This All-Encompassing Edition Contains All ARK Content: The Original Game Plus Huge Expansion Packs Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, and Genesis Parts 1 & 2
REDMOND, WA – NOVEMBER 19, 2021 – The greatest dinosaur game ever to roam the earth is available today on PlayStation 4 and Xbox Series X/Xbox One in the massive, definitive retail release, ARK: Ultimate Survivor Edition. Available for an MSRP of $59.99 at GameStop and major retailers worldwide, ARK: Ultimate Survivor Edition includes the original ARK: Survival Evolved and its huge Expansion Packs Scorched Earth,Aberration, Extinction, and Genesis Parts 1 & 2.
The ARK: Ultimate Survivor Edition is completely updated and optimized with every improvement made since the launch of the base game, adding thousands of hours of gameplay! 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. They use skill and cunning to kill, tame, breed, and ride the dinosaurs and primeval creatures living in the ARK. From primordial island jungles progressing to the futuristic gardens of an interstellar starship, every sprawling environment is here for you to conquer.
Play ARK with a friend locally or with up to 70 players online. Complete your collection of notes and dossiers left by past explorers to learn the surprising history of the ARKs, then test your tribe and your beasts in battle with every boss challenge from the franchise!
Studio Wildcard continues to develop huge, free updates and themed events for ARK: Survival Evolved, including the upcoming free maps Lost Island, coming December 14, 2021, and the Nordic style, cold-weather Fjodur, coming in June 2022. Both maps will introduce three new creatures and 100’s of hours of gameplay to the ARK universe! And gamers that purchase ARK: Ultimate Survivor Edition will have access to digital downloads of Lost Island, Fjodur, and all future free ARK content. Do you and your friends have what it takes to survive the ultimate ARK experience?
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 the Website at playark.com and watch us tame ‘n train leviathan dinosaurs on Twitch.TV.
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ABOUT STUDIO WILDCARD Founded in 2014 by industry veterans Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak, Studio Wildcard’s mission is to bring AAA quality to ambitious indie titles designed for core gamers. The studio’s hit title ARK: Survival Evolved has sold more than 35 million copies across all platforms. The team emphasizes direct communication with its active community, implements player feedback into its fast, iterative dev cycle, and provides tools to drive user-generated content. Studio Wildcard includes distributed developers across multiple continents, as wherever talented developers reside, Wildcard seeks them out! www.studiowildcard.com
Star Citizen is Free-to-Play with Over 120 Shipsto Test Fly from Nov. 19 to Dec. 1 at the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo 2951
Who:
Cloud Imperium Games (CIG), developer of Star Citizen, is a new kind of independent studio dedicated to delivering AAA games outside the established publisher system. CIG was founded in 2012 by renowned visionary game developer Chris Roberts and continues to shift the paradigm of the game development process, offering its community an unprecedented level of visibility and interaction with product development.
What: The galaxy’s premier annual aerospace event, the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo (IAE), starts on Nov. 19 in Star Citizen! This year, the top ship manufacturers from across the ‘verse gather to showcase their latest flyable and concept ships to attendees. Expect six notable ship reveals at this year’s show, including the Aegis Redeemer, Ares Ion, Ares Inferno, and several special surprises – and prepare for 13 days of celebration during IAE 2951 with free test flights for over 120 flyable ships. The best part: Star Citizen will be free-to-play from Nov. 19 through Dec. 1. Whether you’re a stranger to the ‘verse or a seasoned pilot, there’s never been a better time to jump in the cockpit and experience what Star Citizen has to offer.
Highlights for this year’s Star Citizen IAE 2951 event include:
Play for Free from Nov. 19 through Dec. 1: Download and play Star Citizen for free during IAE 2951. New pilots may sign up and start flying here.
Test fly over 120 ships in Star Citizen for free!
Anvil Spartan and Special Announcements: Manufacturer Anvil Aerospace will open this year’s IAE 2951, with the unveiling of its new Spartan vehicle. IAE attendees can also look forward to a brand-new ship from manufacturer Argo Astronautics on Nov. 25, and a big surprise from Musashi Industrial and Starflight Concern (MISC) on Nov. 27.
New Manufacturers Every Day: With new manufacturers opening their IAE 2951 show halls each day, there’s an array of existing and new ships to see and test fly throughout.
