Metro 2033 Images and Screenshots

The setting of the Metro series is a decaying version of Moscow, where people are forced to live in the underground Metro tunnels following a catastrophic nuclear war. The world above has become uninhabitable due to radiation, forcing survivors to create a new world in the dark and dangerous tunnels below. It’s a world of darkness, danger, and desperation where humanity is struggling to survive against a range of threats.

Metro Last Light Images and Screenshots

The imagery in the Metro games is stunningly realistic and evocative, capturing the haunting beauty of this post-apocalyptic world. The environment is rendered with incredible detail, from the grime and rust on the walls to the flickering of candles and torches in the dark. The art team has done an excellent job of creating an atmosphere that is both gritty and realistic while still being strangely beautiful.

Metro Exodust Images and Screenshots

One of the most memorable scenes in the Metro games is the moment when players first step out of the tunnels into the wasteland above. The world outside is barren and lifeless, with twisted metal and rubble everywhere. The sky is a sickly shade of yellow, and the air is thick with radiation. It’s a stunning moment that captures the horror and desolation of this world.

The Metro games are also filled with smaller moments of beauty and wonder that add to the overall atmosphere. Whether it’s the quiet moments of contemplation in the tunnels, the glow of a sunset through a cracked window, or the sound of a choir singing in a distant station, the games are full of moments that make players pause and take in the beauty of this broken world.

Overall, the Metro series is a testament to the power of great world-building in video games. By creating a detailed, immersive setting, the games transport players into a world that is both terrifying and strangely beautiful. The Metro games are an excellent example of how video games can be a powerful medium for storytelling and world-building, and a must-play for anyone who loves immersive, atmospheric games.

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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Set in a future where the world is on the brink of collapse, this book follows the story of Wade Watts as he searches for a digital Easter egg hidden in a virtual reality game by its creator, who promised his fortune to whoever found it. This book has won numerous awards and has been adapted into a successful film. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a thrilling ride through the world of video games. However, it is better to read this before watching the movie as Speilberg makes a lot of changes to the games played and the gaming characters mentioned in the book.

Artemis by Andy Weir

Artemis is set on the moon in a five-dome moonbase. The story follows a young woman named Jazz, who is a porter on the moonbase and struggles to make ends meet. The plot involves Jazz getting involved in a criminal commission and things not going as planned, leading to a battle for a new technology that could revolutionize Earth’s communication system. The book is a quick read with plenty of action and characters, and the protagonist has a relatable charm and includes lots of useful information about the moon.

The Martian by Andy Weir

This book tells the story of Mark Watney, an astronaut who is stranded on Mars after his team is forced to evacuate. With only limited supplies, Watney must use his knowledge and resourcefulness to survive until a rescue mission can reach him. This book will blow your mind as the protagonist simply doesn’t give up and find way after way to survive from growing plants from his own sh*t to speaking to earth using whiteboards. Just amazing!

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor

Wow! I loved this series and have read it multiple times since. We Are Legion (We are Bob) is the first book that follows the story of Bob, a software engineer who is uploaded into a self-replicating spaceship after an accident. As he navigates the galaxy, he must confront the ethical dilemmas of artificial intelligence and what it means to be human whilst seeding himself around the universe. Funny, clever and so much fun.

When the Sparrow Falls by Neil Sharpson

When the Sparrow Falls is a fantastic novel that explores the themes of technology, complicity, and authoritarianism in a future where Artificial Intelligence dominates every nation except for the Caspian Republic (Eastern Europe). The story follows Security Agent Nikolai South, who starts his narrative with an execution, and is then assigned to chaperone the widow of the executed man, a machine that looks like South’s late wife. Through this plot, Sharpson navigates themes of AI consciousness and human supremacy, as South uncovers a conspiracy that could shatter the Caspian Republic.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Project Hail Mary follows the story of Ryland Grace, a middle school teacher turned astronaut, who wakes up from a coma with amnesia. He gradually remembers that he was sent to the Tau Ceti solar system, 12 light-years from Earth, to find a means of reversing a solar dimming event that could cause the extinction of humanity. The story is split into two storylines, one on board the spacecraft Hail Mary where Ryland regains his memory and the other is flashbacks of earlier events leading up to the launch of the Hail Mary. The story is really fun and written in a light-hearted way that I personally really enjoyed.

