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Oddity Springs Forth from Mother 4 Fan Game

Travis Bruno
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Oddity Springs Forth from Mother 4 Fan Game

Fan games can be a bit of an odd beast as they are passion projects by the most die hard fans of a series, but at the same time they are also always met with a cease and desist when they begin to gain popularity. Such is the case with the Mother 4 fan game that has been kicking around for a few years now but has been mostly silent over the past year. Well there seems to be good reason for that as the game has now been changed into something that looks more “inspired” by the classic RPG than anything else and is now called Oddity.

This big reveal comes in the form of a trailer that explains that the game is keeping an original premise and storyline following a boy named Travis Fields and his friends during the ’70s and that, during a camping trip, the group blows up a “Gate” that triggers a worldwide crisis. The developers for the game are currently working on it for PC and have also stated that “it’ll be out when it’s ready” so don’t expect it anytime soon.

Fate/Stay Night Cooking Spin-off Announced for Switch

Travis Bruno
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Fate/Stay Night Cooking Spin-off Announced for Switch

There have always been a few cooking games released here and there but that well has ran dry in recent years so it only makes sense that the Fate franchise expands into that hole. It has been revealed through an official website that a cooking game based around the spin-off anime series, Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family, will be releasing on the Nintendo Switch in spring 2020 in Japan. Everyday Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family will feature a variety of cooking mini-games that, at least so far, appear to feature Saber (Artoria) cooking a variety of dishes.

It is currently unknown whether this Fate/Stay Night spin-off game will end up being localized in any form but given the popularity that has seen nearly every spin-off game in the series localized in English, it may only be a matter of time. You can check out the non-region locked version of the trailer announcing the game below courtesy of Gematsu.

LG TO UNVEIL 2020 REAL 8K TV LINEUP FEATURING NEXT-GEN AI PROCESSOR AT CES 2020

Philip Federico
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LG TO UNVEIL 2020 REAL 8K TV LINEUP FEATURING NEXT-GEN AI PROCESSOR AT CES 2020

Advanced Alpha 9 Gen 3 AI Processor Brings Optimised Picture and Sound to Company’s Range of 8K Displays

SEOUL, Jan. 3, 2020 — LG Electronics (LG), the company delivering the Real 8K experience, will introduce its expanded 8K TV lineup next week at CES® 2020 – eight TVs with new 77- and 65-inch class models joining LG’s existing 88- and 75-inch screen sizes.

The diverse 2020 lineup includes premium 88- and 77-inch class LG SIGNATURE OLED 8K TVs (models 88/77 OLED ZX) and advanced LG NanoCell TVs (models 75/65 Nano99, 75/65 Nano97, 75/65 Nano95), with every model exceeding the 8K Ultra HD definition set by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) with independent labs such as TÜV Rheinland validating that LG SIGNATURE OLED 8K and LG 8K NanoCell TV exceed this definition.*

Not only do LG 8K TVs deliver Real 8K, they are also future-proofed to provide customers peace of mind with multiple ways to enjoy the Real 8K experience. The new models offer the capability to play native 8K content** thanks to support of a wide selection of 8K content sources from HDMI and USB digital inputs, including codecs such as HEVC, VP9 and AV1, the latter being backed by major streaming providers including YouTube. LG 8K TVs will support 8K content streaming at a rapid 60FPS and are certified to deliver 8K 60P over HDMI.

The latest LG 8K TVs also feature upgraded performance thanks to the new α (Alpha) 9 Gen 3 AI Processor. By leveraging deep learning technology, the 2020 lineup delivers optimised picture and sound quality for wide range of content through AI-based 8K upscaling. Based on an intelligent deep learning network, AI 8K Upscaling delivers vivid and accurate 8K images by analysing the content and applying Quad Step Noise Reduction and frequency-based Sharpness Enhancer to increase lower resolution content to near 8K.

The α9 Gen 3 processor’s AI Picture Pro is capable of recognising faces and text on screen, fine-tuning and sharpening each to produce more natural skin tones, well-defined facial features and clearer, more readable characters. What’s more? Auto Genre Selection recognises the type of content being watched and automatically applies picture settings to deliver realistic image quality among four genres: movie, sports, standard and animation.

The LG AI Sound Pro analyses and classifies the audio of content among five categories –music, movies, sports, drama or news – for clearer voices and richer, more textured background sound. Spoken words are isolated and their volume increased, making it distinctively easier for viewers to understand. Meanwhile, background noises are identified and the scene up-mixed to virtual 5.1 surround for a heightened level of viewer immersion.

On top of the viewing experience, LG 8K TVs offer a new level of convenience made possible by AI technology. Users can monitor and control compatible IoT devices directly from the TV’s Home Dashboard, while Hands-Free Voice Control allows viewers to easily control multiple connected devices with just their voice, even from across the room. Available in 144 countries, ThinQ voice recognition is built into every LG 8K TV. And with the LG smart TV platform, webOS, the new TVs support Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit as well as both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, with Amazon Alexa Premium Far-Field Voice compatibility in the future.

“LG is deeply committed to providing consumers with an outstanding viewing experience,” said Park Hyoung-sei, president of the LG Home Entertainment Company. “With LG 8K OLED and NanoCell TVs, customers can know they are getting future-proofed products that will deliver mesmerising picture quality regardless of the format.”

LG’s comprehensive, 8K lineup will be on show during CES 2020 from January 7-10 at the company’s booth (#11100, Central Hall, Las Vegas Convention Center). Follow all of LG’s CES activities and announcements on social media using #LGCES2020.

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*Test results for LG’s new 77-inch LG SIGNATURE OLED 8K and 65-inch NanoCell 8K (Nano97 series) TVs confirmed by TÜV Rheinland as surpassing minimum contrast modulation (CM) threshold requirements for Real 8K.

** Native 8K content is currently not available in Australia and New Zealand.SD, HD and 4K UHD content is upscaled and image quality will vary depending on source content.

About LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company

The LG Home Entertainment Company is an industry leader in televisions, audio video systems, monitors, projectors and portable computers. The company is a recognized innovator in the industry for its leadership in OLED TVs which is revolutionizing the premium TV category. LG is committed to improving customers’ lives with innovative home entertainment products led by category-leading OLED TVs and award-winning NanoCell TVs featuring artificial intelligence capabilities. For more information, visit www.LG.com.

BanG Dream! 3rd Season Licensed by Sentai Filmworks

Travis Bruno
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BanG Dream! 3rd Season Licensed by Sentai Filmworks

Sentai Filmworks has announced that they have acquired the license for the third anime season of BanG Dream!. This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise as the company has already previously licensed both of the previous seasons of the anime series, though at the moment only the first season has been released on home video in North America.

This license acquisition for BanG Dream! 3rd Season as it is called will allow for the series to stream digitally on a number of outlets when the season starts airing on January 23rd and the company has already stated that a home video release is planned.

For those unaware of the season, Sentai Filmworks describes it as such: The girl-powered bands are gigging again. That means Poppin’Party and other fan favorites are set to return for an all new season of BanG Dream!. Now that Kasumi and the rest of Poppin’Party are taking charge of their own show, the sky’s the limit for their rockin’ musical ambitions and dreams of stardom. But they’ll have to contend with other bands looking for their big break, and their friendship will be put to the ultimate test as they rock their way to the top of the charts!

Bokuhime Project Opening Video Revealed

Travis Bruno
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Bokuhime Project Opening Video Revealed

For a bit now Nippon Ichi Software have been working on a different style visual novel for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch and now the company has released the opening movie for the game. Bokuhime Project as it is called is a cross-dressing adventure game where an ordinary boy named Minato infiltrates a prestigious school to find out why his older sister fell into a coma.

To do this, he must dress and act as a girl to attend class and with the help of his cousin Akira he will need to get closer to those who may know the truth behind his sister’s illness. The video can be found below and currently Bokuhime Project is set to be released in Japan on April 23rd with no Western release announced at this time.

