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Gravity Rush 2 Delayed into 2017

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Sorry Gravity Rush fans but Gravity Rush 2 has been delayed by just over a month and a half. Originally expected to launch on November 30th in Europe and December 2nd in North America, the PlayStation 4 exclusive will now be launching on January 18th for Europe/Australia and January 20th in North America.

Interestingly the delay isn’t due to a development problem but rather due to the now jam packed launch window of late November/early December that will see the likes of Watch Dogs 2, Dead Rising 4, The Last Guardian and perhaps most notably, Final Fantasy XV all see release within weeks of one another. Based on the original Gravity Rush we reviewed earlier in the year I think the sequel more than has the chops to compete with those games but I do see the concern.

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The sequel is boasting 20-40 hours of gameplay with a world that is two and a half times larger than that of the first game and three times the amount of missions.

Game Director Keiichiro Toyama had this to say on the delay

“Though production is proceeding smoothly, the landscape for that release date has changed dramatically… Gravity Rush 2 is the conclusion of Kat’s journey, so we want players to have enough time to dive deep into her story. In addition, as a lot of work went into online features that allow for asynchronous player interaction, we want as many people as possible playing the title at the same time.”

It’s not all bad news however. As an apology to the fans, the first add on story which was initially planned as DLC is now going to be free for those who purchase Gravity Rush 2.

An anime centered on the game is also expected to launch sometime before the sequel that will bridge the story between the events of Gravity Rush 2 and the first game.

Overwatch’s Halloween Terror Event Kicks off Halloween Countdown

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People are counting down to possibly the sweetest holiday all year, Halloween! Overwatch has introduced a new seasonal event called Halloween Terror that features brand new cosmetic items and the first PvE Brawl. Blizzard has responded to complaints about the Summer Games event about the randomness of skin drops in the loot boxes. All loot boxes dropped during Halloween Terror guarentees at least one Halloween themed item plus players will be able to purchase specific items with Overwatch currency.

The new PvE Brawl is called Junkenstein’s Revenge and comes with a neat little web comic that provides a little background on the event. Three players will take on Dr. Jamison Junkenstein and hold out Adlersbrunn castle against waves of Dr. Junkenstein’s minions. Class options are limited to the Alchemist (Ana), the Archer (Hanzo), the Gunslinger (McCree), or the Soldier (Soldier: 76). The event is running on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One from now until November 1st.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHPJqDqdmdw&feature=youtu.be

Finally, Blizzard has announced that Overwatch has officially surpassed 20 million players, meaning people will have plenty of company when they take on Dr. Junkestein!

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Beta Impressions

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Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is right around the corner and for those who pre-ordered the digital version on the PlayStation Network or somehow managed to snag a code (thanks Bandai!) it was available to play for a couple of days over the weekend. Anyone that’s been following our coverage of the game would know I was more than excited to finally get my hands on the game but how did I feel after my 5 or so hours of playtime? Here are my brief impressions from the Closed Beta. I apologise for not getting more images or video from the Beta, I mistakenly thought I had another day to play so the above picture is all I have.

I’m going to start with what I liked the most and go down the list from there. Straight off the bat Conton City is an infinitely better hub world than Toki Toki City from the first game. Larger, more visually appealing, a lot more things to do, more efficient and it’s not separated into areas like Toki Toki City was. The hover board vehicle you get to help traverse the large hub world faster is fun to use once you get used to the handling and does its job well. If that’s not quick enough for you there is the ability to teleport to all the most important areas in Conton City by simply speaking to a transportation clerk and there is no loading screen to speak of. After completing a Parallel Quest (basically a mission) you now go straight back to the menu for that quest with the same team, a feature I definitely would have appreciated in Xenoverse 1.

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There are also special mini hub areas from the series such as Frieza’s ship or Planet Namek that have characters from the series that you can interact with and perform special missions with. These missions will include bonuses if you are the race that matches that location as well. Sadly these were locked away in the beta but the concept of them sounded interesting and there are even story elements tied into each area including a unique opening cutscene based on your race, making the race decision more important in Xenoverse 2.

The battle system has seen numerous improvements making the combat faster, more diverse and more strategic. While the bump from 30 to 60 FPS on consoles didn’t make as much a difference to me as I thought it would it is definitely appreciated. A few new moves that have been added to the game make all the difference, including a charged ki attack, stamina break, manual vanish and the two new dash mechanics which stop those who like to run away and turtle in their tracks. Each of these improvements functions well and brings a new layer of strategy to the fight as does the ability to see your opponents stamina bar. The more options in a fighting game the merrier in my opinion.

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It just feels better overall. It’s more impactful, attacks connect better and the flow of combat is just taken to another level here. Combos have also been changed for the better as you can now mix and match all the combos available to you at certain points to create brand new ones. Combine these with super attacks (which there are impressively many new ones) and stamina breaks and the potential for huge damaging combos is certainly there.

All the created characters have new combo strings and new transformations which increase the variety even more. All seem rather balanced outside of Giant Namekians on small stages but this is much more fair to all races as in the first game only Saiyans had the ability to transform. Transforming also used to take up an ultimate slot which it no longer does, allowing you access up to two ultimate moves instead of one.

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The online features and stability have seen major improvement. In Xenoverse 1 I barely touched online as the hit detection and lag basically made it unplayable alongside questionable features like allowing items which could fully restore your health to be used in battle. Ranked battles now have options to toggle items on and off and balance scale your level so that you can have a fair fight with anyone regardless of player level.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find any games with a connection higher than 1 red bar in the Beta but even then the game just played much, much smoother and I was still able to land most of combos and super attacks cohesively. It wasn’t great by any means but with a poor connection I couldn’t ask for much more. I did have a few matches where my opponent would become frozen, still allowing them to hit me but not for me to hit them. As this is essentially a game breaking bug I’d imagine this won’t make it into the full release.

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The create a character feature has a few more options for hair and face but unfortunately outside of that hasn’t changed much. There does seem to be a lot more clothing options in the game which like the super attacks is impressive as the first Xenoverse already had a decently large selection to choose from. A lot more clothes are also able to be coloured this time around as well. Speaking of clothing, a new item called a QQ Bang (don’t ask I don’t get it either) has been implemented that let’s you override your equipment’s stats, a common complaint that has been rectified thanks to this new item.

The few story missions available in the Beta followed the same beats as the first game, slightly building on the story of the first. I wouldn’t say it’s essential to play the first game to enjoy this one but I think it will make the story more meaningful to you. This is mostly due to the ability to import one of your Time Patrollers from your Xenoverse 1 save file, allowing you to bring over 7 of those hard earned skills you grinded for in the first game as well as whatever clothes your character was wearing. They also get a statue in the middle of Conton City and it kind of seems like they will play a pretty major role in the story as they have now become Trunks partner.

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The visuals look marginally improved over the first game but it’s nothing major. That being said the first game already looked pretty good capturing the essence of the show with mostly accurate models and a bright colour palette. Unfortunately the audio has seen little treatment in terms of mixing with inconsistent voice volumes and music during missions still fading in and out in an in-cohesive way. This is unfortunate as the new music in the game is actually really good, reminiscent of some stuff we’ve heard in the Budokai and Tenkaichi days. I found it much more memorable than anything from Xenoverse 1 although I’m sure the Conton City theme will split opinions (but keep in mind the song that plays in the hub world can be changed in the menu).

What is a little disappointing is that the clothing stats issue seems to the only big complaint from the first game (full review here) that Dimps and Bandai Namco have directly addressed despite so much attention seemingly being put on fan feedback. Super Saiyan Hair still doesn’t spike up on the created Saiyans, the accessory slot has not been split into two which would allow us to further customise our character and the created characters still lack decent options to control body size. Then there are the aforementioned issues of the sound design, lack of beam clashes and characters coming into PQ’s with no proper lip syncing.

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The average flight speed when your not locked on to an opponent is also slow enough to be an issue. This is a particular drag in the hunt the dragon ball missions where you characters has to travel across a huge map to get a Dragon Ball and then travel all the way back to return it to the ship. The hover boards in the hub city feel faster than the flight speed which doesn’t make much sense. These may seem like small issues but collectively they do detract from the games overall quality which is sad as all the big pieces seem like they’re in the right place for a top notch Dragon Ball game and these issues don’t seem to require too much work to fix. Of course this is the Beta but as we are so close to release it is unlikely in my opinion that anything outside of major bugs will be changed in time for release.

I had fun with the Xenoverse 2 Closed Beta and look forward to playing in the upcoming Open Beta again before the full game arrives. Xenoverse 2 should end up as a worthy sequel to the original despite a lack of addressing small issues. All shall be revealed when the full game releases on the 25th of October in North America and the 28th in Europe and most other parts of the world. Check back around then for our full review where I’ll be going all out and reviewing the game in detail.

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All players on the PS4 will be able to enjoy the Open Beta in a couple of days. The official starting time is October 14 at 5 PM Japanese Standard Time. It runs for exactly two days. Keep in mind progress will not be able to be transferred to the full game when it releases but it has been mentioned those who play the beta and compete in the first World Martial Arts tournament for Xenoverse 2 will receive a special gift, most likely a unique accessory for their created character to wear. A live stream featuring new information from Bandai Namco’s Twitch is also happening on October 13th at 4 PM PDT.

Dual Universe Meets Goal and Finishes as Third Most Funded Video Game Kickstarter Campaign in 2016

Dual Universe Meets Goal and Finishes as Third Most Funded Video Game Kickstarter Campaign in 2016

Novaquark announces successful €565k Kickstarter campaign for its upcoming Sci-Fi MMORPG Dual Universe

Paris, France, October 11, 2016 – Paris-based game studio Novaquark announces the successful completion of its Kickstarter campaign for Sci-Fi MMORPG Dual Universe. Backers of the civilization-building game helped the team achieve its initial €500k goal by raising over €565k before the campaign’s conclusion today, becoming the third most funded video game on Kickstarter in 2016.

“We did incredibly well thanks to our amazing community! It’s even more impressive considering the fact that the studio went from having no visibility to a successful €565k campaign in a matter of three months.” says JC Baillie, Creative Director & Founder of Novaquark. “We introduced our game during the last E3 in June 2016 and rose to become the third most funded Kickstarter videogame launched in 2016, with a vibrant and growing community.”

Novaquark expresses great thanks and gratitude to all the backers of this innovative title. Due to popular demand, the developers are also working on a crowdfunding website to make their stretch goals. It will feature alternate payment methods, such as PayPal, and will provide backers another way to access similar pledges to the ones on its Kickstarter campaign.

The crowdfunding page will be accessible here:

http://www.dualthegame.com/crowdfunding

The passionate Dual Universe fan base has already led to the creation of about 900 organizations established on the role-playing community website. Additionally, the game’s Facebook page features over 50,000 fans with a healthy 40% growth since the last E3.

Dual Universe Community Portal

https://community.dualthegame.com/

Dual Universe takes players back to the roots of the MMO genre with emergent gameplay and a fully editable world. The game provides one centralized and unique persistent universe shared by everyone at the same time with no instances, zones, or transitions. Everything in the game is player-made and player-driven. Players can freely modify the voxel-based universe by creating structures with no limit in size, from spaceships to giant orbital stations, giving birth to empires and civilizations while managing the in-game economy, politics, trade and warfare.

About Novaquark
Novaquark is a Paris-based game studio formed in 2014 by veterans from Ubisoft, Sony, Apple and Aldebaran Robotics, with a mission to renew the MMO genre through technological innovation. Dual Universe, their flagship title, fosters massively emergent gameplay in a huge, continuous single-shard virtual world. The studio is currently hiring experienced and motivated candidates in various domains of expertise.

MY.COM REVEALS CLOSED BETA DATES AND FOUNDER PACKS DETAILS FOR CLOUD PIRATES

MY.COM REVEALS CLOSED BETA DATES AND FOUNDER PACKS DETAILS FOR CLOUD PIRATES

Get Guaranteed Access to the Upcoming Closed Beta

Amsterdam, The Netherlands – October 11, 2016 – Developer Allods Team and global publisher My.com are proud to announce that the first round of closed beta testing for Cloud Pirates will start on October 18. The first closed beta will run for one week, ending on October 24, and all players who have purchased the Cloud Pirates founder packs will have guaranteed access the closed beta.

Watch the new Cloud Pirates feature trailer HERE: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp1ivDzwPxs

In the closed beta, players will get an opportunity to try twenty one playable ships within three weight-categories on four different maps via four different game modes such as: Deathmatch, Control Point Capture, Deadman’s Chest, and Payload Escort.

All players who signed up for the beta will have a chance to be picked for the upcoming beta. To have a guaranteed access, players can also get one of the founder packs that have been revealed today. Besides guaranteed access to all CBT phases, players will get the following exclusive content:

  • Early access prior to release for true pirates who are willing to be the first to win
  • Two elite airships with skins exclusive to the founders pack
  • Two sets of special sails for all airships available at release
  • Extended treasure map storage
  • And much more…

Please check the full content of each pack HERE: pirates.my.com/founders-packs

About Cloud Pirates

Cloud Pirates is a new action MMO in which players can take command of a customizable airship and navigate the clouds to take part in exciting fast-paced aerial battles. In Cloud Pirates, captains can blaze through science-fiction fantasy battlefields and cooperate with their squadron to outgun or outsmart the rivaling team. Cloud Pirates will be accessible for players as soon as this year.

To learn more about Cloud Pirates and to sign up for closed beta today, visit pirates.my.com. ‘Like’ the game on Facebook and follow the game’s development on Twitter @CloudPiratesAO for all the latest developer updates and news.

# # #

ABOUT MY.COM

My.com comprises myMail, MAPS.ME, myTarget, and online and mobile games. Its mobile communications and entertainment services and apps facilitate people in pursuing their business goals – and let them relax and have a good time gaming in-between. Copyright © 2015 My.com.

For more information, visit my.com

X-Men: Apocalypse Review

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X-Men: Apocalypse

Studios: The Donners’ Company, Marvel Entertainment, TSG Entertainment, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Kinberg Genre
Publisher: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Platforms: DVD, Blu-Ray (Reviewed)
Release Date: 28th of September, 2016
Price: $29.98 AUD- Available Here & $19.99 USD- Available Here

Overview

The last X-Men film, Days of Future Past, had our eponymous heroes mess around with time travel in order to avoid a dystopian reality filled with robotic entities which oppress mankind. After messing around with the very fabric of time itself, director Bryan Singer decides to up the stakes by having them face a (literal) apocalypse. The film has now been released on DVD and Blu-Ray which gives me a chance to see whether Singer can reach past the heights which he has set for himself. Read on, dear reader, to learn my thoughts on the matter.

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Story

The story starts us off in the sands of Ancient Egypt where we see an incredibly powerful mutant, Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac), is being worshipped as a living god. Following his betrayal, attempted assassination, and successful entombment by some of his human followers, the film fast-forwards through to the 1980s of the current X-Men timeline where he is unearthed and awakened. As he attempts to come to grips with the new world, we see the Xavier (James McAvoy) and the rest of the X-Men come together and search for Magneto (Michael Fassbender) who has been in hiding ever since the events of the last film… wherein he attempted to assassinate the US president on live television. The race is on, unbeknownst to the X-Men, to find Magneto and stop the reawakened Apocalypse before he makes true on his name and brings about the end of human civilisation.

This script is perhaps one of the least focused stories I have ever come across. The story suffers serious problems with pacing the characters go from one disjointed objective to the next without an real sense of narrative continuity. The film also goes to great lengths to introduce the new generation of X-Men into the film series without really giving us a single character to focus on. The film attempts to give some of the characters emotional arcs in the story but ensemble narratives do not lend themselves to such ventures. This effectively means that without an emotional connection with any character, I simply did not care for the trials and tribulations they would go through over the course of this film. I feel that, the film attempts to spin too many plates with its characters and so loses the emotional core it should have when characters experience tragedy or success.

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Despite the scripts problems, there are some performances by the actors which I consider to be worthy of praise. Fassbinder is an acting heavyweight and does his best to bring an emotional depth to the few scenes we see with Magneto’s character. For the most part he succeeds but I feel his performance would have been more compelling if the film had decided to spend more time with his character during the emotional changes he experiences. Isaac too may be a strong actor but I feel that the only time his character came through in a strong sense was when he delivered a monologue proclaiming his divine right to be the only being capable of bringing about humanity’s annihilation as he disarms the world of its nuclear arsenal. It was a cool, melodramatic monologue which was brimming with pathos and dripping with characterisation for Isaac to revel in. I wished that the script featured more of these moments for the character of Apocalypse but, alas, he also falls into the film’s problem of muted emotional impact.

My biggest gripe with the script is the film’s climax which pretty much encapsulates the rushed nature of the entire story as plot drove the characters rather than the other way around. In the final climactic showdown between the heroes and villains, we bear to witness to a change-of-heart by one of the antagonists which makes absolutely no sense within the context of the character. Although it was set up that one of the characters attempts to persuade them, I did not feel that their attempt was strong enough to sway them to rethink their situation. The final victory also feels like a complete Deus Ex Machina as it pretty much has little to no set up previously in the story. Outside of the film itself, I know what’s happened due to my knowledge of the comics and the characters but there’s no internal consistency which stops the resolution from coming across as a complete non-sequitur.

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Visuals

Most of the visual effects are largely sufficient with a few standouts which are both mediocre and awesome. In general, the special effects for the action scenes were pretty good with a level care and attention to detail in the use of the CGI which added to my enjoyment. The only sequence which I thought was particularly inspired was the Quicksilver bullet-time sequence where the character runs around the slowly exploding X-Mansion. Although it was essentially a recycling of a similar sequence in the previous Days of Future Past. I felt that this iteration brought something new to the concept by expanding the scope and duration of the shot. If this becomes a new hallmark of the rebooted X-Men film franchise then I don’t think I’ll be annoyed if they keep evolving it with each iteration.

The effects which I felt fell short were generally found in the last act of the film. In particular, I found certain CGI concerning Jean/Phoenix to be underwhelming and broke my suspension of disbelief. Specifically, I could make out the green screen effect of her walking on air during the film’s climactic battle as her movement just seemed off. The make-up effects for Apocalypse were also somewhat over-stylised and reminded me quite strongly of villains from the Power Rangers television series. It might be a design which is true to the comics but I feel that it comes across a bit goofy on film…

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Audio

The soundtrack is largely unremarkable with few pieces which really leave an impression. The film’s main theme has become recognisable to me over repetition throughout the series, but it’s never struck me as anything much more than somewhat generic action-movie fanfare. One notable instance of the film’s use of music is in the Quicksilver bullet-time sequence wherein Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics is played. It’s a nice song to replace and update Days of Future Past’s use of Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce but it lacks the meta-humour which the original song brought to the sequence.

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Extras

The blu-ray features a smorgasbord of extra features which I very much enjoyed. In particular, I found the deleted scenes to be of interest as I felt they would have added significantly to the film’s emotional impact if they had not ended up on the cutting room floor. Of interest to me was the behind-the-scenes interviews and segments exploring the production of the film, which gave me appreciation of the efforts to which the Bryan Singer and his crew. The gag-reel was also very amusing and showcased the humour and good-nature of the actors while working on set.

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Overall

Despite all the flaws I’ve outlined, I enjoyed this film and the extra features on the blu-ray. The shortcomings of the script I felt were largely a result of the writer biting off more than they could conceivably chew (without the aid of superpowers, of course) and would have benefited from focus on individual characters. The visuals are satisfactory but with sparse few moments which particularly inspired awe. The soundtrack was not particularly memorable with one or two exceptions to prove the rule. The extras on the blu-ray were a joy to go through and I have no problem recommending them. Overall, I feel that if you’re a fan of the series and the X-Men franchise then you’ll get your money’s worth from the blu-ray but I don’t believe this film will make a true-believer out of anyone who isn’t already preaching from the choir.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Indie Gala Monday Presidential Bundle Now Available

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If you haven’t shaken off the spirit of competition after Sunday’s intense gladiatorial combat presidential debate, then Indie Gala’s Monday Presidential bundle is the perfect thing to scratch that itch. The bundle comes packed with ten great indie games.

For a minimum purchase price of $1.00 USD, buyers will receive:

Carrie’s Order Up! – An arcade game inspired by Pac-Man and Game & Watch, players will have to help Carrie serve food to a restaurant full of hungry customers as quickly as possible.

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Zi – An arcade shooter featuring five different playable tanks and over 50 maps.

Zombie Boom – A physics based puzzle game featuring 60 zombie filled levels.

For a minimum purchase of $2.99 USD during the first 24 hours of the sale, buyers will also receive:

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Make America Great Again – Political satire meets video games in this 2D platformer starring Donald Trump battling against Daesh.

The Descendant – Snag the entire season of the post apocalyptic adventure set in an underground ark designed to save humanity.

Don’t Let Go! – Strap on your VR headset and try to keep your hands on the keyboard as terrifying things like scorpions, spiders, and knives come dangerously close to your virtual hands.

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Raptor Valley – A terrifying virtual stroll through a dark valley full of deadly raptors.

Box Maze – Run and jump your way through levels full of enemies and obstacles as you help Cubert reach the love of his life.

Ohio Jack and The Cup Of Eternity – A fast paced puzzle game that pushes players to make it to the end of level before the timer runs out and the level crushes our hero Ohio Jack.

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Star Merc – An open world RPG featuring many worlds to enjoy, aliens to befriend, enemies to destroy, and choices to make that will affect the galaxy.

For the first 24 hours of the sale, the entire bundle is only $2.99 USD. Grab your copy today at Indie Gala before the price goes up.

 

 

 

PikPok Launches TigerTime Fundraising Campaign via Into the Dead

PikPok Launches TigerTime Fundraising Campaign via Into the Dead

Zombies and tigers join forces to support multinational tiger conservation charity

NEW ZEALAND, Wellington, October 11, 2016 – Leading games publisher PikPok® today announced an exciting new partnership between popular mobile game Into the Dead and TigerTime, a tiger conservation campaign run by The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.

Into the Dead throws you into the gruesome world of the zombie apocalypse where there are no second chances. Do what you have to to stay alive, keep moving as fast as you can, and protect yourself by any means necessary.

From today, players of Into the Dead will have the opportunity to purchase Sabre, an all new tiger companion. The TigerTime charity is a global conservation campaign that funds key tiger conservation projects in Russia, India and Thailand. During the month of October, 50% of proceeds made from the sale of Sabre will be donated to TigerTime.

Since its launch in December 2012, Into the Dead has had over 60 million downloads across mobile, desktop, and TV.

“The Companions feature within Into the Dead has had a lot of engagement from players, and we’ve had a lot of ideas to go beyond the all canine lineup,” said Mario Wynands, Managing Director of PikPok. “Adding a tiger to the game is both a fun addition for players, as well as an opportunity for PikPok and the fans to donate to a great cause.”

Media and more information about the Into the Dead app can be found at www.pikpok.com/games/intothedead/. More information about TigerTime can be found at http://tigertime.info/.

The Into the Dead app is available for free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch at http://l.pikpok.com/itunes/dr, and from Google Play on Android at http://l.pikpok.com/play/dr.

About PikPok
PikPok is a leading publisher of great games across mobile, tablet and desktop. With a portfolio of original, licensed, and third party developed properties, PikPok delivers games that appeal to all consumers with pick-up-and-play gameplay, high-quality art, and immersive audio design which provide rich game experiences. PikPok has released multiple critically and commercially successful games including the popular Flick Kick® series, BAFTA nominated Super Monsters Ate My Condo™, Into the Dead®, Shatter®, and more. Steal a moment, and play a game from PikPok. For more information on PikPok, please visit www.pikpok.com and www.facebook.com/pikpokgames.

Welcome to Suplex City – WWE® 2K17 Now Available

Welcome to Suplex City – WWE® 2K17 Now Available

Premier WWE® simulation video game experience offers largest roster of WWE and NXT® Superstars in franchise history, new gameplay additions and enhancements, unparalleled customization options, definitive career-centric experiences and more

Sydney, Australia – October 11, 2016 – 2K today announced that WWE® 2K17, the newest addition to the flagship WWE video game franchise, is now available worldwide for the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One and Xbox 360. WWE 2K17 delivers an unprecedented combination of authenticity, realism and action-packed gameplay in a WWE video game experience, including the largest roster of WWE and NXT Superstars in franchise history; extensive new options in Creation Suite and Universe Mode; the opportunity to “Become a Paul Heyman Guy” in MyCareer Mode; as well as a host of substantial gameplay additions and enhancements.

WWE 2K17 feature highlights include:

  • Extensive Roster: Featuring more than 135 playable WWE and NXT Superstars, including cover Superstar Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Andre the Giant, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, A.J. Styles, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Finn Bálor, Dean Ambrose, Charlotte, Bayley, Sasha Banks and Samoa Joe, WWE 2K17 delivers the largest roster in WWE games history;
  • Bill Goldberg: Consumers who pre-ordered WWE 2K17 at any participating retailer will receive two playable characters of legendary WCW® and WWE star Bill Goldberg, as well as playable WCW Monday Nitro and Halloween Havoc arenas, at no extra cost;
  • Gameplay Enhancements: Building on last year’s foundation, WWE 2K17 gives players greater control of the action, including the return of playable backstage and crowd areas. Primary gameplay enhancements include increased responsiveness, updated game systems like Ladders, Taunts and a new Secondary Submission System, as well as thousands of new animations;
  • Creation Suite: WWE 2K17’s Creation Suite delivers greater control for players to customize, build and share their own unique WWE Superstars, Arenas, Entrances, Shows and more. New features include the full Highlight Replay system, which enables players to record video highlights from their matches and use the footage to design custom entrance videos in Create-a-Video and Create-a-Victory;
  • MyCareer Mode: The franchise’s career-driven mode, now in its third year, lets players experience what it takes to become a WWE Superstar, including options to jump ahead to the main roster, become a “Paul Heyman Guy,” engage in deeper rivalries, earn more than one title, get merchandise royalties and more. In addition, they can take advantage of a brand new Promo Engine that enables players to put their speaking and charisma skills on display. A series of scripted options and a performance meter show how impactful chosen words resonate with the audience; the more intense the reaction, the better the rewards for a player, including boosted ratings, popularity and bank account;
  • Universe Mode: WWE 2K17 introduces a new Show Presentation system and Promo Engine. These new features provide increased possibilities, including run-ins, as well as pre- and post-match attacks and the ability to express the thoughts and emotions of WWE Superstars. In addition, players will experience revamped Universe Mode cut scenes, including familiar and brand new scenarios;
  • Soundtrack: Personally curated by legendary hip-hop recording artist, producer, entrepreneur and WWE enthusiast Sean “Diddy” Combs a.k.a. Puff Daddy, the WWE 2K17 in-game soundtrack features 13 unique songs from established and emerging artists, including:
    • Action Bronson & Joey Bada$$ (feat. Rico Love) – “What About The Rest Of Us”;
    • Anderson .Paak – “Come Down”;
    • Andy Black – “We Don’t Have To Dance”;
    • Axwell Λ Ingrosso – “This Time”;
    • Black Sabbath – “Paranoid”;
    • Bring Me The Horizon – “Run”;
    • FIDLAR – “Drone”;
    • French Montana (feat. Kodak Black) – “Lockjaw”;
    • iSHi (feat. French Montana, Wale, & Raekwon) – “We Run”;
    • Diddy, Black Rob & Mark Curry – “Bad Boy For Life”;
    • Travis Barker & Yelawolf – “Out of Control”;
    • Twenty One Pilots – “Ride”;
    • Yellow Claw (feat. Lil Eddie) – “We Made It”.
  • Downloadable Content and Season Pass: Players may purchase nearly all WWE 2K17 downloadable content at a reduced price point through the game’s Season Pass. For a suggested price of AUD$44.95/NZD$49.15 on Xbox One and AUD$44.95/NZD$48.95 on PlayStation®4, players will receive the following items as they become available:
    • Accelerator: Access to all unlockable content available at launch in the game’s VC Purchasable Section (excluding downloadable content); Ability to decide the overall rankings and attribute levels for all playable characters throughout the life of the product;
    • Future Stars Pack: Playable WWE and NXT Superstars Austin Aries, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Mojo Rawley and Tye Dillinger;
  • Hall of Fame Showcase: Playable matches include Cactus Jack and Diamond Dallas Page vs. The Fabulous Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin and Michael “PS” Hayes) (WCW Saturday Night 1992); The Fabulous Freebirds (Buddy Roberts and Michael “PS” Hayes) vs. Kerry and Kevin Von Erich (WCCW 1986); Ivory vs. Jacqueline (SmackDown 2000); Sting (gold and black tights) vs. Ric Flair (Clash of Champions 1988); Sting (n.W.o. Wolfpac ring gear) vs. Bret Hart (WCW Halloween Havoc 1998); Papa Shango vs. The Godfather (Dream Match); and Big Boss Man (with Albert) vs. The Big Show (Armageddon 1999);
    • Legends Pack: Playable WWE Legends Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, Eddie Guerrero, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Sycho Sid and Tatanka;
    • New Moves Pack: Variety of new in-game moves, including the Swingout Neckbreaker (made popular by WWE Superstar Charlotte); the Elbro Drop (made popular by WWE Superstar Zack Ryder); the Face Wash Combo (made popular by NXT Superstar Samoa Joe; and the TJP Clutch (made popular by current WWE Cruiserweight Champion T.J. Perkins).
    • Additional downloadable content available for purchase independent of the WWE 2K17 Season Pass includes the following items:
      • MyPlayer Kick Start (PS4™ system and Xbox One Exclusive): Players will gain access to unlock and boost created Superstar ratings and attributes made available at launch as part of the game’s MyCareer Mode; players can also unlock all clothing made available at launch that provides attribute boosts in MyCareer Mode;
      • NXT Enhancement Pack (PS4™ system and Xbox One Exclusive): Playable NXT Superstars Apollo Crews, Nia Jax and Shinsuke Nakamura; players also earn a 50 percent boost in points while competing at NXT during MyCareer Mode;
      • NXT Legacy Pack (PS3™ system and Xbox 360 Exclusive): Playable NXT Superstars Apollo Crews, Nia Jax and Shinsuke Nakamura.

Developed collaboratively by Yuke’s and Visual Concepts, a 2K studio, WWE 2K17 is rated ‘M’ in Australia and New Zealand. For more information on WWE 2K17 and 2K, visit wwe.2k.com, become a fan on Facebook, follow the game on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #WWE2K17 or subscribe on YouTube.

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

All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.

About WWE

WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming reaches more than 650 million homes worldwide in 25 languages. WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 over-the-top premium network that includes all live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library, is currently available in more than 180 countries. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich and Tokyo.

Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.

Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to: WWE Network; major distribution agreements; our need to continue to develop creative and entertaining programs and events; the possibility of a decline in the popularity of our brand of sports entertainment; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent K. McMahon; possible adverse changes in the regulatory atmosphere and related private sector initiatives; the highly competitive, rapidly changing and increasingly fragmented nature of the markets in which we operate and greater financial resources or marketplace presence of many of our competitors; uncertainties associated with international markets; our difficulty or inability to promote and conduct our live events and/or other businesses if we do not comply with applicable regulations; our dependence on our intellectual property rights, our need to protect those rights, and the risks of our infringement of others’ intellectual property rights; the complexity of our rights agreements across distribution mechanisms and geographical areas; potential substantial liability in the event of accidents or injuries occurring during our physically demanding events including, without limitation, claims relating to CTE; large public events as well as travel to and from such events; our feature film business; our expansion into new or complementary businesses and/or strategic investments; our computer systems and online operations; a possible decline in general economic conditions and disruption in financial markets; our accounts receivable; our revolving credit facility; litigation; our potential failure to meet market expectations for our financial performance, which could adversely affect our stock; Vincent K. McMahon exercises control over our affairs, and his interests may conflict with the holders of our Class A common stock; a substantial number of shares are eligible for sale by the McMahons and the sale, or the perception of possible sales, of those shares could lower our stock price; and the relatively small public “float” of our Class A common stock. In addition, our dividend is dependent on a number of factors, including, among other things, our liquidity and historical and projected cash flow, strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital), our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends (including under our revolving credit facility), general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant. Forward-looking statements made by the Company speak only as of the date made and are subject to change without any obligation on the part of the Company to update or revise them. Undue reliance should not be placed on these statements.  For more information about risks and uncertainties associated with the Company’s business, please refer to the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” sections of the Company’s SEC filings, including, but not limited to, our annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

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 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 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 and Cat Daddy Games. 2K’s stable of high quality titles includes the critically acclaimed BioShock®, Borderlands™, Mafia, and XCOM® franchises, the beloved Sid Meier’s Civilization series, Evolve™, Battleborn®, the popular WWE 2K franchise and NBA 2K, the highest rated* annual sports title of this console generation.

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.

*According to 2008 – 2016 Metacritic.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The statements contained herein which are not historical facts are considered forward-looking statements under federal securities laws and may be identified by words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “seeks,” “will,” or words of similar meaning and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the outlook for the Company’s future business and financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to them, which are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may vary materially from these forward-looking statements based on a variety of risks and uncertainties including: our dependence on key management and product development personnel, our dependence on our Grand Theft Auto products and our ability to develop other hit titles, the timely release and significant market acceptance of our games, the ability to maintain acceptable pricing levels on our games, and risks associated with international operations. Other important factors and information are contained in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the risks summarized in the section entitled “Risk Factors,” the Company’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the Company’s other periodic filings with the SEC, which can be accessed at www.take2games.com. All forward-looking statements are qualified by these cautionary statements and apply only as of the date they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

PARTY PLATFORMER RUNBOW DELUXE EDITION COMING TO RETAIL ON OCT. 25 FOR Wii U FROM NIGHTHAWK INTERACTIVE AND 13AM GAMES

PARTY PLATFORMER RUNBOW DELUXE EDITION COMING TO RETAIL ON OCT. 25 FOR Wii U FROM NIGHTHAWK INTERACTIVE AND 13AM GAMES

Runbow Pocket and Runbow Pocket Deluxe Edition launching digitally and at retail on the New Nintendo 3DS hand-held system in early 2017

EDISON, N.J. – Oct. 10, 2016 – Nighthawk Interactive has announced that Runbow Deluxe Edition will arrive on Oct. 25 for Nintendo’s Wii U™ system at select retailers in North America for $29.99. This definitive physical edition of independent developer 13AM Games’ acclaimed party platformer contains all of the bonus story adventure, level, character and costume DLC from the original Runbow, as well as a download for its official two-volume soundtrack.

13AM Games also revealed that Shantae (Shantae: Half-Genie Hero) will be playable as a free DLC character on Oct. 25 for anyone who owns Runbow or Runbow Deluxe Edition on Wii U.

In addition, Runbow Pocket and its retail counterpart, Runbow Pocket Deluxe Edition, published by Nighthawk Interactive, are now expected to launch in early 2017. 13AM Games detailed the reasons behind this new release schedule alongside an update on features coming to both titles in a blog post to the community today: http://13amgames.tumblr.com/post/151621854721/runbow-pocket-and-runbow-deluxe-updates

Runbow Pocket Deluxe Edition will include all of the DLC released for Runbow, as well as with some bonus items in the box and pre-order incentives, which Nighthawk and 13AM Games will be announcing shortly. 

Runbow is a side-scrolling multiplayer action game with hundreds of stages in which the environment changes constantly with fast swipes of color across the screen, challenging players to think and react on the move. It features a ton of fan-favorite playable guest characters like Shovel Knight (Shovel Knight), Drifter (Hyper Light Drifter), Juan (Guacamelee!), CommanderVideo and CommandgirlVideo (BIT.TRIP RUNNER), Max (Mutant Mudds Super Challenge) and more.

Runbow Deluxe Edition is available to pre-order from select retailers. Runbow Deluxe Edition, Runbow Pocket and Runbow Pocket Deluxe Edition are rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB.

About Nighthawk Interactive

Built by a team of industry veterans, Nighthawk Interactive aims to combine their proven experience with the ever-changing needs of modern game development. With a strong focus on publishing, co-publishing, retail distribution and business development support, Nighthawk is about helping developers make the great games we love to play. For more information about Nighthawk, visit www.NighthawkInteractive.com, and follow us on Twitter at (@NH_Interactive).

About 13AM Games

13AM Games is an independent gaming studio operating out of Toronto. In 2015, they launched their first game, Runbow, to critical acclaim. 13AM Games likes building games that are as much fun to design as they are to play. Their office is very loud.