KINGDOM
HEARTS III Re Mind DLC ARRIVES THIS SUMMER
Tokyo
Game Show 2019 Trailer Released Showing New Gameplay and Story Scenes
SYDNEY, 10th September
2019 – Ahead of
Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix Ltd., gave Keyblade wielders an early look at new
DLC coming to KINGDOM HEARTS III titled, “Re Mind”. This summer (ANZ),
players can experience a new episode as they continue their adventure in the
beloved action-RPG series, encountering new obstacles and bosses to battle.
The Tokyo Game Show trailer showcases new story scenes along with Sora’s new battle form as he takes on the evil Organization XIII.
In the upcoming DLC, players travel
to a familiar realm and encounter powerful new bosses. In some of the
additional battles, players will be able to switch characters. Players can also
obtain additional Keyblades by downloading the free update.
KINGDOM HEARTS III Re Mind will launch this winter for the
PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and the Xbox One family of devices
including Xbox One X. KINGDOM
HEARTS III is available now for the PlayStation®4 system and on Xbox One
family of devices. For more information, visit http://www.kingdomhearts.com/
XSEED Games Opens Preorders for Highly Anticipated Remaster
Torrance, Calif. – September 9, 2019 – XSEED Games, the independent-minded publishing brand of Marvelous USA, Inc., today announced a retail limited edition of Rune Factory 4 Special, the remastered version of the critically acclaimed RPG simulation title coming to the Nintendo Switch™ system later this winter in North America. This ‘Archival Edition’ will be available for preorder soon for an MSRP of $59.99 at the XSEED Games Store and other participating retailers, while a physical standalone edition will also be offered for an MSRP of $39.99.
Rune Factory 4 Special ’Archival Edition’ is a beautifully crafted collection including
an art book commemorating the work on the entire Rune Factory series by
character designer Minako Iwasaki, as well as new illustrations for the premium
box and art book cover by the artist. Full contents include:
Physical copy of Rune Factory 4 Special for Nintendo Switch
160-page art book measuring 5.8” x 8.2” featuring the works of Minako Iwasaki from Rune Factory 1 through 4, Rune Factory: Frontier, and Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny
Official soundtrack CD consisting of 33 tracks from the original release, plus 3 new tracks
‘Swimsuit Day’ DLC that adds an option to have characters appear in their swimsuits
Premium custom box with original illustration by Minako Iwasaki
Rune Factory 4 Specialmarks the return of the
beloved entry in the popular STORY OF SEASONS spinoff series that
combines farming with dungeon adventuring. The original game on the Nintendo
3DS™ system, which has sold over 300,000 copies in North America and Europe,
makes its debut on Nintendo Switch in HD bringing the joys of growing crops,
raising monsters, and building friendships in an epic fantasy world to players
old and new, while seasoned explorers will be delighted to
discover features such as a brand new opening movie and the challenging
“Hell” difficulty level. Other farm-fresh features include ‘Newlywed Mode’,
which introduces special episodes about living the married life with the game’s
12 eligible bachelors and bachelorettes featuring new voices and in-game cutscenes.
About Rune Factory 4 Special
The curtain rises on a beautiful sunny day, as the hero tumbles
from the heavens… After being saved by the dragon Ventuswill, the hero comes to
live in the local castle as a newly designated ruler and begins life anew while
developing the town, making difficult decisions, and cultivating the soil.
While exploring a nearby forest, the hero encounters and defeats a monstrous
butterfly. Left in the fallen monster’s place is a mysterious young girl.
Seeking the answers as to why, the hero’s search for the truth will lead to a
grand adventure that will shake the very foundations of their world…and draw
them closer to the secret buried in their own lost memories.
In this standalone story, players choose to play as a male or female
hero and will encounter a diverse cast of potential suitors and other loveable
townsfolk. As the newly appointed prince or princess, royal duties are
fulfilled by issuing orders to help the town prosper, or by taking a more
relaxed approach to governance by raising crops and helping townsfolk. Should
some dungeon adventuring be on the day’s itinerary, a vast array of weapons
along with magic can be crafted or bought for battle against dangerous
foes—companions or friendly monsters can also join to aid the player during
their travels.
