RACERS OF ALL AGES CAN LAUNCH OFF THE GRID ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, WITH ANYONE, WHEN MARIO KART 8 DELUXE RACES ONTO NINTENDO SWITCH ON 28th APRIL
New play styles for all ages, new fan-favourite characters, and a revamped battle mode among the many additions to the latest in the long-running racing series
15th March, 2017 – Players of all ages will be able to take to the track and race against each other anytime, anywhere and with anyone when Mario Kart 8 Deluxe launches for Nintendo Switch on 28th April.
Friends can instantly compete in thrilling multiplayer races wherever they are, simply by handing one of the two Joy-Con controllers included with the Nintendo Switch console to an opponent and competing on the console’s built-in screen. Extend the invite and place the console in the Nintendo Switch dock to play in TV mode, where up to four players can settle scores over split-screen action. Test your skills online* and challenge players across the globe, or go solo by playing in handheld mode – anytime, anywhere. Experience precise motion controls that players of any skill level can enjoy by adding Joy-Con to the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Wheel, available separately in pairs. With so many different ways to play and a plentiful number of courses and modes, this is the biggest and most accessible Mario Kart game yet.
In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, familiar characters from the Super Mario series compete in races set around the world of the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond. Racers have to be prepared to get ahead of their rivals through the use of items such as the Super Star – which makes players invincible for a short period of time – and the notorious Spiny Shell, which will hunt down and attack the player in first place. Adding to the frantic racing action is the use of antigravity, allowing vehicles to race along the sides of buildings, up astonishing waterfalls, and nudge opponents for a satisfying speed boost.
Budding racers who are new to the series and wish to learn the tracks can now make use of the new Smart Steering feature, which will help prevent them from driving off the course. In addition, the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Wheel Pair will be sold separately on 28th April, so friends and siblings alike can compete using motion control. Mario Kart veterans, meanwhile, can enjoy a more conventional playing style by using either a Joy-Con Grip or the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller for more precise controls.
As well as more accessible control methods, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will have 48 courses available from the start, as well as five speed classes, including the expertly challenging 150cc Mirror Mode and the high-octane, ultra-fast 200cc mode. In addition, players will now be able to choose from 42 racers, including returning fan favourites King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr. For those seeking a challenge, Gold Mario awaits the finest players who can complete all cups in 200cc. Friends can also suit up and take to the asphalt with the ability to bring their Mii into the game as a racer. Also new to the series are the Inkling Boy and Inkling Girl from Splatoon 2, who bring new vehicle parts and the new Urchin Underpass course for battle mode, all based on the multiplayer shooter.
Battle mode has been revamped and expanded in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, with eight dedicated courses to choose from, including selections from previous titles such as Mario Kart 7. On top of Balloon Battle, both Bob-omb Blast and Shine Thief modes return from Mario Kart Double Dash!!, while Coin Runners makes a comeback from Mario Kart Wii. Battlers can also enjoy a brand new cops and robbers-style mode known as Renegade Roundup.
Multiplayer mayhem can be enjoyed in a variety of different ways on Nintendo Switch consoles, with four different methods available to play with friends.
Up to four friends can play on a single Nintendo Switch console in TV mode, or in tabletop mode by using the stand at the back of the console and placing it on a flat surface
Online multiplayer makes a return, allowing for up to two local racers to get involved in 12-player races with others around the world
Through Wireless Play, multiple Nintendo Switch consoles can be connected to each other, allowing up to eight people to play together in the same room
Up to 12 consoles in TV mode can be connected via LAN Play**, with one or two players per connected Nintendo Switch**
Players can also create highlight reels and watch them again via the in-game mode Mario Kart TV, allowing them to save the memories of their greatest successes, or their most glorious failures. Should players wish to race in style, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe comes with a wide range of amiibo compatibility, including some Super Mario series and all the Animal Crossing series, while Splatoon series amiibo grant a new racing suit for Mii characters.
Racers of all ages can launch off the grid anytime, anywhere, with anyone, when Mario Kart 8 Deluxe launches on Nintendo Switch on 28th April.
DYING: REBORN NOW AVAILABLE ON PLAYSTATION® VITA ALONGSIDE NEW BUNDLE ENCOMPASSING ALL PLAYSTATION® VERSIONS
BEIJING – (March 14, 2017) – Following the recent PlayStation®VR and PlayStation®4 launch of their thrilling room escape horror game, DYING: Reborn, Oasis Games Ltd, today announced that DYING: Reborn is now available on the PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system alongside a new bundle which includes the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®VR system versions. The bundle is available on the PlayStation® Store for $24.99 (a savings of nearly $15) and the titles are available individually on PS VR for $9.99, PS4™ for $19.99 and “PS Vita” system for $14.99.
