The Utopia expansion is the first major addition to Paradox’s awesome space Grand Strategy game is going to hit our digital shelves on the 6th of April. As is tradition for Paradox, the DLC will be accompanied by a free patch that will also include some pretty hefty changes in its own right. Paradox have previously released some smallish DLC, including the awesome Leviathans, that added ancient space horrors and orders to the game.
Lets start with the Utopia expansion. One of the more talked about features is the ability to build vast orbital habitats and structures, including Dyson spheres. This will hopefully go some way to mitigating the expansion problems pacifist empires face when boxed in and will give more scope to building “tall” crowded empires, as opposed to vast sprawling ones.
The Utopia expansion will also improve the slavery feature. No more will your slaves be condemned to simply work the mines, now you can be far more… Inventive. You can chose the kind of enslavement for a population; you can turn them into domestic servants, battle thralls, or into livestock to produce food to fill the bellies of your people. It will also add in a number of new purge options. You can choose to simply wipe a peoples off the map if you so wish, but now you can also force unwanted pops from your border or place them into labor camps or turn them into burgers… Paradox really went in for the whole cannibalism thing this time.
The real star of the Utopia expansion is the Ascension perks. These are special traits that your empire can acquire that will help you with different play-styles and goals. These perks will really help define the feel of your empire and will give you access to three new “paths” in the end-game. Will you shed your weak flesh and become truly cyborg? Perhaps you wish to master your mind and develop your species latent psionic abilities? Or will you bend your own flesh to your will, twisting and warping evolution to suit your needs or desires?
Have you ever wanted to be the all consuming horror of the universe? Well Utopia will also let you do that. You can turn your species into a hive-mind. Your species will be one, posses a single unshakable will, there will be no dissent or unrest. The down side? Other species really don’t trust you and your pops can only survive on hive-mind worlds. That and if you have any non-hivemind pops in your empire then your species will… well… Eat them alive…. So much cannibalism Paradox.
The Banks expansion will be released alongside this DLC, providing a number of features for everyone who owns Stellaris, regardless of whether they own Utopia or not.
The tradition trees are similar to the Ascension perks in that they offer ways for you to customize your empire to your liking and play-style, they’ll help you research tech faster or build a better navy, it should help give individual empires more character.
Ethics are also getting a major rework. In the past ethics drift was pretty random and led to some somewhat odd results. Now it is tied to an “attraction” value that dictates how likely a population is to adopt a specific ethic. If you fight a lot of wars then your people are naturally going to become more militaristic. This is great because it also ties heavily into the new faction system. New factions will form around ethics and lobby your government to pass policies that suit their world-view. If you fail to satisfy these demands, it will lead to unrest that could result in rebellion.
You will also have new ways to approach the species in your empire. You’ll be able to define specific rights, give them automatic citizenship, military citizenship define whether they are allowed to migrate around your empire or join the military. You can even say how many children you will allow them to have.
All these changes will allow players to build the harmonious Utopia of the future. I mean, it will also let them build dystopian nightmares, but whatever works… Right?
Utopia releases on the 6th of April and will cost $19.99.
Gaming
Gran Turismo 7 Update 1.46 introduces an exciting addition to the roster of exclusive cars available in the PS5 and PS4 racing game
Gran Turismo 7 has just received an exciting update to version 1.46 on both PS5 and PS4. This latest update introduces a unique addition to the game: the Škoda Vision Gran Turismo, a car that you won’t come across in any other game. Škoda makes its debut in the franchise with a visionary study of a single-seater, all-electric racing concept car, designed exclusively for the Polyphony Digital racer.
Once you’ve downloaded update 1.46, you’ll have the opportunity to test drive not one but two additional cars: the AFEELA Prototype 2024 and the iconic Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 Sport Coupe ’70. Get ready for an exhilarating ride! Watch as they take to the track in the video above.
Additionally, the update introduces a new menu for players to tackle in the GT Café. At Collector Level 38, players have the opportunity to delve into the fascinating world of Ferrari 12-cylinder engines, gaining knowledge and expanding their collection. In World Circuits, players can look forward to exciting new events such as the Japanese Clubman Cup 550, the American FR Challenge 550, and the Vision Gran Turismo Trophy. For all the avid fans of Photo Mode, there’s an exciting opportunity to explore the captivating city of San Diego in a brand new Scape.
What are your thoughts on the latest update for Gran Turismo 7? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section.
Gaming
ReFantazio Takes a Different Approach to Romance, Setting Itself Apart from the Persona Games
Atlus’ highly anticipated RPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio, appears to incorporate familiar systems reminiscent of the developer’s acclaimed Persona series. The game features turn-based battles that heavily rely on exploiting enemy weaknesses. Additionally, players have the ability to summon warrior spirits during combat. However, the most significant aspect of this game, which will be discussed in this article, is the bonding system. Through this system, players can spend time with important characters and gain deeper insights into their personalities and stories.
In contrast to the Persona games, the bonding system ends at that point. Unfortunately, players will be unable to pursue romantic relationships with their beloved waifus, which may come as a disappointment to those who have developed strong feelings for Hulkenberg, the party’s charismatic red-haired elven knight.
According to Siliconera, the absence of romance came up during a recent question and answer session. Atlus emphasized the continued opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with your allies while also introducing additional narratives through substories. In addition, familiarizing yourself with the supporting characters will grant you access to new archetypes, which serve as the game’s character classes.
In the Persona games, romance is not obligatory; rather, it serves as a means to customize your playthrough. However, it is quite unexpected that Metaphor has chosen not to pursue such a venture, considering the significant amount of discussion it typically generates!
Were you anticipating any romantic elements in Metaphor? If you’re not satisfied with your pre-order, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Gaming
Shift Up unveils the intriguing details behind the physical packaging of Stellar Blade for the PS5
It appears that many
are eagerly anticipating the launch of the highly anticipated PS5 exclusive, Stellar Blade. Shift Up, the developer, has shared a lengthy video showcasing the “secrets” found in the physical box of the game for PS5. From what we can gather, these secrets include a reversible cover/dust jacket and a download code for cosmetic items.
We must clarify that while we do appreciate the variant cover, it may be more appealing than the game’s standard art. However, it is not something we would typically classify as a “secret.”. However, what’s interesting is that Shift Up has confirmed through the comments section that this will be the case in all regions. Additionally, the visually striking action RPG will remain uncensored worldwide.
「Stellar Blade」 Physical Package Secrets⚠️#StellarBlade #PS5 #Disc pic.twitter.com/WQSzKUSDQ4
— StellarBlade (@StellarBlade) April 22, 2024
It’s refreshing to witness a developer going the extra mile for physical collectors, and it’s evident that the developer is determined to leave a favorable mark in the console realm. Stellar Blade is set to make its highly anticipated debut this Friday, April 26th, exclusively on the PS5.
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