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
Agents of Mayhem is an open world shooter coming out on August 15th in the USA and 18th worldwide for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The multitalented Kay Bess is the voice actor behind Persephone Brimstone, the leader of M.A.Y.H.E.M.. She also played Ana in Rise of the Tomb Raider and Queen Cumulus in Skylanders: SuperChargers. Along with being an actor, Bess is an poet, writer, and singer.
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Your main role in Agents of Mayhemis playing the voice of Persephone Brimstone. Can you tell us a little about the character?
Ah, Persephone. I love this character. She was a former L.E.G.I.O.N. Lieutenant and founded M.A.Y.H.E.M. (Multinational Agency for Hunting Evil Masterminds) in an effort to save the world from destruction. That’s not to say her motives are altruistic. She’s an opportunist on the grandest scale. She is the smartest, shrewdest person in the room, and has little time for those who question her authority. She is, of course, beautiful, well heeled, and unflappable.
Did anyone inspire your portrayal of Persephone Brimstone? If so, what did you do to channel that inspiration?
There was a beautiful woman in my acting class at the time I was cast. She is of Iranian descent but grew up in Paris and so had a different sort of French accent. If a French accent could be any more sophisticated, hers is. I perceived it as more worldly, with other cultural influences. When I got a call back for the role, I spent all my energy in class the next two weeks watching how she spoke, how she held her mouth, and her facial expressions. I give her credit for helping me create an accent that those casting the role found worthy.
Do you ever play the video games you act in?
I haven’t as of yet! But I fully intend to play Agents of Mayhem! I can’t wait for it to come out! I have a friend who’s going to help me with it, as I am a total dork and gaming novice. I have a young daughter who loves video games but, with the exception of Skylanders, the games I’ve been in to this point are graphic, with a lot of adult language and themes and violence that she’s not quite ready for. But I can totally envision a time when we play them together.
You did a lot of narration and commercials before starting to work on video games. How did you start voice acting in video games?
The landscape of voice acting has changed so much in the last 15 or so years. I have loved and continue to love all the genres of voice acting that I’ve been privileged to work in, but there are a LOT more people vying for commercial, promo, and narration work these days. Even seasoned pros in these areas have had to reassess the business and reimagine how we fit into it in order to keep working and stay vital. I initially came to Los Angeles to be an actor, and I just felt like it was the right time for me to spread my wings and challenge myself in areas of voiceover I had previously bypassed. I wanted to diversify. I was getting great feedback on my gaming and animation auditions, and I knew in order to start booking work, I needed to learn the genre, to persevere and continually strive to be better. I took some private coaching from a prominent gaming actor and coach, Zach Hanks, who was very helpful in orienting me to the world of voice acting for games. The key really is ACTING. If you are a great actor, you will stand apart from those who are simply “putting on” a voice. So, in 2014 I think it was, in an act of sheer faith and utter madness, I went all in and enrolled in a 2 year acting program in Meisner Technique, which any Meisner trained actor can tell you, can be quite brutal. Three months into the program, I booked Queen Cumulus in Skylanders, and then immediately booked Ana in Rise of the Tomb Raider. I really haven’t stopped booking games since.
How different is doing voice acting for a video game than a more traditional voice acting role in a TV series or documentary? Is there any special challenges that come with voice acting for a video game?
I think it’s quite different, and yet they are both collaborative ventures. Doing narration for TV documentaries is really about being a dispassionate observer and illuminator of the story being told on the screen. Our voices as narrators serve to further the story, but we must retain our objectivity. We are as just one instrument in a string quartet. We don’t take the lead. The picture takes the lead. Music (the score) necessarily evokes feeling in the viewer, and our role is to take the written word and help further the story. Simple as that.
There are many challenges to acting in video games. The first is that we are essentially acting alone in a studio with none of the other characters in the room with us. It requires a vivid imagination and a willingness to go all out on a dime. Almost all of my scenes in Lara Croft: Rise of the Tomb Raider were with Camilla Luddington, but I’ve never met her, never even been in the same room with her. We never have the entire script. Ever. We only have our lines for the day, and we never get those in advance of the session. Gaming actors are quick on their feet, good sight readers, and the best of us are quick-thinking and brave when it comes to being emotionally vulnerable at a moment’s notice. There are all kinds of ways to be brave in the world. I certainly don’t mean to compare it to the kind of bravery it takes to fight fires, to protect and serve a community as a police officer, or to serve in the military. But it is an emotional bravery that is very real.
Do you have a dream role you would love to play or play again?
I would love to see Agents of Mayhem continue as a video game series, or even as an animated cartoon. I love Persephone and think there is a lot of potential for a fun and complex character to develop even further. I’d love to play an evil witch of some kind in an animated series, a granny, anybody with an accent. I love accent and dialect work.
Gamers only experience the result of your work in the recording booth, but there must be a lot more that goes into it! Can you tell us a little bit about what work do you do from when you accept a job until the end?
I think the real work comes in developing oneself as an actor, keeping the actor’s tool belt fully functioning and ready to go. As I mentioned, we never get scripts in advance, and we get very little information about our characters until we arrive at a session. So, simply being an agile and malleable actor is vital. Probably the most well rounded video game characters are those that recur in a game series. The actor has so much more to draw on in character development with the first installment of the game under her belt!
As a member of SAG-AFTRA, you and your fellow voice actors have been on strike for the last year and have stopped working with several major game companies as part of the strike. Obviously, fair pay is always going to be an important part of any labour dispute, but I have been particularly intrigued by the health and safety reasoning of the strike. Voice acting is not a job most people would consider dangerous. Can you tell us a little more about that? How has voice acting affected your health and what have you done to try to keep your voice healthy?
Voice acting is indeed a mysterious job. Unless we talk about the challenges we face, no one would ever guess it was a job with particular hazards. The primary hazard is obviously to our voices. As everyone who plays video games knows, there is generally a LOT of yelling and screaming in games. It doesn’t matter how trained you are or how much breath control you have, at a certain point, screaming is going to blow out our voice. And by blow out, I mean you lose your voice and are unable to speak. When you lose your voice, it is an indication that real damage has been done to your vocal chords. Often times that damage is permanent. It’s like a pitcher ruining his arm by being kept in too many innings, game after game. The more critical the damage, the longer we are literally out of the game. I really haven’t done that much screaming in games, but already my voice is different than it was 2 years ago. I no longer have the higher end of my singing voice. It’s an issue I’m dealing with right now, and while it’s not keeping me from working in games, it is affecting my abilities as a singer. In light of the kinds of damage that can be done, we are asking for sessions with vocal stress to be limited to two hours. Keep in mind an actor can blow out her voice in 30 minutes time. So, 2 hours is definitely a compromise. That’s the first part. The second is that as games become more complex, voice actors are doing more and more performance capture and motion capture. This is like doing black box theater. We’re not just in a recording booth. We’re on a very special sound stage, with the need for movement and battle and fighting to be choreographed. We wear special clothing that allows for tracking our movement to make the visuals of a game uber realistic. Often this kind of choreography and staging is dangerous, unless coordinated by true movement professionals. We are not trained stunt performers! So we are asking for a professional stunt coordinator on set, as is required on every other filming set in the industry, to make sure we are safe. Our role in games is becoming more complex. We love the work, and we love the challenge. We simply want to be able to continue to do the work safely and for the long haul.
You have studied acting at both an acting school and a university. Which environment did you find most helpful to as a young actor?
Both of these environments have their benefits. Both of the programs I participated in were conservatory-like, and very intensive. I found my time at USC to be more cerebral, more formal, with a lot of the history of theater. And I learned a lot. Granted I did not finish the program, but I did not feel as though I walked away with tools that would serve me in the working world of acting. But I fully realize that I may simply have been unable at such a young age to absorb what I was being taught at the time. There are several attendees and graduates of the program at USC who were there while I was who have gone on to amazing, Oscar winning careers in acting and producing. So, we each are ready to learn when we are ready to learn. Clearly, I’m a late bloomer 🙂 My time in the Meisner program at the Ruskin School was a million times more practice than it was study. We engaged the technique 3 hours a day, two days a week for two full years. We were seriously challenged, pushed, pulled, and stretched, and were compelled to give 1000%. I found it exhausting, but very fulfilling.
You have had a lengthy and successful career in voice over and voice acting work so far. Do you have any helpful advice to pass along for anyone looking to get into voice acting?
Study consistently. Work hard, and love the work itself. Love the auditioning. If you don’t love auditioning, you should pack it in. I average 500 to 750 auditions per year, and I book maybe 10 or 20. And I have a successful career! Get used to not getting the job. Get used to your friends booking the jobs you thought you were perfect for. Learn to cheer for them, and to celebrate their victories as well as your own. It’s the primary way voice actors build community in an otherwise isolated and lonely business. Be patient. Lower your expectation that you will achieve success quickly. We live in a sound-byte world. We want what we want and we want it right now. But every last voice actor I know who has a piece of the elusive spot light and more than just a handful of iconic characters under their belts has worked for DECADES, and they worked for the love of the work itself, not the spot light. Know what your strengths are, and really know your weaknesses. It’s imperative to stay humble and to keep learning. Do what you must in order to keep auditioning, even if it means working 2nd and 3rd jobs. There is honor in all work that keeps you solvent with a roof over your head and food in your own fridge. Oh, and be kind. It goes a long way in every business, including this one.
Make a Sacrifice in New Battleground Arena for Heavy Metal Machines, Game’s First Esports Tournament Champion Revealed
Hoplon introduces The Temple of Sacrifice arena, crowns its first ESL Play Esports European Championship winner and implements various updates.
Florianópolis, Brazil — August 3, 2017 — Hoplon, the leading video games developer in Brazil, is delighted to announce a brand new arena, The Temple of Sacrifice, is now available in their unique free-to-play car-combat MOBA, Heavy Metal Machines, currently playable for free on Steam.
In The Temple of Sacrifice, teams start side-by-side in the attempt to deliver the bomb to the opposing side of the new arena via more visible paths and obvious shortcuts – making it simpler for new players. Other features include the ability to push enemies into the crusher to eliminate them, as well as system enhancements including a cleaner menu, implementation of a kill feed that shows the last kills in the top-right of the screen, and general gameplay balancing.
The Temple of Sacrifice in Heavy Metal Machines was a holy sanctuary where humankind used to pay tribute to the dark creatures that lurked underground to keep the peace. After the apocalypse and rise of Metal City, the Temple was found by Metal Herald and became a new battleground for Heavy Metal Machines players. With a “T” shaped arena, the new area allows players to “sacrifice” their enemies for the greater good hence its name, The Temple of Sacrifice.
Furthermore, Hoplon’s first venture into the esports scene, the ESL Play Heavy Metal Machines Esports European Championship final took place over the weekend of July 29th. With a combined prize pool of over €10,000, Kvasdopil from Russia was crowned champion and took home €4,000. Players won’t need to wait for the next Heavy Metal Machines championships for a chance to be rewarded as Hoplon are awarding players monthly based on their leaderboard performance.
Lucas Corte, Game Designer at Hoplon said, “With the new implementation of The Temple of Sacrifice arena, we further expand Heavy Metal Machines to make it more competitive as well as ruthless by giving players the opportunity to eliminate opposing players. After a successful ESL Esports European Championship, the new arena, improvements to gameplay and adding extra monthly prizes will ensure to make the next championships even more competitive.”
Founded in 2000, Hoplon is one of the leading game developers, with a team of over 70 highly skilled professionals. Located in Florianopolis and a part of the technological centre in Southern Brazil, Hoplon is responsible for pioneering projects in Brazil and strengthening the Brazilian gaming industry through such titles as Heavy Metal Machines, Apocalypse: The Party’s Over or Taikodom. Steam is a registered trademark of Valve Corporation.
Mystery Narrative Game Another Lost Phone: Laura’s Story Announced
Spiritual successor to indie hit A Normal Lost Phone set for a late summer release on Steam, iOS and Android
PARIS – August 3, 2017 –Another Lost Phone: Laura’s Story, the new narrative mystery game from developers Accidental Queens, has been revealed today and will launch later this summer on Steam (PC, Mac and Linux), iOS and Android. A spiritual successor to the award-winning and commercially successful indie hit A Normal Lost Phone, which sold more than 100,000 copies, the title once again places players in a position to unravel questions and puzzles in a unique story experience centered on the missing owner of an enigmatic phone.
In Another Lost Phone: Laura’s Story players are tasked to find out what happened to Laura, a young woman who has apparently vanished without a trace. Stumbling on her lost phone, they need to discover what happened to her by uncovering crucial pieces of information and hidden passwords scattered among texts, apps, photo gallery and social networks. Another Lost Phone: Laura’s Story explores different aspects of Laura’s troubled life, touching upon social themes usually not discussed in games, and should be instantly recognizable to fans of the original A Normal Lost Phone. The game features a completely new story, including new puzzles and new mysteries to solve.
“We knew the themes of homophobia and peer pressure we explored in our first game, A Normal Lost Phone, would move a lot of people, but we really didn’t anticipate the great impact it would have,” said Elizabeth Maler, co-founder of Accidental Queens. “Seeing the positive reactions from our community, we quickly made the decision that other important issues should be brought to the player’s attention. Another Lost Phone: Laura’s Story follows the same format, but has a completely new story, with new puzzles and player interactions hidden in a narrative system that is both unique and instantly recognizable to anyone who has a phone.”
Another Lost Phone: Laura’s Story features songs licensed from influential music label WARP (Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada) including the track “White Gloves” by Khruangbin. Full details on pricing and the release date will be revealed in the near future.
Accidental Queens is a video game development studio founded by three women from the games industry and based in Tourcoing, France with a drive to create new kinds of game experiences. Their first game, A Normal Lost Phone, was released to critical acclaim on January 26th, 2017 for Steam (PC, Linux and Mac), iOS and Android platforms. Emphasizing themes such as homophobia, peer pressure and coming of age, it sold more than 100 000 units worldwide. The studio seeks to create games that feature never before seen mechanics, exploring topics from everyday life and social questions, through innovative narrative tools.
About Playdius
Playdius is an up-and-coming French independent video game publisher on a mission to showcase hand picked games which deserve recognition for their creativity and originality across all platforms. Affiliated to Plug In Digital, Playdius has promoted innovative titles such as Dead in Bermuda, Neurovoider and A Normal Lost Phone. More information can be found on http://www.playdius.games.
GREY BOX, SIX FOOT AND TEQUILA WORKS BRINGING RiME TO NINTENDO SWITCH™ IN NOVEMBER
Critically Celebrated Puzzle Adventure Game to Launch Nov. 14 in North America and Nov. 17 in Europe
HOUSTON and MADRID – Aug. 3, 2017 – Grey Box, Six Foot and independent developer Tequila Works have announced that the captivating puzzle adventure game RiME will launch on Nintendo Switch™ on Nov. 14 in North America and Nov. 17 in European territories. It will be available digitally via the Nintendo eShop for $29.99 / €34.99 / £29.99.
A special physical edition of RiME, containing the full game and a digital download code for its sweeping, evocative original score by David García Díaz, will be available at retailers for $39.99 / €44.99 / £39.99.
“As big fans of Nintendo, we truly appreciate our fans’ patience as Tantalus and Tequila Works continue working on RiME on Nintendo Switch; we are all committed to making sure all players get the high-quality experience they deserve,” said Raúl Rubio Munárriz, CEO and creative director of Tequila Works.
RiME is an emotional journey of discovery and adventure that wordlessly uses color, light and music to tell its story. As a young boy shipwrecked alone on a mysterious island, players will explore a world of natural beauty filled with wild creatures, ancient ruins and thoughtful puzzles that play with light, sound, perspective and time.
RiME is available now on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC. It is rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and Up) by the ESRB and PEGI 7. Additional updates will be available at www.RiMEGame.com, as well as on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.
About Grey Box
Grey Box is a video game publishing brand that champions the idea that games are an influential art form and players should be treated as sophisticated consumers. Grey Box aims to set a unique standard for quality in interactive entertainment. www.greybox.com
About Six Foot
Six Foot was founded in 2000 as an interactive agency, building digital experiences designed to make connections between people, brands and technology more human and meaningful. Now, as a full-service games company with offices in Houston, Los Angeles and Berlin, the company applies that same passion to building extraordinary video games, as well as providing creative direction, marketing and brand management, front- and back-end development, customer service and community support for game publishers, including Grey Box. www.6ft.com
About Tequila Works
Tequila Works, S.L. is an independent boutique studio founded in 2009 by Raúl Rubio Munárriz (founding member of MercurySteam Entertainment, developers of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow) and Luz Sancho Rodríguez.
Tequila Works’ first title, the BAFTA-nominated Deadlight, was published in 2012 by Microsoft Studios. The studio also published The Sexy Brutale in April 2017, RiME in May 2017, and is currently working on several original IPs, including The Invisible Hours on VR.
Tequila Works’ philosophy is to create games with gusto. The team consists of a healthy blend of talented veterans from Atari, Blizzard, Disney, Double Fine, Electronic Arts, LucasArts, SEGA and Pixar, as well as new blood from the animation and comic book industries, all of whom enjoy challenging their creative talents and seeing the world with amazement every day. www.tequilaworks.com
F1™ 2017, THE MOST COMPLETE FORMULA ONETM GAME EVER
New Gameplay Trailer Showcases Expanded Career Mode Complete with Classic Cars, New Circuit Layouts and More
Larkspur, Calif. – August 3rd, 2017– Codemasters® and Deep Silver have today released the latest gameplay trailer for F1™ 2017, the official videogame of the 2017 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, showcasing the extensive Career Mode that makes it the most complete game in the franchise’s history.
F1 2017 has a massively-expanded Career Mode that introduces invitational events at key points during the regular F1 season, where you will get to drive 12* classic F1 cars in a host of different events including overtake challenges, pursuit events, checkpoint, and time attack challenges. The classic cars are also playable in all other areas of the game, and can be raced as both single and multi-class races.
In addition to the invitational events, the Career Mode offers a huge amount of extra depth with 115 possible Research and Development upgrades (over 4.5 times as many as in F1 2016), new practice programs to master, and increased importance being given to the management and reliability of your car’s engine and gearbox elements.
As well as the 20 official circuits from the current season, F1 2017 introduces four new shortened circuits at Britain, Bahrain, USA and Japan, while also allowing players to take on the iconic Monaco street circuit at night, complete with stunning visuals.
Lee Mather, Creative Director at Codemasters, says, “The Career Mode was a big hit last year and we are building on those incredibly strong foundations to create an even deeper, more rounded experience for F1 2017. We have added female driver avatars, new paddock locations and a new character as well as greatly increasing the scope for developing your team and car. All of this, we feel, combined with the addition of the iconic classic cars this year, means that F1 2017 offers gamers the ultimate F1 experience.”
F1 2017 releases onto PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one entertainment system by Microsoft, and Windows PC via Steam worldwide on August 25th and is the official videogame of the 2017 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.
*Consumers who pre-order or purchase ‘Day One’ copies of F1 2017 will have exclusive access to the iconic 1988 McLaren MP4/4, as part of the ‘F1 2017 Special Edition.’ Alternatively, the McLaren MP4/4 car will be available to be purchased at a later date. The 11 other classic cars are available in all editions of the game.
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About Codemasters
Codemasters, the award-winning videogame developer and publisher, has a 30-year heritage. With titles distributed globally, Codemasters is a leading developer and publisher of driving and racing entertainment games including DiRT, GRID and the official BAFTA award-winning FORMULA 1™ series of videogames. The company is fully controlled by Reliance Big Entertainment Ltd. (RBEL). For more information on Codemasters’ product portfolio, please visit www.codemasters.com. Join in the conversation with @codemasters on Twitter or Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/codemasters.
About Deep Silver
Deep Silver develops and distributes interactive games for all platforms. The Deep Silver label means to captivate all gamers who have a passion for thrilling gameplay in exciting game worlds. Deep Silver works with its partners to achieve a maximum of success while maintaining the highest possible quality, always focusing on what the customer desires.
Deep Silver has published more than 200 games since 2003, including its own brands like the open world extravaganza Saints Row, the zombie action franchise Dead Island, and the grim post-apocalyptic future of the Metro series. Upcoming highlights from Deep Silver include Dead Island 2 and Agents of MAYHEM. Deep Silver also owns the development studios Deep Silver Dambuster Studios in Nottingham, UK; Deep Silver Fishlabs in Hamburg, Germany, and Deep Silver Volition based in Champaign, IL, USA. For more information please visit www.deepsilver.com
KOEI TECMO EUROPE ANNOUNCES PLATFORMS AND FURTHER DETAILS DYNASTY WARRIORS 9’s NEW BATTLE SYSTEM
Epic Adventure Set Across The Natural Wonders and Exotic Terrain of China Headed to Consoles and PC
Hertfordshire, 3rd August 2017 – KOEI TECMO Europe is proud to announce today that Omega Force’s latest entry in the long-running action franchise, DYNASTY WARRIORS 9, will be released on the PlayStation®4 Computer Entertainment System, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows PC via Steam®. Omega Force unveiled a plethora of new assets that offer a deeper look in to the vast Chinese landscapes and wildlife, new character designs, and brand-new characters!
Whether players choose to follow the main storyline quests or spend time exploring the vast natural wonders of China – from the lush cedar woods and bamboo forests of Chengdu to the legendary Great Wall – the ongoing war will continue to rage along their journey. Skirmishes, clashes, special side missions, and larger scale conflicts can be engaged at the player’s will as they venture through far–reaching lands, allowing for a sense of freedom of choice for the player previously unfelt in previous DYNASTY WARRIORS titles. These battles range from scouting missions to discover powerful enemy officers, to guerrilla actions to subdue messengers and scouts, to outright sabotage on enemy supply troops; success in these combat engagements offer great rewards and have an effect on future battles’ difficulty.
To further expand the choices available to the player, KOEI TECMO is also introducing two new playable characters to the game, each formidable in their own right! Man Chong, from the kingdom of Wei, is a brilliant general, skilled debater, and an excellent tactician. Meanwhile, Zhou Cang from the kingdom of Shu is best known for his incredible stamina and speed. Both characters join an already strong roster of fan favourites and will provide an even more diverse selection for players keen on exploring different storylines in different kingdoms.
Speaking of those old fan-favourites, KOEI TECMO is also releasing new costume designs for popular characters Sun Shangxiang, Lu Xun, and the powerful demon-god, Lu Bu!
KOEI TECMO EUROPE LTD. is a publisher of interactive entertainment software for current generation consoles, handhelds and digital download content based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, UK. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of KOEI TECMO HOLDINGS CO., LTD., headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. TECMO is best known for the Dead or Alive® and Ninja Gaiden®series. KOEI is best known for its Dynasty Warriors® and Samurai Warriors® franchises. On April 1, 2009, KOEI TECMO HOLDINGS CO., LTD was established as a result of the TECMO, LTD. and KOEI Co., Ltd. merger. More information about KOEI TECMO EUROPE LTD and its products can be found at www.koeitecmoeurope.com
A man is lost at sea with no hope of being rescued. He wakes up on an island with a bamboo forest and a small pool of fresh water. Using the bamboo to craft a raft and collecting leaves to use as a sail, he attempts to leave the island. Shortly afterwards, his raft is destroyed by an unknown force. A second attempt meets the same fate, and on the third attempt, the man discovers that a red turtle has been sabotaging his attempts to return to civilisation. He resigns himself to his fate of being trapped on the island for the rest of his life, but not before getting revenge on the turtle. He soon discovers that there is more to this turtle than meets the eye.
Story
The Red Turtle is not a conventional film. It has no dialogue, has a mere three characters with no names and barely features any signs of civilisation. By breaking film conventions, Dutch animator and director Michael Dudok de Wit tells a story that is engaging in a different way to that of the films Studio Ghibli is known for. It is focused on the natural world and the various creatures that inhabit the island; it presents the man as just one part of nature. Crabs are often seen scuttling across the beach near him, and while they serve no purpose to the plot, their presence helps illustrate the fact that he is neither more nor less important than the sea life in the grand scheme of things. The crabs are about as high up on the food chain as the man is; he designs a spear to capture fish to eat, and the crabs eat dead fish as well. One of the many turtles shown does take an active role in the man’s life, however, and decides to completely sabotage the man’s attempts at returning to his original home. A strong feeling of rage builds up inside of him, but after he seemingly kills the turtle, it transforms into a mysterious human female. His anger subsides as he spends time with this woman, and the two eventually raise a child together. The question of why the turtle turned into a human can be answered by interpreting its reasons for trapping the man on the island in a certain way, but how it was able to become a human is not explained. It may represent a transformation of the man’s wishes; he comes to accept his life on the island, and finds happiness in spending time with his girlfriend and raising their child. The story is relatively straightforward and not entirely original, but it succeeds in spite of its unconventionalism because of its attention to the natural details of life and its use of body language and physical expressions in place of dialogue.
Visuals
The animation is the most important aspect of this film, and a significant amount of time and effort has gone into ensuring that it looks every bit as good as it needs to in order to tell its story. Everything looks natural; right from the opening scenes, it is clear that the production team studied natural movements carefully and observed nature on a real island to get a feel for how to accurately draw realistic movements and realistic settings. Everything from the crabs to the waves of the ocean and the humans move fluidly and naturally, allowing for total immersion in the story. Nothing ever looks out of place, not even the unusual bottle that the son grows so fond of.
What really sets this apart from other animated productions is how expressive the characters are with their body language. Typical anime eyes are not to be found here, or in any Studio Ghibli film, for that matter. The eyes of the characters living on the island are inspired by The Adventures of Tintin, giving their design more of a Western European look. Having smaller, more realistically proportional eyes shifts the focus to the eyebrows, which very noticeably move according to whether a character is angry or sad. What one character is doing with their head and the rest of their body is just as important; noticing that the man is holding his head low reveals his remorsefulness just as well as words would, and what the characters do with their hands is often worth paying attention to as well. One of many things that are clear about this film is that it is no ordinary anime. Isao Takahata may serve as the artistic director, but he is not one to produce typical anime in the first place. It may be different even when compared to other films produced by Studio Ghibli, but it is consistently expressive.
Audio
As with the visuals, the sounds are all natural, with few signs of the existence of human civilisation present. The man only infrequently uses his mouth to express something; grunts and an apparent ‘hey’ directed at a bizarre mirage are the only sounds he makes. They are enough to help convey his feelings, and his body language compensates for the lack of dialogue. Light pieces of music are occasionally present in the background, and stronger piano and string melodies can be heard during dramatic moments. The most noticeable aspect of the audio is not the man’s sounds or the music, however, but rather the sounds of nature prominent throughout much of the film. The sound of rain and rushing water has more of a presence in this film than it typically would in other films, adding to the natural feel that the film has.
Extras
All of the extras are on the second disc of this set. Three of Michael Dudok de Wit’s short films are included: “The Monk and the Fish” from 1994, “Father and Daughter” from 2000 and “The Aroma of Tea” from 2006. A trailer and a French TV spot are also included, but anyone interested in learning about the production of the The Red Turtle will find “The Birth of a Turtle” and “The Secrets of The Red Turtle” to be the most interesting extras. They feature the director discussing various aspects of the film, such as the development of the human characters and the extensive research conducted before the animation process began, and show him drawing a scene on paper while discussing how he produces his drawings. The only problem to be had with the extras is the poor choice of having white subtitles against the frequently white backgrounds, resulting in them being difficult to read at times.
Overall
If you want to see something different from the dozens of generic anime series coming out of Japan every season, or just want to see something unusual, The Red Turtle is worth watching. It is unconventional and has a Western European art style, but its portrayal of nature and the humans’ presence on the island make it a fascinating experience. The turtle’s transformation into a woman and the man’s brief delusions prior to his acceptance of his fate may be a little unusual, but “a little unusual” is the sort of thing that helps an anime film stand out in a sea of bland nonsense.
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