Hints & Tips for Videogame Pioneers launches on Amazon after a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign
Manchester, May 27, 2016: Hewson Consultants Ltd, one of the pioneering names of the UK games industry, is delighted to announce the launch of Hints & Tips for Videogame Pioneers on Amazon, following a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign.
Priced at £15.99, Hints & Tips for Videogame Pioneers chronicles the history of Hewson Consultants and 21st Century entertainment. From Uridium and Paradroid to Pinball Dreams and Pinball Fantasies, from the ZX Spectrum to the Commodore Amiga, author Andrew Hewson takes us on a journey through his pioneering videogames career, unearthing a rich tapestry of expertise for a new generation of bedroom coders.
Featuring commentary and analysis from more than twenty retro-gaming icons including Steve Turner of Graftgold, Jon Hare of Sensible Software, the founders of EA DICE and legendary coder Raffaele Cecco, Hints & Tips for Videogame Pioneers reveals the secrets behind a string of smash-hit titles produced by two of the most iconic software houses of the 20th century.
“Those were exciting days in the industry.” Writes book contributor Dominic Robinson, co-creator of Zynaps. “We were making up the technology as we went along, looking for ways to do things that had never been done before.”
Julian Rignall, Editor-at-Large of USGamer.net and a former ZZAP! 64 reviewer is another contributor, “Ultimately, the name became synonymous with quality. When a new Hewson title came into the offices, we’d sit up and take notice”.
Hints & Tips for Videogame Pioneers is available on Amazon and through other retailers now, priced at £15.99 for the paperback edition, £6.99 for Amazon kindle, with the standard and special edition hardback available directly fromwww.hewsonconsultants.com .
About Hewson Consultants Ltd
In the 80s and 90s Hewson Consultants Ltd and, its successor, 21st Century Entertainment Ltd forged reputations for releasing some of the most innovative and highly polished titles of their era by discovering and fostering development legends like Andrew Braybrook (Uridium, Paradroid), Steve Turner (Avalon, Quazatron), Raffaele Cecco (Exolon, Cybernoid), John Phillips (Nebulus), Dominic Robinson (Zynaps) and the founders of EA DICE who created Pinball Dreams, Pinball Fantasies and Pinball Illusions.
It has been almost a year since Total War: Warhammer was announced to the world and fanboys everyone cried out with joy in unison. Total War, a game known for its simulation of historical battles and warfare, would be exploring the setting of Games Workshop’s Warhammer Fantasy Battle. This was, and still is, for many; a match made in heaven and a fantasy made manifest. Now that the game is out, we can ascertain whether this this title is the game which fulfils those fantasies or has Creative Assembly missed the mark on this one? Read on to find out.
Setting
The game is set in the Warhammer universe just before the arrival of Archaon and the end times. Basically; imagine a Tolkienesque fantasy universe with Dwarfs, Orcs and Humans and turn up the grim factor by 1000 percent and you wouldn’t be far wrong. Out of the factions available to the player upon release, there are five options: the Empire, the Greenskins, the Vampire Counts, the Warriors of Chaos, and the Dwarves. Each of the factions and races are stuck in an almost endless cycle of violence with their neighbours as they vie for dominance. Up in the far North, the Gods of Chaos anoint their chosen champion who will unite their forces and invade the Old World on a tide of the apocalypse.
Gameplay
There are two halves to the game; the grand strategy and the tactical battle aspects. In the grand strategy half of the game, you will manage your empire and lead armies around the map. You’ll build up settlements with various improvements for increasing your income or recruiting bigger and better units. Settlements are grouped together into provinces, which were a new feature added in recently with Total War: Rome II to streamline territory management, and it is possible for multiple factions to have territory in a single province. This largely hasn’t changed too much from more recent instalments of the series but Warhammer now has territory which can only be occupied by specific races. Humans, for example, can’t occupy Dwarven Karaks (mountain holds) and vice versa but Vampires can take over human settlements and Orcs are partial to mountainous halls of the dwarves.