Developed by HAKAMA Inc. and Marvelous Inc. and published in North
America by XSEED Games, Rune Factory 4 Special ‘Archival Edition’
will be available for preorder soon for Nintendo Switch on the XSEED Games
Store and select retailers for $59.99, while the standalone game will be
available for $39.99 both physically and digitally. This game has not yet been
rated by the ESRB.
XSEED Games is the independent-minded publishing brand of
Marvelous USA, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Marvelous Inc., which is a
publicly traded company listed in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock
Exchange. Formed in 2004 and located in Torrance, California, XSEED Games
publishes interactive entertainment content for PC and consoles from the
Marvelous portfolio as well as from a wide variety of third-party partners.
Whether it’s Marvelous properties such as STORY OF SEASONS (Bokujo
Monogatari), SENRAN KAGURA, and Rune Factory, or third-party
titles such as the Corpse Party, AKIBA’S TRIP, and The Legend
of Heroes: Trails series, XSEED Games has grown its reputation among gamers
with its critically acclaimed localizations and commitment to fans, remaining
ever dedicated to its “indie spirit, player-first” approach.
GAMECLUB’S SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE FOR CLASSIC
PREMIUM MOBILE GAMES LAUNCHES GLOBALLY THIS FALL
Experience a library of critically acclaimed
classics at your fingertips on iOS and Android exclusively through GameClub
NEW YORK — Sept. 9, 2019 — GameClub today announced it will officially launch its “all-you-can-play” subscription service for the App Store and Google Play this fall. For a small monthly fee, players will have access to an exclusive collection of the very best premium mobile games, free of intrusive ads and in-app purchases, fully updated and optimized for modern iOS and Android devices. Unlike many other game subscription services, GameClub’s games are all downloadable and playable with or without an internet connection.
“Smartphones sparked an explosion of
creativity in games, however much of that innovation has been snuffed out by
titles that are free to download but often rely on manipulative practices and
annoying monetization schemes,” said Dan Sherman, CEO and co-founder of
GameClub. “Too many talented game creators have been driven away from mobile
and GameClub believes players deserve better.”
GameClub’s content is curated by Eli Hodapp,
the former Editor-in-Chief of TouchArcade.com, with input from the community.
This is the only place where many of the all-time great mobile games can be
found. In aggregate, the games in the GameClub library have been downloaded by
over one hundred million players over the past decade. Instead of disappearing,
these titles will be accessible to GameClub subscribers and free for users who
have previously purchased them. Post-launch, GameClub will also begin releasing
new and original premium games.
GameClub will launch globally this fall with
at least 50 games and new titles will be added every week thereafter. Announced
titles include Super
Crate Box (Vlambeer), Legendary
Wars (Liv Games), Minigore
(Mountain Sheep), Space
Miner (Venan Entertainment), Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor (Tiger
Style), Mage Gauntlet
(Rocketcat Games), and many more. Mobile gamers who can’t wait to play these
games can sign up for the GameClub Early Access program at http://gameclub.io
to begin receiving pre-launch TestFlight betas and other news about GameClub’s
global launch.
Game creators interested in learning more
about GameClub can contact [email protected].
About
GameClub
GameClub is a startup developer that is
breathing new life into premium mobile game experiences. The company applies
its own technology and development team to optimize and maintain classic
premium mobile games, offering new and enhanced versions of these titles to
gamers everywhere through a single monthly subscription. The company was
founded in 2018 by Dan Sherman and Oliver Pedersen, two serial entrepreneurs
who have been working in the game industry for over 15 years. They have been
joined by Eli Hodapp, former Editor-in-Chief
of TouchArcade, the #1 iOS gaming site, and
Britt Myers, former chief product officer of Homer, a leader in
subscription-based educational apps for kids.
Full Steam Ahead! Charming Co-op
Railroad-builder Unrailed! Launches into Early
Access Today on Windows PC
Daedalic Entertainment and Indoor Astronaut
reward all beta players with permanent access to the full game as thanks for
their support
HAMBURG,
Germany — September 9, 2019 –
Publisher Daedalic Entertainment and independent studio Indoor Astronaut are
delighted to announce that the colourful co-op railway-building game Unrailed! will launch
today on Windows PC via Steam
Early Access for $16.99.
