone and Alexis Kennedy are onboard as two of Burden of Command's "top brass advisors." Avellone is credited with guiding the developers "on creating empathy, memorable characters, and compelling narrative arcs," while Kennedy provided "deft critiques through the process [that] have made our prose land on target more often." 

"Avellone and Kennedy gave us early design advice and playtested the early version of the narrative," Green Tree's marketing lead Davide Pessach told me. 

"Our writers are doing an amazing job, especially in squeezing every single word they use for meaning and atmosphere," he said. "Tactics really come alive when you factor in personal stories, skills and mindsets of your officers and soldiers." 

That's why the developers are doing their best to avoid making too many connections with the wargame genre: Because Burden of Command is a game about war, which is more of a distinct difference than it might sound like. 

"[We're] not bogging down players with infinite details, but focusing on men, tactics and stories. Accessibility is not a problem for us because the philosophy is really different from wargames," Pessach said. "That's why we think our game is more in the ballpark of XCOM or Shadowrun—games that deliver accessibility with tutorials and tooltips instead of lengthy manuals." 

Even so, there's a strong commitment to historical authenticity: Other advisors on the project include historian and author John C. McManus and award-winning novelist William Bernhardt, and playtesting is being headed up by Adam Dials, a US Army veteran of Iraq who now serves with the Texas National Guard. 

"We aim to recreate the personal struggles of officers—their 'burden of command'," Pessache said. "So personalities, crises, painful decisions, shocks... Everything is factored in the mindsets of these officers in the tactical battles they lead." 

Green Tree Games hopes to have Burden of Command out sometime in mid-2019, but that's not carved in stone: "The team is small and the effort is really a gargantuan one," as Pessach put it. For now, a development roadmap tracking the plans and progress is maintained on Steam, and you can learn more about the project at burdenofcommand.com.   

Avalanche studios has released a meaty video showing off the systems behind its new cooperative survival game Generation Zero.

Generation Zero was announced at this year’s E3. Avalanche revealed the game is set in Sweden in 1989, and sees up to four players exploring the countryside as they attempt to survive against roving bands of robotic enemies. 

Beyond that basic outline, however, little else about the game was discussed. This video addresses that, offering three and a half minutes of in-game footage. Players arrive on the Swedish mainland to find the country almost entirely abandoned. Your initial goal is to survive long enough so you can “wage a guerrilla war against the machine invaders.”

The basic structure of Generation Zero resembles Bohemia’s DayZ, with players scrounging attractive little villages and sprawling industrial complexes for weapons and equipment. The game can be experienced solo, or with up to three other players.

Where things get more distinctive is in those robotic opponents. The video explains the machines are “persistently simulated”, so if you engage in a battle that ends with either side running away, you can re-encounter those same opponents hours or even days later, and they will “bear the scars” of that previous encounter.

You can fight the robots head on, or use stealth tactics to avoid them or lure them into environmental traps. Robots have a modular damage system too, so individual armour parts and components can be targeted and destroyed.

The video also shows off the world itself, which pretty strongly evokes the art of Swedish illustrator Simon Stålenhag. Its moody, muted-colour environments are dominated in places by anachronistic technology. It’s a dynamic world too, with changeable weather and even simulated seasons, which will apparently affect the game both for the players and the AI robots. The story of what happened to the world will be told through the environment. “The pieces of the puzzle are there for you to discover and figure out,” the video says.

The only thing I’m not sold on is the “eighties” aspect of the setting. It seems rather tacked on, and aside from some of the character’s clothing, there’s little about the video that lends Generation Zero that specific sense of time. Having said that, I've never been to Sweden in any decade, so perhaps I’m not in the best position to comment on such matters.

The combat appears to have a decent amount of heft about it, although it’s hard to tell without getting properly hands-on with the game. Generation Zero is due out net year, so hopefully it won’t be long before that happens.

A U.S. court has awarded Take-Two Interactive a preliminary injunction to block software that helps players cheat at Grand Theft Auto Online, Reuters reports.

On Thursday, U.S District Judge Luis Stratton awarded the injunction against Georgia resident David Zipperer, who Take-Two had accused of selling two programs without the company’s permission, which provided players who used them an unfair advantage in GTA Online.

