FINGERSOFT’S HILL CLIMB RACING 2 ARRIVES ON ANDROID TODAY
Multiplayer sequel to the physics-based Hill Climb Racing, downloaded over half a billion times, launching on iOS Devices in December
KEMPELE, Finland – Nov. 28, 2016 – Independent games publisher and studio Fingersoft has released the physics-based racer Hill Climb Racing 2 on Android devices. A sequel to the original Hill Climb Racing, downloaded over half a billion times worldwide, this totally new game introduces asynchronous online multiplayer, 30 unique stages at launch, bright visuals and a robust physics engine that makes races a blast.
“Multiplayer has been the number one request from our fans since Hill Climb Racing first debuted, and we’re thrilled to announce it’s finally here for the sequel,” said Fingersoft CEO Teemu Närhi. “Whether you are challenging your friends or the top of the leaderboard, Hill Climb Racing 2 is full of new ways to prove your skills to the rest of the world.”
Players in Hill Climb Racing 2 can compete in cups to gain ranks and unlock new levels, challenge friends to compete in races, or try to best the world’s top race times on the leaderboards. From mountaintop to valley to cityscape, new stages with dynamic environments deliver fresh gameplay surprises to overcome. It also features the original endless adventure mode from the first Hill Climb Racing, with more content arriving in free updates after release.
In addition, Hill Climb Racing 2 lets players upgrade their vehicle’s engines, tires, suspension, roll cage, paint job and more while customizing their driver’s appearance by swapping hats, shirts and trousers.
Hill Climb Racing 2 is available today as a free download supported by in-app purchases on Android through Google Play. Hill Climb Racing 2 will make its debut on iOS devices via the App Store later this December.
About Fingersoft
Fingersoft is a Finnish game developer and publisher focusing on fun-filled content for mobile devices. The company is famous for its hit mobile game Hill Climb Racing, which has over half a billion downloads globally. Together with Hill Climb Racing and other popular apps and games, such as Benji Bananas,Fail Hard, and Make More!, Fingersoft’s products are installed 500,000 times a day. Fingersoft’s products are available for iOS, Android, Windows devices and Amazon Kindle devices.
WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD! ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW LEAF – WELCOME amiibo HAS ARRIVED AT RETAIL
New packaged version offers the complete Animal Crossing: New Leaf experience; including new features such as amiibo functionality, a new area and new items
28th November, 2016 – Pack your cares away and escape into a world of fun and friendship in Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo for Nintendo 3DS family systems, available now across Australia and New Zealand. This new packaged version of the game incorporates the recently released Welcome amiibo update, which adds amiibo functionality*, a new campground area, two action-packed additional games and a wealth of new items for players to decorate their homes with.
A well-loved franchise with over 27 million units sold worldwide, Animal Crossing invites players to take up residence in an idyllic village, whiling away blissful hours with activities such as fishing, bug-catching and home decoration – not to mention becoming pals with a colourful cast of friendly animal neighbours they live alongside. With global sales of over 10 million units**, Animal Crossing: New Leaf is a fan-favourite title on Nintendo 3DS family systems, and allows the player to become mayor of his or her town and engage in creative features such as Public Works Projects to improve the lives of residents in town, while of course maintaining the stress-free, relaxing gameplay that is the series’ hallmark.
Furthermore, in this new packaged version of Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo, players can use the extensive range of Animal Crossing amiibo figures and amiibo cards***. This includes the 50 new Animal Crossing amiibo cards released on 10th November, one of which is included in this retail version to get players started.
The most varied Animal Crossing experience to date, Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo features all-new activities, games and items, including:
Wisp’s Wishes: By finding the magic lamp in game, players will be able to use their amiibo. The lamp can be used once a day to summon the ghostly Wisp. If players tap an Animal Crossing series amiibo card or figure, Wisp will give players the choice of inviting that character to the campground or receiving a new item, depending on the amiibo used.
The campground: This new area offers different interactions with special villagers and new shopping opportunities, as well as Harvey, a hilarious new character that will assist with all campground needs. In this relaxing area players can meet a character summoned via Wisp, and see them in their stylish custom camper where they can purchase unique items and furniture. Even without amiibo, an animal will still show up in their custom camper each day.
Cool amiibo collaborations!: The Sanrio Collaboration pack of amiibo cards allows players to bring animal friends with Sanrio-themed clothing and accessories into the world of Animal Crossing. What’s more, players who own select Splatoon or The Legend of Zelda amiibo can invite characters from those series to visit the campground – and some may even move in to their town!
More to Play!: By obtaining a Wii U item or New Nintendo 3DS XL / New Nintendo 3DS item, players can unlock two new games to play in their home. The Wii U item unlocks the Desert Island Escape game, while Animal Crossing Puzzle League can be accessed with the New Nintendo 3DS XL / New Nintendo 3DS item. The Wii U and New Nintendo 3DS items can be obtained via fortune cookies at the Nooklings’ shop, but it’s be much easier to obtain these items by scanning any of the 16 Animal Crossing amiibo figures and purchasing via the campground.
MEOW Coupons: By earning new MEOW (Mutual Exchange of Wealth) coupons via completing simple tasks around town, players can then spend their MEOW coupons on unique in-game items at the campground.
Happy Home, Happy Transfer: Players with Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer save data on their Nintendo 3DS system, can transfer it to purchase giant furniture in Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo. This new furniture is huge and will definitely make an impression in any home!
With new items, locations and an abundance of new features, newcomers to Animal Crossing have the perfect chance to enjoy the peaceful town life in the new packaged version of Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo, out now at retail locations across Australia and New Zealand.
On this coming Tuesday, the 29th of November, 2016, Sentai Filmworks will be releasing the second season of Knights of Sidonia in North America. The season, subtitled Battle for Planet Nine, will be released separately on DVD and Blu-ray and in a premium edition DVD and Blu-ray combo pack.
All 12 episodes and the season 1 compilation movie will be presented with Japanese, English and Spanish audio tracks and English, French and Spanish subtitle tracks. The extended version of episode 12 is included. The on-disc extras include: the textless opening and ending animation sequences, “Decisive Battle” (on-air version), “Blame”, a TV trailer, a TV preview, a movie teaser and a movie trailer. The physical extras included in the premium edition set are: a poster, six art cards and a 24-page booklet. These items will all be contained in a chipboard box.
Despite the lack of thrilling FPS titles this year, there is always room for more ideas and concepts for the genre, even if those ideas resemble a bit of everything else. That is the kind of game that Killing Floor 2 is. While the first title made a few waves years ago on PC, the second has splashed onto consoles and is looking to make a mark by feeding a currently hungry market. Is Killing Floor 2 worth a pickup, or is this release one to pass on? Let’s find out.
Story
There isn’t really a need for a story within this game, as just like Left 4 Dead and the general survival/wave based shooters, you really are just trying to stay alive against enemies who constantly grow stronger as progression is made. That said, there is a narrative that ties in to the gameplay with the player landing in the middle of an outbreak against multiple types of Zeds, which are pretty much standard zombie fare. Killing Floor 2 will definitely not enthuse someone who is looking for The Last of Us in first-person format, but it is a nice little game that makes up for its small story by simply being a great experience in every other area.
Gameplay
The core gameplay concept for Killing Floor 2 is simple. Slay Zeds, stay alive, and pick up some fantastic toys along the way in order to do so. Players start out by selecting a perk, which in this title means class. These classes range from a medic, commando, support, and so on – and allow for plenty of variation on the field. My personal favorite was “Firebug” as the player simply gets to use flammable fare to fight Zeds with. Sure, some may want some weapons that are a bit more imaginative (which a lot of modern FPS titles have turned to), but the arsenal within the game is just solid and varied enough to be satisfying, as the combat is truly where the legs of the game are found.
To say that this game is better with other players is saying it lightly. Killing Floor 2 is fast-paced, brutal, and can create tension quick as it is extremely easy to get overwhelmed. That is exactly why having up to five other players try to survive wave after wave is much more rewarding and enjoyable overall. Each round allows you to restock after each wave, with harder enemies coming out as the game progresses. Eventually, a big boss will come out to torture you all – which players can team up strategically to stay alive and achieve their overall objective. You kill Zeds, protect your team, gain cash for those slain Zeds, upgrade equipment, and kill more Zeds. There isn’t really a science to the formula, but there are so many intense moments that the game doesn’t need to deviate from the FPS realm to put on a fun show.
Those who want to just go in alone are perfectly fine as well, as the game is still great alone – which for a good while is how I played it until I dabbled with the still superior co-op portion. For a bit of PvP, a survival mode is also a part of the experience. This mode puts humans vs Zeds and to be honest, it isn’t a bad time-killer at all as both sides are fun to play as the Zeds have most of their own powers and perks to give everyone a nice breather to go to after an high velocity co-op stage.
Visuals and Audio
Visually, Killing Floor 2 is a pretty game. Even with being a tiny bit older and not having near the budget compared to something like Battlefield, there is a lot of visible polish and smoothness to the models and animations. Oh yeah, and gore. This is a very gory game. Blood splatters as you shoot Zeds. Bodies break a part. Melee weapons provide different kill animations. There are a ton of ways to kill an enemy and even though the fast pace may make you forget how many different ways you chop up an enemy, the game definitely has that little hidden layer of quality ironed in. I should also mention the environments as each map is heavily detailed. Despite telling a huge narrative, the level design makes you feel like you are a part of the chaos that is taking place from the core details provided, as there is a ton of little touches throughout that make exploring a bit well worth it.
The soundtrack is ok. I guess I am not too much of a metal person, as the music kind of was a bit too much for me and sounded like a random Spotify playlist, so I kind of just swapped to my own. The music is not bad, it just was not this guy’s preference. The voice acting is decent as well, but repeating lines and over-talkative protagonists are another reason I did not mind muting the audio altogether. I know voice acting – unlike music is about talent and not preference, but despite not minding the performances, the way there are edited in just comes off as a bit annoying.
Overall
Killing floor 2 is a great game at a great price that delivers a fun time throughout. Rather than making the player constantly jerk out their wallet to continue to feel satisfied, this title feels complete in its offerings and has a surprising amount of content. The game is fast, fluid, and a blast to play with friends, with outstanding polish that will let players quench their thirst for some old-fashioned gore. There are a few shortcomings with this title, but they are small and don’t stop the action whatsoever. If you are looking for a title to play online with friends that can scratch that same itch that past titles such as Left 4 Dead, RE: Mercs, and so on, this console port is worth its weight in entertainment and should not be missed.
Brain in the Box and Indie Gala are bringing their next game to Kickstarter in hopes of raising funds to complete development. Voodoo is an open world survival game inspired by Shadow of Colossus. The game plunges players in a fantasy version of primal Africa where giant creatures known as the Izimu roam the world. Players will need to craft weapons and equipment to help their tribe survive and thrive in the wilderness. By defeating the Izimu, tribes are granted special totems that unlock new parts of the tech tree. Combat is designed to flow well and can be complimented with thousands of possible items.
Voodoo is built on Unity and is set to hit Steam Early Access for Windows in early 2017. Copies of the game with immediate pre-alpha access starts at €15, so be sure to check out the project on Kickstarter.
Sentai Filmworks revealed their release schedule for March 2017 this week. They also revealed the contents of their premium edition release of Is it Okay to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?. Unless otherwise stated, all releases include dual audio options and English subtitles.
The Phantasy Star Online 2: The Animation Complete Collection will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 7, 2017. All 12 episodes are featured with Japanese audio and English subtitles.
The Kokoro Connect Complete Collection will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 14, 2017.
The Girls und Panzer: This Is the Real Anzio Battle OVA will be released in a DVD and Blu-ray combo pack on March 21, 2017.
The Diabolik Lovers II: More, Blood Complete Collection will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 28, 2017.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? will be released on DVD and Blu-ray and in a premium edition combo pack on March 28, 2017 as well. The physical items included in the premium edition include: a grimoire notebook, an exclusive custom art booklet, a Hestia and Bell lenticular art card, a poster, familia stickers and Hestia’s infamous blue ribbon. All of this will be housed in a chipboard box embossed with blue foil.
JUMP ONLINE FOR THE NINTENDO eSHOP CYBER DEAL 2016 WITH UP TO 40% OFF SELECT TITLES FROM TODAY
Discounts available on select Nintendo 3DS and Wii U download software, including My Nintendo members-exclusive discounts
25th November, 2016 – For four days only, the Nintendo eShop Cyber Deal 2016 brings you big discounts on some of the must-have titles across Nintendo 3DS and Wii U via the Nintendo eShop. From 10am 25th November until 10:59am 29th November 2016 (AEDT) in Australia and New Zealand, enjoy up to 40% off selected titles, including exclusive discounts for My Nintendo members*.
On Wii U, those looking to save Hyule from the perils of the eerie Twilight Realm will be able to get 30% off The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, while space pilot enthusiasts can get Star Fox Zero and Star Fox Guardfor 30% off. Those who have purchased Star Fox Zero from Nintendo eShop can purchase Star Fox Guard for a special discount**. Puzzle platformer fans meanwhile can revel in the colourful world and 40% discount of Pullblox World. Those with a My Nintendo membership can sing, dance and slay like a pop star in Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FEfor 30% off, and discover a wonderful woolly world for 40% off in Yoshi’s Woolly World.
Anyone wanting to uncover adventures on the go will enjoy Hyrule Warriors: Legendsat 30% off, while those seeking a new life in the countryside can get 40% off Story of Seasons. Those seeking more puzzle-solving action can test their abilities with both BOXBOY! and BOXBOXBOY!which will both have discounts of 40% off. My Nintendo members will be able to choose their path and enjoy 30% off in Fire Emblem Fates, and avoid a “tearable” fate with Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros.for a 40% discount.
Jump online for the Nintendo eShop Cyber Deal 2016 and enjoy big discounts on select Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Nintendo eShop titles from November 25 until November 29 in Australia and New Zealand.
Notes to Editors:
*My Nintendo members-exclusive discounts terms & conditions:
You must have a Nintendo Account and have chosen to receive promotional emails
Your Nintendo Account has to be linked with the Nintendo Network ID linked to your Nintendo 3DS and Wii U
Only Nintendo Accounts created before Nov 28th are eligible
You’ll need to have visited Nintendo eShop on the device you wish to download the software on, at least once
After fulfilling all conditions, it may take up to three hours until the discount is available
**Star Fox Guard is AUD$13.00/NZD$17.00 for those who have already downloaded Star Fox Zero from the Nintendo eShop on the same Wii U. This is an ongoing discount that will continue beyond November 29.
Ubisoft are one of the biggest companies in gaming and while their latest big title Watch Dogs 2 may be suffering to meet sales expectations that hasn’t spoiled their holiday spirit. Ubisoft will be giving away a game, wallpaper, greeting card, gif or something else random every day for the next 30 days. All these gifts can be claimed for PC only (with one exception) and the promo runs until December 23rd. Most gifts will only be available to download the day they come out.
Thanks to some poor source code protection, some people have already found out what every day will bring and the full list is below courtesy of Reddit user MrFujiKicker. In addition to all the goodies below, at currently unannounced times 300 copies of some of their latest titles will be made available for free in a first come first serve fashion. The first game available through the promo is Rayman Classic for mobile devices.
November 2016
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
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3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
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16
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24 Rayman Classic on Mobile
25 30% off Ubisoft Games
26 Exclusive Collection of E3 2016 Cards
27 Ubi30 Exclusive GIF
28 For Honor GIFs
29 Ubi30 360 Image
30 Just Dance Greeting Card
December 2016
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1 Ubisoft DIY Advent Calendar
2 Steep Wallpaper
3 Exclusive Digital Posters from E3 2016
4 Rabbids Holiday Goodies
5 WWW Wallpaper
6 Ubisoft Cocktail Recipes
7 Assassin’s Creed 3 on PC
8 Ubisoft Wrapping Paper
9 300 Game Giveaway
10 Watch_Dogs 2 Wallpaper
11 Ubisoft Gift Tags
12 Ubisoft Dessert Recipes
13 Ghost Recon GIFs
14 Wallpaper for Mobile
15 Prince of Persia on PC
16 Rayman Legends on PC
17 Splinter Cell on PC
18 The Crew on PC
19 Rayman GIF
20 Steep GIF
21 Exclusive 2017 Digital Holiday Cards
22 Ubi30 Wallpaper
23 Ubisoft Holiday Decorations
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25
26
27
28
29
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31
Definitely some classic titles there. This is all in addition to the current Ubisoft 30 year promotion which is giving away a free PC title each month. This month it’s Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, with the previous game being Beyond Good & Evil. To claim either reward you must first be a member of Ubisoft’s Uplay service and download the Uplay client as that is how you download the free game of the month. You don’t even have to download, just adding them to your library will allow you to come back to them at any time. Follow this Ubi30 link to be taken straight to the promotion page.
With the recent release of Dragon Ball Fusions over in North America one would think Dragon Ball gaming couldn’t get any better than. But now even more good news has come from Bandai Namco, with the confirmation that at least the first major patch that was applied to the Japanese version of the game is also coming stateside. Straight from the official press release:
A free DRAGON BALL Fusions downloadable update will be released in early 2017 that will implement online battles, an online special moves trading function, new characters, new fusion possibilities, and more. Additional details pertaining to the free update, including its release timing, will be shared at a later date.
This update was made available in Japan in early September and as mentioned above introduced an all new online battle function, the ability to trade special moves with friends and new story quests. A second patch is being made available for Dragon Ball Fusions in Japan that contains content from the most recent Future Trunks arc of Super. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of that update spill into the first International release patch as a similar thing happened with the patches for the last 3DS release, Dragon Ball Z Extreme Butoden.
Dragon Ball Fusions is out now in North America, while those in Europe and Australia will have to wait until February. At least the patch might already be on the cart saving us a download I guess…
Black Friday is here, so it means crazy sales at everyone’s favourite digital distribution services. Here are some of the best deals for PC games around the web.
Steam
Steam is running calling it their Autumn Sale this year. The prices will stay the same until November 29th, but new featured deals will cycle each day. Here are some of our favourites:
Dragon Age Inquisition@ 75% off (The Game of the Year Edition is at an all time low of 63% off)
Ubisoft
All of Ubisoft’s recent and upcoming release will net buyers a free copy of Tom Clancy’s The Division, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, or Far Cry Primal.