DYING: Reborn is a dark, horror-themed puzzle game that creates a unique first-person room escape experience. Players will play as Mathew, a distraught young man on a mission to find his missing sister. After receiving a mysterious note from his sister, Mathew finds himself trapped in a strange and eerie hostel with no recollection of how he landed there. To escape the hostel and solve the mystery, Mathew must solve a variety of creative puzzles while exploring each spooky room in the building for clues. Scattered throughout the environment are items he will collect and use as he works out what has happened to his sister.
Developed by NEKCOM Entertainment and published by Oasis Games for PS VR, PS4™ and “PS Vita” system, DYING: Reborn is now available on the PlayStation Store. The PS4 and “PS Vita” system versions consist of six chapters of riveting gameplay, while PS VR has three immersive chapters for a shorter but even more intense experience. This game has been rated “M for Mature” by the ESRB.
A leading independent Chinese game company, Oasis Games prides itself on serving as an ambassador for China’s massive gaming community to the West with its strategic business endeavors. Established in 2011, Oasis Games was one of the first publishers in China to deliver online games to overseas markets, currently reaching over 100 million players in 70 countries. The company continues its pioneering presence as the first, and currently sole, strategic publishing partner of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) Shanghai for the overseas publishing market—uniquely positioning Oasis Games to bring high quality Chinese games to PlayStation® players worldwide. Its blockbuster online RPG, Legend Online has attracted over 50 million players in China and Naruto Online, the official RPG browser game of the Naruto franchise has amassed a global following. The award-winning exploration adventure game, KOI, was Oasis Games’ PlayStation®4 console debut for the western market. DYING: Reborn is one of the four exciting PlayStation®VR games in the company’s VR lineup, with additional titles on the horizon for 2017. For more information, visit http://company.oasgames.com/en/.
KOEI TECMO EUROPE DETAILS EXTENSIVE CASTLE TOWN FEATURES FOR SAMURAI WARRIORS: SPIRIT OF SANADA
Follow Yukimura Through His Early Years As He Strives to Follow In His Father’s Footsteps
Hertfordshire, 14th March 2017 – KOEI TECMO Europe detailed today the expansive new Castle Town facilities, exciting minigames, and the fascinating personalities of the Sanada Clan in SAMURAI WARRIORS: Spirit of Sanada. Slated to release on the 26th May 2017 for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and digitally on PC via Steam®, players will relive the heroic legend of the Sanada Clan in Sengoku Era Japan.
In SAMURAI WARRIORS: Spirit of Sanada, players will witness life in a Castle Town as it grows from quiet and peaceful to bustling and prosperous. There they can reside during missions and prepare for the next battle or talk to the officers and townspeople to gain a deeper insight into their daily lives. The fear of war and the celebration of victory both have their own effect on the morale of the people, and some will ask for help with their troubles by offering missions.
Over the course of the story, the Castle Town expands, granting a greater array of facilities for players to utilise. The Blacksmith uses materials to improve and upgrade weapons to grant an upper-hand in combat, Stables allow for horses to be purchased and prepared for the next mission, Shops sell rare and unique items which will replenish an officer’s health and musou gauges, and the Dojo provides a training ground where one can learn new skills or enhance older ones. A Teahouse is also present, here officers can talk with one another and exchange gifts. Finding the correct gift will result in raised favour with another officer which allows them to join forces on the front line.
Players can gather material through compelling Mini Games and use them across the town’s facilities. Planting seeds and harvesting ingredients in the Hoeing mini-game produces rare goods which cannot be found on the battlefield, Fishing allows officers to approach a body of water to catch a wide variety of different fish breeds to use as gifts, and the Jinzō offers an entertaining version of the Shell game.
Heavily focusing on its characters, SAMURAI WARRIORS: Spirit of Sanada follows Masayuki Sanada, the clan’s patriarch, from his very first battle and continues through following his second son Yukimura, from his birth in 1567. Yukimura was a pure natured yet reckless child who grew up with his elder siblings watching out for him and strived throughout his life to give his best for the clan. Both he and his brother, Nobuyuki, were determined to be as wise as their father and the pair diligently trained together to follow in his footsteps.
