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CALL OF DUTY DELIVERS GAME-CHANGING FREE-TO-PLAY EXPERIENCE WITH CALL OF DUTY: WARZONE – AVAILABLE NOW

CALL OF DUTY DELIVERS GAME-CHANGING FREE-TO-PLAY EXPERIENCE WITH CALL OF DUTY: WARZONE – AVAILABLE NOW

New Massive Combat Experience with up to 150 Players is Free-to-Play for Everyone

Experience One Massive World and Two Epic Modes of Play, including a New Way to Play Battle Royale and a Race to Collect In-Match Cash in the All-New Mode Plunder

Further Unites Call of Duty Community with Crossplay Support, Bringing Friends Together to Play Together

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Mar. 10, 2020 – Welcome to Warzone, a new game-changing experience from Call of Duty®. Free-to-play and free-for-everyone, Call of Duty: Warzone is now available worldwide on PlayStation® 4, Xbox One, and PC. Warzone is an all-new experience from the world of Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare®, where up to 150 players can squad up with friends and drop into the fictional city of Verdansk, a massive online combat arena packed with non-stop action and endless fun. At launch, players will team up and fight as a trio across two epic modes, which includes a new take on the popular all-out survival Battle Royale mode with new and innovative ways to play, and an all-new original mode called Plunder, where teams battle to collect the most in-match Cash.

Published by Activision and developed by Infinity Ward and Raven Software, Call of Duty: Warzone is free for everyone to download and play.The full version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is not required to play Warzone. 

“Call of Duty remains one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time,” said Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard Chief Executive Officer. “With Warzone we are allowing players across the world to experience the fun of Call of Duty for free.”

“Warzone is more than a new era for Call of Duty, it’s a game-changer for players and fans. We’re delivering two incredible modes of play within this massive world that take the experience to a new level,” said Byron Beede, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Call of Duty, Activision. “The teams at Infinity Ward and Raven Software have created an amazing, free-to-play experience that’s accessible to all to jump in right away and have a blast. There’s a ton of content plans and live events to come that will continue to keep fans guessing and ready to experience new thrills.”

“Warzone is a giant sandbox for combat and adventure on a massive scale, featuring signature Call of Duty gameplay with new and fun different ways to play and win,” said Patrick Kelly, Co-Studio Head and Creative Director, Infinity Ward. “We’re proud of the Modern Warfare universe we’ve created and the massive world of Warzone that offers a seamless experience that’s free-for-everyone to download and play with friends. Today is just the beginning, we can’t wait to start this journey with fans.”

“Warzone was developed with all playstyles and skill levels in mind, so no matter how you want to play, there’s something fun for everyone,” said Ryan Burnett, Senior Executive Producer, Raven Software. “Warzone also brings the community together with crossplay support and unified progression that it shares with Modern Warfare, which is something the team is very proud of. It’s been a fun ride and we can’t wait for all players to jump in and experience the action for themselves.”

In Warzone’s Battle Royale mode, drop into the massive Verdansk world with 150 players in teams of three to loot and fight to be the last squad standing in a colossal firefight. In this redefined Battle Royale, players of all skill levels and playstyles will find new ways to play and be rewarded in the survival game mode.

  • Players can collect in-match Cash to purchase equipment, Field Upgrades, Killstreaks or Revive Tokens for fallen teammates at Buy Stations located throughout the map to help turn the tide of war.
  • Squads can choose to take on Contracts, optional in-match mini-missions located throughout the map that payout in epic in-match rewards upon completion, including rare loot, in-match Cash, XP, and Weapon XP to help squads get the upper hand on the competition.
  • If you go down in a match, it doesn’t mean you’re out for the count. In Warzone’s Battle Royale, there are different ways players can earn their way back into the fight:
  • The Gulag is an all-new way to earn a second chance at survival in Battle Royale. Upon being eliminated, players will be taken to the Gulag to face-off against another fallen player in a 1v1 winner-takes-all gunfight, for a chance to redeploy back into the match.
  • In addition, players can earn enough in-match Cash to purchase a Self-Revive Kit in order to heal themselves after being downed by an opponent.
  • Players can also bring back fallen teammates by earning enough in-match Cash to purchase a Squad Buyback at Buy Stations scattered throughout the map.

Warzone also features the all-new, large-scale combat mode Plunder, where the freedom and gameplay variety of Battle Royale meets fast-paced Call of Duty action.

  • In Plunder, teams drop into an action-packed race to collect as much in-match Cash as possible by raiding Supply Boxes, eliminating opponents, completing Contracts or by controlling key Cash deposit locations throughout the map.
  • Each player gets unlimited respawns, their own loadout, killstreaks and more, as they employ multiple team strategies to grow and safeguard their collection of in-match Cash.
  • There are a variety of ways to achieve victory, creating nearly endless epic moments and creative possibilities to win this battleground heist.

