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The CheckPoint Series Episode 1 is Live!

The CheckPoint Series Episode 1 is Live!

January 31, 2018 – Non-profit organisation CheckPoint has aired the first episode of the CheckPoint Series.

The pilot, “Introduction to Mental Health”, runs at twenty minutes and includes an overview of the themes explored in the show: tackling mental health issues using the power of video games. It features interviews with Bioshock’s Ken Levine, Naughty Dog’s Josh Scherr, NITV/Gizmodo’s Rae Johnston and many more inspiring individuals.

The show is available to watch on YouTube, Steam, and the CheckPoint website, with episodes coming out on Mondays and Thursdays. Over its two seasons, the series will feature information about mental health issues and an exploration about the uses of video games for positive wellbeing and resilience.

CheckPoint are running a social media awareness campaign using the hashtag #CheckPointSeries.

The series is proudly sponsored by Way Down Deep, and supported by Hipster Whale, Mighty Games, Digital Fox, Well Placed Cactus, Gallagher Bassett, SuperBetter and Dinosaur Polo Club.

About CheckPoint:

CheckPoint is a non-profit organisation that connects mental health resources with video games. CheckPoint believes games can help recovery, and even be therapeutic. Their mission is to support the people who play and make games, and to use games for good. They do this by raising awareness of mental health issues, reducing stigma, and providing a safe peer-support community for gamers.

The organisation is run by both mental health and games industry professionals. This enables CheckPoint’s reach to span across both industries, and ensures that the information and education that they provide is accurate, relevant and implementable.

You can find out more on http://checkpoint.org.au, plus follow CheckPoint on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

THE BATTLE FOR AZEROTH™ BEGINS IN WORLD OF WARCRAFT® THIS WINTER†—PRE-PURCHASE NOW AND PREPARE FOR WAR

THE BATTLE FOR AZEROTH BEGINS IN WORLD OF WARCRAFT® THIS WINTER—PRE-PURCHASE NOW AND PREPARE FOR WAR

Recruit four of the playable Allied Races†  joining the fight in the upcoming expansion to Blizzard Entertainment’s acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game

Instantly boost one Horde or Alliance character to level 110 today

SYDNEY, Australia—31 January, 2018—A new great war between the Alliance and the Horde will erupt this winter—and starting today, World of Warcraft® players around the globe can seek out new champions to fight for their faction’s cause. Blizzard Entertainment today announced that Battle for Azeroth, the next expansion to the world’s most popular subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game, is now available for pre-purchase at www.worldofwarcraft.com.

Players who pre-purchase Battle for Azeroth today can begin their journey to recruit four of the expansion’s new Allied Races, each representing comrades they’ve fought alongside on the Broken Isles and Argus in the game’s most recent expansion, Legion. Upon winning the respect of an Allied Race by completing quests and earning reputation, players will unlock the ability to create characters of that race and set out on a new adventure across Azeroth. Alliance players can add the shadow-touched Void elves and valiant Lightforged draenei to their ranks, while members of the Horde will be able to bring the ancient Nightborne and noble Highmountain tauren into their faction’s fold—with additional Allied Races to come in the future.

Pre-purchasing Battle for Azeroth also grants the included level-110 character boost immediately, so players can enter the expansion ready to fight on the front lines of the coming war. Upon Battle for Azeroth’s launch, heroes will be called upon to seek reinforcements in the seafaring kingdom of Kul Tiras and troll empire of Zandalar; battle for strategic control of Stromgarde, a new 20-player cooperative Warfront; and embark on Island Expeditions, where bands from rival factions race to claim resources on treacherous uncharted terrain.

Battle for Azeroth brings a whole new dimension to the Horde-vs.-Alliance conflict in World of Warcraft, with a new continent to explore for each faction and brand-new gameplay features like Allied Races, randomised Island Expeditions, and large-scale Warfronts,” said Mike Morhaime, “No matter which side they fight for, players’ dedication to their faction will be put to the test when the new expansion arrives this winter.”