Bedlam by Christopher Brookmyre

Bedlam is like Tron on steroids with a kind of “who dunnit” twist at the end. The story mirrors my own childhood growing up in the early years of gaming and is a nostalgic read. The story follows a normal guy who wakes up trapped in Starfire – a video game he played as a child – with no explanation, no backup and, most terrifyingly, no way out. The book is filled with funny jokes, characters you can empathise with more swear words than you can shake a stick at. It is not necessary to know about gaming to enjoy the book.

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

This book tells the story of Cara, a woman who is able to travel between parallel worlds. As she becomes embroiled in a conspiracy that threatens the multiverse, she must decide where her loyalties lie. The book almost has two distinct halves and mid-way through, you’ll be forgiven to think you have reached a conclusion before it draws you back in for part 2. The characters are well-written and there is a clear difference between those who live in the luxury towers compared to those who survive in the wastelands.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

This book follows the story of Andrew (Ender), a young boy who is recruited to attend a military academy in space. The journey is far from easy but over time he becomes a skilled strategist rising to the top of the class. But as he trains to obliterate the alien scourge, he must confront the moral implications of his actions and the fate of humanity.

These ten science fiction books are just a small sampling of the great stories that the genre has to offer. With the renewed interest in science fiction, we are excited to see what the future holds for both science fiction books and films. We hope that this list has inspired you to pick up one of these books, or perhaps discover a new favorite science fiction story.

We would love to know what science fiction books you would recommend. Let us know in the comments below!

The post 10 Science Fiction Books that are Definitely Worth Reading appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

Do It For You

First and foremost, do it for yourself. Write about topics you are interested in as you will need to produce A LOT of content before you grow your audience, as well as gain the attention of any brands or marketing companies. Writing about things you enjoy and are passionate about is much easier than tackling obscure topics you are unfamiliar with and might find boring.

Try To Specialise (a little)

Later down the line, write for your audience. Whilst this may sound like it contradicts the first point, it means writing for your audience whilst staying within your passion. One of the reasons a lot of bloggers struggle to publish content regularly is because they haven’t taken the time to identify their audience. I’ve made this mistake with several blogs and know the frustrating feeling all too well. My gaming blog mixes children’s games with sexy game characters, which makes it hard to readers to know where I sit when it comes to content. After realising that my Xbox One content was more popular than my Mac gaming, I shifted my focused to appeal to my audience.

Understand Your Audience

Once you have defined who you are writing for, its useful to research what they like, who they identify with, interests and hobbies they enjoy and the kind of content they might enjoy. Artists may want step-by-step instructions, certain gamers might want content on specific games or genres and developers might want simple guide articles for use on the go. Creativity loves constraints, so by identifying your audience and writing just for them, your blog will start to look focused and professional.

Over 400 Words

Whilst you should mix long and short form posts depending on the article, for search engines to properly index your content you should aim for 400 words or more. Less than that and you run the risk of Google bypassing your post on the grounds that it is ‘light content’. Similarly, I would recommend that you ‘go deep and not wide’. Having detailed content about a specific topic is sometimes more useful than having a light overview of lots of topics.

Images

When adding images to your blog posts be sure to add names, descriptions and alt tags as these count towards your keyword density and help you appear in Google images. Most video game studios have a press page that has an array of game images and videos that they prefer you to use. If you do not have a suitable image (such as one on game blogging) you can check for royalty free images on Flickr (but most require a credit link) or use allthefreestock.com, pexels.com or Unsplash.com as they list lots of places where you can get free photography. If you have some art software skills, I would also recommend adding one image with text on for social media. When you or others share you post it has an image with more text on your draw people in. For those with no art skills try Canva.com

Proof Your Work

This is one that I am terrible at. I tend to write and then post immediately and my articles are full of problems. Thankfully, when producing videos I am forced to read out my articles. This highlights many of the errors, so I can correct them in the written post. Try and re-read what you have written (aloud helps), or ask a friend to look at it before you post. This way your work will be easier to read and people will come back for more. If the idea of going back to previous posts to check for errors sounds daunting, use Google Analytics to see a list of your most popular posts and start there. See Part 4: Review and Renew.