Call of Duty: Warzone supports crossplay and features unified progression across Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. For players that already own the full version of Modern Warfare, all content already earned including Battle Pass items, Operators, weapons and customization items will carry over to Warzone, and all progression earned in Warzone will count towards overall Modern Warfare progression. For players who do not own the full version of Modern Warfare, all progress and items they’ve earned in Warzone will be rewarded in Modern Warfare, should they ever choose to purchase it.

In addition, Warzone shares the same Item Shop and Battle Pass System as Modern Warfare which includes a new Operator, Weapons, Weapon Blueprints, Operator Skins, XP Tokens, and much more. The Battle Pass system allows players to unlock two free new functional weapons, up to 300 COD points, calling cards and more just by playing. Those who want to bring their game to a whole new level can purchase the Season Two Battle Pass for 1,000 Call of Duty Points for access to unlock up to 100 tiers of new content, including an instant unlock for iconic Special Forces Operator, Lieutenant Simon “Ghost” Riley.

The Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E.) Defender Pack is also back in the Call of Duty Store for a limited time and includes eleven in-game digital items including the Defender Pistol cosmetic weapon variant, a weapon camo and a watch. 100% of Activision’s net proceeds received from the Pack go directly to the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit organization that helps veterans in the US and UK find high quality civilian jobs.

For the most up to date information on Call of Duty: Warzone, check out the Activision Games Blog at https://blog.activision.com/call-of-duty.

Developed by Infinity Ward and Raven Software, Call of Duty: Warzone isavailable for download now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. For players who already own the full version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Warzone automatically becomes a part of your game experience and is available to play now. The fully-optimized PC version, developed in partnership with Beenox, is available exclusively on Blizzard Battle.net®, Blizzard Entertainment’s online gaming platform. Call of Duty: Warzoneand Call of Duty: Modern Warfare are published by Activision, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI) with additional development support from Activision Shanghai, Beenox, High Moon Studios and Sledgehammer Games.

About Activision

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world and is a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), an S&P 500 company. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com or by following @Activision.

About the Call of Duty Endowment

The Call of Duty Endowment is a non-profit organization co-founded by Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. The Endowment seeks to help veterans find high-quality careers by supporting groups that prepare them for the job market and by raising awareness of the value vets bring to the workplace. For more information about the Call of Duty Endowment, please visit www.callofdutyendowment.org.

© 2019-2020 Activision Publishing, Inc. ACTIVISION, CALL OF DUTY, and MODERN WARFARE are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.

New Dungeons and Events Live in Today’s ‘Kaia’s Anvil’ Update for TERA on PC

En Masse Entertainment Starts Four Weeks of Events for Dungeon Runners with Powerful Rewards

SEATTLE, March 10, 2020 — En Masse Entertainment, a player-driven publisher focused on delivering great games and great service, has released ‘Kaia’s Anvil’, the latest content update for their True Action Combat MMORPG on PC, TERA. Live now, the update adds new and improved dungeons, new mythic rarity gear, updates to the Adventure Coin system used to gain entry to dungeons, and a four-week dungeon play event rewarding participants with unique items and TERA Rewards credits to spend in the TERA Rewards Emporium.

Kaia the Shieldmaiden, goddess, all-around badass, and hero of the Divine Wars, has linked her fate to that of the mortal races. In order to protect them—and herself—she has requested help in investigating troubling reports from the high-flying Exodor Archipelago about dangers threatening the world below. In the new Corrupted Skynest 5-player dungeon, players battle through dangerous enemies to acquire a piece of the dead god Sikander’s soul from the resurrected Kelsaik and transform their equipment into more powerful, “mythic” gear. Players can also challenge themselves in the Forbidden Arena, a new 5-player dungeon locked away behind a rediscovered teleportal. Dating from the time of the Divine Wars, it contains a powerful foe just as deadly as when it was first created thousands of years ago.

With new dungeons to tackle and powerful new gear to earn, En Masse Entertainment has not only increased the daily caps on Adventure Coins used to access dungeons, but starting today they’re also running a four-week-long dungeon play event, ending on Tuesday, April 7. Players must complete 28 runs in each of four different dungeons over 28 days, and while successfully completing a challenge provides players with a host of rewards, completing all four dungeon challenges unlocks a free Darkan’s Verdant Wings item! More details on the event are available in their recent news post: https://tera.enmasse.com/news/posts/kaia-s-anvil-dungeon-play-events

For more information on the new and updated dungeons released in ‘Kaia’s Anvil’ and how to acquire mythic rarity gear, check out En Masse Entertainment’s news post – https://tera.enmasse.com/news/posts/kaia-s-anvil-equipment-dungeons-and-more

For full details on the ‘Kaia’s Anvil’ update check out the patch notes here: https://forums.enmasse.com/tera/discussion/33093/03-10-2020-v91-kaia-s-anvil-patch-notes

Stay up to date on all the latest information for TERA by following the game on Twitter, Facebook and Discord, or check out the TERA web page.

