IO Interactive has announced something a little special for fans of the Hitman series. The company has announced that they are planning on releasing Hitman HD Enhanced Collection digitally for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on January 11th. This collection contains both Hitman: Blood Money as well as Hitman: Absolution with both games being remastered into a 4K resolution and running at 60 frames per second.
Other additions to Hitman HD Enhanced Collection include improved lighting, shadow mapping, and updated controls to provide “a more fluid experience.” Hitman: Blood Money follows Agent 47 as he travels across the world facing off against assassins known as “The Franchise” with missions taking part in Chile, the Paris Opera House, and even the White House. Hitman: Absolution on the other hand follows Agent 47 as he pursues redemption across 20 missions.
Fall Damage Studio has decided to extend the closed beta for Batalj by one month, pushing the end date from the original December 31st date to January 31st. This will give players more time to provide feedback on the game. Fall Damage Studio announced they will be pushing out a massive update with new content in the second week of January, so the extra time will help crush new bugs that appear.
Batalj is a turn based action strategy game pitting players in vicious 1v1 battles. Players will be able to assemble their own squad with units from one of three factions. There are nine heroes and 54 units to choose from.
Batalj is scheduled to launch sometime in 2019 on Steam.
Spend January on the Red Planet in JCB Pioneer: Mars launching for Nintendo Switch today!
Official JCB engineering team design futuristic in game vehicles for this survival sandbox dig ‘em up!
Liverpool, UK – 3rd January, 2019 – Liverpool based indie studio Atomicom today launched its Mars based survival sandbox game JCB Pioneer: Mars for Nintendo Switch in NA, available now in EU and AUS, for £19.99 / €22.19 / $24.99. Previously released on Steam Early Access, the Switch version builds on the original; addressing user feedback, adding a tonne of new updates and improvements including a huge increase in performance, new and improved UI, new tools, refined gameplay and much more.
“We’ve taken the time to really think about how we can bring the game to the Switch market.” said Tamsyn Hastings, Designer at Atomicom. “We’ve made drastic improvements across the board; refining playability and in game experiences, implementing new explorable areas and mechanics which allow us to show more game depth than the original early access release. We hope these improvements will give players a deeper more expansive and fulfilling gameplay experience”.“At JCB, innovation is in our lifeblood and we are constantly exploring new thinking and JCB Pioneer: Mars provides a vision of the tools needed for future space colonisation”, said Worldwide Marketing Director, Michael Plummer. “It’s been an incredible experience for our visionary design team to build a series of futuristic heavy-duty construction and mining vehicles, optimised for exploration and mining on Mars”.
About JCB: Pioneer Mars JCB Pioneer: Mars begins as the player awakes from a crash, surrounded by the wreckage of a Lander vehicle amidst falling debris and hurtling winds. Survival is the first goal – the location of oxygen and the founding of an outpost. As the player slowly begins to establish themselves on Mars, learning to combat the planets fierce and hostile weather patterns, they’ll begin a larger operation of colonisation. Life-support infrastructure is crucial but so to is the mining of natural resources, part of a broader mission to save an ailing Earth.
JCB Pioneer: Mars is a hardcore blend of survival and construction gameplay set on a hostile, alien planet. Meteor strikes, dust clouds and electrical storms all threaten the player’s survival and chances of a successful colonisation effort. Equipped with the futuristic, heavy-duty construction and mining vehicles specifically designed by JCB Engineers, every would-be astronaut has a chance of surviving and thriving in the face of extreme planetary challenges. Esteemed astrophysicist, Dr Maggie Lieu, provided advice to Atomicom during the development process, as well as making an in game cameo appearance.
JCB Pioneer: Mars’ official website is here. Visit JCB Pioneer: Mars’ Twitter: @JCBPioneer
https://youtu.be/220dC4pla68
About Atomicom Based in Liverpool, United Kingdom, the team behind JCB Pioneer: Mars are veterans of the games industry. Since being founded by ex-Psygnosis staff, the studio has successfully mixed creating its own IP and collaborating with third parties; producing over 15 titles across Console, PC & Mobile for renowned Publishers such as SEGA, SONY & Ubisoft. The company features a highly experienced development team with members that have worked on some of the world’s biggest games including Skate, Resident Evil, WipEout and Need For Speed.
About JCB JCB is the world’s third largest manufacturer of construction equipment, employing 12,000 people in 22 plants around the world. The company was founded by Joseph Cyril Bamford on October 23rd, 1945 – the same day that his son Anthony, now Lord Bamford, was born. Lord Bamford has been Chairman of JCB since his father retired in 1975. The company produces more than 350 different products, which including telescopic handlers, tracked and wheeled excavators, wheeled loading shovels, skid steer loaders and powered access equipment. JCB is a leading UK exporter with 75% of its UK-made products getting shipped to over 150 different countries. Over its 72-year history, JCB has won 30 Queen’s Awards for export achievement and innovation. The company also sponsors The JCB Academy, a state school in Staffordshire for 14–19 year olds that specialises in manufacturing, engineering and business skills. JCB has a very successful Young Talent programme for apprentices and university graduates who are keen to work in manufacturing and engineering.
JackQuest: Tale of the Sword Ventures to
Consoles and PC on Jan. 24, 2019
SYDNEY, NSW – Jan. 3,
2019 –JackQuest: Tale of the Sword, the fast-paced fantasy action platformer from
publisher Blowfish Studios and developer NX Games, will slay vile creatures and embark on its
epic journey on Jan. 24, 2019 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and
Steam.
Undertake a rescue mission
to save Jack’s beloved Nara from the revolting orc Korg, who captured the fair
maiden and dragged her away to his subterranean lair. Journey into the caves
and discover Kuro, a spirit imprisoned inside an enchanted blade. The unlikely
duo of Jack and Kuro adventure into an underground labyrinth to liberate Nara,
defeat her crazed captor, and perhaps even break the curse over Kuro.
Set in a massive
interconnected world, JackQuest is teeming with environmental puzzles,
invaluable power-ups, special abilities, and magnificent weapons to aide Jack
in surviving Korg’s hideout and the denizens therein. Alongside an army of
minions standing in Jack’s way are colossal bosses that will need to be felled
before our heroes realize their goals.
JackQuest doesn’t waste any time with its quick combat
and steady progression. Completionists will want to explore every nook and
cranny of the world to find the well-placed secrets and speedrunners will be
encouraged to revisit JackQuest’s dungeons to achieve faster times.
“Thisis one of
those games that I pick up and then can’t stop playing because I always feel
like I do something meaningful each time I play,” said Ben Lee, CEO, Blowfish
Studios. “JackQuest’s mix of fast-paced action and exploration makes it
hard to put down, and it’s been an honor to work with NX Games to bring this
game to life.”
JackQuest: Tale of the
Sword releases Jan. 24, 2019
for $9.99 USD / €9.99 / £8.99 / $14.99 AUD. The game features support for
English, French, Russian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese language options.
NX Games is a one-man
studio created by José Neto, the developer behind iOS titles Orbital and MadRobot X, based in João Pessoa, Brazil.
About Blowfish Studios
Blowfish Studios is a
Sydney-based Australian independent game developer and publisher. The team
strives to release original multiplatform games with diverse feature sets that
appeal to a broad audience, and to have fun in the process!
REBELLION EXPANDS TO FOUR STUDIOS WITH ACQUISITION OF TICKTOCK GAMES
Oxford, UK – 3 January
2019 – Independent UK
developer and publisher Rebellion today announced the acquisition
of Yorkshire-based studio TickTock Games for an undisclosed sum.
TickTock Games,
founded by industry veterans Arden Aspinall, Jonathan Wright and Paul
Kelly, have worked with many major partners across their 12-year history,
including Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Nvidia and BBC Worldwide.
TickTock have recently lent their creative and industry expertise to
Rebellion projects, working on Rogue Trooper Redux and the Nintendo Switch
version of Battlezone Gold Edition.
TickTock Games will
become Rebellion North, the fourth games studio falling under
Rebellion’s umbrella, joining Rebellion Liverpool and Rebellion Warwick as
sister studios to the company’s headquarters in Oxford. Rebellion North
has already begun work on upcoming Rebellion games, as the
company readies itself for another big year, with multiple
unannounced titles set to launch in 2019.
“Bringing more
great people to the company is a great way to start 2019,” said
Rebellion CEO and Co-Founder Jason Kingsley OBE. “The company continues
to grow and it’s of utmost important we bring in the right people. We’ve
worked with the team at TickTock Games for a while now, and we know they’ll
continue to prosper as Rebellion North.”
The news comes after
another landmark year for Rebellion, which not only saw the release of new IP
Strange Brigade, but saw the company acquire a $100m film
studio facility and become the custodian of the world’s largest
catalogue of English language comic book IP, thanks to the acquisition of the
comics and fiction assets formerly belonging to IPC.
The year closed out
with more good news, as Rebellion Co-Founder and CTO Chris Kingsley was
awarded an OBE for services to the Economy in the New Years Honours List
in recognition of his services to independent UK games development and the UK
games industry as a whole, having led Rebellion with his brother for more
than 25 years.
About Rebellion
Founded in 1992,
Rebellion is one of Europe’s leading independent game developers and
publishers. Whether it’s the breathtaking intensity of Sniper Elite 4, the
face-hugging terror of Aliens vs. Predator or the grindhouse frenzy of Zombie
Army Trilogy, the Oxford-based studio is known for creating stand-out games
that thrill players.
AWARD-WINNING PUZZLE GAME SAMSARA DELUXE OUT TODAY FOR
NINTENDO SWITCH IN EUROPE!
A brand new version of
Marker’s haunting puzzle game of echoes, contrasts and discovery is now
available – with the debut of 24 bonus levels for Switch!
Auckland, 31 Dec 2018: Marker today announced that Samsara Deluxe is now
available from the Nintendo eShop in Europe priced £7.99 (GBP). It will be
released on 10 January 2019 in North America, priced $9.99 (USD). Players
will embark on a voyage of discovery and awakening with Zee and a mysterious
shadow – through light and dark, across the upside-down and the right side-up
to their eventual freedom.
The extended Switch version adds 24 never-before-seen puzzles set in a new
ethereal environment, with gameplay enhanced by a new elevator block type. Samara Deluxe operates
in TV, tabletop or handheld mode (with full touchscreen support).
Samsara won
the award “That Game like Clockwork” at Play By Play Awards 2018, as well as a
further three nominations for excellence. Samsara
was also a finalist at MomoCon 2018 and Unite Melbourne 2017.
Samsara Deluxe
is a beautiful, reflective puzzle game set in a world of echoes where players
guide a child safely to the exit by dropping blocks of different shapes and
properties into a world of two dimensions split by a pool. Simple mechanics
conceal complex interactions involving gravity, balance, redirection and
teleportation, with a twist: everything added in the upside down world below
reflects in the world above.
Samsara Deluxe
for Switch features over 100 levels across 7 hand-detailed realms, each with
hidden “Easter Eggs” to uncover, and is hand-crafted by a team of experienced
developers in New Zealand.
Critical reception for the Xbox One release:
“Samsara will go down as one of my Game of the Year contenders and I’ll be hard
pressed to find a more unique, enchanting experience” The Geekiverse 9.75 / 10
“Almost a flawless performance” Gamereality, 5/5
“Zee found a place in my heart” LifeisXbox, 8.6 / 10
###
Visit the website, get all the new Switch assets including the Switch trailer,
screenshots and art to go with the Switch reveal, and visit Dropbox for the full monty. You can also watch
or grab embed codes for the Switch trailer.
Content creators can request review codes via Keymailer. Creating a Keymailer account is
free.
Alternatively, please contact Tim directly with review code requests. We
will have codes for European, North American and Australia/NZ Nintendo eShop.
Once these can be redeemed, we will send them out immediately – please request
them now.
For interviews or more in depth information, media should contact Marker.
About Marker
Auckland, New Zealand-based Marker is a veteran development studio with over 75
games under its belt, including major contract titles such as Disney’s puzzler Crash, Boom, Ham! and
its own properties such as popular word game AlphaJax.
Samsara is its
latest original release, for Xbox One, Windows 10, macOS, Steam (PC and Mac),
iOS / Android and now Switch.
I originally went into this film with some fairly low expectations. Modern American comedies have a habit of resorting to cringe, slapstick, or gross-out material in order to get their laughs and they’ve never really been all that funny for me. Although the trailer certainly looked promising, I feel it is a sign of our times to not place too much stock in a trailer to ascertain a film’s comedic tone. My expectations were low and I fully expected to be fighting cringe throughout the 90-minute runtime.
Story
The film follows two wealthy suburbanites, Peter (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie Wagner (Rose Byrne), as they make the decision to start a family by adopting. They persevere through foster parent training and are won over by the quick wit of teen Lizzy (Isabela Moner) which also brings them in contact with her two younger siblings Juan (Gustavo Quiroz) and Lita (Julianna Gamiz). The children and the parents-to-be find that the dynamics they’ve each developed me be at odds with their desires to form a family. Will their differences force the family apart or will they be able to come together as a family?
The film follows two wealthy suburbanites, Peter (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie Wagner (Rose Byrne), as they make the decision to start a family by adopting. They persevere through foster parent training and are won over by the quick wit of teen Lizzy (Isabela Moner) which also brings them in contact with her two younger siblings Juan (Gustavo Quiroz) and Lita (Julianna Gamiz). The children and the parents-to-be find that the dynamics they’ve each developed me be at odds with their desires to form a family. Will their differences force the family apart or will they be able to come together as a family?
Right off the bat, let me say that this film actually featured a very good script. A lot of the jokes were genuinely laugh inducing and often times heartfelt. There’s a certain brevity and tempo to the dialogue which gave the film a good flow suitable to comedy and keeps the action moving at a brisk pace. Couple this with some actual sharp wit and more often than not, I found that the jokes would very often land squarely where they should… on my funny bone.
An aspect I was particularly impressed with
was how character-driven the script and comedy were. Each of the protagonists
were given well-formed personalities which changed and grew over the course of
the film in ways which were reasonable and expected. The comedy similarly grew
out of character interactions as they butt up against a problem or limitation
which they work to overcome. This comedy often comes not at the expense of a
given individual but rather a dysfunction in the family unit which the
characters work to overcome in often unorthodox ways.
In this regard, the performances of the ensemble are strong across the board. Wahlberg and Byrne work well with each other and their younger co-stars as the hapless parent couple learning to navigate their new responsibilities. Moner, Quiroz, and Gamiz all similarly adopt their roles with humour and slow-building warmth. As an ensemble, they work well together and all have excellent comic timing and chemistry. Similarly, I’d like to highlight for praise both Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro as supporting social workers who did double-duty as comic reflief and tragic chorus.
There was a lot that I liked with this film but there are some shortcomings I feel should be good to highlight now. Although the trailers and PG rating may give the impression this is a light-hearted family comedy, it is absolutely not as it deals with a number of very adult themes ranging from childhood neglect, drug addiction, and sexual abuse. Although the film mostly deals with these topics in a mature fashion, there are some topics which aren’t given the room they need to breathe as they’re played shallow for laughs. Juan, for instance, is clearly suffering from a case of PTSD throughout the film but never has this really addressed in any way. I wished that the film had so that we could see the family tackle this issue together and I am disappointed we didn’t get to see that happen.
Another elephant in the room worth addressing is the problematic nature of having another story that plays to the ‘white saviour’ trope. The film does play to the trope with the Wagners certainly being of the demographics which match that particular dynamic but there is a certain deal of nuance which I think can be applied in this case. The relationship between the parents and the children is somewhat more complex than a simpler power dynamic would allow. The film even attempts to lampshade this particular problem by mocking the in-character concerns of the Wagners in the same vein by stating that the foster system is already overburdened and such concerns don’t help the children who need to navigate through the reality of the foster system…but this isn’t reality; it’s a movie. At some point in the production, someone made the call to cast these particular actors as opposed to others who might have fit the roles; that choice plays into a trope which has been identified and discussed for a while now. If this is something which bothers you, your enjoyment of this film will be hamstrung.
Visuals & Audio
The film’s visual direction largely adopts
a naturalistic tone with a subtle competency to it. It makes the film feel
visually straightforward and allows you to focus on the performances and
writing which, as I’ve mentioned, are quite good. There are certain sequences
which do get a bit more attention with editing or graphics but they’re largely
used to heighten the tension or simply convey necessary information to the
audience in an interesting way. It’s competent filmmaking with a clear desire
to place attention and focus on to the strengths of the script and actors.
The film’s score and soundtrack are largely unremarkable. There is really quite little I can say here beyond it wasn’t good or bad and with little that really stood out. I do remember there were some pop songs that were featured in the soundtrack but I am hard-pressed to recall them now. Largely forgettable but certainly doesn’t detract from the experience.
Conclusion
I very much enjoyed my time with this film and can heartily recommend it to those of you who are able to deal with the film’s confronting material and problematic aspects. The script and performances are strong all round and it features some of the best comedy I’ve seen in recent memory. It knows where its strengths lie and the direction, from a audio and visual perspective, works to complement the strong writing but not having the audience’s attention focus on slick editing or sound. It’s a film I’ve very much enjoyed in spite of the problems I’ve outlined. It’s an enjoyable film but I’d recommend caution when deciding whether younger audience members should be brought along to the screening.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
DYNASTY WARRIORS BRINGS THE BATTLE TO NINTENDO SWITCH™
DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition Available Now
Through The Nintendo eShop
Hertfordshire,
27th December 2018 – KOEI TECMO Europe announced
today that DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition
is now available for the first time digitally on the Nintendo Switch™
through Nintendo’s eShop.
This new
compilation combines the original DYNASTY WARRIORS 8 with DYNASTY
WARRIORS 8: Xtreme Legends; and it follows the kingdoms of Wei, Wu, Shu,
and Jin through the actions of historical military and political figures as
they fight for control over the Three Kingdoms of China. This new Definitive
Edition, provides gamers all of the tactical action the beloved series
is known for, along with most of the DLC released to date; including costumes
and side-story scenarios for many popular warriors.
In
addition, DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition
was recently released digitally for Windows 10 through the Microsoft Store.
This marks the title’s first appearance on Windows 10 for PC gamers eager to
jump into the one-versus-thousands hack-and-slash gameplay.
KOEI TECMO EUROPE LTD. is a publisher of interactive entertainment
software for current generation consoles, handhelds and digital download
content based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, UK. The company is a wholly owned
subsidiary of KOEI TECMO HOLDINGS CO., LTD., headquartered in Yokohama, Japan.
KOEI TECMO’s best known for their signature ‘one versus thousands’ Warriors
series, the fan-favourite Ninja Gaiden and fighting entertainment title Dead or
Alive. Through collaboration with strong existing franchises, such as A.O.T.
Wings of Freedom (Attack on Titan), has brought fan-favourite shows to life in
video game form. The company’s desire for innovation and diversity has seen the
creation of the critically acclaimed dark-samurai action title Nioh, which
takes on new and unique gameplay styles. The company’s acquisition of GUST,
developer of a variety of heart-warming titles, has seen their flagship Atelier
series span generations of consoles and fans alike. More information about KOEI
TECMO EUROPE LTD and its products can be found at www.koeitecmoeurope.com
It looks like Sega and Atlus might be planning on releasing an HD version of the original Catherine game that was released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A rating for a title called Catherine Classic has appeared on the Australian Classification board and lists it being developed by Atlus, published by Koch Media (who publishes Atlus games in PAL regions), and submitted by Sega.
While the company has already confirmed plans on releasing the enhanced Catherine: Full Body sometime next year in the West, though no platforms have been confirmed, after it is released in Japan for the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita on February 14, 2019 this marks the first time that we have heard of a potential re-release of the original base game.
QC Games has slipped in one last announcement for Breach before everyone heads off for the Christmas holidays. A new trailer featuring the Necromancer class has been released. The Necromancer summons undead suicide bombers to run down the enemy. Every killing blow will generate more undead that can be commanded to attack enemies or can be sacrificed for health. Draining wraiths can also be summoned, which serve as both a debuff against enemies and a buff for allies. The Necromancer’s ultimate will raise a swarm of undead in short order, allowing players to suddenly turn the tide of a battle.
Breach is a third person action RPG. The game is currently in in private alpha testing and will be coming to Steam Early Access as a paid title in January 2019. Breach is set to be a free to play title once the game leaves Steam Early Access in Summer 2019 (Winter 2019 for regions in the Southern Hemisphere).