Best in Show: Starting on Nov. 28, attendees can look forward to the reveal for the exclusive ship skins and in-game leather jackets awarded to the four finalists of Star Citizen’s recent Ship Showdown event. In addition, the Ship Showdown winner, the MPUV Cargo (and its cult following) will receive a manufacturer-themed in-game backpack.
Aegis Redeemer: Whether you find yourself dogfighting or facing off against capital ships, this heavily armed gunship puts you and your crew in the center of any battle.
Crusader Ares Star Fighter: Attendees can look forward to two variants of the Ares Star Fighter: Inferno and Ion. While the Ares Star Fighter Ion is armed with a S7 laser cannon and excels at long-range combat, the Ares Star Fighter Inferno comes packed with a S7 ballistic gatling cannon better suited for mid-ranged engagements. Both variants of the gunship excel at dealing damage to large and capital level ships.
Whitley’s Guide Coverage: Tune-in for coverage and updates from Jax McCleary throughout the show. The award-winning journalist and host of the wildly popular Whitley’s Guide will bring viewers the latest directly from the New Babbage Expo Hall with hot takes on the latest ship models on show, starting on the very first day.
When:
The Intergalactic Aerospace Expo 2951 is scheduled to begin on Nov. 19 and will run through Dec. 1. For a more detailed schedule and map of the IAE 2951 halls, please head to the official website here.
Where:
This year’s IAE 2951 will take place at the Tobin Expo Center in New Babbage. Attendees can take advantage of the local transit system to reach the expo.
To download supporting assets, including the Star Citizen IAE 2951 trailer, please visit our
NERF Legends Launches Today on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch & PC
Be the ultimate NERF legend in this fast-paced FPS featuring an exciting story campaign and online multiplayer for up to eight players!
MINNEAPOLIS — Nov. 19, 2021 — NERF Legends, the new first-person blasting game inspired by Hasbro’s iconic NERF toy line, is out now on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam for $49.99. Gear up and battle with a wide array of authentic NERF blasters in this action-packed experience featuring a thrilling single-player story campaign plus intense online multiplayer for up to eight players.
NERF Legends is a fast-paced, high-energy FPS that lets you experience NERF like never before. Blast your way through thrilling combat arenas, take on a diverse range of blaster-wielding opponents, and show off your skills with high-flying trick shots. Take on single-player story mode, and compete with friends in online multiplayer action to become the ultimate NERF legend!
KEY FEATURES
Intense single-player campaign featuring a variety of extreme enemies, boss battles and challenges across 19 out-of-this-world locations.
Pull off amazing trick shots with 15 authentic NERF blasters from the Mega, Ultra and Elite lines, including new releases from 2021!
Supercharge your blasterswith power-ups like magnetic pull darts, push darts, seeker darts, and slow darts to change the tide of battle.
Customize your character and blasters with upgradeable perks and skins.
Online multiplayer featuring 4v4 team-based and 8-player free-for-all modes lets you test your blasting skills in exciting matches against friends and rivals!
For an even deeper experience, NERF Legends’ Digital Deluxe Edition features the “Alpha Pack,” which brings you expanded content not included in the base game, including:
The NERF Elite 2.0 Echo CS-10 blaster in both its true-to-life blue-and-orange color format, plus four additional color variations for those who dare to be different
The NERF Elite 2.0 Phoenix CS-6 blaster fully decked out with scope and five optional color variations
The Alpha Suit, a sleek new outfit to add to your customization options, complete with 10 different color variations
Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a global play and entertainment company committed to making the world a better place for all children, fans and families. Hasbro delivers immersive brand experiences for global audiences through consumer products, including toys and games; entertainment through eOne, its independent studio; and gaming, led by the team at Wizards of the Coast, an award-winning developer of tabletop and digital games best known for fantasy franchises MAGIC: THE GATHERING and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.
The company’s unparalleled portfolio of approximately 1,500 brands includes MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF, MY LITTLE PONY, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH, MONOPOLY, BABY ALIVE, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, POWER RANGERS, PEPPA PIG and PJ MASKS, as well as premier partner brands. For the past decade, Hasbro has been consistently recognized for its corporate citizenship, including being named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media and one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute. Important business and brand updates are routinely shared on our Investor Relations website, Newsroom and social channels (@Hasbro on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.)
About GameMill Entertainment
GameMill Entertainment, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a third-party publisher of console and mobile games for passionate fans around the world. Development platforms include PC, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft consoles including the Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, Sony consoles including the PlayStation®5 and PlayStation®4, and mobile devices. With development across the globe, GameMill is a source of entertaining and fun games for all ages. For more information, visit https://gamemill.com, as well as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.
