Peppa is back for an even bigger adventure in 2023 following the success of My Friend Peppa Pig in 2021
Outright Games, the leading publisher of family-friendly interactive entertainment, in partnership with Hasbro will release the new video game, Peppa Pig: World Adventures on March 17thon PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and Digitally on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Fans can take a world tour with Peppa Pig in this brand-new interactive adventure and even bring their own family into the story.
Check out the brand-new announcement trailer here:
It’s time to pack those suitcases and hit the road with Peppa. New York City is calling – and so are Paris, Australia, London and many more locations with new characters to meet, exciting quests to try and lots of accessories to dress up in and collect along the way.
There’s also fun to be had closer to home! Players can create a dazzling house in Peppa’s neighbourhood and decorate it with collectibles and souvenirs from their travels around the world. Fans can even turn their family into PEPPA PIG characters and make them part of the story!
Beth Goss, CEO of Outright Games said: ”We’re thrilled Peppa is back with Outright Games for her next video game Peppa Pig: World Adventures. We’re enjoying the challenge of building on the fantastic reception to last year’s My Friend Peppa Pig and making this game bigger with more locations, characters and fun! We’re looking forward to sharing it with everyone next March.’’
Eugene Evans, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Digital Licensing, from Hasbro said “After nearly twenty years, it’s incredible to see the global love for the PEPPA PIG brand continue to grow as Peppa delights fans around the world through videos and in digital games. We’re very excited to be working with our friends at Outright Games on Peppa’s next video game adventure.’’
Peppa Pig first appeared on screen in 2004 and has since grown to become the pre-schoolers best friend. Distributed in 180 countries, PEPPA PIG brings joy to parents and children from all continents and cultures by helping pre-schoolers explore and expand their understanding of their own world through the experiences of their friend Peppa. Peppa Pig: World Adventures will be the second Peppa Pig video game to be released in two years following the success of 2021’s My Friend Peppa Pig.
Peppa Pig: World Adventures will release onMarch 10thon PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and Digitally on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
About Outright Games:
Outright Games is a global video games publisher with a focus on bringing quality family entertainment to a worldwide audience. Founded in 2016, Outright Games has established its place in the market delivering engaging interactive games of beloved entertainment licences globally. Outright Games brings stories and characters to life with titles including favourites such as My Friend Peppa Pig with Hasbro, Fast & Furious Spy Racers: Rise of SH1FT3R with NBC Universal, Jumanji: The Video Game with Sony Pictures and PAW Patrol The Movie: Adventure City Calls with Nickelodeon. With an Outright Games title there will be fun for all the family to enjoy.
With over 1000 licensees around the world, PEPPA PIG is a top performing global preschool character that has been translated into over 40 languages and broadcast in over 180 territories. The TV series follows Peppa Pig, a cheeky little piggy who lives with her younger brother George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig. Peppa’s favourite things include playing games, dressing up, days out and jumping in muddy puddles. With 3 BAFTA Awards for pre-school animation and a pipeline of new episodes delivering fresh content through to 2027, the global phenomenon continues to look bright for the world’s most popular little piggy.
About Hasbro
Hasbro is a global branded entertainment leader whose mission is to entertain and connect generations of fans through the wonder of storytelling and exhilaration of play. Hasbro delivers engaging brand experiences for global audiences through gaming, consumer products and entertainment, with a portfolio of iconic brands including MAGIC: THE GATHERING, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, Hasbro Gaming, NERF, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH and PEPPA PIG, as well as premier partner brands.
Hasbro is guided by our Purpose to create joy and community for all people around the world, one game, one toy, one story at a time. For more than a decade, Hasbro has been consistently recognized for its corporate citizenship, including being named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media, one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute and one of the 50 Most Community-Minded Companies in the U.S. by the Civic 50. For more information, visit www.corporate.hasbro.com.
About Petoons Studio
Petoons Studio is a videogame development company founded in 2016 in Barcelona. The team is a talented mix of innovative artists, animators and programmers working together to create world-class videogames.
Petoons Studio is pioneering the art of “Storyplaying”, fusing video games and animation in new ways of entertainment. We provide comprehensive development services for top brands, leveraging the talent of our highly creative and experienced team.
