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MAXIMUM GAMES KICKS OFF FREE DEAD ALLIANCE MULTIPLAYER OPEN BETA

MAXIMUM GAMES KICKS OFF FREE DEAD ALLIANCE MULTIPLAYER OPEN BETA

Seize the dead in three exhilarating game modes on PlayStation®4, Xbox One and Windows PC from July 27-31

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.July 27, 2017 – Leading video game publisher Maximum Games has launched the free* multiplayer open beta of the upcoming team-based shooter Dead Alliance, running from July 27-31 on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC. The open beta invites players to turn the undead into weapons against their enemies in three intense game modes – Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill and the MOBA-inspired Attrition mode – across three zombie-plagued maps.

For instructions on how to download the Dead Alliance open beta, visit: http://www.maximumgames.com/news/dead-alliance-open-beta-available-now/. Or just head to the PlayStation®4, Xbox One or Steam storefronts, search for “Dead Alliance,” and download.

Developed by Psyop Games and IllFonic, Dead Alliance raises the stakes of competitive shooters with the advent of zMods, zombie-controlling tech that can be used to strategically strike, swarm, flank, block, distract and surprise opponents in the heat of battle. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where teams of warring military factions fight for control of humanity’s last resources. At launch, Dead Alliance will feature a variety of single-player and 4v4 multiplayer modes, including Team Deathmatch, Attrition, King of the Hill, Capture and Hold, Free for All and Solo Survival.

Dead Alliance is expected to officially release on the PlayStation®4 system, Xbox One and Windows PC on Aug. 29. The game’s Day One Edition, available to preorder now for $39.99 at major retailers and online, contains three bonus early-access loadouts featuring unique multiplayer weapons and perks.

For the latest updates through open beta and beyond, visit www.DeadAlliance.com, and follow the game on Facebook and @DeadAllianceMG on Twitter.

* Xbox Live Gold membership required to play open beta on Xbox One.

About Maximum Games

Maximum Games ranks as a top 15 global video game publisher of interactive digital entertainment spanning all genres and supporting multi-platforms. The company’s mission is to provide a proven and strong hands-on approach to publishing, marketing and distribution. Established in 2009, the company is led by female entrepreneur Christina Seelye, a seasoned executive of digital consumer products and channel marketing. Under Seelye’s leadership, the company has been recognized with numerous awards such as “Fastest Growing Tech Company” by American Business Awards, and has made the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest Growing Private Companies for the past two years. Maximum Games has offices in both the US and UK, and continues to expand its scope of global publishing and distribution via direct reach and strategic partnerships. For more information on Maximum Games, visit the company’s website at www.MaximumGames.com.

About Psyop Games

Psyop Games is a new independent game development studio launched by media and arts pioneers Psyop. Based in Los Angeles, Psyop Games is led by industry veterans hell-bent on making incredible gaming experiences for a core audience. www.psyop.com/games

About IllFonic

IllFonic is an independent video game studio committed to delivering AAA games digitally to consoles and PC at an affordable price. IllFonic utilizes many avenues in pop culture to cross-brand its products in film, television, sports, music and clothing. With a studio in downtown Denver, Colorado, IllFonic has built a team of artists, developers, producers and musicians that believe providing fun gameplay means conveying the highest level of visual awe, an immersive environment and a sick soundtrack. www.illfonic.com

KOEI TECMO EUROPE DETAILS TEAM BUILDING FEATURES FOR WARRIORS ALL-STARS ALONGSIDE NEW TRAILER

KOEI TECMO EUROPE DETAILS TEAM BUILDING FEATURES FOR WARRIORS ALL-STARS ALONGSIDE NEW TRAILER

Nourish the Bonds Between Comrades and Create the Ultimate Team in the Epic Crossover Showdown Headed to PlayStation®4 and Windows PC via Steam®

Hertfordshire, 27th July 2017 – KOEI TECMO Europe today introduced fresh new features alongside an explosive new trailer for Warriors All-Stars, the upcoming one-versus-thousands action title and celebration of all things KOEI TECMO. Warriors All-Stars is slated to release on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC via Steam® on the 1st September 2017. Today’s newly revealed assets feature the game’s final clan, the Shiki Clan, which includes Yukimura Sanada, Mitsunari Ishida and Naotora Ii from the SAMURAI WARRIORS series, Ryu Hayabusa and Ayane from the NINJA GAIDEN series, Hajime Arima and Darius from the Japanese romance adventure series Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time, William from Team NINJA’s latest title Nioh, and Shiki, the son of the monarch from Warriors All-Stars.

Warriors All-Stars not only features an extensive battle system, but also an abundance of content for players to enjoy outside of combat! This includes the Sanctuary, which surrounds the game’s mighty Hot Springs. Within, players are able to take a break from the heat of battle to upgrade their Hero Cards and work on clan member relations by visiting the Sanctuary’s many locations – the Tavern, Inn, Refinery, Practice Arena and Headquarters. The Tavern and Inn are where many heroes can be found participating in their favourite activities, whether they’re spending time with friends or having a relaxing bath in the Hot Springs. As bonds between comrades strengthen, players are rewarded with unique cutscenes at the Sanctuary, providing a deeper insight into each character’s backstory.

Stopping by the Refinery lets players enhance, create and sell Hero Cards found on the battlefield. Hero Cards are mystical objects that provide new skills and boost the abilities of the character they’re equipped on. And at the Practice Arena, Warriors can improve their stats by exchanging their hard-earned gold for experience points. Once players feel rejuvenated and ready to get back to the action, they can visit the Headquarters to accept missions for their clan and plot their next course of action on the World Map!

To keep in touch with the latest news on Warriors All-Stars please visit the official site at www.koeitecmoeurope.com/warriorsallstars or be part of our community on  www.facebook.com/koeitecmogames and follow us on twitter @koeitecmoeurope.

 

ABOUT KOEI TECMO EUROPE LTD.

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 

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

Character Designers / NOCO, Hidari, Hirotaka Maeda, Shintaro Majima, Tohko Mizuno, Yuugen, Yoshiku ©KOEI TECMO WAVE CO., LTD. ©2007 ArtePiazza Co. Ltd./KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. ©2017 KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. WARRIORS ALL STARS is a trademark of KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. The KT logo is a registered trademark of KOEI TECMO HOLDINGS CO., LTD. All rights reserved.

THE REVENGE OF SHINOBI IS A DISH NOW SERVED ON MOBILE

THE REVENGE OF SHINOBI IS A DISH NOW SERVED ON MOBILE

Another classic joins SEGA Forever

SAN FRANCISCO, LONDON – 27th July, 2017 – Neo Zeed has (once again) returned…. as The Revenge of Shinobi, today joins the SEGA Forever collection as a free-to-play mobile title with ad support. Those who are up to the challenge can now download the game released by SEGA Networks Inc., for free from the App Store for iPhone and iPad and Google Play Store for Android devices.

Developed in 1989 with an original soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro, this faithful emulation of the classic side-scrolling platformer lets players port back to the golden age of SEGA’s console games on a quest to get revenge and save protagonist Joe Musashi’s bride – you’re her only hope!

With added features including leaderboards, cloud saves, and controller support, The Revenge of Shinobi is the latest game to join SEGA Forever, a growing collection of classic SEGA titles from every console era that are available free-to-play (with ad support) for mobile devices. Additionally, players who wish to experience the games without ads can remove them for a one-time in app purchase priced at £1.99.

Download The Revenge of Shinobi now!

Stay tuned for more retro gaming goodness to come soon as the SEGA Forever collection continues to grow!

To stay up-to-date with launch news, share your love of classic video games, cast your vote in polls, share your opinions in surveys, and interact with other SEGA fans, check out the SEGA Forever website and follow our dedicated Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

About SEGA Networks, SEGA’s mobile division in the West:
SEGA’s mobile division in the West has its headquarters based in San Francisco with dedicated studios across North America and the UK. Focused on creating fun, compelling and engaging games, SEGA’s games feature iconic intellectual property as well as original innovative content for mobile and tablet devices. Since 2008, it has been a leader in the smartphone and tablet space and continues to be at the forefront of mobile gaming. SEGA’s mobile studios include Hardlight™ and Demiurge Studios™. For more information, visit www.mobile.sega.com.

Adventure Time Run: The Ooo Expedition Is Now Available on iOS and Android via the App Store and Google Play

Adventure Time Run: The Ooo Expedition Is Now Available on iOS and Android via the App Store and Google Play

ATLANTA July 27, 2017 Adventure Time Run: The Ooo Expedition, a new lane runner set in the bright, cheerful world of Cartoon Network’s fan-favorite TV series Adventure Time, launched today for mobile devices. The game is free to download with in-app purchases on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch through the App Store, as well as Android devices via Google Play.

Run across the Land of Ooo from the Candy, Ice and Mountain Kingdoms to the Nightosphere, the Great Outdoors and more. Evade obstacles to sprint as far as possible in Run Mode, defeat enemies as quickly as possible in Attack Mode, and find hidden treasures with special powers all over the world.

Adventure Time Run: The Ooo Expedition features over two dozen characters to collect at release, including Finn, Jake, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, Flame Princess, Fionna and Lemongrab, each with unique skills that enhance over time. There are nine in-game story episodes to experience at launch, as well as plenty of daily and weekly quests to complete for rewards.

Cartoon Network will release additional in-game characters and episodes for fans to discover through future content updates.

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About Cartoon Network

Cartoon Network is Turner’s global entertainment brand and the # 1 animation network in the U.S., offering the best in original content for kids and families with such hits as, Adventure Time, The Powerpuff Girls, Steven Universe, We Bare Bears and The Amazing World of Gumball. Seen in 192 countries and over 400 million homes, Cartoon Network inspires the next generation of creators and innovators by engaging its audience at the intersection of creativity and technology. Its award-winning pro-social initiative, Stop Bullying: Speak Up, is an acknowledged and often-used resource for kids and adults looking for tools that can assist in dealing with the ongoing issue of bullying.

Cartoon Network is part of Turner, a Time Warner company and global entertainment, sports and news company that creates premium content and delivers exceptional experiences to fans whenever and wherever they consume content. These efforts are fueled by data-driven insights and industry-leading technology. Turner owns and operates some of the most valuable brands in the world, including Adult Swim, Bleacher Report, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, CNN, ELEAGUE, FilmStruck, Great Big Story, HLN, iStreamPlanet, Super Deluxe, TBS, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), TNT, truTV and Turner Sports.

FLY HIGH ON ‘WAR WINGS’ BY MINICLIP BECOME A HERO, BATTLE OUT DOGFIGHTS IN YOUR WORLD WAR II ‘WAR BIRDS’!

FLY HIGH ON ‘WAR WINGS’ BY MINICLIP BECOME A HERO, BATTLE OUT DOGFIGHTS IN YOUR WORLD WAR II ‘WAR BIRDS’!

Miniclip releases real-time PVP free-to-play mobile game originally developed by Tencent

London, 27th July 2017 – Miniclip, together with Tencent, the world’s leading mobile gaming company, and Mobilefish, bring WAR WINGS, the World War II aerial battle mobile game to the UK ahead of its global release. Originally published by Tencent, WAR WINGS is the first Tencent title re-developed and published by Miniclip since the start of the partnership in February 2015. WAR WINGS has flown its way into the hearts of millions of players around the world since its original launch with over 25,000 players rating the game with an average 4.4 stars on GooglePlay.

Climb into the cockpit of your favourite warplane from World War II, and battle out dogfights in real-time PvP! World War II aerial combats come to life in WAR WINGS with historically accurate warplanes and realistic weapon damage. There are 70+ warplanes to choose from and multitudes of customisation to try depending on your tactics and strategies. With 4×4 real-time PVP capability, you can choose to fly solo as a lone wolf or team up with ally squadrons to control the skies. Epic rewards and customisable emblems are there for your taking, by battling through millions of players worldwide and climbing up to the top of Global PvP Leaderboard. WAR WINGS comes with variety of controls to choose from including gyroscope, virtual stick, and D-pad.

We are very excited to bring a massively successful game developed by Tencent and Mobilefish to the world. The release of WAR WINGS brings another milestone to Miniclip’s history, and marks new chapter to our future collaboration with Tencent,” said Rob Small, CEO of Miniclip.

WAR WINGS is available to download for free from App Store and GooglePlay.

Follow WAR WINGS’s Facebook page for future updates.

ABOUT MINICLIP
Miniclip is a global leader in digital games. The company develops, publishes and distributes highly engaging games to an audience of 200 million monthly active users, across mobile, social and online platforms.
Founded in 2001, Miniclip has established a huge organic audience with its portfolio of browser-based games, becoming a major force in the mobile gaming industry. In 2015, the browser and mobile phenomenon Agar.io was #1 in the App Store, the top-trending game on Google Search, and also featured in House of Cards. This, along with strong new releases like Basketball Stars and Flip Diving, as well as the continuing popularity of well-established titles like 8 Ball Pool and Soccer Stars, have contributed to the growth of Miniclip’s player base. In 2016, the company announced that its mobile games had been downloaded over 1 billion times.

ABOUT TENCENT
Founded in November, 1998, Tencent is a leading provider of Internet value added services in China. Since its establishment, Tencent has maintained steady growth under its user-oriented operating strategies. On June 16, 2004, Tencent Holdings Limited (SEHK 700) went public on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

ABOUT MOBILEFISH
Mobilefish studio was founded in 2012 by a group of veteran AAA console game developers and is dedicated to bring console-quality games for iOS and Android mobile devices. The studio puts a strong focus on accessible and innovative gameplay mechanics, while offering mobile gamers a visually stunning gaming experience. In 2015, Mobilefish studio received the Golden Cube award and was recognized as one of the top developers by Unity.

Get ready, Trainers! The 2018 Pokémon Championship Series dates are announced

Get ready, Trainers! The 2018 Pokémon Championship Series dates are announced

London, United Kingdom—27 July

The 2018 Pokémon Championship Series season dates and events have been announced, as well as the dates for this year’s Pokémon European International Championships, which will take place at ExCeL London on 17–19 November 2017.

The Pokémon Championship Series is the official competitive program for Pokémon Trading Card Game and Pokémon video game players. The best of the best compete throughout the season to win fantastic prizes and for the chance to be crowned the Pokémon World Champion. Check out the full list of events and tournaments on our official website here: www.pokemon.com/uk/pokemon-news/battle-in-the-2018-championship-series-season/ 

POWERCHORD STUDIO and BROWNIES Reveal Launch Date and Gameplay Details Ahead of August 3 Release of JRPG Adventure EGGLIA: Legend of the Redcap

POWERCHORD STUDIO and BROWNIES Reveal Launch Date and Gameplay Details Ahead of August 3 Release of JRPG Adventure EGGLIA: Legend of the Redcap

In-depth Trailer Introduces Fans to Turn-based Combat, Resource Management, Village Development and More

Tokyo, Japan – July 27, 2017 –  DMM.com Ltd.’s POWERCHORD STUDIO and Brownies Inc. announced today the highly anticipated RPG, EGGLIA: Legend of the Redcap, will launch in Western markets August 3. Ahead of this launch, developers today shared an exceptional new trailer providing an informative look at the various features and mechanics that players can look forward to in the upcoming JRPG adventure. In anticipation of the Western launch on August 3, the Egglia team has also launched an English-language Twitter account at: twitter.com/egglia_en, and a Facebook page at: facebook.com/EGGLIAEnglish.

Players will explore the land of Egglia as a gentle elf named Chabo and will navigate the world via a turn-based RPG system while hunting monsters for experience and gathering resources on a hexagonal grid. Along the way, players will face increasingly difficult battles against a plethora of enemies and must fight their way through using the game’s unique turn-based dice combat system.

Various companions will be met throughout the journey and players will be able to build homes and grow a village for them. These homes can be upgraded and furnished with numerous decorations allowing players to customize and decorate as desired.

As the adventure continues, players will uncover a variety of eggs that can be hatched to unlock different lands of the world of Egglia. Players will explore these new areas and gather materials to upgrade their village and evolve a number of spirit companions that will assist in future battles.

To showcase these gameplay features, POWERCHORD STUDIO and Brownies Inc. have released a gameplay introduction trailer which can be viewed here:  https://youtu.be/lvy9zaInb9E.

Fans can also follow EGGLIA: Legend of the Redcap on their new English Twitter at: twitter.com/egglia_en, and on Facebook page at: facebook.com/EGGLIAEnglish.

EGGLIA: Legend of the Redcap, a collaboration between PowercHord Studio and Brownies Inc., is scheduled for release August 3 via the Apple Store and Google Play as a one-time purchase of $9.99, €10.99 and £9.99.  For more information about the game please visit: http://EGGLIA.jp/eng/.

About Brownies Inc.

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Tokyo’s creative Kichijoji neighborhood, Brownies Inc. creates software, merchandise and graphic designs that stay true to the values of Japanese craftsmanship. President and CEO Shinichi Kameoka leads the small company, which has created such games as Seventh Rebirth, Shooting Hero, Fantasy Life Link! and EGGLIA: Legend of the Redcap.

About DMM.com Ltd. / POWERCHORD STUDIO

Established in 1999, DMM.com Ltd. is one of Japan’s top electronic commerce companies, servicing over 40 industries including game development, online shopping, video on demand and more. POWERCHORD STUDIO is a subsidiary of DMM.com, a product development division dedicated to developing captivating content for Japanese and worldwide audiences. In 2013 they launched the hit game Kantai Collection, which has been played by over 2.2 million people. Additional successful launches include EGGLIA: Legend of the Redcap, Over Legend Endless Tower and Dandy Dungeon: Legend of Brave Yamada.

Re:Legend Kickstarter Begins, 3 Final Fantasy Composers to Provide Soundtrack

One of Square Enix Collective’s most beloved projects is finally on the cusp of becoming a reality. Re:Legend is a co-operative monster raising RPG where one to four players must work together to rebuild the village at the island of Vokka. Creatures known as Magnus inhabit the lands. Players will collect and raise the Magnus to aid them for travelling, fighting, farming, crafting items, and gathering resources. The developers Magnus Games have cited titles like Rune Factory, Digimon World, Fantasy Life and Monster Rancher as inspirations for Re:Legend.

Developers Magnus Games is looking to raise $70,000 SGD on Kickstarter, which is roughly $51,000 USD or $65,000 AUD in the next 30 days. As of the publishing of this article, they have already managed to draw in pledges for half of their goal. Steam copies of the game start at $30 SGD ($21 USD/$28 AUD) with PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch versions planned as stretch goals.

Along with the start of their crowdfunding campaign, Magnus Games had a massive announcement. The developers have been able to partner with three composers who have an even bigger name on their resumes, Final Fantasy. Shota Nakama (Final Fantasy XV), Yoshitaka Suzuki (Final Fantasy XIII-2, Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, Final Fantasy XV), and Falk Au Yeong (Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII) will be providing the soundtrack for the game. The music will be performed by the Video Game Orchestra.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyXQGJmcekI

Fortnite Crashes it Way onto Paid Early Access

Epic Games‘ co-op shooter Fortnite is now available as a paid early access title on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Mac, and Windows. While the game is designed to be free to play, the early access period will be limited to those who purchase the $39.99 USD Standard Edition at minimum. More expensive editions are available; containing more loot pinatas, heroes, weapons, and even extra copies to share with friends.

With the game’s launch into early access, Epic has revealed the cast of Fortnite. The player is always accompanied by the robot Ray who is voiced by Ashly Burch (Horizon: Zero DawnLife is Strange). Additionally, Phil LaMarr (Samurai Jack), Adria Arjona (Pacific Rim: UprisingEmerald City), Amy Pemberton (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) and Andrew Kishino (Bulletstorm) also lend their voices to Fortnite.

Fortnite is scheduled to launch as a free to play game in 2018.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ2eeIApEP0

Aven Colony Review

Aven Colony

Developer: Mothership Entertainment
Publisher: Team17 Digital
PlatformPlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows (Reviewed)
Release Date: 25 July 2017
Price: $29.99 USD – Available Here

Video Review

Overview

Aven Colony is a city building sim from Mothership Entertainment. Players take on the role of a famed governor from Earth who is tasked with setting up the first colonies on Aven Prime. To succeed, players will need to keep colonists happy while contending with the hostile environment full of plague spores, lightning storms, and alien life.

Story

While Aven Colony does not contain a novel’s worth of story, the game has a surprisingly beefy story for a city builder. The campaign follows the conquests of the famed governor from Earth as they establish the first colonies outside of the Solar System. Along the way, players are supported by a team of scientists, bureaucrats, and explorers that will send field reports, request for help, and chat among themselves about the mission and the world of Aven Prime. The dialogue is well written. It moves confidently between humorous moments and more serious notes as dangerous new lifeforms are discovered on the planet. I understand that the expectation for the amount of story content for a city sim’s campaign is quite low, but Aven Colony’s is done so well that I often found myself sitting in campaign missions wishing for more.

Gameplay

Aven Colony is a city builder in the same vein as the modern Tropico and Anno series. Players start off with a small colony with a small bit of housing, storage, and power. While the colony is small, the needs of the colonists are very basic. Colonists need food and water to survive. Buildings need nanites for construction, available power in the grid for maintenance, and workers for production.

Players will soon encounter Aven Colony’s first twist to the city builder genre: winter. Each Sol consists of all four seasons, with winter bringing special penalties. Night will fall on Aven Prime and the weather will drop, causing the power output of all solar panels to halve, farms to stop producing food, and greenhouses to halve its food production. Lightning storms will also randomly occur during winter, damaging any buildings it hits. To compensate for the loss of solar power, batteries and lightning rods can be built to harness some of the power for a short-term boost to the power grid.

As the game progresses, research options open up a variety of processing options that will give colonists new luxuries, defensive options for the colony, and ways to process the native plant species into edible foods and drugs. Of course, as the size of the colony grows, so do the demands of the colonists. Keeping colonists becomes challenging as they will demand a more varied diet, short commutes to work, entertainment, better policing, and consumer goods from home. Failure to please the colonists will result in the player losing the next election and getting the boot.

As if the needs of colonists weren’t challenging enough, Aven Prime’s hostile environment makes every effort to bring disaster to the colony. The beginning of the game is usually limited to lightning strikes and ice storms that can damage buildings. Eventually the game ramps up the environmental difficulty along with the expanding needs of the colonists. Uncapped geothermal vents will belch toxic gas that is sucked into the colony’s air system through open air intake fans. Aven Prime’s native species will begin attacking the colony. Plagues and parasitic spores will damage colonists and buildings, requiring hospitals and scrubber drones on standby to clean up the mess. Automated defense turrets can help shoot down some of the spores, but spores sometimes sneak their way through.

Aven Colony’s controls and UI are excellent. The controls are simple and everything can be accessed with either hotkeys or through the UI. The menus are easy to navigate and are well organized.

Aven Colony has players juggling a few more balls in the air than other city simulators, but it really does not bring anything innovative to the table. Managing Aven Prime’s hostile environments does not require any new game mechanic, just a few extra buildings that need to be placed. The expedition system is a neat mechanic, but does not provide enough of an impact to the game to feel meaningful. While Aven Colony may not be particularly innovative or deep, Mothership Entertainment makes up for a tightly polished experience. The game is well balanced, and the difficulty ramps up at a nice pace.

The campaign mode provides a variety of scenarios that offer different challenges for players. Unfortunately, this is where Aven Colony’s gameplay stumbles the most. Tackling these challenges only requires a slight adjustment to one’s strategy before players can carry on as normal. For example, one scenario placed players in an arctic zone where food was supposed to be nearly impossible to grow, so players were supposed to trade the plentiful minerals to ensure a steady food supply. Instead, it was much easier to simply create a smaller farming colony at the distant temperate spot and ensuring the main colony had a steady food supply. From there, the campaign mission boiled down to completing all the objectives provided until the victory conditions were met.

Visuals

The art style in Aven Colony is excellent. The human colony has a futuristic sterile silver design that contrasts well against the vibrant organic colours of Aven Prime. The art used in the UI is of high quality and matches the game’s aesthetic well.

Aven Colony is built on Unreal Engine 4. The game runs well, but it still exhibits Unreal Engine’s characteristic texture pop. The textures on maximum settings feel a little on the low-resolution side and can be a bit fuzzy at times; however, it does take some pretty close examination to pick it out. I noticed a persistent visual glitch with the Trade Hub building during ship take offs that would result in a flickering case of goods on the landing pad.

Audio

Aven Colony features a solid audio experience. The sound effects are very good, and the soundtrack is an enjoyable listen. The voice acting is fantastic. The quality of acting is easily worthy of a full triple AAA game and made the story a more enjoyable experience.

Overall

Aven Colony is a decent budget city sim. Aven Colony’s campaign could use a deeper challenge, but at least it boasts a good storyline for a city sim. The audio/visual experience is good, though the textures feel a little fuzzy at times. While Aven Colony is probably a bit too shallow for the hard core city builder fan, the game is polished enough that it probably would make for a great game for a newbie looking to get a taste for city building sims without plunging into the deep end or paying for a full priced title. Aven Colony does not have the depth or the content to stand up against its full priced competitors, but its low price point makes the shortcoming a lot more intriguing.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.