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Your Turn to #RunTheNeighborhood is Here!  NBA® 2K18 is Now Available

Philip Federico
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Your Turn to #RunTheNeighborhood is Here!  NBA® 2K18 is Now Available

Be part of the first fully-immersive basketball environment to explore, socialize, and most importantly compete with NBA 2K18’s groundbreaking new feature

Sydney, NSW – September 15, 2017 – 2K today announced that NBA® 2K18, the next iteration of the top-selling and top-rated NBA video game simulation series*, is now available for purchase at retail and online vendors worldwide. One of the most dominant entertainment franchises of the past decade, NBA 2K18 is reinventing sports gaming yet again with the introduction of the Neighborhood, the first live world inside NBA 2K18.

“Our commitment to authenticity has always been top priority, and we’re truly changing the game with the new features in NBA 2K18,” said Greg Thomas, president of Visual Concepts. “It’s exciting to be at the forefront of sports gaming by evolving the franchise year after year, and we can’t wait for our community to experience it for themselves.”

NBA 2K18 on PlayStation® 4, Xbox One, Windows PC and Nintendo Switch delivers dynamic new features including:

  • RUN THE ALL-NEW NEIGHBORHOOD: The future of sports career modes has arrived, allowing you to play the game the way you like while living in an immersive basketball themed environment. Build your career in NBA games, hit the courts in The Playground Park, join the Pro-Am circuit, or explore the shops and venues in an all-new open neighborhood setting.
  • THE ROAD TO 99: The overarching meta-game that rewards users for improving their MyPLAYER’s overall rating, regardless of which MyCAREER modes they choose to play. Featuring a unified badge system across Pro-Am, Playground Park and your NBA journey in MyCAREER, your attributes, animations and badges all combine to define your play style on your road to a 99 overall rating.
  • NEW MOTION SYSTEM: The new motion system brings player control to a new level of realism.  Now, dribbling and off the ball movement are no longer driven by animations. This groundbreaking technology dynamically creates animations to deliver the best gameplay experience possible. You are now in complete control.
  • MyTEAM: Collect cards featuring NBA legends from yesterday and today, and compete in a variety of online & offline modes including the all-new Super Max and Pack & Playoffs. 
  • UPDATED CREATE A PLAYER: Create the MyPLAYER you want, whether scanning your face with the MyNBA2K18 mobile app or building something custom using preset options. Hairstyles have been updated with numerous new options to choose from, and body weight and height are more accurately represented to ensure the unique look you want for your MyPLAYER.
  • ALL-TIME TEAMS: The greatest players in NBA history from all 30 teams, together on All-Time franchise rosters for the very first time. Compete in Play Now to find out which franchise’s All-Time Team reigns supreme, or challenge all 30 All-Time Teams in MyTEAM’s All-Time Domination mode.
  • CLASSIC TEAMS: Play with 62 of the NBA’s greatest teams from the past, including 17 new additions. Pit your favorite classic roster against current NBA teams, replay epic Finals matchups, find out if Shaq & Kobe can compete with the great Lakers teams of the past, or matchup the ’97-98 Bulls against the ’15-16 Warriors to settle the argument once and for all. The possibilities are endless.

The NBA 2K18 Standard Edition is now available in both digital and physical formats for PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 entertainment systems, Xbox One and Xbox 360, and Windows PC platforms (digital only). The NBA 2K18 Legend Edition and Legend Edition Gold are also now available in digital formats, on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One. NBA 2K18 is available in digital format on Nintendo Switch, and will be released physically on the platform on October 17, 2017.

Developed by Visual Concepts, NBA 2K18 is rated G by the Australian Classification Board.

Follow @NBA2K on social media for the latest NBA 2K18 news. 

2K is a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). 

Online Account (13+) required to access online features. See www.take2games.com/legal  and www.take2games.com/privacy for additional details.

About Take-Two Interactive Software

Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a leading developer, publisher and marketer of interactive entertainment for consumers around the globe. The Company develops and publishes products principally through its two wholly-owned labels Rockstar Games and 2K. Our products are designed for console systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, and are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at http://www.take2games.com.

About 2K

Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment globally for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, which are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, sports, casual, and family entertainment. The 2K label has some of the most talented development studios in the world today, including Firaxis Games, Visual Concepts, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy Games and 2K China. 2K’s stable of high quality titles includes the critically acclaimed BioShock®, Borderlands™, and XCOM® franchises, the beloved Sid Meier’s Civilization series, the innovative Evolve™, the popular WWE 2K franchise and NBA 2K, the #1 rated and #1 selling basketball franchise*. 2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). For more information, please visit www.2k.com.

Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! now in Cinemas

Jamie Laike Tsui
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Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! now in Cinemas

Darren Aronofsky’s (Requiem for a Dream) latest film is in cinemas now. Mother! is a horror film starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem as a couple who take in a mysterious couple, played by Michelle Pfeiffer and Ed Harris, into their home. Lawrence and Bardem’s choices soon haunt them when their tranquil home becomes hell in this psychological thriller. The film has been met with generally positive reviews so far by film critics.

To celebrate the release of the film, Paramount Pictures (Rings) has released a series of conversations with the cast mixed with a few short clips of the film. Director Darren Aronofsky talks about the film’s conversation starting value, Jennifer Lawrence discusses Mother’s scalding hot tempo, and Michelle Pfeiffer speaks about the film’s thought provoking qualities and the visceral reactions it will provoke.

Darren Aronofsky – Conversation

Jennifer Lawrence – Scalding Hot

Michelle Pfeiffer – Thought Provoking

Michelle Pfeiffer – Visceral Reactions

Divinity: Original Sin 2 Launches on Steam and GOG

Jamie Laike Tsui
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Divinity: Original Sin 2 Launches on Steam and GOG

Larian Studios launched Divinity: Original Sin 2 out of Steam Early Access today. The game’s first act has been available in Steam Early Access for a year. The full release marks the introduction of new content and features to the game. Along with the remaining acts in the story, the previously announced split screen co-op and controller support is now available. Additionally, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is the first game with Discord integration baked into the game. Players will have their game progress displayed on Discord and friends can join the game directly from Discord.

The game boasts a massive world with deep character customization. Players can choose one of six starting characters or craft their own with over 200 base skills and spells. From there, gamers will embark on an epic adventure filled with branching storylines and deep turn based combat.

New to the series is the Game Master mode. Much like tabletop RPGs, game masters in Divinity: Original Sin 2 will be able to create scenarios for gamers to play. GMs will be able to build their campaign ahead of time using their own uploaded assets and assets provided by Larian Studios. Then, up to four players can experience the campaign as the GM manages it in real time. GM mode will have full Steam Workshop support.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is available now on Steam and GOG for $44.99 USD.

Samurai Riot Review

Admir Brkic
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Samurai Riot Review

Samurai Riot

Developer: Wako Factory
Publisher: Wako Factory
Format: PC (Reviewed)
Release Date: 13 Sep 2017
Price: $14.99USD – Available Here

Overview

Arcade beat ’em ups hold a special place in gaming history (and mine as well). Double Dragon, Streets of Rage, Battletoads…..many of them have achieved a cult status by now. Since Steam introduced Greenlight, we have seen a revival of many familiar genres from the early days of gaming. Despite that, I have yet to find a good new beat ’em up release. Samurai Riot looks like a good candidate for that, so let’s dive in deeper to see what’s under the hood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wm_9DWDw7w

Story

The story begins by introducing us to two playable characters in the game, Tsurumaru and Sukane. Tsurumaru is your typical samurai with a sword and ability to throw grenades (kinda out of character for a samurai but oh well). Sukane seems to be a bit faster compared to Tsurumaru and also has a cute pet fox that can distract and pull enemies, giving you the opportunity to easily line up your combo on them. Sukane informs our grand master that she failed to infiltrate the rebel cell so he sends them both to kill the chieftain of the cell. In other words, forget stealth and go full carnage instead. To be fair, the story was never an important aspect of these games so let’s focus on the next segment where the game is really supposed to shine.

Gameplay

As we defeat waves of enemies and continuously move to the right, we have a couple of attacks at our disposal. To get the most of them, the first thing you should do is to pause the game and check the combo list. There is no tutorial of any kind in the game whatsoever, so unless you go there you’ll miss out on some useful combo combinations. The first couple of enemies are pretty simple, they poke and hit you but pretty soon you’re introduced with a lot of new ones that can guard, charge at you and some even shoot! As much as enemies are diverse, I can’t say the same for the attacks of your character. Despite a couple of special moves and grabs, the best strategy seems to be circling around enemies to trick them into grouping together and then just spam the attack button. The only move that it is powerful as much as it is handy is the special co-op one. But here is the thing, it’s only available in co-op (well, duh) which wouldn’t be the issue if the game had the option of online co-op. However, the local co-op option is all that’s available to us.

There are a couple of things that add a bit of a replay value to Samurai Riot. A bit later we get to choose from one of the many branching paths in the game that will impact the next stages and most importantly – endings. We also have a bunch of fighting schools we can pledge our allegiance to when we select our character. One gives us the ability to double jump, another adds one extra life and another one health. More fighting schools are unlockable later from the money we earn by defeating enemies. Then again, replay value doesn’t mean much when the core gameplay seems so repetitive.

Visuals

Art direction of Samurai Riot is a shining aspect of it, if not the only one. As you progress through the first stage alone, it’s clear that a lot of effort went into crafting the background and visuals of every level. Up close drawings of characters and some boss designs are simply outstanding. If you manage to force yourself through the waves if simplistic combat, you will be well rewarded with some nice screenshot material.

Audio

When I got to this part, I had to start up the game again to remind myself if there is any music at all (despite playing it for quite a bit by then). But yeah, there is actually some. Through your fist & blade rampage, you are accompanied by some uplifting Nujabes-like tunes and they’re not bad at all. The only issue is that most of them are drowned in sounds of kicks and punches (which explains why I was barely aware of any) so you might wanna lower the sound effects volume since there isn’t anything notable about them.

Overall

There is a lot of promise behind Samurai Riot but that’s what most of it ends up being. Promises. With a bit of polishing of the combat system and an inclusion of online play, this would end up being a really fun time killer. It is a shame since I can tell that a lot of love went into the creation of Samurai Riot. A few aspects of the game ended up being rather satisfying but sadly not the most important one – gameplay.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

VIKING ONLINE RPG VALNIR ROK LAUNCHING INTO EARLY ACCESS SEPTEMBER 26

Philip Federico
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VIKING ONLINE RPG VALNIR ROK LAUNCHING INTO EARLY ACCESS SEPTEMBER 26

Take Part in a Viking Saga Filled with Savage Beasts, Fierce Rival Warrior Clans, and High Adventure

COLOGNE, GERMANY – September 14, 2017 – Independent game developer Encurio GmbH announced today that Valnir Rok, an epic online Viking role-playing adventure, will be launching into Steam Early Access on September 26. Set on a mystical Nordic island, players will discover the harsh, dangerous life of a Viking clansman where vicious beasts roam, forgotten gods lay waiting, and great warrior clans can be joined or conquered. Learn the skills to survive, discover recipes and formulas to create new weapons and gear, and build a thriving village to increase clan strength and notoriety.

A beautiful sun-drenched, bloodletting in Valnir Rok.

Valnir Rok is an online sandbox, roleplaying game inspired by Norse mythology. Players will awaken to find themselves on Valnir Island and must do whatever it takes to survive in a land of wild animals, mythical beasts, and violent men. As a hardened Viking warrior, butcher your enemies in bloody combat, build and improve village structures, and form a clan to expand your power and reputation. Battle against opposing clans, place bounties on hated enemies, and discover ruin artifacts to gain favor with the gods with great deeds and holy sacrifices. Might makes right in the Viking world of Valnir Rok.

Valnir Rok will be launching into Steam Early Access on September 26. Join the adventure filled with heroic deeds and legendary battles – follow the game development on Twitter, “Like” us on Facebook and visit the official site, www.valnir.net.

Gaming media members interested in previewing Valnir Rok, please make a code request by emailing Anthony Chau ([email protected]). Influencers and content creators can apply to request Valnir Rok game codes by registering at the Reverb All-Access Portal.

# # #
ABOUT ENCURIO
Founded in 2007 by Sebastian Rahmel, Encurio is an internet company and game studio based in Cologne, Germany. Encurio has been developing software, portals, websites and online shops for the finance, beauty, gaming and entertainment industry. Using the knowledge and expertise from their internet and gaming business ventures has naturally led to the development of online games. Valnir Rok will be the first online game from Encurio GbmH.

TRAVEL BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH SPACE HARRIER II

Philip Federico
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TRAVEL BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH SPACE HARRIER II

Significant Emulator and Controller Updates Accompany the Latest Time Traveling Title to Join SEGA Forever

SAN FRANCISCO, LONDON – September 14, 2017 – Travel to the year 6236 through the Cosmic Gate in the palm of your hand! As of today, Space Harrier II, the classic flying shooter, joins SEGA Forever, a growing collection of classic SEGA games from every console era that are available free-to-play (with ad support) for mobile devices. With added features like leaderboards, cloud saves, and controller support, Space Harrier II and the rest of the collection are now available to download for free from the App Store for iPhone and iPad, and Google Play Store for Android devices.

Space Harrier II, sequel to the 1985 arcade classic Space Harrier, was one of the original pack-in titles when the SEGA Genesis™/Mega Drive™ launched in Japan and North America. In the game, which was designed by Yu Suzuki, players dodge targets and fly through Fantasyland, firing a laser cannon at a wide cast of enemies, squaring off in numerous boss fights in an effort to save the world.

In addition to Space Harrier II’s launch, many of the previously released emulated SEGA Forever titles including: Altered Beast, The Revenge of Shinobi, Phantasy Star II, Comix Zone, and Kid Chameleon now feature significant emulator and control updates.

“As the largest collection of classic games on mobile we’re committed to refining the gameplay experience and thank our community for all their input, which we’ve taken to heart as SEGA fans ourselves,” said Mike Evans, CMO of SEGA’s Mobile Division in the West. “The improvements have been rolled out to all SEGA Forever emulated classics and players will enjoy smoother emulation and increased customization.”

To celebrate and thank players for their support, we’re cutting the price of the one-time in app purchase for ad removal (normally $1.99/ €2.29 / £1.99) in half for one week only. At a 50% discount, you can now play your favorite classic SEGA games ad-free for only $0.99/£0.99 / €1.09!

Download Space Harrier II and the rest of SEGA Forever collection now!

To stay up-to-date with launch news, share your love of classic video games, cast your vote in polls, share your opinions in surveys, and interact with other SEGA fans, check out the SEGA Forever website and follow our dedicated Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

Warriors All-Stars Review

Travis Bruno
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Warriors All-Stars Review

Warriors All-Stars

Developer: Omega Force
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4 (Reviewed)
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $59.99 USD – Available Here $89.95 AUD – Available Here

Overview

With the wide array of titles that Koei Tecmo has under their name and the many Warriors games that they release many have wondered exactly when they would finally put everything together into one game. While a few crossovers have happened in the past thanks to the Warriors Orochi series, they have finally gathered together some of their most recognizable characters, alongside a few new and obscure ones, into a game all about throwing together these characters into a new world where they will fight various foes as well as each other. With this game, Warriors All-Stars, now available in the West is it worth picking up or has the shark been jumped?

Story

In a mysterious land where fox-like humanoids reside, the world is dying. The magical spring that nourishes the land has begun to dry up and legends tell of an ancient ritual that will summon heroes capable of restoring power to the spring. As such, the young Tamaki, following the information passed down to her by Queen Sayo, performs the ritual with the last of the spring’s power in an attempt to summon these heroes. Unfortunately something goes awry and while numerous heroes are summoned to the land the rest of them are scattered across the continent.

This leads to Tamaki and her two royal family members gathering different heroes under their control and although the world might be coming to an end, these siblings begin to battle one another with the one left standing meant to become the new ruler. This serves as a satisfying set up to bring the wide array of heroes together while giving players something to aim for if they happen to care about the main story. This is especially true thanks to the fact that there are a large number of endings that can be obtained throughout the game.

These branching storylines all have various events that must take place and this gives players plenty of chances to replay the title as various characters since not only do character interactions change depending on who you happen to start as, the core story also isn’t too long, allowing for multiple playthroughs without feeling bogged down by the length of each completion. Since the way characters interact with one another across their numerous series tends to be the bread and butter for this game, this is a great way to experience as much as possible and see numerous interactions for fans who’ve wondered just what would happen if certain characters came face to face.

Gameplay

For the most part the core combat in Warriors All-Stars remains the same as one would expect as players are tasked with facing off against hundreds of standard enemies at a time while occasionally facing off against enemy leaders while fighting with light and  heavy combos as well as the occasional ultimate attack when your special gauge is filled, taking down various enemy bases along the way that provide certain buffs or items as you advance through the stage. That is roughly where the similarities end however as almost every one of the thirty playable characters available in this game has a unique playstyle to them.

While certain Warriors veteran fighters such as Yukimura Sanada and Lu Bu will control in a standard and expected way, when you bring in fighters like Oka from Toukiden, William from Nioh, Laegrinna from the Deception series, Marie Rose from Dead or Alive, Kasumi and Ayane from Ninja Gaiden, and even Plachta and Sophie from Atelier Sophie, there are plenty of unique styles to take into account and while certain fighters have had their moves modified a bit to work in a Warriors setting, nearly all of them still feature unique attacks that are reminiscent of their original games. This includes Laegrinna laying down traps that can be used to take down foes, Sophie throwing out items to deal damage, and much more. This allows for a huge amount of variety when it comes to combat and as you encounter and recruit various fighters into your group as you progress through the game the story will allow you to change your main character before combat to allow you to change things up whenever you feel like.

In fact, while you may start with only one ally to start with Warriors All-Stars allows up to four allies to venture into battle alongside your main fighter. This allows players to call on them to perform certain special moves that can deal damage, heal your character, or even provide buffs and de-buffs to the enemy. Using these skills triggers a lengthy cool down so you’ll need to be careful of when to use them at times. Players can also simply push the D-pad in a certain direction to call that ally into battle alongside your main character, mimicking their attacks and allowing you to deal huge chains of damage to enemies.

Accompanying these new skills is a special Rush mode that can be triggered by clicking the right stick. This mode can be activated once during any battle and a second time once you slay a thousand enemies and this places players into a limited time frenzy that allows them to face off against endless amounts of enemies while your allies cheer you on from the corners of the screen, extending the time the more opponents you take down and occasionally launching attacks of their own, creating a colorful frenzy that is as flashy as one can possibly imagine.

While players will level up throughout their time in the game, as well as gain bond levels with their accompanying allies that provide certain buffs that are poorly explained, the game also makes use of a “Bravery” system. Starting combat players will be at level one of Bravery with other enemy generals and commanders having a certain Bravery level of their own. To raise your level you must either slay plenty of standard enemies, complete sub-missions, take over bases, and other standard tasks. The higher your Bravery the more damage you’ll deal and more than a few times this can feel like busywork depending on the enemies you are facing off against.

Another such way to upgrade characters comes in the form of Cards that drop at the end of battle. These cards can be used with materials that can create certain buffs that will be applied to certain characters when that card is equipped. This card system is best thought of as a single buff item that can be swapped out for stronger ones as you progress, though be prepared for plenty of over detailed mechanics surrounding them if you try your hand at crafting new cards or attempting other mechanics with them outside of simply equipping and occasionally applying skills to them.

It is worth noting that Warriors All-Stars is also lacking in a few areas when it comes to game modes. First and most unfortunate of all is the fact that there is no Free Mode to simply take your favorite characters and lead them into combat with no consequences; though in its place are numerous frivolous missions in the story mode that can be used to grind various necessities if you so wish. The other lacking feature is multiplayer in any form. Players cannot take part in any online mode, which would usually be alright but there is also no local co-op mode of any kind, which is quite unusual in a game that touts as many unique characters as this one and even features your chosen allies fighting alongside you more often than not.

Visuals & Audio

The developers of Warriors All-Stars made the correct choice by making sure that all of the characters from the various crossovers have kept their original appearances as some charm would have been lost if certain anime-based designs had been swapped to the more serious designs of the Warriors franchise. This, combined with the numerous foes that range from Atelier Puni and Toukiden demons to simple furry infantry, and you have a game that isn’t afraid to show just how crazy the battlefield can become and in this case, that happens to be a good thing.

The soundtrack for the game works quite well and there are numerous stages that are pulled from certain games that have themes that continue to fit perfectly even when paired with the hectic combat that is a Warriors style game. The game does retain only the original Japanese voice work for every character which tends to be fitting more often than not but it can be a bit disappointing when certain bits of dialogue aren’t given subtitles during combat.

Overall

Warriors All-Stars has a little something for everyone who happens to be a fan of the Warriors series as well as any of Koei Tecmo’s other series. With a sizable roster of characters ranging the gambit of recognizable to obscure and serious to comedic, there is a wide array of combat styles to keep players from burning out while they experience hours of nicely designed gameplay to try and experience all of the different branching paths that the story takes. That being said, the lack of even local multiplayer and a few obtuse systems hurt a game that focuses on the sillier side of things.

 

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Review

Travis Bruno
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Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Review

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Developer: Ubisoft Milan
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $59.99 USD – Available Here $89.95 AUD – Available Here

Overview

There have been many types of crossovers in the history of media but most of the time these types of crossovers are at least somewhat predictable. In the case of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, very few people could have ever guessed that Nintendo’s iconic mascot would be joining forces with Ubisoft’s hyper and idiotically crazy Rabbids in a video game but here we are. With a heavy XCOM-style influence in the game’s squad shooter combat system with a sprinkling of Disgaea here and there, does Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle turn out to be a satisfying strategy RPG worthy of Nintendo’s trust?

Story

A brilliant young scientist has nearly perfected a creation called the SupaMerge, a helmet that gives the wearer the ability to merge two items together to create a new object. When this girl leaves her lab, which is decorated heavily with Mario themed merchandise and promo material, the Rabbids manage to find their way in with the help of a time machine made out of a washing machine. With the complete lack of impulse control that the Rabbids are known for, they quickly begin messing around with her stuff and soon take a keen interest in the SupaMerge. Even going so far as to fuse a Rabbid with a cell phone and wig to create a Princess Peach Rabbid, and much more.

Thanks to the issues still needing to be resolved with the SupaMerge and the Rabbid’s time machine, a portal is created and sucks all of the Rabbids, as well as an AI crafted by the girl named Beep-O, to the Mushroom Kingdom where the Rabbids begin running amok. After altering numerous elements of the world with Rabbid features and running off on their own, Mario teams up with a pair of Rabbids merged to look like his friends in an attempt to save his real allies as well as restore order to his home world with Beep-O assisting him along the way.

The writers for this game have managed to successfully craft a scenario where the Mario world and Rabbids could co-exist and that alone deserves some praise but they also have managed to create an enjoyable storyline at the same time. While lacking in major twists, those playing the game will be pleased with the weird nature of the developments are handled as well as the right and colorful charm of the world, though you also shouldn’t expect witty humor here as most of the comedy is handled in an extremely simple manner.

Gameplay

As players begin the game they will see that there are a number of different lands that Mario will need to travel through and complete various journeys throughout these areas and while this may make the title appear on the shorter side, these lands can be revisited at any time once completed allowing players to experience them again if they choose to. Each of these areas will feature the player taking part in exploration parts where they will solve puzzles to continue on, discover secrets, and more before arriving at battle sequences that are usually very easy to spot.

It is interesting to note that despite featuring childish humor and being bright and colorful, the tactical combat of this game isn’t something to simply ignore as it can be quite challenging at times, especially once the kid-gloves come off, though an “easy” option is available before battle to make the game a bit more kid friendly and more accessible to those not familiar with tactic games.

Players will need to worry about character health as characters do not regenerate heath between battles in a single area players cannot even rely on only using specific characters once their available roster grows beyond the initial few. Thankfully even though the game difficulty does have a few spikes in it and the AI can be quite cunning, especially when numerous new enemy types begin to roll onto the field, the way that the combat system is presented and the numerous options available for the player to take advantage of in a firefight make for a highly accessible game.

This is especially true thanks to the fact that every character in the field can perform a number of tasks during their turn, including movement, performing a special ability, and attacking in any order they choose. This gives the player far more freedom than your average tactical shooter and allows for a large number of moves to be chained together to swing the fight to your advantage. Combine this with the fact that every character has a unique set of skills that can be upgraded and customized through coins and power orbs, which allows for purchasing of new primary and secondary weapons, some of which can have special status effects such as “honey” that prevents movement, as well as unlocking character skills. There is even an option to reset your skill trees at any time, giving players a chance to change their abilities between fights if they find their new moves lacking for an upcoming battle.

This high level of flexibility allows for players to take big risks and witness some stellar combinations, especially if you take advantage of the “team jump” ability that allows a unit to be launched by another friendly character to a new location, including areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. There are even dash attacks and abilities that allow friendly units to take a free shot at enemy characters on the move. Most fights will have different goals to them such as defeating all of the enemies, reaching either a certain point in the field, surviving a number of turns, or simply defeating the boss which can be challenging in its own way as each boss has a unique feature that leads to their defeat.

If you happen to end up making a bad initial move there is also no punishment for restarting a battle and trying again with a different set of fighters or with modified/upgraded characters. This can happen far more often than one would think thanks to the fact that the enemy AI can unleash devastating attacks and most cover in the game can be destroyed by incoming fire. As such your carefully laid plans may fall to the wayside once your cover is down and Mario is left wide open for the rest of the enemies to unleash on him.

There is even a two player aspect if you so wish with both players able to make use of a single Joy-Con if the wish. These maps are unlocked as you progress through the single player campaign and allow for four characters to be brought into battle instead of the standard three. With each player taking control of two characters, there are plenty of new combinations that can be used and planning in this mode is a bit more necessary as these co-op maps can be more difficult than your average map.

Outside of the standard battle modes players will find that there are plenty of fun little puzzles are just the right kind of difficult and even bonus like stages such as the classic coin rooms. In fact as we mentioned earlier, players are encouraged to revisit areas once they’ve advanced further in the story as they will be able to access new areas that will contain special treasures and collectibles in an effort to give completionists and those looking to extend their time with the game a little something extra to look forward to.

Visuals & Audio

Combining the colorful art style that the Mario series is known for with the wacky nature of the Rabbids series creates a fantastic looking world with plenty of unique looking objects to examine. This is primarily due to the way that numerous objects now have Rabbid features so even older and familiar areas that Mario fans might recognize look a bit different. Traversing a world like this and taking parts in battles against numerous themed enemies make every area in the game a delight to fight through.

It is worth noting though that there is some slowdown here and there during certain parts of the game, usually while exploring more active environments. The soundtrack for the series is also fitting with the theme of the game as it blends a number of tunes together to fit the strange scenarios players will come across.

Overall

Many people wondered just how this crossover would turn out as it not only took two unique properties and merged them together but combined this merger with a unique tactical element that even fewer saw coming but not only has Ubisoft managed to combine this strange mixture into a great game with plenty of unique mechanics that helps it stand on its own but also one with a lighthearted sense of humor and a satisfying enough story that ties things together. With enough challenge to satisfying fans of tactical games and more than enough charm and options for newcomers to the genre that are fans of the Mario series, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle more than lives up to the Nintendo brand.

COOK, SERVE, DELICIOUS! 2!! LAUNCHES ON PC, MAC AND LINUX

Philip Federico
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COOK, SERVE, DELICIOUS! 2!! LAUNCHES ON PC, MAC AND LINUX

Intense restaurant management sim now available on Steam and Humble Store

September 13th, 2017 — Vertigo Gaming Inc. is thrilled to announce the release of Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!! on Steam and Humble Store. The long-awaited successor to the runaway hit restaurant management simulator is available now on PC, Mac and Linux platforms, and coming soon to PlayStation 4.

The game starts like any other morning at SherriSoda Tower as you take the elevator up to open Cook, Serve, Delicious!, a platinum star restaurant that was surging in popularity thanks to your amazing chef and management skills. Just then, a swarm of police surround SherriSoda Tower. It seems the SherriSoda head executives were secretly stealing funds from the company at the same time they were incurring a staggering amount of debt, draining the accounts of the tower and several of the businesses inside of it, including CSD. Just like that, the tower was closed and put up for federal auction, including everything inside of it. It was all over… the Cook, Serve, Delicious! restaurant was no more.

Angry but determined to rebuild, you’ve scrounged up all of your personal life’s savings and bought commercial space inside the Teragon Supertower, the largest skyscraper in the city. It’s here that you will start a brand new Cook, Serve, Delicious! restaurant, build it back to its former glory, and rebuild your legacy as the best chef in the world.

Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!! is the massive sequel to the surprise best selling original, one of the few games that gives players complete control on how they want to build their restaurant.

Featuring:

–  A 60+ hour Campaign Mode as you build your restaurant from a roach infested eatery to a World Class Platinum Star experience.
–  A new campaign mode called Chef for Hire, where you take jobs within the tower and various restaurants as you gain experience with the large array of foods. This massive new mode spans 350+ levels across 30 restaurants!
–  The return of the classic Management mode where you can build up your restaurant with the menu of your choosing, including decorating your restaurant with nearly one thousand unlockable objects!
–  All new gameplay features and additions, with a greater flexibility of difficulty for those who like it casual or insanely difficult.
–  Over 180 foods, sides, drinks and desserts to choose from, a staggering increase from the 30 foods in the original game.
–  New local co-op mode! The all new split screen co-op feature allows you to play through the entire game with two players, with the ability for players to drop in and out during your progress within the game.
–  All new 1080p native/60fps code.

The development team expects to have all new foods and restaurants after launch, with free content and lots of new features. The team is looking forward to expanding CSD! 2!! in the same vein as we did in the original, and plan to support this game for the months and hopefully even years to come!

To find out more, visit: http://store.steampowered.com/app/386620/Cook_Serve_Delicious_2/
Website: http://www.cookservedelicious.com/main/
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoP53DTpbmQ
Discord: https://discord.gg/Y7GhgkG
Twitter: https://twitter.com/chubigans

About Vertigo Gaming Inc.
Vertigo Gaming Inc. has been making games for nearly two decades now, though the biggest success is easily Cook, Serve, Delicious! Since then a team of talented artists and one programmer have two games currently in production, with Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!! being one and the other unannounced so far.

KING’S KNIGHT –WRATH OF THE DARK DRAGON– AVAILABLE NOW ON MOBILE DEVICES

Philip Federico
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KING’S KNIGHT –WRATH OF THE DARK DRAGON– AVAILABLE NOW ON MOBILE DEVICES

SYDNEY, 14TH September 2017 – Three decades after its original release in Japan, Square Enix Ltd., have announced that the legendary 8-bit scrolling shooter KING’S KNIGHT is back as KING’S KNIGHT –Wrath of the Dark Dragon–; now available for mobile devices.

KING’S KNIGHT –Wrath of the Dark Dragon– is the vertical scrolling shooter game that appears throughout the story of FINAL FANTASY XV® as one of Noctis’ favourite pastimes. The title is based on KING’S KNIGHT, which was initially developed by SQUARE for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986 by Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu,

This modern version features a brand-new story and world where players must defeat enemies while simultaneously destroying obstacles in their path. The game includes more than 100 new quests, dozens of new obstacles, enemies and traps, job elements and co-op multiplayer support for up to four players. Fans and a new generation of players will be challenged by a level of difficulty that remains true to the original game.

KING’S KNIGHT –Wrath of the Dark Dragon– is now available as a free download on the App Store for iPhone and iPad and on Google Play for Android Devices.

Related Links:

KING’S KNIGHT Twitter®: https://twitter.com/kingsknight_en
KING’s KNIGHT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kingsknightwrath/

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