Featuring fast-paced moment-to-moment gameplay, procedurally generated landscapes and tricky terrain, Unrailed! challenges players to keep an unstoppable train moving to its destination.
Unrailed! demands strategy, coordination and communication
across a variety of gameplay modes because this train simply will not stop for
anything! Plan ahead, cut down trees and rocks, lay down tracks to avoid
hazards, upgrade your train with new wagons, and fend off any creature that
gets in your way. Play with up to four players in co-op, take on Endless mode,
where just one misstep can end your journey, or work as a duo to get your train
to the station before your rivals in competitive multiplayer.
As an extra bonus, all players who helped
test Unrailed! during
closed beta will be upgraded to the full version of the game for free as thanks
from Daedalic Entertainment and Indoor Astronaut. The feedback provided by
players in closed beta was invaluable to the game’s development, and the team
will continue to work with the community on new features, improvements, fixes
and more throughout early access.
Discover loads of landscapes,
inhabitants, quests and crafting elements.
Endless mode: Unlimited challenges
with a mix of difficulty settings and wagon upgrades.
Co-op multiplayer: Play
online or locally with co-op for up to four players.
Competitive multiplayer: Lay
tracks in teams of two against real human opponents — who will get their
train to the station first?
To find out more about Unrailed! and be part of
its ongoing journey, please visit the official
Steam product page, and be sure to drop in on the official Discord channel
to interact with the development team directly: https://discord.gg/f5mBuWv.
###
About
Daedalic Entertainment
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.
Among the AAA titles in production at the
studio are the team-RTS A
Year of Rain (PC), as well as The
Lord of the Rings – Gollum (multiplatform). A Yearof Rain combines classical
elements like base-building and a comprehensive story campaign with
hero-focused and team-oriented gameplay. The
Lord of the Rings – Gollum is an 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.
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 11 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
games awards in Germany.
About
Indoor Astronaut
Indoor Astronaut is a young team of
developers from Switzerland made up of ETH Zürich graduates. The cooperative
multiplayer title Unrailed!
is the indie studio’s first game.
Daedalic Entertainment and Indoor Astronaut have released their fast paced co-op action game Unrailed! on Steam Early Access. Up to four players will test their cooperation and their ability to work under pressure. They must prevent a trail from derailing by building train tracks using materials harvested from the environment. Along the way, they will run into quests, local inhabitants, and crazy landscapes.
The game offers procedurally generated levels with five biomes. Unrailed! currently has three modes: Endless mode, Quick mode, and 2v2 competitive.
Indoor Astronaut expects their game to be in Steam Early Access for the next 3-6 months. They will be spending the time adding more content, a single player mode, and extra playable characters while balancing out the game. The price will likely rise after the Steam Early Access period, but the game is available now on Steam for $16.99 USD or $22.95 AUD.
2K and Gearbox released the cinematic launch trailer of the game’s 13 of September launch. The trailer is set to Queen’s “Seven Seas of Rhye” and packs plenty of gunfire, explosions, cameos from the franchise’s beloved characters. Sadly, Brick appears to have ditched his glorious mustache for this trailer.
Borderlands 3takes a new batch of Vault Hunters around the galaxy as they race against Calypso twins to take control of the many Vaults that were revealed by the key on Pandora. The new game introduces new movement options and multiple action skills for each Vault Hunter, which are selected based on the skill tree the player specializes in.
Borderlands 3 will be launching on Friday on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The PC version will be a six month timed exclusive to the Epic Games Store.
Green Helldrops players in the middle of the unforgiving Amazon rainforest with nothing but their wits to help them survive. The game is marking its departure from Steam Early Access with the brand-new story mode that will introduce players to the newly expanded map. Players will take on the role of anthropologist Jake Higgins as he embarks on a quest to find his missing wife Mia.