New Sky Tower floors, dungeons, and events are some of the highlights of this heavenly patch
Hamburg, November 19, 2021 – gamigo asks Aura Kingdom players to hold on tight because its latest patch – Sky Riders – is going to take them on a memorable flight filled with new Sky Tower floors, dungeons, events, and much more.
Aura Kingdom’s Sky Riders patch takes off with players battling through five new Sky Tower floors (56-60), each featuring their own story, challenges, and rewards. Once players reach a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet, they can unfasten their safety belts and battle through four new dungeons:
Eidolon Story Dungeon: Tsubaki
Nightmare Realm (Party)
Nightmare – Ancient Cliff Temple (Solo)
Demon King Fantasies X – Battle of Ambition
Entering their descent, players can look forward to participating in the Sky Tower Drop Event, the Guild Eidolon Spawn Event, and the Christmas Letter Collection Event. For the upcoming holiday season, players can participate in a number of in-game activities – such as archeology and cooking – to collect the letters C-A-N-D-Y. Once their CANDY is earned, players can exchange them for several in-game rewards including panels, buffs, and more.
About gamigo group The gamigo group is one of the leading publishers of online and mobile games in Europe and North America. The group’s diverse game portfolio includes free-to-play titles such as Fiesta Online, Trove and Aura Kingdom and mobile games like Fantasy Town and Heroes of Twilight. Counting more than 400 employees, gamigo group is one of the largest players in the gaming industry. Besides its German locations in Hamburg (HQ) and Berlin, the gamigo group also has branches in Austin and Bellevue (US), and in Seoul (South Korea). In addition to gamigo AG, the group includes the subsidiaries gamigo Inc. operating as “WildTangent”, gamigo US Inc., gamigo Publishing GmbH, Aeria Games GmbH and KingsIsle Entertainment, Inc. The gamigo group strives to grow organically as well as through acquisitions. Since 2013, it has made more than 25 acquisitions, including titles, gaming and technology companies as well as individual game assets. The gamigo group is part of Media and Games Invest (MGI).
Pre-Orders for Nintendo Switch and Windows PC Start Today!
Hertfordshire, 19th November 2021 – Today, KOEI TECMO Europe unveiled a special world tournament for their upcoming release of Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX! The collection marks the triumphant return of the Monster Rancher series in the West, and bundles together the fan-favourite Monster Rancher 1 (1997) and Monster Rancher 2 (1999). The title will launch December 9th, 2021 on the Nintendo Switch™, Windows PC via Steam®, and iPhone®, iPad®, and iPod touch® via the App Store®.
To celebrate the Monster Rancher series’ 25th anniversary, KOEI TECMO Europe announced the Monster Koushien World Battle! “Monster Koushien” is the official Monster Rancher tournament series. The first tournament was held in 1997 at the Tokyo Game Show and has become the representative tournament for the franchise. This global event will allow any player who purchases Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX to participate by raising their monsters in-game and uploading their data to a special server to see who are the top players in the world.
“I am planning to hold a world tournament like the ones we have been running in Japan,” says executive producer, Kazumi Fujita, “We have never run a tournament like this outside of Japan. This is an endeavour to allow everyone around the world to take part and decide who is number one in the world.
“Since the original release of Monster Farm in Japan, and Monster Rancher globally, I have always dreamed of running a worldwide tournament. I am very excited to see this dream become a reality!”
Aspiring ranchers can pre-order Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX starting today on Nintendo Switch™ and Windows PC via Steam®.
Additional game details and further information for the tournament will be revealed at a later date. For more information on Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX, check out the official website, ‘Like’ us on www.facebook.com/koeitecmogames, and Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @koeitecmoeurope.
ABOUT KOEI TECMO EUROPE LTD.