Players who choose to level up a new Allied Race will also be able to enjoy World of Warcraft’s recently revamped level 1 to 100 questing experience. Building upon a popular feature introduced on the Broken Isles in Legion, zones across Azeroth, Outland, and Draenor now scale to a wide range of character levels, making it so players can enjoy the quests, stories, and other content at their own pace. Those who complete the full level 20–110 experience as an Allied Race character will also earn that race’s distinctive Heritage Armour—a set of cosmetic gear that represents their dedication to finding their people’s place in Azeroth. 

Standard and Digital Deluxe Editions 

Battle for Azeroth is available for pre-purchase digitally in a standard edition ($69.95AUD/$79.99NZD) and Digital Deluxe ($94.95AUD/$109.99NZD) edition. In addition to the expansion, the Digital Deluxe edition also includes a cache of in-game bonuses that allow you to proudly proclaim your allegiance to the Horde or the Alliance in a variety of Blizzard games, including:

  • World of Warcraft: Charge into battle astride the Seabraid Stallion (Alliance) and Gilded Ravasaur (Horde) mounts, and explore new frontiers with Tottle, the baby Tortollan pet, at your side.
  • Hearthstone®: After a rough day on the front, rest up at the tavern and play a few hands of Hearthstone with your hot new Azeroth Is Burning card back.
  • StarCraft® II: Make your mark on distant worlds with Horde- and Alliance-themed sprays.
  • Heroes of the Storm®: Roar onto the Battlegrounds of the Nexus riding your Primal Flamesaber, a fiery new mount with three variants.
  • Overwatch®: Champion your faction on the battlefields of tomorrow with Horde and Alliance voice lines for Torbjörn and emotes for Tracer; sprays featuring Anduin, Sylvanas, Jaina, and Varok Saurfang; and player icons representing Kul Tiras and Zandalar.

Players who pre-purchase the Digital Deluxe edition will unlock the above bonuses today with the exception of the mount for Heroes of the Storm, which is arriving soon after due to the game’s content update schedule.

Battle for Azeroth will also be available in a boxed Collector’s Edition, which includes an assortment of loot in addition to the above in-game bonuses. More details on the Collector’s Edition, including pricing, contents, and availability, will be announced at later date.

Battle for Azeroth Features

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth includes new features and content that will put heroes’ dedication and fortitude to the test. In this expansion, players will be called upon to:

  • Explore Two Fabled Kingdoms: As a champion of the Horde, travel to the empire of Zandalar to persuade the trolls to lend their naval might. As a defender of the Alliance, venture to the seafaring kingdom of Kul Tiras, home of Jaina Proudmoore, and rally its inhabitants to fight for your cause.
  • Recruit Allied Races: Take a new form for your adventures as several new playable Allied Races, each with unique racial abilities. Earn the favour of the Highmountain tauren, Void elves, Dark Iron dwarves, and others to create a new character of that race and add their strength to your faction.
  • Plunder the Islands of the Great Sea: Set out on Island Expeditions and conquer an ever-changing array of enemies, environments, and objectives. Battle in groups of three as you race against cunning rival intruders—or enemy players—to collect each island’s resources and fuel the war effort.
  • Charge Into a Warfront: Fight on the battlefields of a large-scale, 20-player cooperative Warfront to claim a key strategic location. Capture resources to build your faction’s forces, lead the charge as your troops lay siege to objectives, and fight the enemy commander to claim victory in this new PvE mode inspired by classic Warcraft real-time strategy–game battles.
  • Infuse Your Armour with Titanic Might: Seek out Azerite, an invaluable new resource that has emerged in the Burning Legion’s wake. Imbue the Heart of Azeroth—a legendary neck piece entrusted to each hero by Magni Bronzebeard—with Azerite to customise your armour with new powers and traits.
  • Battle to Level 120: Trace the corruption of the Blood God to the Underrot, unearth the secrets of a lost titan vault, escape from the Drust Realm of the Dead, and more as you quest through 10 new levels—then continue to grow in power through new World Quests, raids, dungeons, and more.

To learn more about World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, visit the expansion’s official website at www.worldofwarcraft.com/battleforazeroth.