About En Masse Entertainment

Based in Seattle, Washington, En Masse Entertainment embodies the evolution of modern game publishing. The company’s mission is to publish great games and provide great service. Beginning with its inaugural title, TERA, and continuing with Closers, En Masse Entertainment has built a track record of excellence and innovation. The team at En Masse includes experts in online technology, live service, branding, community, and player support, allowing them to thrive as a publisher in the digital era. For more information, visit enmasse.com.

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Farming Simulator 19’s Bourgault DLC Out Now on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, PC & Mac

Farming Simulator 19’s Bourgault DLC Out Now on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, PC & Mac

PARIS — March 10, 2020 — Farming Simulator 19, the biggest and best entry in the Farming Simulator series yet from GIANTS Software and Focus Home Interactive, is getting even bigger today with the launch of the Bourgault DLC on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, PC and Mac!

The Bourgault DLC adds new authentically modeled machines from Bourgault Industries, the world’s leading manufacturer of air seeder technology, including three top-class seeders, two air carts, a cultivator and a weeder. Players also get a massive new John Deere 9RX Series tractor to haul it all, guaranteeing high performance even under the most tasking challenges.

Season Pass owners on PlayStation®4 and Xbox One can download the Bourgault DLC through their consoles. New PS4 and Xbox One players can grab the Bourgault DLC as part of a digital bundle featuring all other DLCs included in the Season Pass by purchasing Farming Simulator 19 Premium Edition.

Fans can come play the complete Farming Simulator 19 Platinum Edition and try their luck at the Bale Stacking Challenge competition at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, going on now until March 22.

CELEBRATE 25 YEARS OF THE CLASSIC RTS FRANCHISE WITH THE COMMAND & CONQUER REMASTERED COLLECTION ON ORIGIN AND STEAM ON JUNE 5

Developed Alongside the C&C Community, the Remastered Collection Delivers 4K Graphics, Rebuilt Multiplayer, Enhanced UI, the Completely Remastered Legendary Soundtrack by Frank Klepacki and More Pre-Order the Collector’s Editions from Limited Run Games, Featuring Exclusive Command & Conquer and Red Alert Collectables

SYDNEY, Australia – March 11, 2020 – Welcome back Commanders! In celebration of the Command & Conquer ™ 25th anniversary, Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) today announced the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection, a compilation of the iconic real-time strategy (RTS) games that defined a generation will be available June 5 worldwide on PC via Origin™ and Steam, and as part of an Origin Access Premier subscription. Comprised of Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn, Command & Conquer: Red Alert and their three expansion packs – Covert Ops, Counterstrike and The Aftermath – the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection is a passion project between EA and some of the original Westwood Studios team members at Petroglyph.

Command & Conquer Remastered Collection is being created alongside the C&C community, where the project was publicly revealed in October 2018 to gather community insight before development began. An active Community Council has been involved since early pre-production with 24/7 access to the development team. The title features rebuilt graphics and textures with support up to 4K resolution, along with an over seven hour soundtrack remastered by the renowned original composer Frank Klepacki. The community has helped shape the enhancements of the game through highly requested features like revamped UI, updated controls and a Map Editor for fans to showcase their creations. Multiplayer has been rebuilt from the ground up to support a modern online experience with custom games, 1v1 quick match, Elo-based matchmaking, leaderboards, replays and much more.

“Our team has been working hand-in-hand with the C&C community since day one and we hope this transparent dialogue will result in the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection being a love letter to our fans,” said Jim Vessella, Lead Producer at EA. “We’re taking the classic gameplay that ushered in a new era of the RTS genre and adding the most fan requested features like Skirmish mode for Tiberian Dawn, quality of life control improvements, and full Steam integration with UGC support. For me personally, having been a C&C fan since I was 12 years old in 1995, working with the original Westwood Studios team members at Petroglyph has been a dream come true.”

