Does your tin toy agent have the mettle to save President Roosevelt?
Seattle, Washington – July 30th, 2020 – Tribetoy and Beep Games, Inc. have released their old timey arcade shooter based on early 20th-century parlour game cabinets, Bartlow’s Dread Machine, on Steam Early Access. The full version will launch this Fall on Xbox One and Steam.
Set entirely within the confines of this titular relic from the dawn of the Electric Age, Bartlow’s Dread Machine casts one to two players as government agents in a series of escapades through New York, San Francisco, and all across the continent as they seek to rescue the kidnapped President Roosevelt from the forces of evil. But beware, sinister forces are at work!
Bound to the clockwork gizmos running this contraption, agents are mere metal figurines roving around on rails. But these aren’t any ordinary tin toys as they have free rein on how to navigate these forking networks of tracks. Think Pac-Man if he were made of metal, wore a cool peacoat, and was packing some serious heat! Sets made of wood and tin unfold around you in real-time as you navigate this immersive puppet show. Encounter a cast of improbable monsters and historical characters as you traverse the high seas and beyond using trains, ships and even a newfangled automobile!
Your journey begins in New York City with the discovery that President Teddy Roosevelt has been abducted by anarcho-satanists of the worst kind. Track his kidnappers across the Great Plains to the Pacific coast in today’s Early Access release, which contains the first three of six chapters. About once a month the game will be updated to include levels set at sea, deep in the Panamanian jungle, and finally in Washington D.C. as you close in on the culprit to save America from certain doom.
The final game features a wealth of content with 6 worlds, 52 guns, and all manner of outfits to deck out your gumshoe. Unlock unique spins on historical characters, like Zombie General Custer and Annie Oakley. Plus the drop-in / drop-out couch co-op contains per-player difficulty, allowing each player to set the challenge level to their preference.
“As much as we love video games, we’re also admirers of old analogue tech, particularly the clockwork precision of early 20th century arcade games, so we wanted to combine the rinky-dink charm of these rustic cabinets with the smooth gameplay of contemporary titles,” said Matthew Hoseterey Co-Founder and Director of Design of Tribetoy. “Bartlow’s Dread Machine transports us back to this wild time at the dawn of the Electric Age, when technology and entertainment were evolving so fast that the world quickly became almost unrecognizable. Plus everyone wore snazzy hats back then, which is always a plus!”
Available now on Steam Early Access for PC, Bartlow’s Dread Machine is priced at $14.99 USD and will be available in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.
About Tribetoy Founded in 2008, Tribetoy is dedicated to making unique interactive experiences. Its first game, Chu’s Dynasty, brought unprecedented depth, and time manipulation, into a 4-player fighting game with its 2010 XBLIG release. Its second title, Bow to Blood, tasked players with captaining an airship in a multi-stage reality TV show. Its third title, the twin-stick shooter set inside an early 20th-century parlour game, Bartlow’s Dread Machine, is due in 2020 on PC and Xbox One.
About Beep Games, Inc. Founded in 2003 by industry veteran Clayton Kauzlaric, Beep Games, Inc. developed the cult platformer Voodoo Vince which saw a newly-remastered version in 2017. The company also teamed up with Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert to create the concept for EA’s Deathspank: Thongs of Virtue in 2010 and the mobile puzzler Scurvy Scallywags in 2013. It is now collaborating with Tribetoy on Bartlow’s Dread Machine.
Biggest update yet overhauls campaign, adds NPCs, outposts, and more
HAMBURG, Germany – July 30th, 2020 – Publisher Daedalic, and independent studios FakeFish and Undertow Games, proudly announce “New Frontiers”, the biggest update to the unique Sci-Fi submarine simulation Barotrauma since Steam Early Access started last June.
“New Frontiers” further enriches the game by adding a campaign-based journey with a mysterious destination in the depths of Europa. Multiple aspects of the game have been improved to create a real sense of progression in the campaign mode, and a work-in-progress ending has been implemented together with an accessible endgame location.
Update:
Outposts: The crew is now able to physically reach and explore outposts at the start and endpoint of a mission. AI inhabitants and randomized events keep the outposts alive. Players can trade, restock equipment, hire new crewmates and more.
Submarines: The crew’s swimming home base will develop throughout the journey. Beginning with a modest sub, players are able to update and modify the hull, different machinery and weaponry as they progress. All available improvements apply to modded ships as well, so the community can seamlessly integrate their own creations into the campaign.
Crewmates: The heart of the game, the submarine’s crew, is no longer randomized between campaign missions when playing with bots. Every crewmate becomes a valuable part of the mission and can be individually trained, so you should not use them as expendable cannon fodder. The bot AI was also improved.
In-game economy: Players are able to sell items, prices are balanced and different items are available at different locations in the game.
Visuals: The developers visually overhauled the majority of sprites in the game and revised the campaign map.
“New Frontiers” marks the next step towards Barotrauma’s full launch and is available for free. For more information, check out Barotrauma on Steam.
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About Daedalic Entertainment (Publisher)
Daedalic Entertainment publishes and develops high-quality games for all platforms. The company has a diverse line-up of high-quality titles, including classic adventures, RPGs, and strategy and multiplayer games. With more than 80 employees, Daedalic is currently developing a new line-up of innovative games across consoles, PC and mobile platforms.
Based in Hamburg, Germany, Daedalic is one of Europe’s most acclaimed publishers and developers. With a total of 32 awards in the German Developers Award (including multiple accolades for ‘Studio of the Year’) and 12 German Computer Game Awards for genre-defining games such as Deponia, Edna & Harvey, Silence, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth, The Long Journey Home, and State of Mind, Daedalic is a record holder for the two most prestigious game awards in Germany.
Daedalic currently develops the AAA title The Lord of the Rings – Gollum. The action-adventure that tells the story of Gollum from a perspective never witnessed before in any storytelling media, all the while staying faithful to the legendary books of J.R.R. Tolkien.
About FakeFish and Undertow GamesBarotrauma began as an open-development project by Undertow Games, the developer of the free open-source horror game SCP – Containment Breach. In early 2018, the award-winning fellow indie studio FakeFish Ltd. joined the project with their team of industry veterans and fresh talents to launch Barotrauma on Steam. Now the joint studio, based in Turku, Finland, develops survival horror PC titles supporting extensive user-generated content and packed with built-in editors.
Comics have been a huge part of my life. I would fluctuate between Marvel and DC at first and occasionally veer into some indie stuff. We’ve seen some good movie adaptations and some bad ones. Nevertheless, they’ve been an influential mark of pop culture. In this age of everyday tech breakthroughs, we’ve seen comics occasionally going full digital ad moton comics are also a thing. What Liberated is trying to do is to give us more freedom when “reading” such releases. A comic that you can actually play, influence some character decisions and even the ending? Sounds tempting.
Story
In this game, you won’t be liberating much anyone, but instead, become a part of an insurgent group known as Liberated. The world in this game is a dark and gloomy place. Social networks, facial recognition, fake news, citizen credit systems. The only truth is the one that you’ve been taught by the government. A story of authoritarianism, how it is slowly born in democracy, and how it consumes it. Fortunately, being a member of an anti-government group will help you reclaim freedom and what’s being taken away from you and the rest of the city.
Gameplay
What makes Liberated is the unique art style and how the story develops. We’ll talk about the art style later. As the story moves forward, you are shown pages from an imaginary comic book. Just like the reality of the game, it is dark, bleak, and raining all the time. At certain points, you can choose how to respond to other characters and slightly influence how they treat you (although, most of the time you can only choose to respond in a “polite” or an “arrogant” manner). There are also some quick-time events from time to time where the reaction window is closely tied to the difficulty you’ve chosen when you started the game. At the core of it, Liberated is a platformer & a side scroller with a few puzzles thrown in between. You work with your crew to infiltrate government facilities, steal some stuff and sneak or shoot your way out depending on how well you did. There are some sections of the game where it reminded me of Mark of The Ninja as you hide in the dark corners and strangle unsuspecting enemies. If things go sideways, you have a gun at your disposal that you can use to shoot your way out. Using it will show you some neat comic book stuff like words “BANG!” and “Headshot!” whenever you shoot at enemies. There is no such thing as a health bar and yo character can only take a couple of hits before dying so sneaking and not rushing in is extremely important.
Visuals
Now let’s talk about the star of the party. The visuals. While there’s no much color in Liberated due to obvious noir related reasons, smart shadowing and level design still give it some dash or originality and immersive atmosphere. Having a city eternally drenched in rain and coupled with strong shadows on almost every object is a sure way to label your game as noir but there’s more to it in Liberated. The dialogue sometimes seems like it’s from a 60s noir flick and all you need is a corrupt and drunken private detective in the game for a full picture. Although, considering how things are in the game, such character would probably be on the government side.
Audio
There is some music during story defining moments but it’s nothing that I would label as memorable. For most of the gameplay, you will be accompanied by some faint & intense background tunes just so you don’t feel completely alone while sneaking. It’s clear that the music in Liberated takes a back seat over the visuals and art style that were clearly given more love. Aside from that, the voice acting is decent. Nothing that will blow your mind but it’s that some dedication was in the place.
Overall
Liberation does exactly what it says. It is a decent indie adventure platformer that doesn’t shoot for the start. It is a mix of a few things from other games and that combination works (and plays) rather well. If you’re on a lookout for a noir story-driven platformer that combines some gameplay from Mark of the Ninja and certain visuals from XIII, then this just might be your cup of tea. To be fair, you can probably complete it in one afternoon but if you grab those two of the story add-ons that are now being offered during release week, you might squeeze just a bit more from the overall length of the game. And for such an affordable price, it would be a crime not to pick it up.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
When it comes to Japan and popular manga and anime series, there usually are plenty of video games produced for them over the course of their run, and in the case of a few, even after they have ended. That wasn’t really the case however for the Fairy Tail series as, despite its eleven year run, the manga only saw a handful of portable titles released that never saw a Western release. Now however that has changed as Koei Tecmo and Gust have brought the Fairy Tail story into a full sized game simply called Fairy Tail. With the original storyline seeing its conclusion and continuing on in a sequel, how does this RPG handle the long running franchise?
Story
In rather odd fashion Fairy Tail chooses to begin its storyline at the end point of the Tenrou Island arc, setting the starting point solidly into the third season of the anime and over two hundred chapters into the manga, and while there is an extremely limited glossary summing up a few major arcs that happened prior, those who jump into this RPG without knowledge from the series will be doing so at a disadvantage. That being said, the story begins with the key members of Fairy Tail facing off against Hades as an introduction to battle mechanics, before then tossing players into the core storyline.
Thanks to Hades’ actions on the island in search of Zeref, a dark and powerful dragon appears above the island and with the Fairy Tail guild members already exhausted the best they can do is believe that they will survive. Seven years later, through the help of the first guildmaster, everyone manages to make a safe return to Magnolia Town only to find out that in the time they have been gone not only has Fairy Tail fallen to the point that their guildhall is now a small shack on the outskirts of town, but that very few people even remember their names as the best wizards in the guild have been thought dead for nearly a decade.
As such, the newly returned guild members take it upon themselves to raise the guild back up to the ranks it used to be all while making sure their own skills haven’t gotten rusty. Fairy Tail is a bit of an interesting game when it comes to storytelling as it does its best to fit as much narrative as possible into story progression all while trying to give important and dramatic moments the time they deserve while also having to skip over or, poorly summarize with a few images, various events that took place between certain periods of time. This generally only happens during arc transitions but more than a few of these also feature either major character development or story tidbits and it is disappointing to see certain moments cut entirely.
It is worth noting that there are little side-quests for most of the Fairy Tail characters that players will interact with and while these side-quests are new bits of story that were never included in the manga and fans will appreciate these little quests even if they tend to be fairly short in length. The characters themselves are mostly given plenty of time to shine with their interactions with one another and major enemies they face off against, though be prepared for only most of the major Fairy Tail guild members to be playable, or in some cases even have character models, as a few side characters are relegated to portraits or do not appear at all. All in all, Fairy Tail does a solid enough job presenting the Fairy Tail guild’s journey post Tenrou Island arc though it surprisingly does not end up going through to the end of the manga’s storyline, so both newcomers and longtime fans may be a bit disappointed by this fact.
Gameplay
Considering the fact that the entire story of Fairy Tail is based around a guild, it only makes sense in a way that an RPG is the best way to experience the game. Players will be able to take on requests that can be completed for money, fame, and guild points with these requests ranging from hunting a number of monsters, collecting items, or defeating a special monster and unfortunately they do tend to blend a bit together but there is some variation here thanks to the world design and the constant party switching players will need to do as not only will some requests require certain Fairy Tail members to complete, players will want to take advantage of element types as well in battle.
Players will venture out into fields and encounter monsters or take part in story battles with their team of up to five fighters at a time, though players will initially only be able to bring three Fairy Tail members, with Natsu and Lucy being locked in, with them at the start. Battles are turn based affairs that see your team facing off against enemies on a grid-based field. While the standard attack is always an option, it should mostly be treated as a last resort for any good wizard and as such Fairy Tail relies heavily on magic, and limited MP, being the primary attack for all characters. Magical attacks come in various forms and strengths but come with a number of bonuses such as hitting extra spots on the 3×3 battle grid, allowing for most attacks to hit numerous foes at once. These attacks also can provide various bonuses such as an increase in strength or chance to counter-attack an enemy, push a foe around the field to line them up better, inflict various status ailments, and more.
The foes that players face off against are hardly push-overs themselves as they can also use magic and inflict status ailments, though it is worth noting that players cannot move around a grid themselves though, just like the series itself, the Fairy Tail members have the power of their friends to pull them through. As combat progresses players will build up a meter that can be used to chain together combo attacks that deal incredibly powerful damage or perform powerful finishing moves that target the entire enemy team. In fact, while exploring the field there are even some locations with hidden items that can only be broken through by overkilling enemies to a certain degree and usually these finishing moves or things even more powerful such as Unison Raids and more to avoid spoiling a few things for potential newcomers. All of the magic that the characters use is portrayed incredibly well and fits the characters to the letter and one can tell that a lot of care has been put into making sure the magic feels as it should in this game, powerful and flashy.
That being said, there are a few problems here and there though one of these is something the game is upfront about with a warning that, should RPG players want a more challenging experience they will want to go for a harder than normal difficulty as the normal mode quickly becomes easy once characters grow in strength, have various bonus abilities unlocked using guild points, and more party members become available. The other problem lies in the fact that, thanks to the guild ranking system being used to progress the story, players may often feel a bit like they are spinning their wheels while trying to complete the various minor tasks that must be done to level up the guild and advance the story. This wouldn’t be too much of an issue if it wasn’t for the aforementioned problem of many of these requests being repetitive in nature.
Visuals & Audio
When it comes to designing the characters in Fairy Tail, fans will be able to tell that Gust has tried their best to replicate the character designs as close as possible here. There might be a few missing characters that are unfortunately not represented but those that are are handled incredibly well. This is especially noticeable when it comes to the female cast as, true to Fairy Tail fashion, there are plenty of different outfits available throughout the course of the game and bits of fan-service scattered throughout that is incredibly tame in nature. Of course the real highlight, as mentioned before, is how great the magic attacks can look and how they match the attacks fans are familiar with from the series. This includes things such as Erza’s equipment and appearance changing depending on attack, Gray’s various ice formed magic, and more. It is a bit unfortunate that not all of Lucy’s summons are given the proper presentation here though as most are simply presented with anime icons and nothing else.
As one may expect given the massive cast of characters in the game, Fairy Tail has been released with only the Japanese voice track available but thankfully all of the original voice actors have managed to return to reprise their roles here, providing longtime fans plenty of great voicework for their favorite characters. Considering the Japanese only voice track however it would have been nice if more of the in-battle voice work was subtitled however. As for the soundtrack, fans will recognize a number of remixed tunes from the series itself as well as a collection of new music that fits well with the theme of the game.
Overall
Even though it may not be the most accessible for those unfamiliar with the franchise, Fairy Tail feels right at home as an RPG with plenty of care being given to the magical side of things and to the presentation of the series’ signature characters. Perhaps even newcomers may feel the itch to dive into the series proper should they feel like playing an RPG that has flashy turn based combat but a story they may find themselves lost in at key points. Things may get a bit repetitive at times due to there being only a small variation between required requests but a solidly enjoyable battle system with adjustable difficulty fans of the franchise will find Gust’s handling of the series quite enjoyable.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Join Natsu, Lucy and the Fairy Tail Guild on a Magical Adventure on the Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 and Windows PC via Steam®!
Hertfordshire, 30th July 2020 – Today, KOEI TECMO Europe and developer GUST Studios released their spellbinding JRPG, FAIRY TAIL, on the Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC via Steam®. The game, based on the anime and manga of the same name by Hiro Mashima, marks the first time a FAIRY TAIL game has been released on home console in the West!
FAIRY TAIL invites players to re-live, or experience for the first time, the series’ enchanting storyline from the popular Tenrou Island arc through to the Tartaros arc, along with all-new never before seen story and quest elements. The magical world of FAIRY TAIL is brought to life with remarkable detail throughout this all-new gaming experience, with phenomenal focus on delivering the type of magic and mystique fans of the worldwide sensation anime and manga series have been craving.
Throughout their journey, players will be able to form their dream five-mage battle party from a selection of over 16 iconic characters, including: Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Gajeel, Juvia, Rogue, Kagura, Sherria, Sting, Ichiya, Laxus, Mirajane, Jellal and Gildarts. The character’s unique magic abilities from the series are brought to life within the game, including Unison Raids where characters can combine together to unleash their magic spells at once and overpower enemies. Even Extreme Magic Spells can be used, including Kanna’s Fairy Glitter – which can be activated when magic attacks are combined – to get the upper hand in battle.
Outside of combat, FAIRY TAIL allows players to develop their relationships with their guild mates, experiencing new story interactions as well as strengthening their magic abilities. Players will even be able to upgrade different areas of the Fairy Tail guild, and as they improve their guild, take on requests, and develop their relationships with their allies, they are able to restore the guild’s ranking to No. 1 in Fiore.
FAIRY TAIL is available now! Purchasing any version of the game, physically or digitally, within a limited time from launch will also unlock the Early Purchase Bonus special ‘Miss FAIRY TAIL’ costume for Erza.
Alternatively, a Digital Deluxe version of FAIRY TAIL is available, boasting special Grand Magic Games team costumes, a bonus Lacrima set, and a DDX Limited Ryza costume for Lucy!
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
Expand, retract, and explode your way to victory while sporting dapper hats
Oslo, Norway – July 30th, 2020 – Inconspicuous Creations is proud to reveal that its jive puzzler about a boogie-woogie worm wriggling its way through a series of mazes, Worm Jazz, is coming to the eShop for Nintendo Switch and Steam this summer. Can you dig it?
Worm Jazz is a unique, wriggly puzzle game that combines the elongating body mechanic of Snake with the explosion-heavy demolition of Bomberman. You take control of Mr. Mark, an earthworm with a particular fondness for smooth jazz and dapper headwear. Writhe your way through the many intricate, mind-bending mazes filled with mines, wormholes, and powerups! Shrink when you blow yourself up and expand when you scarf down some chow. Are you able to gobble up all the food on each stage and reach the highly coveted golden apple?
The game might appear simple at first glance, but you are quickly presented with some painfully perplexing puzzles. Fear not, as Worm Jazz aims to offer a challenge for every type of player. While puzzle aficionados and completionists will want to gobble up 100% of the food on each stage, casual players can easily unlock and progress through each of the game’s 50+ hand-crafted stages without much difficulty. The open-ended overworld offers branching routes, so you can choose which challenges to tackle first. As you venture through the world, new game elements such as wormholes and boulders are introduced along with new environments. Worm Jazz can be played at your own pace. There are no timers and every move can be undone.
This laid back atmosphere is complemented by a swank soundtrack composed by jazz maestro Oliver Getz, who painstakingly put together loops of calming, upbeat tunes to chill out to. Worm Jazz can at times be a devious head scratcher for completionists, so the snazzy soundtrack offers a welcoming vibe in this labyrinth of brain busters.
The initial prototype for Worm Jazz was created for the NM i Gameplay 2020 game jam, where it took home the grand prize. “It’s certainly not a coincidence that the game was conceived at a game jam. In many ways, Worm Jazz feels a lot like a jam session,” said Inconspicuous Creations founder and sole developer Yu He. “I think it’s important that the game is instantly familiar, but at the same time be open to new elements that mix things up.” He is hopeful that this is just the beginning and that the game will have a long tail ahead of it.
Launching on the eShop for Nintendo Switch this summer Worm Jazz will be available in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
About Inconspicuous Creations Inconspicuous Creations consists of indie game developer Yu He and friends. Its first commercial release is the upcoming wriggly puzzler Worm Jazz, coming to Nintendo Switch and Steam in Summer 2020.
Lab Cave to develop and publish upcoming title based on the globally popularanimated series
Madrid, Spain – 30 July 2020. Lab Cave and Sunnyside Studios today announced a partnership that will see Lab Cave develop, publish and manage a new title based on Sunnyside’s hugely popular children’s animated series Groovy the Martian .
Mobile growth experts Lab Cave have worked on over 700 mobile apps and will leverage their technology, knowledge and experience in mobile app growth to bring Sunnyside’s popular online animated characters to mobile devices.
Sunnyside Studios produces original educational content for girls and boys up to six years old with popular animations including Groovy the Martian and Superzoo. Watched in more than 50 countries worldwide and with more than 100 million monthly online views, Sunnyside’s characters are recognised by children and parents alike.
The partnership will channel Lab Cave’s specialist expertise in ASO, CRO, monetization and ad mediation into an app featuring Sunnyside’s recognizable IP focused on child-friendly gaming. This latest partnership follows the recent announcement between Zinkia and Lab Cave to create new titles featuring their famous character Pocoyo.
“We are so pleased to partner with a studio of the quality of Sunnyside” said Luis Bertó, Head of Marketing and Business Development at Lab Cave. “Their child-friendly characters are known across the world and we are delighted to develop an app that fits their audience. In our discussions it was clear we share many similar values and we look forward to developing new titles worthy of Sunnyside’s IP.”
“We have been exploring making games featuring our characters and Lab Cave feels like the right partner” said Sunnyside Studios CEO Elías Moreno. “Thanks to them we can focus on creating more quality content as we offer new ways that children and parents can enjoy our characters together across the world.”
For more information on Lab Cave’s 360 Mobile Growth services, visit LabCaveGames.com.
About Lab Cave Games
Lab Cave by SunMedia is the trusted 360 Mobile Growth Services provider for publishers around the world. We have successfully launched over 700 apps and games in the mobile marketplace, we manage a portfolio of over 200 apps and have achieved over 300 million organic app downloads. Our journey started in 2013 with app development. Now we offer our expertise to app developers and publishers globally as leaders in Publishing and Mobile Growth Services.
About Sunnyside Studios
Sunnyside Studios is a Spanish based company focused on creating brands and producing high-quality content for children on digital platforms, especially YouTube. Our Mission: is “to transmit positive values to every kid on the planet through audiovisual entertainment leveraging digital technologies”. The company has created 2 very successful IPs targeted to preschool kids: Groovy the Martian and Superzoo . The IPs generate more than 150 million monthly visits and have 100 million monthly active users on YouTube.
Use your superpowers in tandem with clever turn-based tactics
Grand Rapids, Michigan – July 30th, 2020 – Underbite Games’ turn-based tactics adventure Sentinels of Freedom launches today on the Nintendo eShop for $/€/£. Ripped from the pages of Sentinel Comics, this story-driven campaign has you join forces with an ever-growing team of heroes to face a wide variety of villains.
Sentinels of Freedom is a superhero adventure that lets you fight the forces of evil in your own unique way. Create your own custom hero, crafting the character’s backstory, personality, power source, abilities and costume. Choose whether you want to focus on melee brawling, support, or nifty gadgets. Refine your heroic identity throughout the game – changing everything about how your hero looks, all the way down to your hero’s body type, between any mission.
As with any great superhero squad, your team will have to work in tandem with one another to survive harrowing encounters with supervillains. Forge a plan of attack with Sync and Vigilance actions allowing you to string together combos with your various teammates.
Embark on a series of large scale missions penned by the writers of Sentinel Comics. What seems like a typical bank heist reveals itself to be just the beginning of a much more sinister plan! Each mission is broken up into groups of engagements – each offering unique objectives, enemy types and player choice on where to go next – keeping each feeling fresh and unique.
New content will regularly be added, with many new levels, heroes and villains, and upgrades planned.
“Sentinels of Freedom is the perfect blend of superhero comics and tactics games,” said Cory Heald, founder of Underbite Games. “It’s got a gripping story and colorful characters, but it also lets you control the carnage as these superpowered heroes and villains face off in increasingly epic fisticuffs!”
About Underbite Games Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Underbite Games is a game design studio focused on the creation of unique products within the digital and analog game industries. Underbite strives to produce rich visuals and deep gameplay experiences. Titles under its belt include Super Dungeon Tactics and Sentinels of Freedom.
Winner of the Red Dot Award for Product Design 2020, the R.A.T. 8+ ADV is designed for the professional gamer with blisteringly fast performance
Kowloon, Hong Kong – July 30, 2020 – Mad Catz Global Limited, the leading innovators in gaming hardware, is excited to announce that highly anticipated R.A.T. 8+ ADV high-performance mouse is now shipping. A flagship product in the R.A.T. range, the R.A.T. 8+ ADV features a wealth of uniquely customizable components and best-in-class technology designed for the competitive gamer and engineered to bring out the very best in gamers’ abilities.
Featuring the top-of-the-range Pixart PMW 3389 PRO optical sensor, the R.A.T. 8+ ADV blows the competition away, able to perform at an extreme 20000 DPI with movement speeds of up to 400 inches per second, and 50G of acceleration.
The R.A.T. 8+ ADV includes high-durability switches, providing a life expectancy of more than 60 million clicks, ensuring that your gaming mouse never lets you down in the heat of the battle.
The ability to adjust and customize the R.A.T. to suit the users’ personal preference, has long been a stand out feature of the range, and the R.A.T. 8+ ADV delivers in a jaw-dropping fashion. Powerful Mad Catz software works in harmony with the mouse, allowing every aspect of the sensor, button configuration, and lighting to be tweaked, adapting to the gamers’ preferred playstyle instead of the other way around. Players can assign complex macro commands with timing accuracy to 1/2000th of a second to any of the programmable controls.
The R.A.T. 8+ ADV features a host of features engineered for gamers at the top of their game:
Palm Rest: Whether your grip is palm, claw, or fingertip, the R.A.T. 8+ ADV can quickly adapt by adjusting in length to suit your gaming style.
Thumb Rest: Moving along two axes, gamers can find the ideal position for their thumb to rest during the battle, improving comfort and reaction times.
Extra parts: R.A.T. 8+ ADV comes with 2 pairs of swappable palm rests and pinkie rest, including anti-slip Palm Rests and Pinkie Rests to further enhance your grip.
Barrel Scroll: The R.A.T. 8+ ADV features a unique scrollable barrel component situated on the top of the mouse. With Barrel Scroll, FPS games take on a whole new life, with easier leaning and sharper controls when evading the enemy or assisting a teammate.
Precision Aim: Increase or decrease the sensor or cursor speed with a single button press, ideal for snipper modes and smashing that perfect shot!
Weight: Bin the bulk and tailor your mouse to your preferred weight via a series of removable weights included in pack. Alter the weight of your mouse depending on the genre of game you are playing or the length of time played, reducing fatigue and increasing accuracy.
Chameleon RGB Lighting: Bath your gaming environment in mesmerizing light. Customize your lighting environment, choosing between millions of colors and even apply patterns such as breathing and pulse if static lighting isn’t your thing!
High-Quality Coating – Featuring a striking red-gloss-coating, the R.A.T. 8+ ADV is made to be seen and feels addictively tactile during play
The R.A.T. 8+ ADV was recognized earlier this year at the highly prestigious Red Dot Awards, winning ‘Product Design Award 2020’ for its unique design, unrivaled adjustability, and premium specification. Tested against more than 6,500 products, the R.A.T. 8+ ADV emerged victorious for its craftsmanship and innovative design.
The Mad Catz R.A.T. 8+ ADV is beginning to ship globally now. Availability may vary by region. For more on availability and pricing in each territory, please contact Mad Catz or PR contacts below.
About Mad Catz
Mad Catz®, the legendary gaming hardware brand, has been leading innovation in gaming hardware for three decades. In 2018, Mad Catz announced a surprise return to the international gaming scene, with a dedication to focus first on quality, committed to producing unique gaming hardware, designed and engineered in-house to stand out amongst the competition and deliver superlative performance for gamers of all abilities. Mad Catz design products for gaming across multiple platforms including Windows® PC and Mac® computers, in-home gaming consoles, handheld gaming consoles, smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices. Headquartered in Kowloon, Hong Kong, Mad Catz Global Limited is the brand owner of Mad Catz and has its branches in Taiwan and China. Mad Catz promotes its brand across five continents and distributes its products around the globe.
For additional information about Mad Catz and its products, please visit: www.madcatz.com.You can also find more online through Mad Catz’ Twitter, and Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Revolutionary Mapping Technology Brings Real Deal TPC Courses to Life in PGA TOUR® 2K21
2K has revealed details behind the state-of-the-art mapping technology and process used to bring Tournament Players Club (TPC) courses to life in PGA TOUR® 2K21. The futuristic Course Mapping process provides incredibly realistic and accurate course environments in-game, and the tech is on full display in a new trailer featuring TPC course East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Each course takes several months for the golf-fanatic developers at HB Studios to build, and it starts by partnering with Terra Imaging to capture and process detailed aerial drone footage of each one. The drones capture nearly every real-life detail of these intricate courses, down to one centimetre of accuracy, and then convert the data to 3D images for HB Studios developers to recreate in- game. This process ensures that players feel every break in the green and elevated tee box that PGA TOUR professionals face in real tournaments.
“Our goal is to make the PGA TOUR 2K21 in-game TPC course recreations as detailed as possible, so it feels like you’re actually playing the course alongside top PGA TOUR pros,” said Shaun West, senior producer at HB Studios. “To see professionals play these courses on TV, and then watch each come to life as playable courses within the game, is an incredibly cool process to see. We’re excited for our fans to be able to experience it as well.”
The 15 PGA TOUR 2K21 in-game, licensed TPC courses include:
