Age of Rust players now have a chance of finding over 24 Bitcoin (BTC) and 370,000 Enjin Coin (ENJ) in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) hidden within the game.
Players will also be able to uncover over 35,000 NFT gaming items within the high-fidelity 3D world.
The game features 250,000km2 of explorable landscape and includes 40 hours of gameplay.
U.S.A. 23 March 2021 — SpacePirate Games has partnered with blockchain ecosystem developer Enjin to launch Age of Rust, a 3D action adventure game where players can explore a 250,000km2 digital world and uncover over $2 million worth of bitcoin and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Indie developer SpacePirate Games has developed Age of Rust as an epic treasure hunt that features combat and stealth play mechanics with an NPC-driven story, AAA graphics and crypto-themed puzzles.
Every player will have an equal chance to find the main 20 BTC (~$1,165,675 at the time of writing) bounty at the end of the three seasons, with another 4 BTC and 35,000+ NFTs to win along the way.
“We believe Age of Rust is not only a fun RPG adventure that players will love, it will also serve as a great, easy introduction to the exciting world of blockchain gaming just as it’s really starting to take off,” said Chris LoVerme, CEO of SpacePirate Games.
“Age of Rust is an incredible example of what next-generation blockchain games can look like,” said Maxim Blagov, CEO of Enjin. “SpacePirate is offering players a chance to win $2 million of Bitcoin and Enjin Coin, along with highly functional NFTs that also have millions of dollars worth of resale value, due to their incredible utility across the blockchain ecosystem.”
In 2017, Age of Rust was one of the first six games to use Enjin to mint and integrate NFTs that could unlock content within multiple games.
Since joining Enjin in 2018, SpacePirate and other game developers have locked nearly $29 million worth of ENJ inside high-functioning NFTs like those that can be earned playing Age of Rust. Since then, NFTs have captured the attention of the general public.
In response to the growing discussion around the environmental impact of NFTs, Enjin recently announced their initiative to enable carbon-neutral NFTs by 2030, inviting carbon-conscious creators to mint NFTs with their upcoming scaling solution, JumpNet.
About Enjin Enjin is the leading ecosystem of blockchain software products that make it simple for anyone to develop, trade, monetize, incentivize, and market with blockchain and NFTs. The Enjin Platform powers the creation of unique digital assets and marketplaces that underpin the next generation of the digital economy. Many of the world’s pioneering blockchain games, applications, and projects created by talented developers and forward-thinking companies are built on the Enjin ecosystem. For more information, visit https://enjin.io.
The Story of Seasons franchise has always seen growth through its 25 year history, even going back to bring one of its most popular entries to the Switch last year as a bit of an early celebration of that fact. Now that that milestone year is upon us, Marvelous has brought Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town out with a number of new elements looking to bring some fresh new life to the franchise. With such a short turnaround between the original Japanese release and the Western version of the game, there are a number of growing pains here and at least a few elements that longtime fans may not be keen on.
Story
The player, a young twenty-something, has chosen to venture out from their city life into the countryside where their grandfather once helped found Olive Town and supported the residents with his farm. Many years have passed since then and while your grandfather has passed away, the plot of land is still there… sort of. Players will immediately meet with the mayor of Olive Town and be brought to a completely overgrown land and a dilapidated coop. With the player’s scooter broken down and only a small tent to their name, the mayor provides them with the tools needed to reclaim the land.
Of course, there is also a little something the mayor needs help with as well. While the residents of Olive Town are pleased with their quaint lifestyle, they all have hopes of bringing in numerous tourists while improving the look of the town at the same time and the best way to do that is with the player’s help. With the wilderness to tackle and the future growth of Olive Town possibly at the player’s feet, it is quickly time to fall into a rhythm and learn the new ropes of what Pioneers of Olive Town has to offer.
For the most part Pioneers of Olive Town does its best to provide players with various goals to work towards, usually in the form of town improving requests. These, outside of a few instances, offer minimal improvements as a whole but result in more interactions with the townsfolk while the more rewarding tasks tend to rely on farm expansion as these open up entirely new areas for players to explore and more resources for them to take advantage of. That being said, it is a bit disappointing that the few mystical elements that are explored in the game don’t offer more of a pay-off.
