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The Fight Continues in Brawlhalla with Street Fighter Part II Epic Crossover

The fan favourite Crossover is back with even more Street Fighter characters joining the battle.

Sydney, Australia — May 26, 2022 To live is to fight, to fight is to live! Today, Ubisoft, in collaboration with Capcom, launched the comeback of Street Fighter™ in the world of Brawlhalla with five new characters and a new Street Brawl map inspired by “Bustling Side Street” from Street Fighter™ V.

The Street Fighter Part II Epic Crossover Event kicks off an in-game event that features Dhalsim, Sakura, Ken, M. Bison, and Luke joining the previously released Ryu, Chun-Li, and Akuma. In addition to the new Crossovers, the Street Brawl game mode will be featured as the Brawl of the Week, where players will fight Street Fighter-style with health bars to show who will be the first to fall in the 2-D fighter setting.

To watch the trailer click the image below

FIVE New Street Fighter Epic Crossovers are Joining the Brawl!

  • Dhalsim – Epic Crossover for Rayman – Self-disciplined but stern, Dhalsim can stretch his body and conjure fire for swift attacks. He may be a pacifist, but he will fight when necessary.
  • Sakura – Epic Crossover for Lin Fei – Sakura is a patient and disciplined warrior, and many fighters acknowledge her potential to be as strong as the competitors who trained before her.
  • Ken – Epic Crossover for Petra – Similar to his rival and best friend Ryu, Ken’s goal is to prove his strength against many fighters. Ken may be unpredictable and brash, but his heart is pure.
  • M. Bison – Epic Crossover for Thor – M. Bison is a dictator seeking world domination, and he is prepared to take down anyone or anything who gets in the way of his goals.
  • Luke – Epic Crossover for Cross – Luke was inspired to join the military after his father gave his life to help evacuate civilians. After serving, he followed his own path and joined competitive fighting to take on strong opponents around the world.

These Street Fighter Characters are Still Fighting!

  • Ryu –Epic Crossover for Petra – Ryu is always trying to find the next strongest opponent to better himself. Many of his iconic techniques have been brought over to Brawlhalla, like the Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, Shoryuken, and Hadoken.
  • Chun-Li –Epic Crossover for Wu Shang – The Strongest Woman in the World is sure to teach her opponents a thing or two about how to take a kick. She brings techniques of her own into Brawlhalla, like the Spinning Bird Kick and Kikosho.
  • Akuma – Epic Crossover for Val – Focused on defeating the gods, the Master of the Fist is ready to make them truly tremble to pieces. He’ll achieve ultimate power with his Tatsumaki Zankukyaku and Zanku Hadoken techniques, among a few others.

Each Epic Crossover is available for 300 Mammoth Coins via the in-game store. Items from last year’s Event, such as the iconic Street Fighter™ IV-inspired K.O. Effect and four avatars, will be featured during the Event. All items will still be purchasable and playable after the event ends. The game mode and map will also still be playable after the event ends.

Developed by Blue Mammoth, Brawlhalla is an epic free-to-play platform fighting game that transports over 80 million players to a fight for glory in the halls of Valhalla. Choosing from more than 50 unique characters, players can jump into single-player and co-op modes, as well as online and local competitions. Brawlhalla also supports cross-platform play between the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch™ system, PlayStation 4® and PlayStation 5® system, PC, Mac, iOS, and Android devices where players can play custom games and queue together for all online matchmaking.

For more information on Brawlhalla, please visit: brawlhalla.com

For the latest news on Brawlhalla and all of Ubisoft’s games, please visit: news.ubisoft.com.

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About Blue Mammoth: Founded in 2009 and acquired by Ubisoft in 2018, Blue Mammoth Games is a development studio based in Atlanta, Georgia. The experienced team specializes in online multiplayer games with large player bases.

Blue Mammoth develops Brawlhalla, a Free-To-Play fighting game on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, Mac, PlayStation® 4 and PlayStation 5® system, iOS, and Android devices. Brawlhalla has over 80 million players and is currently the most played fighting game on Steam.

About Ubisoft: Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, For Honor, Just Dance, Watch Dogs, and Tom Clancy’s video game series including Ghost Recon®, Rainbow Six and The Division. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2020-21 fiscal year, Ubisoft generated net bookings of €2,241 million. To learn more, please visit: www.ubisoftgroup.com.