For images and additional information please visit: https://blizzard.gamespress.com/World-of-Warcraft-Battle-for-Azeroth-Pre-Purchase-Announcement

Candleman: The Complete Journey Review

Candleman: The Complete Journey

Developer: Spotlightor Interactive
Publisher: Zodiac Interactive
FormatPC (Reviewed)
Release Date: 31 Jan 2018
Price: $14.99USD – Available Here

Overview

Most of the platformers have a simple premise. Avoid obstacles, get to the end of the level and save the princess (sometimes it could be a prince or a free loot box). But what if all of that is spiced up by taking away some elements we are accustomed to?  Decent lighting in levels, for example. Add a protagonist with an incredibly short lifespan and now we have something out of the ordinary. Meet Candleman.

Story

As you might have guessed, our protagonist is a charming little candle. Waking up in a strange new world, it starts asking itself deep, thought-provoking questions. Who am I, where am I going, why am I a candle? You see a strange blue light in the distance and decide to follow it. The mysterious blue light has a nasty habit to jump from one end of the level to another, guiding you through new worlds, all in the hope that it might provide the answers to your questions at the end of the journey.

Gameplay

As much as the minimalistic story is pretty simple to follow, the gameplay throws some twists at you. Every level you start in is dimly lit. You can distinguish some shapes and obstacles but it is hard to tell if something in front of you is a pitfall or a hard surface. Fortunately, being a sentient candle gives us the ability to light up our surroundings and see what’s around us and where to go next. However, we can’t afford to burn for more than 10 seconds or else we melt pretty fast and meet our demise in a small vax puddle. So what now? The key to progress, stay alive and not melt right away is good light managing, sort of speak. You need to tap the light key only for a brief moment and see what’s ahead. There are other non-sentient, stationary candles scattered through the level. Approaching them and lighting them up illuminates a small portion of a level and saves you the trouble of sacrificing yourself for that precious light. Usually, halfway through the map, you can find one big candle that also acts as a checkpoint on top of brightening up a small area. Later on, environmental dangers are introduced such as streams of fire, water or just simple pitfalls. The difficulty curve is something that’s nicely balanced as the game moves forward. The number of new ways to kill you steadily rises but the game never throws a bunch of them at you at the same time just because it can.

Visuals

While the levels are pleasing to the eye, you won’t be able to enjoy much of their design at first. Only at the end when everything is illuminated and uncovered, you are able to see all the work that went into sculpting one. That changes in later chapters when periodical lights are introduces so you don’t need to rely on your tiny head flame to show you the way. First few levels in an initial chapter seem to follow a theme of a flooded ship but later on the creativity of the developers and level design really flourishes. From tall floating libraries to hot steel mills, the levels are gorgeous to look at as they are dangerous. If anything, the game is worth it just to gaze at the beauty of luminescent flowers in one chapter later in the game.

Audio

This is something I never expected to stand out in a simple puzzle platformer. The sound design is above average, to put it mildly. Echoing of heavy metal, water droplets hitting a steel surface, taps of your tiny footsteps, eerie gusts of wind……it all adds to the atmosphere. So much that I would recommend playing this game with a good pair of headphones for a better experience. However, it misses a chance to amp up the atmosphere with some good background music. You can hear some faint notes here and there but for the most part, you are left to your own imagination.

Overall

Candleman: The Complete Journey is a good example of “what you see is what you get”. It is a simple puzzle platformer with a few twists. An interesting light mechanics and a clever level design is enough to keep you interested, but don’t expect anything revolutionary. It was initially released for Xbox One but the Steam version comes with few enhancements such as support for 4K resolution, timed challenge mode and a Lost Light DLC with extra levels. If you are looking for a decent platformer with a fair difficulty curve and an intriguing level design, give this a go.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

New Action-Packed Insurgency: Sandstorm Teaser Trailer Released

New World Interactive released the first teaser trailer for their upcoming FPS Insurgency: Sandstorm. The trailer features an action packed mix of gameplay and cinematic snippets that follows a wounded soldier.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8bu_OLU818

Insurgency: Sandstorm is the sequel to the the 2014 multiplayer FPS Insurgency. New World Interactive is looking to deliver the full FPS experience with their new game by offering 16 vs 16 combined arms multiplayer battles and, for the first time, a full fledged single player campaign. New features include character customization, ranked match making, and multiplayer maps capable of automatically scaling for the number of players in the game.

