Mondays suck, so get a little motivation to start the week off right! Indie Gala’sMonday Motivation #19 is packing eleven great indie games to raise your morale.
For a minimum purchase price of $1.00 USD, buyers will receive:
Drop Hunt – A deviously challenging puzzle game with over 80 levels.
The Space Garden – Create your own garden and watch them grow in this casual clicker sim.
Trashville – A top down shooter with waves of weird and wacky enemies and weapons.
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For a minimum purchase price of $2.99 USD, buyers will also receive:
Chester One – An enhanced port of the 2011 platformer that requires players to switch between a variety of video game art styles through the ages to solve puzzles.
Linked – A minimalistic 3d puzzle game that challenges players to make links with only a predetermined number of lines.
Chowdertwo – A retro style platformer that uses a unique mouse and keyboard control scheme.
Monstro: Battle Tactics – A traditional style tactical RPG that focuses purely on logical combat.
Maze Sounds – Escape a maze where the walls can only be detected with sound.
N0-EXIT – Trapped under ground after a strong earthquake, our hero miner must defeat the many monsters now inhabiting the mine if he wants to escape alive.
Draw The Way – A hardcore platformer that lets players draw lines to help solve puzzles like turrets or gaps too long to jump across.
Spareware – A top down shooter with rogue-like elements featuring customizable weapons and four unique skill trees.
The special price will only last for the first 24 hours of the sale, so head on over to Indie Gala to grab your bundle.
Razer is offering players zSilver currency for playing their favourite games. When players launch games like Paladins, League of Legends, DOTA 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Overwatch, they will be awarded three zSilver points per minute. All games are eligible for the program as long as they are launched from Razer Coretex. Players can earn up to 900 zSilver points a day. zSilver can be traded in for rewards like Razer hardware and discounts at the Razer Store. For the next two weeks, Razer is kicking off the program with a special bonus that doubles the zSilver reward per minute to six.
zSilver rewards will be the only way to snag a Razer Mug Holder that featured Razer Chroma lighting. The kit comes with a black Razer branded insulated mug and a Razer Chroma lit base. The base features reminders to hydrate according to daily requirements and notifications when the mug is placed on the stand.
Pixel Privateers is a squad based tactical RPG that features a vast universe to explore and plenty of loot to discover. The game emphasizes robust customization options with an interactive ship and deep skill trees. Players can opt to explore the universe alone or invite friends along to fill out their squad.
Story
The plot of Pixel Privateers is a pretty standard sci-fi adventure with plenty of different factions attempting to stake out their little corner of the galaxy. The writing is decent and is rather light hearted for the most part. The story serves as a pleasant backdrop to Pixel Privateers that gives the gameplay a little bit of cohesion, but is no where near the game’s main attraction.
Gameplay
Pixel Privateers is focused on two main phases: an FTL-style galaxy map where players travel around the galaxy and squad based RTS missions. When not on mission, players can access to their ship’s facilities, request missions, and travel to different planets. Each faction can generate three missions at nearby planets. Travelling from planet to planet requires fuel, which can be purchased at planets with a marketplace or retrieved from planets during the course of a mission. Ships also keep a store of material that is used to teleport landing crews onto to planet, replicate items, and clone crew members. Players need to keep on top of their remaining resources, or else they can soon find themselves stranded and forced to use a distress signal. Distress signals can bring by a friendly ship that will bail the player out or can draw in some unsavoury types looking to prey on desperate folk. The light resource management sim gives the loot system a nice layer of complexity as players will constantly have to make the decision between equipment upgrades, material, or money.