Bandai Namco Entertainment together with Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc. and Shueisha Inc. launch the SAND LAND project, revolving around SAND LAND, Akira Toriyama’s masterpiece.
SAND LAND project will see various partners come together to create a wide variety of contents and develop SAND LAND into a full IP. The project will start with the co-production of an animation by Bandai Namco Filmworks’ Sunrise Studio, Kamikaze Douga Co., Ltd., and ANIMA Inc.
SAND LAND is a popular manga created by Akira Toriyama, the author of DRAGON BALL and Dr. Slump. Serialized intensively for a short period in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2000, the one volume comic has gained worldwide popularity since its publishing.
In a desert world where both demons and humans suffer from an extreme water shortage, Beelzebub, the prince of demons, and Rao, a small-town sheriff, form a tag-team and set off on an adventure in search of the Phantom Lake somewhere in the desert.
Bandai Namco Europe S.A.S. is a leading global publisher and developer of entertainment content for platforms including, but not limited to, all major video game consoles and PC.
Bandai Namco Europe is producing intellectual property for a global audience and is building its reputation with franchises such as LITTLE NIGHTMARES™, PARK BEYOND™, and the upcoming UNKNOWN 9™ Awakening – developed by the recently acquired Reflector Entertainment based in Montreal, QC.
Bandai Namco Europe serves as the Headquarters of Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. for mainland Europe, which is known for creating and publishing many of the Toy & Entertainment industry’s top franchises, including PAC-MAN™, TAMAGOTCHI™, GUNDAM™, TEKKEN™, DARK SOULS™ and the recently released ELDEN RING™.
In ONE PIECE ODYSSEY, players will have to explore Memoria, a world built from the memories of the Straw Hat Crew’s past adventures, in order to regain their lost powers. In addition to Alabasta and Water Seven, two new memories are revealed today, Marineford and Dressrosa.
Watch the Memory trailer here:
In the original Marineford Arc, Luffy was along with many other pirates, fighting to try to deliver Portgas D. Ace, Luffy’s brother. In ONE PIECE ODYSSEY, Luffy once again faces the fateful battle that he challenged alone, but this time together with the Straw Hat Crew!
What will Luffy and his friends, who have grown up in the two years since the incident, do when they revisit this place?
The Dressrosa memory arc will take players to the island kingdom under the rule of Doflamingo, who has decided to use the Birdcage in order to prevent people from leaving the island. With bounties on their head, the Straw Hat Crew, accompanied by guest characters Sabo and Trafalgar Law must defeat their once powerful enemy, Doflamingo.
Stay tuned for the ending of the battle in Marineford and Dressrosa, which will be different from the past.
Produced by Toei Animation and based on the top-selling manga title of all time by creator Eiichiro Oda, the One Piece series first premiered on Japanese TV in October 1999 and follows Luffy and his Straw Hat Crew on their epic quest to find “One Piece,” the legendary treasure of the former King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger. Today, One Piece is now a global franchise that encompasses 15 feature films including the recently released “One Piece Film Red,” home videos, video games, and an ever-growing catalog of licensed merchandise that includes accessories, toys, games, novelties, furniture, housewares, apparel and more.
ONE PIECE ODYSSEY is slated to release on PlayStation 4®, PlayStation 5®, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on January 13, 2023.
The tailored social experience offers VTuber interactions, exclusive content, streams and a glimpse of future metaverse world, Nümiverse
Abu Dhabi – Dec. 19, 2022 – Nümi’s user-focused community portal, Nümi Tribe, is now open on the web and mobile devices to anyone who wants to be among the first to discover the next evolution of the metaverse, Nümiverse. From a global team of passionate developers with experience leading companies such as Epic Games, BBDO, Sony Music Entertainment, Riot Games, PepsiCo and more, Nümi Tribe invites audiences to meet and interact with Nümi Vtubers, discover exclusive streams and videos, and learn more about the upcoming Web3 world.
Nümi Tribe is a gathering place dedicated to remarkable personalities where everyone is special, and self-expression is encouraged. The space allows users to find the best reflection of themselves as they explore immersive content and connect with virtual influencers. Nümi Tribe’s cast of colorful and engaging Vtuber personalities include:
TechV – Feeling like a black sheep for being more mature than his peers, he’s not your typical gamer. He dives into talks about the latest horror movies, which tarot school is the best and mulls over the meaning of life.
