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Clandestine Review – A Solid Indie Stealth Adventure

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Clandestine review

Clandestine is the latest title from the creators of Expeditions: Conquistador. The stealth-hacking game, currently in Early Access, is the company’s first title outside of the Expeditions series and goes in a fairly different direction to those games, though it does feature quite a strong tactical element. Logic Artists have gone for an asymmetrical game style, with players taking on the role of either spy or hacker (or both, in single player). It’s not a perfect system, but it brings a lot to the stealth-genre table.

First, the good. Clandestine has a lot of potential as a co-op game. One player takes on the role of spy, while the other player takes on the role of the hacker. The spy spies and the hacker enables the spying by opening doors, finding passwords, disabling cameras, and so on. The reliance on the hacker makes the experience thoroughly exhilarating, which is how a good stealth game should feel. Both players are also forced to pay attention at all times. If the hacker loses track of their spy, things will go pear-shaped fairly quickly.

But if you’re more interested in a single-player experience, as I was, Clandestine also has that. The single-player mode essentially just has one player take on both roles. Playing alone isn’t terrible, but it’s clear the game wasn’t designed with single-player in mind. Having to manage both the spy and the hacking makes things… clunky. Shifting into hacker mode pulls you out of the action of being the spy, and going back into spy mode will quickly make you lose track of what you were doing as the hacker – which, as mentioned before, is something you’ll really want to stay on top of.

Clandestine review

Hacking mode

The main problem with single-player is that you can’t do two things at once, which makes things jarring at best and frustrating at worst. While hacking, your spy might get caught and killed before you even realise what’s happening, and while spying, your hacker might be kicked out of the network you spent so long breaking into. It’s not necessarily the fault of this game in particular. It’s more a problem with translating multi-player games into single-player experiences as a whole – one person can’t be in two places at once.

Of course, Clandestine is still fairly early in development so there are plenty of other issues. If you like to play with a controller, it’s a patchy experience. Controllers are supported, but all prompts and tutorials are for mouse and keyboard-users only, so you’ll have to guess which buttons do what. And there are some buttons that didn’t seem to have any controller options at all. Movement felt a little clunky and activating options such as closing doors was frustrating at times. But these are all issues that will, hopefully, be fixed in due time. As far as hacking goes, however, mouse use is so heavy that it’s unlikely a controller will ever be an option for this mode.

Clandestine is a promising game. Seen in the context of Early Access, there’s a lot of potential here for a seriously fun stealth experience. If some of these kinks can be ironed out, the single-player experience could be vastly improved. The multi-player experience is already a exhilarating exercise in stress management (in the best possible way). This is a game to keep an eye on.

Rhiannon likes video games and she likes writing, so she decided to combine them. As well as writing about video games, she also belts out the occasional science fiction or fantasy story, edits videos, and eats strawberry oreos. In that order.

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Sony is reportedly engaged in discussions to form a partnership for a potential bid on Paramount

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There hasn’t been much buzz lately about any new acquisitions in the world of video game intellectual property. According to a recent report, Sony is currently engaged in discussions with a well-funded partner to potentially acquire the renowned film studio Paramount, along with all the exciting possibilities that come with such a merger.

As reported in the New York Times (thanks, ResetEra), Sony Picture Entertainment is reportedly in discussions with Apollo Global Management, an investment firm, as per two sources familiar with the matter. In the past, Apollo had made an offer to acquire Paramount for a minimum of $26 billion, but their bid was ultimately turned down.

The terms of the joint bid are currently under discussion, and there is a chance that the two parties may decide against making a formal offer. Unnamed sources have revealed that Paramount is currently in exclusive discussions with Skydance, preventing any official offer from being made at this time. Investor opposition to the recent deal that Skydance brought seems to have been significant.

The potential impact of such an acquisition is immense. First and foremost, it would introduce adaptations of Sonic and Halo into the expanding media empire of the PlayStation platform holder. Following the announcement, Paramount’s stock experienced a significant 11% surge in after-hours trading.

What are your thoughts on the news? Is there a possibility of Sony acquiring Paramount? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Helldivers 2 Players Face Overwhelming Hordes of Factory Striders

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In the ongoing conflict against the Automaton invasion fleet, the Helldivers 2 players have successfully halted their advance. However, the situation has now reached a tiresome stalemate. Yet again, the machines refuse to take a break from their relentless pursuit of progress, with reports emerging of the Factory Striders being deployed in record-breaking quantities.

There have been reports of alleged machines that were supposedly encountered during Operation Swift Disassembly, which was just the beginning of a larger campaign. However, these accounts should be taken with a grain of salt, as they are unverified and seem to be more on the imaginative side. Factory Striders have gained a reputation as formidable weapons platforms that can produce more Automatons while enduring significant damage. If the machines are able to withstand such a relentless assault, it will be necessary to develop innovative strategies.

Have you come across groups of Factory Striders in Helldivers 2? Which strategies are proving to be the most effective in taking down these armored brutes? The Orbital Railcannon Strike will prove to be a valuable asset in the comments section below.

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Todd Howard affirms that the timeline of the Fallout series is coherent and well-constructed

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The recent release of Amazon’s adaptation of Fallout has ignited a renewed interest in the series and brought attention to the captivating alternate history that forms its foundation. Fans have expressed concern that the TV show’s events might be at odds with the plot of the Obsidian Entertainment video game New Vegas. Warning: Spoilers ahead for New Vegas and Amazon’s show!

Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard and Fallout TV executive producer Jonathan Nolan recently sat down with IGN to discuss the timeline. Howard was taken aback when showrunners Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet presented him with the surprising concept of obliterating Shady Sands, the bustling capital of the New California Republic, in the aftermath of the events in New Vegas. Howard eventually warmed up to the idea: “After discussing it, we realized that this could be a significant story moment that many things hinge upon.”

It seems that they had to make some tough decisions to ensure everything fell into place, but Howard emphasizes the importance of preserving the integrity of the Fallout timeline: “We take great care with the timeline. There seems to be some confusion in certain areas. However, all the events from the previous games, including New Vegas, did occur. We take great caution in that matter. We’re really pushing the limits here, but the explosions occur right after the events of New Vegas.

What are your thoughts on this? Is it up to par? Even though it may not have a significant impact on the overall quality of the games or show, it is comforting to know that those in charge are paying attention. We value your feedback and would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

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