KOEI TECMO EUROPE LTD. is a publisher of interactive entertainment software for current generation consoles, handhelds and digital download content based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, UK. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of KOEI TECMO HOLDINGS CO., LTD., headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. KOEI TECMO’s best known for their signature ‘one versus thousands’ Warriors series, the fan-favourite Ninja Gaiden and fighting entertainment title Dead or Alive. Through collaboration with strong existing franchises, such as A.O.T. Wings of Freedom (Attack on Titan), has brought fan-favourite shows to life in video game form. The company’s desire for innovation and diversity has seen the creation of the critically acclaimed dark-samurai action title Nioh, which takes on new and unique gameplay styles. The company’s acquisition of GUST, developer of a variety of heart-warming titles, has seen their flagship Atelier series span generations of consoles and fans alike. More information about KOEI TECMO EUROPE LTD and its products can be found at www.koeitecmoeurope.com
Infantry squads and modern tanks will fight in a desert region
Gaijin Entertainment and Darkflow Software announce that this weekend gamers will be able to prove themselves in battlefields from modern times. Enlisted: Modern Conflict players will use authentic weapons and combat vehicles relevant to 21st century conflict and fight in massive, believable and dynamic squad-based first person battles.
Modern Conflict action takes place in a desert region where one faction uses mostly NATO weapons (i.e. M4A1 carbine), while the other side is equipped with mostly Russian designed gear. All players will get predetermined assault and sniper infantry squads as well as modern tanks. There is a good choice of weapons like assault rifles, sniper rifles and shotguns, both unique to each faction and available to both sides. Two signature masterpieces of modern tank design, the М1А1 НС and the T-80U, engage each other in fierce duels, shield infantry from enemy fire and crush the enemy defences. All infantry squads will get shovels that can be used to dig trenches.
Modern Conflict mode is available for free from now up until November 22nd on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, with users from all platforms being able to play together.
About Enlisted Enlisted is a squad-based first person MMO shooter covering key battles from World War II. The game carefully recreates weapons, military vehicles and the atmosphere of that era, while demonstrating really massive clashes of numerous soldiers, tanks and aircraft with artillery and naval support. Official website: https://enlisted.net
About Darkflow Software Darkflow Software is a game studio founded in 2016 by video game industry veterans and is located in Riga, Latvia. Currently, the company is working on the squad based multiplayer WW2 shooter Enlisted and online shooter CRSED: F.O.A.D.
About Gaijin Entertainment Gaijin Entertainment is the developer and publisher of the online games War Thunder, Crossout, Enlisted, Cuisine Royale and Star Conflict as well as PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, iOS and Android titles across several genres. The company’s diverse portfolio has received a range of mass media and game industry awards including such as Gamescom Award and many more. Official website: http://gaijinent.com/
During the early 2000’s, Rockstar built an empire with their Grand Theft Auto franchise. Sure, the fifth installment has been basically the only way to go for a decade, but fans still remember and clamor for the trilogy that really defined the experience they have today. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is finally here to bring us back to that era, acting as a compilation of all three titles for modern platforms. It couldn’t be at a better time, but does this set of games still hold up, or does this set miss the mark entirely? Let’s find out.
Story
It is hard to really fit all three stories in one summary for this trilogy, so let me offer a general synopsis for each, as nothing has changed from the original experiences. Grand Theft Auto III has players take control of Claude, a prison escapee who ends up crossing paths with several different factions of the mafia. The player works to appease different crowds, travelling through Liberty City and doing missions to watch the narrative unfold. It is a simple, yet effective plot that kind of takes a backseat to exploring the wild setting in front of you.
Vice City is a throwback, with players put in the role of criminal Tommy Vercetti. While not as long, this plot is much more focused, featuring the same mafia/gangster type plot points, with Tommy working his way up to an all-out kingpin of this small, yet thriving city. San Andreas easily is the best of the lot, as it feels like players are a character in Boyz in the Hood, with similar plot points and characters popping up in what is easily the most fleshed out and enjoyable narrative in the franchise. Altogether, it’s a great thing to dive in and out of all three of these titles, as nostalgia is sure to bite the player hard upon hearing the dialogue sequences hit upon the start of the game. That said, the execution of how well these remakes play hinder those nostalgic vibes, as the familiar comfort is often interrupted by glitches, bugs, and even character model replacements that returning players are sure to find issues with as they try to relive what is probably one of the most played franchises of all time. Nothing has changed with the actual stories; they just look and feel jarringly different from how you may have remembered them.
Gameplay
Imagine every day you walk to work, taking the same road. Eventually, that path becomes so familiar that you barely notice the backdrop, only focusing on your thoughts and current happenings as you trek along forward. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is kind of like that, but now enhance that backdrop, add obstacles that feel intrusive, and take away quality of life improvements that happened over the years, such as added sidewalks or stoplights. Suddenly, even a simple turn into a once familiar territory feels new, but for all the wrong reasons. Each one of these titles suffers from this, as even though I feel I have played all three of these titles for hundreds of hours, I never found that comfort I once had as the games are just a chore to play for multiple reasons.