Divada – This sleepyhead is actually the epitome of determination. She thinks outside of the box and is not afraid to show it. Originally from a small boring town, she now strives to become an idol. Charming, fashionable, emotional – it’s all about her.
Eegee – The rebel with a kind heart, she is an art and poetry lover. She also enjoys gaming, watching anime, and thinking about social dilemmas as growing and making a difference are her goals. She doesn’t like stereotypes and labels because each of us are unique.
Coming to VR devices in 2023 and to PC and mobile in 2024, Nümiverse is a Web3 world for metaverse gamers, content creators, and their followers. The dynamic digital world is being designed as an entertainment ecosystem where users, influencers, and creators can experience a wide range of activities, features and content, including:
Engaging and entertaining user-generated content (UGC)
Extensive character and residence customization
Social and events functionality, ability to stream games and online content using their custom avatar
Interactive items, sportive and social games, and opportunities to stage competitions
Interactive multiplayer gaming experiences
Nümi Tribe is directly tied to the overall Nümiverse experience. The community portal is where users will discover the first in-game drops, including:
Nümi Manga – a hub that will house endless anime and manga stories, providing ongoing content that dives deeper into the lore and world, coming soon
Season Pass – Season One of the season pass will offer the first round of exclusive content; available later this month
Nümi Visual Novel – a mini-game full of mysteries and special prizes; launching in January 2023
Helsinki – 19 December 2022 — Coinciding with the successful start of the Habbo X Alpha, the initial player testing of the first fully Web3.0 integrated Habbo game, the Room NFT collection went on sale on December 14th at 6pm GMT and sold out 54 hours later. Owners of the room NFTs can leverage the enormous back catalog of Habbo items, plus existing NFT furni, to decorate, creating their own unique immersive social spaces.
“We’ve seen a waning in enthusiasm for NFTs in the general market, but the Habbo community has welcomed and embraced the Web3.0 integration, demonstrated by the speed of selling out in this room NFT collection sale,” said Mika Timonen, NFT Director for Azerion. “By providing utility in the NFTs in Habbo X we are able to provide another reason to have an NFT outside of just the ownership factor. We feel this has been key to our success in this space and are grateful once again to our awesome community for taking this journey with us.”
For more information on Habbo and the latest NFT integration efforts and FAQs:
About Habbo Habbo is one of the largest virtual communities in the world. Founded in 2000, Habbo has expanded to nine online communities (or “hotels”), with paying customers in over 150 countries and more than 600,000 active users a month. Habbo was originally developed by Sulake, a Finnish company owned by Azerion.
About Azerion
Azerion is a high-growth digital entertainment and media platform. As a content-driven, technology and data company, Azerion serves consumers, digital publishers, advertisers and game creators globally. Azerion’s integrated platform provides technology solutions to automate the purchase and sale of digital advertising for media buyers and sellers, supported by in market sales and campaign management teams. Through its technology, content creators, digital publishers and advertisers work with Azerion to reach the millions of people across the globe that play Azerion’s games and view its distributed entertainment content to increase engagement, loyalty and drive e-commerce.
Founded in 2014 by two Dutch entrepreneurs, Azerion has experienced rapid expansion driven by organic growth and strategic acquisitions. Azerion is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and is a publicly traded company listed on Euronext Amsterdam. For more information visit: www.azerion.com
World of Warships, the leading naval battle MMO game from publisher and developer Wargaming, is celebrating the end of 2022 by offering a free week of Warships Premium to all players!
To access this week of Premium, starting from 16th December on all servers and running until 31st December, players simply need to click the link here and dive into the game. Warships Premium offers players higher Credit rewards, as well as more XP of all types to expedite game progression.
On top of this free week is a special mission chain, giving even more opportunities to unlock plenty of bonuses – including a Supercontainer, combat signal flags and ecoboosts for XP and credits.
The fun doesn’t stop there though, World of Warships is also offering an additional 14 days of premium to players that join through this link here – giving them 21 days of Warships Premium in total!
When: The free week of Premium starts on 16th December and will be accessible on all servers. Access to the free week will close on 31st December.
