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NETMARBLE CORP. REPORTS THIRD QUARTER 2018 FINANCIAL RESULTS

Philip Federico
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NETMARBLE CORP. REPORTS THIRD QUARTER 2018 FINANCIAL RESULTS

SOUTH KOREA – NOV. 13, 2018 – Netmarble Corp. reported financial results for the third quarter of 2018. Net revenue for 2018 increased 5.0% to 526 billion South Korean won [$467 million] in the third quarter and decreased 9.6% year-over-year (YoY). In addition, thanks to the steady global market performance of Netmarble’s mobile games such as Lineage 2: Revolution, Marvel Future Fight, The King of Fighters All-Star’s Japanese launch and Netmarble’s subsidiary games such as Marvel Contest of Champions (Kabam), and Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Jam City), revenue outside of South Korea in the third quarter accounted for 382 billion won [$340 million] – 73% of all total revenue – which is the highest proportion of revenue achieved in the global market this quarter. Accumulated revenue recorded outside of Korea for the first three quarters in 2018 totaled 1.1 trillion won ($1.3 billion), which is a 19.9% increase YoY.

“We believe that recent changes in the labor related environment in Korea have had an impact on our operational performance in Q3. However, Netmarble have dedicated to readjust accordingly, and now the company is solidly equipped to cope with the new environment.” said Seungwon Lee, Chief Global Officer of Netmarble Corp.

Other third quarter 2018 financial results for Netmarble Corp. include:

  • An operating profit of 67 billion won [$60 million], yielding a 39.8% decrease YoY and an 8.2% increase quarter-over-quarter (QoQ).
  • A net profit of 55 billion won [$49 million], yielding a 34.6% decrease YoY and a 16.9% decrease QoQ.
  • An EBITDA of 87 billion won [$77 million], yielding a 33.0% decrease YoY and a 6.4% increase QoQ.

To prepare for 2018’s fourth quarter and the 2019 fiscal year, Netmarble is set to launch the highly anticipated mobile MMORPG Blade & Soul Revolution in South Korea on December 6th, 2018. It will be showcased at G-Star 2018, a global game exhibition held at Busan, Korea from November 15-18th, along with other upcoming titles including Seven Knights 2, The King of Fighters All Star, and A3: Still Alive. Additional upcoming lineup for the global market include BTS World, Rich Wars, Yokai Watch: Medal Wars and unannounced projects code-named “Project M” and “Seven Deadly Sins RPG.”

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About Netmarble Corporation

Netmarble Corp. strives to entertain audiences of all ages around the world by providing great mobile gaming experiences. Established in Korea in 2000, Netmarble is the fastest-growing mobile game company and consistently ranks as the top mobile developer and publisher worldwide. With more than 5,000 employees, Netmarble has been producing and servicing some of the most successful mobile games including Lineage 2: Revolution, MARVEL Future Fight, Everybody’s Marble, and Seven Knights. As a parent company to Kabam, a top mobile game developer in massively multiplayer free-to-play games, and the largest shareholder to Jam City, a leading casual social game developer, Netmarble has a strategic partnership with CJ ENM Corporation, Asia’s largest entertainment company, Tencent Holdings, Asia’s largest internet company, and NCsoft, a prominent MMORPG company. More information can be found at http://company.netmarble.com.

GET READY TO CLUTCH, DEADBAIT, CHUM AND MORE IN FISHING BARENTS SEA SIMULATOR NEW ADVENTURE KING CRAB DLC

Philip Federico
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GET READY TO CLUTCH, DEADBAIT, CHUM AND MORE IN FISHING BARENTS SEA SIMULATOR NEW ADVENTURE KING CRAB DLC
BARENTS SEA : KING CRAB DLC OUT NOW ON STEAM

Moenchengladbach/Germany, November 13, 2018 – The long wait of future crab fishers is over! Today is the release of the extensive King Crab expansion from astragon Entertainment and developer Misc Games. Aside from two brand new ships the DLC also offers catch mechanics with two entertaining mini games that have never been included before. All of these innovations serve the catching of the long yearned and now availbale species: the lucrative king crabs.

https://youtu.be/F2EBpp3LxZ8

The King Crab DLC is the perfect addition for adventurous seafarers to expand their fishing equipment and ship fleet for the exciting world of a real king crab catcher. The Selfy which is based on the ship models of boat manufacturer Arctic AS and the huge and powerful Svalbard are the two brand new ships to lead the player to success on the vast high seas. They are able to reliably locate the king crab grounds of the Barents Sea and provide the player with necessary equipment to make a name for themselves in Northern Norway.

Challenging mini games test the skills of the newbie crustacean hunters. The hauling of the crab pots works manually on the small Selfy. In contrast the pots on the deck of Svalbard are so huge and enormous that a strong crane is needed to lift them. Here a tricky mini game starts in which the player needs to coordinate the hauling of the pots to place the freshly caught crabs next to the sorting table. Afterwards the crab cages need to be reloaded with fresh bait and hauled back onto the seabed.

The next mini game follows the successful catch of the valuable prey. Now the fisher needs to sort the crabs by gender. As in real life also the virtual seaman needs to stick to the legal requirements. Only the male crabs are allowed to be caught and sold. The female crabs need to get thrown back into the ocean to produce plenty of offspring.

After the crab fishing newbie became a master in using the new catch mechanics there is nothing else standing in the way of conquering the king crab market in and around Hammerfest!

The King Crab DLC for Fishing: Barents Sea is now available on Steam™ for 9.99 Euro/11.99 USD/8.99 GBP (RRP). The main game Fishing: Barents Sea for PC also is available in retail or as a digital download for 19.99 Euro/19.99 USD/16.99 GBP (RRP).

More information on Fishing: Barents Sea:
www.fbsgame.net
www.facebook.com/FishingBarents
http://store.steampowered.com/app/501080/Fishing_Barents_Sea/

All titles, content, publisher names, trademarks, artwork, and associated imagery are trademarks and/or copyright material of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Unreal Engine, the circle-U logo and the Powered by Unreal Engine logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States and elsewhere.

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astragon Entertainment GmbH
astragon Entertainment (founded in 2000) ranks among the leading independent games publishers in Germany. Our versatile product portfolio focuses on high-quality technical simulation games such as Construction Simulator, Farming Simulator or Bus Simulator, but also covers complex economic simulations and strategy games. The distribution of the Big Fish franchise (Mystery Case Files, Dark Parables, Grim Tales) completes our exciting product range. Games by astragon are available world-wide on many different platforms such as consoles, smartphones, tablets and PC. Please visit us for more information at http://www.astragon.de/en/.

ARK: EXTINCTION EXPANSION PACK LAUNCHES TODAY ONTO PLAYSTATION 4 AND XBOX ONE

Philip Federico
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ARK: EXTINCTION EXPANSION PACK LAUNCHES TODAY ONTO PLAYSTATION 4 AND XBOX ONE

Survivors Return Now to Earth and Finish Your Conquest of the ARK Universe!

Redmond, WA – November 13, 2018 – Players of the dinosaur survival action-adventure game ARK: Survival Evolved can return to Earth today as the game’s third expansion pack “Extinction” is available now on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. ARK: Extinction contains a new map and story line to explore, dozens of new creatures to tame, and challenges even for veteran ARK Survivors who have conquered all previous obstacles – can you defeat the gigantic roaming Titans which dominate the Element-infested, ravaged planet, and complete the ARK cycle to save Earth’s future?

Visit the ruined world that’s rampant with Element-corrupted creatures! At the heart of Extinction is a towering but decaying metropolis, protected by a force of robotic guards known as the Scouts and Enforcers. Discover and explore long abandoned micro-biospheres which served as the early prototypes for the ARKs of today. Scour the land for Orbital Supply Drops, tame exotic creatures, and build a Mek powerful enough to defeat the colossal, tameable Titans dominating the landscape.

Extinction is free to ARK season pass owners and $19.99 as a standalone add-on for Xbox One, PS4, and PC/Steam. Haven’t yet ridden a dinosaur? ARK base game is on sale this week on all platforms.

ARK: Extinction Key Features:
With new mutated creatures to tame, players will have to rely on Extinction’s latest additions in order to stay alive and reap the rewards.

  • As a veteran survivor who has conquered all previous obstacles, the ultimate challenge awaits: take on and TAME the massive roaming Titans — dungeon dwelling bosses that are powerful enough to make even the mightiest T-Rex whimper! Gather your friends, all of your dinos, and your entire arsenal of weapons if you want to survive and complete the ARK cycle to save Earth’s future.
  • Launch through the air and leap great distances with air-inhaling Gasbags, freeze your enemies into icy statues with the majestic gliding Managarmr, unleash a barrage of spiny projectiles with the Velonasaur, and discover many more fantastic new creatures among the ruins of Earth!
  • Store creatures in your inventory with Cryopods. Capture them into small cubes, then pop them out from your inventory unexpectedly at enemies! Send your items back to home base using the new aerial item balloons, cross giant chasms with the extendable Tek Bridge, along with an arsenal of all-new items and weapons to aid your survival.
  • Venture into the harsh Wasteland to intercept Orbital Supply Drops filled with gear and resources – but watch out! Element-corrupted dinosaurs will try to stop you in this team-based defense challenge.
  • The all new map has a long abandoned Metropolis, humanity’s last bastion, to explore! Metropolis is now overgrown and decayed but still under surveillance by a protective army of robotic creatures.
  • Proto-ARKs, prototype areas built as early simulations of the three predominant ecosystems: the Crater Forest, the Desert and the Tundra.
  • Build and pilot advanced Meks loaded with customizable weaponry to take on the toughest enemies, including the gigantic End Boss guarding the ultimate secret of the ARK!

ARK: Extinction is now available today on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam as a standalone expansion pack ($19.99) and as part of the ARK: Explorer’s Edition (Game + Season Pass), joining the desert-themed Scorched Earth and the underground, derelict biome Aberration, in continuing to unravel the mysteries of ARK’s story.

For the latest updates follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube, visit the Website at playark.com and watch us tame and train leviathan dinosaurs on Twitch.TV.

ARK: Survival Evolved is rated “T” for Teen (Violence, Blood, Crude Humor, Use of Alcohol) by the ESRB.

Feel like riding a dinosaur? Join the ARK growing band of survivors in the community forums HERE: survivetheark.com/forums/
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ABOUT STUDIO WILDCARD
Studio Wildcard was co-founded in 2014 by industry veteran Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak, former Technical Art Director at Microsoft Game Studios, with the mission of bringing AAA quality to ambitious indie productions that are designed for core gamers. With combined 25 years of industry experience across multiple independent and studio-backed titles, Jeremy and Jesse have teamed up with other veteran developers for Seattle, WA-based and Gainesville, FL-based development studios that also include distributed team members across multiple continents. Wherever talented, driven developers may reside, Studio Wildcard intends to seek out and work with them!

Mutant Year Zero to Launch on Xbox Game Pass on December 4th

Jamie Laike Tsui
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Mutant Year Zero to Launch on Xbox Game Pass on December 4th

Funcom and The Bearded Ladies announced their XCOM-like tactical game Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden will launch on Xbox Game Pass on December 4th alongside the game’s general release on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Subscribers to Xbox Game Pass pay a monthly fee for unlimited access to over 100 games in the library along with a discount on the Xbox store. Funcom CEO Rui Casais said:

“We are absolutely thrilled about bringing Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden to XBOX Game Pass. This is certainly not your standard console game and we think that XBOX Game Pass subscribers will find a unique and highly entertaining experience with Mutant Year Zero that they might not have discovered otherwise. We are very happy with the XBOX version of the game and the whole team is excited about Game Pass allowing us to reach an even wider audience on the console.”

Additionally, Funcom released a brand new walkthrough video introducing players to the Scraplands. The area is packed with valuable resources within the wreck of human civilization, but it is also crawling with others doing the same thing.

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is based on the Swedish pen and paper RPG Mutant. The game stars Bormin the boar and Dux the duck. Players will explore the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Sweden in real time as they scavenge for supplies. Players will need to use stealth to get into the best position to ambush enemies, before swinging into turn based combat.

Just Cause 4 Eye of the Storm Cinematic Trailer Released

Jamie Laike Tsui
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Just Cause 4 Eye of the Storm Cinematic Trailer Released

In case you missed the special X018 episode of Inside Xbox, Square Enix and Avalanche Studios have released a brand spankin’ new cinematic trailer for Just Cause 4. The trailer kicks off with an adrenaline packed sequence before introducing viewers to the fictional South American world of Solis and the Black Hand militia, the game’s main antagonist.

The trailer is a collaboration with Director’s Duo. The trailer faetures a special remix of “I’m Just” by Artizan. The track is available now at digital retailers and will be part of the Just Cause album that will launch on December 4th alongside the game.

Just Cause 4 will be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on December 4 2018.

HITMAN 2 Review

Admir Brkic
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HITMAN 2 Review

HITMAN 2

Developer: IO Interactive
Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment
Format: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC (Reviewed)
Release Date: 13 Nov 2018
Price: $59.99USD – Available Here

Overview

I can’t think of many games reboots that managed to get things right. There is always a slippery slope of derailing too much from the original or dumbing things down to appeal to the broader audience. The previous HITMAN didn’t fall into any of those traps, offering balanced difficulty, freedom of exploration and a competent AI for a well-rounded experience. For its sequel, lO Interactive promised us new gameplay features, locations and more of that enticing story (which ended up on a cliffhanger last time). Well, HITMAN 2 is here and I had access to the Gold Edition which enabled me to play it 4 days earlier before the official release. In a hindsight, it was a bad idea since I  now have 23 hours clocked since Saturday, my weekend went absolutely nowhere except for playing HITMAN 2 but as they say “time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time”.

Story

For those who missed out on the previous game, the story follows an elite assassin for hire, Agent 47, and his recruitment into the ICA (International Contract Agency). Not much is known about 47 except for his exceptional aptitude as an assassin. Even though the first few assassination contracts appear to be unrelated, it is later revealed that someone from the shadows, only referred to as a “shadow client”, has been using and manipulating ICA in order to attack and bring down a secret organization called Providence. In HITMAN 2, we follow the trail leading to the shadow client”, before finally meeting him face to face and forming an alliance to take down Providence. Aside from that, more is revealed about 47’s past and shadow client’s connection to him.

Gameplay

The previous game offered us a multitude of ways to eliminate our targets, either by following mission stories or improvising, stalking and doing things our way. One of the best things in the game was discovering more ways to assassinate a target than the choices were initially offered. All of that is expanded in HITMAN 2, along with some new gimmicks. You can now hide in a foliage, blend into a crowd à la Assassins Creed (super useful when being tailed by someone who is highly suspicious of you) and a fan-favorite briefcase is back! The briefcase allows you to smuggle one item into a level (my usual choice was a sniper rifle) and it can also be used as a throwing object or a way to knock someone nearby unconscious. You can now see the field view of surveillance cameras in instinct mode and disable them with a well-placed shot.  The best part of these new gameplay features is that they can also be used in the previous game. How is that possible, you ask? Well, for anyone who owns the previous game, IO Interactive generously gave us the option to revisit all those levels in the sequel. So you might as well delete that first HITMAN install since now you have two games in one. All of the levels have received a noticeable facelift and any tools or weapons you earn in HITMAN 2 can also be used in levels from the first game.

Visuals

Speaking of the facelift, the first thing I noticed after starting up the game is how everything looks clearer now, with vibrant colors. I remember disliking the overall brightness in the first game, so much that I had to turn down the gamma all the way down so I don’t end up blind after a couple of hours. That foggy filter (mostly noticeable in Sapienza and in bright open levels) is gone now. In other words, HITMAN 2 managed this time to get its color settings right. Another praise should go to the level design in HITMAN 2. From sunny walkways of Miami to the jungle of Santa Fortuna, there is so much to explore and observe. NPCs feel more natural this time and they’re actually doing meaningful interactions with each other, instead of just aimlessly wandering around. You can also find something new or get a hint on how to have access to a specific location by eavesdropping on them.

Audio

Not much to say about the sound design, except that it’s superb. The audio follows whatever is happening on the screen and it will change according to you being attacked, hiding or stalking a target. Each weapon sounds different and soon enough you will be able to correctly guess what rifle enemies are carrying (if you mess up and have all of the cartel raining bullets on you). There is so much attention to the detail in ambient noise that it won’t take long before feeling overwhelmed in the crowded streets of Mumbai. You might even forget who are you supposed to assassinate and just enjoy spending some time on a pier in Miami, watching seagulls and enjoying the sun.

Overall

I guess my 23 hours of playtime (so far) should be a testament to the game’s quality and polish but aside from that, I could go on and on. HITMAN 2 follows up on everything that made the previous game great, adding some new stuff into the mix and expanding the story. As expected, the replay value is huge and incredibly satisfying, half of the fun is in revisiting levels and finding new ways to take someone down. Strangle, shoot, poison, push off a cliff or slap them with a fish as much as you like – the choice is yours. I don’t care what else is releasing this year, I’m being busy in HITMAN 2 from now until Christmas.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

HIDE YOUR SHEEP, SPYRO HAS LANDED — THE SPYRO REIGNITED TRILOGY IS NOW AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE!

Philip Federico
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HIDE YOUR SHEEP, SPYRO HAS LANDED — THE SPYRO REIGNITED TRILOGY IS NOW AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE!

Remastered Collection Features a New Track From Original Game Composer Stewart Copeland, Plus the Return of Iconic Voice Actor Tom Kenny as Spyro

Videogame Commemorates Spyro’s 20th Anniversary with Fiery Cross-Country Launch

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Nov. 13, 2018 – Spyro, the iconic purple dragon that entertained living rooms worldwide in the late ‘90s, is making an epic return today with the release of Spyro™ Reignited Trilogy. Spyro Reignited Trilogy introduces players to a fully remastered game collection with a re-imagined cast of characters, animations, environments, brand-new lighting and recreated cinematics—all in stunning HD. Now fans can glide to new heights and explore more than 100+ lush environments filled with new detail that brings the Dragon Realms and Avalar to life like never-before. The trilogy is available now for PlayStation® 4, PlayStation® 4 Pro and the family of Xbox One devices from Microsoft, including the Xbox One X, for the suggested retail price of $39.99.

In Spyro Reignited Trilogy, lead developer Toys For Bob is giving fans an all scaled-up version of the original three Spyro games that started it all, Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! and Spyro: Year of the Dragon, but with a modern-day feel that makes it fresh and fun for today’s player. Adding to the fun, voice actor Tom Kenny is returning to the franchise as the voice of Spyro in all three remastered games. Longtime fans will be treated to Toys For Bob’s reimagined version of the classic soundtracks, in addition to an all-new title-screen theme from original soundtrack composer Stewart Copeland. Additionally, the new game brings an in-game audio feature that allows players to switch between the original and the newly remastered soundtracks, for those who want a more classic gameplay experience. Players can simply fly in to the “options menu” at any time during gameplay, unleash their preferred nostalgic or scaled-up groove, and glide right back into the Spyro action without losing saved data.

“It’s been a real pleasure to bring back one of most iconic video game characters of all time through the Spyro Reignited Trilogy,” said Paul Yan, Co-Studio Head at Toys For Bob. “We’ve poured everything we’ve got into making sure every detail was done right to deliver a great Spyro experience for fans. We hope players will have as much fun revisiting the Spyro world and characters as we did remastering them.”

In the road up to the official release of Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), created a first-of-its-kind, life-sized, fire-breathing and talking Spyro Dragon drone. The drone took off from “Stone Hill” castle near New York City, spreading his wings across the U.S. to explore the cities and iconic landscapes that resemble levels and themes from the original Spyro games. As part of the tour, the Spyro drone chased sheep, fired up some BBQ and delivered an early copy of Spyro Reignited Trilogy to fellow O.G. and entertainment icon, Snoop Dogg. Highlights from the Spyro drone’s delivery to Snoop Dogg can be found here.

“Fans have been asking Activision to bring Spyro back for some time now. The response to Spyro Reignited Trilogy has been great thus far, and we’re absolutely thrilled that we’re able to continue to reimagine and reinvigorate some of the most iconic videogames and characters of all time with our remastered experiences,” said Steve Young, Chief Revenue Officer at Activision. “With this year being the 20th anniversary of Spyro, there’s no better time to pay homage to everyone’s favorite purple dragon.”

The Spyro community is invited to geek out and elevate their fandom even further through the elite global partnerships from the Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group (ABCPG). Collaborations with Funko, Traly Pins, Exquisite Gaming, KidRobot, USAopoly, Trends International, Rubber Road, and Changes have created new avenues for fans to share their love for the return of Spyro, the original roast master. Spyro consumer products across apparel, collectibles, figurines and more are now available at retailers worldwide. Fans can also take advantage of the GameStop exclusive Spyro TOTAKU Collection.

More information about Spyro Reignited Trilogy can be found at www.SpyroTheDragon.com. Fans are also invited to follow @SpyroTheDragon on Twitter and @Spyro on Facebook and Instagram, as well as subscribe to the YouTube channel at YouTube.com/SpyroTheDragon.

About Activision
Headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., 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.

JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT PLAYS MAGIC: THE GATHERING WITH GEEK & SUNDRY

Philip Federico
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JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT PLAYS MAGIC: THE GATHERING WITH GEEK & SUNDRY

Geek & Sundry Host Erika Ishii Joins Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt

For A Special Nostalgia Filled Magic: The Gathering Session

Geek & Sundry host Erika Ishii joins beloved actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt to play a game of Magic: The Gathering. Together, they recount Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s history with the card game, dive into his personal collection which he hasn’t seen in almost 14 years and play exclusively from his card decks. This is the first time Joseph Gordon-Levitt has publicly shared his Magic: The Gathering card collection.

In partnership with Wizards of the Coast’s Magic: The Gathering, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Erika Ishii share an in-depth conversation while showcasing the joy for playing the game and focusing on Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s personal experience with Magic: The Gathering including:

  • How playing Magic: The Gathering sparks creativity and inspired him to launch HitRECord
  • His history of playing Dungeons & Dragons with friends and how that led to his discovery of Magic: The Gathering
  • His thought process in selecting cards and how his childhood acting career allowed him more choice for his set than his teenage peers

Check out Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Erika Ishii playing Magic: The Gathering November 12th, 2018 on Geek & Sundry’s YouTube channel, Geek & Sundry’s Facebook page, and at www.geekandsundry.com.

About Geek & Sundry
Geek & Sundry is a digital entertainment company recognized for producing award-winning Internet television content, featuring leading personalities in gaming and pop culture. Founded in 2012, Geek & Sundry’s online channels offer a diverse slate of reality, narrative, and comedy content created by and for gaming enthusiasts. Geek & Sundry is owned by Legendary Entertainment and is part of Legendary Digital Networks, which includes content powerhouses Nerdist and Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls. To read daily editorial content and watch original shows, visit www.geekandsundry.com.

About Legendary Digital Networks
Legendary Digital Networks (LDN) is the streaming media and branded content division of Legendary Entertainment and home to leading digital entertainment brands Nerdist, Geek and Sundry, and Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls, as well as Alpha, a premium streaming entertainment service that gives members access to new and exclusive shows and immersive community-based interactivity.

ABOUT WIZARDS OF THE COAST
Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS), is the leader in entertaining the lifestyle gamer. Wizards’ players and fans are members of a global community bound together by their love of both digital gaming and in-person play. The company brings to market a range of gaming experiences under powerful brand names such as MAGIC: THE GATHERING and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. For more information about our world renowned brands, visit the Wizards of the Coast Web site at  www.wizards.com.

For Honor Marching Fire Review

Jamie Laike Tsui
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For Honor Marching Fire Review

For Honor: Marching Fire

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows (Reviewed)
Release Date: 16 October 2018
Price: $29.99 USD – Available Here

Video Review

Overview

It has been over a year and a half since Ubisoft’s fighter For Honor launched. The was not the instant hit Ubisoft hoped for. But much like Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Ubisoft has supported the game with a stream of new content in hopes for a turnaround. The “Marching Fire” expansion pack offers a major update for all players, such as the graphical overhaul and the new Breach PVP mode. Buyers of the expansion will get instant access to the four Wu Lin characters and the Arcade PVE mode.

Story

Story-wise, “Marching Fire” does not add much to For Honor’s lore. The Arcade mode offers a series of short sentences to give players a little background on the level. The sentences are generally very vague and are more flavour texts than actual additions to the game’s story. Due to the short nature of the text, the more light-hearted scenarios like the drunken evening are a lot more entertaining than the more serious ones.

Gameplay

“Marching Fire” is one-part content update and one-part traditional DLC. All For Honor players will have access to the new Breach PVP game mode and can purchase the four new Wu Lin characters with in-game currency. Those who opt to purchase “Marching Fire” will get instant access to the Wu Lin heroes and the new PVE Arcade mode.

Breach is the new PVP mode. Teams of four are split into attackers and defenders. The attackers will accompany their battering ram through two castle gates in order to kill castle’s general. To win, the defenders must destroy the battering ram or force the attackers to consume all their respawn tickets. There are two main flashpoints on the map at any time. Pike men will fight around the battering ram. If the attackers control the battering ram, the pike men will push the ram faster. If the defending pike men control the battering ram, they will start dealing damage to the ram. The archer points above the fray work in a similar manner except the attacking team locks the capture point once it has been taken.

Breach is an excellent addition to For Honor. Besides the fact it scratches the castle siege fantasy itch, Breach is a surprisingly newbie friendly mode. The action is concentrated on to two main areas. The battering ram is obvious enough on its own, while a subtle arrow and line will direct teams to the closest archer zone. New players getting stomped on by older, more experienced veterans can easily move to the other zone and still make some contribution to their team. Breach is a lot easier for new players compared to the deathmatch-style modes and focuses the action better than Dominion. My only complaint is the Breach maps are a bit dull. The maps feel quite similar, and none really manages to stand out from the pack.

Arcade mode is an exclusive for those who purchase the “Marching Fire” expansion. It is a PVE mode for one to two players that offers a series of duels against the AI. Each duel has randomly selected modifiers like constant damage to add a little variety into the mode. Arcade mode is also the only PVE mode that shares rewards and progression with PVP. The game offers difficulty levels for a wide range of gear levels, making it a decent alternative to PVP when matchmaking is a bit slow. However, it’s repetitive enough that it can’t replace PVP entirely.

To provide a little context to my experiences with the new Wu Lin characters, I haven’t played For Honor since I reviewed the game in February 2017. I found the new characters offers a nice variety for players of all skill levels. The Tiandi is the new Vanguard class, offering an easy to learn move set and the ability to cancel special abilities to dodge out of the way of incoming blows. The ability was helpful for me as I found myself overcommitting a lot while I was still re-learning the game. The Nuxia is rated as medium difficulty assassin, but I found her to be challenging to learn because several abilities only work when enemies are blocking, deflecting, or parrying. While the Heavy Jiang Jun is rated as hard, I found him to be a little easier to use simply because of his extra long reach. While his wide sweeps aren’t the greatest for 1v1 battles, it appears that Jiang Jun was designed with Breach mode in mind. The Shaolin class is definitely the most challenging class of the bunch. His Qi stance has its own set of moves, requiring players to master a much larger move set; however, I can see his flexibility and range rewarding much more skilled players than me.

Visuals

A big part of “Marching Fire” is the graphical overhaul. While For Honor is only a year and a half old, the improvements bring the graphics in line with Ubisoft’s recent releases.

The new Wu Lin heroes fit in well with For Honor’s historical fantasy. The character design uses Chinese art and cinema as the foundation, then adds a fantasy flair to give characters a bit more flash.

Audio

The audio experience for “Marching Fire” is excellent. The music and sound effects continue to be solid. The voice acting for the new characters are enjoyable.

Overall

“Marching Fire” offers an excellent amount of content, though the price point is a bit debatable. Players who are just enjoying the free update are getting an amazing deal. The new Breach mode is a lot of fun and the visual upgrades are excellent. On the other hand, four new characters and the arcade mode for $30 USD is a hard sell. While it’s nice to see developers keeping communities together by offering new modes to all players, I think the expansion would be a lot more reasonably priced if enough steel for an extra hero or two was thrown in. If you’re already a For Honor fan, you’re probably reading/listening to this review trying to justify a purchase. In that case, just hurry up and buy it. You’ll be subsidizing the content for other players, but it’s the cost of keeping content free for everyone. But for those who aren’t fully invested in For Honor, it’s probably worth waiting until the expansion is closer to $20-25 USD.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Home Sweet Home Review

Travis Bruno
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Home Sweet Home Review

Home Sweet Home

Developer: Yggdrazil Group
Publisher: Mastiff
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4 (Reviewed)
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $29.99 – Available Here

Overview

Horror games can be incredibly difficult to pull off correctly. This is especially true as more and more developers try out games where players are left at the mercy of the ghosts, mythical beings, monsters, or simply psychos that are out for their blood. Fans of the genre have likely seen a number of different creatures but one thing that really hasn’t been explored much happens to be horrors based around Thai lore and mythology. With Home Sweet Home offering a bit of a different take on the horrors of the unknown does this little horror game scare up a good time?

Story

Players take control of a man named Tim who has been out of sorts since his wife Jane seemingly went missing. Tim finds himself awakening inside a dingy apartment building only to eventually find himself coming face to face with a female in her twenties that would be perfectly normal if it weren’t for the fact that her head can turn 180 degrees, carries a box cutter knife around, and can use blood to teleport through the area.

Without going into too much detail about the events that follow, Home Sweet Home follows Tim as he tries to uncover what is going on with his wife even if it means facing off against a bloodthirsty ghost and a giant Preta monstrosity. It is worth noting that to get the most out of this story players will need to keep an eye out for various collectibles such as bits and pieces of newspapers and reports but especially for pages of Jane’s diary that explain how her life with Tim has been and the odd things that she has been dealing with on her own.

This makes for a narrative that relies heavily on how much exploration the player is willing to do and whether or not they stay and listen to radio reports but it fits well given the environments players happen to explore and the threats that they are facing. Reading about various curses and rituals that come from Thai lore and are a bit familiar sounding but unique in their own ways helps make for an interesting experience. That being said, be prepared for a cliffhanger of an ending as, despite not being directly called an episodic release, this game does leave itself open for a second episode.

Gameplay

Players spend the majority of their time in Home Sweet Home playing as Tim in a first person perspective. Tim has the use of a flashlight that, thankfully, never runs out of batteries though given the nature of the spirit that you’ll be hiding from most of the time, players will want to be prudent with its use. Although players can pick up items such as a crowbar or screwdriver these are only used to clear obstacles and not as weaponry so if Tim happens to be seen by the spirits he is almost always instantly killed. It is possible to run and hide inside lockers or large pots from the female ghost though if you do end up being stabbed to death then it isn’t too bad as Home Sweet Home is generous with its checkpoints.

The puzzles that players must solve range from simply finding an item hidden in an environment to actually solving a more complicated puzzle and while one in particular can be a bit annoying to understand at first, none of these puzzles feel unfair in nature. Unfortunately given how obvious the game is with its save system and the design of areas where death is possible and puzzles are situated, it tends to be extremely clear when there is an actual threat or simply a jump scare.

It is also worth noting that since the game allows players to play using either standard controls or with a VR headset there is a very limited interface to work with and while this works to help immerse players into the horror, it also makes for an annoying situation where certain items can only be picked up when seen at a specific angle. This means that while you may clearly see the object you need, you’ll either need to constantly fiddle with the camera until it is recognized as a pick up or simply overlook it altogether until you return to the area.

Since so much of the story is tied to the element of finding collectibles in the game it is a nice touch that the developers have made it possible to return to previous chapters through the main menu once you have completed the game, though the whole experience itself should only take about four to five hours in total depending on how long you get hung up on some puzzles.

Visuals & Audio

The designs of Home Sweet Home feel like a bit of a good and bad at times. The bad happens to come in the forms of tight hallways and standard appearing areas that lack all the attention to detail that has been paid to main areas in the game. These explorable areas are clearly designed simply to be ran through or as connecting pieces that pale in comparison to the amount of detail put into main areas. Those familiar with Thai myths and legends, or opt to look into them, will also notice various elements in the world that are also unique to this game’s take on horror. This is a nice touch since, once you’ve seen most of what the game has to offer as far as attackers goes, the enemies themselves tend to feel not as frightening despite the areas you’ll be trekking through.

Tim’s house is littered with tons of details and pictures of the family when they were happy together while areas such as the police station and other locations feature unique items and a haunting atmosphere that really tie everything together only for it to be lost during these transitional areas. The sound design is also handled incredibly well with satisfying voice work and the audio cues of the horrors seeking Tim’s life fitting incredibly well with the areas you travel though.

Overall

Home Sweet Home delivers a solid enough horror experience with a chilling take on creatures that many of us are likely unfamiliar with but an overly finicky interface, a lack of a real conclusion, and other rough edges do put a damper on what still becomes a title with a great atmosphere to its horror, even if it may lose its luster a little quick.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

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