Insurgency: Sandstorm is powered by Unreal Engine 4 and will launch on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One later in 2018.

Extinction Smashes Its Way to Stores on April 10th, 2018

Extinction Smashes Its Way to Stores on April 10th, 2018

Pre-orders Available Now for Standard and Deluxe Editions

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (Jan. 30, 2018) — Originally announced in June of 2017 and followed by a strong showing at E3, Iron Galaxy and Modus Games are excited to announce the release date for Extinction. Prepare to save humanity from the formidable Ravenii on April 10th, 2018.

Pre-orders are available now for the standard and deluxe editions of Extinction. The standard edition is available for €69.99 and the Deluxe Edition, which includes the ‘Days of Dolorum’ season pass, is available for  €79.99. Digital pre-orders will be available in early February. Players who want the season pass at a later date can purchase it for €14.99.

In Extinction, players take on the role of the hero, Avil. The last of the legendary Sentinels – the only warriors capable of toppling the Ravenii – he is all that stands between the towering ogres and the survival of the human race. Featuring insane skill-based combat that’s not for the squeamish, you’ll have to traverse the environment with precision while executing devastating attacks on your enemies. Use your whip to launch Avil into the air while dispatching a full-scale assault on monstrous beasts who want nothing more than to decimate you and your world. Annihilate all that stands between you and rescuing the people of Dolorum from extinction.

Extinction will be available on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and PC on April 10, 2018.

For more information:

About Iron Galaxy
Located in Chicago and Orlando and founded in 2008, Iron Galaxy is a leading independent video game development studio that focuses on tech outsourcing, porting and developing quality games. The company’s most notable products include Killer Instinct, Wreckateer, Divekick and Videoball. For more information, please visit www.irongalaxystudios.com.

About Modus Games
Modus is a premier global publisher of video games across all major physical and digital entertainment platforms. The label prides itself on collaborating with talented developers around the world to bring innovative games to the masses.

Game Info
Name: Extinction
Publisher: Modus Games
Developer: Iron Galaxy
Street Date: April 10th, 2018
Standard Edition Price: £54.99
Deluxe Edition Price: £64.99
Platforms: PlayStation®4 / Xbox One / PC (Windows)
Category: Action
PEGI 16 / USK 16

Soulcalibur VI Adds Nightmare, Xianghua, Kilik and Newcomer Groh

Bandai Namco has announced that they are bringing three familiar faces to the roster of Soulcalibur VI as well as a brand new original character. The returning faces are the signature Nightmare, Kilik, as well as Xianghua while the new character is an “agent in black” named Grøh. Grøh utilizes the Aval Twinblade Swordsmanship that often employs multiple consecutive slashes. This has a major disadvantage in that a careless practitioner runs the risk of injuring themselves. As such, it takes a lot of practice to use this style effectively. Dual-swordsmanship also allows for the swords to be split in two and wielded separately. This tactic is one of the many ways a wielder can use to surprise their opponent, giving them the opportunity to string together a series of blows that lead to a final, deadly slash.

You can check out a trailer showing off these four characters as well as some screenshots from Soulcalibur VI below. As for the game itself, it is currently set to be released sometime later this year for the Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4.

NEW GAMEPLAY TRAILER RELEASED FOR GUNDAM BREAKER

NEW GAMEPLAY TRAILER RELEASED FOR GUNDAM BREAKER

A new GUNDAM BREAKER on PlayStation®4 

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe have just released a new gameplay trailer and screen shots for NEW GUNDAM BREAKER

NEW GUNDAM BREAKER will offer an exhilarating experience to players as they are able to destroy incoming hostile Gunplas, gather those parts and seek to construct their very own Gundam!

NEW GUNDAM BREAKER will be launched in 2018 on PlayStation 4. For more information about the game and other products from BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe please visit: https://www.bandainamcoent.com, follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BandaiNamcoEU , or join the conversation at https://www.twitter.com/BandaiNamcoEU .