What: Warships Premium offers players more Credits and XP of all types, including Free and Commander XP. Players also get the following bonuses with a Warships Premium account:
+65% XP, Free XP, and Commander XP per battle
+50% Credits per battle
The freedom to simultaneously undertake three tasks in World of Warships campaigns
Where: Players can access the free week of Warships Premium by clicking this link:
When it comes to a Marvel superhero game, they tend to be rather hit and miss. For every amazing game featuring everyone’s favorite heroes there are often two that are best left forgotten. These games can span a wide range of genres but perhaps one that has yet to be tackled is the tactical RPG and with FIraxis Games behind the helm, Marvel’s Midnight Suns is ready to take on the challenge. Offering a new take on an older storyline and combining tactical RPG gameplay with some card mechanics, is Marvel’s Midnight Suns one of the few superhero games worth remembering?
Story
The forces of Hydra have come up with a new plan for world domination and have used a combination of science and dark magic to revive the demonic mother Lilith. With the powerful Lilith leading Hydra’s forces and her own demonic minions, she has begun calling the elder god Chthon that will spell doom for Earth. Knowing that they will need some help, Tony Stark and Dr. Strange have begun assembling a team that may have a chance to face down these forces but things are already off to a bad start as Johnny Blaze turns down their offer and the two are alerted that the Sanctum Sanctorum is under attack.
With Hydra’s forces growing in strength, Strange, Stark, and Captain Marvel are forced to leave Scarlet Witch behind to hold the wards while they search for help as the mystical forces are far beyond what they have been expecting. Their search takes them to the hidden Abbey, the home of the Midnight Suns who have been assembled for years as a force that takes down the mystical and supernatural forces that threaten the land. Here they meet the sworn enemy of Lilith in the form of the knowledgeable Caretaker, Blade, Ghost Rider Robbie Reyes, Magik, and Nico Minoru as well as their best bet against taking down the threat, “The Hunter.” The only problem is, The Hunter has been dead ever since they defeated Lilith hundreds of years prior by laying down their life to slay her. After a rocky revival, The Hunter returns as the player’s customizable protagonist who is tasked with taking down Lilith, her mother, once more and they will have a whole slew of super heroes ready to help them in this battle.
This battle between the heroes and villains in Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a fairly straightforward tale with a few little twists that aren’t too surprising but help spice things up a little from time to time. There is plenty to enjoy though through the game’s lengthy run time and a lot of this comes from the interactions between the heroes as well as with the player’s Hunter character. Watching Blade and Captain Marvel compare training tips or Tony Stark dealing with those who he has unintentionally harmed in the past makes for some great character moments and this is only the tip of the iceberg as far as character interactions go.
A lot of these moments come from the player’s Hunter character and while initially a lot of interactions involve how out of place the dead for three hundred year Hunter is there are also plenty of closer interactions and unique ones that see different sides of the twelve (at launch) heroes that players will eventually obtain as party members. The revived Hunter also serves as a blank slate that gives players mostly free reign on how they actually want to develop the character as every interaction with other heroes will give the player various dialogue choices, many of which will swing their affinity closer to light or dark, with these choices also increasing or decreasing the Hunter’s friendship with the character they are speaking with. While trying to make friends with everyone may not be possible in one run through the game, these affinities do carry over to the new game+ which is a nice touch for those who want to see the most out of their favorite heroes.
Along these same lines, not every hero will react the same to various choices, for example Spider-Man will be happy with most light dialogue choices and very obvious gifts during the game’s many hangout opportunities while Magik is a darker character that struggles with various aspects of herself and will appreciate more dark choices as a result. Of course, since players will unlock special abilities the higher down the light or dark path they go that will increase what their Hunter can do, there is some incentive to stick true to either light or dark. Either way, the ability to interact with the various superheroes and see them in a new way, such as watching a schlocky movie or playing cards with them, is a great bit of service for those who want to see a bit more of how these heroes act when not suited up to save the day.
Gameplay
Combat in Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a rather unique blend of tactical RPG and card game. As players enter into battle with the heroes they’ve selected to bring with them to the fight, they will find themselves placed in an arena where they will have a limited number of actions per turn. These actions begin with the drawing of five cards that make up the player’s initial hand and then the ability to make three card plays, two redraws, and a single movement for one of the heroes on the team. One thing that sets this game apart from other Firaxis titles is that, rather than having a percentage to hit all attacks executed by the heroes will hit their mark. This allows for players to properly strategize using what cards they have drawn and not worry about leaving things up to chance.