In effect this allows for new diplomatic options for a player to consider during their campaign. Rather than being able to simply kill every enemy and take their territory, you’re now encouraged to deal with factions who can find no value in your settlements. For the Empire, this naturally leads them to forming an alliance and trade deals with Dwarven factions. There is nothing stopping the Vampire Counts from pursuing similar defensive arrangements with Dwarven neighbours to help secure the borders of their home territory. The campaign AI seem to quite adept in its calculations as it will attempt to pre-empt your attacks and circumvent your defences as it moves its armies around. I learned this the hard way when the forces of Chaos invaded and laid waste to my territory by choosing to ignore my carefully built defensive settlements and instead pillage the villages behind my line.
When two armies clash on the campaign map, you enter into the tactical half of the game as you take direct control of your forces and fight the enemy. Each unit fits into a system similar to ‘rock, paper, scissors’ whereby certain types counter other types which are in turn countered by others. Spear infantry counter cavalry, cavalry counter ranged units, ranged units counter melee infantry, and melee infantry counter spear infantry. It’s a staple design of the series with a new addition in the form of monstrous units in this game. This new unit type is essentially its own powerful class which requires either another monstrous unit to take down or units that are specialised in fighting such beasts. They are extremely fun to use in battle as you send them charging into the enemy’s battle line and they’re quite the source of anxiety when they’re deployed against you. As these units fight each other during a battle and take damage, they suffer morale loss and when morale is low enough; they turn tail and run.
In addition to the regular troops, the player will also be able to field special hero and lord units. In their own rights, these units are fairly powerful with most of them providing a boost to unit morale in their immediate vicinities. Quite a few are also quite powerful combatants and a significant proportion of them also have magical abilities which can help turn the tide of battle. Outside of direct combat, lords are the generals which lead armies around the map while heroes can act as individual agents on the campaign map and perform special actions like assassinations or helping a province grow.
These new elements come together into the tactical gameplay to great effect and the formula of the Total War series has been perfected here. The deadly ballet of battlefield manoeuvring remains the same as always as the two sides jostle to find a more advantageous position from which to attack and the AI does put up a good fight by exploiting whatever weakness you present it. The impact of the two lines finally clashing into each other is heightened now with the addition of the new monstrous units who add even more weight to the charge. The positioning of heroes becomes especially important for helping maintain morale in the line as well as deal with high threat targets that regular line infantry couldn’t otherwise handle. It’s a refreshing change which certainly adds fun new variables to the tried-and-true formula of the Total War series. Although I had to auto-resolve battles to rush this review out, I wish had not as they were extremely fun to play out every time.
Legendary Lords stand head and shoulders above the other named character both in terms of their campaign and combat abilities. The player starts off in control of one legendary lord at the start of the campaign but by completing the right buildings they can unlock the other lords as well. Each lord has powerful unique equipment which have an associated quest line that you will need to complete before they obtain the new gear. These all culminate in a scripted scenario battle which your legendary lord and accompanying army must travel to on the campaign map. These quest battles can take you to areas in far-flung reaches of the map, which can be somewhat inconvenient at times. In one Vampire Counts campaign, two of Mannfred’s questlines have battles which occur in the Greenskin Badlands, far to the south of my territory and requiring many turns of movement to get to. I timed his questing quite badly as after acquiring a shiny new sword I needed him to race back home as quickly as possible to fend off hordes of Chaos coming down from the wastes to pillage Sylvania.
The 4 main factions (5 if you get the Warriors of Chaos DLC) that come with the game are each distinct in their own particular playstyle both on the battlefield and on the campaign map. They each have their own unique mechanics and playstyle in both the grand campaign and the battlefield. The distinct differences between the different factions ensure that there is plenty of replayability as each of them is markedly different to play. I haven’t been able to play enough to be able to tell you whether these factions are completely balanced against each other, but I can tell you that they are certainly fun to play.
The Empire of man is the most human of all the (currently available) factions with their ranks sporting everything from knights riding ferocious gryphons to regular guys with pointy sticks and bad attitudes. They’re the closest approximate to the regular Total War experience as you’ll be able to recognise the army composition to previous titles. They have a balanced army roster which has more mundane units like regular infantry, cavalry, and artillery alongside more out-there entries like magical artillery and wizards. They’re basically just regular humans trying to survive in a fantasy world where everything has the capability to kill you.
