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March 20, 2017

RPG MAKER FES COMING TO NINTENDO 3DS™ IN WINTER 2017

NIS America have announced that the RPG creating title, RPG Maker Fes will be coming to Australia and New Zealand for the Nintendo 3DS™ in winter 2017 as a physical and digital release! The game will also include localized in-game text in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish.

About the Game:

Ready to become a game developer? RPG Maker Fes makes it easy to develop any RPG you can imagine with no need for programming know-how! Simple, but powerful tools let you bring to life the amazing stories in your head! Customize the characters, stories, combat and more to become the next great developer! Then, share your creations and play others with the RPG Maker Player! What story will you share?

Key Features:

RPG Making Made Easy – Ever had an idea for a great RPG? This is your chance to create it! With powerful, but easy to use tools, any story or world you can imagine comes to life!

Customized Content – Simple, but powerful tools let you take amazing fantasy stories from your imagination, and put them into the hands of your friends.

Play and Share for Free – Anyone who downloads the free RPG Maker Player app can play RPGs created by RPG Maker Fes owners for free! Share the fun with your friends and people all over the world!

TOUHOU KOBUTO V: BURST BATTLE COMING TO PS4™, PS VITA, AND PS VR IN WINTER 2017!

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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March 20, 2017

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TOUHOU KOBUTO V: BURST BATTLE COMING TO PS4™, PS VITA, AND PS VR IN WINTER 2017!

NIS America announced that the 3D versus bullet-hell game Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle will be coming to North America and Europe on the PlayStation®4 (physical and digital), PlayStation®Vita (digital-only) and PlayStation®VR in Summer 2017.

About the Game:

Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle is a bullet-hell battle game that takes place in the Touhou universe. Take control of one of nine Touhou characters and eliminate your opponent using bullet-hell patterns, melee attacks, or spell cards! Featuring ear-tingling beats for each character, you might just find yourself dancing while you play!

Key Features:

Return to the World of Touhou – Jump back into the world of Touhou and play as some of your favorite characters in a brand-new 3D square arena.

High-flying Combat – Outwit your opponent by taking your bullet-hell battles to the sky! Perform dashes, double-jumps, and mid-air dashes to avoid bullets and demoralize your opponent!

Climb the Rankings – Compete at home with friends, or online against everyone to climb the rankings and become the ultimate Touhou fighter!

YS VIII: LACRIMOSA OF DANA COMING WEST FOR PS4™, PS VITA, AND STEAM® IN SPRING 2017

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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March 20, 2017

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YS VIII: LACRIMOSA OF DANA COMING WEST FOR PS4™, PS VITA, AND STEAM® IN SPRING 2017

NIS America is happy to announce our partnership with Nihon Falcom to bring Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA to Australia and New Zealand in spring 2017 for PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®Vita as both a physical and digital release, as well as on Steam®.

We are also proud to announce that the game will have dual audio (English and Japanese) as well as in-game text in French.

About the game:
Ys returns with a brand new adventure for the first time in 8 years! Adol awakens shipwrecked and stranded on a cursed island. There, he and the other shipwrecked passengers he rescues form a village to challenge fearsome beasts and mysterious ruins on the isolated island. Amidst this, Adol begins to dream of a mysterious blue-haired maiden living in an unknown world. Join Adol as he unravels the riddle of the cursed isle and the blue-haired maiden Dana in Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana!

Key Features:
An Epic Tale – Follow Adol on his latest adventure and uncover the mysteries of the cursed island.

Party On! – Change your playable character on-the-fly as you battle ferocious foes in lightning-fast combat.

Another Side – Unravel the mystery of the blue-haired maiden Dana through her unique gameplay sections.

It Takes a Village! – Rescue your fellow shipwrecked passengers and bring them to your village where they will provide valuable services.

CULDCEPT ™ REVOLT COMING TO NINTENDO 3DS™ IN WINTER 2017

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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March 20, 2017

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CULDCEPT ™ REVOLT COMING TO NINTENDO 3DS™ IN WINTER 2017

NIS America announced that Culdcept ™ Revolt will be coming to North America and Europe for the Nintendo 3DS™ in Winter 2017 as a physical and digital release! Culdcept Revolt is a card-collecting game for the Nintendo 3DS that welcomes newcomers with familiar board-game mechanics while offering extensive depth and strategies for CCG veterans with over 400 unique cards and multiple deck-building strategies.