The two programs in question are called Menyoo and Absolute. Both mods are what’s known as “trainers” and essentially allow users to alter a whole bunch of in-game parameters. They're vaguely reminiscent of Half Life 2's Garry's Mod, but can be deployed as cheat-enablers in a competitive game. 

The singleplayer versions of the mod were available to download for free, but users had to purchase the version that was functional with GTA Online.

In addition to enabling griefing within GTA Online, Take-Two claimed that the mods had cost the company at least $500,000.

The preliminary injunction prevents Zipperer from selling his software. It was awarded because Stratton believed Take-Two was “likely” to show that Zipperer had infringed GTA’s copyright, and agreed that the mods’ enabling of griefing had caused harm to the game’s sales by discouraging people from purchasing it.

The punishment is not especially harsh, but Judge Stratton believed it was “appropriate” as Zipperer cannot afford damages.

Zipperer’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Take-Two said in a statement, however, that it will continue to pursue legal action to prevent “disruptions” to GTA Online.

Take-Two has come down hard on the GTA V modding community in the last year or so. Menyoo was forcibly shut down alongside Force Hax last year, while modding tool OpenIV shut itself down after receiving a legal notice from Take-Two interactive.

To be a good hitman requires many different skills. You need finely tuna-d senses. You need to be in the right plaice at the right time. Above all, you need to blend into the crowd, and avoid looking… suspicious.

You also need to make the best of the situation, and use whatever weapons come to hand, just like Agent 47 does in this new Hitman 2 video.

Titled “How to Hitman”, the video is mainly about showing off Hitman 2’s immersive qualities. Centring around the game’s Miami racetrack mission, the video promises more “expanded” levels than 2016’s episodic reboot. This would be pretty impressive given how missions such as the brilliant Sapienza could hardly be described as small.

In addition, the video discusses how missions will evolve depending on the way players approach their objective. “Thanks to the game’s revolutionary AI, characters react to organic, and inorganic changes to their environment accordingly, creating a domino effect that can have vast repercussions.” The video demonstrates this by showing the same scene of a racing podium, but with two different racers stood at the top of it.

The video also shows us Agent 47 going about his business in his typically multifaceted style, knocking out guards, sniping from rooftops, blowing up racecars with remote bombs. The highlight, however, comes just after the minute mark, when 47 batters an NPC with a fish on a gangway. Monty Python would be proud.

With Hitman 2 launching on the November 13, no doubt we’ll be seeing even more creative kills trickling out of IO Interactive in the coming months. This one will take some beating however.

Kitfox Games announced Boyfriend Dungeon last year with a vague teaser but a promising idea: a dungeon-crawling dating sim where you romance your weapons to make them, and yourself, stronger. It's a modern RPG where you fight for glory in the "dunj" and fight for love at dating hotspots like museums and cafes. It recently launched on Kickstarter with a new trailer, and its crowdfunding campaign is not only chock-full of much-needed details, it's also already raised nearly double its $50,000 goal with 29 days to go.

The weapons-turned-partners—that is, the "bae blades"—are the Kickstarter's headlining act. There's Sunder, a bold talwar saber; Valeria, a refined dagger; Isaac, a precise rapier; Seven, a literal lightsaber; and Sawyer, a flexible glaive. Thanks to its Kickstarter success, Boyfriend Dungeon has also added two bonus weapons, including Pocket, a cat that transforms into brass knuckles. Regarding the relationship you form with Pocket, Kitfox says "platonic love can be fulfilling, too!"

It seems that Pocket's, er, 'romance' arc is actually just you petting and feeding him, and quite frankly I can't think of a better way to strengthen your weapon than petting a cat (except petting a dog, obviously). 

Boyfriend Dungeon's seventh partner is a mysterious scythe named Rowan. And if you're wondering, no, the pigeon on Rowan's shoulder isn't a coincidence: Rowan was designed by the artist behind Hatoful Boyfriend, a dating sim where all your partners are actual pigeons. Just in case this article was getting too everyday for ya.

The Kickstarter also explains how dating weapons actually works. "As you date each weapon, you’ll learn more about them and earn their trust, making you a more effective team in combat," Kitfox says. "But, in this game as in real life, every relationship is a little bit different in its benefits and demands. Some partners will teach you how to do more damage, while others will help you use skills more effectively."