The Greenskins are pretty much a roving horde with a wide scope of units from huge giants to tiny goblins. Their armies are a diverse composition with fairly cheap but powerful orc melee units and goblins who bolt at the first sign of danger, alongside more monstrous units like trolls. Their armies generally have a low morale threshold with units breaking quickly if things aren’t going their way but then rallying quite quickly as well to return to the fight. The Greenskins are basically sports hooligans in a fantasy setting; loud, brutish, and looking to get into a scrap which is represented by their unique “Fightiness” mechanic. If a Greenskin army keeps fighting and winning; it can spawn an extra allied army to help out in future fights… but if it gets too low, the various mobs start fighting each other instead and the army suffers attrition.
The Vampire Counts consider themselves true heirs to the Empire and are willing to back up their claim with a powerful selection of magic and monsters. Their forces are largely reliant upon having monstrous units to help carry the day while cheaper blocks of infantry such as zombies hold the enemy in place. The vampires counts themselves don’t do well in direct sunlight and so must use their nefarious magical influence to prepare surrounding territory for their arrival by corrupting it with necromantic magic. Vampires rely upon heroes and special buildings to spread their vampiric corruption in order to prevent their armies suffering attrition in enemy territory. Not only those this corruptions slowly change the look of the map in a quite distinct way, as the land gets marshy and creepy; it also has the added bonus of causing living armies to suffer attrition once the corruption reaches a certain threshold.
The Dwarves are mountain dwellers largely focused upon maintaining a strong infantry battleline while attacking the enemy from afar with artillery. Their options for artillery are extensive with strong infantry to support and pin the enemy. They have a penchant for holding grudges against those who do them wrong… which at this point has become pretty much everyone and this is key aspect of their campaign gameplay. As the ruler of the Dwarves, you are expected to ensure that no slight goes unavenged and that every wrong will be set right, which earns you a reward in a manner similar to mission objectives. If these grudges aren’t sorted in a timely manner, your dwarven subjects begin to question your right to rule them which causes problems with public order.
The Warriors of Chaos are murderous marauders ripped straight from heavy metal album covers and are a strong but balanced melee heavy force. In terms of raw stopping power, the warriors of chaos certainly have some of the strongest melee line infantry in the game which are then backed up some very powerful monstrous units. The limiting factor for them in the campaign is their limited source of income which is relegated to fighting and looting. They’re quite different to the rest of the factions in the campaign as they start off at war with everyone and they do not develop settlements. Instead, their armies function as settlements with their buildings and recruitment available when the army sets up a temporary camp. Due to their starting position and mechanics, I found this faction to be the hardest to play.
Each of these factions incited an intense excitement with me to play. Each presented new and different and challenges right from the start, and I enjoyed learning the ins and outs of each faction. They each have their own approaches to expansion, diplomacy and fighting on the field of battle. Climbing up the tech tree and unlocking new units was a joy as each new addition was another tool to deploy upon the battlefield. I look forward to returning to play this game much more and finish a campaign with each of the factions currently on offer.
The game is not without its shortcomings, as although the unique race mechanics for each of the factions help to create some sense of variety; by and large the grand strategy aspect of the gameplay is underdeveloped. This, I feel, is a large part due to its extremely simplified economic system. The simplification of this aspect of the gameplay has been an ongoing development in the series from Medieval: Total War II onwards. The system in that game was dynamic and chaotic in how the economy simulated the populations of individual provinces and the flow of trade internally over land and sea. It was at times finicky and chaotic, but it also felt dynamic and alive as your grew cities and trade networks across your empire. Although this recommendation is more to my personal taste, I do believe the mechanics on the campaign map can be made deeper and I still found the overall campaign management to be immensely fun.
Visuals
The visuals are superb with the models for each of the different units holding true to their representation upon the tabletop. The level of detail each individual models is given with their armour and equipment is quite extraordinary as you zoom in to see them quite close on the battlefield. It’s a pleasure to see these units come to life on the screen and reproduced in such loving detail.