There is one element that takes percentiles into account and it happens to be a fall chance for enemies. Skills that have knockback or, once players unlock it, basic shoves from movement can send enemies flying into objects in the environment or one another, dealing extra damage, but when hit towards something like the edge of a building or a hellhole opened up by Ghost Rider there is a chance they may fall in, instantly removing them from a fight. This is a great way to strategize taking down foes that may be in the way or quickly eliminating a small threat and players have a number of other tools at their disposal as well. Heroic points can be used to perform actions such as throwing a rock, leaping off a box to slash foes, and more to help deal damage while keeping your card plays available for primary attacks.
That being said, the main use of Heroic Points is to unleash powerful super moves that not only deal plenty of damage, often to multiple foes, but also can provide buffs to the user. Heroic Points are earned through using standard cards to attack and, of course, there is some extra strategy here as well as cards that are labeled as “Quick” will automatically refund a card play if the targeted enemy is killed by the attack. This allows for plenty of unique strategies and planning to make sure that most moves go the player’s way. The game has a large number of difficulty options that players can eventually choose from, the game keeps player’s on their toes by the randomness of the card draw so it never feels entirely safe even on simpler missions.
Missions that players are sent on will have various objectives that must be completed that range from simply killing all enemies to completing a specific task. During the latter style of mission foes will often constantly respawn until the task is completed so players are encouraged to stay focused. There are a handful of enemy types to worry about with “minion” style enemies going down in a single blow from any attack, tougher standard foes, elite enemies that can often buff other foes with shields or special abilities, and of course supervillains. Often supervillains will constantly bring new minions into a fight until they are defeated and often have a number of special abilities and extra health bars of their own, making these battles a real highlight even when they randomly appear during side-missions.
Outside of simply seeing what each hero can bring to a fight, players are encouraged to constantly change their line-up when possible. During battle if a hero is knocked down, even if they are revived, they will often suffer a small injury that will hold them back from fighting until they recover. Players will also find that, since most heroes fit specific roles, they may want to choose a fighter more suited to a specific battle rather than a favorite at times. It is nice to note that as players battle through the game, they will unlock a number of additional cards that can be used to customize every hero’s “deck” that will give even more choices when it comes to battle though they are limited to only ten cards per character.
When not out battling against the forces of evil, players will be spending the rest of their time as the Hunter exploring The Abbey and hanging out with their fellow superheroes. In fact, The Abbey works as a daily routine with players able to wake up and talk to their allies, pet their demonic dog, train for temporary buffs or improve cards, research or unlock new upgrades, and more before going off on a mission where they will then return at night and be able to hang out with a hero of their choice before going to bed and starting the day over. This routine is a fun little endeavor and offers quite a bit of content for fans of the various super heroes, especially when exploring and uncovering the mysteries of The Abbey is such a massive undertaking on its own. There are countless areas to uncover and small mysteries to solve and while some of them are gated behind story progress a lot of it can be uncovered at the player’s leisure, though it does offer plenty of bonuses in the form of extra upgrades, materials that can be used to craft one-use items, and extra unlocks for various cosmetic chests. Of course, should players simply want to mainline the story then Abbey exploration is entirely optional though they would be missing out on a lot of extra content.
Visuals & Audio
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a fairly solid looking game with some great looking character designs for both the supervillains players face down as well as the heroes on their own team and players won’t have to worry about any “uncanny” resemblances to the MCU here. There are a large amount of costumes for every character in the game, including a number of great looking costumes contained in the Limited Edition versions of the title, but it is a bit disappointing that facial expressions are a bit on the stiff side. Characters often don’t emote very well during dramatic cutscenes and while this is fine for characters wearing masks or helmets, it is a bit distracting for everyone else. The Abbey is also nicely designed with there being a number of areas to explore and combat features some impressive animations for each heroes moveset along with some great ragdoll effects on defeated foes.
