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NEW SEASON OF CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS 4 CONTENT STARTS NOW WITH ‘OPERATION SPECTRE RISING’ 

Philip Federico
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NEW SEASON OF CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS 4 CONTENT STARTS NOW WITH ‘OPERATION SPECTRE RISING’

Available First on PlayStation®4, Operation Spectre Rising Introduces a Ton of Free, New Content and Updates Across the Game

Black Ops Pass Owners Gain Access to Three Additional Multiplayer Maps, Including Two New Maps and One Remastered Classic Map and an Exclusive Blackout Character

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Apr. 30, 2019 – The newest community event and seasonal release for Call of Duty®: Black Ops 4 is available now on Playstation®4, with other platforms to follow. Operation Spectre Rising delivers assassin-themed updates across the game, including a beloved Specialist, big changes to Blackout, new game modes and personalization items, as well as adding three Multiplayer maps and a special summer-themed event.

“The community has anticipated Spectre’s return for a long time, and that’s inspired us to build Operation Spectre Rising allaroundthisshadowy, fan-favorite assassin and the wetworks theme,” said Dan Bunting, Co-Studio Head, Treyarch. “This new Operation delivers lots of new game modes and fun ways to play Black Ops 4, including some really cool changes to the Blackout map following Spectre’s dramatic introduction – players won’t want to miss this event!”

Operation Spectre Rising’s free, new content includes:

  • The Assassin Specialist – Available in Multiplayer and Blackout, Spectre introduces a new gameplay innovation with a unique Shadow Blade melee weapon, and channels players’ inner assassin to skillfully strike targeted enemies for quick and stealthy kills. This fan-favorite Specialist also wields a smoke grenade that not only provides instant cover to move undetected, but also reveals enemies.
  • New Blackout Updates – In Blackout, Spectre has ruptured the famous Hydro Dam causing a massive flood, altering the landscape and forcing players to adapt in order to survive a wide variety of combat situations, while outrunning the Collapse. Additionally, players will have the opportunity to discover updates in Alcatraz like the addition of the Tactical Raft and more.
  • New Black Market Gear – The Black Market has been restocked with a variety of new weapon camos, outfits, gestures, and accessories themed for Operation Spectre Rising. This includes notable weapons like the Tigershark LMG and the Nifo’Oti melee weapon, all unlockable through the Contraband Tiers as fans play through the game.
  • New Zombies Features – Operation Spectre Rising introduces new weapons across all Zombies maps, Classic Elixir Restock feature, and Hard Mode Gauntlet challenges throughout the season.

In addition to the free content, Black Ops Pass owners gain access to even more in-game content, available first on PlayStation®4:

  • New Multiplayer Map, Masquerade – A medium-sized map set amidst an embassy under siege. Masquerade is structured for mid-range combat as players must weave through markets and city alleyways to get to the fortified embassy courtyard.
  • New Multiplayer Map, Artifact – A larger-sized map set in a remote landscape where treasure hunters have located and unearthed an ancient artifact. The mapis filled with a variety of rock formations from thermal geysers to ice caverns. Combat is fierce with engagement ranging across environmental hazards on a vertical map.
  • New Multiplayer Map, WMD – Remastered from the original Call of Duty: Black Ops, WMD is a medium-sized map set in an active weapons manufacturing facility. Combat takes place in a combination of interior and exterior engagements at different ranges that supports all types of weapon types and playstyles.
  • New Blackout Character, Uncle Frank – Black Ops Pass owners get instant access to Uncle Frank, also known as the older version of Frank Woods. This iconic, fan-favorite character originally from Call of Duty: Black Ops II makes his debut in Blackout.

“The team has worked hard to offer a real diversity of content with Operation Spectre Rising, while providing a thoughtful cadence that keeps the experience fresh across the entire breadth of the game,” said Mark Gordon, Co-Studio Head of Treyarch. “From Spectre debuting in Multiplayer and Blackout, to design modifications that will allow us to share content on a more regular basis, Operation Spectre Rising really shifts this season into a higher gear.”

In addition to the content releasing now with Operation Spectre Rising, spring turns into summer in June with the annual Call of Duty Days of Summer community event. This limited-time event will debut new game modes, seasonal themed customizations and accessories for fans to acquire.

The Black Ops Pass* is included in the Digital Deluxe Edition, the Digital Deluxe Enhanced Edition, the Pro Edition, and the Mystery Box Edition of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, and can also be purchased standalone digitally or at participating retailers.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is published by Activision and developed by Treyarch with additional development support from Raven Software and PC development with Beenox. For the latest intel check out: www.callofduty.com, www.youtube.com/callofduty and follow @CallofDuty and @Treyarch on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. The game is rated M for Mature (Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language).

*Black Ops Pass (BOP) content is not final, is subject to change, and may not include all downloadable content available for the game. BOP content may not be available in all countries, and pricing and release dates may vary by platform. BOP content should be downloaded from the in-game store only; do not purchase separately, or you will be charged again. BOP content may be sold separately. 

About Treyarch

Treyarch is an award-winning video game studio, driven by the desire to create epic gameplay experiences that are enjoyed by as many video game fans as possible. It is an approach that has helped to make the studio behind the Call of Duty®: Black Ops series of games an industry-leading developer. Call of Duty: Black Ops set an entertainment launch opening record upon its release in 2010 and continues to be one of the best-selling games of all time, according to NPD and GfK Chart-Track; Call of Duty®: Black Ops II set world-wide launch day records; and Call of Duty®: Black Ops III held the biggest entertainment opening weekend of 2015, and was the #1 console game globally for the calendar year. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 isthe studio’s most recent release. Additionally, Treyarch is the birthplace of Call of Duty’s Zombies. Treyarch is wholly owned by Activision.

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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the expected availability, features, functionality, events and content for Operation Spectre Rising and the Black Ops Pass, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

ACTIVISION, CALL OF DUTY, and CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

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Dotemu Bringing Modernized Classic Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap to iOS and Android on May 30th

Philip Federico
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Dotemu Bringing Modernized Classic Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap
to iOS and Android on May 30th

Remake of Beloved Fan Favorite Nears Half a Million Sold Across PC and Console

PARIS – April 30, 2019 – Publisher and retro masters Dotemu and Playdigious today announce Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, the critically acclaimed re-imagining of Westone and SEGA’s cult classic adventure, will invite mobile gamers into its breathtaking hand-drawn world on iOS and Android devices as well as the Nvidia Shield for $8.99. Those who pre-register via the Google Play Store will be notified via email to receive a whopping 30 percent discount when the game is available on May 30th. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dotemu.wonderboy.dragonstrap

The mobile adaptation will offer the full premium experience of one of this generation’s most warmly received remakes by fans and critics alike. Redesigned for PC and console in 2017 by Lizardcube, the game has been optimized by development studio Playdigious for mobile, including the iPhone X, to best present its gorgeous, fluid depiction of Monster Land’s charming environments and menacing baddies. Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap features the same beautiful hand-drawn animation from its PC and console counterparts, bringing every moment within its vibrant world to life, as shown in this new trailer showcasing handheld gameplay:

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap’s mobile version has been adjusted for touchscreens and will allow players to enjoy the action platformer on the go. Each of the remake’s highly lauded additions will be present, allowing fans to switch between classic and remastered visuals and audio on the fly, enter retro passwords discovered from the original 1989 release, and experience the playable debut of Wonder Girl.

For more information on Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap on mobile, be sure to follow @Dotemu on Twitter and visit the official site: http://www.TheDragonsTrap.com/.

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About Dotemu

Dotemu is a french video game company specializing in modern releases of beloved retro games. Our mission is simple: give every gamer access to yesteryear’s classic video games on today’s platforms, including PC, mobile, console and more. Working alongside the world’s most cherished and recognized publishers, the Dotemu team has produced a number of global top-sellers across both PC and console, including Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, Windjammers 1 and 2, Streets of Rage 4, several games in the Ys series and more.

Founded in 2007, Dotemu leverages its considerable technological know-how to maintain the original spirit of classic games while giving them a second life as rediscovered gems for a new generation of gamers.

About Playdigious

Based near Paris, France, Playdigious is a publisher founded in 2015 with in-house porting capacity currently working on high quality indie games on mobile and soon on additional platforms. We thrive to provide gamers with quality indie titles that stand out in terms of graphics, story and gameplay.

Sonic the Hedgehog Movie Debut Trailer

Travis Bruno
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Sonic the Hedgehog Movie Debut Trailer

After a few leaks and an official poster reveal we now have a full debut trailer for the live action Sonic movie, simply titled Sonic the Hedgehog. This first trailer, clocking in at around two and a half minutes, gives us a good look at Sonic and his various abilities as well as an introduction to Dr. Robotnik and how the two will end up fitting into the real world setting, including how Sonic will end up becoming friends with someone named Tom Wachowski.

The trailer can be found below while the film featuring Sega‘s mascot will be released in theaters in North America sometime in November.

Update: Currently the Australian release date for the film set for January 9, 2020.

https://youtu.be/FvvZaBf9QQI

Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation Focuses on Kurumi

Travis Bruno
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Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation Focuses on Kurumi

Idea Factory International appears to be following a trend of introducing the girls of Date A Live by order their appearance as the company has continued their series of character introductions for Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation and this time the one being introduced is Kurumi Tokisaki, also known as Nightmare.

As fans of the series know, Kurumi is one of the only Spirits that Shido has encountered that he was unable to “save” through a date causing her to be listed as “The Worst Spirit.” Although most Spirits enter the human world by accident, she is a special entity who can travel between worlds at will. Make no mistake, there is some method to her madness. Her motives, however, are not yet clear. The angel she manifests is Zafkiel.

You can check out these new screenshots below and keep an eye out for the game when it is released on the PlayStation 4 on June 18th in North America and June 21st in Europe with a PC release arriving later in the year.

Fade to Silence Launches on Consoles and PC

Jamie Laike Tsui
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Fade to Silence Launches on Consoles and PC

THQ Nordic and Black Forest Games announced their post-apocalyptic adventure Fade to Silence has launched on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. The game is priced at $39.99 USD/$59.95 AUD on PC, and $49.99 USD on consoles. The game originally hit Steam Early Access in December 2017.

Fade to Silence throws players into a permanent winter landscape where Eldritch horrors stalk the wilderness. Players can play alone on with a friend as they explore the wasteland for supplies and resources to build their settlement. Just be wary, as the cold winter can be just as deadly as the monsters, as plunging temperatures and white out blizzards will sap strength and test the player’s preparation.

Mortal Kombat 11 Review

Travis Bruno
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Mortal Kombat 11 Review

Mortal Kombat 11

Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros.
Platforms: Xbox One (Reviewed), PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $59.99 USD – Available Here $99.95 AUD – Available Here

Overview

Among the many 2D fighting game franchises Mortal Kombat has always stood out among the major three and after a successful soft-reboot back in 2011 the franchise has only grown more popular over the years. Raiden’s efforts to alter the timeline haven’t gone unnoticed and now that an Elder God with the power to control time itself has stepped in, Mortal Kombat 11 features an even more expansive storyline than before along with a number of gameplay modifications and a few new characters to spice things up. The question is, does this entry bring the series to new heights or is it dragged down by extra baggage?

Story

Mortal Kombat 11 takes place after the events of Mortal Kombat X that saw Shinnok defeated by the forces of Earthrealm at a terrible cost. Numerous longtime fighters had fallen in battle only to return as Revenants and even Raiden saw himself corrupted during the battle. Things quickly grow more dire as Kronika, the Elder God of time, has found Raiden’s interference with the realms to be an affront to her own plans and she begins to force the past and present together in an effort to create a “New Era.”

This sees numerous fighters from the past step into the present day where many of them have either been killed off or revived as Revenants and witnessing the various interactions these characters tend to have with one another makes for some great scenes, especially when certain fighters meet their own daughters that are nearly older than them. If someone would say ten years ago that Mortal Kombat could deliver a solid lore-filled storyline that has its fair share of drama, loss, and some moments of levity here and there few would believe them but that is what NetherRealm studios manages to pull off here.

That being said, the motivations for some characters flip flop incredibly easily at times and it is quite evident that the writers struggled to find a solid ending for the storyline here, especially given how the story concludes. Even with these faults players will find that the different twists, lengthy cutscenes showing off plenty of action that allows the player to jump in for a few fights as most characters, and aforementioned character interactions make the story one that fans will not want to pass up, even if it falls apart a bit by the end.

Gameplay

Wherever players choose to start their experience in Mortal Kombat 11 the game will initially give players a chance to make use of a fairly in-depth tutorial that explains not only the ins and outs of the standard gameplay elements but also goes over the various changes that have been made to the game’s combat system in this entry. In fact, if you really want to stick it out in the tutorial players can find that they can even learn how to manage the battlefield and use certain combos to their advantages while character specific training options are also available, allowing both returning and new players to get a feel for how their favorite, or perhaps new, fighter controls in this new entry.

However many other elements of the game have been changed a bit and streamlined to make fights run a bit smoother and at a brisker pace, which is a bit ironic given that many of the faster movement elements are now removed. Players will find that dash distance is smaller now and running has been removed entirely though defensive options, as well as offensive ones, remain as tried and true as ever. Rather than using an energy meter like previous games players now have access to both Offensive and Defensive meters that can be used to trigger a variety of effects such as using Offensive meter to perform armored wake-up attacks or extending the damage of a special move or using the Defensive meter to immediately drop out of a potential juggle or avoid ending up in a precarious knocked down state.

Even attempting to try and turtle up is a bit discouraged unless players are prepared to be active with their blocks as chip damage still exists outside of performing “Flawless Blocks” that require a block right as a blow strikes. That being said there are still plenty of unique ways a fight can go, especially since powerful Krushing Blows deliver x-ray style devastation with increased damage whenever used as a counter attack and players can still use another powerful weapon at least once a match, Fatal Blow. Fatal Blows can only be used once per match and only if the user’s health drops to around 33%. These flashy attacks replace the previous X-Ray strikes and deliver massive damage to the enemy, often turning the fight around entirely if used correctly but it is a bit annoying as many of these Fatal Blows do drag on a bit too long and hurt the pace of a fight.

The overall roster for Mortal Kombat 11 may be missing a few characters that fans may have wanted but packing 24 fighters at launch (with the 25th being a pre-order bonus) there is still  tons of variety here. This is especially true since three new characters in the forms of Cetrion, the Kollector, and Geras have been added to the group. Customization returns and allows players to choose various skins that they have unlocked and little equipment pieces as well that can alter their fighters’ appearances though it is worth noting that these generally are only available for use in single player as online modes tend to restrict players to the default two options available as default.

Now while players will want to dive into the story first to unlock a certain character and various cosmetic items for their fighters, the majority of their time will be spent elsewhere either fighting online against other players or taking on the numerous towers available hoping for some good rewards. Thankfully the online mode works great with a variety of solid match types available including a king of the hill and tournament mode. Other than a rare disconnect or laggy connection nearly every fight online has run smoothly and just in case you fight someone that chooses to drop out early, they still receive a fitting punishment.

Towers on the other hand are something of a bane on the existence of Mortal Kombat 11 as it often does a great job squandering the solid fighting mechanics that the developers have crafted in favor of ridiculously challenging and exploitative modifications. You see, while the aforementioned customization does allow players plenty of options to change the looks of their character and to a lesser extent add various buffs to certain abilities almost every element of customization and other aspect of unlockable content in the game is locked behind mechanics worse than many mobile games on the market today.

By playing the game players earn three types of currency that can then be used in the returning Krypt. This Krypt is actually quite interesting to explore and features a number of little puzzles to solve but it also contains completely randomized chests that require the aforementioned currency to unlock. Every fight rewards players with coins in some form or another while defeating foes rewards souls and performing brutalities or fatalities rewards a heart. Each of these three types of currency can then be used to open chests that reward the player with a randomized roll of literally anything. Concept art, other types of currency, consumables usable in the tower, equipment or augments for characters, logos or backgrounds for a fighter card, costumes, and even other fatalities can potentially be obtained here. That being said, the fact that you can, and will have to, pay additional coins to have the chests reset with additional loot in hopes of getting something useful is already a bad sign as unless you happen to be quite lucky it’ll be a very long grind until you manage to find some useful drops here since special drops seem to be quite rare.

Of course if you simply want to you can also purchase premium currency called Time Crystals that can then be used to simply buy whatever is currently available from the rotating in-game store. Forcing players to deal with this level of microtransactions and randomization in loot for a fighting game is already annoying enough but when the actual towers themselves tend to feel incredibly unfair, things only get worse. Players have the ability to take part in standard Klassic Towers that work like an arcade mode with every character getting a special ending and select a difficulty that fits them without worrying about other modifiers but the Towers of Time are another beast entirely.

The Towers of Time are a time-limited series of fights that see the player needing to complete a handful of towers to unlock special rewards such as costumes and pieces of equipment for various fighters. Unfortunately these fights tend to be incredibly unfair most often than not. Even with plenty of practice with your favorite character these tower battles stack not only challenging AI but modifiers that will constantly beat you down. Numerous hazards such as freezing projectiles, health draining missiles that heal your opponent, boost your enemy’s attack while lowering your health, and many more will only affect the player and encourage them to use consumables that can also only be obtained at random from the Krypt. Unless the player opts to use their limited consumables to counter these effects, they are simply at the mercy of whatever the enemy AI feels like throwing at them. Even then these consumables often fail to work correctly even if they directly counter the effects of the modifiers leaving players feel like they are being jipped even worse.

Between these elements and the game telling players to skip difficult fights with also limited skip tokens and you have a recipe for disaster. To make things worse, even if you do want to obtain equipment and costumes that don’t fall into whatever current Towers of Time are available you will need to spend in-game money once again to unlock that character specific tower at an ever increasing cost to obtain items for your preferred fighters. This sheer level of grind required to hopefully unlock items that match your playstyle or favorite fighters and the nasty nature of the Towers of Time leaves Mortal Kombat 11 with the foul stench of extra monetization at every turn outside of its well-crafted combat system.

Visuals & Audio

As soon as you begin playing Mortal Kombat 11 it is evident that NetherRealms spent a lot of time making sure this game looked as detailed as possible. Every character model is gorgeously detailed, even background characters for the most part, and the stages themselves are wonderfully designed with plenty of little interactable elements that can play a part in the fights. Thanks to the highly detailed character models the aforementioned lengthy cutscenes end up feeling quite cinematic in nature and will not disappoint fans of the series. The gore is also easily at its highest level possible with so many of the Fatalities, Krushing Blows, and Fatal Blows delivering gruesome results that you’ll have to see to truly believe, if you can unlock some of them that is.

The soundtrack features a great mix of background music for use in the game’s various stages and story mode while the characters’ voice work, outside of the awful sounding Sonya Blade, is top notch. It is noticeable that nearly every fighter has different dialogue with one another when beginning a fight and this is a very nice touch that more games should mimic.

Overall

Delivering a solid and entertaining storyline coupled with well-honed combat mechanics make Mortal Kombat 11 a great fighting game that returning fans and even newcomers can grasp thanks to the extensive tutorials available. With so many solid tweaks to the fighting system players will find that this remains one of the best fighters in the series. That being said, the fact that literally every other aspect outside of the fight is plagued with obvious efforts to force players to spend a little extra through microtransactions or simply slog through a grind worse than many mobile games in order to unlock even the smallest of extra content makes Mortal Kombat 11 an excellent fighter that is buried under the weight of monetization.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

World War Z Review

Jamie Laike Tsui
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World War Z Review

World War Z

Developer: Saber Interactive
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows (Reviewed)
Release Date: 16 April 2019
Price: $34.99 USD (PC), $39.99 USD (Consoles) / $59.95 AUD (Consoles) – Available Here

Note: Capsule Computers was provided a copy of this game from Saber Interactive for review purposes.

Video Review

Overview

Set in same world as the World War Z book and film, the video game takes players to the US, Israel, Russia, and Japan. Survivors of the zombie outbreak are just barely hanging on, each group looking for long term security. The World War Z game offers four player story-based co-op and 4v4 PVP.

Story

The stories in World War Z are short. Each chapter represents the story from one locale, and each chapter contains two to three episodes. The straight forward nature makes it easy for players who haven’t watched the film to get a rough idea of what is going on in the world, though there are certain major events referred to in the dialogue that aren’t fully explained for those new to the franchise.

The game’s writers have only enough time to offer some basic background information. While episodic four player co-op shooter games tend to be short on story, World War Z is further limited by having different settings and characters for each chapter. There just isn’t enough time for any reasonable character development or deep plots. The writers do a decent enough job given the circumstances. The plots are interesting, albeit straightforward, stories. The writers try to make up for the lack of the character development and background information in the collectible tab in the main menu. Where the character development falls the shortest is the random character lines in game. The writers fail to use quiet moments in the game to better flesh out characters through conversation as most of the lines seem purely focused on the task at hand.

The voice lines in the game are a bit corny and limited. The audio engine seems to favour a chattier environment, which makes the woefully inadequate number of lines obvious. While reducing the number of random callouts would be a workable fix, World War Z would have been better off with more lines in general.

Gameplay

World War Z does not stray far from the gameplay first established by Left 4 Dead. Four players cooperate to blast their way through hordes of zombies and protect each other from special zombies that can incapacitate stragglers or restrict movement. What differentiates World War Z from other titles in the sub-genre is the fast paced, arcade style action and the defensive set ups.

The game’s zombie behaviour is impressive. It’s incredible to watch the zombies swarm, behaving almost like a fluid than a mass of undead bodies. On their own, the basic zombies are easy enough to kill, but their vast numbers and quick speed is what makes World War Z so challenging. It only takes a few seconds for zombies to suddenly swarm and overwhelm the players.  

Co-op is a lot of fun. The map design is good, though generally very straight forward. The game’s pacing is well balanced, breaking up forward momentum with interesting defensive set pieces. The game limits the randomness between playthroughs to item drop location and types of item, so learning the maps does not take long. The defensive items have pre-set locations, encouraging players to focus more on overall strategy than finding the perfect arc of fire.

Players have access to a variety of character classes and weapons to level up. Account level, class level, and weapon level all increase independently. Account level is the total amount of experience gained, while class and weapon levels are based on performance with that class or weapon. Reaching a higher level will only make an improved version of the weapon or class ability available for purchase with credits. A set amount of credits per difficulty level are awarded for winning a co-op or multiplayer map, with lesser amounts awarded for a loss.  As a result, World War Z requires a bit too much grinding, especially as prices for higher end skills and equipment rises. A boost in end of game credit rewards would be an easy fix to the issue. I think a 15% overall increase would be a good start.

The AI is passable, but still short of an actual human player. The AI does a decent job of staying close to players and freeing them from pins. Their aim is okay for the difficulty level, but they don’t carry or use items. Solo players will have their work cut out for them as they alone will be responsible for finding defensive items and setting them up.

The difficulty is generally balanced well between maps. The only exception is the map Setting Sun. The final defensive battle is significantly more challenging than any other map in the game. The combination of multiple places to defend, the inability to see how much health each point has left, and the sheer size of the area requires more coordination and preparation than other levels.

The PVP multiplayer section of World War Z is boring. It’s billed as a player versus player versus zombie environment. In reality, multiplayer feels more like a generic shooter that throws in waves of zombies every once in a while. The bigger problem with multiplayer is how the class system is implemented into multiplayer. The exact same class system in co-op is in multiplayer; the only difference is multiplayer has its own set of classes and no weapon progression. It’s a bit unbalanced, as low level players don’t have access to the same set of buffs as high level ones. Since World War Z’s talent system offers different options at the same tier, Saber Interactive should have given all players a base set of talents, with higher levels unlocking new alternative talents at different tiers.

The PC version of World War Z falls short. The game lacks full support for switching between toggle and hold. Players can only choose for sprint activation, as crouch is locked to toggle and aiming is locked to hold. There is no option for adjusting the field of view or support for ultra widescreen monitors at this time either. I also noticed the game suffered from severe hang ups whenever the game needed to load a new area or a player joined the game. Additionally, the game has no option for removing an overlay with game data on the bottom of the screen.

Visuals

World War Z uses a realistic art style that works well for the game given its movie roots. The character designs fit each locale, and the maps are do a good job of visually conveying their setting. The developers use subtle visual cues well to signal important gameplay mechanics, like yellow paint for areas that can be climbed over and silhouettes where defensive structures can be placed.

Audio

The audio experience in World War Z is a bit rough. The sound effects and music are decent, but the game’s voice acting is poor. The voice actors do not always have great lines to work with and several are noticeably weaker in skill. A couple voice actors really struggle to maintain their accents, often falling back to an American accent at random times. I found the inconsistency to be rather jarring and suspect using only American accents would have provided a better experience.

Overall

World War Z offers an enjoyable, fast paced co-operative experience. The game is far from perfect, as the multiplayer is completely forgettable, and the voice acting is pretty rough. The game will benefit from more content, especially new story content with the existing characters. World War Z isn’t the new king of four player co-op shooters but Left 4 Dead fans will definitely enjoy the change of pace until the mythical third game finally appears.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment to distribute Cyberpunk 2077 in Australia and New Zealand

Philip Federico
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BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment to distribute Cyberpunk 2077 in Australia and New Zealand

TUESDAY 30TH APRIL, 2019 – CD PROJEKT RED, creator and publisher of The Witcher series of games, and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe are excited to announce their partnership to distribute Cyberpunk 2077 in Australia and New Zealand.

“We have a long history of successful cooperation with BANDAI NAMCO and I’m convinced Cyberpunk 2077 is in good hands in Australia and New Zealand,” said Michał Nowakowski, CD PROJEKT’s Member of the Board and SVP of Business Development.

“We are delighted and proud that CD PROJEKT RED has chosen BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment as their partner in ANZ for their upcoming game Cyberpunk2077,” said Mark Gilbert, General Manager of BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Australia and New Zealand. “Cyberpunk 2077 is highly anticipated by gamers worldwide and we look forward to working closely with CD PROJEKT RED in bringing this masterpiece to the local market.”

Cyberpunk 2077 is a narrative-driven, open-world RPG set in the most vibrant and dangerous metropolis of the future — Night City. The game follows the story of V, a mercenary on the rise in a world of cyberenhanced street warriors, tech-savvy netrunners and corporate life-hackers. Featuring CD PROJEKT RED’s hallmark concept of choices and consequences, players will face difficult decisions that ripple through the entire game. Winner of over 100 awards at E3 2018, Cyberpunk 2077 is set in the universe of the classic pen & paper RPG system, Cyberpunk 2020.

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe’s other products go to: https://www.bandainamcoent.eu or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BandaiNamcoAU  or join the conversation on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BandaiNamcoAU.

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About BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S.

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S. part of BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc. is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive content for platforms including all major video game consoles, PC and mobile.  The company is known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises, including PAC-MAN™, TEKKEN™, SOULCALIBUR™, DARK SOULS™, NARUTO™, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN™, Dragon Ball, GALAGA™, RIDGE RACER™ and ACE COMBAT™. For more information please visit www.bandainamcoent.eu . All the BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment products are available on the official store https://store.bandainamcoent.eu

About CD PROJEKT RED

CD PROJEKT RED is a game development studio founded in 2002. It develops and publishes video games for personal computers and video game consoles. The studio’s flagship titles include The Witcher series of games, GWENT: The Witcher Card Game and the upcoming futuristic AAA role-playing game — Cyberpunk 2077. Together with GOG.COM, a game store offering hand-picked titles for PC and Mac, CD PROJEKT RED is part of the CD PROJEKT Capital Group. CD PROJEKT S.A. is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (ISIN: PLOPTTC00011).

Press Release © 2019 BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S

All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER’S FINAL DLC “THE PATH HOME” IS OUT NOW

Philip Federico
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SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER’S FINAL DLC “THE PATH HOME” IS OUT NOW

SYDNEY, 30th April 2019 – Square Enix®, Eidos-Montréal™, and Crystal Dynamics® are excited to announce “The Path Home,” the final DLC adventure for Shadow of the Tomb Raider™, is available now. Out as an exclusive free download to all Season Pass holders, “The Path Home” is available for the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X, the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC/Steam®.

Following the end of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the dust had settled and the battle seemed over. However, when allies go missing, Lara must search ancient tunnels to try and find them. Lara’s new journey features a brand-new challenge tomb, which contains a secret that’s been hidden for ages.

Also exclusive to the Season Pass are the new Midnight Sentinel outfit, which enables longer focus and perception durations, and the Silver Strike bow, which causes arrows to penetrate enemy body armour or even pierce multiple unarmoured enemies. In addition, the new Magic Touch skill allows Lara to consume fewer resources when crafting on the go. Completing the Season Pass additions, Score Attack and Time Attack are now playable for all tombs from the main game.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is available now worldwide on Xbox One, PlayStation®4, and Windows PC/Steam.

Related Links

Official Homepage: www.TOMBRAIDER.com

Official Twitter: @TOMBRAIDER

Official Facebook page: http://facebook.com/TOMBRAIDER

Official YouTube Channel: http://youtube.com/TOMBRAIDER

HIGHLY ANTICIPATED CRITICAL MODE NOW AVAILABLE IN KINGDOM HEARTS III

Philip Federico
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HIGHLY ANTICIPATED CRITICAL MODE NOW AVAILABLE IN KINGDOM HEARTS III

New Update Adds Harder Difficulty Mode, New Combat Abilities and More

SYDNEY, 30th April 2019 – Following the critically acclaimed launch earlier this year, KINGDOM HEARTS III continues to expand with a brand new update today. In this update, players can embark on–or relive–the adventure of a lifetime with Sora and friends in the all-new Critical Mode, an additional high-difficulty mode that will challenge players in their fight against the darkness.

Critical Mode will challenge even the most skilled Keyblade wielder to be more tactical as they battle formidable foes. In this new mode:

  • Maximum HP and MP are halved
  • The frequency of situation commands and magic is lowered
  • Sora can perform new abilities exclusive to this harder difficulty mode

Additionally, this update adds the feature for players to carry over their Keyblades to a new game. Keyblades that are carried over will return to their default strength, but through this optional feature, players can utilize Keyblades otherwise not obtained until later in the game from the beginning.

KINGDOM HEARTS III is available now for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and on Xbox One family of devices, including Xbox One X. For more information, visit http://www.kingdomhearts.com/

Related Links:

Homepage: http://www.kingdomhearts.com/

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/kingdomhearts

Twitter: @KINGDOMHEARTS

YouTube: www.youtube.com/KingdomHearts

Instagram: @kingdomhearts

#KingdomHearts

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