One nice detail I quite enjoyed was the deliberate (I assume) animation of the skeleton units to move in unison with stilted halting movements as though they were stop-motion animated. It’s a nice touch and evoked a very Army of Darkness feel to their movement whenever I played as or fought against the Vampire Counts.
I didn’t encounter any problems with the performance of the game, no matter how high I set the options or how many units I had on the screen. My computer is fairly top-of-the-line however so I’d recommend you check whether you are able to meet the requirements this game has before buying. I did encounter some strange lighting glitches on a few mountainous maps here and there but most of the time, everything ran smoothly.
Audio
The orchestral soundtrack suits the gameplay perfectly as you plot on the campaign map and lead troops in battle. There are plenty of deep wardrums keeping a slow beat as your armies march to war. During battle, the music dynamically swells and wanes as the formations move across the battlefield towards each. As the lines finally come together and clash, the music crescendos with plenty from the horn section kicking in. It’s a perfect accompaniment which won’t intrude on your plotting, planning, and fighting for the Old World.
Overall
I have very much enjoyed my time with this game as it applies the structure of Total War to a fantasy setting. The factions are each diverse and unique in their playstyle both on and off the field of battle. The visuals are top knotch with some nice design choices thrown in here and there for the observant while the soundtrack plays as aural companion for your play. This is a return to form for the Total War series and I have no qualms with recommending this game to both fans of the series and fans of Warhammer Fantasy. This is pretty much the realisation of the dream combination many fans of both have dreaming of for years. Kudos to Creative Assembly for getting this so right! I look forward to further expansions which will increase the scope of the map and add even more factions to the game.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
When Romance Of The Three Kingdoms XIII is released, players will be treated to a rather unique style of tutorial mode in order to help ease them into the many mechanics in the game. The title features a “Hero Mode” where players will play a simulation that recreates historical events from the series and teach them how to play the title by taking them through very specific events and battles.
Koei Tecmo has released a set of screenshots as well as a new trailer for Romance Of The Three Kingdoms XIII to help show off how Hero Mode will work, with the video portraying the Oath of the Peach Garden as well as the battle against Lu Bu at Hulao Pass. Romance Of The Three Kingdoms XIII is currently set to be released on the PlayStation 4 and PC in North America on July 5th and in Europe on July 8th.
The organizers for Tokyo Game Show have revealed what the main visual and the slogan for this year’s event will be. When Tokyo Game Show 2016 kicks off on September 15th and runs until the 18th at the Makuhari Messe in the Mihama-ku ward of Chiba city the slogan will be “Press Start to Play the Future” in English as well as “Entertainment Will Change. The Future Will Change” in Japanese.
It is worth noting that this is the 20th anniversary for Tokyo Game Show as well. As for the visual, you can check the full artwork down below. The artist behind the work is Ippei Gyoubu who is the man that has worked on past illustrations for the event.
The organizers even included a comment from Gyoubu where he says that “The game world is moving from monitors to headsets, and at some point gamers will probably even remove the headset. Is that world real or unreal? Games are creating the whole different concept of the world! The Tokyo Game Show has continually delivered to us the history of those revolutions, and is turning 20 this year. I can’t wait to go see a new revolution”
Kinetic new update brings new gifted character to Maple World, and much, much more!
Berlin, Germany; May 27th, 2016: Free-to-play MMORPG, MapleStory has just received its biggest update of the entire year with update v.117.
Positively bursting at the seams with energetic content and brand new challenges, v.117 adds an extraordinary new character, Kinesis, – with a mysterious quest line – to Maple World. While a new Combat Analysis System and Revamped Zakum, are guaranteed to make MapleStory even more enjoyable for fans.
Kinesis was a normal student attending the School for the Gifted in Seoul, when one day, he was mysteriously granted telekinetic powers. He wasted no time in putting his new found power to good use by helping those in need.
No sooner as Kinesis was granted his powers, he was pulled into a catastrophic sinkhole that also destroyed a large part of the city. Luckily, the magician Nero saved him and brought him to Maple World. Now Kinesis must train, heightening his powers so that he can gain enough strength to return home and save his world from ultimate destruction.
So don’t hesitate, log in to MapleStory this month to uncover the mystery behind Kinesis’ powers, and become a true hero.