The voice work throughout the game is quite impressive with all of the voice actors completely nailing the personalities of the well-known characters as well as giving a lot of life to heroes that players may not be too familiar with such as Nico or Magik. The soundtrack also features a great collection of bombastic music that works well during battles and the more cinematic cutscenes while also offering some simpler music during exploration of The Abbey and hanging out with the heroes.
Overall
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is the type of genre combination that few would have expected to work but not only does it create an exceptionally fun tactical RPG, it offers a great look at various sides of superheroes that fans of Marvel may not be familiar with. Sure, the storyline may be a bit on the safe side and the characters’ expressions can be rather lacking, but the character interactions and impressive level of strategy capable in the great combat system make this a must not only for fans of the Marvel franchise but even those looking for a new tactical RPG to play.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Hinwil, 17 December 2022 – Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN Esports got the job done at the fourth and final Event of the season, as the team successfully closed the gap on its main competitors to seize fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Nico Longuet brought the team back on the top step of the podium at the Japanese Grand Prix, in what has been his and the team’s first win in almost two years, following an impeccable race which also saw the Frenchman being awarded Driver of the Day. Different luck for Dani Bereznay, who despite a promising start with his best qualifying of the season, starting P5 in Suzuka, saw his race spoiled by on-track mishaps, eventually finishing twelfth.
Double points were the reward at the end of Round Eleven, hosted by the iconic Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo, Brazil. A great team effort and a good strategy allowed Nico and Dani to add precious points to the team’s tally, crossing the chequered flag in the Top Ten following an eventful race with changing conditions.
It was Tomek Poradzisz’s time to get back behind the wheel for the twelfth and final round of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Polish rookie made his first Q3 appearance of his F1 Esports career, lining up P8 on the grid, with teammate Longuet starting P14 due to some technical difficulties that affected his qualifying session. It wasn’t an ideal race for the team, with both drivers struggling and eventually finishing P11 and P17 respectively.
Despite the rocky season finale, the points scored during the tenth and eleventh rounds allowed Nico, Dani and Tomek to successfully secure fifth place in the 2022 F1 Esports Series Pro Championship, showing great progress throughout a strong season.
Round Ten: Suzuka Nico Longuet (car number 40): 1st Dani Bereznay (car number 15): 12th
Round Eleven: Brazil Nico Longuet (car number 40): 4th Dani Bereznay (car number 15):7th
Round Twelve: Abu Dhabi Nico Longuet (car number 40): 11th Tomek Poradzisz (car number 37): 17th
Cameron Cowell, Team Principal: “That’s a wrap for the 2022 F1 Esports Season. There have been lots of highs and lows. For starters, Tomek’s performance in Event Two, going from P20 to P10 was memorable. Dani found his form again over Events Three and Four, managing to hit Q3 in every race he participated in as well as scoring a good amount of points for the team. Of course, Nico getting a beautiful P1 in Japan has been the best highlight of the season. He has had an outstanding year, and we all thoroughly enjoyed seeing him race. As a team we set out to achieve Top Five in the Constructors’ Championship and we have achieved that. I just want to say a big thanks to our drivers as well as the team for the continuous support. Bring on 2023!”
Nico Longuet: “That’s it! The season has come to an end and I’m very satisfied with the overall outcome. We had some troubles in Event One and struggled to settle in at first, but we improved throughout the whole season by scoring more points event after event. Our goal was to finish in the Top Five Constructors before this event, and we managed it beautifully, with a great win in Japan and double points in Brazil. My teammates showed great performances and improved each day, and they pushed me to be better as much as I pushed them. It has been a challenging season; the gaps were insanely close, and we gave it our all. Now, it’s time to take a small break, but not for too long: league racing will be back soon. Thank you for the support and see you next year!”
Dani Bereznay: “The season just ended, and I miss it already! Over the last six months, since the beta release of F1 ’22, we practiced every single day to get every bit of performance out of ourselves. Now, our hard work has been rewarded. We had a tough start, a Top Five finish didn’t quite seem within reach at the beginning of the season, but we made it! This is a great improvement from last year as a team, first, and for myself individually as well. The last two events were huge steps forward to where I want to be compared to where I was over the last two years, and I’m really proud of this development. I already can’t wait to face the challenges of 2023 to move forward on this road.”