As for the townsfolk, the game finds itself in something of an odd place as it features plenty of interesting characters to interact with and the scenes that players trigger with them range from charming, to outlandishly strange, to informative once the player has reached certain levels of friendship with them, they are also incredibly bland outside of these scenes. While characters in scenes can have their personalities shine thanks to some strong writing, their standard day-to-day dialogue feels incredibly lifeless as many characters will simply repeat themselves day after day and be wary of anytime before or after a holiday as that is all they will talk about while repeating themselves again and again. It is also worth noting that with there being only two holidays a season, there is a shockingly small amount of actual holiday content in the game, perhaps the smallest the series has seen so far especially when one considers how basic the events during most holidays are.
Gameplay
As mentioned before, getting into a good rhythm with things is classic Story of Seasons tradition and that remains mostly true in Pioneers of Olive Town as stamina and an ever running clock that automatically ends the day at 2AM is ticking. Players will be given a separate tool bag to allow them to keep valuable rucksack space open for any harvested and scavenged items, produce, seeds, etc. while farming remains as tried and true as ever. This means using a hoe to till the soil, planting seeds, and watering daily until they are ready for harvest. These crops can then be sold, eaten as is, stored away or cooked once the player upgrades to an actual house from the small tent they live in, and more.
Taking care of animals is actually easier than ever before as not only are most of them given to the player right off the bat, carrying around excess items is no longer needed. While chickens remain as easy as ever, animals such as cows, goats, sheep, alpaca, and more no longer require extra tools to sheer, bathe, or milk as it is all handled with a few simple button taps. This does help speed things up a bit but does feel odd at the start, just like how calling them out to pasture only for them to automatically return at night seems a bit too simple. It is also worth noting that while players can obtain a horse, the poor thing never is given a chance to even be fed or taken care of in any form and in fact is only a bit faster than the player’s own walking speed which is rather odd.
As players take care of animals, harvest produce from their farm, fish, chop wood, smash rocks, and more such as the new bee-keeping and mushroom raising, they will unlock various skills that will not only provide various boosts such as increased drops and lower stamina consumption but they will also unlock various crafting recipes. These crafting recipes range from simply turning things like clay into mortar or decorative pathways and fences to the things that unfortunately eat up so much of Pioneers of Olive Town; makers and the fierceness of Mother Nature.
From the get-go players will have to deal with troublesome trees, weeds, and rocks that are blocking their path to growing crops in their preferred manner but speed in which these nuisances return can be shocking. Puddles that must be dealt with using the new bucket tool can spring up during the driest of days all while larger pits of water that require either a water pump or frequent water bailing to remove will also spot the farmland and given how large the player’s land can be once it is fully unlocked, a bad day can eat up so much stamina right off the bat.
As for the makers, these are items that take raw materials and turn them into either items that can be used as parts of a recipe, something for cooking, or even upgrade material for tools and structures. The problem with makers happens to be the fact that not only are there far too many types of them, players will also need to flood their farmland with them if they want to get anywhere in the game. Far too many of these makers perform similar functions to one another such as multiple versions of cloth, cotton, and twine being turned into different versions of extra cloth that can then be dyed, which also must be produced with a maker.
That isn’t even starting upon the basic resources of which the developers have chosen to really go the extra mile as most resources, such as ore, grass, and wood, come with at least five different quality levels that all take various lengths of time to be processed in a maker. Put this together and players not only have to flood their farmland with machinery that takes up far too much space for proper customization but also takes away from the actual farming aspect at the same time to the point that players will want to simply rely on sprinklers only when they can simply to try manage everything else while trying to get some social time in with the townsfolk.
Alongside standard interactions with townsfolk players will find that there are other things that they can do as well. This can involve donating fish, treasures found from dredging ponds with the bucket, and photos of wild animals to the museum which will eventually fill up a bit with mostly generic replicas as well as take part in some unfortunately useless mini-games with the Earth Sprites.
It is worth noting that, while XSEED has released a patch already in an attempt to address things, players will need to keep an eye out for various minor bugs as well as some frequent slowdowns while playing the game as well. This is partially due to the sheer size of the farm that players have to work with in Pioneers of Olive Town as, especially when traveling through a spot with tons of crops or makers processing, can result in some harsh slow down even with the Switch docked. Along with this, there are still some lengthy load times when traveling between simple locations which is more than a little annoying, though whether or not these load times will be further reduced has yet to be seen.