About MapleStory
MapleStory is a free-to-play, 2D fantasy MMORPG first launched in South Korea in April 2003, allowing players to delve deep into an exciting online adventure to fight monsters, solve quests and join fellow gamers. Since then, MapleStory was able to delight nearly 100 million players worldwide, establishing Nexon’s fantastic journey through Maple World as one of the most successful online games. More than 2 million European players have contributed to this huge community since May 2007.
Revenge of the Horde – Showcased in epic new trailer for FINAL FANTASY XIV
LONDON (27th May 2016) – Today Square Enix Ltd are excited to reveal the official trailer for the latest content update for the BAFTA nominated MMORPG FINAL FANTASY® XIV – titled Revenge of the Horde.
Revenge of the Horde (Patch 3.3) will arrive on the 7th of June and bringing with it a whole legion of exciting and action packed updates, including the anticipated final chorus of the Dragonsong War main scenario quest, new Beast Tribe quests from the moogles and a new Raid Finder that allows players to be matched easily and take on the most challenging encounters Eorzea has to offer. But that’s not all, there is much, much more packed into this epic update.
Patch 3.3 will also introduce a higher level cap for new players checking out the free trial. Players using the free trial will now be able to experience the game up to level 35, which allows gamers the chance to make the most of more exciting features such as the different Jobs available in Eorzea.
Lastly, it’s a great day for FINAL FANTASY XIV fans as today also marks the start of our latest seasonal event The Make It Rain Campaign, hosted at the happiest place in Eorzea, The legendary Manderville Gold Saucer. FINAL FANTASY XIV fans won’t want to miss this special event. Find out more information here. http://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/special/2016/the_make_it_rain_campaign/
FINAL FANTASY XIV: HEAVENSWARD is available now on the PlayStation®3 system, PlayStation®4 system, Windows PC and Mac. For newcomers, an all-in-one bundle including both the award-winning FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn and FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward is also available now. A free 30-day trial is included for new accounts, with monthly subscriptions starting at £7.69 / 10.99 €. Those who have not yet had the chance to try FINAL FANTASY XIV Online can do so by downloading the 14 day free trial for PC here;http://www.ffxiv-freetrial.com/en/ or, for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 directly from the PlayStation Network.
About Square Enix Ltd.
Square Enix Ltd., a part of the Square Enix Europe business unit, develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX, EIDOS® and TAITO® branded entertainment content in Europe and other PAL territories as part of the Square Enix Group. Square Enix Ltd. also has a global network of leading development studios such as IO Interactive™, Crystal Dynamics® and Eidos Montréal. The Square Enix Group boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY, which has sold over 110 million units worldwide, DRAGON QUEST® which has sold over 66 million units worldwide and TOMB RAIDER® which has sold over 45 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix Ltd. is a London-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
More information on Square Enix Ltd. can be found at http://www.square-enix.com/eu/en/ .
Developers Ivory Tower and publisher Ubisoft are celebrating 5,000,000 players of their open world racing game The Crew and they are including each one of those players in the celebrations. If you play The Crew or The Crew: Wild Run on May 28th, regardless of country, time zone or platform, your account will be credited with 50,000 Crew Credits which normally sell as a micro-transaction for around $7 AU.
It’s not much but it’s free at least. Crew Credits can be used to buy cars, parts and visual customisation for your vehicles. The Crew launched on December 2nd, 2014 but has undergone some pretty big changes in regards to it’s gameplay, visuals and much more, especially with the Wild Run expansion which introduced Bikes, Monster Trucks, Drag Racers and The Summit monthly competitive event.
While there were a few moments of new material in between the retellings of the Battle of Gods and Resurrection ‘F’ movies, the Universe 6 arc of Dragon Ball Super is the first to contain entirely new material, with a plot outline provided by series original author Akira Toriyama. Running for 15 episodes, the ‘Universe 6’ arc pits five fighters from Universe 7 (the universe we all know and the home of the main protagonists) against its twin universe of Universe 6 in a tournament organized by both Universe’s God of Destruction. We get new characters, new transformations and if you can believe it, even more Dragon Ball World expansion.
