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Indie Royale bundle re-runs Cthulhu Saves the World, Eufloria, more

New Indie Royale bundle
The latest Indie Royale bundle is a re-run, chosen by fans, and it features the triumphant return of Really Big Sky, Eufloria, Runespell: Overture, Cthulhu Saves the World and Breath of Death 7. It's available for five more days for whatever the minimum price is (usually less than $5). Those who pay $7 or more can snag Disasterpeace's chiptune album Rise Of The Obsidian Interstellar.

Indie Royale is a pay-what-you-want bundle system with a twist – there is a minimum price, and the only way to knock it down for subsequent buyers is to pay more than that. Bonus, paying more also helps out the developers who provide the games that you want to play in that bundle.

Build Minecraft levels, select Team Fortress 2 guys in Joe Danger 2 PC


Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2: The Movie are set to pop wheelies on Steam on June 24, and the sequel port will come with additional Minecraft and Team Fortress 2-themed goodies. You'll be able to play as the Team Fortress 2 cast – don't tell Joe you're racing without him! – and Minecraft Guy, plus pull from a whole suite of Minecraft items, objects and environments in the level editor.

Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2: The Movie on Steam both benefit from Big Picture mode and will incorporate Steam Workshop into their level editors. Keyboard and mouse controls, as well as game pads, are also supported.

Steam weekly deals: Quantum Conundrum, Anodyne and more

This week's Steam deals are headlined by ex-Valver Kim Swift's first-person puzzle game, Quantum Conundrum, available for $4.50 until June 24 at 10AM PT. Anodyne, a 16-bit adventure game from Sean Hogan and Jonathan Kittika, is also on offer, discounted to $5 for the week.

Worms developer Team17's arcade shooter Alien Breed Impact, an expanded version of Alien Breed Evolution, is also $5 for this promotion; physics-based puzzler Obulis is down to $1.25 and manic side-scrolling shooter Ares: Extinction Agenda is $2.50.

Titanfall's structure and 'cloud computing' on Xbox One explained


While we were given a quick description of the cloud computing at work in the Xbox One version of Titanfall, we weren't able to get an in-depth answer. So we took to a back room at E3 and asked Respawn Entertainment's Fairfax "Mackey" McCandlish, lead designer on Titanfall, to elaborate.

Essentially, cloud computing helps matchmaking, allowing dedicated servers to be spun up on a moment's notice to handle multiplayer matches and find you the most local option when searching for a game. McCandlish also answers other burning questions – like what exactly powers these titan mechs.

Prey 2 is 'just not good enough,' Bethesda says

Prey 2 is 'just not good enough,' Bethesda says
Publisher Bethesda is "unhappy" with Prey 2's current state, company vice president of PR and marketing Pete Hines said during an interview with IGN during E3.

"We appreciate that folks are displeased that we haven't had any update or any info on Prey 2, but whatever your displeasure is, you can't even be remotely as unhappy about it as us," Hines said. "We spent years and millions of dollars and a ton of effort trying to help [developer] Human Head make a great Prey 2 game. What we said the last time we said anything was that it's not up to our quality standards."

Human Head is rumored to have encountered numerous setbacks during Prey 2's development. Anonymous sources claimed that development stalled in late 2011, and rumors from last month indicated that Dishonored developer Arkane Austin might be taking over the troubled project.

Hines' frank comments during IGN's interview suggest that Prey 2 is either on the verge of cancellation or a major shift in development. "You don't just keep throwing money at something or going down a path that you're not happy about," Hines explained. "You have to make tough choices. Again, when we have more info on it, we'll be happy to talk about it. That's what I can say for now."

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number due out 'late 2013' for PC, Mac, Linux

Hotline Miami 2 Wrong Number due out 'late 2013' for PC, Mac, Linux
Beneath our descriptions of violence, twisted psyches and new features within Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, there lies relevant information about the game that you surely shouldn't miss: It's due out this year – Dennaton co-founder Denis Wedin told us at E3 that it would be "late 2013" – and it's coming for sure to PC, Mac and Linux via Steam.

Dennaton is talking with console companies about potential releases, and regarding Vita specifically, Wedin said, "We hope so." Wrong Number is a darker, more emotional journey through the lives of multiple, playable characters as they rampage throughout the '90s, enacting their own brands of bloody justice. Wedin wouldn't divulge how many playable characters were in Wrong Number, but the demo featured the Pig Butcher and the Fans – and there will be a playable lady character in there, Wedin told us.

Dennaton doesn't have any plans for multiplayer in Wrong Number, at least not at first. They may add something down the line, Wedin said, but the story in the main campaign is the priority.

"We tried to give different storylines to the characters, tried to work with different emotions – not just being crazy or like a psychopath," Wedin said. "We tried to give them other backstories." Wrong Number tackles deep feelings and character motivations, but it isn't a complete break from its Hotline Miami roots, Wedin stressed:

"We're super proud of how [Hotline Miami] works and people seem to like it a lot, so we're only going to add more enemies and more weapons and more and more. So if you love the feeling and the pace of the difficulty in the first game, it's going to be in the second one."

Company of Heroes 2 open beta extended through June 23

Company of Heroes 2 gets Theater of War mode
The Company of Heroes 2 open beta, originally scheduled to conclude yesterday, has been extended through this Sunday, June 23, until midnight Pacific. In this latest phase of testing, beta recruits will have access to new multiplayer maps in the rotation. Players will also receive double XP this weekend in auto match multiplayer modes.

A general reminder that all that major wartime experience will transfer over to the full game if players pick up CoH 2 within 60 days of launch (and use the same steam account as the beta). Company of Heroes 2 storms the Stalingrad of retail next Tuesday, June 25.

Rumor: Steam beta update file suggests game sharing is coming

Rumor Steam beta update files point to game sharing
Those who opted into the Steam client beta may see some interesting language alluding to game sharing in the "steamui_english" file of the latest update. It's suggested that Steam users will be able to set a shared game library – when the original owner logs into the game, the game sharer gets a prompt to quit out.

If you want to see the file for yourself, you'll need to be running the beta version of Steam – go into Steam settings and opt in, then restart the client. Then, you'll need to head into your public folder and open the "steamui_english" file in a text editor like Notepad. Final step: crack open a cold soda, sit back and feel good about being a computer genius.

The Bureau declassifies DLC plans

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Publisher 2K Games announced today that The Bureau: XCOM Declassified will have pre-order and post-launch downloadable content, which is about as shocking of a revelation as knowing Marmite will divide humanity into the two groups of the next great war.

"We're excited that our stories will provide a new perspective on the war effort, much like how our critically acclaimed Minvera's Den DLC for BioShock 2 allowed us to present a unique perspective of Rapture," said Morgan Gray, development director at 2K Marin.

The game's pre-order bonus is the "Codebreakers" side mission. In it, Special Agent Carter and his squad must reestablish contact a top-secret government communications facility, eliminate any threats and decrypt the employee's combined lunch order. There are no details about the post-launch DLC, but the first pack "will be available exclusively to Xbox 360 players."

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified will fight the future on August 20 and 23 in North America and internationally, respectively.

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified files 'Battle Focus' trailer


Unearthed from a crate thought lost to Hangar XCOM, this gameplay trailer shows how 2K Marin meshes real-time shooting with strategy in The Bureau. Time can be slowed down while players get tactical via a radial menu, from which they can command Special Agent Will Carter and his trusty squadmates.

Also, it shows us that if you're going to see off an extraterrestrial invasion, you may as well do it dressed to the nines - Carter is the definition of dapper in that vid. Independence Day could only have been improved if Jeff Goldblum had boarded that spaceship in a tux.

The fashion of alien warfare aside, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified touches down on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC on August 20.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number unmasked: Blood, drugs, feelings


Don't worry, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is just as violent as Hotline Miami.

In fact, it has everything that made Hotline Miami so brilliantly bloody – and then it adds more. More characters, more emphasis on narrative, more enemies, more weapons, more underground electronica bands, more masks and more ladies. Playable ladies.

In a demo at E3, one half of Dennaton Games, Denis Wedin, showed off two new, playable characters in Wrong Number: the Pig Butcher and the Fans. The Pig Butcher starred in an early trailer for Hotline Miami, and he's a throwback to the mass murderers of classic '90s slasher movies. That trailer begins with the disclaimer, "Based on true events," because it's for a horror film within the Hotline Miami universe, where these vigilante rampages truly did go down.

The Fans really are the fans, Wedin said.

"They symbolize the players that want Hotline Miami 2 to be exactly like Hotline Miami 1," he said. "They collect masks and get phone calls – and that will be in there, but we don't want to make the same game one more time. We're trying to work with different storylines and what motivates the characters to actually go inside a building and start killing people."

After the demo concludes, Wrong Number makes it clear that "more emotion" doesn't equate "less violence."

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Fist Puncher cracking down on Steam June 21

Fist Puncher cracking down on Steam June 21
Team2Bit's 2D brawler, Fist Puncher, is preparing to light up Steam on June 21. You can pre-order Fist Puncher right now for a buck off its $10 asking price.

Fist Puncher, published by Adult Swim Games, stars black belt holder and neurosurgery practitioner Dr. Karate, who is out to save the city of Los Cruces from the evil grips of the Milkman. Fist Puncher was financed through Kickstarter last April, and an alpha for the game was made available back in September.

Gunpoint success allows dev to become independent, Mac and Linux ports on the way

Gunpoint allows dev to become independent
Writer and developer Tom Francis originally planned his game, Gunpoint, as a showcase piece to earn him a job at a game development studio, but after seeing the success of the title so far he says he doesn't need to join another studio.

As you can see above, Francis hit his initial goal for the game from preorders alone, and sales have only gone up since then, to the point where Francis now says designing the game was "so commercially successful that I'll never need" to work for someone else.

Since the only real monetary cost of the project was a $30 purchase of Game Maker 8 a few years ago, Francis says Gunpoint "recouped its development costs" in just one minute and four seconds. That's after three years of work, of course, but the point remains that Gunpoint was very successful indeed.

The next priority, says Francis, will be to port Gunpoint to the newer Game Maker Studio, where it can then be released for Windows, Mac, and Linux. He's looking to hire someone for this task, so he can get moving on actual updates and another project eventually. It sounds like a tough job, essentially taking over the core game's development for other platforms. "But as the graphs above should suggest," says Francis, "I can pay."

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 gets 'Vengeance' DLC map pack July 2


Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is ready to fire off its next DLC salvo on July 2 on Xbox Live, with PS3 and PC versions to follow. The Vengeance map pack includes new multiplayer maps Rush, Detour, Cove and Uplink, which a remake of Summit from the original Black Ops.

Buried, a new Zombies mode variant, is included with Vengeance along with the Ray Gun Mark 2 weapon, available exclusively in Zombies mode. No pricing is announced in the video above, though the two previous DLC offerings – Revolution and Uprising – were both priced at 1,200 MS Points ($15) each.

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Skulls of the Shogun heads to Steam next month, beta available now

Skulls of the Shogun headed to Steam
A "bigger" and "beefier" version of 17-BIT's tactical strategy game, Skulls of the Shogun, will hit Steam next month, boasting six new maps, a multiplayer progression system, and a new four-chapter epilogue.

Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-a-Fide Edition features all of the content found in the Xbox Live Arcade and Windows 8 versions of the game, including real-time multiplayer, hotseat support, and asynchronous multiplayer modes. The Steam version's exclusive chapter introduces a new playable protagonist, along with a new unit type equipped with teleportation spells.

Buyers who pre-purchase Bone-a-Fide Edition will receive instant access to a beta version, which includes the first single-player campaign chapter and all 36 multiplayer maps.

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Humble Bundle 6 adds Android to PC lineup: Aquaria, Stealth Bastard

Humble Bundle with Android! 6
Humble Bundle 6 lasts for two weeks and includes PC, Mac, Linux and Android versions of five games for the low, low price of "anything": Aquaria, Fractal, Organ Trail: Director's Cut, Stealth Bastard Deluxe and Pulse. Pulse is the outlier, available for Android only.

Pay more than the average and snag Frozen Synapse and Broken Sword: Director's Cut. Frozen Synapse is in late beta on Android and has some known issues, and it's best played on tablets, the developer notes. All games come with their respective soundtracks, too.

Currently the Humble Android Bundle's average is below $5, so act fast and get seven games for less than one single-digit piece of American money. Or, knowing that you can allocate your money among charity, the developers and Humble itself, you can pay the equivalent of a double-digit piece of money. Or triple-digit. All of these games would cost $95 separately, and it's safe to expect more additions before the sale ends in two weeks. Because that's how Humble Bundles roll.

'Shadowrun Returns' on July 25

Shadowrun Returns is scheduled to release for PC and tablets on July 25, a slight delay from developer Harebrained Schemes' original release window, which in itself was already a delay. Harebrained has also gone ahead and noted some highlights on its site from backers using the game's editing tools, which will ship with the game.

If you've missed checking out Shadowrun Returns, here's 20 minutes of footage.

Endless Space: Disharmony settles on June 26

Endless Space Disharmony
Ampltude Studios' Endless Space will launch its first premium expansion, Disharmony, on June 26 through Steam. Publisher Iceberg Interactive will also have an English retail version – key-only box with 16 page artbook – two days later. The expansion is priced at 10 in both $ and € Earth currency forms.

The Disharmony expansion will add a new faction ("The Harmony") to the 4X strategy game, as well as new ship types, targeting and redesigned weapon systems, better AI, along with an "enhanced invasion mechanics."

Endless Space has sold over 300,000 copies and the developer has been quite generous with free add-ons, having done four since last year's July launch.

GOG.com summer sale: Free Torchlight, Alan Wake series for $4.48 and more


GOG.com, already home to hundreds of ridiculously cheap games, may be going a little bit crazy. The site is currently running a "#NoDRM" summer sale, discounting over 500 games, with most of them down to $5 or less. Then we have the really nutty deals like Alan Wake and Alan Wake's American Nightmare for $4.48 and several other games, like Torchlight, for free.

Steam Greenlight sneaks out six more games, one more app

Steam let six games and one piece of software through its Greenlight service last week during E3, granting each the ability to be distributed on the platform.

The greenlit games were Assetto Corsa by Kunos Simulazioni, DreadOut by Digital Happiness, Benjamin Hill's Ether One, GunZ 2: The Second Duel by MAIET Games, Stonehearth by Radiant Entertainment and Ben Falcone's first-person survival horror game for Oculus Rift, The Forest. Stonehearth, a sandbox strategy game, recently raised $751,920 on Kickstarter. Heaven Benchmark by Unigine was the lone piece of software that community approval last week.

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