Pre-orders for the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection digital edition and physical Collector’s Editions are available now, please visit the Command and Conquer website. The pre-orders include:
 

  • Command & Conquer Remastered Collection (Digital) – $29.99 AUD – Only available on Origin and Steam and includes the remastered versions of Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert, plus all three expansion packs (Covert Operations, Counterstrike, and The Aftermath), and tons of bonus features and improvements.
  • Special Edition (Physical) – $59.99 USD – Only available on Limited Run Games, this edition comes in a 2-piece big box with embossing treatments and includes a Steam digital download code, Tiberium crystal 16GB USB drive with remastered original soundtrack (119 tracks, over 7 hours of music including the album, “Frank Klepecki and the Tiberian Sons: Celebrating 25 Years of Command & Conquer”); reversible 18” X 24” poster, four factional enamel pins, tech tree prints (one for each faction), and faction sticker sheet.
  • 25th Anniversary Edition (Physical)  – $149.99 USD – Only available on Limited Run Games, this edition includes all items in the Special Edition plus a beautiful foil and embossed rigid box, six-disc remastered original soundtrack signed by Frank Klepacki, 100+ page art book, four faction patches, reversible beanie, metal mammoth tank replica, and painted PVC light and sound tesla coil and obelisk replicas.

The Command & Conquer series helped cement the foundation of the RTS genre’s core gameplay when Command & Conquer: Tiberium Dawn was released in 1995, introducing innovative faction mechanics with asymmetric unit creation and technology trees for a highly strategic experience. In addition to gameplay, the series pushed the boundaries for storytelling with its unique and lighthearted full-motion video (FMV) cutscenes, ultimately creating one of the most recognised villains in games with Kane, the megalomaniac leader of The Brotherhood of Nod. In Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn, Earth has been overrun by Tiberium and while GDI (Global Defense Initiative) aims to contain the material, The Brotherhood of Nod looks to harness its power, leading to all out war between the factions. Command & Conquer: Red Alert is set in an alternate universe where the Soviet Union wages war on the Allies in a fun, action-packed, tactical RTS game.

Command & Conquer Remastered Collection is being developed by Petroglyph, Lemon Sky Studios, and EA, including some of the original Westwood Studios team members at Petroglyph, and will be available on PC via Origin and Steam on June 5. Origin Access Premier subscribers will also get full access to the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection on PC on June 5 for as long as they are subscribed. For more information on Command & Conquer Remastered Collection and to stay up to date on development updates to the community, please visit: https://www.commandandconquer.com.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company develops and delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, mobile devices and personal computers.

In fiscal year 2019, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.95 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognised for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality brands such as EA SPORTS™ FIFA, Battlefield™, Apex Legends™, The Sims™, Madden NFL, Need for Speed™, Titanfall™ and Plants vs. Zombies™. More information about EA is available at  www.ea.com/news.

Command & Conquer, EA SPORTS, Battlefield, Apex Legends, The Sims, Need for Speed, Titanfall and Plants vs. Zombies are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. FIFA, John Madden and NFL are property of their respective owners and used with permission.

Start as a Visionary, Become a Leader: Management Sim Good Company Launches on March 31st

Start as a Visionary, Become a Leader: Management Sim Good Company Launches on March 31st

Can You Better Society with Technology and a [very] Good Company?

LONDON (March 10, 2020) –  Developer Chasing Carrots and publisher The Irregular Corporation (PC Building Simulator) announced that the robot-filled tycoon management sim Good Company will hit Steam Early Access on March 31st (https://store.steampowered.com/app/911430/Good_Company/.)

Good Company sets you up as CEO of your very own company, where hardcore tycoon fans will feel right at home with challenging and rewarding gameplay as you grow your staff, delegate tasks using the powerful Logistics mode and rake in enormous profits by inventing increasingly complex tech products that the public desperately craves.

Choose how you want to run your Good Company as the game lets you set your own pace: continue to refine your ever-expanding empire and find creative and efficient ways to maximize those profits either in single-player Campaign Mode or endless Freeplay Mode. In Campaign Mode, aspiring CEOs tackle rewarding scenario levels and bonus challenge maps, and in Freeplay Mode, the success of your empire is in your hands. Building a good company and mastering the art of invention, automation and expansion.

“With Good Company we want to make players forget that our game is a management simulation. We want them to be managers, intensely challenged and rewarded by every action they take while hands-on building a unique corporation,” said Dominik Schneider, co-founder of Chasing Carrots.

Preorders are currently available at a 10 percent discount that also yields Good Company CEOs three cosmetic bonus items to help them pave the pathway to success in a bit more style.

Good Company expands into Early Access on March 31st. Keep up with Good Company by following them on Twitter @chasing_carrots and keep regular by following The Irregular Corporation @theirregularcorp.

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Demolish Fortresses, Build and Share Masterpieces in Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break June 2nd on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Stadia

Demolish Fortresses, Build and Share Masterpieces in Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break June 2nd on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Stadia

Behind-the-Scenes Video Barrels Through New Gameplay, Explores Creative Dynamic between ACE Team’s Sibling Trio and Development Partner Giant Monkey Robot

Walnut Creek, Calif. (March 10, 2020) – Indie game publisher Modus Games, joined by developers ACE Team and Giant Monkey Robot, today announced Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break is tumbling toward a June 2 release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Stadia.