I considered making this review spoiler free but as this is all new content and basically everything new is a spoiler this will be a pretty spoiler heavy review. If you want to come in fresh when you watch the first new Dragon Ball serialized material in about 20 years then please stop reading now, or quickly jump to the end, see the score I give and then leave.
The plot of this arc revolves around a trivial feud between Beerus and his larger twin brother Champa who like Beerus, is another great addition to the Dragon Ball world along with his female assistant Vados. Both new characters have terrific traits, with Vados witty and uncaring nature often clashing with that of the boisterous Champa who is more often than not selfish in his motivations. Champa has collected 6 of the Super Dragon Balls and is willing to wage them against Beerus in exchange for him swapping the Earth from Universe 6 for the Earth in Universe 7, which in a sneaky self-referential history fact has been destroyed by internal war. Thus, the Universe 6 vs Universe 7 tournament is created.
The great thing about having all new material is all the speculation that comes with that. Dragon Ball has been around so long that most fans have memorised the events of the series, so it is incredibly refreshing to have a plot where you don’t know what is coming next (outside of horribly spoiler filled titles). While the fights themselves range from average to spectacular, not knowing the result of each fight allows for some great tension and twists. From Goku’s surprise loss to Frost to Vegeta’s ring out being voided because he stood on some rubble that still counts as the ring made for some fun what the f**k moments.
The community discussion around Frost’s win on Goku was great, with people analyzing the scene frame by frame and coming up with all sorts of interesting theories. It may not be a comment on the show’s quality, but I think it’s a testament of any medium to get so many people discussing certain plot points.
One could easily argue that the tournament centered way too much on Goku and Vegeta, but Piccolo was really the only other fighter on that team thanks to Buu’s rather hilarious disqualification and Monaka’s complete lack of fighting experience or any hidden strength. It would have been nice to see Piccolo get at least one win for the team, but seeing him in action with some new techniques and his trademark strategy was reward enough. The mystery surrounding Monaka was great addition to have lingering in the background, even though there wasn’t much to his reveal.
Each unique character from Universe 6 and their abilities added something more to each fight as opposed to each bout going to whoever was superior in battle strength. Botamo, Frost, Magetta, Cabba and Hit all had something unique up their sleeve and while not all their personalities or techniques were equally developed or interesting, what we did see was great and bought more depth to each fight as well as forced the Z-Warriors to find new strategies instead of relying on brute force. As expected, there were also a fair few nostalgia call backs such as Goku referencing how he had never seen Frieza’s third form or all the dialogue between Saiyan’s Cabba and Vegeta.
That being said, the new arc did a good job of paving out new plot and history details without relying too much on the past. Sure Frost and Cabba were from races we had seen before but their stories were very different. The Saiyan race in Universe 6 is one that is hired to fight for good as opposed to the planet conquering Saiyans we know of Universe 7. Frost turns out to be just as conniving as Frieza but in a different way. We even get to see what the Kais from Universe 6 look like. I really enjoyed seeing both familiar themes with a new twist alongside entirely new races such as Magetta of the Metal Men (I really loved their weakness to insults as well).
The Arc also contained some great humour, mostly in the way of visual gags and one liners. From Goku and Vegeta emerging from the time chamber with beards, to Buu failing the written exam to Goku grabbing the Galactic King’s private parts by mistake, light hearted and fun moments were scattered throughout the arc and always kept it from getting to serious except for when the plot really called for it.
And when things did get serious the epicness was certainly turned up. Strong examples include Goku and Hit glaring down Champa and Champa threatening to destroy his entire team. The Goku vs Hit match is another example and probably one of the defining moments of Super so far. Goku bringing back the Kaioken was amazing as was Goku’s reason for using it. We even got an explanation as to why Goku had not used the technique in such a long time which I certainly didn’t expect after the complete lack of further explanation on similar items such as how Vegeta attained the Super Saiyan Blue transformation. The artwork, animation and choreography were at their best in this pivotal match as two of the strongest fighters portrayed in the show came to blows with one another.