About Capcom: Capcom is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment for game consoles, PCs, handheld and wireless devices. Founded in 1983, the company has created hundreds of games, including groundbreaking franchises Resident Evil™, Monster Hunter™, Street Fighter™, Mega Man™, Devil May Cry™ and Ace Attorney™. Capcom maintains operations in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Tokyo, with corporate headquarters located in Osaka, Japan. More information about Capcom and its products can be found at www.capcom.com or www.capcom-unity.com.

Capcom, and the Capcom logo are registered trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd. in the U.S. or other countries. Ace Attorney, Devil May Cry, Mega Man, Monster Hunter, Resident Evil and Street Fighter are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd. and/or its subsidiaries, in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.

© 2022 Ubisoft. All Rights Reserved. Brawlhalla is a registered or unregistered trademark of Blue Mammoth Games in the US and/or other countries. Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are registered or unregistered trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. Blue Mammoth Games is a Ubisoft Entertainment company.

©CAPCOM CO., LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Gran Turismo World Series Gets Underway on Gran Turismo 7

PlayStation Australia is excited to announce the return of the 2022 Gran Turismo World Series on Friday, 27 May and Saturday, 28 May with the first rounds of the Online Season 1. 

The Gran Turismo World Series will see a welcome return to live events in 2022.

The best of the racers from the first online season will be invited to compete in a three-day World Series Showdown in July against the best of the 2021 championship at the spectacular Red Bull Hangar-7 in Salzburg, Austria. The World Series then continues online with Season 2, with the fastest racers invited to challenge the established stars at the World Finals in November. After a two-year hiatus, the finals will return to the prestigious Sporting Monte Carlo, which hosted the 2018 and 2019 World Final Events.

In addition, fans can watch the top racers go head-to-head in a series of three Nations Cup and three Manufacturer Cup broadcast World Series races. While the competitors will compete online from their homes all over the world, the competition is no less fierce and the skills on show no less impressive. 

Finally, Genesis is joined as a new partner by Italian brake company Brembo. Both brands will add to the contributions of long-term partners Michelin, Toyota, Mazda, Alpha and BBS. 

For an overview of the championship, head to the Gran Turismo site.

For the latest PlayStation news, follow on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram

NI NO KUNI: CROSS WORLDS LAUNCHES GLOBALLY TODAY ON MOBILE DEVICES, WITH PC CROSS-PLAY

NI NO KUNI: CROSS WORLDS LAUNCHES GLOBALLY TODAY ON MOBILE DEVICES, WITH PC CROSS-PLAY

Celebrate the Grand Launch with In-Game Events, Rewards and More

LOS ANGELES – MAY 25, 2022 – Today,Netmarble, a leading developer and publisher of high-quality mobile games, launches its massively multiplayer online role-playing anime game Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds, available worldwide on mobile devices and on PC, featuring cross-play between platforms. To celebrate, Netmarble is kicking off an action-packed week of in-game events starting today. They include:

  • Welcome! Evermore Event – Clearing various missions within the game will earn players exciting rewards, such as the 4-star Ebon Taurex, which can be acquired by clearing the 7-day mission.
  • 7-Day Attendance Event – Daily logins grant players rewards just for showing up, like the 4-star Weapon and an array of other rewards!
  • Dice Event – Upon completion of various missions, Dice will be awarded, which players can roll to obtain a slew of other rewards, including Evolution Fruit or an Imagen Summon Coupon, among many more.
  • Discord Event – Joining Discord grants fans various rewards depending on the number of players joining the community

Published and developed by Netmarble, Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds brings an immersive, open anime world to life, rendered in Unreal 4 Engine. Featuring a new story and cast of characters, Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds is adapted from the original fantasy RPG series ‘Ni no Kuni’ by Level-5 and Studio Ghibli and features select tracks by the game’s original composer Joe Hisaishi,

Upon entering the game, five playable classes – the dashing Swordsman, the elegant Witch, the playful Rogue, the intelligent Engineer, and the unstoppable Destroyer – will be available, each boasting a fully customizable appearance. Players will also be able to acquire a wide variety of unique mounts, ranging from giant cats to floating mechanical gliders and grumpy birds. Familiars, mysterious creatures who fight alongside players, will also pop up throughout this journey, assisting players in battle with their special abilities. Fans can collect up to three Familiars simultaneously and can visit all the Familiars they’ve collected in their personalized Farms – the place players go to relax and hang out and decorate with accessories suited to their unique preferences. By joining Kingdoms, players will work together to make their Kingdoms stronger, while decorating them to reflect their group’s unique style.

With cross-play, players can experience the breathtaking world of Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds on their PC. After downloading the mobile version and linking to an email address, players can then download the PC version from the official website and play on their computer.

