Gamescom is finally drawing to a close. Our correspondent Phil managed to survive the ordeal, and he'll be bringing home more advanced impressions next week. For now, though, let's take a look at the news from the tail-end of the conference, which includes a Paradox announcement that makes the strategy fans among us very happy.
Paradox announced Stellaris
The Crusader Kings 2 and Europa Universalis experts at Paradox are working on a strategy game set on outer space. As your race strikes out among the stars you get to meet procedurally generated alien races, which already look pretty neat, if you like tentacle beards.
Microsoft explained why we aren’t getting Scalebound, Crackdown 3 or Quantum Break
Xbox head Phil Spencer told us why MS isn’t bringing some of Gamescom’s biggest upcoming Xbox games to PC (though he left the door open for possible ports in future). He also suggested that MS is looking at its history and considering other titles that might be revived “purely on PC”.
MGS 5 will look best on PC
Do you like perfectly smooth, sharp shadows? How about distant lighting that gives night-time scenes a greater sense of depth and colour variation? The PC version of Metal Gear Solid 5 has you covered in both capacities. As you can see from these screenshots, it looks considerably sharper than the game’s console counterparts.
Mad Max requires a 64-bit OS
Mad Max’ system requirements sketch out the hardware you’ll need to render the game’s endless deserts and high-poly war-cars. Turns out you'll need a fairly decent card and a 64-bit operating system. Well, those explosions won't render themselves.
Rocket League is getting “crazy new maps”
The best videogame to ever star cars and giant balls will expand with “crazy new maps” and may also get mod support somewhere down the line. Find out more in our huge interview with Psyonix president Dave Hagewood.
Time’s VR cover isn’t Gamescom’s fault, but you should take a look anyway
Palmer Luckey really goes for it.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate lets you cloak like the Predator
Today’s Gamescom trailer showed how Evie differs from her brother: by turning invisible whenever she’s stood still. She must have won every game of hide and seek they ever played as children. It’s a jarring ability but the grappling rope and zipline bits look fluid and fun.
The StarCraft 2 medic will join Heroes of the Storm
MEDIC! This StarCraft 2 Terran stalwart will be joining the Heroes of the Storm roster as a support. Blizzard made the announcement in a Gamescom livestream today, where they also announced the death of Team League mode. Find out why and learn about upcoming matchmaking changes here.
Battlefield 4 is getting some dark DLC
The Night Operations DLC will add a new map called Zavod: Graveyard Shift and tweaks that encourage “more stealthy and tactical” action. Watch the trailer to find out more.
Also some Dota 2 is happening
Far away from the picturesque streets of Cologne, Chris reports on the latest from the Dota 2 International, which has been as twisty and exciting as hoped. If you fancy a break from all this Gamescom news, check out the hilarious and surprisingly tense 20-player all star game, and read up on everything that's happened so far.
Turn the page for our round-ups of days one and two.