A brand-new trailer showcasing a young Yukimura and the expansive Castle Town was released today, alongside images introducing the newly playable character Chacha, a strong-willed girl with a mysterious connection to the Oda Clan who grows to be a close friend of Yukimura’s in the years to come.
KOEI TECMO EUROPE LTD. is a publisher of interactive entertainment software for current generation consoles, handhelds and digital download content based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, UK. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of KOEI TECMO HOLDINGS CO., LTD., headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. TECMO is best known for the Dead or Alive® and Ninja Gaiden®series. KOEI is best known for its Dynasty Warriors® and Samurai Warriors® franchises. On April 1, 2009, KOEI TECMO HOLDINGS CO., LTD was established as a result of the TECMO, LTD. and KOEI Co., Ltd. merger. More information about KOEI TECMO EUROPE LTD and its products can be found at www.koeitecmoeurope.com
What better way to start the week than an indie bundle? Indie GalaMonday Motivation #18 is kicking off your week with a bang by packing 11 indie games into one great bundle.
For only $1.00 USD, buyers will receive:
Flame of Memory – You are two guerrillas are in a dark forest deep behind enemy lines, how long can you survive?
Super Destronaut – A retro style space shooter made for arcade fans.
Socxel – A pixelated soccer game reminiscent of old school arcade games.
For a minimum purchase price of $2.99 USD during the first 24 hours of the sale, buyers will also receive:
Omega One – An old school shoot ’em up that tosses wave after wave of enemies your way.
Extreme Forklifting 2 – A quirky little game that mixes a forklift simulator and with a healthy dose of Goat Simulator.
Visitors – After buying the farm of his dreams, our hero must survive five days of alien assaults.
The Cat! Porfirio’s Adventure – Porfirio is a spoiled cat living the urban good life. His world comes crashing down after he is dragged out to the village by his owner. Porfirio now must climb the social ladder to become the top cat in the village.
MontaSayer – A turn based RPG set on the island of Gedeo where our hero must avenge his loved ones who were murdered by the wizard Cowden.
Metanet Hunter CD – The sequel to the obscure side-scrolling shoot ’em up Metanet HunterREMIX, Metanet Hunter CDis inspired by classic retro platformers.
Disastr_Blastr – A minimalist arcade shooter featuring a hypnotic techno soundtrack by Joey Schmidt.
Unnamed Fiasco – Every death will create a new clone that repeats past movements. Use your clones to your advantage while you battle up to three friends in classic multiplayer modes or solve 40 puzzles in single player.
The special $2.99 USD price will only last for the first 24 hours of the sale. Head on over to Indie Gala to pick up your bundle before the price goes up.
PGS Lab announced today that they have finalized the specs for their controversy mired PGS Hardcore device. Manufacturing of the first test batch is scheduled will begin soon with their Taiwanese partners.The company hopes to have PGS Hardcore units on hand to show off at E3 in June this year. A working demo unit at E3 would likely go a long way to put to bed concerns that the device is vaporware.
In the mean time, the team showed off some pictures of their current facilities. Their main office is in a home in rural Russia, which houses the design and promotional teams. Development and manufacturing is being done in Shenzhen, China. Several team members worked on the XpPhone, an early smartphone dating back to 2009 sporting Windows XP.
Stand by Me, directed by Rob Reiner, is considered a classic ‘coming-of-age’ film by many. Being somewhat of a Rob Reiner fan (I loved This is Spinal Tap and the Princess Bride), I had to go see this film. Alongside that, it also starred a (very) young Wil Wheaton so I had to go see it to maintain my film geek cred. I hiked on down to the George St cinemas for the In The House screening of this classic and to maybe see a dead body…
The MCs for the evening were Jason ‘Jabba’ Davis and Anthony Kierann who briskly warmed up the audience with a game of ‘Scissors, paper, rock’ played with the entire audience. They then settled down to discuss some of the film’s trivia. The tidbit I found most interesting was the fact that Stephen King, who wrote the short story which this film was based on, saw this film and was struck speechless for half an hour. He commented after the viewing that this film was the first faithful adaptation of one of his works. With that, I felt sufficiently hyped to finally see the film proper.
Story
The film opens with the narrator writing a story about the first time he ever saw a dead body and we see the events unfold as he reminisces. We learn that our protagonist, Gordie Lachance (Wil Wheaton), is a young nerd with a talent for storytelling. We meet his friends, the delinquent Chris Chambers (River Phoenix), the unhinged Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman), and the slow Vern Tessio (Jerry O’Connell). Together they embark on a journey on foot to the dead body of another young boy. Along the way, they’ll explore the countryside of their small American town and grow closer as they learn about the less than idyllic lives that each of them lead.
The film’s strength lies in its portrayal of the small intimate moments the characters share. The basic story revolves around four friends, including the narrator, going on a long walk to find a dead body. So it is not the grand adventure which draws is in to film but rather the smaller moments where the characters something deeper with each other. This movie makes or breaks itself on whether you are the kind of person who enjoys these quieter, more contemplative and intimate experiences. For this, the film had to gamble upon the acting ability of its child stars.
Luckily, this gamble pays off with pretty every actor putting forward a really strong performance. All the child actor’s especially create some very believable and, at times, heartfelt performances. The characters they portray might be happy and playful in the moments of the film but even the narrator admits that they’re going to have a hard time of it as they grow up. We see them confront the circumstances of their domestic lives and how they try to support each other as friends. We look at these quite mature themes through the naïve lens of the child characters so it’s not too confronting for a younger audience but parental units should be aware they may need to discuss some things with astute younglings after watching this movie…
As foil to Gordie and the boys are the group of delinquent teenagers who embark on a similar quest to find a dead body. Keith Sutherland’s portrayal of the villainous Ace in particular is absolutely captivating. He plays Ace as disturbing psychopath but with elements that mirror the traits we see in the boys themselves. His villainy shows us the pitfalls of growing up and who the boys may become if they take the wrong path one too many times. This alongside the fact that, as my companion for the evening repeatedly pointed out to me, Sutherland was a total babe in his younger days makes Ace a dominating screen presence.
A concern I have regarding this film is the nostalgia that it attempts to attempts to draw upon becoming more and more out of date. When this film was first released in 1986, I imagine that a sizeable number of the film-going audience in the states would have been able to relate to the film’s depiction of 50s era Americana. I did not grow up with this kind of experience in my own experiences of childhood and I imagine this holds true for a sizeable number of you dear readers as well, but the film was nonetheless successful in hitting me with secondary nostalgia. It may take the shine off of the film’s cult status somewhat but its themes are universal enough to be enjoyed by pretty much anyone.
Visuals & Audio
The cinematography is beautifully shot with an eye to showcasing a love for rural Americana. There is a lot of visual eye candy for cinephiles with plenty of breathtaking landscapes to consume with wide establishing shots. We get a real sense of natural beauty throughout the film as there are few shots which are framed indoors with most of the action taking place in forest environments. There isn’t much more beyond that which is too interesting visually in either a bad or a good way.
The film features a number of pop songs from the 50s and 60s to help reinforce the nostalgia. The songs featured range from Buddy Holly (quintessential 50s icon) and to Ben E King (early 60s Soul). They’re generally all upbeat and match the tone of brevity which the film aims for. It’s a pretty awesome soundtrack plenty of nice oldies examples. Although these songs certainly are period accurate, I imagine they will remind younger audiences more of the Fallout series rather than any direct memory of the 50s.
Overall
Overall, I very much enjoyed Stand by me. It’s a story which features lots of quiet and tender moments between likeable and complex characters. Its visual direction is superb with cinematography that conveys a clear love of rural America. The film’s soundtrack works to reinforce the nostalgic vein that this film taps into with plenty of oldies pop songs. This film invoked a feeling of ennui which I supremely enjoyed but I don’t believe I will be able to experience on repeat viewings. I recommend it as a must-see for everyone at least once.
For other films which In The House is screening, feel free to check out their schedule here.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon franchise is getting the modern Ubisoft makeover, being reimagined as an open world title. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is the first in the series to focus on current technology, moving away from the futuristic settings in previous titles. Set in Bolivia, the new game tells the tale of the four members of the Ghosts who are sent to dismantle the Santa Blanca cartel piece by piece after the cartel bombs an American embassy and assassinates a DEA agent.
Story
The Santa Blanca cartel of Mexico moved into Bolivia in hopes of securing a stable location to manufacture their own high quality cocaine. Using a mix of corruption, intimidation, and charisma, the Santa Blanca led by El Sueno has taken over Bolivia and turned the country into a narco-state. After the assassination of the DEA agent and the terrorist attacks on the US Embassy, the American government opts to send the Ghosts into Bolivia to destroy the cartel and support the socialist rebels lead by Pac Katari. Working with CIA Agent Karen Bowman, the Ghosts begin to lure and eliminate each high-ranking member of the Santa Blanca cartel, working their way up to El Sueno and his three captains.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands delivers what you would expect from a Tom Clancy game. The plot is realistic enough to be possible and features lots of military themes and a bit of US government intrigue thrown in. What I found most impressive about the game’s story was the attention to detail paid to each character in the game. Many cartel members are more than just the so called “bad hombres” stereotype. Santa Blanca have women who battled their way to the top in a hyper-masculine environment, grandsons looking to make their grandfathers proud, and men who are willing to sacrifice their morals to stay alive. The four Ghosts also get fleshed out through conversations that are triggered by events in the game or something just randomly come up through the course of the game. Story wise, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands may be one of the strongest stories to come out of a Tom Clancy title in a long time.
Gameplay
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands merges the standard open world formula Ubisoft has been working on over the last decade with tactical shooter mechanics. The map of Bolivia is split up into provinces, with each province being controlled by a high-ranking member of the Santa Blanca cartel. To draw the member out, the Ghosts must collect intel to unlock the story missions. Along the way, there are a variety of side missions and activities to complete that rewards extra resources, skill points, weapons, and weapon parts.
One of the major themes in Wildlands is intelligence gathering. Scattered around Bolivia are documents to be collected, computers to be hacked, and cartel lieutenants to be interrogated for both main and side missions. The idea is a lot of fun for the first few missions due to the immersion factor. Unfortunately, things fall into a repetitive rhythm after a while: get intel, get a mission, get more intel, get another mission. The story missions are fun, offering a decent mix of assaulting enemy bases, sneaking around, kidnapping key cartel members, blowing things up, and generally giving the Santa Blanca cartel a massive headache. The side missions and the intel gathering on the other hand become a bit of a drag rather quickly due to a lack of variety.
The game features a simple RPG progression system. Players need to collect resources for the rebellion and earn skill points from either levelling up or finding Santa Blanca commendation medals scattered across the map to purchase new skills. Most skills provide a stat boost of one type or another and can be purchased multiple times for a greater effect, giving a bit of flexibility for players. Those who want to be a jack of all trade character can earn completion bonuses for spending a point in every possible skill, while specialized warriors can easily become unstoppable machines in their expertise by stacking points in the relevant skills.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is still a tactical shooter at heart. Even on regular difficulties, bullet damage is no laughing matter. Since the player is constantly outnumbered by enemies who are more than happy to call in reinforcements by the vehicle full, players must use stealth, better equipment, and strategy to their advantage. Wildlands is not a true cover shooter. Unlike Tom Clancy’s The Division, Wildlands never glues the player to cover. While it is still possible to pop out of cover and shoot at the enemy, the cover mode only seems to be available when a player stands beside a corner and has the camera over the corresponding shoulder. Personally, I would have preferred if the game was a little more generous with the cover detection considering cover is literally the difference between life and death in an extended firefight.
Like other Tom Clancy games, Wildlands shoots for a fair amount of realism in its equipment. The packs a full arsenal of modern day weapons ranging from Cold War classics like the venerable AK to state of the art weapons like the G28 designated marksman rifle. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier’s gunsmith returns in Wildlands, letting players disassemble their rifles and customize each weapon’s parts to fit their playstyle. Since this title is set only a few years into the future, the flashiest technology used in the game is a drone that isn’t too far off from what is available on the market now.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands’ features drop in/drop out co-op support. The game is by far more enjoyable with friends, but single player does a decent job in recreating the coordination of actual humans working together. The AI teammates have a sync shot ability that lets players paint up to three targets at a time. The AI will fire on their designated target when given the command or when the player opens fire. This ability is an absolute necessity for those trying to use a stealthy playstyle in single player and is well balanced with a thirty second cooldown. The three AI team members are capable of resurrecting players once per firefight, similar to how player characters are capable of resurrecting other players. The AI is usually very serviceable and hold up well in all out firefights. On the other hand, they tend to be about as smart as a rock when in stealth mode. The friendly AI will stay out of sight, but makes no effort to shoot at enemies trying to sneak up on the player or even alert players to the enemy’s approach. The civilian AI can be a little stupid, too. While it’s not game breaking, it does break immersion when the Ghosts kill a bunch of cartel members on a stage, but the audience just keeps dancing.
The game’s controls are solid for the most part. Both the controller and mouse and keyboard layouts work well. Personally, I found some issues with the helicopter controls on the mouse and keyboard. Increasing the throttle and pressing forward at the same time will cause the helicopter to lock in a forward movement after a while which allows the player to let go of the forward key; however, I had a hard time unlocking out of this mode when it came to quickly trying to gain altitude to avoid a looming cliff. Personally, I think a toggle button would have been a much better idea. To be fair, flight controls are notoriously difficult to get right with a mouse and keyboard.
Visuals
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is almost like a trip to Bolivia without the expensive airfare. The game is gorgeous. The world is colourful and vibrant with its lush vegetation and mountainous terrain. The high tech looking CIA briefings and the comic book style used for the stories told by El Sueno provide a nice contrast to the realistic art style used in the game. Those who love playing tactical Barbie will be thrilled with the game’s character customization options that includes plenty of real life gear from major brands like 5.11, HSGI, and Crye Precision. The cinematics are top notch.
For PC players, the game is an extremely hungry beast. A GTX 1070 doesn’t have enough horsepower to run the game smoothly at max settings at 1080p, but the game running on the highest settings looks gorgeous. Optimizing the game is still a work in progress. The 1.1.5 patch has improved things a bit, but the game is prone to some serious dips in FPS.
Audio
The game’s audio experience is good, but lacking a bit in variety. As expected from a triple A title, the voice acting is top notch. My only wish is that some extra lines were added to the game for things like collecting Santa Blanca medals. It quickly becomes clear that only 4-6 lines were recorded for some of the side activities that are may be done nearly 100 times by completion nuts. The radio stations are in a similar boat, as the station options are quite limited. New lines are introduced to stations as time progresses, but not at a fast-enough rate to keep things fresh. It only took a few hours of gameplay before I started turning off the radio almost instantly. The soundtrack is excellent and serves as a subtle compliment to the gameplay. The sound effects are fantastic and contribute to an immersive experience.
While only applicable for PC, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands’ VOIP controls seems to directly control the microphone’s volume at a system level instead of an application level. The same issue came up in Ubisoft’s latest release For Honor. It is absolutely obnoxious for those who use lower volumes on their microphone as changing it on a system level messes up the sensitivity settings for other VOIP programs.
Overall
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands doesn’t bring anything new to the table in terms of gameplay. It mixes Ubisoft’s established open world formula with a healthy dash of Tom Clancy-style realism; however, the game is executed well. The gunplay is tight, and the game strikes the right balance between realism and fun. While the general rhythm of gathering intelligence to take out a cartel leader can feel a bit repetitive, the world created by the writers easily makes up for the repetition. The graphics are beautiful, though PC optimization is still an on-going project. The audio experience is good, but the voice lines need a little more variety. For all its flaws, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is still an excellent pick for the average gamer looking to immerse themselves in an accessible tactical shooter.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Arc System Works has announced that fighting game fans will soon have a new option available to them as they have revealed plans to localize Chaos Code: New Sign of Catastrophe for the PlayStation 4 and PC. The game will be released digitally through the PlayStation Store and Steam on March 15th and will cost $19.99 on both platforms.
To go along with this announcement the company has released a small trailer and a batch of screenshots that you can check out below. Chaos Code: New Sign of Catastrophe features Lupinus and Ray as newcomers to the series and on top of them each of the sixteen unique fighters have been given an additional four moves that were not in the original game.
Idea Factory International has announced that they are planning on releasing Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds both physically and digitally on the PS Vita on May 16th in North Ameriaca and May 19th in Europe. At launch the game will also be compatible with the PlayStation TV if you wish to go that route.
For those unfamiliar with Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds, it is a remastered telling of the original visual novel that was first released back in 2008 and follows the story of a young girl named Chizuru as she searches for her father and romance among the famous samurai of the Shinsengumi.
With Mass Effect: Andromeda set to be released later this month EA has released a new exploration trailer as well as a very early launch trailer for the game. For those who haven’t been following Mass Effect: Andromeda, the story follows a brand new crew on a mission to find a new home for humanity as they explore dangerous worlds and unravel the mysteries of the Andromeda galaxy.
You can check out the videos below and keep an eye out for Mass Effect: Andromeda when it is released on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on March 21st in North America and March 23rd in Europe.
