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THE EPIC TALE OF FRIENDSHIP AND SURVIVAL BEGINS AS TROLL AND I SMASHES INTO STORES TODAY

THE EPIC TALE OF FRIENDSHIP AND SURVIVAL BEGINS AS TROLL AND I SMASHES INTO STORES TODAY 

Maximum Games’ Mythical Adventure Game Takes Players on an Unforgettable Journey

March 21, 2017 – Walnut Creek, CA – Video game publisher Maximum Games, in partnership with developer Spiral House, today announced that the mythical action adventure game, Troll and I, is now available for $49.99 on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC via Steam®.

“As our first release of 2017, Troll and I kicks off our ambitious year with a splash. We are thrilled to bring gamers into the expansive world of Otto and Troll,” said Christina Seelye, CEO of Maximum Games. “Troll and I is an adventure that tests a unique friendship, and promises an exciting and surprising experience for players.”

In Troll and I, gamers will embark on an enchanting journey with the title’s two main heroes – the nimble Otto and powerful Troll. With the ability to play solo or with a friend in local couch co-op, players must guide Otto and Troll through the majestic mountains and lush forests of Scandinavia as they try to dodge and defeat various enemies, including mythical orcs unleashed from the depths of the Earth and ruthless hunters after a bounty that can be claimed by Troll’s capture.

Otto and Troll possess special contrasting abilities that complement one another’s strengths and weaknesses. Troll is known for his highly damaging attacks that can crush enemies in a single blow, while Otto incorporates a stealthier approach to take down enemies. In addition, Otto and Troll can cohesively act as one to defend themselves against their foes. With a dynamic duo like Otto and Troll, the local split-screen co-op feature allows for a shared collaboration between friends, playing side by side.

Troll and I was developed by Spiral House and is published by Maximum Games. The game is available now in North America and will be releasing on March 24, 2017 in Europe for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and digitally on PC, with the Nintendo Switch coming soon. This title has been rated “T for Teen” by the ESRB.

Please visit http://www.trollandi.com for more product information.

For the latest news on Troll and I, please follow the official Facebook and Twitter pages.

For more information on Maximum Games, please visit: http://www.maximumgames.com.

 

About Maximum Games

Maximum Games ranks as a top 15 global video game publisher of interactive digital entertainment spanning all genres and supporting multi-platforms. The company’s mission is to provide a proven and strong hands-on approach to publishing, marketing, and distribution. Established in 2009, the company is led by female entrepreneur Christina Seelye, a seasoned executive of digital consumer products and channel marketing. Under Seelye’s leadership, the company has been recognized with numerous awards such as “Fastest Growing Tech Company” by American Business Awards, and has made the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest Growing Private Companies for the past two years. Maximum Games has offices in both the US and UK, and continues to expand its scope of global publishing and distribution via direct reach and strategic partnerships. For more information on Maximum Games, visit the company’s website at http://www.maximumgames.com.

About Spiral House

Spiral House is a UK based developer of interactive entertainment, focused on developing for all major home entertainment consoles, mobile devices and PC, for the global market. Established in 1999 by seasoned game developers Bobby Earl and Kevin Oxland, Spiral House traditionally followed the ‘work for hire’ business model developing partner’s IP, including various AAA and handheld titles for Sony (EyePet, MotorStorm, Wipeout Pulse, Vita Pets, and Little Big Planet), Activision (PC Blur) and many others. Now developing their own IP, with the first in a line of exciting titles being ‘Troll and I’, they have built a reputation within the industry for building creative games that focus primarily on game-play, unique features with depth and originality, whilst maintaining tight controls on the development process. For more information on Spiral House, visit the developer website at http://www.spiralhouse.co.uk.

Troll and ITM ©2017. Developed by Spiral House Ltd. All rights reserved. Published under license by Maximum GamesTM. Maximum GamesTM and the Maximum GamesTM logo are trademarks of Maximum Games, LLC. All other trademarks or registered trademarks belong to their respective owners. ©2017 Nintendo

This Tuesday from Sentai Filmworks: ‘Girls und Panzer’ and ‘Mezzo’

This Tuesday, the 21st of March, 2017, will see Sentai Filmworks release the Girls und Panzer: This Is the Real Anzio Battle OVA and ADV Films release a complete collection of the Mezzo anime series. The former will be released as a DVD and Blu-ray combo pack while the latter will be a standalone DVD release.

The 38-minute Girls und Panzer OVA will be presented with English audio and Japanese audio with English subtitles. The textless ending animation will be included as an on-disc extra. Sentai Filmworks advised that pre-orders of this title made after March 16, 2017, cannot be fulfilled immediately. The product has been placed on back order and will be shipped once more copies are available.

All 13 episodes of Mezzo will be presented with English audio and Japanese audio with English subtitles. The textless opening and ending animation sequences will be included as on-disc extras.

Hanabee Will Release ‘God Eater’ Part 1 and ‘Kokoro Connect’ in April

Hanabee announced via social media last night that it will be releasing the first part of the God Eater anime adaptation on home video in April 2017. Hanabee’s official website also lists a Kokoro Connect box set, which is scheduled for release with God Eater Part 1 on April 13, 2017. Both titles will be available on DVD and Blu-ray.

God Eater Part 1 contains the first seven episodes of the adaptation of the video game of the same name. The Kokoro Connect box set contains all 17 episodes of the series. Both releases contain English audio and Japanese audio with English subtitles. They can be pre-ordered from Hanabee’s official website.

CROSS THE FINISH LINE IN MOTORSPORT MANAGER™ FOR FREE THIS WEEK ON PC, MAC, AND LINUX

CROSS THE FINISH LINE IN MOTORSPORT MANAGER™ FOR FREE THIS WEEK ON PC, MAC, AND LINUX

SEGA & PlaySport Games Reveal Week-long Steam Discount of the Popular Management Game and Second ‘From the Pit Wall’ Video

Do you think you have what it takes to manage a motorsport team to victory? Now you can try, for free! From Monday, March 20th – Monday, March 27, Motorsport Manager™ will be available to play for free on PC, Mac and Linux, via Steam. During this week you will also be able to purchase Motorsport Manager™ on Steam with a 50% discount – the discount offer will run over the same period, until Monday March 27 at 10AM PDT/5PM GMT.

Motorsport Manager™ puts you in the driving seat of your very own motorsport team – you will hire the drivers, research the technology and make all the key split-second decisions on race day; and it is more accessible than ever with a 2D mode available, enabling it to be played using lower spec PCs. You can also create, share and discover user-generated content as Motorsport Manager™ is Steam Workshop enabled, allowing you to design your own car livery, as well as much more.

To help you get started in your career as a Motorsport Manager™, we have some helpful tips and advice straight from the pit wall. After months of waiting, it’s time to head Down Under once again for the Australian GP, which makes this the perfect time to watch the second video here in our Motorsport Manager™ “From the Pit Wall” video series starring F1 technical analyst Karun Chandhok.

With just two pre-season tests under their belts, all the teams will take to the track in Melbourne unsure of how best to set up their new charges for the testing Albert Park layout. They would therefore be wise to listen up, with the challenge of finding the optimum tyre camber, suspension stiffness or gear ratios, amongst numerous other adjustable features in Motorsport Manager™, so critical to their success in challenging for the chequered flag.

For more information about Motorsport Manager™, log on to www.motorsportmanager.net and follow us on social media for game updates and general motorsport chat at www.twitter.com/playmotorsport & www.facebook.com/playmotorsport.

‘PLANETARY ASSAULT’ UPDATE FOR EARLY ACCESS TITLE, STARPOINT GEMINI WARLORDS, AVAILABLE NOW ON STEAM

‘PLANETARY ASSAULT’ UPDATE FOR EARLY ACCESS TITLE, STARPOINT GEMINI WARLORDS, AVAILABLE NOW ON STEAM

Haarlem, The Netherlands – March 20, 2017 – Publisher Iceberg Interactive and developer Little Green Men Games have released a brand-new update today for their epic space simulation PC title Starpoint Gemini Warlords. Many community requested features have been implemented in this aptly named ‘Planetary Assault’ update and players can now board and capture ships, take over space stations and attack and take over 15 planets. This update and its massive improvements is the last update before the game moves into Beta stage. A special trailer, showing the key features of this update can be seen HERE.

Starpoint Gemini Warlords will launch out of Early Access in Q2-2017 and is available for $24.99 via Steam. As a special celebration of today’s ‘Planetary Assault’ update, starting on Monday, March 20, 2017 at 10AM PDT, Starpoint Gemini Warlords will be on sale for 25% off as a Steam Weeklong deal.

Available now in the ‘Planetary Assault’ update are the following new features:

  • Planetary Assault – Players can now attack and take over 15 planets (not counting Phaeneros), all waiting for you to rule with an iron fist. There’s also a new battleship class to construct, and a whole new Tech group to research and develop. This update lays the groundwork for even more sophisticated updates, currently in the pipeline
  • Taking over stations – If you can conquer planets, why wouldn’t you do the same with stations? Well, now you can! No more unconquerable territory in Gemini. It is all up for grabs!
  • Boarding and Capturing Ships – Nothing is off limits as players can now board and capture other ships to keep for themselves, sell off, scuttle for materials, reverse engineer or even pass the ship to aiding war fleets. Related research techs and perks accompany this update
  • Updated Context Menu – For those who have been asking, the long awaited paused game while on context feature is gone (unless you like it, in which case, you can toggle it on…)
  • Various Bug Fixes – Little Green Men Games has been hard at work, making vast improvements to the game before its full release later this year

For the complete changelog of the ‘Planetary Assault’ update for Starpoint Gemini Warlords, please visit the official Steam announcement: http://steamcommunity.com/games/419480/announcements/detail/563353721557293614

For more information, please visit the official Starpoint Gemini Warlords Steam page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/419480/

ABOUT STARPOINT GEMINI WARLORDS
Starpoint Gemini Warlords is a unique blend of space sim, RPG and 4X games focused on larger ships, ranging from gunships to carriers. Command your starship, send your war fleets into enemy territory, lead your heroic companions into battle, build up your stronghold, trade, mine, salvage and remind your enemies why they fear you.

ABOUT LITTLE GREEN MEN (LGM) GAMES

LGM Games is a growing team of highly motivated and talented programmers, writers, 3D and 2D artists and animators, all sharing the same passion for video games. Our mission is to create new worlds and adventures, with players – for players. LGM Games stands behind the successful Starpoint Gemini series, from our debut title in 2011 to the 2014 sequel, along with countless expansions. LGM’s vision of space-flavored RPG simulation games continues to evolve and grow, with many more exciting elements to be revealed in the future. To learn more about Little Green Men Games, visit: http://www.inter-corona.com.

ABOUT ICEBERG INTERACTIVE 
Iceberg Interactive is an independent video game publisher founded in 2009 by an international group of games industry veterans and is located in Haarlem, The Netherlands. Staffed with avid gamers, Iceberg works closely with an international assembly of game developers, both midsize and indie. Garnering attention with acclaimed releases over recent years, including Killing Floor 2, Endless Space, Endless Legend, StarDrive 2 and Starpoint Gemini 2, the company has an exceptional line-up, including Rising Storm 2: Vietnam, Oriental Empires, Starpoint Gemini Warlords, Dawn of Andromeda, Empathy and Conarium– with further promising games in the pipeline.

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

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 TouhouJump 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

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

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

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.