Frequency

If you want to build an audience then the frequency is key. No one will check back if you post erratically. By staying consistent then your audience know when to expect the next instalment even if it’s a monthly post. It also helps you plan a content calendar and brainstorm ideas for the future. Similarly, if you are suddenly hit with inspiration and knock out four articles in an afternoon, try and hold some back in order to cover times when you can’t post on a schedule. Whether it’s daily, weekly or monthly, consistency is good for you, good for your readers and good for Google.

Takeaways:

Content

• Do it for you, first and foremost
• Try to specialise (a little)
• Understand your audience
• Alt tag your images
• create images with titles (for social media)
• Over 400 words (but mix long and short posts)
• Proof your work

Frequency

• Scheduling
• Hold some back
• Be consistent

So now you have started producing lots of lovely content on your website it’s time to share it.

Tune in for Part 3: Sharing Your Content

or

Take me back to Part 1: The Set up

The post Video Game Blogging Guide | Part 2: Creating Content appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

The post The 10 Best Books Based on Video Games appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

I was recently made aware of Bedlam coming out on Steam and after reading that it was based on a book I jumped into action reading the book and downloading the game.

The story of Bedlam is from award-winning British author Christopher Brookmyre and follows the story of Ross Baker (aka Bedlam). Ross is an overworked scientist working with medical scanning technology for corporate giant Neurosphere. One morning, after volunteering to be a test candidate for the new brain scanning tech he wakes up in Starfire – the violent old school sci-fi game he spent his teenage years playing. Ross soon realizes he is not even the hero but some lowly enemy NPC (non-playable character). Trapped in the retro nightmare Ross seeks out an explanation leading him through he game verse; an interconnected dimension of video games. In the book, the protagonist explores 90’s first person shooters, world war 2 cover shooters, open world cities and even Jet Set Willy.

Does that sound like an awesome story for a video game!

In the game you play Heather Quinn (aka Athena) a colleague of Ross (Bedlam) Baker as she endures a similar story. Athena battles through Starfire, Death or Glory, and an array of game types seeking a way out of this strange new dimension.

The game is currently in early access on Steam and offers 15 playable levels with another 14 planned for the final release. The build is not without its bugs (as expected) but as many of the levels replicate retro shooters its hard to know if they are bugs or part of the story. The book makes jokes about the terrible AI in early shooters, so when you see a Nazi going round in circles unable to go through a door you have to wonder if this is a bug or simply creating authenticity.

The voice acting is great (and the multiplayer soundbites from angry kids is very funny) but I hope the finished product enjoys a few cut-scenes to help users understand the storyline. Having read the book I definitely feel like I have an advantage and worry that new players might criticize the game, the graphics and the game-play prematurely due to not reading the book.

So far the language is a mix of new content and sections of the book which is amazing, as the book is fantastically written with a rapier wit that only a Scotsman could deliver.

This game offers a refreshing yet nostalgic experience that many of us who have grown up playing games will thoroughly enjoy. If you get chance to read the book AND play the game I would recommend it.

The post Early Access: Bedlam | Steam appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

Altered Carbon | Richard K. Morgan

This fantastic cyberpunk murder mystery would make the perfect action/adventure game. The protagonist Takeshi Kovacs is a highly trained envoy with a skill set that would make James Bond jealous. His body (or sleeve) has a mix of cybernetic and biological upgrades and death is overcome by simple downloading into another sleeve (cloned body). Assigned to solve the apparent murder of a 300 year old billionaire, Kovacs is dragged into the seedy world of strippers, snuff movies, underground fighting rings and organised crime. The book is full of colourful characters, high impact action sequences and a story that twists and turns until reaching its epic conclusion.

Ready Player One | Ernest Cline

If one book is ripe for a movie and game, it’s this one. When Haliday, the creator of a Matrix-style universe known as ‘The Oasis’ dies, his last will and testament is to host an Oasis wide competition to find three hidden Easter Eggs. The winner of the competition gets all of his money (some 300 billion dollars) and control of his company, which in turn, controls the Oasis. The competition spawns a whole subculture of adventurers and companies whose sole objective is to find these eggs. When the hero discovers the first egg the competition
erupts and with it, an adventure across space and time. Haliday’s fascination with the 1980’s plays a huge part and you will drive Deloreans, fly X-Wing fighters and fight in 100-meter tall Japanese robots.

