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Wired Productions & KeokeN Interactive Celebrate The Giant Leap That Inspired Deliver Us The Moon

New Game Video Highlights the Story of How the Apollo 11 Mission Inspired Two Brothers to Reach for the Stars through their Love of Games

Watford, UK – July 16, 2019 –– Award-winning publisher, Wired Productions and acclaimed Dutch game studio, KeokeN Interactive, have today released a developer video for Deliver us the Moon. The video highlights new gameplay from the upcoming Sci-Fi thriller along with narration from Koen Deetman, Game Director, explaining how he and his brother, Managing Director Paul Deetman, knew from an early age that their future was destined to involve space!

Currently in development for Steam, PlayStation® 4 and the Xbox One family of devices, including the Xbox One X, the team at KeokeN wanted to celebrate the heroic mission of the men and women who took part in Apollo 11’s journey to the Moon.  Inspired by their Grandpa’s stories the developers set about creating something that captured everything they used to dream about. Set 100 years after the first human-made object reached the surface of the Moon, Deliver Us The Moon even pays homage to the original moon landing, with the original moon lander and US flag recreated for players to visit!

“It’s unimaginable to think about how much bravery it takes to leave our home-planet and set foot on another celestial body.’ Said Koen Deetman. “My brother and I have always asked the question ‘What would it be like being an Astronaut’, and Deliver us the Moon was our way of living out our childhood dreams.”

Deliver Us The Moon is a Sci-Fi thriller set in an apocalyptic near future where Earth’s natural resources are depleted. In an effort to solve the energy crisis, global powers created the World Space Agency and secured a promising new source of energy on the moon. The World Space Agency colonized and operated from the moon until one fateful night all communications with Earth ceased and the energy source was lost. Now, years later, you assume the role of Earth’s last astronaut on a do-or-die mission to investigate what happened and save humanity. During this adventure, players only companion is a small robot named ASE. Together you will traverse the moon, explore abandoned facilities, gather clues and ultimately uncover the secrets and hidden agendas of those long gone!

Deliver us the Moon is scheduled for release later this year. Wired Productions will share more details in the coming months.

For more information, visit https://www.deliverusthemoon.com/ or follow the game now to receive future updates on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/deliverusthemoon or Twitter https://twitter.com/deliverthemoon.

About Wired Productions
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:
wired.gg | facebook.com/WiredPro | twitter.com/Wiredp | youtube.com/wiredproductionsltd | discord.gg/wiredp | instagram.com/wired_productions_games

About KeokeN Interactive
KeokeN Interactive is a young Dutch Indie game development company which was founded by Koen Deetman, Paul Deetman and Johan Terink in 2013. The firm was born out of the passion for developing great and engaging 3D game experiences. The unique elements of the gaming industry show that the possibilities seem to be truly endless and that the limitations are only bound by one’s own creativity.

Deliver Us The Moon uses the Unreal® Engine. Unreal® is a trademark or registered trademark of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere. and “Unreal® Engine, Copyright 1998 – 2019, Epic Games, Inc. All rights reserved.

My Arcade Partners with Konami Cross Media NY to Launch Playable Contra™ Collectibles This Holiday Season

Introducing My Arcade’s CO-VS™ Technology Enabling Friends to Run ‘n’ Gun Together

Los Angeles, CA, 16.07.2019 – My Arcade announced today a line of collectibles featuring Konami’s run-and-gun icon, Contra, created in partnership with Konami Cross Media NY, Inc. The initial line-up will include the compact desktop Micro Player™ and handheld Pocket Player™, each slated to launch this holiday season.

The Contra Pocket Player and Micro Player will each feature the game’s signature co-op play mode. Players can link two of the same devices to fend off alien invasion cooperatively, made possible with My Arcade’s new CO-VS™ technology. The Micro Player will feature the original arcade version of Contra while the Pocket Player will include original arcade versions of Contra and Super C™. These new products will allow fans to celebrate their passion for the iconic title and reignite the adrenaline with elite commandos Bill Rizer and Lance Bean in compact, playable form.

“Our mission is to find unique and exciting ways to extend Konami’s iconic game franchises,” says Jennifer Coleman, Vice President of Licensing and Marketing, Konami Cross Media NY. “The expansion of the Contra game line into standalone, compact versions, thanks to our partners at My Arcade, provides a unique opportunity for its millions of fans around the world to show their love for the game. We are happy to develop this new line of products with them for this popular title.”

Amir Navid, SVP Product Development and Creative Director, My Arcade, added, “We’re honored to be working with Konami Cross Media NY on Contra, one of the top games of all time and one of my personal favorites. It’s been almost 30 years since its introduction and we’re pleased to celebrate that milestone by giving fans another way to experience the game and show their love for it!”

Keep up with My Arcade’s mission in bringing arcade nostalgia out from memory lane and onto your tabletop at myarcadegaming.com, Instagram and Twitter.

About My Arcade
My Arcade is a retro-focused gaming accessories manufacturer that offers an exciting array of portable handhelds, Mini Arcades, Plug N’ Play gaming devices, collectibles and unique accessories for classic consoles. My Arcade is dedicated to becoming a go-to source for all things retro. For more information on My Arcade and its wide selection of retro gaming products, check out myarcadegaming.com, follow on Instagram @MyArcadeRetro and Twitter @MyArcadeRetro.

About Konami Cross Media NY, Inc.
Konami Cross Media NY, Inc. is a member of Konami Group and specializes in multiplatform brand management and production. Konami Cross Media NY takes a 360-degree approach in managing the rights to globally iconic IPs such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, Bomberman, Contra and Frogger.

The Intergalactic Bounty Hunt Begins as Futuristic Co-Op Action RPG Killsquad Launches on Steam Early Access

The Intergalactic Bounty Hunt Begins as Futuristic Co-Op Action RPG Killsquad Launches on Steam Early Access

Team up with mercenaries for loot and galactic kudos in Novarama’s sci-fi space western available today

Barcelona, Spain — July 16th, 2019 — Independent developer Novarama today announced that the anticipated co-op action RPG, Killsquad,  is now available for PC on Steam Early Access for $19.99 / €19.99 / £16.99. Killsquad is a top-down co-op action RPG set within the futuristic world of bounty hunters known as ‘killsquads’, who take on contracts and raid planets for loot and glory. 


Killsquad made a huge splash at E3 2019, appearing at the eSports stage and receiving several award nominations such as “Most Engaging” by Unreal, “Best of E3” by COGConnected and “Best of E3” by RPGFan.  “Killsquad is a culmination of various ideas we wanted to see in a video game, but also one that delivered the necessary pace of a high octane action game with a combination of progression and customization that players would expect from an action RPG,” said Game Director Dani Sanchez-Crespo. “We’re looking forward to getting players’ feedback and expanding the Killsquad universe with the introduction of more content later this year. See you in The Outer Reach, bounty hunters!” 

Killsquad’s quick session-based gameplay means action is fast and intense as players overcome various obstacles in the course of their mission and quest for that big payday. Players can select one of four different heroes to play, each of which has their own distinct capabilities based on their class: Assassin, Warrior, Specialist or Support. These classes have plenty of skill and upgradeable gear options to completely customize the chosen character down to its appearance.

Killsquad introduces a live contract system which players can undertake in real time with other hunters. These contracts allow other players in the Killsquad community to drop in and ride shotgun, enjoying the same experience and grabbing a share of the mission’s rewards. The contract system presents a myriad of challenges and deadly adversaries from automated defence systems to meteor showers and boss characters. The hunt is not without its dangers as players navigate the exotic, richly detailed environments of each planet in search of their quarry. 

Killsquad will be continually updated with much more content planned for the game later this year including additional heroes and mission types. Novarama will also confirm more details on console versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Killsquad on Steam
Killsquad on Twitter
Killsquad on Facebook
Killsquad on Instagram
Killsquad Discord Channel

About Novarama

Novarama was founded in 2003 in Barcelona, Spain, with a simple idea in mind: to create innovative games with mass-market appeal. Novarama’s games focus on creating and supporting game worlds across formats, building game communities that bring people together and last many years. 

For over nine years, Novarama has worked exclusively for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, publishing titles on PSP, PS VITA and PS3. They introduced Augmented Reality to the masses with the Invizimals saga, which has generated six titles, sold 2.5 million units, and spawned a franchise ranging from TV Shows, toys, trading cards and video games.

Killsquad is Novarama’s first title as self-published developer. For more information, visit: http://novarama.com

FIFA eWorld Cup line-up complete as world’s top 32 players prepare to take centre stage

• FIFA 19 Global Series Playoffs in Berlin confirms final 16 qualification spots
• Music activities and an early version of FIFA 20 on-site in London at the final
• FIFA eWorld Cup™ 2019 takes place at The O2 on 2-4 August. Tickets for the final day are available via
fifa.com/fewc.

After months of excitement, upsets, drama and countless surprises on the EA SPORTS FIFA 19 Global Series, the final line-up and participants for the FIFA eWorld Cup 2019 have been confirmed after the conclusion of the final round of the FIFA 19 Global Series Playoffs in Berlin.

Nicolas “nicolas99fc” Villalba established his number one ranking spot in spectacular fashion after a stunning performance at the playoffs by being crowned FIFA 19 Global Series PlayStation Playoffs champion.

Following the conclusion of FIFA 19 Global Series, Villalba will be one of the 32 top EA SPORTS FIFA 19 players in the world who have qualified and will go head-to-head at the FIFA eWorld Cup, which returns to The O2 in London on 2-4 August.

Featuring competitors from England, Spain, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Brazil and other countries across the globe, the top players in the world will battle it out to become the FIFA eWorld Cup champion and win a life-changing USD 250,000 in prize money, along with a trip to The Best FIFA Football Awards™.

The FIFA eWorld Cup 2019 will be broadcasted in six languages including English, German, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Portuguese. The livestream will also be available on FIFA’s and EA’s digital platforms such as YouTube and FIFA.com and linear rights has been placed in over 50 territories.

FIFA eWorld Cup – Group Draw

Group A – Xbox

  • Donovan ‘Tekkz’ Hunt (ENG) – Seed #1
  • Michael ‘MegaBit’ Bittner (GER) – #4
  • Tom ‘Stokes’ Stokes (ENG) – #5
  • Pedro ‘Resende’ Resende (BRA) – #8
  • Dani ‘Dani’ Hagebeuk(NED)- #9
  • Javier ‘Janoz’ Munoz (COL) – #12
  • Tassal ‘Tass’ Rushan (ENG) – #13
  • Ebio ‘Ébinho’ Da Costa Filho (BRA) – #16

Group B – Xbox

  • Mosaad ‘Msdossary’ Aldossary (KSA) – Seed #2
  • Lucas ‘DaXe’ Cuillerier (FRA) – #3
  • Niklas ‘NRaseck’ Raseck (GER) – #6
  • Nawid ‘GoalMachine’ Norzai (CAN) – #7
  • Dylan ‘DullenMIKE’ Neuhausen (GER) – #10
  • Marcus ‘MarcusGomes’ Gomes (AUS) – #11
  • Fouad ‘Rafsou’ Fares (FRA) – #14
  • Kilian ‘Zidane10’ Pita Ossario (ESP) – #15

Group C – PlayStation

  • Nicolas “nicolas99fc” Villalba (ARG) – Seed #1
  • Lev “LevVinken” Vinken (NED) -#4
  • Mohammed “MoAuba” Harkous (GER) – #5
  • Diogo “tuga810” Pombo (POR) – #8
  • Fatih “Üstün” Üstün (DEN) – #9
  • Victor “Tore” Dos Santos Coelho (BRA) – #12
  • Erhan “DrErhano” Kayman (GER) – #13
  • Marko “Marko” Brijeski (AUS) – #16

 Group D – Playstation

  • Corentin “MaestroSquad” Thuillier (FRA) – #2
  • Stefano “Pinna97” Pinna (BEL) – #3
  • Joksan “Joksan” Redona (USA) – #6
  • Chris “Didychrislito” Holly (USA) – #7
  • Flavio “Fifilza” Brito (BRA) – #10
  • Gonçalo “RastaArtur” Pinto (POR) – #11
  • Henrique “Zezinho” Lempke (BRA) – #14
  • Tim “TheStrxngeR” Katnawatos (GER) – #15

Exciting on-site activities on the final day

Visitors of the broadcasted event will have the chance to experience several on-site activities on 4 August. Fans will get the opportunity to play an early version of EA SPORTS FIFA 20 on site and discover up and coming music talents, who will be determined via a public contest beforehand, at The O2 Arena.

Regular tickets will provide access for 4 August, including the two semi-finals as well as the final, while premium tickets will additionally offer exclusive access to the after-show party on 4 August and preferred seating.

Tickets are on sale now on fifa.com/fewc.For more information about the FIFA eWorld Cup 2019, please click HERE.

Earth Defense Force 5 Review

Earth Defense Force 5

Developer: Sandlot
Publisher: D3 Publisher
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows (Reviewed)
Release Date: 11 July 2019
Price: $47.99 USD/$67.96 AUD – Available Here

Video Review

Overview

Earth Defense Force 5 is an over the top shooter pitting humans against a massive alien invasion. A love story to old school B-movies and early Japanese action games, Earth Defense Force 5 offers four classes, a wide variety of weapons, and a ton of targets to shoot.

Story

The game’s writers are either the really talented or really awful. It’s 2022 and aliens are invading Earth. Like any good cheesy B-movie, Earth Defense Force 5’s plot is over the top and utterly ridiculous. It’s so bad, it’s funny. There’s no real character development in sight. Characters are caricatures of the standard action movie tropes. The dialogue has a weird, stilted pacing that almost perfectly imitates the old, poorly translated Japanese games from the PlayStation 1 and 2 eras. The whole package is simply so bad that you have to believe all of this was done for parody.

Gameplay

At its core, Earth Defense Force 5 is a pretty simple shooter. Players are thrown into levels filled with massive aliens. Most of the game’s challenge comes from good positioning and avoiding friendly fire, as most enemies are at least one story tall and hard to miss.

The game offers four classes with increasingly difficult playstyles. The Ranger is the easiest of the bunch, handling like a standard soldier from any old third person shooter. The remaining three classes are a bit more memorable. The Wing Diver is equipped with a jetpack and weapons that interact with the amount of jetpack energy. Their squishy, but quick nature make them great for hit and run attacks. The Air Raider is a support class with a few weapons for defense when things get dicey. They’re a bit slow, but they really shine online. The Fencer is the last class, capable of wielding two weapons using their exoskeleton. I disliked the Fencer the most as they are painfully slow in relation to the game’s large map sizes.

The level design is rather straight forward. Large maps give players a lot of freedom of movement, which is especially helpful for Wing Divers. The action is usually rather linear, with enemy spawns slowly prodding the player forward.

The real addicting thing about Earth Defense Force 5 is the item system. The game offers a ton of weapons and equipment that behave differently enough to warrant trying them out. A large number of items drop every mission, giving the game an almost MMORPG feel. The only catch with the item system is players need to pick up each item individually. Considering the large size of the maps and the constant need to move to survive, cleaning up all the items at the end of engagements feels more like a chore. Things only get worse when players are stuck with the slower Air Raider or Fencer classes.

The controls are decent. The infantry controls are excellent, even with difficult to handle classes like the Wing Diver. Vehicles are a little more cumbersome. A controller is highly recommended for fast moving vehicles like the bike.

The UX is decent. The in-game UI is excellent. While it’s not subtle, it is clear and easy to read. On the other hand, the menu is bloated. Anything relating to the item system is the worst culprit. The equipment menu has a very small window for the available equipment crammed into the top right corner of the screen, forcing players to scroll around a good bit. The recap at the end of the mission isn’t as bad, but it could compress all the stats for the new equipment into one screen instead of hurling them one after another.

The port quality is passable, but it’s not great. Being a third person shooter, the game translates well to keyboard and mouse controls. Key configuration is a bit messy. It works fine if the user sticks with or makes minor changes to the key binds. Completely changing the bindings allows keys to only be bound to infantry or vehicle key binds. The graphic configuration options are extremely sparse, only offering options for resolution, windowed mode, anti-aliasing, anisotropic filtering, and shadow rendering. To the annoyance of some, Earth Defense Force 5 is also locked to 60 FPS.

Visuals

Earth Defense Force 5 is not the prettiest game in the world. The character design is very Japanese, with over the top mechs and a little splash of fan service thrown in. The visuals seem intentionally bad. The models and animations feel like they were torn out of a PlayStation 2 title and upgraded with the latest high-resolution textures. The levels look a little bland as the areas tend to look uniform.

Audio

The audio experience is grating. Much like the story and the visuals, the voice acting is straight out of a B movie or a poorly localized video game. While it’s hilarious for the first 30 minutes, it soon becomes obvious how aggressive the audio engine is. The same lines and screams get played repeatedly with almost no pause in between. NPC lines get shouted on top of each other and can get a bit difficult to hear. It makes for a grating experience after a while, and I think the game would have benefited from a slightly more subtle touch. The sound effects are passable. The music is decent, reminding me a lot of JRPG soundtracks.

Overall

While Earth Defense Force 5 isn’t a perfect PC port, itis a solid shooter that is perfect for the nostalgic gamer who grew up in the glory days of the PlayStation 2. It’s a near perfect recreation of those old shooters from Japan that were terribly localised, warts and all. Beyond it’s tacky, B-movie exterior, Earth Defense Force 5 is still a fun shooter with enough of a loot treadmill to keep things interesting.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Introducing a new Twitter.com

Today, we are starting to roll out a new Twitter.com – a refreshed and updated website that is faster, easier to navigate and more personalized. The site has an updated look and feel that is more consistent with the Twitter you see on other devices, making it easier to access some of your favorite features, and with more options to make it your own. 

https://twitter.com/Twitter/status/1150812293124546561

This Tweet is unavailable.

We’ve been testing aspects of this for a while so we could make sure the new site reflected how you use Twitter. Thanks to hundreds of thousands of responses we received during those tests, Twitter.com’s features make conversations easier to find and follow – and just a bit more fun:

  • More of What’s Happening: We’ve brought over Explore to bring you the same great content found in our apps; expect more live video and local moments personalized for wherever you are in the world. Get context with profile information within conversations and check out your Top Trends in any view so you never miss what’s happening.
  • Easy Access to Your Favorite Features: Bookmarks, Lists, and your Profile are right up front and have their own spot on the side navigation, making it easier and faster to jump between different tabs.
  • Direct Messages All in One Place: Direct Messages have been expanded so you can see your conversations and send messages all from the same view. Now there’s less hassle switching between screens to send a message.
  • Login, Logout Struggle No More: Whether you have one profile or a few, now you’re also able to switch between accounts faster, directly from the side navigation; your stan, foodie and cat meme accounts thank you.
  • Make Twitter Yours: The love is real for dark mode themes Dim and Lights Out. You’ve asked for even more ways to personalize Twitter so we’re bringing you different themes and color options, along with two options for dark mode.

Today is a big step as we continue building Twitter to best serve the people who use it every day. This update also gives us a much stronger foundation to build on so we can continue to bring you updated features faster than before. 

Want to hear more from our team on how they redesigned and built Twitter.com? Check out our engineering blog series “New Nest: Building the New Twitter.com” which shares more on how we rebuilt the website from the ground up.

We’re looking forward to hearing what you think about our new site, so check it out and take it for a spin at Twitter.com.

About Twitter

Twitter is what’s happening in the world and what people are talking about right now. From breaking news and entertainment to sports, politics, and everyday interests, see every side of the story. Join the open conversation. Watch live streaming events. Available in more than 40 languages around the world, the service can be accessed via twitter.com, an array of mobile devices, and SMS. For more information, please visit about.twitter.com, follow @Twitter, and download both the Twitter and Periscope apps at twitter.com/download and periscope.tv.

WHERE THE WATER TASTES LIKE WINE’S FREE GOLD MOUNTAIN UPDATE ADDS NEW STORIES FROM THE CHINESE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

WHERE THE WATER TASTES LIKE WINE’S FREE GOLD MOUNTAIN UPDATE ADDS NEW STORIES FROM THE CHINESE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

Grab the acclaimed folklore game for 60% off today on Steam

AMSTERDAM July 15, 2019 – Good Shepherd Entertainment has released the new Gold Mountain content update for Where the Water Tastes Like Wine, the story-driven American folklore adventure game from co-developers Dim Bulb Games and Serenity Forge. Free for all players, Gold Mountain introduces new tales focusing on the experience of Chinese Americans and their impact on American history and culture. The update also includes a variety of performance and quality-of-life improvements.

In addition, Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is on sale today for 60% off until Wednesday, July 17, for Windows PC, Mac and Linux via Steam. Where the Water Tastes Like Wine: Fireside Chats, a free standalone companion experience for the game, is also available on Steam.

Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is an imaginative trek through history featuring gorgeous 2D/3D visuals and original folk music. Meet surreal characters as you explore the nation’s most distant haunts, collecting and sharing an eclectic medley of stories from some of today’s most prolific writers. Bringing them all to life is a remarkable cast of voice talent, including renowned singer-songwriter, musician and actor Sting, Dave Fennoy (The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series), Cissy Jones (Firewatch), Kimberly Brooks (Mass Effect) and more.

For more information, visit goodshepherd.games/games/where-the-water-tastes-like-wine, and follow @GoodShepherdEnt on Twitter.

About Good Shepherd Entertainment

Good Shepherd Entertainment publishes video games from independent artists worldwide and operates a proprietary investment platform for a growing global network of qualified investors seeking risk-mitigated participation in the $130B video game industry. Originally established in the Netherlands in 2011 as an equity crowdfunding platform under the name Gambitious BV, the Company became a publisher in 2014 with the release of Train Fever, which was the first game ever successfully published with equity crowdfunding. The Company has since funded and released over a dozen original games across eight digital platforms. The founders of Devolver Digital and Croteam, two very successful companies in independent game development and publishing, invested in the Company and joined its management in 2012. The Company rebranded in 2017 as Good Shepherd Entertainment following an investment by Advance/Newhouse, having established a track record of success with both independent developers and investors. www.GoodShepherd.games

About Dim Bulb Games

Dim Bulb Games was founded by Johnnemann Nordhagen, co-founder of Fullbright and sole programmer on Gone Home. Where the Water Tastes Like Wine, a game inspired by the folk tales and folk music of America, is the first project by the studio. https://twitter.com/dimbulbgames

About Serenity Forge

Serenity Forge, based in Colorado, U.S., aims to create meaningful, value-driven interactive experiences that challenge the way you think. We pride ourselves in the care and dedication we put into our work, whether that be our own IPs or those of our collaborators. http://serenityforge.com

Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle Review

Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle

Developer: Omega Force
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Platform: PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox One (Reviewed), PC
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $59.99 USD – Available Here $89.95 AUD – Available Here

Overview

Fans of Attack on Titan have been on a bit of a high note lately as the series went from taking a long break between anime seasons to pushing out numerous seasons over the course of a few years. As such it didn’t come as too much of a surprise that Koei Tecmo would take last year’s Attack on Titan 2 and add an expansion to the game in an effort to add story content as well as additional bits of gameplay to match up with the third anime season. With Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle being available both as a standalone that features all of the content of the original plus more or as a simple DLC add-on to the original, is this worth picking up?

Story

Since Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle features all of the content found in the original release players will still have access to the story content that is spread throughout the first two seasons of the anime, only seen through their own original created character. This mode provided a unique take on some elements of the story as it gave players a different viewpoint of some events as well as see things that the core cast never were able to see while also giving players a chance to form bonds and learn a little about the various characters in the series.

The original story content was already satisfying in its own way, outside of the obvious ending, but due to that ending Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle continues its extra bit of story in a new mode. The Character Episode Mode as it is called picks up immediately after the events that saw Eren being rescued after being kidnapped by the Armored and Colossal Titans, a mission players could still play as their original character in the core mode. However since the original character is now dropped from the story players will now be controlling the character’s that were actually found in these sections of the story.

These character episodes mix together solely cinematic sequences to help progress the story as well as new combat missions. Those looking forward to seeing how the third season’s storyline is portrayed here will most likely be rather pleased with this mixed style of presentation. There are also a few little side missions that can be unlocked as well and while they are meant to give players an extra viewpoint, really don’t add too much to the narrative. It is also worth noting that those who already played the first release of the game will find their save data carrying over to this new version with no issue, though if you’ve already beat the core story mode then you’ll really only find extra narrative through the character episodes and by bonding with some of the new characters in the other newly added mode.

Gameplay

For the most part players will find that Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle plays almost the exact same as the original release of the game though there are a few touch-ups to the combat system that make landing critical hits feel a bit easier. While playing through the aforementioned Character Episode mode players will need to do battle against both Titans as well as fellow humans for the first time in the series. Battling against other humans is fairly simple and uses many of the same mechanics of Titan battles but has a few little different features that make it a little more challenging, especially since most of these enemies prefer to use firearms instead of blades. It is worth noting that just like how players cannot choose the character they are playing as in these episodes, their weapon loadout is also pre-determined which feels a bit limiting at times especially since players now have some new toys to slay the Titans with.

Alongside the trusty blades that fans are more than familiar with players can now equip firearms as well as special ammunition that they can load into them. In other game modes players will be able to swap between blades and firearms at the various bases scattered throughout the map. Firearms tend to feel a bit overpowered at times since players can choose to shoot Titan limbs from a fairly safe distance without needing to zip around them using their ODM but close-range shots work just as well. Alongside these players also now can access powerful limited use finishing weapons such as the Gatling Gun in the firearm mode that sprays a ripping stream of bullets at your foe while the blades gain access to the Thunder Spear, a powerful weapon capable of slaying powerful Titans with one attack.

Most of your play with these new weapons will be spent in the other new mode, Territory Recovery (especially if you’ve already beat the core story), since they only occasionally pop-up in Character Episode mode. The Territory Recovery mode allows players to take and form a brigade all on their own by taking a character of their choosing, including their custom character, and taking on the Titans all while reclaiming land, building their core base, and recruiting characters from all over the storyline. In fact, this mode will likely provide fans the biggest bang for their buck at this point in time as creating your own unit while crafting a team of your favorite characters is something many fans have been hoping for for quite some time and building up their synergy, equipping them with stronger weaponry, and working on your own forward base is a blast.

All this being said, it is worth noting that since player’s save data from the original Attack on Titan 2 does carry over, returning players can feel a bit overpowered at the start when carrying over their massively upgraded equipment. Along those same lines the Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle expansion really only offers these two new gameplay modes and a handful of new weaponry, making it a bit of a hard press for some who may already have sunk plenty of time into the original release.

Visuals & Audio

Outside of what appear to be a few new areas, though they may simply be reconfigured a bit, players coming into Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle will mostly find the same looking presentation that the base game had, which isn’t too much of an issue as the visuals match the aesthetic of the anime perfectly with the characters all fitting their designs quite nicely while a wide variety of creepy Titans are on display. It is worth noting that the blood level has also been increased quite a lot this time around as players will often find themselves slaying a Titan and bathing the entire area in sprays of its blood. The camera unfortunately has not been improved and the flailing nature of the Titans can often cause players to lose track of themselves or simply slice into a body part they weren’t aiming at simply because the camera has issues keeping up with the speed of the player’s movement and the flailing of a wounded Titan.

Once again the voice acting for both the previous content as well as the brand new content is presented in Japanese only with English subtitles. This isn’t really an issue however as longtime fans of the series should be familiar with these characters by now and how their Japanese voice actors and actresses sound. The soundtrack remains fairly standard for a game such as this one with fitting themes playing over serious story beats and faster tempo music working well during combat.

Overall

Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle is a bit of an odd duck as it is clearly the best game for the franchise so far and those looking to get into the game will find no better entry point than this one as it not only offers the story from the beginning from a slightly different viewpoint but also does an excellent job portraying the hectic feeling of combat as players zip around using their ODM while targeting weak points and avoiding being grabbed by Titans. While this may be true for newcomers who haven’t played the original release, this new version of the game can be a bit of a tough recommendation due to the fairly high asking price compared to the actual content it adds.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Episode 1 Coming July 23/30th

Ubisoft and Massive announced the release date for the first major content drop for Tom Clancy’s The Division 2. Episode 1 is titled D.C. Outskirts: Expeditions and will be available for all Year 1 Season Pass holders on July 23rd. Those without the Season Pass will have to wait until July 30th to access the outskirts of DC.

The bulk of the content comes in the form of two new main missions and the Expedition mode. The first mission takes agents to Camp White Oak where President and traitor Andrew Ellis is holed up. The second will see agents raiding the Manning National Zoo where Emmaline Shaw, leader of the Outcasts, is hiding and rebuilding the Outcast’s might.

The new expedition mode is set at Kenly College, previously used a military base. Agents will have to conquer three wings to access the trove of loot. The three wings will have three distinctive themes and will change every week.

In addition to the new content, the Diamondback exotic rifle, the exotic BTSU Datagloves, the Stoner LMG, and the Carbine 7 are being added to the game. Weapon crafting will now go up to GS500. The game is also going through a major overhaul, with skills and gear being rebalanced.

Massive is also responding to requests for raid matchmaking and an easier difficulty level. The new Discovery difficulty setting will provide a less challenging fight than the current Normal difficulty, though Dark Hours exotics and sets will remain an exclusive to normal difficulty.

TINY METAL: FULL METAL RUMBLE Storms the PC, Nintendo Switch Fronts Today

TINY METAL: FULL METAL RUMBLE Storms the PC, Nintendo Switch Fronts Today

Advance Wars-Styled Turn-Based Strategy, Evolved

TOKYO – 11 JULY, 2019 – TINY METAL: FULL METAL RUMBLE, a turn-based strategy wargame of intrigue with a distinct Japanese flavor from the AAA veterans at AREA 35, Inc., launches its assault on Nintendo Switch and Steam for PC today.

The TINY METAL saga continues in this brand-new sequel with sights set squarely on leveling up the turn-based strategy genre. Inspired by classics like Advance Wars, TINY METAL: FULL METAL RUMBLE puts powerful strategic options at commanders’ disposal. A formidable challenge awaits, with four new difficulty options, across 39 campaign missions and 21 multiplayer battlefields.

The war with the Dinoldan Army is at a tipping point as they continue to excavate dangerous ancient technology. To stop their ceaseless charge, Commander Wolfram must mount a counteroffensive on multiple fronts. Journey across an open-world map filled with secrets—a first for the TINY METAL series—and unearth the world-shattering truths beneath an unforgettable story by Hirotaka Inaba (I Am Setsuna).

Unleash new Commander Powers and Passives to swiftly power up units or cut the enemy off at the knees. Master each map’s varied terrain—forests, snow, sand, and other environments hidden within the fog of war. Solve the intricacies of over 20 unit types to build and execute a winning strategy toward multiple victory conditions, another first for the TINY METAL series.

The world of TINY METAL: FULL METAL RUMBLE is ravaged by war, but striking pixel art and a sleek new UI by Masayoshi Nishimura (Octopath Traveler) brings characters and dramatic scenes to vibrant life. A stirring score by acclaimed composer Tomoki Miyoshi (STEINS;GATE, I Am Setsuna) provides the perfect backdrop to the tale’s twists and turns. An epic story awaits, driven to new heights by Japanese voice acting stars like Kenjiro Tsuda (Death Stranding).

“We’ve longed to continue telling the story we began with TINY METAL in 2017. What happens to Commander Wolfram, Nathan Gries, and the rest of the cast will define the series and set the stage for adventures to come,” said Hiroaki Yura, producer, AREA 35, Inc. “FULL METAL RUMBLE will challenge players like never before while growing the universe, answering burning questions, and asking new ones—all for the turn-based strategy fans whose passion for the genre burns bright.”

TINY METAL: FULL METAL RUMBLE is now available for Nintendo Switch and PC in North America and Europe for $14.99 with a limited time launch discount of 15%. A demo featuring three campaign maps and two skirmish battlefields is also available in the Nintendo eShop. Following launch, a day one patch will address all known bugs and ready FULL METAL RUMBLE for battle.

The game supports Japanese and English text and audio localization alongside French, German, and Spanish text translation. For more information, report to the official website, Twitter, and Discord.

About AREA 35, Inc.

Based out of Tokyo and composed of Japanese game industry veterans, AREA 35, Inc. is dedicated to the craft of making games. Its developers aim to perfect their craft and create fun, fulfilling experiences for players everywhere. For more information, visit the AREA 35, Inc. website.