About the Game:

As the Culdcept series celebrates its 20th Anniversary, the addictive card-meets-board game is back, bigger and better than ever with hundreds of new cards, inventive boards, and exciting multiplayer gameplay! Follow Allen, a new recruit for the rebel Free Bat forces as you fight for freedom from the tyranny of Count Kraniss. Build your deck, create new strategies, and dominate the board in Culdcept Revolt! With all the classic elements veterans love yet a gentle learning curve for newcomers, Culdcept Revolt is the best Culdcept yet!

Key Features:

Addictive Fantasy Gameplay – Jump into a match and lose yourself in a world of monsters, magic, and strategy as you navigate the board and summon monsters on your way to victory in this fast-paced, card-collecting fantasy!
Near Endless Strategy – Collect over 400 unique cards and develop your skills as you test your deck on new boards with new conditions, or return to favorites to hone your strategies.
Play Solo or Online – Discover the story of Culdcept with an engaging Quest mode, or practice with your decks in Solo Match. Once you’ve nailed down your strategies, challenge friends and strangers with up to 4-player Local Play or Online Play to discover new strategies, climb the leaderboards, and enjoy the excitement of unpredictable and fun matchups!
Customize Your Experience – Make your gaming personal by developing a deck to fit your gameplay style, and choose the perfect avatar and deck to represent your playstyle and personality!

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review

Dustin Spencer

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March 20, 2017

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch (Reviewed), Wii U
Release Date: March 3, 2017
Price: $59.99 USD – Available Here $89.95 AUD – Available Here

Overview

Nintendo have been preparing us for Breath of the Wild for years now, slowly showing more and more of its offerings as time went forward. Last year, we found out that it would not only be coming to the Switch (as well as the Wii U), but also would be a launch title to ensure the new platform’s success. The Legend of Zelda franchise needs no introduction by any means, and for the most part – needs no critique on performance. This is a new destination for Link, however. With an open world, new enemies, bosses, and friendly faces alike, how does Breath of the Wild stand? Let’s find out.

Story

I won’t go too far into detail speaking about the plot, as for one it is quite deep and just one, small whisper of a specific event could slightly spoil what may be an incredible moment for some. Players start out nearly nude, only to find out that Link was asleep for one hundred years, failing to defeat Calamity Ganon. Princess Zelda is being held in Hyrule Castle – which she has sealed off after saving our hero from certain destruction. After doing a bit of chatting after waking with an old man who turns out to be the key player for the narrative, Link sets off on a journey to restore order to the land.

This story is told unlike other entries in The Legend of Zelda series, as it is like a book that has had all of its pages ripped out, and now requires the player to set off to find them. Sure, there are a lot of cutscenes you will come across if you follow the dotted lines that equal progression, but I found that most of this tale is not pre-rendered and requires the player to actually dive into the main gameplay experience in order to put the pages back together. Being an open world epic, this is not the first time we have seen this done before, but Breath of the Wild does it with grace and finesse, ensuring there is always another interesting chapter full of emotion, laughs, and intrigue around every corner.

Gameplay

After doing a few small quests for our old friend, we then set off into the largest world that has ever been introduced in a Nintendo game. Yes, that is really what gives this game its kick, as the world itself is meant to be explored, and there are a ton of wonderful aspects of the journey that intertwine with each other – leading to the player getting their entertainment mainly from discovery. There are so many little touches and details that make Hyrule worth picking over again and again, such as the environments themselves, which can be a bigger threat than the many types of enemies in the game. Lightning storms mean you must un-equip anything that conducts electricity. Specific areas require specific armor or abilities in order to be explored, dabbling in some hot and cold elemental properties in order to take advantage of our fragile, yet brave hero. Yes, Link is not a pushover, but no game has ever made him feel more human.

Right from the start, players learn that they must forage and experiment in order to make Link stronger. You want a weapon? Defeat an enemy or do some searching. A mere stick could be the only friend you have in dire situations, so taking advantage of the spoils of the land is integral to survival. Finding items and crafting also adds a thick layer to the experience, as it gives those little, worthless items that would have been considered trash or selling fodder in prior titles an actual meaning. Need health or a cure for an ailment? Get to cooking. Need a strong weapon? Start with a torch and work your way up. Players have to be resourceful constantly. That is where a lot of the charm of the game lies. Even if it is for something petty, the loot you find will probably have a purpose, so it’s best to hoard and upgrade in order to always keep an inventory.