At the very end of the tournament we get yet another tier of gods with the King of All, who can seemingly wipe out all 12 universes in the blink of an eye. I’m always up for expanding the mythos of a series so it will be interesting to see what relevance the King of All plays in the story. He has already proposed yet another tournament which I was a bit apprehensive about as I feel Dragon Ball relies on tournaments too much (Cell Games, Buu Saga Tournament and now these two tournaments in Super), but hopefully as the participants will be from all 12 universes there will be some unexpected twists.
We also got to see the king of all Shenrons, a giant yellow Dragon who I can’t deny reminded me of a yellow Blue Eyes White Dragon from Yu-Gi-Oh!. Seeing Super Shenron in all his gigantic scale was a site to behold and again another level to the legend of the Dragon Balls which have remained such a pivotal detail throughout the entire series run. Beerus’ wish was a nice surprise look at his softer side which expanded his character nicely and may even have some interesting ramifications down the line if Toriyama revisits that concept.
The artwork and animation varied wildly throughout the arc. We got some times where it was a shining example of what Toei can do do and then other times that were just incredibly average with lack of detail, lack of animation and just off model characters all over the place. It’s hard to give the visuals a solid rating with the wild fluctuations in quality, but I feel it was a small improvement on average over Resurrection F arc, with emphasis on the small. I did feel both the soundtrack and sound in general were used better here, except for the instance of the theme song playing over the Hit vs Goku fight which didn’t feel right to me at all.
Overall the Universe 6 vs Universe 7 arc was a roller coaster ride of fun, tension, mystery and lore expansion. While the arc was perhaps stifled slightly by the tournament format and repetitive scenery, the new characters introduced with their unique abilities and personalities kept the arc moving at a good pace. While there is definitely room for improvement in terms of visuals, audio and fight choreography, the decent plot, crazy events and strong character interaction continue to save the series from being mediocre.
I definitely had a fun time with the tournament arc but am eagerly anticipating the upcoming Future Trunks arc, which is promising to bring back a much loved character rarely used outside of video games in the last 20 years. Be sure to check back here when that arc is completed for our full review on the arc and of course keep looking with us for all your timely Dragon Ball news.
SAN MATEO, CA, May 26, 2016 – Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) today announced that PlayStation®4 (PS4™) has cumulatively sold through more than 40 million units*1 to consumers worldwide as of May 22, 2016, continuing to demonstrate the fastest-selling console in PlayStation® history. By offering users a vast array of exciting software titles from 3rd party developers and publishers as well as from SIE Worldwide Studios (SIE WWS), PS4 software sales also remain strong, with more than 270.9 million copies*2 sold in retail stores globally and through digital downloads on PlayStation®Store as of May 22, 2016.
“We are truly grateful for the enormous support from our fans and partners across the globe, which helped us achieve this significant milestone in such a short span of time,” said Andrew House, President and Global CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. “We will strive to deliver even more exciting gaming experiences to our users, further driving the momentum and accelerating the expansion of the PS4 platform and its business this fiscal year by offering an unparalleled line-up of games, bringing our virtual reality system, PlayStation VR, to market and providing ground-breaking features and network services.”
On the software front, much anticipated title, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (SIE WWS), was released on May 10, recording remarkable global sales of over 2.7 million units in just one week. PS4 software portfolio will continue to expand with highly anticipated games including Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix), Mass Effect Andromeda (Electronic Arts), Tekken 7 (Bandai Namco), Gran Turismo SPORT, Horizon Zero Dawn, and The Last Guardian (SIE WWS). The independent development community will also continue to deliver a variety of innovative new titles for PS4 including Boundless (Wonderstruck), Hellblade (Ninja Theory) and Pyre (Supergiant Games). *3
SIE will continue to expand the world of PS4 to deliver entertainment experiences that are only possible on PlayStation.
The PS4 system is currently available in 124 countries and regions*4 worldwide.
*1 Number of retail sales to consumers is estimated by SIE. Sales data in Japan collected 2/22/2014 – 5/22/2016, in North America collected 11/15/2013 – 5/21/2016, in Europe and Latin America collected 11/29/2013 – 5/21/2016, and in Asia collected 12/17/2013 – 5/22/2016.