Tomek Poradzisz: “My first ever season in the F1 Esports Series Pro Championship came to an end, and whilst it was a very tough experience, I am super proud of the progress I have made since the first event. I accomplished the goals I had set for myself before the season and got plenty of valuable experience that I intend to carry over to future seasons. The most important thing is that we finished in a very strong P5 as a team and have improved with each event, so much so that we were pretty much one of the top teams in the last one. There are several positives to take from the past three months, and I think we can all be super proud of the job we’ve done. Now, the goal is to carry this momentum going into 2023 – we are definitely not done yet, as there is so much more to achieve.”
About Sauber Group of Companies:
The Sauber Group of Companies is composed of two operational entities: Sauber Motorsport AG, which operates and manages the Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN; and Sauber Technologies AG, which focuses on third-party business in the areas of advanced engineering, prototype development and additive manufacturing, in addition to full and model-scale testing in the factory’s state-of-the-art wind tunnel and ground-breaking innovation in the field of aerodynamics. The companies collaborate closely and share know-how to apply the expertise of more than 500 dedicated individuals at the headquarter in Hinwil, Switzerland, to all internal and external projects. Since its founding in 1970, the passion for racing has been at the heart of Sauber.
For more than 50 years, the innovative Swiss company has been setting standards in the design, development and construction of race cars for various championship series, such as Formula One, DTM, and WEC. Following its own Formula One debut in 1993, Sauber Motorsport AG has established one of the few traditional and privately held teams in the sport. The company launched a long-term partnership with Alfa Romeo in 2018 and, as it celebrates 30 years of competition in Formula One, it enters the 2022 championship under the team name Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN.
After much anticipation from fans – and some delays – River City Girls 2 is finally here. The core gameplay from the first game remains the same but RCG 2 builds and expands upon it by a significant amount. The combat system was revamped, the number of selectable characters in the main quest was increased to six – while the original had only two – and the map is much bigger overall. It’s clear to me that RCG 2 is a better game than its predecessor but how good is it on its own?
Story
River City Girls 2 is a direct sequel to the River City Girls. After defeating the final boss, Misako and Kyoko go back to their normal lives or so they thought. The patriarch of the Sanwakai family isn’t happy to hear that one of their own was beaten up by a pair of school girls, so he decides to take things personally.
The story retains the first game’s light-hearted and humorous tone. Important plot points are told using manga panels and they are often funny. I couldn’t avoid having a big smile on my face while watching how Marian – the damsel in distress from Double Dragon – became a muscular badass. The writing in general is light-hearted and fun. RCG 2 never takes itself seriously and that’s reflected in the character designs and goofy dialogues that are always trying to poke fun at something. It’s also chock-full with references to old Technos – the creators of River City Ransom – games. Important characters from Double Dragon, Combatribes and many other titles appear in a variety of ways even as common enemies. It’s a delightful trip down memory lane for fans of Technos’ portfolio such as me.
Gameplay
RCG 2 plays fundamentally the same as RCG. The player still has to traverse River City while beating down thugs and helping people. The explorable portions of River City increased exponentially and so has the amount of side-questing that you can do; these sometimes involve minigames that directly reference the River City Ransom franchise such as dodgeball. Exploring is also more varied with some areas having two or three floors in the same screen. A lot of hidden characters and passages fill the stages for a nice change of pace from all the brawling. The problem that comes with having so much to do and see in this game is the excessive time spent looking at loading screens. It takes between 4 to 7 seconds to load a new area on a base PlayStation 4, and the player is required to backtrack a lot between areas that many times take a bit more than two seconds to traverse if you’re just rushing through. If there’s something that harms the pacing of a beat ‘em up is a lot of downtime. It also dampens your desire to do side-quests, unless you have the patience of a saint.
The combat has a lot of freedom to it. Each of the six characters has a huge repertoire of moves that are unlocked by leveling up or by simply buying them at the Lee brothers’ dojo. The controls respond well enough, but it would feel much better if the game ran at a higher frame rate. RCG2 currently runs at something close to 30 FPS and the performance also chugs down hard at certain points where a lot of effects are displayed.