Another ailment that makes crafting so pivotal here is the durability of weapons. Most weapons you have can break. Early on, they break quickly. This means that if you decide to swipe that club or axe and use it for battle, expect for it to only last for one, or maybe two battles. The stronger the choice of weapon, the longer you have it. This also goes for other items as well, though bows of course will have far more use due to the lack of melee combat required (keeping arrows however will be another thing to keep up with). Sure, this can be frustrating – but I feel that Nintendo did this purposely to demand exploration and more feeling around is this world they created. Those who want to know about the famous puzzle solving will be happy to know that not only are the puzzles back, but they are actually more challenging this time around.

The Sheikah Slate is your tablet that will be your guide of sorts as you travel. This device allows Link check and mark the map on a whim, as well as provide the ability to utilize bombs, freeze time for short periods, and tap into other runes for special abilities that assist in puzzle solving. This is kind of that classic Nintendo move that puts the platform in the palm of players’ hands, with simple shoulder inputs controlling these powers and making it feel useful anytime the situation to utilize it arises. The story is so secondary to the tools that you get to use to explore, as everything is so interactive. A patch of grass can have buried secret, a group of trees hold unforgettable stories. Sure, the combat is fluid and the game itself functions well, but Breath of the Wild’s legacy will be remembered for allowing the player to grasp everything in sight and never stop experimenting.

Visuals and Audio

There is no other Nintendo title that looks quite like Breath of the Wild. With warm, pastel tones, this game has a unique beauty about it, and the animations make this world feel immersive and real. We have seen Zelda in HD, but this is the first time that we have seen the franchise built for HD, and the result is exquisite. You can go to nearly any area on your map and just pick a simple place to stand, and then take a moment to appreciate the animations of weather, grass blowing in the wind, and even little insects buzzing around the sunlit sky. There were a couple of moments that the game was pushed to the limit and had a very minimal slowdown, but truthfully that was nothing too jarring, as the hiccups with that issue are extremely light.

The soundtrack may be the best Legend of Zelda soundtrack to date. That is a big statement, but the way it presents itself is what makes it special. You see, most of the time the ambient piano is barely noticeable. Sure, it is pleasant and soothing, but I never caught myself turning up the volume. However, as you progress, you get to hear more personality come out based on your situation – be it quirky tunes coming from a scene with humor, exciting music during a battle, or gentle melodies to caress the player as the game taps into their emotions. The voice acting is also well done, but some of the performances come off as a bit campy and dry. That said, I highly doubt a few fluffy lines are going to stop anyone for taking in all of the other offerings.

Overall

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a journey for the player, allowing one to go in with nothing and explore at their own pace – unearthing one of the most magical video game landscapes ever created. In an age of our industry where originality comes in bleak forms, Nintendo have produced another landmark, setting a high bar of what the Nintendo Switch can do while pointing us clearly in the direction of where the company can go from here. To longtime Zelda fans, this is the Ocarina of Time you have been craving since childhood. This is why this franchise is on Nintendo consoles. If you were to stick any similar experience on other platforms, it would be a critical success, but quickly pushed aside once the next big title comes forward. Breath of the Wild is an enchanting masterpiece in the Nintendo Universe, as it will always have a heralded place saved for it – with an everlasting legacy that can only come from our pointy-eared hero that reminds us why Nintendo is such a special brand.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Styx: Shards of Darkness Review

Jamie Laike Tsui

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March 20, 2017

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Styx: Shards of Darkness

Developer: Cyanide Studio
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows (Reviewed)
Release Date: 14 March 2017
Price: $49.99 USD – Available Here / $79.95 AUD – Available Here

Video Review

Overview

Master assassin Styx is back on a brand-new adventure in Styx: Shards of Darkness. After the success of their old school stealth game Styx: Master of Shadows, Cyanide was able to expand the size and scope of their new game, including the introduction of co-op multiplayer. Styx is now packing brand new skills and equipment, opening up a wide array of new possibilities.

Story

Styx finds himself in a new adventure when he strikes a deal with an unlikely employer. The goblin extermination organization C.A.R.N.A.G.E. hires Styx to smuggle them into a diplomatic meeting in Korrangar. Business soon becomes personal as Styx becomes embroiled in a personal feud with the Dark Elf outcast Djarak.

