Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Digital Blend: Angry Birds are set free on iOS and Planescape crushes it on Kickstarter

By
Screenshot from Planescape:Torment

Welcome back to Digital Blend, our weekly look at the world of downloadable video gaming that exists at the fringes of the mainstream. That means we look at the hottest new mobile game releases, downloadable content drops on consoles and PCs, indie darlings that deserve your love and attention, and the best gaming values under $20.

Keep your comments and feedback coming. We want to hear from you! Did you try something you read about here and enjoy it? Is there a particular game you think we’ve overlooked or news you want to share? Any questions you are dying to ask? Let us know! Your thoughts, feedback, suggestions and (constructive!) criticism are welcome, either in the comments section below or directed at yours truly on Twitter, @geminibros.

Recommended Videos

Making headlines…

* InXile Entertainment is building itself up as a studio that can get things done on Kickstarter. Studio founder Brian Fargo enjoyed great crowdfunding success with his pitch in 2012 to bring back the Wasteland series, and now he’s done it again with a sequel to the beloved classic RPG, Planescape: Torment. The Kickstarter launched this past Wednesday with a $900,000 goal, and roughly 24 hours later backers had already stepped up with close to $2 million. 

angry birds* Rovio Entertainment’s Angry Birds is now officially a free game download in Apple’s iOS App Store. There’s no word on whether or not this is a limited time deal and in-game microtransactions are still very much a part of the action, but those of you who were too cheap to get anything other than the Lite version… now’s your chance.

* Electronic Arts has officially shut down its BioWare San Francisco studio, the mobile/social-focused team formerly known as EA2D that was responsible for games such as Dragon Age: Legends on Facebook and the mobile take on Mirror’s Edge. EA Labels president Frank Gibeau blamed the “complex and challenging experience” that is the coming console transition. Our best wishes go to the former BioWare SF team; may they find new and better work quickly.

ouya console in context* Ouya is coming at the end of this month, with the micro-console shipping to Kickstarter backers on March 28. The $99 Android-powered box promises to be a disruptive force as major hardware makers roll out their shiny, new, and — most importantly — expensive next-gen consoles this year. We consider the myriad reasons why Ouya is a hardware contender to watch out for and what the crack team that Julie Uhrman assembled has been doing to attract high-level development talents to the platform.

* These days, Electronic Arts games and microtransactions are as inseparable as peanut butter and jelly. Look for a recent EA title that doesn’t offer players the chance to spend small amounts of money on in-game items and you won’t find much. This is very much part of the company’s big picture plan, though the microtransactions won’t be as all-consuming in the future as they seem to be right now, at least according to CFO Blake Jorgensen. He had indicated previously that microtransactions were a fact of all future EA games, but he backpedaled somewhat in a talk at the Wedbush 2013 Transformational Technology Conference. All mobile EA games will have microtransactions and all EA games will support them, but they won’t necessarily be included all the time, always. You say tomato….

Top buys of the week…

Mass Effect 3 mystery screenshot 1Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC :: PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360 / PC :: $14.99 / 1,200 MS Points

BioWare gives the crew of the Normandy — and their many, many, MANY friends — the send-off they deserve in this final DLC shot of campaign for Mass Effect 3, our clear-cut pick of the week. This is probably not ME3 DLC you were expecting. It’s very light and funny, built around a ship theft and an epic, blowout party. Every key character in the series returns to take a bow at one point or another, and the whole thing comes together very, very well. Check out Ryan’s review for more.

Capcom Arcade Cabinet GunSmokeCapcom Arcade Cabinet 1985 Pack #1 :: PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360 :: $9.99 / 800 MS Points

Capcom’s Arcade Cabinet grows by three more this week, and three good ones to boot. The latest three-pack, culled from 1985 games, adds Ghosts ‘n Goblins, Section Z, and (a personal favorite right here) Gun.Smoke to the set. The price is a little on the steeper side for three retro games, but you also have the option of waiting until May 21, at which point you’ll be able to buy what will eventually be a collection of 17 games for $29.99.

The Showdown EffectThe Showdown Effect :: PC :: $9.99

This is a really nifty game, and may well have been a contender for the week’s top pick if I’d had an opportunity to play it. The Showdown Effect is a multiplayer-focused 2.5D shooter that takes its cues from the action films of the ’80s and ’90s. The graphics are slick, the customization is deep, and the action is… action-y! Seriously: this one looks like good fun. I’ll definitely be giving it a whirl.

Liberation MaidenLiberation Maiden :: iOS :: $4.99

The delightfully demented Suda51’s contribution to the 3DS collection Guild01 has now been broken out into a standalone iOS release. Here’s what you need to know: you play as a high school girl who becomes president of Japan after her father is assassinated. So naturally she hops into a giant mech and starts shooting the crap out of everyone she can find who was connected to her dad’s death. Also, the bad guys are stealing Japan’s energy. Because intrigue.

KersplooshKersploosh! :: Nintendo 3DS :: $2.99

Not only is Kersploosh! fun to play, it’s also fun to say. The game sees you guiding a stone down a well. There’s a bit of a Super Hexagon vibe here, but really, Kersploosh! is best described as a clone of AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! – A Reckless Disregard for Gravity. A very well-made and fun clone that looks great on the 3DS to be sure, but that’s the sort of gameplay you should expect.

Sonic DashSonic Dash :: iOS :: $1.99

Much like Kersploosh!, Sonic Dash is a clone. Also like Kersploosh!, it’s a very solid, capable clone that offers some twists of its own. Sonic Dash is basically a hedgehog-infused take on Temple Run, which is totally meta because any fan will tell you that Sonic was doing the over-the-shoulder running thing well before the world knew what Temple Run was. It might not be the Sonic game that you were hoping for, but it’s not at all a bad Sonic game.

Adam Rosenberg
Adam Rosenberg
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…
How to revive dead companions in Baldur’s Gate 3
Withers offering services to the player in Baldur's Gate 3.

You're given a good bit of leeway during battles in Baldur's Gate 3 before you or a companion actually bites the dust for good. While in battle, if a teammate does take enough damage to drop, they aren't dead then and there. Instead, they will be downed with a chance to roll every turn to get back up. If they roll successfully three times, the battle ends, or you use another character to pick them up, they're good. If they fail that roll three times, however, they will be completely dead. That can be harsh when you've become attached to certain characters and want to further their stories, so you'll be looking for any way you can to bring them back. Thankfully you do have a few options for reviving companions in Baldur's Gate 3, but just like respeccing, they aren't so obvious.
Pay Withers to bring them back

Withers is a friendly undead you can find in a secret room in the Dank Crypt found inside the Overgrown Ruins. After finding and speaking to him in his sarcophagus, he will offer you various services, one of which is bringing back any dead companions. He won't do this out of the kindness of his heart (probably because it isn't beating) and will charge you a heavy fine of 200 gold to do so. Still, that's a small price to pay to bring back a beloved character. Once paid, that character will appear in your camp where they would normally be, so there's no need to go back to their corpse and find them.
Use a scroll of Revivfy or learn it

Read more
Every video game delay that has happened in 2023 so far
The player skates toward the moon in Skate Story.

Few things feel as inevitable in the video game industry as delays. Ever since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, game delays have only become more and more common as developers find previously set timelines unrealistic and adjust their release plans accordingly. More than halfway through 2023, we've already seen some notable AAA games like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Skull & Bones, and Pragmata delayed pretty heavily. Because video game release date delays are so common, it can be tough to keep track of every game that has had its launch date shifted in some way.
That's why, just as we did in 2021 and 2022, Digital Trends is rounding up every game delay that's announced throughout 2023. Here are the high-profile ones that have happened so far, listed chronologically by their new intended release dates.
The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR (March 16)

As Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is one of the best games for PlayStation VR, The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR, Supermassive Games' PlayStation VR2 successor, is a highly anticipated launch title for the upcoming VR headset. Unfortunately, it will no longer make PlayStation VR2's February 22 launch and will instead be released on March 16. On Twitter, a message from Supermassive Games says this delay will ensure that players "receive the most polished, terrifying experience possible" at release. The game was released on that date to mixed reviews.
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key (March 24)

Read more
Is Remnant 2 cross-platform?
Three characters shoot at a boss in Remnant 2.

Aside from the focus on firearms and integrating some randomly generated environments, the Remnant series sets itself apart from other souls-like games mainly with its focus on co-op. Both titles encourage you to team up with two friends to fight your way through the mutated monsters that await. After so many years of progress in terms of multiplatform games incorporating full cross-platform support, you might assume Remnant 2 will follow suit and let you make a group with anyone regardless of what platform they're on. However, the truth may be a bit more disappointing. Before you make plans with your squad, here's what you need to know about Remnant 2's cross-platform support.
Is Remnant 2 cross-platform?

Unfortunately, Remnant 2 does not have cross-platform play between PS5, Xbox Series X or PC -- and there's no word about it being added in the future.

Read more