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Tap Heroes was released in the middle of last year to Steam. It’s an indie adventure clicker from VaragtP.
The game is simply that you are a ‘god hand’ trying to get your Heroes as far as possible through the various locations by fighting past enough monsters or creatures in a particular level before you can advance. Beating creatures gives your coins which you can then use to upgrade the abilities of both your Heroes and your ‘god hand’; which you use to more quickly beat creatures, heal quicker or just be able to endure the power of greater monsters. You can also acquire a rarer currency, the blue gem, which you can use to buy non-stat upgrades, such as a familiar pet or initially to recruit new Heroes into your party.
Your ‘god hand’ itself can be used to click upon enemies to attack them quicker than your Heroes generally can (but with less power) or to heal your Heroes by clicking upon any of them, again quicker than your Heroes can but with less power. It also has chances to get critical hits upon your enemies and all three aspects (attack, heal and critical chance) are the upgradeables for your ‘god hand’ along with a range of temporarily applied powers that you have the chance to unlock later on in the game.
At £1.99 UK or $2.99 US the game is cheap and that’s a good thing. The game looks lovely, plays well and is smooth to run on a computer – the setting seems to be a puppet theatre in which the characters and creatures are paper cutouts on sticks. While the environments passed through are of the sort you’d expect to find in an adventure game, the monsters themselves vary up quite a bit. You only need to beat 10 creatures or one boss per level so there’s not really going to be the feeling you’re fighting just the same thing unless you choose not to advance to the next level and instead grind out coins before you head on.
However, there’s a reason this game has a low price tag and that’s because quite simply… it’s a clicker game. It isn’t really made for its gameplay, rather as something to fill the time in. It won’t surprise you to find out that Tap Heroes is also available on mobile platforms as well, albeit with in-app purchases that were removed from this PC version. That is the sort of platform this game was really made for, being able to play a little bit then put away and return to later and collect the coins your heroes made for you while you were away. And the fact that you will gain a sizeable number of coins when you come back if you leave it long enough does mean that you will have more than enough for stat upgrades – which takes the challenge out of it.
Tap Heroes is not a bad game by any means. It runs well, does manage to be challenging and really is delightful to look at. The problem is, it’s not a very engaging game either purely because it is a game that suits a mobile platform better. But as a PC game, that’s a bit of a downside.
Microsoft may start releasing optional hardware upgrades for Xbox One rather than rolling out all-new consoles, according to Xbox boss Phil Spencer. Polygon reports that the executive’s presentation at the Xbox Spring Showcase event teased out a surprising new direction for the system.
“We see on other platforms whether it be mobile or PC that you get a continuous innovation that you rarely see on console,” Spencer said. “Consoles lock the hardware and the software platforms together at the beginning of the generation. Then you ride the generation out for seven or so years, while other ecosystems are getting better, faster, stronger.”
Spencer said Microsoft could break out of this cycle by selling optional hardware upgrades, allowing players to keep up with new tech that they previously would need to wait years – or buy a pricey gaming PC – to enjoy. The system would continue to be “backward and forward compatible” with past and future games, thanks in part to Xbox One using the Universal windows Platform for all of its applications.
“We can effectively feel a little bit more like we see on PC, where I can still go back and run my old Doom and Quake games that I used to play years ago but I can still see the best 4K games come out and my library is always with me. Hardware innovation continues while the software innovation is able to take advantage and I don’t have to jump a generation and lose everything that I played on before.”
Spencer didn’t specify how these optional hardware upgrades would work – whether it would be something you drop into your old system, like a good ol’ N64 expansion pack, or an all-new Xbox One that you’d buy off the shelf – but he hopes people see this as a signal of Microsoft’s continued commitment to the system.
Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is an invitation for Windows 10 PC gamers to join millions of Forza players worldwide and experience thrilling racing, addictive gameplay and stunning graphics.
Arriving on the Windows Store this spring and available for free, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is a powerful demonstration of what the ForzaTech™ engine can do when unleashed by DirectX 12 at resolutions up to 4K. Developed by Turn 10 Studios, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is the first step in Microsoft’s commitment to creating amazing Forza experiences for Windows 10 PC gamers.
New Showcase Tour, Objective System and Spotlight Series
Designed for players who are new to the Forza franchise, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex delivers a curated experience, featuring authentic wheel-to-wheel action, unique automotive content and constant rewards. The career mode is anchored by a new 12-event “Showcase Tour,” which introduces players to fascinating cars and unique automotive match-ups through a series of beautifully crafted and entertaining videos, narrated by automotive celebrities such as James May and Richard Hammond.
Forza Motorsport 6: Apex features a new objective and scoring system, which challenges the player to grow their skill and compare scores with their friends, and each event is a completely unique experience with unending replay value.
In addition, a new “Spotlight Series” will feature new Showcase-style events that will be updated on a regular basis. Whether you’re barreling around rainy Brands Hatch in your all-wheel-drive street weapon of choice or chasing down The Stig from “Top Gear” in cockpit view, there are always new and fun challenges to explore.
Signature Forza Features Drivatar™ and Forzavista™ Arrive on Windows 10 PCs
Forza Motorsport 6: Apex features trademark Forza innovations such as Drivatar™ opponents and a hand-picked selection of 63 fully functioning Forzavista™-enabled cars, each with working cockpits and full damage.
With bleeding edge race cars like the 2014 Audi #2 Audi Team Joest R18 e-tron quattro, modern masterpieces like the 2017 Ford GT, and classic American Muscle like the 1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SD-455, the cars in Forza Motorsport 6: Apex represent the far-reaching diversity that is part of Forza’s DNA.
Players can race those cars on 20 exciting track configurations across six locations – Brands Hatch, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Rio de Janeiro, Sebring International Raceway, Top Gear and Yas Marina – including night and wet-weather variants.
Available for free in the Windows Store this spring, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex paves the way for future Forza experiences on Windows 10.
I’ve never exactly been into playing games like Euro Truck Simulator 2, but watching other people play them is quite funny. It accounts for some of the minor popularity of that game and its cousin American Truck Simulator I’d dare say. Now, SCS Software are working on an update to both games that will add Steam Workshop support.
Euro Truck Simulator 2’s update 1.23 and American Truck Simulator’s update 1.2 will add this feature, and even though the functionality is currently undergoing some internal testing mod-makers are already creating assets. SCS Software say that they are “looking forward” to sharing the results through a beta once it’s ready to be released to a wider audience, and that the beta will be coming in a “couple of weeks”.
If you’re a modder who wants to get involved there will be a free Steam app released called the SCS Workshop Uploader to help make the process simpler – the developer is currently making a Wiki resource where all the information will be available for you to pick through.