The game’s plot is entertaining, though it’s nothing that will keep players glued to the edge of their seat. As a character, Styx is hilarious in a Deadpool sort of way. He constantly breaks the fourth wall and has an endless supply of wisecracks that lightens the mood. The writers seem very aware that the game was designed to pay homage to early stealth games and make every opportunity to drop references to other stealth games like Thief and Assassin’s Creed.

Gameplay

Styx: Shards of Darkness continues the tradition of old school stealth gameplay. Modern stealth games have moved into the direction where the hero is a predator in the shadows just waiting to strike. Being a small goblin, Styx lurks in the shadow because it is the only way for him to survive. Styx can handle a short toe to toe encounter with a single enemy at lower difficulty levels, but fleeing the scene is often the only way to make it out alive. At the two highest difficulties, Styx cannot even parry enemy blows; he can only run away. Although Styx’s size puts him at a distinct disadvantage in combat, his small stature creates a wide variety of hiding spots and alternative paths. The traditional hiding spots of dark shadows, closets, and ledges are all available to Styx, but his size also means that open barrels, storage chests, and small crawlspaces are also in play.

The game features a talent tree system to help Styx adapt to the player’s preferred playstyle. Completing mission objectives will reward players with a base number of points to spend on talents. Players are then judged on how long it took to complete a mission, the number of kills, the number of alerts, and the number of collected tokens at the end of each level. Higher ranks will award bonus points. The talent trees are well designed, with each tree having two paths that are capped off with an ultimate skill that needs a special item to unlock. Many talents are linked with another talent on the same tier, giving players more flexibility on only purchasing talents that will be helpful to their play style. Styx’s starting skill set is already quite broad, so many of the talents focus on giving players a few specialized tools or improving the quality of life.

Styx has an arsenal of equipment and spells to give him the edge on his enemy. His two simplest items are sand to extinguish open torches from a distance and a glass bottle to lure guards. With points into the crafting tree, Styx is able to craft both single use items like acid traps and new equipment for Styx to wear. The equipment is very well balanced, providing both a bonus and a penalty that is ideal for certain playstyles. Styx has handy spells that give him more supernatural abilities like a temporary cloak or conjuring clones to distract guards. All spells except Amber Vision will sap Styx’s Amber reserves, which must be replenished with potions that are either crafted or pickpocketed from guards. All in all, Cyanide provides players with an incredibly diverse move set that gives players plenty of options.

Styx: Shards of Darkness easily ranks in my top five stealth games in terms of level design. With the popularity of open world games, it seems that many developers opt to make their levels as wide as possible so they can add “massive levels” to their feature list. Cyanide Studio turns that thinking on its side quite literally, creating large levels that focus on building upwards. The vertical design makes levels an absolute joy to explore. There are so many ways to traverse a map, from low lying areas that allows guards to be pulled off ledges and thrown into the abyss or sneaking past enemies by using ropes and hand holds to stay above the fray.

The biggest undoing of Styx: Shards of Darkness is its controls. A game that focuses so heavily on vertical space needs to have absolutely flawless controls because no one likes falling to their death. Hanging off ledges and jumping from one to another never seemed smooth to me. There were times I would be shuffling across what seemed to be a perfectly straight bridge railing only to suddenly stop on an invisible wall. Styx also has tough time with corners where one surface is diagonal and the other is horizontal. Equally frustrating is the difficulty jumping from ledge to ledge at times. I found the Styx either prefers to jump up onto the ledge or into the air and then requires the player to do a little bit of maneuvering midair. I also question the logic of having Styx walk off a ledge and fall and having a button for Styx to walk off and grab a ledge by default. By switching the default behaviour, Cyanide Studios can easily prevent a lot of silly deaths resulting from walking too close to the edge. The camera also is an exercise in frustration at times. The camera has a bad habit of suddenly looking at the ground below Styx while he shuffles between ledges for seemingly no reason at all. While none of these control issues are game breaking, having to learn to contend with some of the game’s quirks is rather annoying.

The default key layout for both the controller and mouse and keyboard works well. Both control schemes are easy to pick up and keep all the necessary abilities and items close at hand. For controllers, the range of possible camera sensitivity settings is perfectly usable, but I find the camera sensitivity controls for PC to be a little stingy. I am a low sensitivity gamer and I still found myself maxing out the camera sensitivity just to get something playable. I believe a range double in size would be much better for PC users.

