Tokyo, Japan – 7 August
2019 –Pixel Game Maker MV, the intuitive yet fully-featured 2D game
engine from Playism and Kadokawa Corporation, and sister software to RPG Maker which
sold more than 2,000,000 copies worldwide, will craft adventures on PC and exit
Steam Early Access in Q4 2019.
Alongside the launch out of Early Access with version 1.0 of Pixel Game Maker MV will come with an array of UI improvements, Steam Workshop support, a free demo version, and more updates addressing issues raised by Early Access users.
The engine’s
accessibility allows first-time developers and seasoned creators alike to
construct deep games from scratch, without any programming experience. Native
engine features include a built-in physics engine, particle effects, support
for up to four-person local multiplayer, and the ability to install and create
add-ons using JavaScript.
Pixel Game Maker MV comes with more than 15 sample games, each with
assets licensed for distribution in users’ games including some created by
Takumi Naramura, lead designer for the La-Mulana franchise. Artists can also import their own
graphics to create everything from adventure, shooter, and racing games. The
options are endless – the only limitation is the imagination.
“Many of the most
amazing ideas for games spring from the minds of people who play games the
most, but don’t have the technical skills needed to bring their visions to
life,” said Shunji Mizutani, founder, Playism. “With Pixel Game Maker MV
anyone can become a developer without learning how to code.”
Pixel Game Maker MV is available via Steam Early Access (Windows only) for $84.99 USD/€71.99 and
supports Japanese, English and Simplified Chinese. Upon 1.0’s launch, the price
will be set at $99.99 USD/€84.99.
Pixel Game Maker MV will be available for hands-on demos at PAX
West 2019, taking place Aug. 20 – Sept. 2 in Seattle at the Washington State
Convention Center. Orangeblood, Outrider Mako and DEEER Simulator will also exhibit in Playism’s booth, 6016 on
floor six.
Known for bringing
popular indie games from Japan including Touhou Luna Nights, La-Mulana 2
and One Way Heroics, Playism was created with the global indie community
in mind. The company focuses on helping developers every step of the way, from
localization to distribution of their games.
The core Pixel Game
Maker MV team at Kadokawa Corporation consists of veterans who have been
making consumer games for more than 20 years, many of whom have worked on the
popular RPG Maker series with more than 2,000,000 units sold. Based out of
Tokyo, the company’s mission is to create brand new stories.
WAVE, MARVEL’S NEWEST FILIPINA SUPER HERO, JOINS THE BATTLE IN MARVEL FUTURE FIGHT UPDATE
Celebrating MARVEL’s 80th
Anniversary, MARVEL Future Fight Brings Modern and Classic
Super Heroes, New Uniforms, Giant
Boss Raids, and Improvements for Agents to Enjoy!
LOS ANGELES (Aug. 7,
2019) – Netmarble Corp.is
delighted to announce that Wave, Marvel’s newest Filipina Super Hero
introduced in Marvel’s War of the
Realms: New Agents of
Atlas earlier this year, will be making her debut today in the popular
Super Hero mobile game MARVEL Future Fight. As part of this announcement, Netmarble has also added the
Classic version of Namor and the Modern version of Silver Surfer to
the roster of Super Heroes. A handful of uniforms for Agents to obtain, an
all-new Raid Boss, and other enhancements are also included in today’s update.
The Fantastic Four – Mister Fantastic,
Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and The Thing will receive brand new ‘Future
Foundation’ uniforms. Active Agents can now go up against the Devourer of
Worlds, Galactus, in the all-new Giant Boss Raid introduced in today’s
update. Other improvements to Boss Raids include being able to invite players
to these missions and a Master Mold type change from ‘Universal’ to ‘Combat’,
‘Speed’, and ‘Blast’, with the Master Mold type or Boss changing every few
days.
Other additions and improvements made to MARVEL FUTURE FIGHT include:
Tier 3 character upgrades and new Ultimate Skills are available for the
Super Hero Namor.
Namor, Silver Surfer, and Wave’s ‘Realize Potential’ feature is now
unlocked.
Agents can now amplify their Type Enhancement Kit to achieve higher ranks.
In addition, when Agents enhance Types, they will only use the Type Enhancement
Kit and Gold.
Active Agents can now earn rewards by viewing the Facebook Live Streams for
MARVEL Future Fight.
MARVEL Future Fight celebrated its four-year anniversary with over
100 million players across the world. The game is currently available
worldwide in the App Store® and Google Play™.
