GungHo Online Entertainment America Inks Partnership with Signal Studios For Upcoming AAA Mobile Project
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Aug. 7, 2017 – GungHo Online Entertainment America, Inc. (GOEA), today announced it has entered a partnership with Signal Studios to develop an all-new AAA mobile gaming experience. Signal Studios developed the action-strategy game Toy Soldiers and free-to-play title Ascend: Hand of Kul.
The partnership facilitates the company’s growth in the west following the launch of successful free-to-play titles such as mobile phenomenon Puzzle & Dragons and Grasshopper Manufacture’s hit hack-and-slash game, LET IT DIE for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system.
“Our partnership with Signal Studios will add immense value to our company’s lineup of diverse and engaging experiences,” said Jun Iwasaki, CEO and President of GOEA. “Signal is among the most creative and passionate studios in the videogames industry and we look forward to collaborating with them.”
The relationship properly equips Signal Studios with the resources to nourish the company’s innovation and develop engrossing new experiences for mobile audiences across the globe.
“Partnering with GungHo is an exciting move for Signal and accelerates our vision of bringing a AAA mobile gaming experience to a global audience,” said D.R. Albright III, President & Creative Director at Signal Studios. “We believe GungHo’s leadership and experience in the industry will improve our accessibility to the market and help us reach new heights as a games studio.”
GungHo Online Entertainment America, Inc. (GOEA) is a multiplatform publisher dedicated to delivering the best titles, content, and support for the online gaming community. Established in 2012 and led by former Square Enix and XSEED Games executive Jun Iwasaki, GOEA is the US subsidiary of GungHo Online Entertainment (GOE), an established Japanese publisher. GOEA’s content partners include leading developers Grasshopper Manufacture, Game Arts, Acquire, and Gravity, all of which are subsidiaries of GOE. GOEA publishes and distributes network-oriented games for console, handheld, mobile, tablet, and MMO-style games for PC. GOEA is located in El Segundo, CA. For more information, visit www.gunghoonline.com.
About Signal Studios
Signal Studios is an independent video game development company formed in early 2008 by DR Albright. Based in Kirkland, WA, Signal Studios is the creator of the popular games Toy Soldiers and Ascend: Hand of Kul. The company is currently working on multiple new IPs across current, next generation, and mobile platforms. For more information visit: www.signalstudios.net.
I’m a simple man. I see “cat” in a title, I’m already interested. When it comes to games, that has not served me well so far. I can thank Greenlight’s quality check for that (or lack of any, to be honest). Asset flips, low effort games, broken games – most of them found a way to desecrate the holy order of felinity. Yet, every once in a while, we get a game that manages to save face for all the virtual cats out there. Cat Quest manages to do a lot of things right while keeping it all simple. Not to mention ridiculously cute.
Story
A relaxing fishing trip with your sister is interrupted by an evil cat antagonist (catagonist?) Drakoth who steals your sister, destroys the boat and throws you into the water. That last part is especially devastating if you’re a cat. Later you find yourself stranded in a world of Felingard and meet your new companion Spirry (think of him as a less annoying version of Navi from Legend of Zelda). Now you’re all set for a brand new mewenture!
Gameplay
Yes, a mewenture. The game is rich with cat puns but also play on words with real world locations, pop culture references and parodying a couple of things from Skyrim here and there. Now, see that first screenshot above? The first time I took control of the game I figured it is a static type map so I clicked on the first nearby location. But to my amazement, the catracter (cat + character, original pun, do not steal!) swung his sword and I realized the world map is alive and interactive with me and everything else in it!
On our way to slay some dragons, defeat Drakoth and save our sister in the end, there are plenty of hurdles we must jump over in the process. In this cases, hurdles would be gaining a lot of experience, new equipment and weapons. There are two ways we can go on about it – slaying random monsters on the world map and solving side quests. The first approach is something I wouldn’t recommend. The more you wander away into the unknown, higher the chance you’ll stumble upon some overpowered monsters who will kill you in one hit. Patience and not rushing is the key here. Also, solving the average side quests will give you enough exp that you would earn otherwise by fighting random monsters for half an hour. Speaking of fights, Cat Quest has simple and exciting combat mechanic at the same time. All battles are done real time where you can cast spells while slashing them with your sword. Evading attacks by rolling is important too, since enemies won’t just stand there while you’re picking them off one by one. Their attack range and time is represented by a growing red circle underneath them, so you’ll know when it is the best moment to roll away to safety.
Visuals
If there is one word to describe Cat Quest with, it is the most obvious one: cute. Everything is cute. The monsters, the world map, even the equipment you put on your hero. I spent way too much time dressing up that kitty to balance between good & cute equipment I could put on him. Something simple as watching you kitty skipping around while running is strangely fulfilling. One thing that felt (and looked) monotonous is something you’d expect from most of the RPGs by now. The dungeons. After you pillage through a few, you start to see repeating visuals. At least you won’t spend too much time in them unless some side quest sends you there.
Audio
As for the music, it’s only there if you stop and look for it. Not much to find, though. One repeating audio background as you explore the world, a different tunes when you’re on a side quest or in a dungeon and that’s pretty much it. Nothing on that front that will stand out but at least it keeps the game from being completely mute. It is a shame since Cat Quest is a type of game that’s just begging for a memorable soundtrack.
Overall
There is a whole lot of content to be found behind this deceptively simple game. With over 50 dungeons to explore and 60 side quests to solve, it’s sure to keep you occupied for a while. Most of the work in the game went into an adorable art style and a meticulously crafted world and it shows on every skippity step you take. It has my honest recommendation for the sheer amount of cuteness and cat puns (what can I say, I’m weak to those).
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Developer: Nvizzio Creations , Darewise Entertainment Publisher: Darewise Entertainment Platform: Windows Release Date: 16 May 207 Price: $24.99 USD – Available Here ROKH is an open world survival game set on Mars. Players take on the role of an astronaut sent to the Red Planet after a series of nuclear blasts from the nuclear reactors destroy the planet’s settlements. With only the most basic supplies, players must scavenge and harvest resources from the planet to disable the out of control nuclear reactors and rebuild settlements for future colonization. The developers have built ROKH’s gameplay around the three pillars of crafting, survival, and exploration. The game is currently in alpha testing and is available through Steam Early Access.
In a market wildly oversaturated in survival games, it is hard to stand out. ROKH’s overarching story that ties the entire game together is likely one of the major features that will separate it from the rest of the pack. While the game is in alpha stages, players who explore the abandoned settlements will discover bits of writing left over by the now dead first wave settlers that tells tales from the last days before the nuclear blasts. I think it is a solid way to deliver a compelling story in an open world survival game.
ROKH builds its gameplay on three pillars: survival, exploration, and crafting. To start a game players choose a server to create a character on and select a viable drop zone in the top left corner of the map. They are dropped near a power station and some emergency supplies. The players are only given a few basic tools and parts to construct their first mining pick. The rest will be up to the player to scavenge and collect. The early game puts a lot of focus on exploration, as it is the only source of food, water, and oxygen until players can craft the requisite machinery to create a steady supply on their own.
As ROKH is set on a near future Mars, players have a few more things to worry about than the average survival game. Not only do players need to manage their health, hunger, and thirst, the space suit needs to be powered and players must maintain a steady supply of oxygen while keeping their radiation levels low. The increased number of survival needs provides an extra layer of challenge when it comes to building settlements and exploring long distances.
ROKH has a pretty beefy tech tree that will keep players busy for some time. There are lots of tools, building blocks, and machines to available to craft. Creating a sealed space is one of the first tasks for the budding colonist. An enclosed space can protect players from radiation if crafted from dense enough materials and can be pressurized with oxygen, allowing for players to save their oxygen tanks for adventuring outside. From there, players will jump into a world of tools and machines used to improve living spaces, provide the resources needed for survival, and manufacture items in bulk. I really like that tools can be crafted with optional parts to give the tool extra modifiers like increased durability or higher damage once more advanced tools are available.
There are different raw materials to scavenge on Mars. There are only a handful of in-game textures for harvestable material right now, so tracking down specific things for harvest takes a bit of memory work at this point. I like that the crafting system is very flexible about what raw materials it will accept. As long as the material meets minimum stat requirements, it will craft. On the flip side, repairing items can be a bit of a hassle as each component of the item needs to be repaired with whatever material it was crafted with. Alternatively, players can simple salvage damaged parts from broken tools and reuse the part later. The reuse philosophy fits well for the Martian setting, but I would have liked to see the game separate damaged parts from fresh ones by default, instead of putting them all in one stack. That way, players could have better control on what parts they plan on using for a new tool.
ROKH’s crafting experience needs a lot of work still as it is incredibly clunky. The crafting menu is scattered between individual tools held in the toolbelt. To craft a single simple tool from a raw material mined from the surface, players will need to equip and use two separate tools, each with its own crafting menu. More complex machinery can require three to four different tools to arrive at an end product. Making the system even more frustrating is the limitation to just five available slots in the toolbelt, forcing players to shuffle around items constantly. A much better system would be a single, unified menu that provides options based on the tools currently equipped on the belt. Additionally, increasing the toolbelt capacity to eight or even ten slots would go a long way as a quality of life enhancement.
The menus are awkward at times. There is no indication on the server browser as to what servers the player has characters on. Tools like the crowbar and the wrench will hold items in its crafting slot when the crafting menu is closed, instead of automatically returning the item to the inventory. Crafting multiple items requires everything to be done in a specific order, otherwise the game will spit out an error. Inventory management is simple right now and desperately needs an organize bag button to help clean up messy inventories.
Construction is a much better experience. The base construction material are tiles, which as its name suggests are small flat objects that create walls, floors, ceilings, and any other surface the player may need to build. These can be made from nearly anything, though the denser materials provide better protection from radiation. Putting down the first floor as it can be a little tricky to find the exact ground height. But once the first floor tile is laid down, building with tiles is very easy as everything snaps into place.
The controls in ROKH very much reflects its alpha testing status. Options are at the spartan side currently. Key bindings can be tweaked, but there is no option to modify the mouse options.
ROKH is clearly in its infancy and still has a long way to go before the game is ready for a full launch. The game’s emphasis on exploration with an overarching story to be discovered is an intriguing prospect. There are some good ideas floating around, but the user experience needs to be improved. Basic options for tweaking things like mouse sensitivity must be added soon. Menus need polishing to be more user friendly. The crafting system is in dire need of a rework due to its frustrating system of multiple tools and limited belt space. As with any early access title, the current state may not represent the end product when it is launched in twelve months time, but the current state of the game is not recommended for general play.
Paris, France, August 4th 2017 – Today, publisher Playdius and game developer The Pixel Hunt announced a publishing deal for the text-message-based game Bury me, my Love. Co-produced by ARTE and Figs and supported by the CNC, the game will be playable at the Gamescom 2017.
Bury me, my Love is a text-message-based game designed for handheld devices. It tells the story of Nour, a young Syrian woman who is leaving her homeland to find refuge in Europe. Majd, her husband, stayed back in Syria; through a messaging app, he is going to do his best to give her some directions so she can reach her destination safely.
Bury me, my Love is a “reality-inspired game,” a documented fiction which draws inspiration directly from real-world events. The original idea stems from an article written by Le Monde.fr journalist Lucie Soullier that tells the story of Dana, a young Syrian woman who fled her country and is now living in Germany.
“We are proud to work with The Pixel Hunt”, said Francis Ingrand, Plug In Digital & Playdius CEO. “The heart-warming relationship of the characters enclosed in a simple, yet beautifully designed game make of Bury me, my Love a wonderful experience”.
Bury me, my Love will be available in Q4 2017 on iOS and Android.
Bethesda released a brand new dev diary from the Bethesda Live Stage to talk about The Evil Within 2. The first part of the video explores some of the gameplay options open to players and how the game responds to the player’s decisions. The communicator device is new to the series that gives players multiple paths throughout the level that can reward players or lead them to their doom. The developers emphasized that they wanted to give players an experience where players can choose their favourite approach based on the tools available to them, whether they opt for a pure stealth approach or a more action focused kill them all assassin mindset.
Additionally, the character upgrade system has been overhauled to give players more flexibility. The old green gel system has been overhauled in the new game. Green gel is now only used to upgrade Sebastian, while new weapon parts are used to upgrade weapons. Content Manager Anne Lewis dives into more detail about some of the skills and upgrades available to Sebastian in a new feature on the Bethesda blog.
The video also touches on the types of horror in The Evil Within 2. While the game will still be full of gore, the writers have opted to focus on psychological horror as the story explores Sebastian as a character in much greater depth. Bethesda has released some creepy new artwork that is from Stefano’s gallery. The artwork is the basis for some of the horrors Sebastian will encounter in Union. Stefan’s gallery is set to be an actual in-game location, so its likely that the artwork is only a small preview of a much larger batch of work/ Much of it is definitely NSFW, but can be found at the Bethesda blog.
The Evil Within 2 is scheduled to launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on October 13.
Ubisoft released a brand new trailer today that walks viewers through some co-op action in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Lead Producer Xavier Manzanares and Creative Director Davide Soliani demo one of the co-op challenges that are found inside the BuddyDomes throughout the game. Each challenge has unique goals and three levels of difficulty to tackle. Players will take four of the game’s eight characters into the challenge, with each player controlling two characters. The video shows off an entire challenge where players will need to escort Toad and Toadette to two separate points. Viewers will get an in-depth look at the game’s turn based combat system and some of the skills available to players.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battleis an adventure game with turn based combat. Set in Mushroom Kingdom after a vortex allows the Rabbids to invade. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Yoshi must team up with four Rabbids dressed up as them to save the kingdom. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle launches for the Switch on August 29.
For Honorseason two is winding down, which means season three is about to bring players new maps and heroes. Season three will officially begin on August 15th. The two new maps will be Sentinel and Viking Village. Both maps have deadly environmental hazards that will force players to be extra cautious while traversing the map. Both maps will be immediately available to all players at the start of season three on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows.
This season will introduce the Highlander hybrid to the Viking faction. The Highlander has a defensive form that specializes in counter attacks and an offensive form that disables the block ability in favour of massive attacks with the claymore sword. The Knights will also be getting a new Assassin class called the Gladiator. The Gladiator is styled after the Roman retiarius and wields a trident, but trades the traditional dagger and weighted net for a shield. The lightly armoured Gladiator has high stamina for raining quick attacks and stuns on their enemies from a formidable distance. For Honor Season Pass holders will be able to play the two new classes right away starting August 15th, while the rest of us will have to wait until August 22nd to purchase them for 15,000 steel each.
Season three is also bringing in a new tier of legendary gear and raising the reputation cap to 40. 1 vs 1 tournaments are also being introduced to the game. Tournament rankings will reset each season, and winners will get special rewards.
For Honor “Grudge & Glory” will make its debut at the livestreamedFor Honor Hero Series tournament. The event is boasting a $10,000 USD prize pool. Viewers can tune in on Twitch on August 12 at 11 am PST.
THE UBICOLLECTIBLES® SIX COLLECTION FIGURINESNOW AVAILABLE FOR PREORDERS
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – August 4, 2017 – Ubisoft has announced that the SIX Collection Chibi, a set of 5 exclusive figurines inspired by iconic characters of the Rainbow Six franchise, are now available for preorder on the Ubisoft Store in Australia and New Zealand.
In order to remain faithful to the iconic heroes of the franchise, Ubicollectibles & Ubiworkshop have teamed up directly with Ubisoft Montreal studio to create these figurines of 10cm each. The collection includes the following items:
Eliza “Ash” Cohen, is an attacking operator, specialized in demolition. Using her Remote Breach, she can destroy anything and surprise her opponents.
Monika “IQ” Weiss is also an attacking operator, specialized in electronics detection, meaning she can easily avoid all enemy traps!
Gilles “Montagne” Touré always goes ahead to cover his team. With his extendable shield, he can stop OpFor bullets during any siege assault.
James “Smoke” Porter is a defending operator with a lot of courage and determination on the battlefield. He is specialised in poison gaz production and manipulation.
Alexsandr “Tachanka” Senaviev[1] is also a defending operator, specialised in heavy weapon manipulation. He uses his favourite weapon, a RP-46 Degtyaryov machine gun, to annihilate the enemies.
By purchasing one figurine of the SIX collection, players will receive a unique code to unlock exclusive in-game content in reference to the charms hanged on the operator’s weapons.
These unique collector’s items will be released on October 3rd and are already available for preorder on the Ubisoft Store. They will also be available for purchase as a worldwide exclusive at Gamescom, from August 22th to 26th on the Ubisoft boutique (Hall 5.)
About Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
Inspired by real-world counter-terrorist organizations, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege puts players in the middle of lethal close-quarter confrontations. For the first time in a Rainbow Six game, players will engage in sieges, a new style of assault where enemies have the means to transform their environments into modern strongholds while Rainbow Six teams lead the assault to breach the enemy’s position. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege gives players unprecedented control over their ability to fortify their position by reinforcing walls and floors, using barbed wire and deployable shields, laying mines and more, or to breach the enemies’ position using observation drones, setting charges, rappelling and more. The fast pace and uniqueness of each siege sets a new bar for intense firefights, strategic gameplay and competitive gaming.
About Ubicollectibles
As a team of genuine video games and geek culture fans, Ubicollectibles is a branch of Ubisoft which brings to life a wide range of premium, limited-edition collectible products. The Ubicollectibles items are meticulously crafted in close collaboration with the studios to appeal to the fans of Ubisoft’s popular brands.
FOR HONOR® SEASON THREE “GRUDGE & GLORY” COMING AUGUST 15
For Honor’s Biggest Season Yet Brings New Heroes, Maps, Ranked Play and Numerous Updates to In-Game Experience
SYDNEY, Australia — August 4, 2017 — Ubisoft® has announced that For Honor® Season Three “Grudge & Glory” will launch simultaneously across all platforms on August 15. “Grudge & Glory” will bring the largest updates to For Honor to date with the introduction of new heroes, maps, gear, ranked play and a wealth of gameplay updates. All maps and gameplay updates will be free for all players at the start of Season Three. The new heroes, the proud Highlander and the fearless Gladiator, will be available for free for Season Pass holders on August 15, while all other players will be able to unlock them in-game on August 22 for 15,000 Steel. The launch of Season Three is the first step in the For Honor development schedule that includes another season in November alongside plans to introduce dedicated servers at a later date.
The never-ending war between Knights, Vikings and Samurai welcomes two new deadly Heroes into the fray:
Highlander (Viking Hybrid) –Highlanders are patient heroes capable of switching between two different fighting forms. Their defensive form allows for counter-attacking and trading blows, while their offensive form empowers them to unleash their deadliest attacks at the expense of being able to block. Wielding the heaviest and longest sword in the game, the Highlander’s massive claymore gives them a deadly combination of strength and range.
Gladiator (Knight Assassin) – Wielding a trident and shield, Gladiators have made a living off of killing for sport, and now bring their ruthlessness and skill to war. Equipped with little armor, they can punch their opponents to create separation to set up attacks and stuns. Their larger stamina meter and reduced cool down times make them extremely agile and dangerous opponents.
The two new battlefields, Sentinel and Viking Village, will be added to the world map. Both maps hold a unique and deadly environmental hazard which will force players to master the terrain and be aware of their surroundings at all times. Additionally, Season Three will introduce a new legendary gear rarity and increase the max reputation for all Heroes to 40 giving players more customization options for their Heroes.
Season Three will also bring competitive play to all platforms with the introduction of 1v1 duel tournaments. Competing in tournaments will allow players to vie for higher rankings, which will reset each season, and win exclusive tournament rewards. Competitive play will continue to grow later this year with the introduction of 4v4 ranked modes. In conjunction with the launch of Season Three and in order to further balance the game in preparation for competitive play, title update 1.11 will bring several additional gameplay updates. Additional gameplay adjustments to better balance offensive and defensive play styles will be further tested throughout Season 3.
Those looking to get their first peek at the new content included in Season 3 can tune into the For Honor Season 3 Live Event: Grudge & Glory Reveal livestream tournament on twitch.tv/forhonorgame on August 12 starting 11AM PST. This live event will also see the winners of the For Honor Hero Series qualifiers coming together from around the world to compete for their share of a $10,000 prize pool.
Developed by Ubisoft Montreal in collaboration with other Ubisoft studios,* For Honor offers an engaging campaign and thrilling multiplayer modes. Players embody warriors of the three Great Factions – the bold Knights, the brutal Vikings and the deadly Samurai – fighting to the death on intense and believable melee battlefields. The Art of Battle, the game’s innovative combat system that puts players in total control of their warriors, allows them to utilize the unique skills and combat style of each hero to vanquish all enemies who stand in their way. For Honor will continue to grow and improve with a new season launching in November alongside plans to introduce dedicated servers further down the development schedule.
For the latest on For Honor and all Ubisoft games, please visit ubiblog.com.
*Associate Ubisoft studios are Quebec, Toronto and Blue Byte.
ABOUT UBISOFT
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2016-17 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,460 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoft.com.
MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY COMMEMORATES ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Month Long Celebration Welcomes New Players with Special Giveaways and Game Balance Enhancements
SYDNEY, 4th August, 2017 – Square Enix Ltd., is celebrating the one year anniversary of MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY™, which has over 10 million global players. Throughout this month, the popular mobile RPG will offer many in-game giveaways, including:
Anniversary Greater Summon — Players can perform one Greater Summon at no cost
Daily Free Summons – Players will be able to summon one card for free every day for the entire month.
Special Login Bonus – Players who log in during the month can receive up to 14 free summon tickets and two Growstars
Magicite Purchase Campaign – Players can receive 50% extra magicite for up to eight purchases.
Mobius Week – Players will receive Mobius Day bonuses from today to 8th August, such as double stamina received from Elixirs, increased fusion success rate, an increased chance of unlocking extra skills and a skillseed bonus for all elements in the exploration regions.
Ranking Events, Mobius Gift Box Purchase Appreciation Present and more.
Additionally, the title has undergone a number of gameplay enhancements, including:
More Magicite – Aside from login bonuses and daily missions, players can now obtain Magicite from enemies in battle, so they can buy more items and obtain new cards.
Card Summon Enhancements – Greater Ability Summons have been overhauled so that new cards will be easier to obtain.
Ability Card Updates – Unlocking and augmenting cards have lower requirements, making it easier than ever.
“With MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY, we focused on presenting a high-quality game to all players during the past year,” said Producer Yoshinori Kitase in a video message. “We’ll continue to maintain this level of quality in the years to come.” The full video message from Director Motomu Toriyama, Composer Mitsuto Suzuki, and Battle Planner Takashi Shiraga can be viewed here: http://sqex.to/Msg.
A new “One Year Anniversary Highlights” infographic that reveals the players’ favourite job and companion character can be found here: http://sqex.to/info
Gameplay
Visuals
Audio
Overall