For the most up-to-date game info and updates, and to download the PC version, visit the official website (https://ninokuni.netmarble.com/) and follow the game’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Discord channels.

About Netmarble Corporation

Established in Korea in 2000, Netmarble Corporation is a top developer and publisher pushing the boundaries of the mobile gaming experience with highly innovative games including Marvel Future Revolution, Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds, Lineage 2: Revolution, The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross, Blade & Soul Revolution and Marvel Future Fight. As a parent company of Kabam, and a major shareholder of Jam City and HYBE (formerly Big Hit Entertainment), Netmarble strives to entertain audiences around the world with a variety of mobile games based on its powerful franchises and collaborations with IP holders worldwide. More information can be found at http://company.netmarble.com

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ACTION ARCADE WRESTLING ‘REIGNING AND DEFENDING’ UPDATE NOW AVAILABLE

Action Arcade Wrestling – the most electrifying wrestling game with actual electric attacks – has released the ‘Reigning And Defending’ update, now available on PS4Xbox One, and PC via Steam. This update will also launch soon on Nintendo Switch.

The free update enables players to create their own wrestling federations complete with customizable championship belts that can be won or lost to any wrestler on the roster, including the hundreds of downloadable AAW wrestlers. Players can now put their championship belt up for grabs to really liven up the stakes in any wrestling match. As a great philosopher one said, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man!”

Smash a folding chair over some knucklehead’s skull in 5-on-5 tag team, Elimination matches, Battle Royale, and more. Grab a power-up and show the competition what’s cooking with pyrokinesis, ice blasts, energy beams, lightning bolts, lasers and… sprinkles? Lay to rest with piledrivers and fireballs, then head to the extensive Wrestle Lab to create the world’s next wrestling superstar or one of your friends! Action Arcade Wrestling is a homage to ‘90s arcade wrestling games that can be enjoyed by old school fans, newcomers, and everyone in between.

Action Arcade Wrestling is now available on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch™ and PC via Steam. Stay up to date on Action Arcade Wrestling by following the game on Twitter, ‘liking’ it on Facebook, and visiting its official website at ActionArcadeWrestling.com.

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Gordian Quest – the Epic RPG Deck-Builder Hybrid – Launches on June 23

Choose from ten heroes, hundreds of skills, and a variety of game modes in this epic RPG deck-building adventure

Singapore – May 25th, 2022 – After a successful run in Early Access, Mixed Realms is thrilled to announce the full release of Gordian Quest will be on June 23, 2022. The full release includes 4 Acts, 10 playable heroes, and 3 game modes promising at least 30 hours of playtime per run. Gordian Quest is currently available on PC via Steam for $19.99 USD and will increase to $21.99 USD soon, so consider grabbing your copy now!

Following the release of its hit virtual reality action game, Sairento VR, Mixed Realms has continued its approach of involving players in the development process. In response to feedback acquired from its passionate community, Gordian Quest has been much improved between the 2019 Early Access launch and now, resulting in over 3,300 reviews on Steam with an overall “Very Positive” rating from players.

The full release comes with the latest build which includes Act 4, Endless mode, a new hero, new item classes, and plenty of balance and bug fixes. Check out the brand new gameplay trailer below:

Watch the new gameplay trailer here:

Gordian Quest is an epic RPG deck-building game inspired by old-school classics like Ultima and Dungeons and Dragons, using modern gaming concepts like rogue-lite elements and turn-based strategic combat. Form parties of heroes whom you will have to lead and manage on grueling missions. Help them forge bonds and discover new skills. Guide them through battles against multitudes of creatures as you work to unravel the curses laid upon the lands and defeat the ultimate evil at the heart of it all.

Players familiar with deck-building and strategy games will marvel at the vast build options and hero customizability in the various gameplay modes, while newcomers will enjoy the meaty yet familiar turn-based RPG mechanics. The charismatic anime-like art style is the cherry on top for all players!

Features

  • Unique card progression system: A blend of the customization opportunities of action RPGs with thoughtful deck-building.
  • Variety of heroes: Recruit ten heroes, each with their own unique class, skills, and playstyle to form a party of three and bring to the adventure. Play as the Swordhand, Cleric, Ranger, Scoundrel, Spellbinder, Druid, Bard, Warlock, Golemancer, or the Monk.
  • Hundreds of skills: The large variety of passive and active skills that can be deployed during turn-based battles allows players to discover and formulate their favorite combos.
  • Choices matter: Shape the course of your adventure with critical decisions and dice rolls.
  • Synergy system: Build up synergy between pairs of heroes through interactions in-game, allowing them to perform team combos.
  • Multiple game modes: A variety of ways for players to experience and replay the game – a rogue-lite Realm Mode, a long-form Campaign and Adventure Mode, and a 2 player PvP mode.
  • Customizable difficulty: Five levels of challenge ranging from Easy to Torment, plus togglable permadeath options that allow players to tailor their journey to their preference.
  • High replayability: Procedurally generated maps, dungeons, and randomized hero skills make each playthrough unique, and players will get rewarded across multiple game modes. Players can expect each run to last about half an hour in Realm Mode, to more than 30 hours of gameplay in the long-form modes.