Netmarble Corporation strives to entertain audiences
of all ages around the world by providing great mobile gaming experiences.
Established in Korea in 2000, Netmarble is one of the fastest-growing mobile
game companies and consistently ranks as a top mobile developer and publisher
worldwide. With more than 6,000 employees, Netmarble has been producing and
servicing some of the most successful mobile games including Lineage 2:
Revolution, Blade & Soul Revolution, MARVEL Future Fight, Everybody’s
Marble, and Seven Knights. As a parent company to Kabam, a top mobile game
developer in massively multiplayer free-to-play games, and the largest
shareholder to Jam City, a leading casual social game developer, Netmarble has
a strategic partnership with CJ ENM Corporation, Asia’s largest entertainment
company, Tencent Holdings, Asia’s largest internet company, and NCsoft, a prominent
MMORPG company. More information can be found at http://company.netmarble.com.
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a
wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most
prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of
more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over eighty years.
Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing,
publishing, games, and digital media.
App Store is a trademark of Apple
Inc., registered in the US and other countries. App Store is a service mark of
Apple Inc. Google Play is a trademark of Google Inc.
Shenmue III Pre-Order Bonus DLC
and Steelbook Unveiled
Pre-Order
and Purchase Shenmue III to Receive Unique
Items*
(*At
Participating Retailers)
Larkspur, Calif. – Aug. 07, 2019 – Deep Silver has revealed all of the awesome in-game items and bonuses
players will receive when they pre-order and purchase Shenmue III, the
highly anticipated sequel to the beloved franchise from YS Net. These available
at retail pre-order items will aid Ryo as he continues the search for his
father’s killer. Shenmue III is releasing Nov. 19, 2019 on PlayStation 4
and PC.
Shenmue III will include all the following in-game items when you pre-order and
purchase at participating retailers*:
Snake Power: Threebottles of ‘Snake Power’ elixir to
replenish energy during battle
Playing Tokens: 5,000 playing tokens for the in-game gambling
area
“Blazing Kick”
Advanced Training Scroll: Unlocks
the advanced ability of the “Blazing Kick” to better challenge Ryo’s foes
Toy Capsule: Set of 24 tickets to exchange for in-game capsule
toys
In addition to the items listed above, Amazon, Best
Buy, Gamestop and EB Games will each offer bonus pre-order items for Shenmue
III. Check out full details below to see the items offered to players who
reserve their copy today.
Gamestop
(US) / EB Games (Canada)
Dragon/Phoenix
Mirror Medallion: This
exquisitely-crafted physical item is inspired by the iconic Dragon and Phoenix
mirrors of the Shenmue series.
Best
Buy
Limited
Edition Steelbook: This illustrated
Steelbook case captures the beauty and elegance of the Shenmue series and
features portraits of Shenmue III heroes Ryo and Shenhua.
Amazon
Kenpogi
Training Wear DLC: Original training gear
based on actual Chinese Kung Fu wear.
Players can secure their retail item of choice by
reserving their copy today using the following links:
*at participating retailers in the US, Canada, and
Latin America. DLC codes printed on receipt or delivered via email by retailer.
Steelbook & Dragon/Phoenix Mirror Medallion quantities limited, while
supplies last. Pick up at time of purchase
Shenmue changed the face of video games. The series,
considered to be the father of free-roaming, open-world RPGs, returns to the
fore this year with the release of Shenmue III.
Shenmue III resumes the epic storyline started by master storyteller Yu Suzuki
more than 20 years ago. Suzuki, a pioneer of open-world games and immersive
experiences, is set to add a bold new chapter to the sweeping tale of young
martial artist Ryo Hazuki.
Soon, players will be able to resume Hazuki’s breathtaking journey.
About Deep Silver
Deep Silver develops and distributes interactive games
for all platforms. The Deep Silver label means to captivate all gamers who have
a passion for thrilling gameplay in exciting game worlds. Deep Silver works
with its partners to achieve a maximum of success while maintaining the highest
possible quality, always focusing on what the customer desires.
See
What Makes GreedFall a True RPG with Massive New Gameplay Overview Trailer
GreedFall, the much-anticipated RPG from developer Spiders, is all about forging your destiny on the mysterious and uncharted island of Teer Fradee. Now Focus Home Interactive invites you to discover the many features that make GreedFall a worthy RPG with player choice at heart in its new gameplay overview trailer:
When it comes to carving your own path, creating
your character with a unique set of starting skills, attributes and talents is
just the beginning. Whether you choose to specialize or be a jack of all
trades, GreedFall’s
deep crafting system lets you customize the look and stats of your gear to suit
your playstyle.
Tackle combat in GreedFall in your own way: overwhelm foes
with heavy weapons, use your sword to parry and riposte with expert flair, or
dominate the battlefield with traps and magic. The game’s optional tactical
pause menu allows you to choose your next moves strategically. Your party
members will follow you into battle, but remember they’re people with their own
hopes, goals and motives. Say or do the wrong thing and their loyalty to you
could waver, or even turn entirely.
Your decisions will shape the future of the
new world and old, and GreedFall
gives you the freedom to make them. Use your diplomatic talents to
influence the powerful elite, don the armor of an enemy faction to infiltrate
their ranks, and decide the fates of many across a variety of far-reaching
quests.
GreedFall
lands on Sept. 10, 2019, on
PlayStation®4, Xbox One and Windows PC. The game is available to pre-order now
digitally and at major retailers through www.GreedFall.com/shop.
Wired
Productions Shines a Light Through the Darkness to Unveil Psychological Horror
Game, Set to Premier at Gamescom 2019 as Part of Publisher’s Burgeoning Line-UpWatford, UK – August 7, 2019 –– Award-winning publisher, Wired Productions
and upcoming independent studio Camel 101, shine a light through the darkness
to unveil new partnership to bring the hotly-anticipated psychological horror, Those
Who Remain, to the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the
Xbox One family of devices (including the Xbox One X), Nintendo Switch™ and
Steam® for Windows PC.
Some mistakes should
never happen, not when your life is so complete… and yet they do. Those
Who Remain sees prospective players take control of Edward on his
journey through darkness into Dormont – a once sleepy town, now plagued by
secrets and mysterious disappearances – as he desperately attempts to come back
to the light and put his life back on track.
“Those
Who Remain will have you on the edge of your seat,” said Leo Zullo,
managing director, Wired Productions. “The game is packed full of atmosphere
and is sure to take your imagination to another dimension. We’re delighted to
be welcoming the title and the team to the Wired family – and to Gamescom.”
“We couldn’t be
more excited about partnering up with Wired Productions as they’re partners who
are as truly passionate about games as we are,” said
Ricardo Cesteiro, co-founder, Camel 101. “They are experienced with this
genre and will help share our vision for the game with a global audience, which
we’re beyond thrilled about.”
Those Who Remain
will arrive soon for PlayStation®4, Xbox One & Windows PC, and is available
to wishlist
now on Steam. Media and influencers will be able to go hands
on with Those Who Remain at Gamescom, by appointment, at the
Wired Productions booth, c-050, in Business Hall 2.2, alongside the portfolio
of other Wired Production titles on showcase.
Wired Productions is an
award-winning video games publisher based in Watford, UK. Wired has produced
and published award-winning titles across all major platforms. Bringing games
to market in both physical and digital media, notable launches to date include
Close to the Sun, GRIP: Combat Racing, Victor Vran: Overkill Edition, Max: The
Curse of Brotherhood and The Town of Light.
For more information, or to join the Wired community, please
visit:
Camel 101 is an independent and self-funded game development
studio, focused on creating fun and entertaining games. Bolstered by a team who
have wide ranging development and creative experience, the team have worked on
a wide range of projects ranging from casual games, to strategic and tactical
wargames, and horror adventures.
Most people in the West probably first heard of Date A Live back when the anime premiered in 2013 but this highly popular light novel series actually began two years prior to that in 2011. Despite its popularity the light novel material never has been released in the West although all three seasons of the anime have now been licensed and released over the last few years. Now though fans of this franchise have their first opportunity to access some supplemental material featuring their favorite cast of characters as not one, but three visual novels for the franchise have been released in English thanks to Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation being released by Idea Factory International.
Story
Mysterious phenomenon eventually dubbed “Space quakes” once devastated various parts of the world and caused the deaths of millions of people. Over the years these incidents continued to occur on a smaller scale though the world has adapted with shelters and warning systems that can detect a potential space quake. Only when Shido Itsuka ends up venturing out to find his sister during one of these events does he learn the truth behind these events. They are caused by mysterious girls called “Spirits” appearing in the world. Possessing incredible powers that can devastate the land, Shido learns that he possesses the ability to seal the Spirits’ powers by kissing them when they happen to like him enough. As such his series of dates with the Spirits, starting with a girl named Tohka, begin with the help of the Ratatoskr organization led by his younger sister Kotori to save the world and the girls from being targeted by outside forces.
Now it is worth noting that if you’ve already seen the anime, this is all very familiar to you and Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation mostly expects that to be the case. Even here I would highly recommend that potential players at least watch the initial season of the anime before trying to dive into the game as not only will this fill in additional details that only are given a simple explanation but also help build up your attachment to these characters since they are often the best part of the series. It is possible to simply go into this game with no prior knowledge but be prepared for only brief explanations of most prior events.
Before we go further though, it is worth noting that this game is actually three visual novels in one with players having the option of playing Date A Live: Rinne Utopia, Date A Live: Arusu Install, and Rio Reincarnation itself. All three of these games are meant to be played in a certain order, though that order doesn’t quite follow the way they are listed on the menu so players should be wary of that. If you do wish to jump straight into Rio Reincarnation there is an option to watch a synopsis that explains the various events that started the series as well as what happened in the previous two games.
Since all three of these games feature separate storylines that take place over the course of many hours, we won’t go too in-depth with them here as to avoid spoiling events. Rinne Utopia is the first game in the series and features the addition of Rinne, a girl that suddenly appears as Shido’s best friend since childhood. It doesn’t take long before this odd event begins to shift reality and challenge Shido and the rest of the Spirits. It is worth noting that Rinne Utopia is slotted in-between the events of the first season of the anime and the second. This means that many Spirits will not be in the game instead players will find Tohka, Yoshino, Kurumi, Kotori, the human Origami, and the new Rinne as the primary cast here.
Arusu Install marks the second game players should play to keep the game’s story paced properly. This visual novel follows the events that see Shido entering a virtual world where he meets a mysterious AI named Aritsu as well as her twin only to have Shido and the rest of the cast end up becoming stuck within the game until they show the AI the real meaning of love. This entry takes place after the second anime season allowing the addition of the Yamai twins and Miku to the core cast and despite being a bit more off the wall, this entry happens to be perhaps one of the most entertaining of the three games. As for the third game, it is worth noting that even Rio Reincarnation doesn’t approach the third season of the anime so players should be prepared to not see certain other characters appear here.
Perhaps the biggest praise that one can give Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation is that all three of the visual novels found in this release feel right at home in the larger narrative of the core series. Not only do they manage to feel like they could easily slot themselves in as side-stories between the anime seasons but they replicate the characters and the feel of the source material perfectly. This means that fans of the series will have no problem finding themselves right at home in these visual novels and seeing their favorite characters in at least two, mostly three, new stories. It also helps that considering these are visual novels, players will have numerous endings that they can choose to aim for as they make their way through the game. Various decisions made on who to spend your time with when given free time outside of the core plot and what dialogue options picked when available will push players towards certain endings for each character making the replay value for these novels incredibly high and the option to skip previously read text does speed things up a bit for those who want to see everything available.
Gameplay
For the most part players won’t find too much gameplay variation between the three visual novels found in Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation as they all basically play the same way. Players will spend the majority of their time reading through the story segments and then, when given free time, making decisions on who to visit and spend time with. These free time events make up the real variation in the game as players are given a certain amount of time in each segment. This time can be spent talking to a couple of side-characters that don’t affect your available time and then the actual plot characters that are the Spirits, Origami, and other plot relevant members of the cast.
Being familiar with the series is another boon here as fans of the series will immediately be able to tell who is a side-character while newer fans may end up choosing too quickly and missing out on a bit of extra dialogue. Thankfully each visual novel has their own set of saves as well as quick saves so players can create multiple files to avoid potentially making a wrong decision. As mentioned before, player choice will play a role in directing them towards a number of different endings so be prepared for quite a bit of extra reading and replaying to see everything these novels have to offer.
It is interesting to note that Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation also offers a little extra bonus in the form of a digital art book for all three visual novels as well as drama CDs for each one as well. Unfortunately it appears that the drama CDs were not subtitled so unless you understand Japanese, these are mostly a way to hear your favorite characters talk through some additional events in the background. It is also worth noting that, considering this game offers three visual novels, players should be ready to spend their time reading for hours on end. Thankfully the localization is mostly without issue outside of a few small spelling and grammar errors here and there.
Visuals & Audio
Considering the amount of time players will spend looking at the various character portraits in Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation it is a great thing that they are both animated and presented in great detail here. Every character, including most side characters, will have a portrait that will animate and move slightly while speaking and there are numerous CGs for each of the three visual novels found in this release with each one offering a great amount of detail and solid level of fanservice, though it is worth noting that this PlayStation 4 version is slightly altered in a few places with a few of the aforementioned artbook pages also removed entirely.
As for the audio, players will be pleased to hear that all of the original voice actresses and actors from the Japanese anime have returned to reprise their roles here. In fact, every bit of spoken dialogue is voiced which is quite a lot considering the numerous routes in each visual novel though oddly enough the only character that isn’t voiced most of the time is Shido as he is instead kept silent outside of some introduction segments. Whether this was to help keep players feeling like they were playing the game rather than controlling Shido or something else, it feels like a bit of an odd choice.
Overall
After waiting for so many years, few could have expected that the Date A Live visual novels would make their way to the West but now with Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation offering three releases in one, fans can rejoice as their localization is handled splendidly here. Sure the fact that all three play in a similar manner can be a bit of a let down and every so often there will be some lengthy story focused segments that don’t require player input but this does little to hurt the fact that those who enjoy this franchise will find plenty to love in this release as they sink countless hours reading through each story and trying to obtain the best ending for each of their favorite characters.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Last week Marvelous revealed some new screenshots for Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town focusing on one of the bachelorettes and bachelors in the game and this time around they are introducing another pair of romanceable characters. The girl introduced this time is Ann, a lively and cheerful girl that helps out her father by working at his inn making her great at housework and a fan of tasty food. The boy happens to be named Kai, a city boy that also happens to be a cheerful and easy to get along with person that runs a shop in town during the summer.
Also shown off are some of the Heart Level events players will trigger when they grow closer to the various characters in the game by giving them gifts they like and speaking with them daily. Of course this relationship can then develop into a marriage, children, and more. You can check out the screenshots below and keep an eye out for the game sometime in the future as XSEED Games has already confirmed plans to localize the game after its Japanese release in October.
Back in July WayForward announced a brand new brawler by the name of River City Girls that sees the usual leads end up being kidnapped and now it is time for their girlfriends to save the day and rescue them. The company has previously shown off some gameplay and now they are focusing on Misako, the heroine dating Kunio, by highlighting her fighting style, special moves, and some dialogue as well.
Being a tough and impulsive girl, Misako is always ready for a fight even if it means fighting over food with her friend Kyoko, the other fighter in the game. The trailer can be found below while the game itself is set to be released on September 5th for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Back in May Idea Factory International announced that they would be bringing Mary Skelter 2 to the West and would be avoiding Sony’s latest problems by focusing entirely on the Nintendo Switch version of the game and now they have nailed down exactly when fans can expect it to be released. The company has announced that Mary Skelter 2 will be releasing digitally on the Nintendo eShop on October 22nd in North America and on October 23rd in Europe.
This sequel will also contain the original game in the series, Mary Skelter: Nightmares, with a number of balances and enhanced systems made to the original. Mary Skelter 2 is set in an alternate reality that includes familiar characters from the first installment, players must relive the torturous dungeon experiences and find ways to feed an almost insatiable prison. Each Jail has three desires that players will need to fill up to provide bonuses and satisfy the Jail’s mood. However, if the Jail’s mood worsens, players will notice a white mist, signifying that a Nightmare is near and ready to fight.
If the Nightmare gets too close, players will enter “Nightmare Hunt” mode, where the Nightmare will chase you through the dungeon in real-time. Nightmares cannot be defeated unless players destroy the core of the dungeon. Otherwise, players will have to stun a Nightmare to escape. Also it is worth noting that Jack, the protagonist from the first game, has become Nightmare Jack that will help you in combat but if his heart rate reaches a certain limit he will go berserk and make random attacks that may even send the main character of this entry, Otsuu, into Blood Skelter mode.
Those looking forward to Grandia HD Collection will be happy to hear that it will be releasing on the Nintendo Switch next week on August 16th. GungHo Online Entertainment has announced that it will only be available through the Nintendo eShop when released on the Switch and as for the PC release, the Grandia HD Remaster will be releasing at a later date with Grandia II Anniversary Edition, which is already available, will be renamed to Grandia II HD Remaster.
The Grandia HD Collection will feature a number of improvements to both games such as enhanced details to the sprites, textures, and user interface, visual enhancements to the cinematics, wide-screen support, and the ability to play using both the English and Japanese voice tracks.