Star Wars: Death Troopers | Joe Schreiber

Star Wars may get its fair share of video games already but this isolated story would make a fantastic game. The premise is simple, an imperial prison ship on route to a prison planet is redirected to help a nearby super star destroyer that has been missing for some time. Upon docking, they guards are infected with whatever killed off the crew. Before they all perish, a guard unlocks some of the cells, when they discover that some people have a natural immunity. Then follows are a romp through both a locked down prison ship and dark and formidable Super Star Destroyer, both of which are teeming with zombies storm troopers and psycho prisoners. Yes, I said it… Zombie storm troopers! Everyone onboard is either dead or undead and the army of zombie storm troopers and support staff are waiting for you around every corner, as well as a few unlockable ‘hidden’ characters. Whilst the story is thin, the game would rock!

Snow Crash | Neal Stephenson

A sword-wielding cyberpunk hacker, a cocky hover-board riding courier and a mystery cyber drug know as ‘Snow Crash’ able to affect real world minds. These characters are just the start. Set in a future where corporations and crime lords control the world, the book if filled with cyberpunks, robot rats, nuke carrying red necks and settings that range from high-tech tower blocks to a flotilla of religion obsessed hippies. If this was an open world game in which you fly around the city using your hoverboard and harpoon (Just Cause style), fighting off both corporate and mafia thugs as you seek the source of Snow Crash then it could be a fantastic game.

Neuromancer | William Gibson

I would see a Neuromancer game as a mix of Mass Effect and Payday as you play a Henry Dorsett Case is a 2-bit hustler in a dystopian future. Once a talented hacker you have your central nervous system damaged as punishment for stealing from a previous boss. When a rich businessman offers to rebuild you in return for a few jobs, you set off on a series of technological robberies and hacks. Along the way, you team up with a colorful band of hackers as the jobs get bigger, harder and more dangerous. You also uncover the true reason behind the businessman’s motives and are dragged into a dangerous game that could end the world as they know it.

Check out my other game/book crossover articles:

• The 10 best video games from books
  

• The 10 Best Books Based on Video Games

The post 5 Sci-Fi Books That Would Make Awesome Video Games appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

Alice in Wonderland

American McGee’s Alice is a dark horror interpretation of the children’s tale Alice in Wonderland but had done very well as far as sales and sequels went. Alice is pretty much insane, and this version of Wonderland is her own deranged one inside her head. She has to try to save Wonderland and in turn, restore her sanity. Not only was the game a pretty big, scary success, but it spawned a lot of great merchandise that sold well.

Dune

The sci-fi novel has spawned not only a great movie (with Sting in it), but a tone of video games in its wake. 5 games, to be exact, with a 6th that was in the works but later canceled. The original Dune for PC also had some visual elements from the David Lynch movie and the key to beating the game was managing spice, the valuable export of Dune, along with military control and ecology. It might sound a little dull for some but back in 1992, it was a major hit and has a cult following today.

Shadowrun

Another sci-fi epic with a fantastic story, Shadowrun had a few different iterations in video games, first around the SNES and Genesis period as a tactical role-playing game, based off the tabletop version of the franchise. Later it was released as an online-only first-person shooter (bad move). The game had a huge following of fans and as such a recent Kickstarter project was successfully funded and now the latest iteration, Shadowrun Returns is now available on steam.

Metro 2033

Most people don’t realize the Metro games are based on novels, but they are. That initial book was released back in 2005 and the video game came 5 years after, to pretty decent reviews. A first-person shooter, it puts players into the world of author Glukhovsky’s dystopian, post-apocalyptic future. Ammo is rare, so a huge part of the game is in scavenging for bullets and other essentials.

The Witcher

The Witcher video games that we’ve come to know and love are based on a series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The game follows Geralt, one of the last remaining witchers, which are traveling monster hunters. The second in the series, Assassins of Kings, was praised for its multiple paths and endings and a 3rd has been announced, to be released in 2014.

Starship Troopers

nother sci-fi novel turned movie and video game, Starship Trooper was, well, a commercial fail as far as PC games go. The biggest issues were with graphics and poor A.I, as well as poor sound mixing. Though no one was really that surprised by the bomb, considering the source material and how poorly the movie had done before it.

