Uncover the secrets of Le Carré as York returns in this brand-new mystery adventure!
Gothenburg, Sweden – July 10, 2020 – Rising Star Games, the Home of Japanese Games, and TOYBOX Inc. are thrilled to announce today’s launch of Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise exclusively on the Nintendo Switch family of systems. The uniquely crafted mystery adventure is now available both digitally via the Nintendo Switch eShop and at retail for $49.99. Excited? Then be sure to check out the official launch trailer below and start unravelling the mystery today!
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise is a sequel to Deadly Premonition that takes place in present-day Boston. Through unique storytelling, venture back in time to Le Carré and uncover the mysteries buried within the once peaceful town. Serving as both a sequel and prequel to the original Deadly Premonition, follow Agents Davis and Jones as they begin a new investigation into the Le Carré serial murders. Through the memories of a former FBI agent, go back in time to Le Carré and step into the role of Special Agent York to begin solving the case.
Return as FBI Special Agent York and experience a brand-new murder mystery!
Both a prequel and a sequel: A historic investigation to uncover the murder mystery in Le Carré
An open-ended adventure: Travel around the town of Le Carré by foot or skateboard
Mini-games: Bowling, Bayou Ride, Skateboard Challenge, and more
Customization: Customize your character and upgrade your skateboard for improved speed and landing more difficult tricks
ABOUT TOYBOX
TOYBOX Inc. is a Japanese video game publisher and developer founded by Yasuhiro Wada and Tomio Kanazawa. Established in 2011, TOYBOX plans to deliver creative and unique gaming experiences to the entire world! For more information please visit www.toybox-games.jp
ABOUT RISING STAR GAMES
Founded in 2004, Rising Star Games has built a portfolio of over 130 titles across a wide variety of platforms, from cherished brands such as Harvest Moon, Beyblade and Cooking Mama to cult classics like Deadly Premonition and La Mulana. Originally established to bring Japanese games to a western audience, Rising Star Games has also published games from indie developers across the world.
As of 2019, Rising Star Games is refocusing its publishing activities on Japanese games.
SYDNEY — July 9, 2020 —Boomerang Fu, the frantic boomerang brawler starring adorable yet lethal food creatures from Cranky Watermelon, invites up to six local players to duke it out on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC on August 13th 2020.
Select one of 12 unlockable food characters from the mighty Milk Carton to the awesome Avocado, then leave a delightful mess by tearing each other apart in fast-paced food fights. Learn the simple controls in minutes, then deftly dash away from danger and unleash a barrage of bladed boomerangs.
One hit means instant death. Master the basics, then learn advanced techniques including deflecting attacks, curving throws, and drawing the boomerang back across the map while playing defensively. Bank boomerangs around corners, off walls, activate traps or even toss them through teleportals for tricky feints. After acclimating to ordinary boomerangs, up the ante with stackable power-ups.
Power up boomerangs with flames, frost, or explosives to obliterate opponents, then take it a step further with telekinesis, multi boomerangs, or teleportation. Learn how each of the twelve power-ups work, find a spectacularly ridiculous combo and destroy the competition.
Practice the art of grocery-slaying through more than 30 deadly arenas inspired by Hong Kong action cinema, such as cloudy tranquil gardens, slippery bathhouses and ancient temples. Wreak havoc in these peaceful environments secretly filled with spike traps, crushing stones, and portals.
Create the perfect custom match with modifiers like win conditions, friendly fire, homing boomerangs to help new players and more. Add in formidable A.I. bots for solo practice or to fill out matches. Play Free-For-All matches to see who reigns supreme or form squads in Team Up mode. An additional asymmetrical mode tasks players with fighting for the possession of the Golden Boomerang, leading to glorious “one versus many” showdowns.
“Boomerang Fu combines everything I love: food, boomerangs, and Hong Kong action cinema,” said Paul Kopetko, founder of Cranky Watermelon. “Which food is best? Only razor-sharp boomerangs decide which veggie gets chopped and which dairy product is king.”
Boomerang Fu will be available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC via Steam in English, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Spanish and Italian for $14.99 USD. Play locally with up to six players, or use Steam Remote Play Together on PC to play online (experience may vary based on connection and network quality). For more information, please visit the official website and follow Cranky Watermelon on Twitter.
About Cranky Watermelon
Helmed by Paul Kopetko, Cranky Watermelon is a tiny indie studio with credits on Rodeo Stampede, Crash of Cars and Skiing Yeti Mountain, with art direction by Julian Wilton from The Adventure Pals. Joined by his friends in the Australian indie community, Paul hopes Boomerang Fu can help people connect in a time where we’re apart.
For more information on Cranky Watermelon, please visit their official website.
One of seven, card is among most prized Pokémon collectibles
DALLAS, Texas (July 9, 2020) – An exceedingly rare Pokémon Super Secret Battle “No. 1 Trainer” Trainer Promo Hologram Trading Card, one of seven known to exist, sold for a record-breaking $90,000 on Thursday, July 9, at a public auction of comic and comic art held by Heritage Auctions. Collectors consider the Trainer Promo card possibly the most sought-after card, and arguably one of the rarest cards in the entire Pokémon Trading Card Game.
Equated to one of Willy Wonka’s Golden Tickets, the holographic “Trainer Card” allowed the owner preferentialentrance to a secret game tournament, hence the card’s name Super Secret Battle. The finals took place Aug. 22, 1999 in Tokyo. The 1999 card is graded a “Gem Mint 10” – meaning the rarity is in the finest condition of any such card offered at auction.
Owners only found out the location of the private game after winning one of these cards in one of seven regional tournaments. “This particular card was given to one of the seven first-place winners, meaning there are only seven of these cards in the world,” said Barry Sandoval, Vice President of Comics at Heritage Auctions.
The artwork is by Hideki Kazama, a Japanese artist whose work has appeared on three trainer cards over the years. The card, with text in Japanese, is translated as such:
The Pokémon Card Game Official Tournament’s champion is recognized here, and this honor is praised. By presenting this card, you may gain preferential entry into the Secret Super Battle.
The Pokémon Super Secret Battle “No. 1 Trainer” card was one of several lots of high-end, rare playing cards and sealed card packs offered at Heritage Auctions on Thursday. An additional highlight included a Pokémon First Edition Neo Genesis Set Sealed Booster Box (Wizards of the Coast, 2000), which sold for $15,600.
The auction of rare comic books and original comic art continues through Sunday on HA.com
Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.
Heritage also enjoys the highest online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet’s most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 1,250,000 registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of five million past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit.
PUBG MOBILE TEAMS WITH YAMAHA MOTOR FOR REVVED-UP IN-GAME ADVENTURE
High-octane content skids into world’s most popular mobile game for a limited time
Los Angeles – July 9, 2020 – More vroom and zoom are coming as PUBG MOBILE reveals an unprecedented partnership with renowned motorcycle and off-road vehicle/marine products company Yamaha Motor, who have just celebrated the 65th anniversary early this month. Yamaha’s exclusive motorcycles and other surprises are now available for PUBG MOBILE players to collect through iOS and Android.
Beginning today and through Wednesday, July 22, players can ride on the exclusive Yamaha motorcycles as unlock two completely new in-game vehicle skins, MWT-9 and T7 Concept, with two colors to choose from. The MWT-9 is the concept model that embodies Yamaha Motor’s LMW(Leaning Multi-Wheel) technology, enabling light, agile and sporty handling with a feeling of stability. This concept model leads to Yamaha’s NIKEN production motorcycle, a three-wheels popular model providing confident control on various road conditions. Players can also experience the T7 Concept, the concept model of Yamaha’s crowd favorite Ténéré 700 production model, ideal for exceptional off-road adventure riding. Besides the new vehicle skins, the collaboration brings ZENITH Graphic Helmet and CONTEND Jacket for riders to equip with as well.
In addition to the new rides, players can celebrate the collaboration by participating in a log-in event during the partnership period. Players who sign in to PUBG MOBILE for three days before Wednesday, June 22 will earn a special Yamaha crate, which unlocks a seven-day trial for the MWT-9, ZENITH Graphic Helmet and CONTEND Jacket.
Yamaha Motor (TOKYO: 7272) is a world-leading enterprise manufacturing land-mobility such as motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, and electrically power assisted bicycles, marine products such as boats and outboard motors, robotics products such as surface mounters and drones, as well as engagement in the finance business. The company’s diverse businesses and wide variety of products are built around its proprietary technologies focused on powertrain, chassis and hull, electronic control, and manufacturing technologies. Yamaha Motor operates global development, production and sales networks through 140 subsidiaries and equity-method affiliates in 30 countries and regions, working to realize our Corporate Mission of being a “Kando* Creating Company.”
About 90% of consolidated net sales are generated in more than 180 countries and regions outside of Japan.
PUBG MOBILE is based on PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, the phenomenon that took the world of interactive entertainment by storm in 2017. Up to 100 players parachute onto a remote island to battle in a winner-takes-all showdown. Players must locate and scavenge their own weapons, vehicles and supplies, and defeat every player in a visually and tactically rich battleground that forces players into a shrinking play zone.
For more information, please visit the official PUBG MOBILEaccounts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
The Earth Defense Force series has always been more than a little odd even when it tried to play crazy events as straight as possible but it looks like the next game that is heading to the West will be taking on a different look from what fans are used to. D3 Publisher has announced that they will be bringing the voxel art styled Earth Defense Force: World Brothers to the West as a digital only release for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch sometime in early 2021.
In a parallel universe where everything is in 3D voxel art, a new battlefield has taken stage in the Earth Defense Force series. Voxel Earth is falling apart into square pieces, breaking its blocky peace, as alien invaders in large motherships have caused a catastrophic rift in their massive attack. With the world in turmoil from an alien attack by enemies from the Earth Defense Force series, the player and the Earth Defense Force must rise to the occasion and save the day to restore a shattered Voxel Earth to one peace.
Players will be taking the fight to various voxel formed landmark battlefields with inspirations from America, United Kingdom, Japan, Egypt, and more in the span of the war for survival. Players can expect access to a massive selection of memorable Earth Defense Force legendary soldier classes and weapons, ranging from the original numbered Earth Defense Force series.
After first being leaked for a single console and then later confirmed to being a multi-platform release, THQ Nordic is now once again making things official by announcing that Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning will be releasing on September 8th, a bit past the previously leaked date, and that surprisingly that isn’t the only bit of content coming for the game. The company has also announced that an expansion named “Fatesworn” will also be released sometime in 2021 with more details to be revealed later on.
The HD remaster of the game will be priced at $39.99 though a special “Fate Edition” that will include the eventual expansion pack will be priced at $54.99 instead. The official reveal trailer for Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning can be found below.
It never hurts to return to your roots and when it comes to the Story of Seasons franchise, that saying hits home rather well. Ever since the 2015 shift that saw the familiar Harvest Moon name transform into Story of Seasons, fans have always had to keep an eye out as the games that they have come to know and love under the development name Bokujō Monogatari were now becoming a bit more muddied in the West.
With Harvest Moon titles still coming out from Natsume, it was up to XSEED and Marvelous to continue the series and so far they have seen quite a bit of success. Now what better way to remind everyone where the series shines than with a remake of perhaps one of their most popular entries ever, the 2003 release of Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town now being released with its proper name, Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town. With seventeen years to fill the gap and the transition from the GBA to the Switch, is this a worthwhile entry for fans of the franchise to pick up?
Story
The set-up for Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town remains as simple as ever. Players pick to play as either a boy or a girl and before being shown how when they were a child they once spent months on their grandfather’s farm and grew to love working with the animals, nature, and even becoming friends with another local child. After promising to return, many years have since passed and now the grandfathers’ farm now belongs to the player. Over time it has fallen into some disrepair as the field has gathered all kinds of debris and it is up to the player to try and bring it back up to snuff.
Similar to the original release, Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town really doesn’t take the story too much further beyond that point as players are almost immediately given free reign to take and discover things on their own. While this is a bit of a disappointment as the lack of any kind of structure can be a bit disheartening at times, it also allows players to take and craft their own farm however they wish. It is worth noting that thanks to this clear start that leaves players with no real introduction, that a few elements that longtime fans may have taken for granted such as a starting pet and more are instead left to be discovered by players as there are numerous secrets hidden throughout Mineral Town and the town’s library..
While there is no real story to speak of, there are plenty of villagers to interact and become friends with in Mineral Town and their personalities really help brighten the game. It is worth noting that the title does feature a brand new localization effort so some names will be a bit different than longtime Harvest Moon fans may remember them but the personalities will remain the same. As players befriend characters, generally by simply talking with them and giving them gifts that they like, there will be special little scenes that can trigger when entering certain locations from time to time. Often these scenes don’t directly involve the player but help flesh out the townsfolk a bit more and breathe some extra life into the town even if the standard interaction dialogue quickly loses its luster since there are only so many variants available.
Of course, when it comes to actually becoming a bit more than friends with these characters, players now have more options than ever in this remake. Rather than force players to only be able to romance a bachelor or bachelorette of the opposite gender, there is now the option to potentially date and marry any of the candidates available in the game, including two brand new ones that were not included in the original release and the return of some more supernatural elements ones as well. This allows for players to see far more friendship and heart events with characters and learn more about them (even dating more than one at a time should the player choose) than they would originally and considering the array of personalities these romance options have, this is a great feature.
Gameplay
It is interesting to note that while Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town may not feature any real tutorial or hand-holding right out of the gate, players will be able to choose from two difficulties when starting a game. There is the standard difficulty that everyone is familiar with as well as a Beginner Mode that gives players a boost at the start with extra money, better prices when shipping goods, and faster relationship gains with villagers and animals. This latter option may be great for those who are just now experiencing the series for the first time but anyone familiar with the series will want to go for the original difficulty even if it means an initial slow going.
While playing the game players will quickly find themselves falling into their own set routine even if they find the start a bit limiting as bag space remains at a premium, even with tools and items separated into different categories, and a stamina system that, while a bit forgiving thanks to a fatigue system that gives players a bit of leeway, is rather small until players find ways to increase it. This is far from a bad thing however as it is easy to regularly run out to the field, tend to the various crops planted at the time, perhaps swing by your animal pens and make sure your chickens, cows, and alpacas have been fed and brushed, before rushing out to the mountain and foraging for items to ship for a bit of extra cash or to give as gifts to the many townsfolk that all have their own schedules and sets of likes and dislikes.
The various crops are all fairly easy to manage as one may expect, with certain plants only growing in certain seasons though longtime fans will notice a few new vegetables and trees making their way to the game this time around and the livestock have also been expanded a bit to feature a few new types of cows that can produce flavored milk and even special pets that, when unlocked, can come in a variety of different types that can be rather unusual. If trying to run the farm becomes a bit too much for the player or they want to risk expanding a bit then then the Harvest Sprites once again make a clear and obvious return.
These sprites, once befriended, can help out for periods of time by watering crops, feeding and taking care of livestock, and harvesting crops and while they may be a bit slow at first, the extra help quickly becomes appreciated especially since there always is a little something extra to do in Friends of Mineral Town. This includes mining for rare ores in the mountain mine, taking part in festivals, and of course trying to befriend and possibly woo a husband or wife. There is plenty to do and while things may quickly feel like they are becoming routine, it is a steady and enjoyable one that remains as charming as the series always has been.
Visuals & Audio
Considering the massive jump in time between the original release and Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town, it is quite evident that the sprites of old are long gone and instead a new 3D world has taken its place. The art direction leans heavily on focusing on cuteness more than anything else, especially when it comes to the animals that players can raise, while the human character models are a bit too simplistic at times for their own good, especially compared to how their portraits look when they are talking to the player. A few of the character portraits have undergone something of a facelift but many remain very similar to how fans will remember them and this is a nice bonus. Unfortunately the actual town designs can be a bit disappointing at times as it really doesn’t change up too much outside of a few seasonal events where the whole town undergoes a refreshing, albeit temporary, facelift.
The soundtrack for the game features a great collection of soothing and relaxing pieces of background music that fit perfectly with the style of the game while the sound effects from using tools and the various noises from the livestock and animals remain true to series form.
Overall
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town may be a simpler farming game than what fans have grown used to in recent years but this remake of the 2003 classic remains as charming and enjoyable as ever. With a number of little additions to help make the game more enjoyable for all types of players, it is hard not to find yourself quickly losing hours of time thanks to how gratifying and enjoyable the routine of farming and interacting with the townsfolk becomes.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
2K announced the next WWE 2Ktitle will be the arcade-style brawler WWE 2K Battlegrounds. The game is scheduled to launch on September 18 for Stadia, Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows via Steam. The game is available for pre-order now for AUD$69.95/NZD$79.95 for the Standard Edition and AUD$79.95/NZD$89.95 for the Deluxe Edition.
The game is being developed by Saber Interactive, who previously developed the arcade-style NBA game NBA 2K Playgrounds. WWE 2K Battlegrounds will be designed to be easy to learn with a high skill ceiling.
WWE 2K Battlegrounds will feature four modes set across eight environments. Over 70 WWE Superstars and Legends will be available at launch with more being released after the launch. Exhibition and Online mode will provide quick gamed for up to four players. King of the Battlegrounds is an intense free for all for eight players where four players will battle it out and the survivor will take on the four players waiting in the wings. The campaign will offer a full blown story where players will battle their way up to a WWE contract.
Dual Dokkan Festival Features Two Fusion Fighters, Two Story Events Based on the “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” and the “Future Trunks Saga” of the Anime Series “Dragon Ball Super”, and Special Rewards for Players
Santa Clara, Calif., – (July 9, 2020), Leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. is celebrating the fifth anniversary of DRAGON BALL Z DOKKAN BATTLE, the thrilling mobile battle game based on the iconic DRAGON BALL series, by introducing the powerful new characters, new Story Events and daily login bonuses. DRAGON BALL Z DOKKAN BATTLE is available for free on the iOS App Store and Google Play store.
Players can now summon Gogeta and Vegito, who can be Dokkan Awakened into powerful Legendary Rare (LR) characters who boast their own Active Skills and voice lines. Two new Story Events featuring “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” and the “Future Trunks Saga” from the “Dragon Ball Super” anime series have also been added to the game. The two events represent big expansions to the in-game content, and within these events players can recruit Broly (Kid), Vegeta (Kid) and Zamasu to their teams.
Lastly, players who log in each day starting from July 6 to August 10 (PST) will receive daily login bonuses. On the first day alone, all players will receive 45 Dragon Stones, 5 “55” Special Summon Tickets and “Super Saiyan God SS Goku.”
DRAGON BALL Z DOKKAN BATTLE combines intense action puzzle game experiences, elements of classic board-games, and character deck creation featuring fighters from across the immensely popular DRAGON BALL universe. The game has been downloaded over 300 million times on Android and iOS mobile devices worldwide.
Detectives Wanted: Investigations Into Mysterious Suicide Case Begin on August 25, 2020
In case you missed the news, it’s time to don your detective cap! Publisher Assemble Entertainment announced an August 25, 2020 release date for the thrilling investigative full-motion video (FMV) game Jessika. Launching on Steam via Windows, Steam OS, Mac, and Linux, Jessika tasks you with cracking the case of a lifetime, uncovering the truths behind unanswered questions. Was it a suicide, or was the titular Jessika’s demise something far more sinister?
Those interested in getting an early glimpse into the tragic world of Jessika can now do so, as Assemble Entertainment has released a new demo of the game on Steam as part of the Steam Summer Sale, which runs until July 9th.
Additionally, Assemble today released a set of new in-game screenshots, which give you an even closer look at the kinds of things you’ll encounter while sifting through Jessika’s online presence — which seems innocent enough…at first. Will you be able to read between the lines and decipher her cryptic messages?
Also, players with a particular hankering for Assemble Entertainment’s fantastic titles will be pleased to know that the publisher also released demos for the humorously horrific, Lovecraft universe-inspired visual novel The Innsmouth Case, cyberpunk point-and-click adventure Encodya, and their post-apocalyptic survival RPG Highrisers.
More about Jessika
Convinced of foul play, Jessika’s father has hired you to uncover the truth about her untimely death. What appears to be a textbook suicide — at least, at first — may prove to be your career-defining moment. With only your laptop and an unrivaled determination for unearthing the truth, you’ll need to dig through the victim’s extensive digital footprint to locate clues and keywords embedded within Jessika’s tangled online presence to piece together what really happened.
Developed by TriTrie Games and published by Assemble Entertainment, Jessika will arrive on Steam via Windows, Steam OS, Mac, and Linux on August 25, 2020, and retail for $12.49 USD. Players can wishlist the game by visiting the official Jessika Steam store page, here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1251980/Jessika.