The first thing players will notice is the lack of refinement. Let’s face it, even though these titles were deemed great, GTA had sequels that added minor features that changed the way you explored these worlds on foot or in a vehicle. It takes a lot of time getting used to a character that cannot sprint (like in GTA III) or climb up a wall properly, and the return to such an awkward control style is a bit jarring, but nothing that cannot be adjusted to in time. What hinders the revisit further however is the number of glitches, bugs, and so on that plague each and every title – making it hard to focus on nostalgia while adding tedium in doing even the most basic of movements.
Upon booting up III, the AI seemed off. Cars no longer seem to understand how to drive on the roads properly, often plowing over pedestrians (or your character) for no reason. Many pedestrians were walking into walls, and simple missions felt nearly impossible due to way the main character interacts with the map. For example, there is a mission where you must grab grenades and take out three delivery trucks without getting busted by police. Easy enough. This time around, that mission is much harder as the delivery trucks seemed to get scared and go way off course, where grenades even managing to land correctly still don’t count as a hit. Even facing a pileup caused in chaos, those trucks just plowed right through, while other cars would cause so much damage to my own car that I would usually explode from damage before even getting to get out and chuck one explosive. At times, the grenade would shoot backwards or explode way off target, making this simple mission take way longer that it would have in the original titles.
I wish it was just one title that had these issues, but it is as if each world was somehow rewired in a way where no AI understood how to function as a human being. Vice City is a little bit better with the AI at times and may be the most playable of the lot, but San Andreas was just as frustrating as you spend a good deal of time on a bike. Let me rephrase that. You spend a lot of time on a bike, with cars that don’t seem to understand the difference between a sidewalk or a street, meaning the player spends a lot of time dodging vehicles, rather than being able to focus on standard objectives. Forget that the player already has issues with aim and movement, or cars that don’t seem to accept an input to enter unless you are lined up just right. There are so many minor bugs in this compilation that it is hard to do anything important without having to rewire your brain to move around all of these new intrusions.
I don’t want to act as if the games are unplayable, as I did enjoy a lot of my time getting reacquainted with these famous locales. There is a lot to like here, and some improvements do help. New checkpoints allow us to not have to restart a whole mission if we meet our demise, which helps a lot. The new map also is easy to pull up and use, despite some sloppiness that comes with setting waypoints. I kept having to ask myself “was this like that before?” upon finding something frustrating within a mission, and in the end, it doesn’t really matter. This trilogy picks and chooses what it adds refinement to, and usually that refinement is only half-executed. Sure, you can now select weapons easier, but with tank handling on large weapons still being a thing, how much does that actually help? Maybe we didn’t have certain abilities in the original lot, but why do we have parts of new mechanics added in for some sections of gameplay, only to be missing in others? When you have such familiar properties to fans, putting them all together with your quality-of-life improvements is important. Sadly, that wasn’t done here and that is what makes everything feel broken. I would have rather had the same gameplay from the first three titles with no adjustments compared to what feels like a tug of war with new additions and old hat that don’t feel fluid or cohesive.
Visuals
This is rough. I personally do not hate the new art style in these definitive versions. Sure, the newly defined features on old characters are a bit comical, but easy to get over as you can at least see the attempt. The screen tearing between all three titles as well as random framerate drops however are not something to laugh about. Character models will randomly contort in non-human ways during animation, and clipping is almost always present when walking near any structure. No, these are not going to look like the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy you fell in love with. It may be bearable, but for returning players who pay good money to obtain a definitive version of their favorite franchise – prepare for yet another release that will leave you running back to a previous platform.
Audio
A lot of people will critique the audio as some games have missing tunes in the soundtrack. In my opinion, Vice City is the only one this is super noticeable with, as without Billie Jean – it kind of hits different jumping in a car. The rest of the audio is fine, I guess. Despite rough dialogue animation, most still sounds as it did, even though I did get mild static at portions. At this point, I can say that the sound work may be one thing that at least takes the lightest hit.
Overall
Rockstar are known for two things these days. Creating long-term commitments for great games, and making a boat load of money off said games from a loyal fanbase. They didn’t have to re-release this trilogy, but the issue is they did, and did it dirty by not showing enough care to actually update it. To top that off, the minor updates that were implemented make what was a good set of games feel unpolished and mediocre three times over. These are three titles that defined a generation of gaming, and you would think someone would have noticed in quality control somewhere that something was amiss. Alas, what we have here is a sad cash grab from a company that typically strive for perfection. Getting Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition may bring back a bit of nostalgia for some, but for others it will go down as one of the first black marks on the publisher’s nearly spotless record.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
The Legend of Tianding is an action-platformer game with some RPG elements. Produced in a joint effort between Taiwanese indie developer CGCG and publisher Neon Doctrine, The Legend of Tianding is CGCG’s first released game. As a Taiwan-based indie developer, CGCG’s mission is to create games, especially action-oriented ones, that use Taiwan’s history and folktales as a background. Looking at the selection of indie titles we have nowadays, we can certainly say that we have some variety in regards to games based on less represented cultures. The first game I experienced from a Taiwanese developer was a story-driven horror game called Detention. That game used the same basic premise as Tianding; it was based on a real-life historical period of Taiwan. Detention’s art and solid writing, not to mention that it was navigable with little clunkiness, kept me intrigued until I saw the credits roll. It was certainly an educational experience as I knew absolutely nothing about Taiwan back then; Detention opened my eyes and made me even more receptive to new cultures and ideas in general. Coincidentally or not, The Legend of Tianding has the same solid foundation. Different from Detention, the focus of Tianding is less on its writing and more on the quality of its action, playability, and presentation.
Story
The story takes place in the city of Taipei, more specifically, an area called “Dadaocheng”. After a short absence from Dadaocheng, Tianding returns once more to help the people of Taiwan. This time, he will have to deal with much more dangerous situations. Besides helping the poor, he will also assist a local rebel group and will also try to unveil the mystery around a certain legendary treasure. The Legend of Tianding uses the 1895 Japanese invasion and occupation of Taiwan as a background. The game takes place in 1909 and tells the folktale of Liao Tian Ding -The Taiwanese “Robin Hood”- along with some of Taiwan’s cultural nuances. Liao Tian Ding was known for fighting the Japanese Imperial Army occupation in his own way: by stealing from the rich and giving back to the poor.
The game’s story is told using in-game dialogues and, more notably, in the form of a neat Chinese manga featuring beautiful art. While in “Chinese-manga mode”, sometimes the frames will shake or have “speed lines” and “focus lines” -techniques used in manga creation- to simulate movement; this helps give more exposition and dynamism to the story and characters. The story in itself is presented as you’d find in a Japanese shonen manga. That means it’s very focused on the action part and also riddled with clichés. There are also some inconsistencies in the English translation, such as typos and weirdly structured sentences; it doesn’t get in the way much. All in all, the story is told in a fun and charming way.
Gameplay
The Legend of Tianding is at its core, a side scroller, action-platformer game. There are also some RPG elements, something that seems mandatory in most modern action games nowadays. The player is able to explore Dadaocheng, talk with citizens and collect hidden artifacts that are also acquirable by donating money to the poor. These artifacts not only grant stats bonuses or abilities, but they are also literal pieces of history that you can collect: these include newspapers, first aid kits that were sold by the Japanese, bottles of alcoholic beverages, etc. There are more than a hundred of those, each with their own description which adds a lot of context to the time period that the game takes place in. Sometimes, the player will also need to do a little fetch-questing to advance the story, but those are just a minor annoyance.
After all the talking is done, the player will take on missions that cover the action-platforming part of the game. These missions feel like dungeons in an RPG and are the meat of the game. At the very beginning, the player will have at their disposal Tianding’s basic thievery and Kung Fu abilities. Some of these moves will help not only in combat but also in reaching higher platforms. One of the most interesting ones among these abilities is Tianding’s Wing Chun red sash. By dealing a certain amount of damage to enemies, you can bind them with the red sash and from there, bring them towards you, send them to the front which will hit other enemies, or launch them in the air, allowing you to follow up with attacks. The red sash is also used to steal currency and even their weapons; this creates an interesting dynamic to the combat, as depending on the variety of enemy you’re dealing with, they’ll carry different weapons. Those include batons, swords, pistols, and more.
Once the mission begins, the player must traverse a series of platforming sections, avoid obstacles and fight the enemies that roam the area. On “wanted outlaw” difficulty, the gameplay flows fast; the platforming is very simple and the combat easy. This game doesn’t properly punish the players’ mistakes with one exception: boss battles. They are not too challenging but are certainly a considerable spike in difficulty and also make things more interesting combat-wise. The bosses have a variety of attack patterns and potential damage that they can dish out. If you’re careless, you may die a couple of times before defeating a boss.
Visuals
The Legend of Tianding is made entirely in 3D using the Unity engine. The graphics use art and filters to look like a playable Chinese manga, and it looks beautiful. The technology may be rudimentary, but the amount of care put into its art style and animations is something truly admirable. Dadaocheng comes to life with lots of NPCs prowling the streets. The main characters’ models are well rendered and animated with a high number of frames. This is especially the case with bosses. The game runs flawlessly in 1080p resolution and at 60 frames per second. There’s no visible option to run the game in 4K resolution or go past the 60FPS cap. This will disappoint some but who knows? Maybe CGCG will implement this option in a future patch.
Audio
As one might expect, the music and sound effects used are all thematically Chinese. While exploring Dadaocheng, the music is calm and fitting of a small city. When completing missions or fighting bosses, the music changes to tunes that are more fitting of an action scene. The sound effects are simple, but at least they aren’t overused stock effects as can be seen in a number of indie games.
Overall
I had a lot of fun with The Legend of Tianding. It’s a great action game and a nice surprise. I definitely want to see what CGCG and developers from other countries can deliver next time. Games like this certainly give another meaning to the term “indie game”.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Steam® Closed Playtest announced, running November 26-28
Sydney, Australia – November 19, 2021 – Vertigo Games, the VR specialist publishing and development arm of the global Koch Media Group, have announced today that 4-player co-op VR action FPS After the Fall is scheduled for a multi-platform release with full cross-platform multiplayer support on December 9, with pre-orders for the Meta Quest 2, and in the PlayStation®VR and Steam stores starting today. To accompany the news, Vertigo Games released a new trailer that shows off After the Fall’s signature 4-player co-op play, hordes of enemies and weapons, and provides a first glimpse at the game’s newly revealed PvP mode. At the same time, a newly released gameplay video demonstrates the game’s first mission; Skidrow Harvest Run.
Watch the “Better Together” pre-order trailer here:
Watch the gameplay video here:
Frontrunner Season
The launch is only the beginning for After the Fall players. The launch edition includes automatic access to the Frontrunner season, including new maps and game modes, with more content and updates to be announced.
Players who buy the game on the Quest platform will automatically own After the Fall on both the Quest 2 and Rift through cross-buy.
After the Fall: Deluxe Edition
The Deluxe Edition will also be available on Steam and PlayStation VR, including:
Automatic access to the Frontrunner season
Digital Artbook
Official Soundtrack
PS4 Theme and Avatars (PlayStation VR)
Exclusive Uncle Bob skin (Steam) or exclusive Ultimate Buster skin (PlayStation VR)
Pre-Order Details
Starting today, players can pre-order After the Fall to receive a 10% pre-order discount on all platforms. On Quest 2, players will receive access to the exclusive Fwd. to the Past skin. On Steam, players will receive access to the closed Steam Playtest. Lastly, players who pre-order on Steam and PlayStation VR will receive 48 hours of Early Access as an additional pre-order bonus.
Steam Playtest
Steam players who pre-order After the Fall will receive guaranteed access to the closed Steam Playtest from 9PM PT on November 26th until midnight PT on November 28th. Primarily introducing players to the first Harvest Run mission, more details about the playtest will be shared on Steam and via After the Fall community channels shortly.
Developed by Vertigo Studios (Arizona Sunshine) and published by Vertigo Games, After the Fall will be coming to Quest 2, PlayStation VR and PC VR platforms on December 9 for an SRP of $54.95 AUD, with a release on the original Quest to follow at a later date.
To stay up to date about all things After the Fall, pre-order the game and subscribe to the newsletter on http://afterthefall-vr.com.
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About After the Fall
From the team that brought you Arizona Sunshine® comes an epic VR action FPS with intense 4-player co-op gameplay at its core. Team up with friends and take on a post-apocalyptic VR world filled with ferocious undead–mutated and twisted by the relentless cold.
Intense Co-op VR Action: Go solo or join forces in 4-player co-op through an infested, 1980s-inspired VR world
Hell Has Frozen Over: Venture out into the ruins of an evolving, post-apocalyptic LA to take the city’s future in your hands
Not Your Average Undead: Fight huge hordes, Specials and colossal bosses
Discover Your Combat Style: Craft, upgrade and wield a large arsenal of weapons and devastating powers with real-life movements
About Vertigo Games
Vertigo Games is a multi-platform VR publisher and developer with offices in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Los Angeles, California. With teams in the areas of development, publishing and LBE (location-based entertainment) distribution, the company offers a growing portfolio of quality VR games that provide novel, powerful and full-featured gaming experiences both inside of the home, and outside of the home through its leading LBE content provider and management platform SpringboardVR. Current games include Vertigo Studios’ evergreen brand Arizona Sunshine®, critically acclaimed VR titles such as A Fisherman’s Tale, music game Unplugged VR®, and LBE-exclusive VR experiences like Ghost Patrol VR®. Vertigo Games has multiple releases in the publishing pipeline, including Vertigo Studios’ next VR action FPS game After the Fall®. Vertigo Games is a Koch Media Group company. vertigo-games.com
8 Playable characters, online and offline modes supported
Sydney, Australia – 19th November 2021 – The fighting game phenomenon THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV (KOF XV) is warming up for tryouts with an Open Beta Test this weekend.
The KOF XV Beta will be held on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 and will feature crossplay between both consoles. Participants will be able to face off in both online (casual match, room match) and offline (versus, training, tutorial) modes and won’t need a PlayStation Plus subscription to play.
The Open Beta test will run throughout the following period:
PST: November 19th 19:00 – November 22nd 6:59
CET: November 20th 4:00 – November 22nd 15:59
JST: November 20th 12:00 – November 22nd 23:59
AEST: November 20th 14:00 – November 23nd 02:00
The following roster of characters will be playable throughout Open Beta of THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV:
Dolores
Shun’ei
Kyo Kusanagi
Iori Yagami
Chizuru Kagura
Yashiro Nanakase
Shermie
Chris
PRODUCT DETAILS:
Title: THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV
Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Windows 10, Steam, Epic Store Genre: Versus Fighting Developer: SNK Corporation Players: 1-2 local / 2-8 Network Co-Publisher: Koch Media Release Date: 17th February, 2022 Website: https://www.snk-corp.co.jp/us/games/kof-xv
About SNK
Headquartered in Osaka, Japan, SNK develop, publish, and distribute interactive entertainment software on a global scale. Known for such franchises as THE KING OF FIGHTERS, METAL SLUG, and SAMURAI SHODOWN, SNK continues to focus on their rich console game and arcade history.
About Koch Media
The Koch Media Group is a global developer, publisher and distributor of video games, VR games, gaming hardware and merchandise.
The group’s publishing activities, marketing and distribution extend throughout Europe, America, Australia and Asia. Koch Media has more than 25 years of experience in the digital media business and has risen to become a leading global publishing partner. The Koch Media Group runs a multi-label strategy with fully owned publishing units such as Prime Matter, Deep Silver, Milestone, Vertigo Games and Ravenscourt, publishing games for consoles, PC and VR platforms across all physical and digital channels.
Additionally, as global publishing partner Koch Media has formed long-term multi-national publishing collaborations with numerous game publishers including Activision Blizzard, Bethesda, Capcom, CI Games, Giants Software, Kalypso, Koei Tecmo, Konami, Paradox, Sega, SNK, Square Enix, Techland, Tripwire, Warner Bros, and many others.
With its parent company in Höfen, Austria, and the Publishing HQ in Munich, Germany, Koch Media owns local publishing companies in Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Australia, the United States as well as Japan and Hong Kong.
The Koch Media Group owns ten game development studios: Deep Silver Volition (Champaign, IL / USA), Deep Silver Dambuster Studios (Nottingham / UK), Deep Silver Fishlabs (Hamburg / Germany), Warhorse Studios (Prague / Czech Republic), Milestone (Milan / Italy), Voxler (Paris / France) , Flying Wild Hog (Warsaw, Kraków, Rzeszów / Poland), Free Radical Design (Nottingham / UK) and Vertigo Games (Rotterdam /The Netherlands), DigixArt (Montpellier, France). Additionally, the Koch Media Group collaborates with numerous independent development studios around the world.
Part of the Koch Media Group is also Koch Films, a leading European independent film distributor with business primarily in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy as a cinema, TV, online and Home Entertainment distributor. The Koch Media Group also owns Gaya Entertainment, a leading video game merchandise company in Munich, Germany, and the Quality Assurance Facility in Olomouc, Czech Republic.