Outside of dedicated date spots, you can woo your partners mid-dungeon via branching dialogue. Kitfox has teased three dungeons so far: the Verona Beach Center, the Nightclub and "something secret." There will also be multiple difficulty modes to accommodate people who are more interested in the dating sim elements than the action-RPG side of Boyfriend Dungeon, or vice-versa. 

According to its Kickstarter delivery date and its newly minted Steam page, Boyfriend Dungeon is scheduled to release in mid to late 2019. 

Valve said in June that Steam's policies were being changed to allow basically everything on Steam, as long as it wasn't either illegal or "straight-up trolling." As part of that effort, Valve said it was working on new filtering tools that would give Steam users more control over what they see on the platform, and added that "significant changes" to what's allowed wouldn't be seen until those tools were in place. It also plans tools for developers to help curb harassment due to "controversial content."

In light of that, it's no surprise (or at least it shouldn't be) that adult games are not being automatically and immediately approved for sale on Steam. But as Gamasutra reports, the process may be taking longer than some developers, and some users, expected. When Negligee: Love Stories developer Dharker Studio inquired about the game, which has apparently already been hung up in the process for "a very long time," it was told that it might be months yet before it got the thumbs up. 

"We're right in the middle of building some features into Steam for customers to be able to choose the type of products they see in the store," Valve rep SeanJ wrote. "Your game has content in it that needs these features to be completed and shipped first. You'll have to do some additional store page work around describing the content in your game once we have completed those features. We don't have an exact timeline for those features though, so please be patient as we complete the work." 

The semi-specifics came in a followup post: "Assume months at this point," SeanJ wrote. "The work is progressing, but not close enough to give a time frame." 

So it appears that Valve is sticking to the plan it laid out in June—continuing to withhold approval of adult games while filtering tools are being developed—but isn't pulling it off as quickly as people anticipated. Which, let's be fair, is a well-established Valve way of doing things. As for Negligee: Love Stories specifically, Dharker Studio said it has appealed the decision, but doesn't expect the game to make its planned September 7 release date.

I've reached out to Valve to inquire about the timeline and will update if I receive a reply. 

It's possible to have a piece of music chronically stuck in your head for a lifetime—anyone who played Tetris at a young age can attest to that. Videogame music seems to be particularly good at taking up permanent residence in our minds—whether that's a feature of game music, or a result of hearing the same tracks looping for hours upon hours is uncertain, but it's probably more of the latter.

Either way, we all have that one song that insists on converting all unused mental energy into a private head orchestra. For this week's question, we want to know what that song is for you: What piece of game music is always stuck in your head? Our answers are below, and we look forward to reading yours in the comments. Or maybe we don't, because they're gonna get stuck in our heads, too.

 Andy Chalk: Doom E1M2

DUH NUHNUH NUH NUH NUH NUHNUH NUHNUHNUHNUH. And that's really all I have to say about it. Andrew Hulshult did a pretty rockin' cover a few years ago.

Wesley Fenlon: Vamo Alla Flamenco 

Honestly, there's probably no song in gaming that I've found myself whistling more than the Super Mario Bros theme. But seeing as that's a console game, I'm going to go with a song from Final Fantasy, which now has quite a PC presence. Vamo Alla Flamenco from Final Fantasy IX is just so catchy. It's a whimsical, playful song that perfectly channels the spirit of that game. The perfect song to do a twee heist to (in the game, you're actually performing a fake swordfight in the middle of a Shakespearean tragedy, before absconding with the princess).

I doubt Wes Anderson has ever played a Final Fantasy game, but he'd love this song. It also works in many renditions, but I'm particularly partial to the piano collection version. Hard to beat a fully orchestrated live performance, though.

James Davenport: Haunted by the hunt

I wrote a whole article on how Monster Hunter: World's music is driving me up the wall. I love it, but I can't escape it. Over the weekend I tried muting the music, but I still hear it in Astera. I throw on podcasts while hunting now, as if they'll make a difference. Nope. I still hear it my most private, vulnerable moments. My cat still hates me. I need to take my own advice and just accept my catchy new life.

Jody Macgregor: A New Vegas act

Songs are apparently more scarce than boxes of BlamCo Mac & Cheese in the irradiated wasteland of the Fallout games, because the radio stations all have a pretty limited selection (unless you download mods for them, of course). I've got 'I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire' by The Ink Spots stuck in my head right now, and the whole time I played Fallout: New Vegas I had Johnny Guitar by Peggy Lee looping in my skull. "Play the guitar/Play it again, my Johnny..."

