This week in games: Nioh comes to PC, Star Wars Battlefront 2 open beta, Ubisoft's fart contest

It’s October. Time for horror games, apple cider, pumpkin carving, and—lest you forget—a new Assassin’s Creed of course.

There’s a trailer for that below, although it’s just one small part of a busy week that featured multiplayer news for both Star Wars Battlefront II – 2017 Edition and 2005 Edition, plus a surprise reveal that “PS4 Exclusive” Nioh is coming to PC, a first look at playable Psychonauts 2, and Ubisoft’s weird fart contest. No, really.

This is gaming news for October 2 through 6.

A good blaster at your side

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Star Wars Battlefront II

Price When Reviewed:$59.99Best Prices Today:$20 at Amazon

No time to mourn the loss of last week’s Call of Duty: WWII beta, because the season’s other big multiplayer shooter is gearing up for some open beta action this weekend. The Star Wars Battlefront II beta’s been available for a few days to people who preordered, but today it went live to everyone. Well, everyone who has Origin installed, that is.

The beta ends on Monday at 9 a.m. Pacific, and you can find more details here.

Binary sunset

Okay, enough talk about 2017’s Star Wars Battlefront II. Let’s talk 2005’s instead. That’s right, the 2005 Battlefront II is in the news this week, as Disney collaborated with GOG.com to patch official multiplayer support back into the game—a feature that’s been broken since the collapse of GameSpy in 2014. From the announcement:

“Powered by GOG Galaxy, the multiplayer function of the game has now been restored AND with added Crossplay support between GOG Galaxy and Steam to boot. This long-awaited feature finally brings the entire Star Wars Battlefront II community together, no matter which part of the galaxy you come from, so go ahead and jump into the fray.”

Seems like GOG Galaxy is required to be installed, and the unofficial support for GameRanger was broken in the process—both probably a bit of a shame to some percentage of the audience. Still, it’s a pretty cool move and maybe a signal that attitudes towards game preservation are changing? Maybe.

Hit the road

Another Kickstarter/Early Access title finally emerges into the realms of “Finished Games” this week, as Road Rash spiritual successor Road Redemption rides into a 1.0 release. To give you an idea: It was Kickstarted way back in 2013 and has been in Early Access since 2014, so congrats on them making it out. Here’s a release trailer four years in the making:

Triple fine

Of course the crowdfunded game I’m really waiting for is Psychonauts 2. That one didn’t hit a 1.0 release this week unfortunately, but we did get our first real look at a playable chunk of the game, courtesy of this cleverly named “First Playable” video clip—almost 15 minutes of footage, though the playable stuff is interspersed with a bunch of developer interviews too. You’ll also get a decent view of a goat’s butt.

Nioh-rly exclusive

Earlier this year the PS4 nabbed an exclusive in the form of Team Ninja’s Souls-like Samurai game Nioh. Turns out that was more of a “timed exclusive” than an “exclusive exclusive,” as Team Ninja revealed this week the game is coming to PC—and soon, too. November 7 is the date Nioh: Complete Edition will hit Steam, with all three DLC chunks packed in for free, plus 4K graphics and the usual bells and whistles.

Know when to hold ‘em

Also coming on November 7: Deck-based RPG Hand of Fate 2. And deck-based RPG makes it sound like some sort of Hearthstone knockoff—I should know, because that’s what I thought the original was for a long time. It’s not at all though, with combat more like your usual Arkham Asylum-style action game and each battle modified by cards you draw. I don’t know, hard to explain, and this trailer doesn’t do the concept much justice either, but I highly recommend checking out the original.

Junkenstein’s Revenge Redux

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Overwatch – Origins Edition – PC

Price When Reviewed:$59.99Best Prices Today:$37.90 at Amazon

I assume this was a foregone conclusion, but Overwatch is planning another Halloween-themed event for 2017, running from October 10 to November 2. Like the Summer Games redux in August, I’d expect a blend of new and old cosmetics in the loot boxes plus a twist on last year’s Horde Mode-esque “Junkenstein’s Revenge.”

A new creed

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Assassin’s Creed Origins – PC [Online Game Code]

Price When Reviewed:$59.99

Okay, the point of this Assassin’s Creed: Origins trailer is for new protagonist Bayek to drone on about how he’s creating the Assassins and so on, but really the reason to watch this trailer is to get a glimpse of the Sphinx with its nose intact—presumably before the player accidentally breaks it off, right? I’m guessing.

Uh…

Samorost and Machinarium studio Amanita unveiled its new game Chuchel this week and…well, I thought Samorost was pretty weird but I have absolutely no idea what to make of this trailer. It’s like Zoombinis on acid. Or Zoombinis on more acid.

Negative, Ghost Rider

More weirdness this week, courtesy of Push Me Pull You developer House House. Their new game has you play as a sandwich-stealing goose. I think we can all agree this is the true Metal Gear Solid successor.

Get the gas masks

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South Park: The Fractured but Whole [Online Game Code]

Price When Reviewed:$59.99

But even an asshole goose pales in comparison to Ubisoft’s latest marketing campaign. Yes, the company that brought you “playing Far Cry 4 on top of Mount Everest” has now upped the stakes for South Park: The Fractured But Whole. How?

They want your farts.

I swear. That’s the campaign. If you fart into a microphone, you can send the recording to Ubisoft for the chance to be featured in the game. You’ll also have ruined a perfectly good microphone.