Character progression comes in two parts. Characters progress individually by equipping better gear and improving their stats. As a character levels, they gain two to three points for the player to spend. Ideally, stats are spent based on the requirements of the character’s class. Each character’s class can be changed depending on the tool they hold. It is highly unlikely players will want to cycle classes at all since different classes require different stat builds. Each character will have two abilities that are unlocked as they gain levels and one ability based on the tool the character has equipped. I find the design of the stat/class system to be well balanced for the most part, though I think I would have preferred the carrying capacity/strength stat to be a little more generous. Additionally, all characters are also affected by talents from the research tree. Players earn research points from alien items recovered during missions. Points are then converted in the science lab for technologies that provide a variety of buffs for specific classes, equipment types, or general gameplay. Unlike individual character progression, it is possible to reset researched technologies to account for changes in overall tactics. The dual layered progression system strikes a good balance between providing flexibility for experimentation, while still rewarding consistency.
Once a squad teleports onto a planet, players manage their squad in a side scrolling format. The missions tend to be standard MMO-type requests, such as collect X number of items or kill Y number of enemies. The enemy variety is good, with a nice balance of ranged and melee units. The boss battles are the highlight of the game as these fights tend to require a lot more skill and require players to dodge telegraphed attacks.
Battles are waged in real time with a pause option to give players time to issue commands. Players can issue basic commands to individual characters or the entire group at once. Some character abilities can be toggled to cast automatically, while others require manual input. By default, the game uses a control scheme found in most action RPGs and MMORPGs. Pixel Privateer’s control scheme works well enough, but could use some more consistent user feedback to acknowledge when instant abilities with no cooldowns are cast while the game is paused. I would have also appreciated more granular controls for squad formation. The player can organize the squad’s marching order, but being able to set distances between characters would make using abilities like smoke bomb a lot easier. My biggest pet peeve with the game’s control scheme is the lack of automatic attack. An enemy can whale on a character to death, but the player still needs to manually guide each character to attack the enemy. I believe giving characters a short auto-target range and make them auto-target any hostile that attacks them would make the game more enjoyable.
Pixel Privateers provides quite a bit of options for fine-tuning difficulty. Players can adjust the challenge level of each mission, which will adjust the quality of loot accordingly. Additionally, the truly hardcore can opt for a rogue-like mode where squad members cannot be cloned. Once a squad member dies, they die forever. Unfortunately the game does not do a great job of scaling difficulty for co-op. It appears that the game scales to the host, so bringing a high level friend into the game will make missions way too easy.
Visuals
As the name implies, Pixel Privateers features a pixelated art style. All the standard science fiction imagery has been recreated in pixel form. The game features several different planet types that keeps missions visually fresh, and character sprites change depending on the equipment used. On the technical side, the game is not particularly taxing due to pixel art style and but still comes with a few graphic options to make the game suitable for laptops with integrated graphics or reward stronger PCs with some eye candy.
Audio
Pixel Privateers delivers an enjoyable audio experience. The sound effects are reminiscent of the 8 and 16-bit era. The chiptune soundtrack features an epic score that fits well with the fast science fiction universe.
Overall
Pixel Privateers is a solid little loot grinder that is complex enough to keep a player’s attention. While the mission objectives are a bit predictable, the epic boss fights and co-op support more than make up for it. While the game’s controls has a few quirks that requires a bit too much micromanaging at times, the game presents an enjoyable squad based RTS experience that is easy to learn and scales well to a large variety of skill levels.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
DARK SOULS™ III: THE RINGED CITY FOR PLAYSTATION®4 SYSTEM, XBOX ONE, AND STEAM LAUNCHING ON MARCH 28
Dark Souls III: The Ringed City launches on Tuesday April 28 and we have the latest video and batch of screens for you to sink your teeth into.
At the close of the Age of Fire, as the world ends and all lands converge upon themselves, a lone adventurer descends into the madness of the earth and uncovers the secrets of the past. As players make their way to the fabled Ringed City they will encounter ancient beasts, a new cast of characters teetering on the edge of insanity, new armor, weapons, magic, and at the bottom of it all, a long lost city filled with new horrors for players to overcome.
DARK SOULS III: The Ringed City will be available for 14€99 digitally on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, and PC via STEAM on March 28, 2017. DARK SOULS™ III: Ashes of Ariandel™ is currently available digitally on the same systems. A season pass for DARK SOULS III, which includes access to Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City, is available for purchase digitally.
In addition, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe also announced that DARK SOULS™ III THE FIRE FADES™ EDITION (Game of the Year Edition) will be available on April 21st for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, and PC via STEAM. This very special edition will include DARK SOULS™ III as well as Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City. To learn more about BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe’s other products go to: https://www.bandainamcoent.eu or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BandaiNamcoEU or join the conversation at https://www.twitter.com/BandaiNamcoEU.
PEOPLE CAN FLY AND GEARBOX PUBLISHING UNLEASH LAUNCH TRAILER FOR BULLETSTORM: FULL CLIP EDITION
Prepare to Master the Art of Destruction in the Ultimate Bulletstorm Experience, Power-Sliding onto PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC via Steam on April 7
To prepare the world for the launch of Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition, developer People Can Fly and publisher Gearbox Publishing are pleased to share the game’s official launch trailer today, ahead of its April 7, 2017 release on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, and Windows PC. Offering a high-octane glimpse at what players can expect from the remastered action title, the launch trailer can be found at: https://youtu.be/TPvzerNAAxc
Featuring updated hi-res textures, increased polygon counts, sterling audio, smoother framerates, and running in up to 4K resolution on PC and PS4 Pro, this definitive version of the action-packed, critically-acclaimed FPS comes with all of its previously-released DLC along with brand-new content. And for the first time ever, players will get the chance to play Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition as the iconic Duke Nukem. Featuring a fully rerecorded script and brand new lines from the voice of Duke, Jon St. John, the Duke Nukem’s Bulletstorm Tour add-on content will replace main character Grayson Hunt with The King himself and provide players with a whole new butt-kicking perspective on the cult-classic shooter.
The ultimate Bulletstorm experience, Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition includes:
The Total Package – All previously-released content, including the Gun Sonata and Blood Symphony add-on packs, now on modern platforms.
New Overkill Campaign Mode – Upon completing the main campaign, blast through this New Game+ mode with an unrestricted arsenal of weapons and Skillshots.
New Echo Maps – Players can showcase their skills on six brand-new levels for the score-based Echo Mode.
Killer Visuals–Presented with updated models, environments, and animations all running at 60 FPS across all platforms.
The Art of Destruction – Pull off masterful kills by mixing fast-paced gunplay with unique kick, slide, and leash combos.
Visceral Audio – Orchestrate a crescendo of chaos with newly remastered audio effects.
Duke Nukem’s Bulletstorm Tour – Play through the entire Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition campaign as Duke Nukem, featuring full voice over and brand-new lines from Jon St. John, the original voice of Duke.
For more information on Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition,please visit www.bulletstorm.com. This title has been rated “M for Mature” by the ESRB.
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*ESRB Guidelines for Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition
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Capcom has announced that they are planning on releasing the “Frank Rising” DLC for Dead Rising 4 on April 4th where it will be available as part of the Season Pass or for $9.99 if you don’t have the pass. This DLC continues the single player story as it explores what happens to Frank after the events of the game though it is worth noting that you will spoil the ending by reading further on.
Capcom has stated that the DLC will follow Frank as he suffers from the new infection as he wanders the city beaten, bloody and driven only by a need to feast. When a former ally discovers him, he is written off as incurable. Luckily, he’ll find help from an unlikely resource. As Frank begins to recover he’ll need to race to find a permanent cure while developing all-new abilities and strength. Unfortunately, he can no longer eat food to stay alive and must feast on others to survive. As he is trying to save himself, Frank learns that several survivors he cares about are trapped in the city with him and he must rescue them – and himself – before the government closes his case file for good and wipes the city off the map.
