Roundup: Decks, Sequels, Finals

Welcome to the Etch Play Weekly Roundup! Every Friday we bring you the latest games industry news, our views, and thoughts about what games we've been playing lately. And this week's edition starts in 3... 2... 1...

The Finals public playtest

Adam Burt

Last weekend, a snazzy-looking new game called The Finals started its first relatively public playtest. We're forbidden from sharing footage of this slightly rough, early build of the game, but that doesn't mean we can't share our thoughts! 

The game pitches multiple teams of 3 against each other in a frantic mission to collect coins and win the titular "finals", which is presented like a futuristic e-sport. Most notably, the game has a huge emphasis on destruction - you can really take chunks out of basically everything, and cause whole building collapses if you want. 

Predictably, I was absolutely terrible at the game. But it shows a lot of promise, and it's undeniably exciting when you fall through the floor and the walls are starting to disintegrate around you and all you can see is chaos. Launching a new first person shooter is always a challenge though, it's a crowded market with some very big established players. But as some fans have begun to voice disappointment with big titles like Battlefield, maybe there is room for something new...

Will this early, unfinished look at the game build enough hype to make this a success? Only time will tell. Next week we're launching a new blog post, all about sharing what your game looks like when it's not finished - so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Steam Deck now widely available

Taya B

This week I have finally taken the plunge and ordered myself a Steam Deck, moments before Valve announced that the handheld platform is now available without a reservation! 

It's great news for me, and hundreds of others, meaning there are no longer long wait times or delays in getting a piece of this particular gameplaying pie. 

At the same time, Valve has also announced that the docking station is available. The station allows the Steam Deck to be connected to TVS, laptops and a whole host of other peripherals - expanding the world of PC gameplay beyond sitting at your desk! 

I will still have a bit of a wait for my Steam Deck as shipping can still take week - but I am so ready!

Cyberpunk is getting a sequel

Mehdi Miah

I was super hyped for Cyberpunk 2077. I'll be honest, I was a fanboy. Hell, I was even telling my wife "This will be the GTA killer", and thought that it would force Rockstar to step it up and release a new game to compete. 

But as literally everyone (including my parrot) knows, Cyberpunk was... A bit of a flop. I didn't even play it yet. But then, some would say so was The Witcher, and look at it now... 👌🏽

This week, CD Projekt Red announced a sequel to Cyberpunk, which I'm surprisingly interested in. After watching Edgerunners on Netflix, I'm finally going to end my Cyberpunk celibacy and bust the game wide open - I'd previously been waiting for the patches and fixes, and at this point the game seems healthy. I'm buzzing to play it. 

Cyberpunk 2077 2's code name is "Project Orion", and the CFO of CDPR has said "this is why we're setting up a new team in Boston, which, together with the expanding Vancouver team, will form our new studio - CD Projekt Red North America. As a result, we will be able to fully tap into the North American talent pool." 

As long as they don't rush this, I'm sure this time around the game will be unreal. Either way, I'm hyped, and you should be too!

[Editor's note: Sounds like you're being a fanboy again Mehdi! 😂]

Fall Guys x Star Trek

Pete Keating

We love a good cross over between games and other forms of entertainment, and this week it's Fall Guys turn, with their new Star Trek collaboration.

As part of their current season, Satellite Scramble players will be able to win or purchase various cosmetic items including a full Spock skin, and a "live long and prosper" emote. The promotion started yesterday and is set to end of the 10th October, so players haven't got long to level up and claim the rewards. With the season set to end on the 22nd November, we could soon see other sci-fi series getting promoted within the game too.

New Need for Speed revealed

Dan Thomas

Yesterday, a new Need For Speed game was announced, Need for Speed Unbound, which is being developed by Guildford-based EA studio Criterion here in the UK.

This is a welcome return to the franchise and they have certainly mixed things up, with a move away from hyper-realism and fidelity towards a more unique, animated and street-art overlay style. A collaboration with music artist A$AP Rocky was also revealed, with the rapper having a custom game mode available. The title aims to return to the franchise's street racing roots and from the trailer, it looks like it's off to good start.

More stuff

Overwatch 2 launches to mixed-to-good reviews

After 4,368 Hours, ‘Mario Maker’ Player Finally Beats His Impossible Level

Games Industry Revenue, Visualised

More Etch Play

Every Thursday at 4PM we're live on Twitch, covering all the latest industry news and also playing interesting games. This week we talked about Stadia, the Dreamcast, and we played Marbles on Stream! Check it out... 

You can also find Etch Play on all the usual social networks you might imagine. In particular, we hang out on Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. See you next week!