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New Couch Co-Op Mode Arrives for Vikings – Wolves of Midgard

Philip Federico
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New Couch Co-Op Mode Arrives for Vikings – Wolves of Midgard

New update brings many fan-requested features and improvements to action-packed RPG

Sydney, 23rd June 2017 – Since the launch of Vikings – Wolves of Midgard, countless foes have been slain in the name of the old gods as players have made their way through the campaign in singleplayer and online-multiplayer modes. However, after listening carefully to fan feedback and working tirelessly behind-the-scenes, Kalypso Media and developer Games Farm are thrilled to announce the addition of ‘couch’ co-op multiplayer to its brutal action RPG as part of a major free update, available now on PlayStation®4 and Windows PC, with Xbox One to follow soon. Now two players can join forces on one console or PC to fight their way through hordes of vicious frost giants and rival clans.

In addition to couch co-op, significant changes have also been made to New Game+ mode, enabling players to carry over their items while increasing the difficulty with subsequent playthroughs of the main campaign, among other changes and improvements. Another much-requested new feature is the ‘stash’, a new addition to the village hub that gives players the ability to share items between all their different characters. In addition, players may now share items with fellow players during multiplayer games.

Other changes include improvements to the Trials of the Gods, new effects for legendary items, changes to talismans, adjustments to several boss fights and improvements to sounds, voiceovers, stability, UI, performance and localization. Please see the Kalypso Media Forums for the full changelog.

Kalypso Media and Games Farm are also pleased to confirm ongoing support for Vikings – Wolves of Midgard as they continue to work to add further minor enhancements requested by players.

About Vikings – Wolves of Midgard:

Vikings – Wolves of Midgard will transport you to the Shores of Midgard, a world based upon the mythology and history of the Vikings. Battle the fearsome Jotan, hordes of terrifying undead monstrosities and other myriad beasts of Ragnarok, either on your own or by teaming up with a friend via the online co-op multiplayer mode. Master mighty weapons, including sword and shield, two-handed hammers, dual-wielded axes and swift bows. Earn blood in battle to offer in tribute to the Gods in order to acquire and enhance devastating Spell Powers and other special unlockables. As well as the regular story mode (and New Game+), players can also test their mettle in the ‘Trials of the Gods’ – a special challenge mode that rewards the best warriors with special equipment and runes.

Features of Vikings – Wolves of Midgard:

  • Fantasy Meets Nordic Mythology: Travel the realms of earthly Midgard, freezing Niflheim and boiling Balheim, either as a fierce Viking warrior or merciless shieldmaiden.
  • The Deadly Fimbulwinter: Withstand the deathly colds and protect yourself from exposure to nature’s wrath in order to survive.
  • Tribute to the Gods: Collect blood from fallen enemies and sacrifice it at the altar to gain gifts from the Gods to enhance your powers.
  • Berserker Rage: Let your anger take hold by activating Rage Mode to overwhelm your enemies in bloodthirsty combat.
  • The Art of Combat: Perfect your skills with each weapon to unlock their true potential, including swords, bows and spell-powered canes.
  • The Power of the Gods: Make the abilities of the Gods your own by equipping power-infused amulets, like the Talismans of Thor or Loki. Put your new skills to the test by competing in the Trials of the Gods to earn further rewards.
  • Teamwork: Team up with a friend and journey to the Shores of Midgard together in an epic two player online co-op mode or join forces on one console or PC for two player couch co-op. Choose between four difficulty levels to suit your skills and talents. Do you dare attempt the unrelenting hardcore mode?
  • The Clan of Wolves: Restore and rebuild your village and lead your clan to glory. Upgrade buildings such as weaponsmith, armourer, runesmith, and mead hall to unlock more content and better equipment.
  • Legendary Weapons: Gather the scattered fragments of mythical weapons and armors to take on the most fearsome creatures of the realms.
  • A Class of its Own: Become even more powerful in the next life by attempting New Game+, and push your Viking warrior or shieldmaiden to their limit.
  • Destructible Environments: Utilize your surroundings by burying your foes under falling rocks or pushing them off high cliffs.

Vikings – Wolves of Midgard is available now for Windows PC, PlayStation®4 and Xbox One, and the soundtrack is available now on iTunes.

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Follow us on Twitter @KalypsoMediaUK

About The Kalypso Media Group 

Celebrating its 10th year in the video games industry, the Kalypso Media Group is a global, independent developer, marketer and publisher of interactive entertainment software with close to 100 employees worldwide with seven offices across Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.  Kalypso Media also enjoys very strong global digital distribution through its Kalypso Media Digital Ltd. subsidiary, owns two development studios – Realmforge Studios GmbH and Gaming Minds Studios GmbH – and works with multiple leading independent developers. In 2015, Kalypso Media Mobile was founded in Hamburg, Germany to deliver great games globally for mobile devices.

Kalypso Media‘s titles include the critically acclaimed Tropico 3, Tropico 4, Tropico 5 (PC, Xbox 360, PS4), Vikings – Wolves of Midgard (PC, PS4, Xbox One), Dungeons and Dungeons 2. Upcoming titles include Sudden Strike 4 (PC, PS4), Shadow Tactics – Blades of the Shogun (PS4, Xbox One), Blackguards 2 (PS4, Xbox One), Dungeons 3 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) and Railway Empire (PC, PS4, Xbox One). Further information about Kalypso Media is available at http://www.kalypsomedia.com.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions Review

K. Roberts
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Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions Review

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions

Studio: Gallop
Publisher: Madman Entertainment
Platform: DVD (reviewed)
Release Date: June 7, 2017
Price: $24.95 – Available Here

Overview

Yugi, Téa, Joey, Tristan and Bakura are all about to graduate from high school. As they move towards their futures and their chosen careers, a mysterious and dangerous new villain appears in the form of transfer student Aigami. People are disappearing without a trace, and Yugi’s friends eventually become the next targets while attempting to befriend Aigami. Meanwhile, Seto Kaiba and his company have developed a new, more powerful duel disk as his mission to recover the Millennium Puzzle and bring back the Pharaoh nears completion.

Story

Kazuki Takahashi wrote a fairly solid story for this movie, providing a decent conclusion to the high school lives of Yugi and his friends. If there is just one major weak point in the plot, it is Aigami’s presence. It takes a little while for everyone to remember Aigami’s name when they spot him in the corner of their classroom, even though he has apparently been in their class for a whole year. All of the “oh, I remember his name! … Wait, no I don’t. Huh, that’s weird” statements from almost everyone in the core group serve no purpose. This foreshadows nothing whatsoever, and this is not the only time where an explanation is missing for something that seems like it might be important. Nevertheless, a scene somewhat reminiscent of Death Note soon follows, in which it is revealed that Aigami has the power to send people he deems evil to another dimension. However, he has no death note, just an almighty power. In video game terms, Aigami and a group of other children basically had ‘god mode’ activated after the Pharaoh left the world. As it happens, Aigami also has a deck of cards that he uses to duel with Kaiba and then Yugi, but he has his own set of rules. Said rules are introduced in a “this is what’s going to happen, so deal with it” kind of way, and while the duel scenes are very well-written, his ‘dimension duels’ serve little purpose where regular duels would have been just as exciting. This is quite the silly movie, yet that silliness is somehow endearing at times; it is probably not meant to be taken entirely seriously in the first place. Aigami does serve a purpose to the story, but where this movie succeeds is in its focus on the established characters that long-time fans are already familiar with.

Character development occurs throughout, and it is effective. Yugi and his friends are depicted as ‘real’ high school students with real goals, and we see them beginning to pursue their dreams before the credits roll at the end. We see them preparing for and participating in their graduation ceremony, and with it comes a genuine sense of closure. This is the send-off that they deserve, and even Kaiba grows as a character. He is determined to have his revenge against the Pharaoh by defeating him in one last duel, and he dedicates himself completely to achieving this goal. Revenge is not a positive thing, but he becomes a more dynamic character as he engages in one last duel with Yugi before turning his attention to the real villain, Aigami. The duels are idealistic, yet they and the character development drive this movie and make it a memorable experience in spite of the generic villain.

Visuals

The quality of the animation is mostly consistent, with only a few noticeable exceptions. There is a heavy reliance on 3D CG animation for the monsters, and said monsters are visually impressive. Unfortunately, the problems with Japanese 3D CG animation start to become obvious when the monsters move in certain shots; their animation sequences are either intentionally rendered at a low frame-rate or have had several frames removed from each second of animation afterwards. This is a known problem to western anime fans, but is something that repeatedly appears in sci-fi anime to its detriment regardless. If you can overlook this, you can both consider yourself lucky and enjoy the otherwise impressive and engaging duels. The duels otherwise look great for the most part. The characters all look great, although there are a few shots in which the quality of the artwork and animation seems to drop to a level more consistent with an average TV episode. None of these problems are present throughout every shot, so while the decreases in animation quality do stand out, they do not ruin the movie or prevent the duels from being entertaining.

Audio

For many Yu-Gi-Oh! fans in the west, the audio may be the most important element of this movie. Everything about it sounds completely familiar. The voice acting and the dub script not only seem reminiscent of the 4Kids era, they make it sound as if 4Kids never went away. In some ways, this is objectively a negative strike against the movie. However, without the Japanese audio track or even English subtitles to compare it to, listening to the lame ’90s-style dialogue is surprisingly enjoyable and entertaining, just like it was a decade ago. There are numerous jokes and quips that are absolutely stupid and probably not present in the original Japanese script, yet most of them are hilarious anyway. A small portion of the random quips do come across in much the same way as the completely-unfunny and irrelevant banter present in various iterations of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, such as Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, but that such terrible jokes are in the dub script is no surprise. If you go into this movie expecting a 4Kids dub, you will not be disappointed.

What ultimately enables the majority of the lame humour to be surprisingly hilarious is the voice acting. This movie features some of the biggest names in anime voice acting from the 1990s and 2000s, all returning to their original roles from the TV series. Without them, it would be no stretch to say that this English dub would not work at all, especially because of the generic American soundtrack used in place of the original. Eric Stuart in particular makes Seto Kaiba the engaging villain he is, and he portrays Kaiba’s egotistical nature perfectly. All of the voice actors help make this movie consistently fun, even as the events in it become more and more ridiculous.

Extras

Two English theatrical trailers are included as on-disc extras. Artwork featuring Yugi and Kaiba can be found on the reverse side of the cover sheet.

Overall

If a lack of Japanese audio on a home video release of an anime movie is something you cannot reconcile with after years of the likes of Sentai Filmworks and FUNimation dubbing anime uncut and releasing it on home video with dual audio options and English subtitles, this release is not for you. Madman’s release is best suited to the nostalgic fans in Australia wanting one more 4Kids-style Yu-Gi-Oh! viewing experience, complete with a replaced soundtrack, an occasionally lame script and great voice acting from some of the most recognizable talents in the anime industry. The practices of 4Kids never truly went away, so when watching this film, taking the bad with the good is necessary in order to be able to enjoy it to the fullest. The antagonist Aigami is poorly developed, but does contribute a little to the story. The main characters, on the other hand, are further developed throughout and receive the conclusion they deserve.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Steam Summer Sale 2017 Kicks Off

Jamie Laike Tsui
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Steam Summer Sale 2017 Kicks Off

The Steam Summer Sale, the second Christmas for PC gamers, has kicked off. While the store may be a little slow with the rush of traffic, most games have seen their prices axed anywhere between 10-90%. This year, the sale will run until July 5th.

Each sale comes with a brand new mini-game and set of cards. This summer’s mini-game is a collectible sticker book. Every day of the sale will bring three new quests to be completed that will award three unique stickers that can be applied to a corresponding page. Each page that is completed will be permanently unlocked for the account.

As with every sale, a special set of Steam Summer Sale 2017 trading cards have been released. They can be collected by completing trading card sets for games, making purchases during the sale, exploring the Discovery Queue up to three times a day, trading for the cards, and buying them on the Community Market.

Heavy Metal Machines Bomb Upgrade Launches With Videos Highlighting Extensive Gameplay Improvements; First European Tournament Announced With Over €10,000 Up For Grabs

Philip Federico
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Heavy Metal Machines Bomb Upgrade Launches With Videos Highlighting Extensive Gameplay Improvements; First European Tournament Announced With Over €10,000 Up For Grabs 

Hoplon releases a major Bomb Mechanic upgrade for its combat racing MOBA alongside new modes and community features, plus registration details for inaugural Esports European Tournament announced 

Florianópolis BRAZIL, June 22nd, 2017 – Hoplon, the developers behind the upcoming car-combat MOBA Heavy Metal Machines, today unleashed a slew of new upgrades derived from a combination of developer tweaks and community feedback, which vastly improve the frenetic, yet nuanced nature of the gameplay.

Other enhancements being rolled out, which look set to propel Heavy Metal Machines into the realms of competitive esports, are as follows:

European Competition
Hoplon will be offering in excess of €10,000 for the first ever European Heavy Metal Machines Esports competition, which will take place later this summer (full details to come in the near future). Registration will open on July 1st.


New Community Feature – Teams

  • Now it’s possible to run with your crew with the Teams feature
  • Team: Group created with a defined name, tag and icon picture. You can create and check your team’s info by clicking on a flag in the game main screen.
  • Team Leader: Invite Steam’s friends to join it, remove players and pass the leadership.
  • Joining the Team: You could only join the team if you received the leader’s invitation.
  • Teams can have up to 5 members.

New Game mode – Custom Match

  • It’s now possible to create an all-customized match! Just click on Custom Match in the game main screen and become the room’s creator to play with your friends
  • Creator’s skills: move a player to the other team, ban, close lobby, start a match and send Access Codes.
  • Access Code: the creator can copy and send the Access Code to any player he wants to invite to play along. Players can use the Access Code to play a Custom Match.

To find out more about the exciting world of Hoplon’s Heavy Metal Machines, please follow them on Twitter and Facebook or visit http://www.heavymetalmachines.com/site/.

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 center 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.

MIRAGE: ARCANE WARFARE 50% OFF FOR STEAM SUMMER SALE TODAY—ADDS FULL RUSSIAN LOCALIZATION AND TEAM AUTOBALANC

Philip Federico
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MIRAGE: ARCANE WARFARE 50% OFF FOR STEAM SUMMER SALE TODAY—ADDS FULL RUSSIAN LOCALIZATION AND TEAM AUTOBALANCE 

Upcoming Content and Full Text Localizations for 10 Languages Teased For Magic & Melee Multiplayer FPS from the Creators of Chivalry: Medieval Warfare

TORONTO, CANADA, June 22, 2017— Mirage: Arcane Warfare, the skill-based multiplayer FPS from creators of the popular first-person medieval melee slasher Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, is now available for just $14.99 during the Steam Summer Sale, running until July 5th. Mirage: Arcane Warfare is available for purchase via the game’s Steam page.

Developer Torn Banner has released a new patch for the game in conjunction with the sale that introduces two highly-requested new features: Team Autobalance (for player numbers) and Russian language localization. The new patch, which also includes a host of bug fixes, is available today.

New players and long-time fans both will appreciate the new free content headed to Mirage: Arcane Warfare later in July. The first big content update for the game will contain a healthy dose of new in-game content including two new Arena maps to play on, The Pit and Old Arena. Players will also be able to unleash four new magic abilities in game, as well as unlock new armor variants – with exclusive color gradients per team – once they reach a certain player rank. Taurant class mains will also get to swing around a new 2-handed sword. The full content update for July will also include more goodies and upgrades like full text localization for ten more languages – French, Italian, Spanish, German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Portuguese Brazilian. More information about the timing of the full content update is coming soon.

In Mirage: Arcane Warfare, the calm of a strange fantasy world is shattered by ruthless civil war. Warriors armed with steel and magic bring violence and death as they do battle across a fantastical Arabian and Persian-inspired setting of desert sands, market bazaars and grand palaces. Built using the powerful new capabilities of Unreal Engine 4, Mirage: Arcane Warfare presents visually stunning backdrops to some viscerally brutal multiplayer combat.

For the latest information on Mirage: Arcane Warfare, please visit @MirageGame on Twitter, on Facebook or go to MirageArcaneWarfare.com.

About Torn Banner Studios

Torn Banner Studios is a small indie games studio that makes BIG games. Based in Toronto Canada, Torn Banner Studios was founded in 2012 by a group of passionate game developers who are dedicated to creating powerful and unique games for a dedicated audience of fans. The nucleus of the team first came together from a group of modders who created a well-known Half-Life 2 mod called Age of Chivalry. Their first full game, Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, was a critical and commercial success and has driven the dedicated team at Torn Banner to continue to develop great games and ongoing content for their passionate community of fans. For more information visit TornBanner.com or follow @TornBanner.

Homeworld: Emergence, the stand-alone expansion to the original game, is available DRM-free and exclusively on GOG.com

Philip Federico
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Homeworld: Emergence, the stand-alone expansion to the original game, is available DRM-free and exclusively on GOG.com

The expansion of the acclaimed space strategy series, previously released under a different name, is now exclusively available on GOG.com, together with the release of the prequel – Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak.

Warsaw, Poland – June 22, 2017 – GOG.com (https://www.gog.com), the digital distribution platform for all your classic gaming needs and exceptional AAA experiences, together with Gearbox Software proudly present the comeback of Homeworld: Emergence – the stand-alone expansion of the original Homeworld game.

Homeworld: Emergence was originally released as “Homeworld: Cataclysm”. “Cataclysm” is now a registered trademark of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., and the game has been renamed to avoid confusion. Other than the subtitle change, the game is identical to the game released in 2000 and is now available exclusively on GOG.com, DRM-free and with a 10% discount.

Homeworld: Emergence takes place fifteen years after the original game and introduces a new chapter in the Homeworld saga. After returning to their homeworld, a Hiigaran sect unwittingly releases an alien horror, and it’s up to you to commandeer the Kuun-Lan, a Hiigaran mining vessel, and transform it into a combat-ready mothership.

The expansion made many changes and fixes to the base game including ship upgrades, ability to toggle time compression, as well as improved user-interface and added new 3D features such as moving parts and transforming ships. There are also new units and technologies to research available, a new race called “The Beast”, and a full-length campaign to play through.

Today marks another addition in the Homeworld series on GOG.com, with Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak being released on the platform. The 2016 release from Blackbird Interactive, is a prequel to the space strategy saga, and takes players on a 13 mission campaign to join Rachel S’jet and her expedition to discover their destiny. The game features both land and air vehicles, massive environments, tactical combat and online multiplayer.

To celebrate those great additions to GOG.com’s catalogue, all games from the Homeworld franchise received discounts for a week – these include Homeworld Remastered Collection (66% off), Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak (66% off), Homeworld: Emergence (10% off) and Homeworld Remastered Soundtrack (66% off).

For more Information on Homeworld Emergence and Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, please visit https://www.gog.com/ and follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GOGcom and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/gogcom/.

About GOG.com

GOG.com is a digital distribution platform – an online store with a curated selection of games, an optional gaming client giving you freedom of choice, and a vivid community of gamers. All of this born from a deeply-rooted love for games, utmost care about customers, and a belief that you should own the things you buy.

About Gearbox Software

Gearbox Software is an award-winning, independent developer of interactive entertainment based in Frisco, Texas. It was founded in 1999 by game industry veterans, and its first release was Half-Life: Opposing Force. Since then, the company has become widely known for successful game franchises including Brothers in Arms, Borderlands, and Battleborn, as well as acquired properties Duke Nukem and Homeworld. For more information, visit http://www.gearboxsoftware.com.

About Gearbox Publishing

Founded in 2016, Gearbox Publishing was established with the goal of helping developers around the world bring their products to market while retaining their unique creative visions. The mission began with the critically-acclaimed Homeworld Remastered Collection for PC, followed by the first new entry in the franchise in more than a decade, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, developed by Blackbird Interactive. Gearbox went on to publish Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour in celebration of the 20-year anniversary of the iconic FPS title. With the release of 2017’s Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition, developed by People Can Fly, Gearbox Publishing remains committed to its promise to entertain the world and become the most developer-friendly publisher in the industry. Learn more at http://www.gearboxpublishing.com.

NEW CHARACTERS AND GAMEPLAY SYSTEM REVEALED FOR DIGIMON STORY CYBER SLEUTH: HACKER’S MEMORY

Philip Federico
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NEW CHARACTERS AND GAMEPLAY SYSTEM REVEALED FOR DIGIMON STORY CYBER SLEUTH: HACKER’S MEMORY

New assets are now available for download and sharing from BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. for Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory. The new assets include a first look at two new characters as well as the new Territory Battle Quest system.

The two characters featured today include Chitose Imai and Nokia Shiramine. Chitose is a brand-new character who will be appearing in Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory. He is an emotional hacking genius who creates his own digital tools as weapons to be used in information warfare. He is also the vice leader of the hacker group, Hudie. His partner Digimon is Ankylomon, an herbivorous Digimon with a brave spirit.

Nokia, who returns from Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth, is a young girl with a strong sense of justice who establishes a close emotional bond to the Digimon she meets. Nokia is a girl who truly cares for Digimon, forming a team called ‘Rebellion’ to protect Digimon in the Digital World.

Also featured in today’s update is a glimpse of Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory’s Territory Battle Quest system, which enables players to recruit characters to fight against hackers in unique battles with the goal of gaining more territorial control over the Digital World. Players must defeat enemy team leaders to secure their place in the Digital World. The Territory Battle Quest system also offers players the opportunity to interact with their team members and raise friendship levels in order to unlock special items and additional story elements.

Great Games Incoming for the Nintendo 3DS Family of Systems

Philip Federico
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Great Games Incoming for the Nintendo 3DS Family of Systems

New Games in the Metroid, Pokémon and Pikmin Franchises All Coming This Year

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– With the E3 video game conference in the rear-view mirror, Nintendo is now looking ahead to all the great games coming to Nintendo 3DS this year. This includes games in some of gaming’s most popular and long-running franchises. Nintendo is highlighting many of these upcoming Nintendo 3DS games, including Metroid: Samus Returns, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions, Pokémon Ultra Sun, Pokémon Ultra Moon, Hey! PIKMIN and LAYTON’S MYSTERY JOURNEY: Katrielle and the Millionaire’s Conspiracy, the next game in the popular Layton series starring a new super-smart detective.

With the E3 video game conference in the rear-view mirror, Nintendo is now looking ahead to all the great games coming to Nintendo 3DS this year. (Photo: Business Wire)

“Throughout the rest of the year and into 2018, the Nintendo 3DS family of systems will see the launch of some great games in a variety of different genres starring all sorts of fan-favorite characters,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “With new entries into an already robust library of more than 1,000 games in some of gaming’s most iconic franchises, Nintendo 3DS owners new and seasoned have something to look forward to this year.”

Highlights of the upcoming Nintendo 3DS games include:

  • Metroid: Samus Returns: A modern reimagining of the adventure Metroid II: Return of Samus, Metroid: Samus Returns for Nintendo 3DS features immersive 3D visuals, an enhanced arsenal for bounty hunter Samus Aran, a redesigned map, and new moves and abilities, like Melee Counter and 360 degree aiming. The game launches on Sept. 15 alongside two new Metroid series amiibo available as a two-pack: Samus Aran and Metroid.
  • Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions: This enhanced remake of the first game in the Mario & Luigi series contains updated visuals, touch-screen controls and helpful game-play upgrades. The newly added mode, Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser, stars an unlikely hero, Captain Goomba, who journeys with many of Bowser’s familiar minions, like Boo and Shy Guy. The robust mode provides a different perspective on some of the events of the original game, and gives players insight into what was happening behind the scenes. Nintendo revealed that two new amiibo figures would be introduced: Goomba and Koopa Troopa. The new amiibo and the existing Boo amiibo figure will be compatible with the game. The amiibo and the game are scheduled to launch separately on Oct. 6.
  • Pokémon Ultra Sun / Pokémon Ultra Moon: With new story additions, new Pokémon and enhanced features, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon offer a fresh adventure through the tropical Alola region. The games launch on Nov. 17.
  • LAYTON’S MYSTERY JOURNEY: Katrielle and the Millionaire’s Conspiracy: Join Katrielle Layton, our new hero, in a casual, comical, quizzical quest. Full of ingenious challenges, charming characters and clever plot twists, the newest Layton installment will prove that “The truth is stranger than fiction!” The game launches for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems this fall.
  • Ever Oasis: This beautiful and mystical role-playing action-adventure game from Koichi Ishii, the creator of the Mana series, launches on June 23. The game takes place in a vast desert full of dynamic characters and towering bosses. In between exploring the desert and conquering puzzling dungeons, players can build up their own personal oasis. A free demo is available in Nintendo eShop now.
  • Hey! PIKMIN: The first Pikmin game for Nintendo 3DS finds Captain Olimar crashing on an unknown planet and embarking on an adventure where he encounters the adorable but fierce Pikmin. In a new type of Pikmin game, players use different types of Pikmin’s powers with intuitive touch control to solve puzzles, overcome challenges and defeat enemies through a side-scrolling adventure. The Hey! PIKMIN game is only playable in 2D and launches exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems on July 28, the same day as the New Nintendo 2DS XL system and a new Pikmin amiibo figure (both sold separately).
  • Miitopia: Fans have never played an RPG quite like Miitopia. By casting Mii characters in roles across the world of Miitopia, players set off on an adventure to battle enemies, hunt for treasure and open up new areas of the map. The turn-based battles are straight out of an RPG, but allies have a mind of their own. The relationships they build affect their performance in battle. This Nintendo 3DS RPG launches on July 28, the same day as the New Nintendo 2DS XL system. Try out the game by downloading a free demo currently available in Nintendo eShop.
  • Monster Hunter Stories: Prepare to embark on an RPG adventure unlike anything the Monster Hunter series has ever known. In Monster Hunter Stories, become a rider and bond with monsters to raise their potential and unleash powerful combos. Players can fly, swim and crash into new areas of the map; discover eggs to collect and hatch; and participate in turn-based battles with a team of monsters. Monster Hunter Stories launches this fall.
  • YO-KAI WATCH 2: Psychic Specters: Whether players missed it the first time or want to fall in love again, the definitive version of YO-KAI WATCH 2 is here! The YO-KAI WATCH 2: Psychic Specters game delivers the same full YO-KAI WATCH 2 experience, but adds new Yo-kai to befriend, exclusive quests and the ability to hop on the Hexpress to a new resort area. Players can even befriend Wicked and Boss Yo-kai from previous games, learn about the origin of the mysterious feline Yo-kai, Darknyan, and experience a revamped Blasters co-op mode to beat powerful new bosses. YO-KAI WATCH 2: Psychic Specters launches this fall.
  • Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth: Starting with the creation of a party to exploring the uncharted labyrinth of the Yggdrasil Tree, Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth is all about players choosing how their adventures unfold. The fifth main installment in the loved RPG series contains the epic turn-based battles, challenging exploration and beautiful art styles fans have come to love. Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth launches this fall.
  • RPG Maker Fes: RPG Maker Fes makes it easy to develop any RPG you can imagine without any programming knowledge. Simple but powerful tools let you bring to life the amazing stories in your head. Customize characters, stories, combat and more to become the next great developer. RPG Maker Fes launches on June 27.
  • Culdcept Revolt: As the Culdcept series celebrates its 20th anniversary, the addictive card game-meets-board game is back and bigger and better than ever with hundreds of new cards, inventive boards and exciting multiplayer. Build your book, create new strategies and dominate the board in Culdcept Revolt. The game launches in 2017.
  • Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology: The original Radiant Historia on Nintendo DS is a beloved RPG classic. In this expanded version of the game, players will experience new story content, enhanced gameplay and an updated presentation. Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology launches in early 2018.
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux: When Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey returns on Nintendo 3DS, expect it to do so with new story content, additional endings, a new dungeon to explore and more fun surprises. This enhanced version of the essential RPG launches for Nintendo 3DS in early 2018.

For more information about Nintendo 3DS, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds/. For more information about the upcoming New Nintendo 2DS XL, which launches on July 28, visit http://www.nintendo.com/2ds/new-nintendo-2ds/.

Remember that the Nintendo 3DS family of systems feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Nintendo Switch™ system and the Nintendo 3DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.4 billion video games and more than 703 million hardware units globally, including Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS™ family of systems, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™, Nintendo GameCube™, Wii™ and Wii U™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names, such as Mario, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Zelda and Pokémon. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Americas. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.

Transformers: The Last Knight Review

Mateja Simovic
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Transformers: The Last Knight Review

Transformers: The Last Knight

Studios: Di Bonaventura Pictures, Hasbro Studios, Angry Films
Publisher: Paramount Pictures
Platforms: Cinema
Release Date: 22nd June 2017 – Tickets Available Here

Overview

When it comes to popcorn action flicks, there is no director and film franchise which better exemplifies the summer (winter here) blockbuster than Michael Bay and the Transformers film franchise. When it comes to brainless entertainment with plenty of explosions and impulsive heroics, this series is pretty much ground zero. Honestly, however, I don’t think too highly of this film franchise but as a film academic and reviewer, I aim to give any and every production I see the benefit of the doubt. In preparation for this foray into the cinema, I rewatched the earlier entries of this series and found that I could enjoy them as a visceral cinematic experience. Having altered my expectations accordingly, I looked forward to experiencing this new instalment as a continuation of the competent yet forgettable action movie series as I expected from the preview I was shown some months ago.

Story

The narrative starts us off in a distant and mythical past by introducing to this instalment’s McGuffin plot device; which turns out to be Merlin’s staff that is used to control a giant mechanical dragon. The story then jumps to the present day where a international paramilitary group, Transformers Reaction Force, is hunting for and destroying any and all transformer robots. After the story goes on a tangent with a group of pre-teen children exploring the ruins of a Transformers battleground, we are introduced to this film’s protagonist, Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), who works to protect and hide whatever transformers he can find. While exploring the ruins of a downed transformer ship, he comes across a sentient talisman which attaches itself to him and ultimately forces him to go on a journey of discovery to unlock it’s true potential. Meanwhile, Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) is floating through space to land back on Cybertron and confront the being who made him. Unfortunately for him the being who claims to be his maker, Quintessa (Gemma Chan), is able to mind control Optimus and bring him under her sway for use in her plan to rebuild Cybertron at the cost of Earth.

If my above summary feels overloaded with details, then trust me: this film is bloated with unnecessary plot points, characters, dialogue, and scenes. What this film needed, above all, was a zealous and critical script editor to trim away all of the extraneous detail. The fact that this script is so bloated with these entirely extraneous details means that about twenty minutes into this film’s runtime, I had checked out mentally. I can’t remember the names of pretty much any of the characters and I’d be hard pressed to give you a description of any of them. The overarching narrative is similarly so badly paced that it’s surprising that the film’s runtime goes for so long but is ultimately sparse on any significant plot developments. This film goes on so many tangents that by the time the credits rolled, I’m still not entirely sure what exactly unfolded on the screen.

The biggest gripe I have with the dialogue is the way that it undercuts itself tonally. The film has dialogue which establishes a character with a specific and distinct voice before abruptly saying something which completely upsets expectations for that character. This can be done to great effect sparingly by a writer and actor who carefully and deliberately craft their character and voice with enough time to give the audience a strong impression of their character so that when they act against this impression, it’s humorous or shocking. The problem is twofold: firstly, the film does this so often and so blatantly that it seems so obvious that it is feels like it’s trying to pander to the lowest common denominator. Secondly, the out-of-character tonal shift is done for so many characters and in the same way to the extent that pretty much all of the cast feel like they’re playing the same character. So instead of experiencing characters which interact with one another to if not craft then at least frame an interesting narrative, we get the same character over and over bouncing jokes and dialogue off of itself.

Into this milieu we have some fairly big name actors trying to eke out some of sort of performance. Wahlberg does alright as the protagonist Jaeger but his character is barely fleshed out; which I guess is lucky because there is no character arc for him to inhabit. He starts out the film as a snide ally of the Transformers and ends the film in pretty much the same way. Anthony Hopkins plays a mentor-type character to whom he tried to bring as much gravitas to as he can but considering the quality of the script, the entire time I was pretty much wondering how much he was earning for appearing in this film. Cullen performance as the indefatigable is pretty much on point for a Transformers film but even he falls prey to unnecessary and bloated dialogue.

Bay (and to a certain extent a lot of action films) have a turbulent relationship with female characters and female leads. The Transformers film series has a problem with depicting female characters as anything more than sex objects. This film continues this nefarious tradition and has its female protagonist, Viviane Wembly played by Laura Haddock, introduced to us almost immediately as being a romantically available for the protagonist. She is meant to be a qualified academic but is repeatedly told by male characters that her ideas are wrong… but hey, at least she’s shown to be a competent polo player. A saving grace could have been found in the villain, Quintessa, but ultimately we get so little screen time with her that I might only be enamoured with her purely because she imparts far less useless information than any of the other characters. If you’re someone who is even remotely aware of the Bechdel test, I will not blame you if this film causes you to enter a berserker rage.

Visuals

There are many things which can be said about Bay as a director and the body of his work but I’d say it’s almost universally agreed that he is an incredibly competent filmmaker. You would not be able to see this from this film however as the direction at work here is so over the joint as to almost make this film completely unwatchable. My companion for the evening felt physically unwell while watching this film and I could see why as the cuts between shots moved at such a frenetic and disjointed as to destroy any sense of direction, movement, or even continuity. The fact that Bay fails in this aspect of the film speaks volumes of the effort he invested in this production as I feel that it would take deliberate effort on his part to so acutely create sequences that are so disjointed in their flow. I’d recommend that if you’re going in to see this film that you ready yourself for a somewhat arduous cinemagoing experience.

Audio

The soundtrack is completely forgettable and ultimately just bland. There’s no interesting tracks which will capture your attention largely because it has to keep pace with the film which never slows down. It does its best to keep up but this essentially means that there’s little variance from scene to scene once the action gets going in terms of the backing tracks. It pretty much all sounds the same uninspired beat which follows along from one scene to another.

There was one of part of the film which plays which with diegetic sound and the first time I saw it I was actually quite impressed by the writing and staging. You will probably experience something similar but instead of using it as the throwaway gag that it is or developing it with something more, the film decides to repeat the joke again and undercut its effectiveness.

Overall

I entered the cinema with low expectations and I was still underwhelmed by how little this film had going for it. The dialogue and story are so bloated that the film ends up failing even as a framing device for strong action sequences. The film’s soundtrack is competent enough in keeping pace with the action but due to the film’s pacing problems, it ultimately ends up sounding unidimensional. This film’s greatest sin lies in its direction which is bland, boring and just plain bad; which is not what you would expect from veteran director Bay. All of these elements come together to create a film which is not just bad but absolutely boring and unengaging to experience. I cannot recommend enough to any party who’s thinking about seeing this film that you keep away; there is nothing for you here but painful, painful boredom.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

GIGANTIC – THE BIGGEST FIGHT OF YOUR LIFE – ARRIVES JULY 20 ON ARC, STEAM, XBOX ONE AND WINDOWS 10

Philip Federico
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GIGANTIC – THE BIGGEST FIGHT OF YOUR LIFE – ARRIVES JULY 20 ON ARC, STEAM, XBOX ONE AND WINDOWS 10

Strategic Hero Shooter Expands Open Beta to Arc Today and Launches on All Platforms Next Month

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – June 22, 2017 – Today Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a leading publisher of free-to-play online games, and Motiga, Inc. announced Gigantic launches on Arc, Steam, Xbox One and Windows 10 on July 20. The free-to-play strategic hero shooter has also expanded the final month of Open Beta to the Arc platform today with new features, allowing even more PC players across the world to battle alongside massive Guardians. Gigantic is also currently available on Xbox One and Windows 10.

Gigantic’s Open Beta received a sizable update today, introducing bot matches, a revamped tutorial, voice chat and new front-end UI. To celebrate the last month of Open Beta, Gigantic is offering a login and play bonus to all players. Starting today, Arc players who log in to the game and play one match will receive an Arc Lightning skin for Tripp, while Xbox One and Windows 10 who do the same can get the Excelsior skin for Tyto the Swift.

Players looking to unlock even more for their Gigantic experience can also purchase the Founder’s Pack, now discounted to $29.99 (down from $39.99), to gain access to all 18 current heroes, two upcoming heroes and additional unique rewards. Valued at over $175, the Founder’s Pack offers a substantial savings to players looking to establish themselves right away and is currently available on Arc, Xbox One and Windows 10, and disappears forever on July 20.

Gigantic is a free-to-play strategic hero shooter developed by Motiga. Gorgeously rendered, lighthearted and charming, Gigantic is for all types of gamers, pitting teams of five heroes and their massive Guardians against each other in epic battles across a variety of maps. The game combines explosive combat with fast-paced teamwork, strategy and skill, as players must work together and fight relentlessly to defeat the opposing Guardian with spells, guns and swords.

For more information about Gigantic and the Founder’s Pack, please visit the official website: www.GoGigantic.com.

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ABOUT PERFECT WORLD ENTERTAINMENT INC.

Perfect World Entertainment is a leading North American online games publisher specializing in immersive free-to-play MMORPGs. Founded in 2008, Perfect World Entertainment has published a number of popular titles, including Swordsman, Blacklight Retribution, Forsaken World, PWI and Star Trek Online. The company works closely with its American development teams and partners, such as Cryptic Studios, developer of the highly acclaimed MMORPG Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter, and Runic Games, developer of the hit Torchlight series, to provide unparalleled quality of service and game experiences to its players. A subsidiary of Perfect World Group, Perfect World Entertainment is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California. For more information, please visit: www.perfectworld.com.

ABOUT MOTIGA

Motiga is an independent game studio based in Bellevue, Wash., that has been working on Gigantic since 2012. Composed of more than 80 game developers, Motiga is dedicated to enabling passionate teams to create magical game experiences and do its part in helping the industry move forward.

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