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About BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S.
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S., part of BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc., is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive entertainment for all major video game consoles, iOS, Android, and online platforms. The company is known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises including PAC-MAN™, GALAGA™,TEKKEN™, SOULCALIBUR™, ACE COMBAT™ and DARK SOULS™. BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe is the premier publisher for anime based video games including NARUTO SHIPPUDEN™, DRAGON BALL™, and ONE PIECE™. More information about the company and its products can be found at http://www.bandainamcoent.eu or www.facebook.com/BandaiNamcoEU

Warhammer 40,000 – Inquisitor: Martyr Preview

Warhammer 40,000 – Inquisitor: Martyr

Developer: NeoCoreGames
Publisher: NeoCoreGames
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows (Previewed)
Release Date: 31 August 2017 (Steam Early Access)
Price: $49.99 USD – Available Here

Video Preview

Action RPG veterans NeoCoreGames is looking to create a fresh take on the long running action RPG genre with Warhammer 40,000 – Inquisitor: Martyr. The game currently features three classes, a persistent world, the first act in the campaign, and a variety of randomly generated missions. We had a chance to test out the new 0.7.0 update on Steam Early Access that introduced some massive changes to the game.

Warhammer 40,000 – Inquisitor: Martyr is set in the Caligiri Sector. The Inquisitors, the secret agents of the Imperium, have been sent to investigate a distress signal from an ancient fortress monastery. Currently, the early access build has the first act of the campaign, randomly generated mini-campaigns, and a bit of miscellaneous lore. So far, the writing is decent. The dialogue tends to be on the shorter side, which keeps the game moving at a quick pace. Those looking to delve a little deeper can find and read a variety of logs, notes, and messages left in game. As a person with little experience or knowledge of the Warhammer 40,000 lore, I found myself a little lost at times with the game’s setting. The Imperium’s religious-based system is unique, but it also makes it hard to understand at times. I hope NeoCoreGames adds a little more story content to the first chapter to better explain the setting before the game leaves early access.

Warhammer 40,000 – Inquisitor: Martyr has a novel levelling system that is perfect for the alt-aholics out there. Players level both their character and their account at the same time. The account level grants points for skills and attributes for each character, while the character level dictates the item level of dropped equipment. I think it’s a great balance that gives players a sense of progression when they start a new character, while getting them into high end content quickly if they have a high level main. The system will really shine if NeoCoreGames chooses to create more classes for the game.

The classes are entertaining so far. The Crusader is the warrior. He’s heavily armoured and excels at close ranged combat, though can wield ranged weapons just as well. The class is probably the friendliest to newbies as cover is less important when in melee range and being able to absorb damage after missing a telegraphed attack makes the game very forgiving. On the other hand, the Assassin class is a squishier, high DPS rogue specializing in guns, dual wielding swords, and high mobility. The most difficult of the bunch is without a doubt the new Psyker class. This mage keeps players on their toes by having them juggle multiple mechanics at once. Since the mage is neither mobile like the Assassin or tanky like the Crusader, players need to be careful with their positioning. To further complicate matters, most of the Psyker’s abilities generates warp instability. As the Psyker becomes more unstable, the greater the chance a warp anomaly will spawn to plague the Psyker with a variety of debuffs.

 

Combat in Warhammer 40,000 – Inquisitor: Martyr tempers the faster pacing of an action RPG with the tactical positioning of a cover shooter. Characters have two damage pools, health and suppression. Health is self-explanatory, lose all of it and die. Players have three lives to complete most missions before it is game over. The suppression system on the other hand is tied to the game’s status effects. The higher the level of suppression, the more likely the character will suffer from debuffs. The cover system is the best way of dealing with suppression and health damage. It’s implemented well for the most part, but I do wish the game gave some sort of indicator when cover will interfere with a shot.

Instead of having large levels connected together like a traditional action RPG, Warhammer 40,000 – Inquisitor: Martyr opts for a shorter mission system that rewards players with a guaranteed box of loot at the end of the mission. It gives the game a bit of a free-to-play MMO feel, but the shorter nature of mission allows the game to generate mini-campaigns called Priority Assignments that add more continuity to the missions outside of the game’s hand-made story content.

The audio/visual presentation in Warhammer 40,000 – Inquisitor: Martyr is decent so far. The sound effects and soundtrack are enjoyable. The voice acting is clearly incomplete right now, but what is there is passable. The graphics is gritty and gory, though there is still a bit of optimization work to be done between now and release.

Warhammer 40,000 – Inquisitor: Martyr is shaping up to be a solid action RPG with some unique mechanics to set it apart from the pack. The classes are feel different from one another, and the combat pays tribute to Warhammer 40,000’s table top roots. NeoCoreGames may have found their next big action RPG franchise with Warhammer 40,000 – Inquisitor: Martyr.

The Long Reach has a solid release date!

The Long Reach is set for digital release on PC, macOS, PlayStation4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch on Wednesday, March 14, 2018.

All versions priced at £12.99, €14.99, $14.99.

Boxed Signature Edition collector’s versions will also be available for PlayStation4 and PlayStation Vita, both priced at £25.

About The Long Reach.

At first look The Long Reach is an adventure game but closer inspection also reveals it’s a thrilling horror story, flavoured with sci-fi ideology, psychological context and a sceptical view on the human psyche.

The Long Reach takes place in New Hampshire, in the fictional town of Baervox. The game draws its inspiration from Lone Survivor and The Cave and all the classical adventures (except that The Long Reach is set in the present day). You don’t play in a post-apocalyptic world or explore a fairy-filled fantasy world. You’re in the thick of it, just around the corner from the place where you buy your groceries.

  • The Long Reach is a horror-thriller hell bent on screwing with your perception of things.
  • The game misuses stunning pixel art to create gruesome and unsettling images.
  • You’ll be playing as Calvin throughout the game – this is an example of the lies and deception that we have in store for you.
  • You won’t be forced to figure everything out. Escape if you wish, in fact we encourage you to run for your life!
  • Solve puzzles that require thinking outside the box. The box provided by our publisher was never used during the development.
  • You’ll be able to talk with plenty of characters. In fact, you’ll have a chance to pitch in every five lines or so.
  • A classic adventure game inventory filled with keys and weird stuff (note: no Elvish swords glowing faintly blue when evil is close in this game).
  • Original atmospheric and haunting soundtrack. The composer’s not right in the head, he brought weird stuff home to use in the soundtrack. We’re all concerned for his cat.

About Painted Black Games.

Painted Black Games is a young Ukrainian game dev studio. There are four of us and we’re making our first joint game – an adventure thriller The Long Reach. The creating process started in 2015. The creation of Painted Black Games wasn’t an accident. It was the only logical result of people passionate about creating games meeting each other.

NEW NI NO KUNI II: REVENANT KINGDOM ASSETS NOW AVAILABLE FROM BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA INC.

NEW NI NO KUNI II: REVENANT KINGDOM ASSETS NOW AVAILABLE FROM BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA INC.

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. today released new Ni no Kuni II: REVENANT KINGDOM screen shots and art highlighting the various types of Higgledy partners players will encounter through their journey, as well as Kingdom Mode. Ni no Kuni II: REVENANT KINGDOM will be available for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and STEAM for PC on March 23, 2018.

Throughout his journey in Ni no Kuni II: REVENANT KINGDOM, Evan will encounter spirits called Higgledies. These forces of nature will aid Evan and friends in battle by automatically attacking enemies, providing elemental or physical buffs to party members while in battle, and opening shortcuts and new pathways in dungeons and throughout the world. Players can collect 100 unique Higgledies including Higgledy heroes, each with their own unique attacks and special powers. Strategically take the best into battle to gain the upper hand.

Kingdom Mode gives Evan the opportunity to regain his throne by creating Evermore, a new kingdom where everyone can live in harmony. Create and place a variety of buildings to build out the kingdom’s infrastructure and provide jobs for the citizens of the kingdom. New storefronts mean new items, weapons, and Higgledies will become available for Evan and his team on their quest to rid the world of evil.