Story
The story in Green Hell is short but sweet. After a quick
tutorial and introduction, players are tossed into the rainforest and expected
to survive. The story is told through walkie-talkie conversations with Mia and
drug-fueled visions. The plot’s pacing is tied to the player’s willingness to
explore, as new areas unlock more conversations. While many of the twists are
predictable, the story is delivered in a poignant manner. Although Jake is an
anthropologist, the writers tend to avoid exploring the relationship between
the locals and the rest of the world, opting to focus on Jake and Mia. It works
well as it allows the writers to generally avoid sticky topics that would
require a lot more time to fully explore than Green Hell is able to
offer.
Gameplay
On the spectrum of survival game difficulties, Green Hell
falls on the more difficult end of the spectrum due to its emphasis on
realism. Developers Creepy Jar consulted with survival experts to develop the
game, so players who thumbed through the pages of survival manuals like John “Lofty”
Wiseman’s The SAS Survival Handbook will recognize some techniques in
the game.
The game treads a fine line between a realistic experience
and enjoyable gameplay. Unfortunately, Green Hell often falls on both
sides of the line. The game is unforgiving in a good way. Players are never
king of the jungle in Green Hell, but rather bouncing from just
surviving to barely thriving. Mistakes like sprinting through the forest
without paying attention is punished with a variety of poisonous creatures.
Players must take a more methodical approach to the game; carefully planning their
actions, being mindful of danger, and being prepared.
Combat is brutal. The hostile locals are almost as powerful
as the player and large hostile animals are vicious. The only reliably safe way
to score a kill is a headshot with a bow, but even that is no easy task as drawing
the bow eats into the player’s stamina. Additionally, human enemies are more
than happy to tilt the odds in their favour by swarming the player. Usually, the
best way to survive combat is simply avoid it all together.
Green Hell excels at creating a constant struggle for
resources. Unlike most survival games’ food and water meters, Green Hell opts
for a more in-depth approach requiring a balance of all three macronutrients
and water. Players will constantly be scavenging for food. Food decays over
time, though cooking and drying can preserve food for a longer period of time.
The spawn rate is low enough that staying in one spot isn’t feasible either,
rather the game prods players into creating multiple bases or making
expeditions around the map every other day or so to ensure a steady supply of food
and materials. I much prefer this approach to survival games, as many often
turn into technology tree grinds in the late game with the introduction of
farms and other shortcuts.
The manual save system is frustrating considering death
lurks around every corner. The game does not save when the player sleeps. It
relies on the player remembering to save the game manually while in a shelter. Losing
an hour or two of progress because you forgot to save is absolutely infuriating.
Considering perma-death games are now an option, I think maintaining the
current four save slots plus adding an auto-save slot that triggers every time
the player goes to sleep would have been a better solution.
The inventory is visualized through a backpack, with
different types of items stored in different pouches. Actual management is done
Resident Evil style, with players needing to fit their items within a
limited physical space. Additionally, players must also manage how much
physical weight they carry, less they be slowed down to practically a crawl. Creepy
Jar’s implementation gives inventory management a realistic feel that works
well for the game but filling bowls with water is a frustrating ordeal. Once
the backpack is open, players can grab items and move them around. Opening the
backpack locks the camera angle. The angle can only be changed by dragging with
right click. When the player has something in the hand, the camera no longer
responds to right clicks. Players are simply forced to shuffle blindly in the
direction of their fire so they can drop the bowl filled with dirty water in
the cooking slot. The process of fetching water to boil gets especially bad
once buildings are constructed.
The crafting system feels a lot clunkier compared to
inventory management. Building physical structures is handled best by the
crafting system. Players use the notebook to place down a blueprint in the
world and then fill in the required materials. It works great save for an issue
with partially constructed blueprints disappearing from the world with no
refund if a player leaves the area for a few days. Constructing carried items
is more troublesome. Players need to open up the backpack and then the crafting
table separately, then drag over individual items. The only way to check the ingredients
in the recipe is to close the crafting menu and open the notebook. It’s an
unwieldy system, especially for those of us with goldfish-like memory. An
argument can be made that the item crafting system is attempting to be as
realistic as possible but using a blueprint system like the physical structure
system would be a more realistic and less annoying.