After this DLC is released a special “Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf” will be released at an unknown time where it will be priced at $9.99 and allow Frank to play some golf in a brand new course where he can unlock special clubs, costumes, and balls. Frank will provide play-by-play commentary for swings, birdies, and shots. Collect Power-Ups to take the game to the next level and take out zombies with explosive style while keeping swings low and the kill count high.
Sony has announced that they are planning on releasing PaRappa the Rapper Remastered on April 4th where the game will be priced at $14.99. If you happen to be a PlayStation Plus member you can currently pre-order the game at a 20% discount.
The title will feature dynamic 4K support for the PlayStation 4 Pro and 1080p support for the basic PlayStation 4. The game also features high-resolution textures, enhanced audio, and a number of additional alternative audio tracks. PaRappa the Rapper Remastered also features a number of new features including a “Feel the Beat” feature that adds controller vibration to match the beats as well as a “See the Beat” option that enlarges the icons.
Shirayuki is a herbalist living in the kingdom of Tanbarun. One day, Tanbarun’s notoriously pathetic prince, Raj, decides that he must have Shirayuki as his concubine. His ‘reasoning’: she has red hair, which is exceedingly rare in this world. Instead of doing as he wishes, she cuts off some of her hair to leave behind as a gesture towards Raj and runs away from her homeland. Shirayuki wants to be in control of her own destiny, so she decides to find a new life for herself. Although she nearly ends up getting kidnapped by Prince Raj, her life takes on a whole new meaning when she accidentally meets the selfless Prince Zen of the kingdom of Clarines. In her new life, she meets Kiki and Mitsuhide, Zen’s attendants, and Obi, a mysterious but agile young man who gains her trust.
Story
Before going any further, please note that this anime and the manga it is adapted from are not based on the famous fairy tale Snow White. Shirayuki’s name does mean ‘snow white’, however; that is how this series gets its name. Some obvious references to the most famous Snow White story are made in the first episode, but this is about as far as that relationship goes.
Almost everything about this series is positive. The first thing that stands out is Shirayuki’s confidence and determination. It is disappointing just how few strong-willed and independent female characters there are in the world of anime and manga, so Shirayuki is indeed rare in more ways than one. She does not want to have to cover up her red hair and she certainly does not want to be objectified. Running away from the moronic prince of her homeland is the next step towards her destiny, not her hiding from her problems. The next thing that stands out about her is that she is genuinely smart and talented. Furthermore, she has the desire to learn more and increase her knowledge, which is an excellent message to send to viewers. Excluding the violent scenes that mostly only occur in flashbacks, this is a better story for parents to be showing to their children than classic Disney films. The biggest problem with Snow White with the Red Hair is that Shirayuki is often made to remind the reviewer that she is in control of her destiny. It is plainly obvious that this is the case from the first episode, and it almost makes her come across as insecure as a result. Fortunately, of all the things the production team could have done to diminish the quality of this anime adaptation, unnecessary but short internal monologues are by no means the worst thing that could have been present.
When Shirayuki encounters Prince Zen, or rather when he randomly encounters her, it is clear that the two of them want to get to know each other in spite of the class divide that separates them. This class divide is brought up on more than one occasion, including by Zen’s older brother. Despite this being a fantasy romance, their relationship is depicted in an unusually believable way. Prince Zen initially shows distrust towards Shirayuki, but becomes convinced that she is just an ordinary person and not an assassin. In a flashback involving his attendant Mitsuhide, the reason for Zen’s distrust towards strangers is carefully explained. His interest in Shirayuki, a person of relatively low social status, is also explained in a way that builds on his character. Zen wants to see all of Clarines and hear the voices of all of its people, rather than filling out paperwork and basing his decisions solely on what he is told by high-ranking members of society. There is something more to his interest in having Shirayuki in his life, of course, but his romantic feelings cause him a great deal of anxiety. Not only does he have to hope that Shirayuki reciprocates his feelings, he has to consider that getting into a relationship with her as a prince comes with its own problems. It is evident that a lot of thought has gone into developing all of these characters and giving them reasonable problems to deal with. Regardless of his anxieties, he enjoys having many people in his life, and having them with him in the castle gives him strength. Shirayuki too wants to be able to spend more time with Zen in the castle, so she takes an exam to be an apprentice court herbalist. She wants to be his strength, and he is a source of strength for her. This series proves that you can have a strong female protagonist in a fantasy romance story, one that has the courage to face whatever comes her way with or without help.