Visuals & Audio
With Pioneers of Olive Town being the first “non-remake” Story of Seasons entry on the Nintendo Switch it is easy to say that the development team has still managed to retain the same charm that the series has always had. The character models are just detailed enough for some emotion while also providing a cute appearance overall while the livestock retain their signature appearances. It is also worth noting that players can customize their appearance between being a boy or girl at any time, though the gender choice itself cannot be changed after the start of the game but regardless of what players choose they will be able to still see all villager scenes and even romance the bachelor and bachelorette of their choice.
It is interesting to note that players will obtain a camera that can be used to take pictures of wild animals and various other things. These photos can be sent out online and seen as loading screens for other users but it is worth noting that, while some photos are rather great looking, many range from simply being a fox butt to some pervy shots of the residents of the town. As for the soundtrack the game features a fairly calming and basic set of background music that works well with the farm theme with the theme of the town itself being one of the best.
Overall
With a large variety of crops and plenty of products to produce and sell there are plenty of ways for players to make their way in Pioneers of Olive Town, but the sprawling size of the game as a whole and the ridiculous over-reliance on makers not only taxes the system as a whole but takes away too much of the focus from the actual farm aspects of the game. Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town still does its best to provide a new farm to try and turn into your very own as well as a fresh batch of townsfolk to interact with and eventually romance in what still remains a highly enjoyable entry in the franchise despite the questionable development choices.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
The April Fool’s event begins today in World of Warships: Legends, bringing captains to space for the first time in the Stellar Clash gamemode. It’ll be a chaotic free-for-all on the edge of the known galaxy, defending against the Invaders.
Starting now, players will get to take command of three spaceships to defend the stars: The mighty battleship Alldestroyer, multi-purpose cruiser Galaxy, and the high-speed destroyer Rover. Three commanders are lined up to helm these spaceships: John Luke Pickup for the Alldestroyer, Shelly Beapley for the Galaxy, and Space Fishy for the Rover. Their fully-upgraded skills and abilities will be vital to winning in Stellar Clash, captains should pick their skills carefully!
Each battle will consist of nine players plus a swarm of Invaders vying for control of the system. As a solo captain, players will have to become the last ship standing, or take control of the capture circle to win. There are plenty of boosts available to grab throughout the map to help improve your ship as well, ranging from heals to better reload time. Each match will challenge captain’s skills in dealing with multiple enemies and situations, pushing them to adapt to an ever-changing battlefield.
Battling the Invaders will net players “Stellar Chips,” which can be used to unlock all kinds of permanent space skins for many different ships, as well as getting the aforementioned event commanders for your regular seagoing fleet! There are a bunch of Stellar Clash themed skins and items awaiting, but also the rare premium destroyer Yukikaze for intrepid captains who earn enough Chips to command her.
Get a taste of space battles before April 12!
It’s going to be a wild ride for April Fool’s in World of Warships: Legends, so strap in and prepare to turn the tide!
RESIDENT EVIL™ TURNS 25 TODAY! CELEBRATE WITH NEW DETAILS FOR RESIDENT EVIL™ VILLAGE
SYDNEY – March 23, 2021 – Capcom’s genre-defining survival horror franchise reaches a monumental milestone today with the 25th anniversary of Resident Evil. Over the years, the popular series has shipped more than 107 million units, introduced some of video games’ most iconic characters and gameplay systems, and transcended beyond games to become a cornerstone of entertainment. The next hotly anticipated entry in the game series is coming soon with Resident Evil™ Village releasing worldwide May 7, 2021 on PlayStation® 5, PlayStation® 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Steam and newly confirmed Stadia. Ahead of the launch, Capcom confirmed a new Resident Evil Showcase digital event will be coming in April and announced details for an open beta test for the upcoming multiplayer experience Resident Evil Re:Verse.
New game details will be revealed in a new Resident Evil Showcase digital event in April, giving fans a look at what’s in store for them when Resident Evil Village launches on May 7. The Resident Evil Showcase in January revealed information on significant new gameplay features and characters for Resident Evil Village as well as other brand updates, and the April event will follow suit with new game content and 25th anniversary news to share. Follow the official @RE_Games channel on Twitter for more info soon including the exact time of the digital event and how you can tune in.
An all-star roster of fan favorite heroes and bioweapons come together to celebrate 25 years of Resident Evil in the upcoming multiplayer experience ResidentEvil Re:Verse. In Resident Evil Re:Verse, players start as human characters, hunting each other and collecting virus vials scattered across the map. When they are taken out, they resurrect as bioweapons to enact revenge. The more vials they collect, the stronger their bioweapon transformation will be – it will be up to each player to strategize between vial collection and a full-on offensive strategy. This thank you to fans will be available for free for those who purchase Resident Evil Village. Today Capcom announced PlayStation® 4, Xbox One and Steam players can participate in an open beta test for Resident Evil Re:Verse taking place April 7 at 23:00 h PDT / April 8 07:00 h BST / 08:00 h CEST / 16:00 h AEST , through to April 11 at 22:59 h PDT / April 12 06:59 h BST / 07:59 h CEST / 16:59 h AEST. Players who participated in the earlier closed beta test and still have the game installed on their hardware can play via a game update once the open beta is live. New players will be able to pre-load the open beta content starting April 5. All open beta participants will need a registered Capcom ID to play.
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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-europe.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 and Resident Evil are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd., in the U.S. and/or other countries. Street Fighter is a trademark and/or registered trademark of Capcom U.S.A., Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
“PlayStation” is a registered trademark or trademark of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
Koch Media & Bloober Team announce publishing partnership
Sydney, Australia, March 23rd 2021 – Koch Media, a leading global publishing partner and Bloober Team, an independent games developer, announce their publishing partnership for The Medium, a psychological horror gameas well as Observer: System Redux, the award-winning cyberpunk thriller. With its extensive marketing- and communications experience as well as a huge global network, Koch Media will be fully responsible for the upcoming publishing activities regarding the box releasesworldwide.
Piotr Babieno, CEO at Bloober Team S.A.: “We are very excited to be able to work with our partners at Koch Media. It’s most important to us to listen to our fans and they did ask for a box release of our award-winning horror games.”
Dr. Klemens Kundratitz, CEO at Koch Media adds: “We are pleased to welcome Bloober Team as an exciting new publishing partner and will be thrilled to work with them on their growing game portfolio globally. The Medium as well as the award-winning Observer: System Redux. Both titles fit perfectly to our diversified games line-up.”
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The Medium is a third-person psychological horror game that features an innovative dual-reality gameplay, unique art style inspired by painter Zdzisław Beksiński, and original soundtrack co-composed by Arkadiusz Reikowski and Akira Yamaoka. Players discover a dark mystery only a medium can solve. They explore the real world and the spirit world at the same time, use their psychic abilities to solve puzzles spanning both worlds, uncover deeply disturbing secrets, and survive encounters with The Maw – a monster born from an unspeakable tragedy…
Observer: System Redux is the definitive vision of the award-winning cyberpunk thriller, rebuilt and augmented for the next generation.
The year is 2084. The future has turned out much darker than anyone could imagine. First, there was the Nanophage. A digital plague that killed thousands upon thousands of those who chose to augment their minds and bodies. Then came the War, leaving both the West and the East decimated and shattered. With no one left to seize power, corporations took over and forged their own crooked empires.
You are a tool of corporate oppression. Feared and despised, you hack into the darkest corners of your suspects’ minds. You creep into their dreams, expose their fears, and extract whatever your investigation may require. You are an Observer.
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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 Deep Silver, Milestone, Vertigo Games and Ravenscourt which publish 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 Bethesda, Capcom, Codemasters, Konami, Koei Tecmo, Sega, Square Enix, 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), Vertigo Games (Rotterdam /The Netherlands) and Flying Wild Hog (Warsaw, Rzeszów, Cracow / Poland). 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 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.
Koch Media is an Embracer Group company.
About Bloober Team:
Based in Krakow, Poland, and established in 2008, Bloober Team is an independent game development studio of over 100 people. The company focuses on creating mature horror games with a deep story and an eerie atmosphere, key ingredients of a chilling and memorable experience. Bloober Team has extensive experience and passion working on acclaimed horror games including Blair Witch, Layers of Fear, Observer: System Redux and the recently released The Medium.
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE PS5 Extended and Enhanced Features Video
SYDNEY, 23rd March 2021 – FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE is coming to PlayStation 5 on June 10th 2021 as FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE; a visually enhanced edition of the critically acclaimed and award winning game, featuring a brand-new episode featuring Yuffie as the main character, and numerous gameplay additions for players to enjoy.
Check out the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE – PS5 Announcement Trailer here:
In this extended video, take a look at the city of Midgar like never before, with improved textures, lighting and background environments. Switch between two game modes “Graphics Mode,” which prioritizes 4K high-resolution graphics, and “Performance Mode,” which prioritizes smooth action at 60 frames per second, and capture and share your favorite moments of this timeless adventure with a fully customizable “Photo Mode.” Enjoy immersive battles by using the DualSense wireless controller, with its haptic feedback integration.
In the brand-new episode featuring Yuffie, play as ninja Yuffie Kisaragi as she infiltrates the shadowy Shinra corporation to steal a powerful materia and restore glory to her homeland. Play alongside new characters and enjoy an expanded gameplay experience featuring multiple new combat and gameplay additions. This adventure brings new perspective to the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE story that cannot be missed.
Lidia Sobieska Joins the Next Battle in TEKKEN 7 on March 23rd
Get ready for the next battle along with a new fighter and stage to join the TEKKEN 7 ranks! Lidia Sobieska, the fictional young Prime Minister of Poland from the TEKKEN 7 universe will be joining the roster of playable characters in TEKKEN 7’s next DLC drop.
Born into a prominent political family, Lidia was destined to be a politician from an early age. Despite her family lineage in the political realm, Lidia was always more focused on pursuing her training in traditional karate. Unfortunately, an assassination attempt on her grandfather and father would change her fate and steer her back into continuing her family’s political ambitions. However, she never let go of her martial arts pursuits and at the age of 18, won her first karate world championship. As the war between the Mishima Zaibatsu and the G Corporation raged in different global regions, the Mishima Zaibatsu had illegally deployed Tekken Force units in parts of Poland. This caused an outcry from Polish citizens for a stronger leader and Lidia answered that call, finally being elected as Poland’s Prime Minister at the young age of 29.
Her arrival has been much anticipated, and players will now have a new character to master and take into battle. Players will also be able to have battles under the sunshine and palm trees in the new Island Paradise stage.
TEKKEN 7 is available now in the Americas on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PCs via STEAM®.
During their big reveal about the next entry in the Life is Strange series Square Enix, Dontnod Entertainment, and Deck Nine Games revealed that a remastered version of both Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm are on the way and fans of the series will have two ways to obtain the collection.
The Life is Strange Remastered Collection will be included in the $79.99 Ultimate Edition of Life is Strange: True Colors that is releasing on September 10th but those who simply want to pick up the collection itself will be able to do so at a yet to be determined date but the company is aiming to have it released sometime this fall.
Currently it is unknown how much the standalone version of this collection will cost but the remasters will feature enhanced visuals and improved animation using mocap technology, updated and refined gameplay puzzles, all previously released deluxe content, and various engine and lighting upgrades. A trailer highlighting the collection can be found below.
Square Enix and Deck Nine Games have announced that the next entry in the Life is Strange series will be arriving on September 10th in the form of Life is Strange: True Colors. Upon release the game will be available on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC, and even Stadia with there being a $59.99 standard edition, $69.99 deluxe edition, and $79.99 Ultimate edition to choose from.
The Deluxe Edition of the game features the core game, a bonus story called “Wavelengths” that will be released after the full game allowing players to play as Steph in the year before Alex came to Haven Springs, in a standalone story set in the iconic Rocky Mountain Record Traders store and KRCT radio station, and finally a pack of four outfits featuring costumes from past series protagonists. The Ultimate Edition includes all of the aforementioned content as well as remasters of both Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm.
In Life is Strange: True Colors Alex Chen must come to grips with her volatile psychic power of Empathy that allows her to feel, experience, and even manipulate the emotions of others around her that she witnesses as auras. Once believing this ability a curse, Alex now must use her powers to uncover the truth of her brother’s death that has been deemed an “accident.”
After first revealing the game back during what would have been last year’s E3, Square Enix has now revealed the official name of Project Athia. The action RPG will now be called Forspoken and is being developed for Luminous Productions with a launch window of 2022 for the PlayStation 5 and PC.
In Forspoken players will find themselves playing as Frey Holland, a normal young woman who must survive in a fantastical and dangerous land called Athia with newfound magical abilities as she faces off against fearsome foes and tries to overcome the many trials that stand in her path. The official announcement trailer can be found below.