Modus Games accompanied the announcement with a gameplay video detailing how Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break’s all-new level creator opened an entire new realm of possibilities for players, with the help of Giant Monkey Robot. View the full video here

Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break is an incomparable blend of tower defense-style base designing and swift, arcade-paced demolition via guidable boulder. The action is backed by a hilarious reimagining of history across an inventive campaign and distinctive game modes. Debuting the series’ first-ever level creator, Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break allows players to craft and share their dream experiences while enjoying challenges made by other players in the community.

To roll up the latest updates on Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break, plow into the game’s official site (www.RockofAges3.com), follow Modus Games on Twitter (@modus_games) and Discord (https://discordapp.com/invite/modus), and add the game to your Steam wishlist (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1101360/Rock_of_Ages_3_Make__Break/).

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About Modus Games

Modus Games is one of the fastest-growing video game publishers in the world. The label prides itself on providing AAA publishing services to talented independent developers across the globe. Modus Studios Brazil is a full-service development studio supporting creators of inspired interactive entertainment. For more information, visit www.modusgames.com.

About ACE Team

ACE Team is an award-winning studio founded by brothers Andres, Carlos and Edmundo Bordeu in Santiago. The studio is known for creating distinctive, incomparable games like the Rock of Ages and Zeno Clash series, Abyss Odyssey, and more.

About Giant Monkey RobotGiant Monkey Robot (GMR) was founded in 2017 by a group of videogame professionals with more than 20 years in the industry. With dozens of successful published games on all the major platforms, GMR has a unique combination of talent and experience that allows them to develop breakthrough games. GMR is currently working with ACE Team to develop Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break.

One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows Review

One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows

Developer: Spike Chunsoft
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Platforms: Xbox One (Reviewed), PlayStation 4, PC
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $59.99 USD – Available Here $99.95 AUD – Available Here

Overview

With so many popular anime and manga series receiving their own video games, One Punch Man found itself in a bit of an odd predicament. While it has quite a large following of fans eager to see what type of video game would be made for the property, it also featured a main character that is completely invincible and can eliminate any threat with one strike which leads to quite a challenge as to how he would be handled in a game. Spike Chunsoft and Bandai Namco have taken it upon themselves to answer this challenge with One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows.

Story

Rather than place players in the shoes of Saitama, the game instead places players into the boots of their very own female or male hero that can be created from scratch. Years prior to the events of One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows, a monster tears through the city and the player finds themselves at the mercy of the creature. Despite their best efforts they are no match for such a powerful being but when a bald lackadaisical man steps forward claiming to be a “hero for fun” the player finds a new hope for the future. With one strike the day is saved and now years later inspired by the events that unfolded that day, the player has joined the Hero Association as a fledgling C Rank Hero.

In a rather interesting fashion One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows chooses to follow the same storyline as told through the first season of the anime and a bit further in the original storyline by placing the player’s hero side by side all of the action. This means that while Saitama, Genos, and various other heroes are fighting, the player’s hero will be right there beside them. When considering the limitations of sticking true to Saitama’s strength this is perhaps the best way to handle things as players will still get to see the original story they love but from a slightly different perspective and with an extra dose of added humor on top of things.

The writers for the game clearly knew how to make the most of the characters’ unique personalities as they all continue to shine through here in the story, especially in regards to a few of the more eccentric heroes and villains. Alongside the same storyline fans are likely familiar with there are plenty of side-events and smaller scale story beats that explore a bit of what life is like in the world as well as give fans an extra chance to see what other heroes are doing at times of crisis. This makes for a fairly solid bit of extra storytelling that fans will enjoy and helps flesh out a few of the more underrepresented characters.

Gameplay

As mentioned before, players will find themselves creating a character of their very own and partaking in the game’s story mode as it features the bulk of the content and serves as the main hub for online events as well as versus fights with other players. It is also worth noting that many fighters, both heroes and villains, are locked until the player progresses far enough in the story so this is the primary focus of the game. Now it is worth noting immediately that, outside of his appearances in combat, players do not control Saitama in any form in the campaign and are instead seated firmly in their created heroes’ shoes.

This works as a balance to the game especially considering it is designed as more of a 3 vs 3 tag team arena fighter/RPG more than anything else. The player’s hero will receive numerous missions from people around town as well as the hero association and eventually rank up from their starting C Rank status to the powerful ranks of S Rank heroes. These missions can occasionally involve tracking down items scattered around the town or talking to certain people but generally most missions involve a battle against a monster, villain, or even a rogue hero. Fighting allows the player to level up and assign various points into their health, striking power, and other stats as well as equip a variety of different fighting styles that match with those found in the original series including mechanical styles similar to Genos.