Visuals
The animation is consistently fluid, which makes the action scenes more engaging than they would have been had they consisted of still frames. These action scenes can get a little violent, but not to the point of being off-putting. The European fantasy setting is filled with luscious locations; the forests, lakes, islands, towns and castles are all wonderful to look at and appreciate. It is easy to see why Zen wants to see all of Clarines; even the birds of the world are animated majestically. Everything about the visuals makes this world feel complete and even real, in a way. Some people seem to enjoy stroking Shirayuki’s hair when she is asleep, but aside from that weirdness, there is no ‘fan-service’ present at all. Some evil men want to exploit Shirayuki for her red hair, but they never explicitly make it sound like sexual objectification. It is still female objectification, though, so they are portrayed as the enemy and even made to look evil. This is a part of what makes it feel like a real world, even if it is an unfortunate reality that some people want to exploit women to make money. There are so many positive things to see that make it seem like a wonderful place to live in for the most part.
Audio
In addition to being visually appealing, this series is very pleasant to listen to. The background music is all beautifully orchestrated, and it helps add to the charming atmosphere present throughout this season. Both the opening and ending songs are great too. They are not the most memorable songs to be featured in anime, but they are catchy. FUNimation’s English dub is excellent as well; Brina Palencia in particular portrays both Shirayuki’s confident nature and her anxieties perfectly. Nowhere else does their dub leave anything to be desired either. The dub script basically follows the subtitle script as well, and the two scripts even match at multiple points. It is rare for an anime to be quite as nice to listen to as this one is, and FUNimation’s outstanding dub only adds to that quality.
Extras
The textless version of the opening and ending animation sequences are included. They are nice to look at, but do not offer anything special.
Overall
Snow White with the Red Hair is consistently amazing. It mostly features episodic plots while still moving along the underlying narrative of the relationship between Shirayuki and Zen. The main cast members are well-rounded, much more so than characters usually are in slice-of-life series. This is due to the effective character development, aided in part by the meaningful and detailed flashbacks to events in the past. Zen’s friend Kiki has yet to be truly rounded-out as a character, but both the main protagonists and the other supporting characters help make this series about as engaging it could be. One of the best female characters in modern anime can be found in it, so not only is this a beautiful albeit fantastical romance story that can appeal to just about anyone, it could even serve as an inspiration to people looking for positive role models in their lives.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
CI Games’ latest gameplay video for their upcoming stealth FPSSniper Ghost Warrior 3features side quest footage from their new challenge mode. Made based on fan requests, the challenge mode puts a more realistic spin on the game. Players must play without a HUD against enemies who are smarter and more observant. To survive, players need to be skilled with a rifle and with their mind, as they will need to memorize enemy positions while scouting with the drone and then neutralize more heavily armoured enemies with a shot to the head.
Sniper Ghost Warrior 3is the first AAA title in the series. The game is set to launch on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on April 25, 2017.
Last month Cheetah was one of four female characters announced at the same time for Injustice 2 and now Warner Bros. and NetherRealm Studios have decided to release a new video focusing entirely on her and giving fans of the game a preview of her fighting style.
As one would expect considering Cheetah has been primarily a villain found fighting against Wonder Woman, the video begins with her fighting against Wonder Woman before she takes the fight to a number of other heroes and villains where her speedy style makes her a perfect match for players who prefer fast characters. Injustice 2 is currently slated to be released on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on May 16th.