Visuals

Styx: Shards of Darkness features classic fantasy art style built on Unreal Engine 4. The animations, models, and textures are all high quality and show off Unreal Engine 4’s capabilities well. Although this is a stealth game, there are portions of the game that are set outdoors during the day, which contrasts nicely with the dark interior and night maps.

Audio

Styx: Shards of Darkness’ soundtrack is dark. The music sets the right mood for creeping in the shadows and builds just the right amount of tension. The voice acting is a bit of a mixed bag. Some characters are voiced by excellent actors, while many smaller roles are poorly acted. The switch between acting quality tends to be quite jarring and makes the poorer quality acting seem even worse. The game’s sound effects are good, but how the game positions the surround sound audio seems a little off to me. I can’t seem to pin down if it is a glitch or just poor processing as I have run into multiple occasions where sounds generated by enemies seems to be of similar volume whether the source is in the same room or a floor above.

Overall

Styx: Shards of Darkness is a solid old school stealth game with some quirks. The level design is spectacular, and the game provides a lot of opportunity for creativity. On the other hand, the controls could use for some improvement and the audio processing does not always reflect the actual location of individuals. While Styx: Shards of Darkness is an absolute must play for hard core stealth fans, most gamers will probably fall in love with the game if they can get over the game’s issues.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Re-Kan! Review

K. Roberts

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March 18, 2017

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Re-Kan!

Studio: Studio Deen
Publisher: Hanabee Entertainment
Platforms: DVD (reviewed)
Release Date: January 19, 2017
Price: $49.99 AUD – Available Here

Overview

Hibiki Amami is a high school student with a sixth sense. She inherited the ability to see and interact with ghosts from her late mother. Most of her friends are ghosts as a result, but she eventually finds herself in the middle of a group of lively classmates. These friends include: Inoue, who is scared of ghosts, Esumi, who used to be a ‘delinquent’ and still acts tough, Uehara the blogger, Ogawa the air-headed zombie fanatic and Yamada the egotistical boy. Hibiki’s ghost friends are compassionate towards her and actively help her out every day, and she does her best to make them at peace with their past lives and their present situations.

Story

If the anime adaptation of Re-Kan! was produced for a reason other than to help sell copies of the original manga series of the same name, it was to provide the sort of uplifting entertainment occasionally found in the genre of moe slice-of-life anime. If one positive thing can be said about this series, it is that that goal is achieved, albeit in an unoriginal way. Each and every episode is almost entirely predictable right down to what lame jokes are going to be made and when, but many episodes effectively demonstrate the possibility that ghosts might just want to do one last nice thing for a relative before moving on, as opposed to wanting to get revenge on a murderer or haunt others. Hibiki helps them realise their wishes, and everyone moves on. Unfortunately, each resolution can be seen coming from a mile away and loses most or all of its impact as a result, so it would be misleading to say the resolutions are going to be emotional for the viewer. Whether or not the attempts at emotional engagement will work on you depends on how familiar you are with modern anime tropes.

If the above description of each of the human characters seems one-dimensional, it is because the characters seriously do all have just one trait, maybe two at best. They are generally supposed to be kind at heart, but they come across as poorly designed facsimiles of humans with no real personalities. Once a character has been introduced, they do not develop at all. There are flashbacks for some of the characters, but each and every one of them feels like a matter-of-fact explanation or a futile attempt at being funny rather than an attempt at character development. It seems that the original author read a manual on how to write a generic moe series instead of going to the effort of interacting with real human beings and subsequently portraying their behaviour based on real observations. Anime is fundamentally unrealistic, but diverging too much from reality in a work of fiction in this way makes it impossible to relate to any aspect of it.

There are a few annoying characters in Re-Kan!, but none so much so as Inoue. Being scared of the concept of ghosts, or even the real ghosts that happen to be around her everyday, is not worth labelling as unreasonable. What is unreasonable is this being one of just two character ‘traits’ she has, the other being that she is an archetypal tsundere. She is even called a tsundere, which is not a new joke or a funny one at that. She is the least human-like character in a series about a person who can see ghosts and understand the words of a perverted cat. Said cat constantly jokes about looking at girls’ underwear, but the ‘jokes’ are not funny in the slightest, nor are they funny after being reused over a dozen times. Neither is Inoue, who is constantly complaining about everything in public and getting upset every time she acknowledges that she wants to be nice to Hibiki. It does not seem like any of the students study or do homework, and it often seems as if shopping and cooking are about the only things these characters are capable of doing, aside from complaining and helping ghosts. The ghosts, fortunately, are not particularly annoying; they are somewhat sweet and give this series a desperately needed sense of lightheartedness and positivity.

Visuals

The animation is basic, but the character designs do stand out. Unfortunately, they do not stand out in a good way. Hibiki’s defining visual feature is her purple hair, which glows significantly more than is realistic for some unknown reason. It looks as if it is perpetually covered in some kind of transparent substance, although it is hard to imagine that the character designer for this anime adaptation wanted her to look like a greaser in a Japanese school uniform. Inoue’s hair has an inexplicable faint purple glow as well. Esumi has red hair, which is only worth mentioning because that apparently designates her as a violent character who gets angry at everything. Esumi and Uehara both have hair covering their one of their eyes, but those eyes are visible through the hair anyway. Looking at their hair is the easiest way to identify each character, except for the ghosts. The ghosts that are not bland silvery blobs or invisible are easily identifiable. No fan-service is present, which is one good thing this series has going for it, but there is frequent slapstick violence.

Audio

The voices are what you might expect from a recent moe anime. That is to say, they are shrill. Typical one-season anime adaptations essentially feature the same types of voices every time, but it is getting to the point where it is simply impossible to suspend even the slightest bit of disbelief in order to accept that Japanese girls actually sound anything like they do in Re-Kan!. An English dub may have actually improved this series. There is background music, but it is not noteworthy. The opening song is surprisingly decent, but the ending song is just another example of a forgettable pop song that does not need to exist. The subtitles are generally fine, but even a basic understanding of Japanese will often render them pointless due to the large amount of overly-simplistic dialogue used. Sentai Filmworks’ subtitles do include some useful translation notes, however.

Extras

The textless opening and ending animation sequences are included on the second disc. Trailers for some of Hanabee’s other recent releases are also included on that disc.

Overall

Moe should have disappeared from the world after Lucky Star, but it did not. If you or someone you know is new to anime, you might find Re-Kan! to be a sweet and touching story about a young person who dedicates most of her time to helping ghosts. The attempts at comedy fall flat, although it cannot be stated the production team did not follow the unwritten how-to guide for simple moe series to the letter. Had there been an attempt to depict Inoue genuinely growing as a character, or an attempt to depict realistic characters at all, it could have decent.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

New The Surge Cinematic Trailer is Stronger, Faster, Tougher

Jamie Laike Tsui

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March 18, 2017

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New The Surge Cinematic Trailer is Stronger, Faster, Tougher

Focus Home Interactive and Deck13 released a new cinematic trailer for their upcoming action RPG The Surge today. The video is called “Stronger, Faster, Tougher” and is set to a CREO promotional ad. As the promo video runs in the background, our hero Warren battles a variety of out of control mechanical foes at CREO, from tiny dog like creatures to a massive robotic boss.

The Surge is an action RPG set in a dystopian world where the world has been destroyed by climate change and hampered by an aging population. Humans of working age have been reduced to physical labourers in special exo-suits. A mysterious blackout strikes one of these projects, leaving the humans insane and the robots rampaging out of control. To survive, Warren must repurpose industrial machines into weapons of war.

The Surge launches on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on May 16th.

https://youtu.be/xOObG3RmQqI

BUXOM BEAT-‘EM-UP SERIES LATEST ENTRY, SENRAN KAGURA ESTIVAL VERSUS, LAUNCHES ON PC

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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March 18, 2017

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BUXOM BEAT-‘EM-UP SERIES LATEST ENTRY, SENRAN KAGURA ESTIVAL VERSUS, LAUNCHES ON PC

Celebrated with Two New Trailers, XSEED Games Continues to Delight Fans with Steam® Release of Series Most Robust Title plus Long-Awaited ‘Ikki Tousen’ DLC for All Platforms

Torrance, Calif. — March 17, 2017 — XSEED Games, the independent-minded console publishing brand of Marvelous USA, Inc., today announced that SENRAN KAGURA ESTIVAL VERSUS, the latest iteration and first home console release in its beloved busty brawler series, is now available for purchase on Windows PC via Steam®. To celebrate the occasion, the game is being offered at 10% off its regular list price of $39.99, €39.99, and £29.99 for the first week after launch (other international pricing may vary). Furthermore, most DLC on PC will be offered at 33% off during the first week, while the ‘Dual Blooming Hearts’ PC DLC containing extra mission packs and the ‘Shinobi Pack’ PC bundle consisting of 7 additional costumes and 9 accessories will both be free during that special promotion period.

In addition, Ikki Tousen characters Sun Ce, Lu Bu, and Guan Yu are now finally playable characters as premium DLC across all of the game’s platforms, which include the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system, and Windows PC versions. Each character is priced at $3.99, €3.99, and £2.99 on PlayStation platforms, while a bundle containing all three is offered for $8.99, €8.99, and £6.99 on PlayStation and Steam®. A new trailer ushers in the addition of the three battle vixens, who are sure to spice things up near the one-year anniversary of the series home console debut.

In SENRAN KAGURA ESTIVAL VERSUS, a mystical phenomenon transports the nubile ninjas of the titular series to a parallel dimension to face off against their rivals in a new kind of battle. In this strange world – which resembles a sunny, sandy island paradise – the girls are thrown for another loop as they encounter departed loved ones and ultimately have to decide if they can bear to part from them a second time. The Windows PC version of ESTIVAL VERSUS follows successful Steam® releases of previous entries in the SENRAN KAGURA series, including SENRAN KAGURA SHINOVI VERSUS and SENRAN KAGURA Bon Appétit! – Full Course.

With over twenty-five playable characters, making this the biggest roster in the series’ history, SENRAN KAGURA ESTIVAL VERSUS boasts more moves, more story, more attitude, and more destruction online with matches that can support up to 10 players (Windows PC and PS4™ system versions only; “PSVita” system supports up to 4 players). All of the series’ previous Shinobi girls return with a host of upgraded moves to master, and new playable characters offer more challenges to conquer, along with a story that’s equal parts sexy and shocking, serious and scandalous, busty and bouncy.

The faithful adaptation to PC has been handled by the original developers at Marvelous Inc. and Tamsoft, with added Steamworks support including Steam Achievements, leaderboards, cloud saves, and trading cards. XSEED Games published SENRAN KAGURA ESTIVAL VERSUS on March 17 for Windows PC via Steam® for $39.99, €39.99, and £29.99 with a 10% launch week discount. The title is currently available as a limited “Endless Summer” physical release for the PS4™ and “PSVita” systems, while the digital release of the game is available on both platforms via the PlayStation®Store. The Windows PC version of this title is not rated by the ESRB. The PS4™ and “PSVita” system versions have been rated “M for Mature.”

More details on the game can be found at the product website www.hanzonationalacademy.com/skev/. For more information on XSEED Games products, please visit www.xseedgames.com. Fans can also follow XSEED Games on Facebook at www.facebook.com/XSEEDGames and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/XSEEDGames

Indie Gala Friday Special Bundle #47 Now Available

Jamie Laike Tsui

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March 18, 2017

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Indie Gala Friday Special Bundle #47 Now Available

Celebrate the end of a long work week with a brand new indie bundle! Indie Gala’s Friday Special Bundle #47 is packing ten great indie games for one low price.

For a minimum purchase price of $1.00 USD, buyers will receive:

The Albatross – Players take on the role of a private agent known Albatross as he investigates weird incidents happening all across the United Kingdom.

The Safeguard Garrison – A 3D tower defence that featuring 12 different towers with three upgrades each and 50 levels to survive.

Open Sorcery – A text based adventure that mixes technology and magic and stars an elemental firewall coded in C++.

For a minimum purchase price of $3.49 USD during the first 24 hours of the sale, buyers will also receive:

Big Buck Hunter Arcade – Experience the thrill of the hunt while you stay warm and dry at home in a fast paced arcade style format.

Captain Lycop : Invasion of the Heters – A space shooter with elements of adventure, action, and management; Captain Lycop must discover the true intentions of the incoming alien ships.

Draw Slasher – A challenging beat ’em up that is controlled only with a mouse.

Dashing Dinos – Battle your friends using the all powerful dash ability in this intense couch multiplayer game.

Friday Night Bullet Arena – A top down shooter with a twist: each player only gets one bullet and must catch a bullet before firing again.

Mortificatio – An adventure inspired by the history of alchemy, players must learn about the alchemist Eloakh to escape death.

CrossWorlds: Escape – A hardcore survival game that requires players to adapt to the changing seasons to stay alive.

The special $3.49 price will only last for 24 hours. Head on over to Indie Gala and grab a bundle before the price goes up!