These battles take place in a 3D arena where the player is given free movement and a collection of fairly simplistic combat mechanics. Players have access to a standard attack, heavy attack, block, jump, and “killer moves” that serve as the game’s special attack system with various killer moves being obtained through interacting with professional heroes and having a variety of uses. Standard combo attacks are strung together with standard and heavy input strings while killer moves require the use of a constantly refilling gauge that can also be charged though this leaves the player open to attack. Players that can properly time their block can also perform a special teleporting dodge that instantly places the user behind the attacker, allowing the player to gain an advantage. There are also some special events that can occur during a fight such as meteors raining down from the sky, a random hero running in to strike at a random combatant, and more to help spice things up.

Generally players enter a battle alone in story mode and instead must make use of the game’s “Hero Arrival System” in the hope for backup, though the enemy team can also receive backup the same way. This takes the form of a timer showing a hero, or villain, running to the battlefield with a timer and performing combo attacks and perfect blocks can reduce this timer, allowing them to appear and provide assistance faster. This also allows for Saitama to play a bit of a more balanced role in the game as anytime he shows up as a hero that can come to the player’s aid, his timer is incredibly long.

This makes some battles against far stronger opponents, such as the massively powerful monsters and aliens from the source material, merely a survival battle that sees the player and their team trying to survive the fight while doing minimal damage to the enemy while Saitama is on the way. When Saitama finally does show up to a battle he is completely invincible with the enemy dealing no damage to him and the fight finishing in a single strike, regardless of whether it is one of Saitama’s killer moves or a normal punch. 

Outside of simply taking on missions players can spend time outside of the fight by exploring the town and talking with various heroes and raising their friendship level as well as decorating the player’s apartment, and playing a bit of dress-up using purchased and unlocked costumes. Unfortunately outside of a couple of interesting interactions, nearly every aspect outside of the game’s story mode and combat is a bit on the shallow side. Even then, combat can often feel incredibly clunky depending on the fighting style the player is using and the opponent AI in side-missions can easily be exploited even when taking on harder missions so some battles that aren’t story based often feel unrewarding.

Now the online component for One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows is a bit of a mixed bag as players can explore the town and see other created heroes running around and interact with them in various ways here. There are a number of online events that players can work towards but for the most part players will be spending their online time battling against one another in a bit of a messy system. Players have access to all characters that they have managed to unlock through the story mode but it is worth noting that Saitama himself is also a character that can either be enabled or disabled when looking for a fight.

If Saitama is able to come to a battle, the game does try to balance things a bit by forcing the player with Saitama on their team to fight a 2 on 3 battle until he arrives, but once he does the match is over. Should both players manage to get Saitama to the fight, they will actually be able to damage one another but even then he doesn’t actually lose and instead finds an excuse to leave the fight. This lets Saitama remain as true to his roots as possible but also something of a one-sided victory if not disabled, something that nearly everyone online isn’t keen on doing.

Visuals & Audio

It is clear that Spike Chunsoft wanted to let players have plenty of customization options open to them as there are tons of costume pieces to unlock and purchase throughout the game and a lot of attention has been paid to make sure the character models of all of the named heroes and villains remains as true to their source material as possible. Unfortunately this level of care has left nearly every other aspect of the game’s graphics in a very poor state. Environments are incredibly bland and lack any kind of signature appeal to them both inside combat and while exploring the world and players should be ready for the game to suffer from incredible amounts of slowdown at times. These slowdowns can occur anywhere; be it exploring the town or during a fight the game can start to lag horribly for no apparent reason and this issue occurs far too frequently to be ignored.

It comes as something of a surprise to say that Bandai Namco has provided One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows with both an English voice track as well as the original Japanese voice track. Fans will appreciate both options and even the created character can be given a variety of different voice actors in both languages, though their dialogue is limited to battle. The voice work for all of the characters is rather strong, though some of the random mobs players fight can start to blend together quickly. The soundtrack features a great opening theme when starting the game but unfortunately most of the background tunes while fighting and exploring the town are as generic as they come.

Overall

One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows knows exactly what it wants by letting players have access to Saitama’s world without giving them complete access to his unstoppable power. With a witty storyline that places players in a different position to the story they may already be familiar with fans of the series and maybe even some newcomers will enjoy the game’s solid, if occasionally clunky, combat system. That being said, be prepared for some very underwhelming mechanics outside of combat and some strange performance issues that pop up incredibly often.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

E3 2020 Cancelled over COVID-19 Pandemic

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Coinciding with the news that the World Health Organization is now classifying the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic, the Entertainment Software Association announced today that E3 2020 has been cancelled. Originally, the event was to run from June 9-11 in Los Angeles. California is currently grappling with an outbreak of COVID-19 which resulted in the cancellation.

The ESA announced they will be issuing refunds to exhibitors and attendees over the next several days.

Although E3 is cancelled, ESA is still looking to host press conferences and showcases this year. Currently, the ESA is hoping to run an online-only event in June. More information will be made available in the next few weeks as plans are put into place.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV Review

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV

Developer: Koei Tecmo
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Platform: PlayStation 4, Windows (Reviewed)
Release Date: 15 January 2020
Price: $59.99 USD/$84.95 AUD – Available Here

Video Review

Overview

After 14 games and numerous spin offs, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms video game franchise has been running longer than most millennials have been alive. Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV offers one of the largest rosters to date, with over 1000 officers plus the ability to create custom characters. This iteration sticks with the franchise’s tried and true turn-based strategy gameplay on a carefully crafted map of China.

Story

Since the franchise is based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms historical novel, the story’s main plot points do not change between titles. There are some non-historical scenarios in the game, but the main focus is clearly on scenarios that are based on the contents of the novel. The book is considered to be one of China’s four great classical novels, so the tale has already endured the test of time. However, not all is well in Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV as the dialogue is terrible. It’s corny, stilted, and about as subtle as an avalanche. It feels like a poorly translated Japanese video game from the early PlayStation 1 era with none of the campy charm or excuses. The introductory cinematics on the other hand are much better, concisely laying out the historical context for the scenario in an interesting manner.

Gameplay

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV is a turn-based strategy game. The only goal is to unite China under your leadership before the year 351. Failing to do so or losing all your cities will result in a loss. To win, players will need to recruit officers, raise armies, and control territory to slowly push out competitors.

The game’s emphasis is squarely on combat and politics. The economy is extremely simple and is mostly automated. Armies are led by an officer who dictates their formation and troop numbers. Each officer has their own set of traits that can trigger, and some have special abilities that can turn the tide of battle. Success in combat focuses on troop positioning, managing supply lines, and configuring the right army for the right task. Actual combat itself is completely automated based on army and officer stats, down to the duels that officers may engage in. While automated combat is not necessarily a bad thing for turn based strategy games, the automatic duels are quite disappointing considering the game drags the player into the same duel screen each time.

While not nearly as complex as combat, the politics system is where players will conduct a variety of diplomatic intrigue and assign officers to positions of power so they can manage the day to day operation of the player’s territory. At the end of the day, players must control all of China to win, so politics is simply a means to create the most ideal situation for their armies to operate in.

Romance of the Three Kingdom XIV has no single campaign, but rather a series of scenarios that start at certain points in the book. Each scenario uses the same massive map of China, but configures each ruler and territory based on the source material. Players are free to pick any of the rulers, and the game provides a rating showing how difficult each ruler’s path to victory is. There are some configuration options to lower the level of realism, adjust the difficulty, and create random leader placements instead of following historical events.

The learning curve for new players is poor. There is a four-part tutorial that teaches new players the absolute basics of the game. Upon entering a scenario for the first time, players will be bombarded with new features that are only explained in pretty bare terms in the help menu. There are some features designed for new players that automatically populate officers and armies based on the area of focus a player wants and the needs of the kingdom. These are not the ideal min/maxed set ups but do a good enough job for the new player just trying to keep their head above water. The game is oddly simple compared to other grand strategy titles, but Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV still manages to be incredibly opaque. The game has a strong “figure it out yourself” attitude that seems to be designed for long time fans or incredibly patient new players. For example, the in-game suggestions and messages tend to be extremely vague and rarely give good shortcuts to the matter at hand.

The PC port quality is good, with some minor hiccups. Most of the configuration can be done in game, but more granular graphic options can only be accessed from the start up menu. The mouse and keyboard controls are well executed. Since the game is a strategy title, it does translate well to the PC. The UI layout is clearly designed for consoles as the menus are optimized for scrolling around with buttons instead of a mouse.

Visuals

The graphics are decent. The illustrations are by far the best the game has to offer. The beautifully drawn portraits are captivating, detailed, and lively. The environment and models are decent, although not extremely detailed. The duel animations are the weakest in the game as it looks completely lifeless and robotic. It’s as if the duel animations were torn out of a title in the series from ten years ago.

Audio

The audio experience is enjoyable. The sound effects are good, though nothing to spectacular. The soundtrack is excellent, providing the right balance of calm and unobtrusive music that suits strategy games while still channeling enough energy to not sound like a meditation music album. There is no English voice acting in the game, just a handful of Japanese lines for major characters. I much rather have only Japanese voice acting than a poor English voice work.

Overall

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV is not a game for everyone. It has a laser like focus on politics and combat at the expense of everything else. At the same time, it does not offer great depth in either discipline. Instead, the game is more focused on the broad strokes, much like the boardgame Risk. Determined newbies and seasoned veterans of the franchise who enjoy big picture strategies will find some interest in Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV; however, most players will probably want to avoid the game’s clunky learning curve and sometimes shallow gameplay.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

UBISOFT ANNOUNCES THE SEASON 2 PASS FOR Anno 1800 WITH THE FIRST DLC RELEASING ON MARCH 24

UBISOFT ANNOUNCES THE SEASON 2 PASS FOR Anno 1800 WITH THE FIRST DLC RELEASING ON MARCH 24

Anno 1800 Celebrates More Than 1 Million Players with a Free Ornament and a Free Weekend from March 12 to March 16

Sydney, Australia — March 10 2020 — Today, Ubisoft announced that Anno 1800™, the latest installment in the successful city-building and strategic franchise, will get a Season 2 Pass including three new major DLCs to be released in 2020. The first one, Seat of Power, will launch on March 24th. In addition, Ubisoft announced the game has reached more than 1 million players* around the world. Released on April 16th, 2019 for Windows PC, Anno 1800 was already the fastest selling Anno game at launch and was able to consistently expand to new players throughout 2019 and will continue to do so in 2020. To celebrate this milestone, all Anno 1800 players will receive a unique free ornament** today and everyone will be able to discover Anno 1800 for free from March 12 to March 16.

“Our team at Ubisoft Mainz is extremely happy about the results of Anno 1800 so far and thanks to the constant feedback by the community, we are highly motivated to bring new content to the Anno brand in 2020”, says David Wightman, Studio Manager at Ubisoft Mainz.

With the Season 2 Pass, players will have access to new adventures, challenges, and tools as they shape their very own Industrial Revolution. The Season 2 Pass includes the three following DLCs to be released throughout 2020:

  • Seat of Power: Players will be able to show off their city’s power with a prestigious palace and government departments that can boost their economy with a variety of policies. Seat of Power will be available on March 24.
  • Bright Harvest: In this DLC, players will have the opportunity to bring the wonders of mechanized farming to the countryside as they boost the efficiency of their farms with tractors and more.
  • Land of Lions: Players will travel to the Southern continent and join forces with an embattled emperor to bring life to the desert using the new irrigation system.
  • Three Exclusive Themed Ornaments: Finally, Season 2 Pass owners will get access to exclusive ornaments available alongside the first DLC Seat of Power.

In addition, beginning March 12th until March 16th***, players will be able to discover Anno 1800 (including Tiers 1 to Tiers 3 and co-op mode) for free on Uplay and the Epic Games Store.

Developed by Ubisoft Mainz, Anno 1800 provides players with countless opportunities to prove their skills as a ruler. Players can create huge metropolises, plan efficient logistics networks, settle an exotic new continent, send out global expeditions, and dominate their opponents by diplomacy, trade or warfare.

For more than two years, Anno 1800 has invited players to take part in the creation and the development of the game by giving feedback through the Anno Union. So far, more than 200 blogs have been published, 18,000 comments posted and 5 community contests organized. This collaboration between players and the studio enables the development team to shape the game and add requested community features.

Anno 1800, the Season 2 Pass and Anno 1800: the Complete Edition are available digitally on the Epic Games store and the Ubisoft Store for Windows PC. The Season 2 Pass can be purchased at the price of AU$36.95. The Complete Edition of Anno 1800 includes the main game, the Season 1 & 2 Passes and the Digital Deluxe Content****, it can be purchased at the price of AU$149.95.

For more information about Anno, please visit: https://annogame.com/

To join Anno Union, please visit: https://www.anno-union.com/

*Including all distribution platforms and Uplay+. Not including pre-launch beta tests and trial versions. Anno 1800 has reached 1M players within the first 9 months of launch in December 2019.

**All Anno 1800 players will receive an exclusive free ornament with the next update today directly in Anno 1800.

***This software is a free demo of Anno 1800 from 13th March, 2020 2am AEDT to 17th March, 2020 1am AEDT on EPIC PC and from 12th March, 2020 10pm AEDT to 17th March, 2020 1am AEDT on Uplay. The game is provided AS-IS, may not function as expected, and may crash. Please note that maintenance may also occur at any time during this period, rendering you unable to access parts or all of the game. Internet access and Ubisoft Account registration required.  

****Including the additional content The Anarchist, the game soundtrack, an artbook and exclusive company logos.

About Ubisoft Mainz:

The teams at Ubisoft Mainz are engineering Ubisoft’s biggest blockbusters. Operating from a historic city in the heartland of Germany, the studio develops genre pushing games like the acclaimed Anno 1800 and lends decades of expertise to AAA co-development projects like Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege and the upcoming Beyond Good And Evil 2. More information at mainz.ubisoft.com.

About Ubisoft:

Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2018–19 fiscal year Ubisoft generated Net Bookings of €2,029 million. To learn more, please visit ubisoft.com.

© 2019–2020 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Anno, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are registered or unregistered trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries.