The Vivaldi browser releases for Raspberry Pi and other ARM based Linux devices
OSLO, Norway – 5 December, 2017 – The Vivaldi browser releases an experimental build for Linux on ARM devices, including Raspberry Pi. With this debut, Vivaldi – the most feature-rich browser on the market – continues on its path to provide a versatile internet experience for its users.
In addition to Windows, macOS and Linux (x86/x86_64), Vivaldi is now available for a range of ARM based Linux devices. This includes the Raspberry Pi Zero, Raspberry Pi 2 and Raspberry Pi 3 – single-board ARM based computers with over 14 million units sold worldwide – as well as CubieBoard, ASUS Tinker Board and others.
“We are excited to unveil Vivaldi for the popular development board Raspberry Pi and other Linux based ARM devices. Enthusiastic Raspberry Pi users who are looking for a more feature-rich and flexible browser, will find Vivaldi a thrilling experience,” says Jon von Tetzchner, CEO at Vivaldi Technologies.
Vivaldi offers a range of features and customizations for users who like to optimize their web browsing for maximum productivity. This experimental build gives even more options for DIY fans using devices such as the Raspberry Pi.
“Vivaldi is a web surfer’s complete toolbox that you can personalize and make your own. We strive to add more flexibility for the thriving culture of computer hobbyists and hope that every owner of Raspberry Pi will have fun using Vivaldi,” says Jon von Tetzchner.
Running on Raspberry Pi, Vivaldi lets users optimize settings to boost overall performance. To reduce resource usage, they can turn off animated GIFs or use the advanced Reader Mode for a clutter-free reading environment. Vivaldi also has built-in functionality such as tab grouping, screenshot capture, ability to take notes right in the browser and so on – in combination, resulting in a speedy browsing experience.
Download Vivaldi for Raspberry Pi
The Vivaldi web browser is available free of charge and can be downloaded here. Installation on Raspbian is as simple as double-clicking on the downloaded installer.
Installation on Raspbian is as simple as double-clicking on the downloaded installer.
What is Vivaldi?
The Vivaldi browser, launched in 2016, is a flexible, customizable browser that adapts to the user. Vivaldi offers more features than any other modern browser and does not track its users. Some of the highlight features include:
• Advanced tab management – ability to group, tile, move and pin tabs.
• Side Panel with easy access to bookmarks, downloads, a “tree-style” access to tabs, notes, browsing history and websites of users’ choice.
• Built-in functionality such as the screenshot Capture tool, Notes and Image Properties.
• Powerful History overview that lets users explore their browsing patterns, backed by statistics and visual clues.
• Unique and customizable look and feel of the browser interface with custom Themes and more.
• Keyboard Shortcuts and Mouse Gestures for quick browser commands.
With the impending release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, EA and DICE have released the next iteration of the Star Wars: Battlefront franchise. Star Wars: Battlefront II builds on the 2015 title by addressing one of the biggest complaints with the game: the lack of content. This year adds a single player campaign bridging the gap between Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The multiplayer also sees a bump of content, including the new Starfighter Assault mode designed by Criterion.
Story
Spoiler Warning
The single campaign stars Iden Versio, daughter of an Imperial admiral and commander of Inferno Squad, an elite special operations unit assembled by the Empire. The Emperor’s last orders is a ridiculous Wile-E-Coyote type scorched earth type plan that makes little sense beside fulfilling a need for having straight forward bad guys and good guys in the new Star Wars universe. So, off the players go to fight for the Rebellion once again.
Star Wars: Battlefront II’s campaign feels like a rushed afterthought. The campaign itself is short, which leaves little time for character development or plot development. The plot that is there just feels silly and a little forced. We get it. Empire bad. Rebellion good. Worst of all, the plot doesn’t even provide enough content to really bridge the time between the fall of the Empire and the rise of the First Order. The entire package makes me wonder if the single player story was just a last minute addition once everyone realized the movie and the game would be released just weeks apart.
Gameplay
Star Wars: Battlefront II continues to be Battlefield-lite, a combined arms shooter simplified to be accessible to as many gamers as possible. The game is very easy to learn thanks to its simple, refined mechanics and the accessible control scheme. The game dispenses with ammo, opting for an active reload system that rewards skilled players who can time their clicks well. Dropping the ammo relieves a lot of the team play pressure found in the more challenging Battlefield franchise. Instead of the usual primary and secondary weapon, characters have only one weapon and three abilities on cooldown. Earn enough points in game by completing objectives and participating in eliminating an enemy, and players can respawn as powerful heroes. The controls are very easy to pick up. The ground combat is a riff on the basic shooter controls. The new Starfighter Assault mode’s ships are incredibly easy to handle with its mouse and keyboard friendly control scheme.
All the simplicity isn’t perfect though. Some parts have been simplified to the point basic quality of life features are missing. For example, the game has no server browser or any way to find out your latency in game. PC gamers will rightfully balk at the exclusion of either features as there’s no way to figure out if you need to find a better server to improve your gameplay experience because the ping is awful, let alone jump into a game playing your favourite map. The new squad system rewards double points for sticking with the players who spawn with you at the same time, which actually punishes groups of friends plan on working together as a team. The group function for friends is pretty barebones too, forcing players to either use the in-game voice chat in open microphone mode or mute each individual group member every if the group plans on using a third party software like Discord.
The game actually offers a really solid slate of game modes. The campaign is pitifully short at around four to five hours and serves as more of an extended tutorial. However, the single player content is buffered a little by the arcade mode that offers players bot matches and a series of single player team deathmatch and holdout challenges with modifiers and limited character selections. The two crown jewels in this year’s multiplayer game is Galactic Assault and Starfighter Assault. Galactic Assault is a 20 vs 20 combined arms mode DICE has been known for throughout the years with the Battlefield series. The maps are solid, with intense flashpoints and plenty of side areas to flank. The four classes are well designed, as each have plenty of alternate abilities for players to create their own customized sub-class. The tight execution really shows how much DICE has perfected the formula over the last decade. The Starfighter Assault mode really steals the show. It’s a 12 vs 12 objective based dogfighting mode that is new to the Battlefront series. It’s fast paced, exciting, and fulfills every childhood fantasy. This mode is what makes it a Star Wars game. Supporting the two main modes are small, fast paced modes like Heroes vs. Villains, the objective focused Strike, and the close quarter battle mode Blast.
Of course, it’s impossible to review Star Wars: Battlefront II without discussing the disastrous implementation of microtransactions and its effect on the game. While it’s great that EA has opted to release all future DLCs for free, it’s come at a huge cost on the game itself: it seems like the entire system has been designed to encourage microtransactions. Look, making video games isn’t cheap. Most indie developers will never turn a profit on their title, and the cost to develop big budget games has skyrocketed over the years. But at the same time, the system EA and DICE have created is a monster. In its quest to make Star Wars: Battlefront II as friendly as possible to the casual gamer, the developers have opted to give players a flat amount of credits no matter how well or poorly they performed, meaning it’s a set period of game time to unlock new heroes and then even more hours to grind out the loot boxes. After the outcry of how many hours it would take to unlock all the heroes EA initially slashed prices by 75%, and when that failed to quell the fury, completely disabled microtransactions until they hit the right balance.
Whatever that balance might be, the current situation is a mess. Starting players only get the basic loadout for each basic class, vehicle, and hero. To gain access to alternative abilities or minor character buffs, players must either grind out credits to purchase a crate or craft a specific card using crafting materials found in crates. This severely limits the flexibility of players to respond in situations right off the get go. Certain heroes are also caught behind the credit wall. Though EA and DICE consider these heroes a sidegrade from he existing heroes, the different abilities can be quite handy in certain situations or for certain styles of play. While prices have been axed by 75%, the prices are still quite high. Combined with the standardized credit rewards, we get the AFK players farming credits plaguing the game to the detriment of people actually trying to play. At the end of the day, it feels like EA and DICE created some great core mechanics by simplifying the proven Battlefield formula into a more accessible format, then promptly hamstrung their efforts with a poorly thought out monetization strategy.
At this point, I’m not entirely sure how EA and DICE are going to sort out this situation. It’s clearly a problem that can’t be fixed by just disabling microtransactions. The issues are running a lot deeper and may require a more aggressive overhaul if EA and DICE plan on supporting Star Wars: Battlefront II in the long term. I doubt EA and DICE have the nerve to completely get rid of tiered cards and buffs at this point, which creates the feeling of a pay to win title gamers already payed good money to buy; however, significantly decreasing the time it takes to collect new cards is probably the next best compromise. Increasing the credit gain per hour, addressing the AFK player issues, and replacing credits for duplicates with the original plan of crafting parts are all good starts. This would also help newer players get up to speed with veteran players. The microtransaction situation is in theory salvageable, the challenge is figuring out the exact way to do it.
Visuals
Star Wars: Battlefront II is a good looking game. The realistic art style does a great job recreating the feel of the movies. The cinematics are well directed. The models and textures are fantastic. For the most part, the animations are solid, but there are a few that could be improved. The crouching movement looks a bit off, and I ran into a repetitive issue with the injury animation chaining oddly in a way that turned Iden Versio into a twitching horror worthy of The Ring franchise.
On the technical side, DICE’s pedigree as a PC developer is clear. There are plenty of customization options for tuning the graphics. While I will have to cede the full technical breakdown to others better equipped to do so, I can say that my test rig did not run into any issues with the game.
Audio
The audio experience in Star Wars: Battlefront II is excellent. The soundtrack is exactly what you would expect from a Star Wars title. The sound effects are of high quality. The voice acting is great. The only thing that could be improved is the lousy VoIP system built into the game. It needs more modern features like push to talk to make it useful.
Overall
Star Wars: Battlefront II feels like a lot of wasted potential. The Starfighter Assault mode is fabulous and DICE has generally delivered a tight Battlefield-lite core experience that can appeal to just about everyone. There’s a lot of potential story to be told between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. Unfortunately, EA and DICE have really dropped the ball. The campaign feels like a lame last minute addition and the microtransaction plan is so tightly woven into the game mechanics that it turn the game into an unpleasant grind. The AFK plague is just a symptom of the game’s ills. EA and DICE will need to make some serious changes to Star Wars: Battlefront II in the coming weeks, if not days, to right this starship.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
It is hard to believe that it has been nearly ten years since Apollo Justice was served out for the 3DS, marking the fourth installment of the Phoenix Wright franchise, while letting players get a dose of a new protagonist in what was definitely one of the hottest properties on a portable during the 2000’s. What isn’t hard to believe is that Capcom love bringing back their successes this generation, and have finished off the main line ports with Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney now landing on the 3DS. This title may be a spin-off in terms of character, but kept so close to the core that it is considered to hold just as much weight for the overall series, compared to the likes of the other Wright titles that came before it. Can it still live up on a new platform after all of this time? Let’s find out.
Story
Missing panties. Poison. Thievery. These are just three types of cases Justice must tackle in this installment, as he goes from one investigation to the next in attempt to successfully represent his clients. For those that remember, one of the first cases have you represent Phoenix himself, which is definitely a nice splash of familiarity as you enter the courtroom. While there is a lot of story within each little section (separated into four different overall cases), with each connecting a overarching narrative that spreads throughout the entire game. This is typical visual novel fare, but done with a lot of love and detail, as the strong writing allows for the player to immerse themselves into the many personalities within the game, which makes every decision you make later on feel much more impactful. Being honest, Apollo Justice was never my favorite title in this franchise, but it still is good – and definitely crafted to give hours of entertainment for fans of such an iconic namesake.
Gameplay
Apollo Justice plays a bit like a point and click adventure, for those unfamiliar. Players are able to use their D-Pad and stylus to go from location to location, sharing dialogue sequences with other characters while obtaining evidence and clues for each case. During the investigation phase, players simply speak to witnesses and citizens, while picking up items that may be relevant to the crime. As a little bonus for players, there are also brief moments where you can utilize the microphone and stylus to interact with a specific area, allowing you to dust for fingerprints or swipe away an item to uncover something of interest.
Those mechanics are certainly fine, but Apollo Justice shines the brightest in the courtroom. The judge has a life bar that reflects his patience, and the player must present correct evidence in order to get through a case without causing too much irritation or doubt. On top of presenting evidence, players will also have the opportunity to hear each testimony, and then drill witnesses on the stand in order to drive the case further home. The exclusive perceive feature added a lot of depth the first time around, and still holds up despite being a regular mechanic in many more modern titles that feature investigation themed gameplay.
That said, this is the 3DS version and there are a few new tricks for those who are both new and seasoned to the experience. Players can now speed up dialogue by holding down a button if they choose, which can be a pleasant feature for those of us who have already played the game quite a bit and know these stories by heart. Those who are loyalists to the eastern style can also have a reason to celebrate, as you can change to the Japanese version of the game that holds its own unique save file. Sure, there are not a ton of new additions, but there seem to be just enough to call this port definitive.
Visuals and Audio
The visuals for this Ace Attorney title have never looked better. I mean, that is expected as the 3DS is far more powerful than the original DS, but considering how sharp the 2D cutscenes, animations, and colors look within this version, it is nice to see that Capcom worked to ensure that this release was handled with care. I remember reading during the press release for this game that a lot of changes were subtle and for those with an eye, but to be honest, I just didn’t see too much different other and minor (and I do mean minor) set decoration changes. The game still looks great though, so there is that.
The audio is also well done, bringing back and excellent soundtrack for a game that kind of wasn’t remembered for being the strongest in terms of music for the franchise. It wasn’t that the music was ever bad in Apollo Justice, it is just that this title is usually talked about less in all aspects, so it was great to get a chance to get a different atmosphere. The voice acting in both languages was also solid, with small yet impactful uses of verbal dialogue that add a lot more meaning to each scene.
Overall
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is just a nice title for the 3DS to get this late in its life. Not only does it complete Capcom’s “lists of titles to port” for this franchise, but it also reminds us all that Phoenix was not the only attorney worthy of celebration. Even though the changes are small, there is a very well made game here that can be a great starting point for newcomers, or a satisfying double-dip for those who already cherish the original title’s existence.
Super Mario Cereal from Kellogg’s® Makes Breakfast a Playful Experience
Cereal Boxes Have amiibo Functionality Built In!
REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– With Super Mario™ Cereal, Nintendo and Kellogg’s® have teamed up to take fans on a breakfast odyssey that will continue long after the cereal box is empty. In addition to collectible Super Mario Odyssey™ box art, each Super Mario Cereal box functions as an amiibo™ accessory, making breakfast a more playful experience.
With Super Mario™ Cereal, Nintendo and Kellogg’s® have teamed up to take fans on a breakfast odyssey that will continue long after the cereal box is empty. (Photo: Business Wire)
“This powered-up partnership with Kellogg’s is another exciting way for us to expand the Nintendo brand in unique and creative ways,” said Tom Prata, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. “We are always looking for new opportunities to bring smiles to people of all ages, and this is a fun way to kick off the day.”
The limited-edition cereal box will begin hitting store shelves across the U.S. as early as Dec. 11. Those playing the Super Mario Odyssey game can tap the cereal box on the Nintendo Switch™ system, like you would an amiibo, to receive gold coins or a heart in the game. Even the cereal itself has a Super Mario twist, with colorful power-up marshmallows and a blast of mixed berry flavor in every box.
“We are thrilled to pack so much fun into one box of cereal,” said Brad Schwan, Senior Director of Morning Foods Marketing. “The package adds value and excitement for fans, with marshmallow shapes in the cereal inspired by Super Mario power-ups to tie the theme together.”
Remember that Nintendo Switch features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/switch/.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Nintendo Switch™ system and the Nintendo 3DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.5 billion video games and more than 710 million hardware units globally, including Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS™ family of systems, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™, Nintendo GameCube™, Wii™ and Wii U™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names, such as Mario, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Zelda and Pokémon. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Americas. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.
About Kellogg’s®: At Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), we strive to make foods people love. This includes our beloved brands – Kellogg’s®, Keebler®, Special K®, Pringles®, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes®, Pop-Tarts®, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes®, Rice Krispies®, Cheez-It®, Eggo®, Mini-Wheats® and more – that nourish families so they can flourish and thrive. With 2016 sales of $13 billion and more than 1,600 foods, Kellogg is the world’s leading cereal company; second largest producer of crackers and savory snacks; and a leading North American frozen foods company. And we’re a company with a heart and soul, committing to help create 3 billion Better Days by 2025 through our Breakfasts for Better Days global purpose platform. To learn more, visit www.KelloggCompany.com or www.OpenforBreakfast.com and follow us on Twitter @KelloggCompany, YouTube and on our Social K corporate blog.
Jazz Jackrabbit bounces back – the Epic platformers now only on GOG.com
Out now: Jazz Jackrabbit, Jazz Jackrabbit 2 (also Epic Pinball)
NOV 30 – Have you felt like playing Jazz Jackrabbit recently? It’s been a hare-pulling effort…
Well furget all that! We’ve jumped on the opportunity to restore these Epic platformers (also Epic Pinball) to their former glory, and as GOG.com tradition would have it: working great on modern PCs!
Together with Epic Games we’re feeling hoppity about the glorious return of Jazz Jackrabbit and Jazz Jackrabbit 2! Designed by Cliff Bleszinski and named Arcade Game of the Year by PC Format in 1994, Jazz Jackrabbit was one the first platformers to appear on PC – launching Epic Games into high orbit of popularity!
The GOG.com edition of Jazz Jackrabbit 2 can also come pre-bundled with the incredible JJ2+ mod. Packing years of dedication from the Jazz Jackrabbit community, expanded multiplayer features and game modes, tons of fixes, and expanded tools to play (and create) the huge library of community-made content.
Download Jazz Jackrabbit 2 with the JJ2+ mod through the Beta Channels feature in GOG Galaxy or by grabbing the appropriate offline installers directly from your GOG.com account.
But if you aren’t flipping out for Jazz, come revisit 1993’s Epic Pinball: a jackpot entry in a budding subgenre, bringing “life-like” visuals to the table alongside smooth and fluid ballplay unlike anything at the time. Epic Pinball is available only on GOG.com, launching at 10% off.
Save 25% when you get Jazz Jackrabbit, Jazz Jackrabbit 2, and Epic Pinball in one purchase, and it’s a great time to check out deals on more Pinball and Platformer games: Owlboy (-25%), Yooka-Laylee (-50%), Dream Pinball 3D (-90%), Pinball World (-70%), and more!
AMSTERDAM, November 30, 2017 – Tetris®, the iconic video game, goes live on the Instant Games platform for Messenger today.
“People using Messenger can now play Tetris instantly and share it with their friends. Messaging apps are the next big games platform, unlocking an audience of potentially billions of players,” said Laurens Rutten, Founder and CEO of CoolGames. “It’s great to be able to develop Tetris for this new and innovative platform!”
For more than 30 years, Tetris has been captivating hundreds of millions fans worldwide, with its iconic Tetrimino shapes and addictive gameplay. Today, Tetris remains one of the most beloved and recognized video game franchises of all time, and as new platforms emerge, Tetris is always on it.
With Tetris marathon mode, players need to clear lines with the goal of achieving the highest score possible. Adding to the intense gameplay experience, new high-score leaderboards, daily missions and simple to use friend-invites, so they can easily join in the fun, have been added for Messenger’s 1.3 billion users to enjoy.
“Spanning decades and generations, Tetris has delighted hundreds of millions of fans worldwide, and we’re excited to welcome this beloved franchise to the Instant Games platform,” said Bob Slinn, Director, Games Partnerships EMEA, at Facebook. “The development team at CoolGames has honored one of the most popular games of all time, and with new platform mechanics like Group play on Messenger, fans have a chance to play, connect and share like never before.”
Maya Rogers, President and CEO of Blue Planet Software, sole agent for the Tetris brand adds, “Whether it’s on a laptop or mobile device, players across the globe love to play Tetris, which is why we’re thrilled to bring the timeless fun of this beloved game to Messenger’s billions of players.”
Tetris for Instant Games is developed by CoolGames’ in-house studio. CoolGames was a launch partner for Facebook’s Instant Games platform in November 2016. Other successful titles that were released on Messenger include Battleship, Snake, and Jewel Academy. CoolGames plans to launch several new AAA titles for Instant Games in the coming months.
Tetris for Instant Games is now available to play for free here.
About CoolGames
CoolGames is a pioneer in bringing high quality and fun casual games to messaging platforms and was a launch-partner of Instant Games by Facebook. It has released various AAA titles and expects to generate more than 2 billion gameplays on Messenger in 2017.
The company was founded in 2010 to prove that mobile games don’t have to be limited to the app-stores alone. Using 100% HTML5 technology, CoolGames has been publishing hundreds of games since. The company’s headquarters and in-house studio are based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, with a satellite office in Tokyo. For more information about CoolGames, please visit corporate.coolgames.com.
About the Tetris® Brand:
The Tetris® brand is one of the leading and most distinctive video game brands and franchises in the world. For over 30 years, the brand has been loved globally by people of all ages and all cultures. Billions of Tetris games are played online every year, and over 500 million Tetris mobile games have been downloaded to date. Working with Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Sega, Sony/GSN Games and many other licensing partners, the Tetris franchise continues to be one of the most widely recognized video game brands of all time. Tetris Holding, LLC is the owner of Tetris rights worldwide, and The Tetris Company, LLC is its exclusive licensee. For the latest information about the Tetris brand and Tetris products, please visit www.tetris.com.
Disney and Marvel Studios released a brand new trailer for the next Marvel Cinematic Universe film Avengers: Infinity War. The film is set four years after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and brings together the who’s who of the Marvel universe in an epic battle against Thanos, who is looking to create a gauntlet from the Infinity Stones to control reality itself. Everyone from Ironman to Black Panther will have to pool their skills to ensure the gauntlet is never made.
The film is actually the first of two parts. Avengers: Infinity War will hit cinemas on May 4, 2018, while the yet to be named second half will launch a year later in May 2019.
Sony Interactive Entertainment Australia is pleased to announce the impressive line up of games available to PlayStation Plus members this December.
The first free PS Plus title for December kicks off with Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition. A remaster of the PS3 action adventure, the ‘Deathinitive’ edition has been carefully polished for PS4 with upgraded visuals across the board and all the original DLC bundled in for good measure. Oozing with the brutal cool of a goth-metal guitarist, you’ll take on the role of legendary Horseman, Death, as he runs a scythe through various celestial plains in a quest to avenge his brother.
What is Christmas about if not the act of loved ones casually bashing the stuffing out of one other as characters from a popular animated film series? In the second free title in December, Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends, one to four players hop into the arena as classic characters from the film series and go head-to-head to be crowned the ultimate kung fu master.
Continuing from last month, Until Dawn: Rush of Bloodand That’s You!will both be able to download throughout December too. Until Dawn: Rush of Blood comes from the same team that brought you 2016’s break-out horror hit Until Dawn. The spin-off draws inspiration from the original game – including locations and characters – and, using the power of PS VR, takes you on a thoroughly distributing tour of one man’s unhinged imagination – definitely not for the faint of heart!
PlayLink title That’s You! is an irreverent party quiz for you and up to five friends or family, inviting players to find out what they really think of each other. With your TV, PS4 and a tablet or smartphone in hand, answer over 1,000 funny questions, take part in daring doodle challenges, snap selfies for photo challenges and more.
Check out the full list of free December titles below:
MARVEL FUTURE FIGHT INTRODUCES TEAM ULTIMATES FROM MARVEL COMICS
America Chavez, Blue Marvel, Quasar, and Nova Join the Game Along With Updates to Story Missions
Seoul, Korea (November 29, 2017) – Netmarble Games Corp., the fastest-growing mobile game company worldwide, today released an Ultimate update for its hit mobile title MARVEL Future Fight. The update adds five members from team Ultimates, a group of Super Heroes led by America Chavez to solve cosmic and dimensional issues threatening the Earth. Also included in this update are two new uniforms for S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson and the fiery Inhuman known as Inferno.
This update introduces a new chapter to Story Missions titled “Ultimate Solution” where players will join with the members of the Ultimates team to stop the destruction and collapse of all the known worlds. The chapter reveals fundamental foundations of the MARVEL Future Fight lore and provides an all-new background for the heroes and villains from the Ultimates comic book series.
With this update, earlier stages in the Story Missions will have their difficulties adjusted for better balance to help newer players enjoy engaging and lively battles. These adjustments also add newly arranged stages that offer a variety of challenges and elaborate Villain patterns. Stats will also be more visible to players with numbers directly viewable on the character cards and an improved sorting function will help players sort their cards easily by stats.
“The Ultimates are extremely important protectors of the Marvel Universe, saving Earth from cosmic and dimensional rifts and threats that aren’t seen or acknowledged by the average human,” said Seungwon Lee, Chief Global Officer at Netmarble Games. “By adding them to MARVEL Future Fight, we’re hoping to bring more recognition to a beloved team of interstellar saviors.”
The full list of new characters joining MARVEL Future Fight is below:
America Chavez – A heroine from a different dimension. She was once a member of the Young Avengers, but is now a member of the Ultimates. She possesses super-human strength and the ability to create portals that connect to other dimensions.
Blue Marvel – A Veteran Marine of the Korean War and a scientist. An explosive lab accident grants him the ability to absorb anti-matter and use it to wield superhuman powers and become nearly invincible.
Quasar (Avril Kincaid) – A former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Avril received the Quantum bands from the previous Quasar, Wendell Vaughn, to become the new Quasar. The power from the Quantum Bands allow her to attack using energy.
Anti-Man – A close friend of Blue Marvel who fought with him in the Korean War. Previously known as Connor Sims, he was in the same laboratory explosion as Blue Marvel and had his body disassembled by anti-matter. He later pulls himself together with the power drawn from the anti-matter, also harnessing it to possess superior physical strength and enabling him to create torrential storms made of anti-matter.
Nova (Sam Alexander) – Sam Alexander received his father’s Nova helmet to become the new Nova. Like other members of the Nova Corps, Sam is able to fly and release bursts of energy.
MARVEL Future Fight is available worldwide on the App Store® and Google Play™.
Netmarble Games 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 a top mobile developer and publisher worldwide. With more than 4,000 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 the largest shareholder to Jam City, a leading casual social game developer, and parent company to Kabam, a top mobile game developer in massively multiplayer free-to-play games, Netmarble has a strategic partnership with CJ E&M 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 www.netmarble.com.
App Store is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Google Play is a trademark of Google Inc.
Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation is a turn-based dungeon crawler drawing inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons style board games. Such games, if done right, can gain a niche but steady following and strong community. So far I had the opportunity to play a good number of board games adapted to this medium and it is hard to find a middle ground. One thing is for sure after playing this – adding “Dungeons & Dragons” in the title would benefit the game far more than what it has going for it now. The gameplay just doesn’t do much for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY2f8MBwuPA
Story
Besides the opening screen wishing us all the best on our journey, there are only bits and pieces of the story that you have to stitch together. On the Chult peninsula, the adventuring expedition of four must find their way through traps filled jungle, slay hordes of monsters, battle occasional bosses – all that to find and reverse a cause of their death curse. The rest of story pieces you can find through the main quest and some optional ones. As generic as it seems, the story aspect is rarely a focus in these kinds of games. It’s there to give you a faint reason for slaying small armies of monsters. If you take that out of the mix, then there only grinding for loot and materials as a motivation. And oh boy, Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation sure has a lot of that.
Gameplay
Despite the minimalistic first quest (which acts as a tutorial), it’s pretty easy to grasp the basics of the gameplay. The problem is, it doesn’t do more to keep you invested. But we’ll get to that later. When you take the quest, the game throws you into a map made out of 4×4 tiles. At first, only the 4×4 tiles you’re currently on are revealed. To uncover more, you need to finish your turn at the edge of the tile and then the one next to it will be shown. Now, the whole map is filled with monsters, treasures, traps (luckily, you can disarm those) and there is no indication of where is what as you uncover more. Eventually, the game will just give up and throw the map tiles needed for a quest at you. Usually, it is a boss you need to beat or a set number of enemies to dispatch. There is also an interesting mechanic in form of adrenaline that you use to turn the battle in your favor. It is a resource that fills up slowly in combat and once activated, it can provide valuable buffs. A neat little thing that saved me from death more than once. Regarding your four-man party, it consists out of your standard ranger, paladin, wizard, and a bard. I’m using the term “four-man party” loosely here since only the ranger is an actual human. Slaying your way to the end is not all you are going to do since crafting and upgrading equipment is an important aspect of the game. But here we also get to one of the biggest missteps of the game. You receive only a small batch of the necessary materials needed to craft/upgrade something per quest. That forces you to repeat and grind many quests and try your luck by raising the difficulty for them. Doing so will give you more materials and gold if you manage to complete them. Yes, besides a whole lot materials, gold is another thing that you will need often. One thing that alleviates the issue (and what I found a bit concerning) is that the deluxe edition of the game on Steam gives you a plenty of valuable mats, 50% gold boost and 20,000 gold. Not the best way to resolve an imbalance in the game by giving you an option of buying a fix.
Visuals
After having a bitter taste in my mouth thanks to bland and grindy gameplay, it was refreshing to see the visuals of the game having an extraordinary amount of work put into them. The maps are brimming with details, and I never imagined finding character menus and overall art to be the best part of the game.
Audio
Another thing that might steal away the focus of gaining materials and exp is the remarkable soundtrack of the game. Filled with medieval and renaissance tunes, it can make the grind somewhat bearable. The music could be perfectly described as intense and almost hinting something terrible is about to happen. Add the tile revealing mechanic to the mix and it is a good way to form a paranoia and fear of the unknown in the player.
Overall
Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation is a game that took some right steps but none of them led to fun and immersive gameplay. The music & visuals are great, but the core of the game is something that requires a great deal of patience from you. The game is clearly made for a niche audience and I could only recommend it to you if you’re a hardcore D&D fan. Even then, Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation will have some moments to test your patience with excruciatingly slow combat. For anyone else considering this as their first trip into the world of virtual board style games, it can be a tough nut to crack. Come to think of it, even an actual board game played all by yourself might seem more fun and less repetitive. Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Story
Those mechanics are certainly fine, but Apollo Justice shines the brightest in the courtroom. The judge has a life bar that reflects his patience, and the player must present correct evidence in order to get through a case without causing too much irritation or doubt. On top of presenting evidence, players will also have the opportunity to hear each testimony, and then drill witnesses on the stand in order to drive the case further home. The exclusive perceive feature added a lot of depth the first time around, and still holds up despite being a regular mechanic in many more modern titles that feature investigation themed gameplay.
Gameplay
Visuals
Audio
Overall