OVERHIT’S ARMADA OF UNIQUE HEROES INTENSIFIES WITH KIKI FROM HIT UNIVERSE

Philip Federico
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OVERHIT’S ARMADA OF UNIQUE HEROES INTENSIFIES WITH KIKI FROM HIT UNIVERSE

Powerful character from nostalgic mobile title arrives in turn-based mobile role-playing game on iOS and Android as part of new update

Seoul – Dec. 30, 2019 – For several years, mobile gamers from around the globe plunged into the gorgeous world of Heroes of Incredible Tales (HIT) for mystical action gameplay. Today, fans of the beloved game can experience HIT’s Kiki hero in Overhit, the widely-popular turn-based action role-playing game (RPG) from NEXON Korea Corporation, subsidiary of NEXON Co., Ltd. (“Nexon”) (3659.TO), a worldwide leader in free-to-play online and mobile games. The Overhit x HIT crossover is available for free as part of a massive update on the App Store and Google Play.

From the enchanted and treacherous realm of HIT arrives the all-new SSR+ Magic and Water Type character Kiki, who enlists in Overhit’s unprecedented roster of heroes. Kiki boasts a mysterious magical power that controls nature, which allows her to teleport and take control of lightning and water to wipe out enemies and cause chaos on the battlefield. From now until Thursday, Jan. 9, players can experience a Chance Boost Gacha for Kiki, along with other SSR and SSR+ heroes Rito, Aglaea and Emodin.

In addition to Kiki’s arrival, today’s content update delivers multiple new features, including:

  • Hatsune Miku Costume – Earlier this year, Overhit teamed up with virtual singer and global superstar Hatsune Miku for an unprecedented collaboration. From now until Thursday, Jan. 9, Hatsune Miku returns with a festive Christmas costume for players to unlock
  • New Raid Boss “Yoho” – The ferocious legendary nine-tailed fire fox ‘q arrives to challenge only the most daring of heroes. Players can defeat this unforgiving galactic monster to unlock fresh chaos gear from Yoho.
  • Emodin Balance Improvement – The SSR Water Type hero Emodin is now stronger and fiercer than ever before
  • Additional Events – Several new and updated in-game events have been added, including seven-day attendance rewards, a hero growth support event for Water Type heroes, rock paper scissors event, bingo event, Legendary Gacha boost event and AP Usage event.

In Overhit,players are invited to command the Black Wings resistance army packed with characters from across time and space. A cast of more than 120 unforgettable heroes voiced by world-renowned anime voice actors such as Ishikawa Kaito, Uchida Aya and Morikawa Toiyuki take charge in agorgeous world with console-inspired 3D backgrounds.

The latest content update is available today in Overhit for iOS and Android. Additional information for members of the press:

  • Check out the official Facebook page here
  • Visit the official Overhit website here

What is “Hatsune Miku”

Hatsune Miku is music software developed by Crypton Future Media, INC., and it enables anyone to make the computer sing by entering lyrics and melodies. As a massive number of users created music using the software and posted their works on the Internet, Hatsune Miku quickly evolved into a cultural phenomenon. Moreover, Hatsune Miku has gained much attention as a character, involved in many fields such as merchandising and live performance as a virtual singer. Now her popularity has spread across the globe.

About NEXON Co. Ltd.
NEXON Co., Ltd. (“Nexon”) (3659.TO) is a worldwide leader in free-to-play online and mobile games. Founded in Korea in 1994, Nexon developed one of the world’s first graphics-based massively multiplayer online games. Nexon also pioneered the concept of microtransactions and the free-to-play business model, setting a new standard in which play is free, and users have the option to purchase in-game items to enhance their experience. Nexon currently services nearly 100 titles in more than 190 countries. The Company is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and its shares are listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Xenosaga HD Collection “Failed Profitable Market Analysis”

Travis Bruno
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Xenosaga HD Collection “Failed Profitable Market Analysis”

With so many different HD collections coming out and bringing fan favorite series back from the dead, there are always a few slightly more niche series that fans hope to hear about and while there may have been some hope for the Xenosaga series at some point, that hope has been dashed. While speaking with fans through Twitter Bandai Namco‘s Katsuhiro Harada revealed that while the company was thinking about releasing an HD collection featuring the three Xenosaga games that they would not be moving forward with the project as it “failed in a profitable market analysis.”

He went on to explain that the global market was also factored into the aspect of releasing the games and that plans would still not move forward. It is interesting to note that while the Monolith Soft developed trilogy of RPGs were released in their entirety in Japan and North America from 2002 to 2006 those in Europe only ever saw the second game in the series released.

Motion Twin Gifts Dead Cells Fans Routes to Prior Build Versions, New Items, & More Holiday Treats via New Legacy Update, Now Live on Steam

Philip Federico
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Motion Twin Gifts Dead Cells Fans Routes to Prior Build Versions, New Items, & More Holiday Treats via New Legacy Update, Now Live on Steam

Battle Through Early Versions of Motion Twin’s Breakout Hit and
Explore the Timeline of New Content & Features Leading to 2018’s Action Game of the Year Award

Bordeaux, France (Dec. 23, 2019) Motion Twin and Evil Empire today released Dead Cells’ Legacy Update, a massive addition which features new items, mutations, and other stocking stuffers beside its key present to the community; fans can now defy time and return to Dead Cells’ previous iterations, exploring the range of features and mechanics within distinctive builds which paved the way for the critically acclaimed roguelite.

The Legacy Update spans back to Dead Cells’ very first Early Access version and will continue to gather new builds as the game evolves. The team couldn’t help but add a few extra bonuses, too; the Legacy Update includes two new mutations, rebalancing for the 3 least-used weapons and a Santa skin, which is kitsch as hell, as it should certainly be.

“As dedicated as we have been and remain to growing and refining Dead Cells, we’ve heard from select community members mourning the loss of their personal favorite elements from prior builds,” said Joan Blachere, creative director at Evil Empire. “Our goal with the Legacy Update is to help veteran fans rediscover their favorite moments from Dead Cells’ expansive build archive while letting curious newcomers explore what’s led to the version familiar to them. Giving the gift of time travel while still keeping future updates available to everyone is about as close to a Christmas miracle as we can get.”

Dead Cells is a metroidvania action platformer set within an ever-changing castle stuffed with powerful gear, cunning foes, and tons of secrets to discover. Every run through the keep allows players to shape their loadout as they please from a wildly varied arsenal while choosing their path through the keep’s distinctively dangerous sections. Paired with a steady series of post-launch content, Dead Cells’ heavy emphasis on experimentation and deciding when to favor risk over reward keeps each playthrough fresh and exciting.

For the latest on Dead Cells, follow @motiontwin on Twitter.

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About Motion Twin

Motion Twin is an independent game development studio based in France since 2001 and are the creators of the hit roguelike action game Dead Cells, available for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch platforms. Motion Twin is a worker cooperative passionate about creating new game experiences. Learn more at https://motion-twin.com/en/.

About Evil Empire

Evil Empire is the evil spawn of a bunch of ex-Motion Twiners. Formed in 2018 in close proximity and partnership with Motion Twin, Evil Empire is focused on producing new original content, both for Dead Cells and new IP.

Lost Ember Review

Travis Bruno
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Lost Ember Review

Lost Ember

Developer: Mooneye Studios
Publisher: Mooneye Studios
Platforms: Xbox One (Reviewed), Switch, PlayStation 4, PC
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $29.99 – Available Here

Overview

Traveling around a world and examining everything it has to offer is nothing new when it comes to adventure games but what if, instead of a standard human, players explored the world as a variety of animals? Long have games that featured playable animals felt like a special little addition but Lost Ember does more than simply offer it as a side-attraction, it is instead the core focus. With players taking on the role of a wolf but stepping into a variety of other creatures all while on a journey of discovery, is Lost Ember worth exploring?

Story

Lost Ember sets the stage by explaining that the Yanrana people have had a longstanding cultural belief that when they pass away their souls move onto the City of Light. Unfortunately a wandering soul finds itself trapped within a barrier with no way to find a way to the afterlife and after attempting to communicate with the various living creatures around it, the soul manages to speak with a wolf. This wolf is also a lost soul who has seemingly been banished from the City of Light and has accepted her fate with no memory of her time as a human.

Choosing to follow the lost soul, the Wolf immediately discovers its previous name and begins a journey that shatters the barriers blocking the soul from moving through the world all while revealing more and more memories about the fate of the wolf. These memories range from heartwarming initially before breaking that heart as numerous terrible truths are revealed through narration by the lost soul and fully voiced artistic scenes. That being said, while the story does pack a solid emotional punch, it quickly becomes apparent what certain twists will occur in the latter half of the game. In fact, past the initial negative memory it will likely be clear what route Lost Ember will take and while this doesn’t hamper the story too badly, it is a bit too predictable.

Gameplay

At its core Lost Ember is all about exploration. There are no enemies to fight and the only puzzles that the player has to solve is how to get to the next location to progress the story and of course collecting plenty of little collectibles scattered throughout the map. To do this they will be making use of the wolf’s special ability to possess other animals that live in the world. While the wolf is fast and able to make small leaps, there are plenty of other creatures far better suited for exploring certain areas and that is where the game’s body changing mechanic shines.

While things start off a bit simple, with players being introduced to a wombat that can roll around and fit through small holes, to a duck that can fly through the air, the options begin to open up as there are numerous little places in every area that players can explore with various creatures. Tiny tunnels can be explored by smaller creatures such as wombats, moles, and more, high peaks can be reached by using a hummingbird, parrot, and others, and even the waterways are accessible through many different kinds of fish, including catfish but that is only the tip as other larger creatures can also be possessed to tackle certain areas and for the most part, players can choose to navigate around the world however they please, though there are some areas that do require specific animals to progress.

It is a bit unfortunate however that, while it is possible to explore as much as whichever animal you can find and swap into, there are some species that control far worse than others and have some odd limitations like a certain feathered fowl that lacks the ability to fly up. Along those same lines the soul-shifting from any creature to the wolf ends up having its fair share of hiccups and while the game does prevent accidental transformations when underwater, in the air, or underground there were more than a few moments that saw the wolf falling through the ground after shifting out of a creature on flat terrain and even more so when near anything slanted. Also players will need to be wary of taking some animals into locations meant for others as the camera often struggles to stay within the boundary of the map in these cases.

It is nice to note that there are plenty of collectibles for players to track down and this helps give the game’s explorative element far more weight as many of these collectibles are very well hidden, even when using the proper creature to track it down. Relics are the most interesting, and second most plentiful, collectibles, as these tend to be items from the world itself and can provide extra bits of information about the game’s backstory and tribe as well as more than a few Easter Eggs for other games, while the other two collectibles are a bit bland in the form of too many mushrooms that sprout when gathered and a handful of “Legendary” animals that are simply the same model but glow bright white when found.

Visuals & Audio

When it comes to presentation Lost Ember both excels and falters a bit depending on where players are exploring at any given time. The animals that they can control are nicely detailed using the game’s unique art style and even have a variety of different color patterns to keep things fresh and the different biomes the wolf and soul travel through are varied well enough but more than a few times the environment can look great at a distance only for it to be dull when actually traveling through it.

The voice work, which is present through the soul’s narration and flashback scenes, fits well enough with the narrator really standing out as a driving force here and the game’s sound effects for the various animals work well enough, though when it comes to certain animals they are a bit on the simpler sounding side. The background music is a mix of soothing tracks that are an excellent fit given the exploration aspect of the game, allowing players to easily relax and spend time traveling the world should they choose.

Overall

Lost Ember offers a unique exploration game that offers plenty of options to explore a world unlike what many other games in the genre have offered and although the story is a bit predictable, it still packs a solid emotional punch to keep players going. That being said, the amount of times that a checkpoint needed to be reloaded due to glitches is far too frequent and the occasionally dull environments put a bit of a hamper on what is otherwise an enjoyable and often relaxing feeling adventure game.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

First Look at A Quiet Place Part 2 Released

Jamie Laike Tsui
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First Look at A Quiet Place Part 2 Released

Paramount Pictures has released the very first look at A Quiet Place Part 2. A short 30 second teaser is out ahead of the first full trailer that will hit YouTube on 2 January 2020. Paramount also revealed a screenshot featuring Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe.

A Quiet Place 2 picks up after the end of the first film. With the aliens’ weakness now exposed, the four surviving Abbott family members can now venture beyond the sand path in search of safety; however, the aliens are not the only horrors that are lurking in the wilderness.

A Quiet Place 2 is set to hit cinemas in Australia on 19 March 2020.

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