Gordian Quest comes to PC June 23, 2022 with English audio and subtitles available in English, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Korean. Buy or Wishlist on Steam. To keep up to date on the latest news and updates, visit the website, join the official Discord, and follow Mixed Realms on Twitter and Facebook.

The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaosto receive its final expansion,Back to the Futon, this Summer

Travel through time to the Dungeon’s early days to preserve the world you know

Montpellier, France, May 25, 2022 – Indie developer Artefacts Studio in partnership with Dear Villagers have revealed the third and final expansion of their hit RPG The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos with Back to the Futon. Due this Summer on PC, Switch, PlayStation 4&5, and Xbox platforms, Back to the Futon holds four brand new chapters, filled with shenanigans and epic hijinks, and brings about the conclusion of their adventures in the wackiest of all dungeons.

In Back to the Futon, the adventurers are sent on a quest through time and space to solve once and for all the temporal anomaly that has enveloped the Dungeon of Naheulbeuk. During these time-traveling shenanigans, our heroes will face off against multiple challenges and enemies, including the zealous cultists of Dlul, the drowsy God of Sleep, as they search for the statuette of Gladeulfeurha.

Back to the Futon is an epic undertaking that’s roughly half as long as the base game. The culmination of everything introduced in The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk and its previous expansions (The Ruins of Limis and Splat Jaypak’s Arenas), Back to the Futon will allow players to reach level 16, offering them several new passive and active skills, along with new gear.

Back to the Futon is our love letter to everything that made The Amulet of Chaos great,” said Bruno Chabanel, CEO of Artefacts Studio. “As the title implies, Back to the Futon’s time-traveling concept gives us carte blanche to revisit the Dungeon of Naheulbeuk from an all new perspective. Seeing it in its early days, while it was still under construction, will rekindle players’ memories of the base game and its previous expansions, while adding all new comedic twists and lore to discover.”

The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos has been one of our most cherished titles, and Back to the Futon is a stirring tribute to everything that made it such a success,” said Guillaume Jamet, Head of Publishing at Dear Villagers. “We wanted this saga to go out with a bang, and we feel like Artefacts Studio has more than delivered!”

The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos’ is a turn-based tactical RPG chock-full of charm, humour and chaos! Leading a ragtag company of unlikely heroes, players will embark on an epic adventure combining the fun, creativity and chaos of an epic fantasy tabletop campaign with the challenge of the very best tactical RPG games, delivering an adventure unlike anything you’ve played before.

Features:

  • Explore a huge and surprising dungeon from the cave up to the luxury quarters of the evil lord Zangdar, passing through the goblin ice skating park and an extremely lively tavern!
  • Play with seven classic role-playing game characters complementing each other’s skills as you level them up: the Ranger, the Elf, the Dwarf, the Barbarian, the Magician (voiced by the talentuous Felicia Day!), the Ogre and the Thief.
  • Exciting turn-based battles, with creative support mechanics between team members.
  • An expansive bestiary (more than 100 enemies!) pushing you to think more tactically with every fight.
  • Hidden and destructive objects (including beer kegs) with surprising status effects will turn the tide of battle for the better…or worse!
  • An adaptive difficulty system: from an accessible and fun story mode with simplified combat to the “nightmare mode” where the smallest tactical errors will lead you to your doom!
  • Bizarre conversations, absurd situations and unusual encounters await!
  • Based on the popular Naheulbeuk universe by French author John Lang.

For more information on The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk:
Visit The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk website
Follow The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk on Twitter
Follow The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk on Facebook

About Artefacts Studio 
Based in Lyon, Artefacts Studio is one of the major players in the French indie gaming scene, with more than 50 passionate employees, and a strong focus on narrative, tactical, RPG, and racing games. Since its foundation in 2003, the studio has helped develop major console titles like Blood Bowl III and Space Hulk Tactics. Artefacts has been creating full games since 2014, including Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders and The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos.

About Dear Villagers
Dear Villagers is a publishing label of Plug In Digital. It’s a place where talented studios can unleash their creativity and focus on bringing unique single player experiences to players on PC and console, experiences that will stay with them long after the credits roll. Dear Villager’s lineup includes the award-winning The Forgotten CityThe Dungeon of NaheulbeukScourgeBringer and Edge Of Eternity.

Vampire The Masquerade – Swansong Gameplay

Join us for our latest gameplay for Vampire The Masquerade – Swansong as we complete the first chapter “scene 01” with all three characters, Emem Louis, Leysha Malkavain and Galeb Bazory. They are all summoned by the Prince (Prince Iversen) to investigate a code red alert that has thrown the Boston Court into turmoil.

Based on the cult role-playing game and developed by specialists in the genre, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is a narrative RPG in which your every choice determines the fate of the three main characters and of the Boston Camarilla.

Vampire The Masquerade – Swansong
Developer: Big Bad Wolf
Publisher: Nacon
Platform: Windows
Release Date: 19 May, 2022
Price: $69.95 AUD

Available now on Epic Games Store – https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/vampire-the-masquerade-swansong

Summary:

Not Recommended – Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong features an intriguing and mysterious storyline that hooks players but its bugs and restrictive nature prevent it from biting quite as deep as fans may like.”

Check out our review for Vampire The Masquerade – Swansong Here

Check out all the latest in the world of video games, anime, and entertainment at Capsule Computers:

Website: https://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CapsuleComputers
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/capsulecomputer
Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/2666558-Capsule-Computers/
Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/capsulecomputer/

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NFLPA AND MYTHICAL TEAM UP FOR UPCOMING NFL PLAY-AND-OWN NFT VIDEO GAME

First-ever Blockchain-enabled NFL Video Game ‘NFL Rivals’ to Launch Next Year; Exclusive NFL NFT Pre-Sale to Take Place Before Game Launch

NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES – May 25, 2022 – The National Football League (NFL), NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and next-generation gaming technology studio Mythical Games today announced a partnership to launch NFL Rivals, a new NFL video game that leverages blockchain technology, on the Mythical Platform in early 2023. Delivering on the fantasy of being a team General Manager, this fun, easy to play game will allow NFL fans and gamers alike to compete against other GMs with their assembled player rosters and teams, building, leveling up and improving their lineup. In addition, fans will be able to own, collect and trade non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of their favorite players through this play-and-own game experience. 

“With the rise of blockchain technology, we are thrilled to partner with Mythical Games on a blockchain-enabled game that delivers new play-to-own NFT capabilities, creating a new adventure for fans who love to play football games,” said Joe Ruggiero, SVP of Consumer Products at the NFL. “The interest in NFTs and video gaming amongst current and prospective fans continues to grow and combined have accelerated the NFL’s exploration of new gaming models that can deliver an unmatched experience to fans.”

Ahead of the NFL Rivals game launch, 32 limited-quantity collections of unique generative 3D NFL franchise-themed NFTs will be released in a series of drops called “Rarity League.” This officially licensed collection will provide owners access to special events, in-game rewards and other unique features.

“NFTs are revolutionizing the fan experience, and we’re excited to collaborate with the imaginative team at Mythical Games to create a whole new blockchain-based world in which NFL players take center stage.” said Terése Whitehead, Vice President, Consumer Products & Strategy at NFL Players Inc., the marketing and licensing arm of the NFLPA. 

“Partnering with the NFL to drive new fan and player engagement through fresh game design and the benefits of Web3 is an exciting moment for us,” said Jamie Jackson, Chief Creative Officer, Mythical Games. “NFTs with utility can add value to players in-game, and we can’t wait to bring these concepts to NFL Rivals to evolve the team management genre by adding the advantages of play-and-own games, offering the community new ways to engage with their favorite teams and players both in and outside this virtual world.”

NFL Rivals will launch globally for web and mobile web in early 2023. Interested players can join the Discord or visit the NFL Rivals website now for more information and to stay updated.

About Mythical Games

Acknowledged by Forbes’ Disruptive Technology Companies To Watch in 2019 and Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas 2021, Mythical is a next-generation games technology company creating a web3 gaming ecosystem by leveraging blockchain technology and playable NFTs for tools that enable players, creators, artists, brands and game developers to become stakeholders and owners in new “play and own” game economies.

Led by gaming industry veterans, the team specializes in building games around player-owned economies and has helped develop major franchises including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero, DJ Hero, Marvel Strike Force and Skylanders.

Mythical Platform protects gamers that may be new to blockchain through a custodial wallet for their digital items, while allowing advanced players the freedom to link their own wallets via bridges between the Mythical Chain and public mainnets. With its “gamers-first” focus, the Mythical Platform ensures players don’t need to dive into the intricacies of blockchain to enjoy ownership of their digital collections and have a great game experience.

About the NFLPA

The National Football League Players Association (“NFLPA”) is the union for professional football players in the National Football League. Established in 1956, the NFLPA has a long history of assuring proper recognition and representation of players’ interests. The NFLPA has shown that it will do whatever is necessary to assure that the rights of players are protected—including ceasing to be a union, if necessary, as it did in 1989. In 1993, the NFLPA again was officially recognized as the union representing the players and negotiated a landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement (“CBA”) with the NFL. The current CBA will govern the sport through the 2030 NFL season.

About NFL Players Inc.

NFL Players Inc., the licensing and marketing arm of the NFLPA, connects businesses to the power of NFL players. NFL Players Inc. creates customized business solutions for partners, through licensing, marketing strategy and player activations. For more information, please visit nflpa.com/players.

About OneTeam Partners

A licensing, marketing, and multimedia powerhouse, OneTeam launched as a joint venture between the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), MLB Players Association (MLBPA), and RedBird Capital Partners to maximize the collective value of athletes’ rights across group licensing, marketing, media and investing. OneTeam represents a range of commercial business interests on behalf of the athletes of the NFLPA, MLBPA, MLSPA, U.S. Women’s National Team PA, WNBPA, U.S. Rugby PA and League of Legends Championship Series PA. OneTeam also has several collegiate partnerships that include Altius Sports Partners, INFLCR and Opendorse. OneTeam Partners, facilitated the NFL Rivals deal in collaboration with all parties.

Sniper Elite 5 Review

Sniper Elite 5

Developer: Rebellion
Publisher: Rebellion
Platforms: Xbox Series X Xbox OnePlayStation 4PlayStation 5PC (Reviewed)
Release Date: 26 May 2022
Price: $49.99 USD – Available Here $99.95 AUD – Available Here

Overview

Sniper Elite is a clever series. It found its niche and it is sticking with it. And how can you blame it? It is a quality series, after all. Granted, it struggled to find its identity from the first game to the second, but from Sniper Elite 3 and onward it really started to shine. Nowadays, Rebellion has the market cornered. If you’re on the lookout for a decent WW2-themed game with an emphasis on sniping, pretty much everything will recommend you one of these games. It’s been a while since I sniped some nazis all over Europe, so let’s see what’s new on that (western) front.

Story

After visiting Italy in the previous game, Sniper Elite 5 takes us to France. Once again, those Germans have one more ace in the sleeve as they are losing the battle. This time their last resort is something called Operation Kraken. Is it a superweapon, some new elite squad of enemies, a large domesticated octopus that speaks German and can launch nukes? No one knows for sure. This time Karl Fairburne is being backed by the French resistance. You’ll visit a few chateaus, remnants of what was once St Nazaire, a steel mill factory, a train depot, and some submarine docks. You’ll zipline from one end of the map to the other – all in the effort to get to the bottom of what really is Operation Kraken.

Gameplay

The thing is, Sniper Elite 5 brings a lot to the table so I’m not even sure where to start first. Well, let’s talk about the campaign. Besides the main and optional objectives, you now have something called the kill list. Each level has some special nazi officer or a spy or a traitor that you have to eliminate. Now, there are two ways that you can approach this. You can kill them or……you can kill them harder. To elaborate on that needlessly confusing sentence, each of those special assassination tasks has a specific parameter that you can fulfill. Of course, it is not mandatory (a good old-fashioned murder will do just fine) but if you eliminate them with a specific weapon, kill them in an explosion or even poison them, you will unlock a new weapon that cannot be obtained otherwise. How’s that for an incentive?

Speaking of weapons, we now also have weapon customization. On every level, there are three workbenches to find. Using them will reward you with new weapon parts for your sniper, secondary weapon, and a pistol. As you customize your arsenal, you’ll notice visual changes on your weapons as well as changed stats. Every weapon part has its advantage as well as a drawback. If you want to make a silent sniper, you’ll also get a pretty weak stopping power as a bonus so make sure to go for a headshot every time. Or you can make a one-hit kill sniper rifle that will be heard by pretty much every enemy on the map. We also have some new ammo types – armor damaging bullets and not lethal bullets. The first one is usually used when you have more enemies near a truck or a tank so that way you can kill two….well, usually 5-6 flies Nazis with one bullet. I didn’t find non-lethal ammo particularly useful unless you’re going for a no-kill run in a level.

But that’s not where the fun ends. Besides the campaign, you have the usual goodies of a survival mode, co-op, and multiplayer, but also something new now called the invasion mode. It is insanely fun and it really spices up the game if you’re willing to take a risk. Basically, if you toggle that option on, as you play the campaign another player can join your game as the enemy sniper. You get more experience by completing objectives while having that option active, but there is always that danger of other players sneaking up on you and messing up your game. It makes you constantly on the edge and looking in all directions while sneaking around. You will usually think twice before sprinting in the open. Anxiety-inducing gameplay has never been so fun!

Visuals

If there is one thing that surprised me in Sniper Elite 5, it is the level design. There is always more than meets the eye. The second mission of the game places you in front of this huge chateau that has maybe 5-6 sections and layers inside. It is surrounded by intertwined streets, hidden passages, and tunnels. It’s like three levels in one and every time I replay that level, I discover some new area. Aside from that, there are noticeable improvements in character design. Karl doesn’t look so dead behind the eyes like in Sniper Elite 4. However, every once in a while I’d encounter some visual bugs that would take me out of the game. There is this unnatural blood splatter when knifing the enemies (blood will often clip through their heads and helmets) and on more than one occasion, I had some enemies simply fall through the map.

Audio

Rebellion has a tendency to go the extra mile when it comes to audio in this series but in this game, they surpassed my expectations. After you finish the campaign, you can replay the levels to get more achievements, and do some challenges while using different characters from the game. Nothing out of the ordinary, right? I mean, previous games had that as well. But what I didn’t expect is that each of these characters is fully voiced and they respond to what’s happening in the game. One unlockable character, Marie Chevalier, has specific voice lines that are used when you complete objectives (funny enough, Karl would usually stay silent when I played with him in those same situations) and when you notice specific things in the level (watchtowers, nazi officers, vehicles, etc).

Overall

Sniper Elite 5 is a good example of why you shouldn’t change something that works just fine as it is. I’ve seen too many sequels that wanted to try something different and make radical additions to the game that ended up being a complete misfire in the end. Sniper Elite knows what works and it’s sticking with it. If you’re a sniping nut like me, this purchase is a no-brainer. Improved kill cam, new weapons, new levels, new gameplay mechanics (you should seriously try that invasion mode), and lastly, huge replay value. Sniper Elite 5 is the pinnacle of the franchise and it will rule supreme for quite a while – or at least until a sequel is released.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Evil Dead: The Game Review

Evil Dead: The Game

Developer: Saber Interactive
Publisher: Boss Team Games
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X (Reviewed), Switch
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $39.99 USD – Available Here $69.95 AUD – Available Here

Overview

There have been many types of asymmetrical multiplayer games out there but for the most part, they focus on giving players very few options to actually defend themselves. Coincidentally, many of these happen to focus around horror themes and what better collection of horror films and tv series than the Evil Dead to put a new spin on things. The Evil Dead series has remained a mainstay for many when it comes to classic horror with the charisma of Bruce Cambell and wit of Sam Raimi coming together to create something truly special, to the point that the surprise TV series nearly three decades after the first film came as a pleasant one despite lasting only three seasons. So with Bruce Campbell returning as the iconic Ash as well as many familiar faces ready to take on the Deadites, is Evil Dead: The Game a worthwhile take on asymmetrical multiplayer?

Gameplay

Depending on how players want to play the game, they will find that there are two options for them every match. Either take part as one of four survivors trying to gather materials scattered across the map while surviving against enemies, traps, and more in an effort to purge evil from the area or as the Kandarian demon trying to put a stop to the survivors with a whole slew of tricks up your sleeve. Perhaps thanks to the way matches are designed to progress, even ending up on the losing side of a match rarely feels like a bad thing outside of when the game’s rougher edges rear their ugly head.

When playing as a survivor, players will have thirteen characters (four of which need to be unlocked) available to them from across the series spread across four different classes. These character classes offer various different bonuses with each character having unique skills of their own, though it is a bit rough that players cannot double-up on a character so if their favorite main character is chosen, be ready to select a secondary character. Once a match starts the team is told to gather three pieces of a map scattered around the area which will then point them to the location to both the Kandarian dagger as well as missing Necronomicon pages. Gathering either of these items triggers a wave battle against Deadites but once both are obtained players must defeat the “old ones” using the dagger before defending the Necronomicon from incoming Deadite hordes in an attempt to win a match by sealing it away for good. If all of this sounds a bit complicated, it really isn’t as the title not only requires players play through the tutorial at least once before starting any matches. 

All of this happens while players search the map, equipping different types of firearms and melee weapons of various rarities, something of an oddity that can cause balance issues later into matches depending on how poor a player’s luck is, picking up amulets that can provide shields, “Shemp’s Cola” that serves as healing items, ammo, and even matches to drive away the fear of the dark. In fact, there are even upgrade items that provide permanent upgrades for that match such as increased health, dealing more damage, increased resistance, and more. These elements of actually being able to fight back against the Deadites and the demon that are coming for the player’s head keep every match interesting and rarely do things feel like a complete blowout as a result. It also helps that various elements such as being able to revive dead companions at special sites around the maps as well as automatically reviving fallen allies at the end of page or dagger retrieval can help swing things in the survivors’ favor.

That being said, playing as a human also results in some of the rougher edges of the game coming into play. Physics during driving vehicles can occasionally be a bit rough around the edges with cars randomly flipping on their sides, not caused by demons, or the complete inability to climb most ledges or even slight bumps in the terrain. There is no jump button in Evil Dead: The Game and while some ledges/windows/fences can pull up a climb prompt these are few and far between. Multiple times I’ve had characters end up completely stuck in the map since they could not climb any of the terrain around them, leading to an inevitable death. Along these same lines, some interaction prompts for picking up weaponry, healing or helping revive allies, and more will occasionally not appear depending on the way items are laying which can often be frustrating.

On the demon side of things not only are there less issues when it comes to moving around the map, especially since they mimic movement similar to the movies by zooming around formlessly above the ground, but there are many tricks in each toolbox. There are three playable demon types at the moment to make use of, with each having various strengths and weaknesses, though many focus heavily on the Necromancer at the moment. Demons float around gathering orbs of energy and gain levels by scaring, damaging, and just straight up being a nuisance to the survivors. This can range from placing spawn traps that summon a few Deadites out of a rift in space in certain locations, causing a tree to swing wildly and terrify a survivor, trap a chest with a variety of humorous and powerfully fearful effects, and even trigger jump scares.

The more the demon does and the more they can trigger fear in the survivors, not only will they grow in level and gain various improved abilities such as the ability to possess lesser Deadites to give them a buff or even summon and control the boss demon, the more afraid the survivors are the easier they are to find on the map and even possess. A possessed survivor can be controlled at will and can deal plenty of damage or waste the resources of a potentially tapped team, or in a few quite evil feeling instances, force them to run away from reviving their last standing ally.

Whether players win or lose a match they will be awarded both XP for the character that they used as well as overall XP. This can then be used to help level up a character and try to unlock additional permanent bonuses that will persist through every match. These unlocks are a nice touch and help keep players feeling rewarded for sticking out with their favorite characters without truly breaking the game with any unbalanced characters. On the single player side of things the game does offer the aforementioned “Missions” that provide a bit of storyline and require players to complete tasks solo. Unfortunately these missions lack any form of checkpoint and can be rather difficult so a failure means restarting an entire level from scratch which can be quite frustrating thanks to some of the aforementioned map issues.

It is nice to note that players can choose to play completely with bots if they feel like it as well, though unfortunately players cannot unlock any achievements nor can they actually upgrade characters or demons as a result of these matches. This means that while the game will always have some life to it even should the crossplay thin out, gaining at least some small amounts of XP would be a nice touch here.

Visuals & Audio

It is quite clear that Saber Interactive has put a lot of effort into making sure that Evil Dead: The Game looks as impressive as possible while still delivering as many Evil Dead references. Characters are nicely detailed and feature a variety of signature weapons and finishing moves, a few of which are quite stupendous looking, and there are many locations scattered across the sparse two maps on offer that will be familiar to any longtime fan of the series. One can also say that, in many cases, this can be an incredibly bloody and violent looking game that matches the Evil Dead aesthetic perfectly. 

As far as the soundtrack goes the game features a number of fitting tracks that will appear authentic to longtime fans while all of the voice actors, including the man himself Bruce Campbell, have returned to reprise their roles and offer signature catchphrases throughout the fights.

Overall

Evil Dead: The Game usually feels like a complete blast to play and it may be one of the best asymmetrical multiplayer games out there thanks to the fact that players can actually fight back. Between every match feeling like a worthwhile one, some absolutely great melee combat and flashy finishers, and more fan service for fans of the Evil Dead franchise than you can shake a boomstick at. Sadly some rough navigation, a bit of repetition for now due to low map variety, and some janky elements do rear their ugly heads from time to time but those looking for some great multiplayer will find that Evil Dead: The Game delivers.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.