The controls are decent. The key bindings are kept close to
the traditional FPS layout with only a few extra keys for menu management. The
key binding options are flexible for the minority of users not using WASD
layouts. Inventory management is mouse dependent as most options are accessed
through the right click menu. The mouse movement feels a little flighty, as if
there is some sort of mouse acceleration or some other modifier. It doesn’t
feel as precise or controllable as the average FPS game. Hit boxes are usually on
the generous side though, so it’s possible to get used to the mouse after a
while.
Visuals
Green Hell does an excellent job of creating a
realistic Amazon Rainforest survival experience. The UI is minimal and
immersive. Trees tower high above the player. The ground is incredibly lush
with small shrubs, bushes, and saplings. There is enough ground cover to
camouflage poisonous insects and reptiles from a distance, which plays a big
role in forcing players to slow down when going off the beaten path. The heavy
ground cover can make finding items on the ground a little difficult at times,
so a slightly more generous item highlighter that emphasizes a few items near
the mouse instead of one at a time would make life a little easier.
Audio
Green Hell offers a decent audio experience. The
sound effects are good and create a cacophony of natural sound. Most animals
have a unique sound that an experienced player will be able to distinguish. The
biggest issue with the sound effects is the engine itself. The directional
sound isn’t dead accurate, but it works well enough for tracking animals. The
engine really struggles with properly distinguishing distance. The volume of sound
effects suddenly increases in stages instead of smoothly increasing as players
get closer. The effect is unnatural. It can also interfere with gameplay at
times as it makes it more difficult to hear venomous animals like rattlesnakes
while on the move.
Overall
Green
Hell occupies
a niche in the popular survival genre. Its attempt at a realistic survival
experience puts the developers in the challenging position where they must carefully
balance realism with entertaining gameplay. In the end, Creepy Jar gets many
things right. They create a convincing Amazonian survival experience that is
challenging yet fulfilling. On the other hand, there are also several
bewildering gameplay decisions that makes the game needlessly awkward. Survival
game fans looking for a challenge will likely be able to overlook the game’s
oddities and find an enjoyable hardcore experience.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Fairy Tail‘s manga ran for such a long time and unlike other series, it saw very few games being released. Well that will be changing soon as Koei Tecmo and Gust have announced that they are making a new RPG game based on the manga series and they are planning on releasing it in 2020 for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Few details about the game are known at this time but from the trailer below, it does seem that the game will be taking place after the time-skip. We also see that characters such as Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, and Wendy will at least be playable characters but with such a massive number of characters available, it will be interesting to see just how many will be appearing.
Usually when a visual novel is announced for Western release a PC version is almost guaranteed but when PQube announced that Raging Loop would be heading to the West, no PC version was planned. Now the company has announced that they are indeed planning on bringing the psychological horror story to PC but it will be coming out a month and a half later than other versions as it will be releasing on December 5th instead of on October 18th and October 22nd in Europe and North America for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
To go along with this announcement the developer also released a new trailer for Raging Loop that showcases the mind games and gameplay elements of the visual novel. Both newcomers and seasoned visual novelists will be happy to find an extremely convenient feature. A comprehensible flowchart accessible at any point during the game. The paths that have already been explored are marked with conclusive symbols, helping you to easily identify and experience unexplored parts of the game.
Its been a few years now since Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 was released and now EA and PopCap Games are reviving the series once again in shooter fashion with the newly announced Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville which will be releasing on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. A digital-only early access “Founder’s Edition” is already available for $29.99 though a full retail launch will be happening on October 18th.
Players will unravel the threats of three free-roam regions, including the familiar central location of Neighborville Town Center, as well as adventuring through the outer edges of Neighborville in the hot and dusty Mount Steep, and the lush and strange Weirding Woods regions. At the core of Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville is the game’s emphasis on thrilling multiplayer gameplay. Players can battle it out with 20 fully customizable character classes, including returning favorites like Peashooter and Chomper, along with some fresh new faces such as Night Cap, a master of the shadows, and the funky disco queen Electric Slide.
The character roster also includes a Team Play class for each faction, Oak and Acorn, and Space Cadet. Additionally, players can join forces and kick some grass in split screen couch co-op and online co-op across every mode, whether it is battling through flourishing free-roam regions or jumping into battle in six different multiplayer modes.
