Penny Arcade’s D&D Sourcebook Acquisitions
Incorporated Launching June 18
Pre-Orders Available Now Exclusively on the
Penny Arcade Store Until Monday
SEATTLE – MARCH 28, 2018
–Acquisitions
Incorporated, the official third-party Dungeons & Dragons
sourcebook from Penny Arcade and Wizards of the Coast, brings hilarious fantasy antics
straight to players’ homes June 18.
For the past decade, the
renowned retrieval company known as Acquisitions Incorporated has shared their
(mis)adventures with hundreds of thousands of attendees at PAX and viewers on
Twitch. Dungeon Master Jeremy Crawford (Lead Rules Designer of Dungeons
& Dragons) does his best to shepherd the mischief of Penny Arcade and
PAX co-founders Jerry Holkins (Omin Dran, Cleric) and Mike Krahulik (Jim
Darkmagic, Wizard) as well as a rotating cast of celebrity guests including
author Patrick Rothfuss (Viari, Rogue) and gaming icon Morgan Webb (Môrgæn,
Ranger).
Now, with the 224-page
sourcebook, Dungeon Masters and players alike can experience the uproarious
exploits of Acquisitions Incorporated in their own game. New spells, a
new race, and introducing character positions mean it’s easier than ever to
join the company and take part of this universe. Want to jump in headfirst? The
book also includes an adventure module so players can get started right away.
From now until April 1, Acquisitions
Incorporated will be available exclusively on the Penny Arcade store for $49.95 and will come with a free
exclusive pin.
“Being able to give
back to the game that I’ve been playing most of my life is incredible,” said
Jerry Holkins, co-founder of Penny Arcade. “I can’t wait for players to join my
friends and I in Acquisitions Incorporated, not just because it’s a book and a world
we’re very proud of, but also because my character gets a cut of their
earnings.”
For more information on
Acquisitions Incorporated, the D&D sourcebook, please go to the official website.
For more information on
Acq Inc, please visit the official website.
About Penny Arcade
Penny Arcade is a webcomic focused on video games and video
game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. With
over 3.5 million readers, it is the most popular and longest-running gaming
webcomic online. Penny Arcade is also responsible for the Child’s Play Charity,
the Penny Arcade gaming expos (PAX) in Seattle, Boston, San Antonio,
Philadelphia, and Melbourne, multiple video games based on the brand, and
multiple online video series.
TEAM17 AND BLACK MATTER UNLEASH HELL LET LOOSE ON STEAM EARLY ACCESS
ON JUNE 6
PRE-ORDERS NOW OPEN FOR REALISTIC
PLATOON-BASED WWII SHOOTER
WAKEFIELD,
United Kingdom – March 28, 2019 – Team17,
together with independent development team Black Matter, announced today that
their hotly anticipated authentic WWII shooter Hell Let Loose will launch on Steam Early
Access on June 6, priced at $29.99. Budding recruits can pre-order
now to secure a place in three upcoming betas for themselves and two
friends ahead of launch. The opening salvo will take place over the weekend of
April 5, with a further two advances coming at a later date. Backers of Black
Matter’s successful
Kickstarter campaign will also be eligible to jump into the action!
From today, volunteers can enlist for battle
via two pre-order options:
Soldier
Pack: Purchase the Soldier
Pack for Hell Let Loose
and receive:
1x Steam game code
with access to the full game, as well as up to 3 betas before early access
launch on June 6, 2019.*
2x Additional
beta keys to share with friends. Each granting access for up to 3
betas ahead of early access launch on June 6 (these codes will be
terminated on completion of the 3rd beta).*
Unit
Pack: Purchase the Unit
Pack for Hell Let Loose
and receive:
6x Steam game codes with
access to the full game, as well as 3 betas before early access launch on
June 6, 2019.*
This Unit Pack purchase will come with a 10%
discount.
Each pack will also kit new recruits out with
an exclusive pre-order helmet for both the German and U.S. forces:
German M42 Helmet Cover
with Sniper Veil.
US 505th 82nd Airborne
variant.
* 1st beta will begin on the weekend of April
5, 2019; there will be 2 more following that beta before early access launches
on June 6. Next month’s beta marks the first time Hell Let Loose will be playable for those who
have pre-ordered the game and
features a brand new map: Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, the location of a critical
military engagement between the American 101st Airborne Division and the German
Wehrmacht on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The beta also features the sprawling Hürtgen
Forest map, where a series of fierce battles between American and German forces
were fought on the Western Front during the winter of 1944.
Hell Let
Loose is a teamwork-based brutal multiplayer
first-person shooter set during the Second World War and built using Unreal
Engine 4. Offering 50 vs. 50 tactical battles in which players must coordinate
to capture sectors and resources to beat the opposition into submission, the
game creates an epic theater of war across huge maps. Authenticity is key, and
players will be able to experience history using a realistic period
arsenal with accurate weapon behavior.
Black Matter, a development team based in
Australia, Russia and
the United States, has been working on the game since 2016 and completed a
successful Kickstarter campaign in 2017. For more information on Hell Let Loose, please
join the official Discord
server, sign up for the newsletter,
follow us on Twitter
and like us on Facebook.
Add Hell Let Loose
to your Steam wishlist here.
Assets are available to download from http://press.team17.com/.
###
About
Hell
Let Loose:
Hell Let Loose is a realistic
multiplayer World War II first-person
shooter with open battles of 100 players with infantry, tanks, artillery and
a shifting front line. At its core is a unique resource-based strategic
meta-game that is easy to learn, but hard to master. This is World War II
at a scale you’ve never played before.
An Epic Theater of War :Take
to the battlefield in 50 vs. 50 multiplayer across huge maps. Choose one
of 14 playable roles within infantry, recon and armor
unit types, each equipped with different weapons, vehicles and
equipment. Play as an officer, scout, machine gunner, medic, engineer,
tank commander and more to experience every aspect of World War II combat.
Unprecedented Scale: Placing
you on real-scale iconic battlefields of World War II is at the heart of
the Hell Let Loose
experience. Historical vehicles, weapons, uniforms are intricately
detailed, and the combat is as brutal and bloody as it was on the day.
Combat takes place on huge, to-scale maps from real battle locations,
recreated using archival aerial photography and satellite imagery in
stunning detail using Unreal Engine 4.
A Unique Meta-Game: Fight
for victory by breaking through the enemy lines on a large, evolving
battlefield. Manage resources and supplies to call in support, reinforce
strongpoints or flank enemies. Strategy
is key
to success.
Fight Together, Win Together: Hell Let Loose is not all about kill/death
ratios and unlocks – teamwork is central to gameplay. Communication is
essential. Players work together beneath the leadership of officers and
their commander to take strategic targets on the battlefield and dominate
the opposition. Hell
Let Loose is a game that demands teamwork and communication
not only to win,
but to survive.
About
Black Matter
Black Matter is an independent studio founded
in 2015 to support the development of debut title Hell Let Loose. Made
up of an international team of selected artists and programmers, Black Matter
is focused on creating beautiful worlds ruled by emergent, player-driven
game design. Visit www.blackmatterstudio.com for
more info.
About
Team17 Group plc
Founded in 1990, Team17 Group plc is a
leading international video games label and creative partner for independent
developers. The portfolio comprises over 90 games, including The
Escapists, Genesis Alpha One, Overcooked, Yoku’s Island
Express, Yooka-Laylee, the Worms franchise and many more from developers around
the world. Visit www.team17.com for
more info.
LINEAGE 2: REVOLUTION INTRODUCES NEW AGATHION SYSTEM
New
Field Boss, New Territory and Other Game Improvements Also Available
LOS ANGELES – March 28, 2019 – Today, Netmarble Corp. has released a major update to the popular
mobile massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), Lineage 2: Revolution,
introducing new pet companions called Agathions for its in-game hero
characters.
The Agathion System offers equipable pets that follow
the heroes, along with mounts and summons. Agathions are unlocked at Lv. 15 and
do not participate in combat. However, they have substats that help to
strengthen hero characters. Agathion substats range from P. Atk. / M. Atk., Max
HP/MP, Penetrate, Resilient, Crit. Rate, Critical Resistance, Accuracy and
Evasion, which can all be obtained from most equipment and soul crystals. The
main difference is that Agathions have a set substat, so players cannot adjust
these values, but can only increase and strengthen their Grade. For
strengthening Agathion substats, players will use the Agathion Menu’s
Strengthening tab for a cost of 30,000 Adena or 300 Red Diamonds to increase
the selected substat.
Grade Strengthening is only possible when the newly
obtained Agathion Soul’s Grade is higher than the Agathion players already own.
In this case, the lower grade Agathion can be overwritten with a higher grade,
while the existing lower grade will be returned as Agathion Souls to be used in
Agathion combination.
Agathions are sealed by grade and can be summoned by
collecting Agathion Souls, which can be acquired in the Scarlet Libra Shop and
the Bundle Shop.
Available Agathions include:
Little Demon
Little Angel
Royal Hamstar
Jiangshi
Agathions will also utilize specialized pieces of
equipment that only Agathions may equip called Charms, and feature exclusive
Charm slots ranging from one to six. The obtained Charm’s name and number must
match to equip, adding a fun challenge for players. Charms will have fixed
substats depending on the slot, but the value may change. When using
auto-equip, Charms with higher substat values will automatically replace the
existing Charm, which then disappear so players will have to take caution when
auto-equipping.
The Agathion System will also utilize a series of
combinations to create more powerful results. Higher grade Agathions and Charms
can be obtained by combining if a player owns three or more of the same grade.
Combinations cannot fail and over time, players can obtain all Agathions and
Charms. Grade SR Rare Agathions can only be obtained by combining Grade SR or
Grade SR Rare Agathions. It’s important to remember that a Charm of the same
number must be used as material.
In addition to the Agathion System, new Field Boss
named Marlox will challenge players by summoning Demon Totems, which
must be destroyed. If players fail to destroy three summoned totems within the
time limit, they will be attacked with an AoE attack called Demon’s Sword Aura
and will have to defeat Marlox with a different strategy.
Also, a new territory called Schuttgart is now
available for players to explore. The territory includes the Northern Immortal
Plateau, Schuttgart Snow Field and Spine Mining Zone, as well as new Main
Quests, Runes and monsters for players to explore.
Players will get a bit of help in taking on these new
challenges, as the max level will be expanded from Lv. 320 to Lv. 360. For
current players at Lv. 320, this will challenge them to reach the max level again. In
addition, after reaching Lv. 360, players may accrue Exp. up to Lv. 370 and
also increase Skill Levels.
Game to Release Two Months
Earlier into F1® Season
Larkspur,
Calif. – March 28, 2019 –
Codemasters® and Koch Media today announced that F1 2019, the official
videogame of the 2019 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, will ship a full two
months earlier into the F1 season and launch worldwide on June 28, 2019. The
game will be released during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend and, unlike
previous iterations, ahead of the British, German and Hungarian Grands Prix. F1
2019 has been in development for nearly two years, making it the most ambitious
release in franchise history, and launches on PlayStation® 4 computer
entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X
and Windows PC.
Working
in partnership with F1, for the first time ever, players will be able to get
behind the wheel of a 2019 regulation car specifically designed in
collaboration with F1’s technical team, headed up by Ross Brawn and Pat
Symonds. The car, which will be available in Multiplayer, adheres to the 2019
regulations and comes with a range of livery designs offering players a new
level of personalization. The 2019 F1 Team liveries will also feature on the
car in early marketing materials, but will be replaced by the final Team cars
ahead of the game’s release.
Having established itself as one of the highest-rated racing franchises of all time, F1 2019 will build on the success of previous iterations and deliver an experience that rivals the quality and production values of its real-life race counterpart and includes several new game features which will be revealed in the coming months. To whet the appetite Codemasters has today released the F1 2019 Teaser Trailer, which showcases some of the game’s brand new look and feel.
“We are
absolutely delighted to be able to release F1 2019 earlier in the Formula 1
Season, so that the game can be played and enjoyed at the same time that the
real-world championship picture is starting to form,” said Paul Jeal, F1
Franchise Director at Codemasters. “Our close relationship with Formula 1 has
played a major part in achieving this key objective for the franchise. That in
addition to our near two-year development cycle, has allowed us to develop some
exciting new features and other firsts for the franchise that we can’t wait to
share with our community in the coming months.”
“The
exciting collaboration with Ross Brawn and Pat Symonds has created new levels
of player personalization in F1 2019 through the inclusion of the new
regulation car,” said Lee Mather, F1 2019 Game Director at Codemasters. “With
the continued growth of the F1 series, it’s great to give players more control
and new levels of car and driver customization and we can’t wait to talk more
about this alongside the new multiplayer features in the coming months.”
For
future news and details on all the new features follow Codemasters F1 games
blog and social channels on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
# # #
About
Codemasters
Codemasters
(AIM:CDM) is an award winning British video game developer and publisher with
over 30 years of heritage. The company specializes in high quality racing games
including DiRT, GRID, ONRUSH and the BAFTA award-winning official F1® series of
videogames.
For more
information on Codemasters’ product portfolio, please visit www.codemasters.com.
Join in the conversation with @codemasters on Twitter or Like us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/codemasters.
About
Deep Silver
Deep
Silver develops and distributes interactive games for all platforms. The Deep
Silver label means to captivate all gamers who have a passion for thrilling
gameplay in exciting game worlds. Deep Silver works with its partners to
achieve a maximum of success while maintaining the highest possible quality,
always focusing on what the customer desires.
Deep
Silver has published more than 200 games since 2003, including its own brands
like the open world extravaganza Saints Row, the zombie action franchise Dead
Island, and the grim post-apocalyptic future of the Metro series. Upcoming
highlights from Deep Silver include Dead Island 2. Deep Silver also owns the
development studios Deep Silver Dambuster Studios in Nottingham, UK; Deep
Silver Fishlabs in Hamburg, Germany, and Deep Silver Volition based in
Champaign, IL, USA. For more information please visit www.deepsilver.com
Koch
Media is a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products
(software, games and films). The company’s own publishing activities, marketing
and distribution extend throughout Europe and the USA. The Koch Media group has
more than 20 years of experience in the digital media business, and has risen
to become the number one distributor in Europe. It has also formed strategic
alliances with numerous games and software publishers: Bethesda, Capcom,
Kaspersky Labs, NC SOFT, Sega, Square Enix and Tecmo-Koei, etc. in various
European countries. With Headquarter in Höfen, Austria Koch Media owns branches
in Germany, England, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Nordic
regions, Benelux, Australia, Czech Republic and the United States.
All
product titles, publisher names, trademarks, artwork and associated imagery are
trademarks, registered trademarks and/or copyright material of the respective
owners. All rights reserved.
All
other copyrights or trademarks are the property of their respective owners and
are being used under license. Developed and published by Codemasters.
If there’s one thing that you should take away from this review, let it be that I strongly believe Warparty is the rightful spiritual successor to Warcraft 3. Need I say more? Warparty is the debut real-time strategy game of Belgium based developers Warcave in collaboration with Crazy Monkey Studios. But can this game find mainstream appeal and shine bright in a video game market oversaturated with similar games?
Story
Warparty’s campaigns focuses around the three factions, The Necromas, Vithara and Wildlanders; vying for control over the land through their use of Go’n powers which were found by the ancient tribes. The stories of the three campaigns intersect at times.
The Wildlanders story focuses around Chieftain Mika leading her newly formed tribe called the ‘Wildlanders’ which is focused around humans and keeping the tribe alive.
In the Vithara (means ‘Life’s Vengeance’) storyline, you play as the Sage, who is ashamed of humankind and uses the Go’n arts in an effort to correct nature’s mistakes. The Sage can command wildlife and bring it onto his side in battle. This race is similar to the Night Elves in Warcraft, with its focus around nature and its inclusion of ‘Trees of Life’ and Wisps which collect resources.
Last but not least, the Necromas, whose leader Char, is everything but Lich King in name. Char had gotten lost from his tribe and discovered a ancient mace inside a Go’n temple, which leads him to attempt to eradicate life from the planet.
Gameplay
Warparty contains multiple game modes, AI Skirmish, where you set up the parameters of a match and play against the computer on pre-made maps; Survival mode, where you face waves of increasingly difficult enemies; and the campaign, where you progress through three separate story campaigns and their missions.
I thoroughly enjoyed Survival mode, the maps in the game for this mode were challenging to defend, but at the same time felt so rewarding when your network of defensive towers were able to just hold back the enemy as your units came to reinforce. I would of liked to of seen more maps for this mode and it would be excellent if they could add co-op for this, as it would be very fun with friends.
Much like other games in the genre, Warparty doesn’t stray too far from the established formula in terms of controls. The game, compared to something like Warcraft 3, contains some much appreciated elements, such as your maximum unit selection being (at least seemingly) unlimited.
That’s not to say this game doesn’t bring its own unique elements. Warparty delivers on what many games fail to do, present three similar but completely different in strategy playable factions without requiring the player to learn brand new play-styles. Every race was able to feel unique, and I loved the Vithara mechanic of taming wild beasts to fight by your side, along with the (very overpowered) Necromas mechanic of being able to raise a dead soldier to fight on your side for every soldier you kill.
On the other hand, this game isn’t perfect. This game fails, like many other games, to make the ‘human’ faction feel special outside of not having any major abilities. In addition, the defensive towers in the game feel way too under-powered and disadvantages players who want to focus on building up before they attack outwards. Finally, in campaign mode, some of the missions (Especially mission 2 for Wildlanders and Vithara on normal difficulty) feel overly hard for the sake of being hard.
Visuals
In strategy games it’s important that the graphics don’t get in the way of, or distract, the gameplay. Warparty’s graphics find a perfect fit between flashy and utilitarian, the units are easily identifiable in battle and it’s not too confusing to tell the difference between your units and the enemies. The building styles of each faction makes it easy to identify in the moment who you’re fighting.
Warparty excels in delivering a timeless look, although it’s not a look that’s unique to Warparty. The graphics are reminiscent of the timeless realistic-cartoon look which has appeared in games like World of Warcraft, DOTA 2 and many other games.
Audio
I’ve spent some time as I’ve written this review trying to figure out if the voice acting in Warparty is excellent or awful. The voice actors sound like they’re voicing orcs directly out of a 90’s strategy game, which may be intentional if the creators of this game want us to make that connection between their game and the classics from the 90’s.
The music in the game sounded uninteresting and repetitive, with some of the tracks making me wonder if the audio had locked up. It is the worst aspect of this game, especially compared to the epic music that’s usually expected for games like this.
Overall
You may have noticed throughout this review that I cannot get this Warcraft 3 comparison out of my head. Sure, the game is similar in story to the Warcraft franchise, but does that really matter?
No, I don’t think so. After all, good artists copy, great artists steal. Warparty is as close as we can get to a modern Warcraft 3 (at least before the release of the remastered Warcraft 3) and it’s exciting that this game is taking the proven groundwork of the great games that came before it, and adding it’s own little twist and fixes.
It’s something dreadfully needed in this current industry where every developer feels the pressure to always innovate.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Ubisoft Massive is taking gamers to Washington, DC., eight
months after the Green Poison swept through New York City and crippled the
world. The capital of the USA is on the brink of collapse as a variety of
factions have taken control of the streets. Among the chaos, the president of
the United States has gone missing and the SHD network connecting individual nodes
around the country has gone down. Division agents from the surrounding areas
have been summoned to DC to help restore order to the streets and bring back the
SHD network.
Story
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2is a self-contained story set in the same universe as the first game. The story is structured so new players can hop in without feeling lost, while old players will be able to get some updates on the situation in New York City through collectibles spread throughout the world. The main story is straight forward. The twists are generally predictable, but the plot keeps the game moving at a good pace. The more impressive feat is the rich world the writers have created. The side missions and collectibles create a detailed world that gives players a sense of accomplishment as the quality of life slowly improves with the player’s help.
Gameplay
Tom Clancy’s The
Division 2 is a third person cover shooter and RPG. The gunplay strikes a nice
balance between skill and RPG mechanics. Recoil is more arcade-like, while
incoming damage is more realistic. Players will need to use cover as incoming
damage will quickly incapacitate. Damage and handling characteristics are
mostly managed through character and weapon stats; however, high skill players
will be rewarded as headshots still deal bonus damage and there are plenty of
high damage, high recoil weapons.
The mission design is generally straight forward. Main and
side missions task players with attacking enemy controlled areas, usually fighting
off a wave or two before moving on to the next area. The odd puzzle is thrown
into side missions, while main missions tend to embrace a dungeon-style design which
tries to keep the action going at a quick clip. The strong narratives in the
mission and the challenging levels stop the missions from getting boring, even
though the actions are generally predictable. The world events provide a little
more variety, offering randomly generated bounties and objectives around the DC.
The skill system is fantastic. Players can choose two skills
based on eight available items, each with three to four variants. The skills
are well designed and fill clear niches in PVE and PVP. A few falls flat and
will need some tweaking in future patches, such as the underpowered nature of
the Firefly and the chem launcher’s slightly picky hit detection. None of the equipment
ever hit a point where they are broken beyond repair, but rather were so
mediocre that there are better options to fill a similar niche.
The item system has seen some significant improvements. Weapon
modifications are now unlimited use after an initial craft, behaving more like
an enchantment to adjust weapon stats in a predictable way. Almost all wearable
equipment has their own manufacturer from the start, with multiple items from a
single manufacturer offering increasing bonuses. Equipment and skill
modifications are stored separately, clearing up space in the inventory and
providing players more ways to refine their build. In the beginning of the
game, players can get away with putting on the highest level equipment they can
without putting much consideration on finishing sets and keeping an eye on stats,
but that all changes at the end game. The jump feels a bit sudden, so I would
have preferred to see players encouraged to gear better a bit earlier in the
game.
There is plenty of content in Tom Clancy’s The Division 2. The main and side missions are enough
to just push most players to max level without spending too much time doing
world events. The world map is incredibly well done, with plenty of nooks and
crannies with loot to discover. There never feels like there is a dead space in
the map. Players looking for a distraction can also check out PVP and the Dark
Zone. PVP is a pretty standard four versus four layout that is reminiscent of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildland’s multiplayer.
Matches are usually short, with a higher focus on positioning, tactics, and
communication than pure skill.
The Dark Zone is more refined compared to what was available
at launch in the first game. It still offers tense, player versus player versus
environment combat, but players have a lot more control over their actions. Players
must consciously make the choice to go rogue, so there are no more accidental
friendly fire incidents. High quality equipment in the Dark Zone has a chance
to drop as contaminated, requiring players to risk calling in a helicopter extraction
and alerting every player in the area that loot is up for grabs. Even if enemy
players don’t show up, NPCs will attack the extraction point, making for tense
encounters. For less PVP-oriented players, the availability of non-contaminated
loot that can’t be stolen gives players a little more reason to head into the
Dark Zone, which makes the environment more like the developer’s original
vision for the area where players are constantly in a tense partnership fighting
against NPCs versus a kill on sight free for all. At the same time, there are more
rewards for going rogue beyond stealing loot now with the Thieves’ Den. Dedicated
PVPers are able to find a rogue-only safe zone with backpacks that can be
unlocked with the right Dark Zone skill.
The end game in Tom
Clancy’s The Division 2 is significantly improved over the first game. Upon
beating the game, end game specializations are made available, hard mode versions
of several dungeons are unlocked, world activity rates are boosted, and sectors
are constantly under attack. The specializations give players a more focused progression
system and a special weapon with extremely limited ammunition. The increased
amount of open world content and the control mechanics breathes new life into
the map, offering a feeling of direction and accomplishment to the usual end
game loot grind.
While The Division 2
doesn’t feel too different from the first game mechanically, it feels
significantly more polished. There are tons of small quality of life improvements
in the game that make it clear the developers really acted upon the criticism
they received from The Division 1. The
menus are very easy to navigate and plenty of tweaks have been made for PC
players especially. Special mention is in order for the amount of accessibility
options available for The Division 2,
as it stretches far past the usual colour-blind modes and subtitles found in most
AAA titles. For example, there are options for switching controls for left
handed players, text to speech options for chat, and tons of options for
adjusting the UI. My only complaint is that some of the menu keys can only be
rebound in the user config files and the enter key cannot be changed at all.
Visuals
The visuals are excellent. The new map is gorgeous, offering
a mix of urban parkland and heavily built up areas that are all slowly being
reclaimed by nature. The changes to the map always feel natural, without any
odd, jarring transitions. While there are clear parallels between the two game’s
factions, the new factions are still visually unique from the previous title.
The animations and models are high quality, looking natural and detailed.
Audio
The audio experience is solid. The music is enjoyable,
giving the game a tense atmosphere. The sound effects are well done. The voice
acting is very good. All the actors, no matter their role, deliver a solid
performance.
Overall
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is a well polished and refined
game. Not only is the leveling up experience enjoyable, the end game has plenty
of content to keep players on the loot grind without feeling bored. The game will
be a contender when it comes time to determine 2019’s game of the year.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
TEAM
NINJA LAUNCHES THE DEAD OR ALIVE 6 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Prove Your Skills
Against the Best in the World in Team NINJA’s Newest Fighter
Hertfordshire, 27th March 2019 – KOEI TECMO Europe and Team NINJA
are excited to announce the DEAD OR ALIVE 6 World Championship, a
global eSports competition with Qualifiers to be held across Europe, the United
States and Asia. The competition will then conclude with the top players from
each region duking it out live at the Finals in Japan with the equivalent of 10
million yen (JPY) in total cash and prizes up for grabs.
The global series of tournaments kicks off on
the 20th April 2019 in Lyon, France at THE MIXUP, and continues throughout the
year as players compete to earn one of 16 total spots to the DEAD OR
ALIVE 6 World Championship Finals and their shot to be crowned the DEAD
OR ALIVE 6 Grand Champion.
By competing in the DOA6 WC, players will earn
ranking points based on their tournament performance, in turn allowing them to
be ranked on the official DOA6 WC leaderboard. The more ranking points a player
accumulates, the higher on the leaderboard they will climb. At the end of the
tournament circuit, there will be 11 placements from the three regional
leaderboards, with the top five from the U.S., top three from Asia, and top
three from Europe advancing to the finals. Of the remaining five qualifying
spots, three will be granted to the winners of offline Fatal Match events,
while the final two spots will be up for grabs at the DOA6 WC Last Chance
Qualifier hosted at the DEAD OR ALIVE Festival 2019.
Key tournament stops in Europe include The
MIXUP 2019 in Lyon, France (20th-21st April 2019), VSFighting 2019 in
Birmingham, UK (20th-21st July) and the Ultimate Fighting Arena 2019 in Paris,
France (27th-29th September 2019).
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
SABER INTERACTIVE’S WORLD WAR Z REVEALS NEW TOKYO
MAP WITH “STORIES IN TOKYO” GAMEPLAY TRAILER
#OutliveTheDead Around the World on
PlayStation®4, Xbox One and Windows PC on April 16
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. – March 27, 2019 – Saber Interactive, in partnership with Focus Home Interactive, has unveiled the next map that will be playable in World War Z, the highly anticipated co-op shooter inspired by Paramount Pictures’ blockbuster film. The new “Stories in Tokyo” gameplay trailer travels to Japan, where hordes of zombies will ambush survivors through narrow streets and dense urban jungles, battling players right up to the edge of the sea. The Tokyo episode will feature two missions available at launch, with a bonus mission arriving for free shortly after release.
“We’ve had such a positive response to the
content that we decided to expand the core game and make four episodes spanning
eleven levels available at launch,” said Matthew Karch, CEO of Saber
Interactive.
Powered by Saber’s dynamic Swarm Engine™, World War Z unleashes
hundreds of fast-moving, bloodthirsty zombies – able to move and strike as one
collective herd as well as break off into individual attackers – at a time on
players. Choose from six distinct classes and an arsenal of deadly weapons,
explosives, turrets and traps. Outlive the dead through intense four-player
co-op campaign missions around the world, including New York, Jerusalem, Moscow
and Tokyo, and battle both zombies and real human opponents in competitive,
team-based Players vs. Players vs. Zombies (PvPvZ) multiplayer.
World
War Z is available to pre-order now
on all platforms digitally and at retail at https://wwzgame.com/buy.
All pre-orders come with the free Lobo Weapon Pack, featuring three golden
weapon skins and the dual-bladed Lobo spade.
World
War Z
is expected to launch April 16, 2019, on PlayStation®4, Xbox One and Windows PC
via the Epic Games store. For
more information, visit http://wwzgame.com,
and follow the game on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WWZGame,
Twitter @WWZTheGame,
and Instagram @WWZGame.
About
Saber Interactive
Based in the U.S., Russia and Spain, Saber
Interactive is an independent developer whose credits include Quake Champions, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary,
Halo: The Master Chief
Collection and others. Saber’s NBA
Playgrounds is one of the best-selling digital console titles of
2017. The company has multiple development studios across the world making
great games and bringing fun interactive experiences to life.
About
Focus Home Interactive
Focus Home Interactive is a French publisher
based in Paris, France. Known for the quality, diversity and originality of its
catalogue, Focus has published and distributed original titles (Vampyr, Farming Simulator, Call of Cthulhu, Insurgency: Sandstorm)
that have become benchmark titles worldwide, available both in store and for
download across the world. Focus publishes games on all major platforms,
consoles and PC. The publisher’s catalogue will get even richer in the coming
months and years with eagerly awaited games such as A Plague Tale: Innocence, World War Z, The Surge 2, MudRunner 2, GreedFall and many more.
About
Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a
global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom
(NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected
film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a
collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment,
including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television,
Paramount Players, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also
include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International,
Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.
While I definitely had fun playing Sekiro these days on PC, it was quite a challenge getting to the end. Luckily, with certain prosthetic tools, I managed to push through boss fights and somewhat reduce my total death count (it still had three digits by the end of the game, though). In any case, you don’t have to suffer as much as I did so here is a list of all ten prosthetic tools in the game and where to find them.
1. Shuriken Wheel
It’s in the house right next to the “Outskirts Wall – Gate Path” idol. Grapple to the hole in the house and you’ll find it next to a corpse. The Sculptor will transform it into a Loaded Shuriken tool.
2. Robert’s Firecrackers
After a fight with General Naomori Kawarada go past the burning house (with an old lady that gives you the bell), pass the wounded villager and look to your left. There will be a grapple point on a small cliff and a next one right above it. You’ll find a merchant on a hill selling it. The Sculptor will transform it into a Shinobi Firecrackers tool.
3. Flame Barrel
Hirata Estate, in a bonfire surrounded by a couple of enemies. Kill them and the tool is right in the bonfire. The Sculptor will transform it into a Flame Vent tool.
4. Shinobi Axe of the Monkey
Also in Hirata Estate. Right after the Flame Barrel pick up, take the path upstairs. Pass the dying man leaning on a wall on the right side and turn left. Enter the courtyard, kill the next two enemies and open a small garden shed that they were guarding. The Sculptor will transform it into a Loaded Axe tool.
5. Mist Raven’s Feathers
The last tool to find in Hirana Estate. After killing the Shinobi Hunter Enshin of Misen, activate the Bamboo Thicket Slope idol and follow the path to a small set of stairs. Grapple on the tree stump on the left, jump in the water and continue swimming upriver. At the end of the river, you can grapple a tree branch on the right and pick up a glowing item. Look right after the pickup and you will see a bamboo door. Destroy it to reveal a path into the cave. Walljump up at the end of the cave to end up at the hidden temple on top of a mountain. Kill or ignore a lone ninja that spawns there and open a temple door for the tool. The Sculptor will transform it into a Mist Raven tool.
6. Gyoubu’s Broken Horn
Ashina Castle, the first idol in the region. Spawn at the idol, jump off the bridge on the left and grapple on the tree branch. Eavesdrop on the enemies on the bridge and kill them for a “gatehouse key” drop. Drop down the bridge until you reach the Ashina Reservoir idol. From here, find the area in the prologue where you were taught how to sneak through the grass. This is where the gatehouse is, the same one you had to crawl under it in the prologue. Open it with a key and the tool is there. The Sculptor will transform it into a Loaded Spear tool.
7. Sabimaru
Ashina Castle. Drop down from the room just past the Upper Tower-Antechamber Sculptor’s Idol. You’ll have to fight a couple of blue samurai but after that you’ll find a chest with this prosthetic tool.
8. Iron Fortress
Ashina Castle, Old Grave idol. Jump down the left side to a building with a broken rooftop and buy it from a hidden merchant in there for 1600 coins. The Sculptor will transform it into a Loaded Umbrella tool.
9. Large Fan
Sunken Valley. After the third idol in that area, named Gun Fort, you will find a mini-boss with an interesting name of Long-Arm Centipede Giraffe. Defeat it and the tool is located in the back of the same room. The Sculptor will transform it into a Divine Abduction tool.
10. Slender Finger
Found after defeating the Guardian Ape boss in Sunken Valley. The Sculptor will transform it into a Finger Whistle tool.
That’s all the tools in the game. Remember that you can upgrade them all at the Sculptor as soon as you receive a mechanical barrel after the Gyoubu Oniwa boss (outskirts of Ashina Castle).
‘WHERE THE BEES MAKE HONEY’ OUT TODAY ON PC, PS4 AND
XBOX ONE
PC Edition
Launches on Steam and Kartridge
March 26th, 2019 — Wakefield Interactive and
Whitethorn Digital are excited to announce their puzzle adventure game Where
the Bees Make Honey is out now for $9.99 USD (or region
equivalent) on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC via Steam and
Kartridge!
Where the Bees Make Honey tells a story
about reflecting on different moments from a childhood, which are played and
experienced from an adult perspective. It’s a dreamy, ethereal, and
thoughtfully crafted experience about nostalgia. The game is capturing that
grace period in a childhood where playing dress up was larger than life and
changed the environments around you.
At its core Where the Bees Make Honey is
a puzzle adventure game, but gameplay variation is filtered throughout. When
the game’s main character Sunny is an adult reflecting on the times when she
was young, the game is played in a first-person perspective. This transition
period takes place at her workplace, where she is ultimately at a crossroads
with what to do next in her life.
Playable vignettes allow for the game to transition into
each season. This allows for a more focused approach for storytelling and
player engagement. The vignettes offer an additional perspective of the season
they precede. The gameplay varies considerably between seasons, vignettes, and
moments.
Where The Bees Makes Honey is the brainchild of Wakefield
Interactive’s lone member Brian Wilson. The game was conceptualized after the
recurring idea of playing pretend as kids. Through the lens of liminality,
Brian wanted to capture the idea of being at one place, but being able to view
it from different perspectives. This was realized after visiting a local lake
over the course of his life, and understanding that the lake had stayed the
same but his appreciation for it had changed as he grew older. Brian started development
in early 2016 while receiving an Associate of Science degree in Multimedia
Programming, Simulation and Gaming from the Community College of Allegheny
County.
About Whitethorn Digital
Whitethorn Digital is an Erie, Pennsylvania-based publisher
of off-beat, narrative-heavy, wildly unique video game experiences. Learn more
about us on our website.