Philippa Warr: Loco Roco

It's not a PC game, but even just you asking this question has got the Loco Roco tune in my head.

Tyler Wilde: Marching to hell

Truthfully, it's the title screen music in the SNES version of Chessmaster, which is obviously the greatest piece of videogame music ever made. But my runner up is Hell March from Red Alert. The whole song doesn't get stuck in my head, mind you, just the opening bass and the indeterminate shout of the drill sergeant looping forever. 

My second runner up is of course the Battlefield 1942 theme: Buda dum da dum dum! Buda dum da dum dum! Buda dum da dum dum! Buda dum da dum dum! Buda dum da dum dum! Buda dum da dum dum! Buda dum da dum dum! Buda dum da dum dum! Buda dum da dum dum! Buda dum da dum dum! Buda dum da dum dum! Buda dum da dum dum! Buda dum da dum dum! Buda dum da dum dum! Buda dum da dum dum! Buda dum da dum dum! (Brrrr, brrr br br brrrrr) Buda dum da dum dum!

Samuel Roberts: Fuckin' Bubsy

Of the many laughed-at cynical platforming mascots of the '90s, Bubsy certainly deserves the most derision. I was a tragic Genesis-owning child of the '90s: my parents couldn't afford Sonic and Knuckles but could afford Bubsy, which I feel says a lot about class back then. I only played the first Bubsy, and never got much further than the first three or worlds, because it was pretty unfair and kind of bad. Its biggest offence aside from its protagonist is the music that plays during the first level, which seeps into your brain, and remains there forever. Perhaps I can one day experience this horror again with the ultra-cheap Bubsy Two-Fur pack on Steam.

Polygod is a randomly-generated roguelike FPS about a Faceless One, a legendary assassin with one arm who must prove himself to the seven deities by fighting through their arenas and defeating their Holy Champions in order to ascend to godhood. It features a colorful, minimalist visual style and a "brutal difficulty curve," and after nearly two years on Steam Early Access it will go into full release tomorrow. 

The Faceless One also only has one gun, but he can improve it (and himself) in numerous interesting ways with Blessings, more than 100 character and weapon upgrades that can be purchased with the souls stolen from your fallen enemies. Co-op and competitive multiplayer modes are supported, and levels (including the Blessings) are "seeded," so they can be shared with other players for leaderboard competition.   

And it is as difficult as billed: I played the Early Access release last year and it kicked my ass pretty hard. Even so, I enjoyed it quite a bit: It's very much a "pure" shooter, reminiscent of Lovely Planet but much busier and less insta-death, and there's a dark wit about it that I get a kick out of. The world is bright and cheery, but the specter of death hangs over everything—and nobody seems to mind. 

The move to full release will probably involve an update of some sort, but in these days of Early Access it's as much a matter of semantics as anything else—which is to say, you can pick it up now if you like for $15, and the price will remain the same once Early Access is over. 

Orwell is a game about life in a surveillance state, where people are tracked through digital footprints analyzed by massive computer networks and a handful of human analysts—you know, like today. In the wake of a terror attack, it falls to you to put that system to work, to assist the security forces in the hunt for the culprit. 

Naturally, your efforts are fraught with ethical dilemmas. How much do you share? What if you're wrong? What value do you put on privacy when the security of the nation is at stake—and what's the value of a nation that strips that most basic freedom from its citizens? For the most part it works: As Shaun said in his 78/100 review, it may not be subtle, but Orwell is "a well told mystery framed by a captivating storytelling device." 

Getting to the point of all this, it's also free for the next couple of days on the Humble Store. Just hit the Orwell store page, click the "add to cart" button, and then rock the "checkout" button, unless you want to do some more shopping before you wrap up. Either way, once you've finished up you'll receive a Steam key via email. Activate that and you're off to the races. 

There are a couple of conditions attached to this deal: You've got to grab it prior to 10 am PT/1 pm ET on August 18, and the Steam key has to be activated prior to 10 am PT/1p ET on September 1. If you like it, a three-part sequel entitled Orwell: Ignorance is Strength is available for $10. 

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