Compared to the first game, it’s much easier and fun to follow with attacks after a launcher. You can bounce enemies for days before they land or even pursue your enemy in the air before finishing with a piledriver, for example. The partner system was also improved. Now, besides recruiting normal enemies, you also have the option to hire more powerful ones. It’s a lot of fun smacking multiple characters at once and calling in your buddies to extend the combo even more.
Boss battles are fun, and each one has a unique pattern that you must overcome before you can continue to deplete their HP. Most of these patterns are simple and easy to deal with. One boss in particular has a very nice surprise in store for fans. RCG2 isn’t really a difficult game. The only perceived difference for me while switching between normal, tough and nightmare difficulties was an increase on the damage output of enemies and especially stage hazards.
Visuals
If you’ve played the first RCG, you probably already know that this sequel looks almost exactly the same. To clarify, RCG2 uses sprite work to compose its characters and backgrounds. Many of the previous game’s assets are reused here. Some areas seem to be expanded, while others are completely new. This same notion also applies to the animations. Multi-layered areas are sometimes confusing which makes it a bit hard to discern if a layer is in the front or in the back but these are minor complaints. Overall, RCG2’s sprite work is detailed and a lot of work and care were put into animating the characters’ ample move set.
Audio
Megan McDuffee returns as a composer and singer. Her songs have a distinct melody to them, and they make for a nice contrast to the simpler tunes that can be heard throughout the game. Sound effects are also a mix between modern and classic 8-bit fare. The dialogues are plentiful in this game, and as far as I can tell, they are all voiced. This time you can choose between English and Japanese voice-overs which is a huge plus: Which one you’ll choose will depend on your preferences since both VOs are very well-done.
Overall
Wayforward did a nice job on River City Girls 2. It’s a bigger and better game than its previous iteration. Unfortunately, RCG2’s technical constraints detract a lot from the overall experience. There are indications that at least some of these issues are getting addressed soon. I truly hope that that’s the case, as I’d even start a new save to enjoy the game in its proper form.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
RAPTORCLAUS DELIVERS HOLIDAY GIFTS! ARK EXPANDED STORY CONTENT UPDATE, WINTER WONDERLAND EVENT NOW LIVE, & UPCOMING LAUNCH OF ABERRATION FOR SWITCH & SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST!
‘Tis the season to bring ARK goodies for the holidays! The ‘Winter Wonderland’ in-game event makes its annual return running now through January 5, during which ARK survivors can grab boosted rates, loot-filled presents, and collect 12 new chibis from this epic winter-themed extravaganza. The ARK Winter Wonderland event is the very first in-game event for Nintendo Switch players after last month’s reboot of ARK: Survival Evolved, bringing content parity with PC and console ARK players. A solid 2023 roadmap of ARK content updates is planned, including parity with all traditional in-game events as well as the release of the ARK: Aberration Expansion Pack on December 26, which brings an elaborate underground biome system with exotic new challenges for Switch players to face. Watch the ARK: Aberration Switch gameplay trailer HERE:
October’s reboot for ARK Switch players revealed an Expanded Story Content Update which is now available for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation players. The story update includes a series of new intro and ending cinematics for each ARK map, as well as the arrival of the community-requested Scorched Earth Ascension cinematic! Finally, the patch revisits older content and gives it fresh experience by adding in new voiceovers from David Tennant (as Sir Edmund Rockwell) and Madeleine Madden (as Helena Walker & H-LNA) to the game’s Dino Dossiers, Explorer Notes, and the epic Aberration showdown with element-addicted Rockwell! Watch the Expanded Story Content Update trailer HERE:
To end the year on a dino-high, PC players of ARK can jump into the Survival of the Fittest Crossplay Prototype starting on December 23. Re-evolved from the ground up with redesigned mechanics, survivors will strive to be the last one standing in this competitive dino-battle mode. Stay tuned for information on console launch dates in the future.
ARK: Survival Evolved is available on Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. In ARK, players are stranded naked, freezing and starving on a mysterious island where they must hunt, harvest, craft items, grow crops, and build shelters to survive. Use skill and cunning to kill, tame, breed, and ride dinosaurs and primeval creatures. Team up with hundreds of players online or try solo survival in offline play.
For the latest updates, join the ARK Survivor’s conversation on Discord, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube, visit our website at playark.com and watch us tame ‘n train leviathan dinosaurs on Twitch.TV.