Star Wars – Shadow of the Empire

One of the first Nintendo 64 games released, the story of Shadow of the Empire takes place between Episodes 5 and 6 of the movies, with a mercenary, Dash Rendar, helping Luke rescue Princess Leia from another prince. It was one of the best-selling 64 games of 1997 and while it didn’t get the best reviews in the world, you can’t hate on it for being one of the first to utilize the new console.

Parasite Eve

Instead of a straight adaptation, the first Parasite Eve game is actually a sequel to the novel, so it really rewards those who were fans of the book in the first place. A hybrid of action role-playing and survival horror, the game takes place in a 6 day span in New York City, when a whole slew of people spontaneously combust, save for the main character and a few others around her.

Shadow Complex

Shadow Complex’s story was written by comic book writer Peter David, which is part of what made it such a stand-out on Xbox Live Arcade. While the world is 3D, the player can only move in two dimensions, like that of a classic side scroller. It has a pretty amazing story and really fun gameplay elements, very similar to Metroid.

S.t.a.l.k.e.r – Shadow of Chernobyl

So the novel basis for this is a little confusing; the game is based on a novel, which was derived from the screenplay of a movie of the same name, which was derived from a Russian novel called Roadside Picnic. With that behind us, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R franchise has spawned 3 games, all of which have done very well in sales and reviews.

The post The 10 Best Video Games From Books appeared first on Gaming Debugged | Gaming Site Covering Xbox, Indies, News, Features and Gaming Tech.

Alan Wake

A book based on a game about an author, what’s a better idea than that? The plot itself matches the game, although in some details differs from the actual game, and isn’t considered actual canon. Still, if you were a fan of the game and want a novelization of it or, didn’t want to bother with the game but are curious about story, you’re going to win either way.

Bioshock: Rapture

The novelization of the Bioshock world takes place in the beginning, the start of Rapture up until some of the events of the game. It follows a prosperous city, some new and old characters, and gives more insight and back story to what happened in a variety of locations found in game. It’s rather well done and a must for any Bioshock fan.

Dead Space: Martyr

A prequel to the events in the very first Dead Space, giving history on the church of Unitology (which is pretty much the cause of all the insanity going on) as well as the origin of the Black Marker.

Gears of Wars: Aspho Fields

Taking place between Gears of War 1 and 2, the plot follows two storylines, jumping back and forth between Marcus Fenix’s childhood and  a timeline that takes place a week after the events of the first game.  It seems the novel is considered canon by Epic Games so it’s a great filler for the in between.

Halo: The Cole Protocol

The Cole Protocol is actually the 6th Halo book that was released but one of the best ones. At this point, it is well into the universe and can’t actually be tied to any sort of timeline among the games events, but it really fleshed out more of the universe overall.

Mass Effect: Revelation

The first book in the Mass Effect universe, Revelation sheds some light on the back story of David Anderson and Saren, as well as Anderson’s connection with Kahlee Sanders (a side character who is run into in Mass Effect 3).  It really does suit the Mass Effect world well and is one of the best selling of the novels.

Tomb Raider and The Lost Cult

Although this second novel came out back in 2004, it still holds up pretty well as far as Tomb Raider books go. There are some non-game side characters introduced as well as major enemies that everyone knows from the games.

Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth

A stand alone story that has no impact on the games itself, The Fourth Labyrinth is written by Christopher Golden, who is known for a lot of video game to novel and T.V. show to novel adaptations.  Because of a brief mention of El Dorado, it’s suspected it takes place before the original game, but nothing has been said about it being in any timeline.

Tom Clancy Splinter Cell: Endgame

For anyone who was a follower of the Splinter Cell books, this one is actually pretty interesting in that it is a retelling of the Conviction novel, but told from the point of view of the pursuing group going after Sam Fisher.

Homefront: Voice of Freedom

Although it won’t win any literary awards, this prequel to the game set the scene and is crammed full of action sequences about a plot that is very close to home for a lot of Americans. OK so it might not be unified Korea that attack but the constant threat of terrorism is really brought home in this book in a very real scenario. If you haven’t played the game then this is a great introduction to the world and will help you connect with the in-game characters.

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