*2 Number of retail sales to consumers is estimated by SIE. Sales data in Japan collected 2/22/2014 – 5/22/2016, in North America collected 11/15/2013 – 5/21/2016, in Europe and Latin America collected 11/29/2013 – 5/21/2016, and in Asia collected 12/17/2013 – 5/22/2016. Does not include add-on content.
*3 Title line-up differs by region.
*4 Number as of 4/19/2016.
About Sony Interactive Entertainment
Recognized as a global leader in interactive and digital entertainment, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is responsible for the PlayStation® brand and family of products and services. PlayStation has delivered innovation to the market since the launch of the original PlayStation in Japan in 1994. The PlayStation family of products and services include PlayStation®4, PlayStation®VR, PlayStation®Vita, PlayStation®3, PlayStation®Store, PlayStation®Plus, PlayStation™Video, PlayStation™Music, PlayStation™Now, PlayStation™Vue, PlayStation®Original and acclaimed PlayStation software titles from SIE Worldwide Studios. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, SIE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation and has global functions and regional headquarters in California, London and Tokyo.
Don Bradman Cricket 17 – The lifelike cricket game from Big Ant Studios and HES is back; bigger and better than ever!
Free preview of new and improved Don Bradman Cricket Academy available for fans now.
Melbourne, Australia, 26 May 2016 – In the lead up to the launch of the most lifelike cricket game ever designed, Don Bradman Cricket 17, Home Entertainment Suppliers Pty Ltd (HES) and video game developer, Big Ant Studios, have today announced that the successor to Don Bradman Cricket 14 shall be released later this year and that fans can get a taste of the action from today with the free Don Bradman Cricket Academy available now.
The Don Bradman Cricket Academy application allows gamers to build their dream cricket team and get prepped for the big competition when the full Don Bradman Cricket 17 game launches in December 2016. After downloading the Don Bradman Cricket Academy application, gamers will be able to create and customise their players with an unprecedented level of control.
Don Bradman Cricket 17 features a new lighting system that creates the most true-to-life characters yet, photo realistic skin tones, and 30 per cent more controls than in the predecessor for gamers to further refine their players. For the first time, gamers will be able to give their players tattoos enabling them to recreate their cricketing heroes and local club into the game with complete precision for the first time. Importing cricket players from the previous Don Bradman Cricket title also allows a seamless transition to the new Don Bradman Cricket 17 game for veterans making the upgrade.
Ross Symons, CEO of Big Ant Studios, said, “The first Don Bradman Cricket got us off to a great start, providing players with an authentic, exciting game of cricket that allowed them to feel like they were standing in the middle of the oval, right on the pitch. Now, we’re taking that realism further with the advanced new engine we have developed this year. The impending release of the Don Bradman Cricket Academy will give players a taste of just how far things have come.”
The Academy will also give gamers a sense of what the final Don Bradman Cricket 17 will look and feel like with its new engine, as Big Ant Studios will continue to update the application in the lead up to the big release, including the addition of playable content.
“Cricket is a sport that is loved across the globe and works so well as a video game. We are absolutely committed to growing the game and giving players the best possible cricket experience possible,” Symons said.
The release of Don Bradman Cricket 17 in December on PlayStation4, Xbox One and PC will allow cricket fans to get stuck right into their sport right in the heat of the season. “Home Entertainment Suppliers is proud to be publishing the most authentic and realistic cricket game that we have ever seen,” Sebastian Giompaolo, Managing Director for HES, said. “This game is bigger and better than the previous release in every way, and we look forward to sharing more details about innovations to the cricket genre in the lead up to its release.
About HES
Home Entertainment Suppliers Pty Ltd (HES) are a Sydney-based firm specialising in the distribution of video game consoles, games and accessories throughout the Australian market. Established in 1984, HES are the exclusive distributors of Mad Catz and Tru Blu games in Australia, including 2003’s record breaking NRL Rugby League for PS2, XBOX and PC. HES also has a video game publishing arm, Tru Blu Entertainment.
About Big Ant Studios
Big Ant Studios is an Australian game development studio founded in 2001 by CEO Ross Symons. Developers of the critically acclaimed Don Bradman Cricket, the Rugby League Live series, and Casey Powell Lacrosse, Big Ant Studios develop premium sports and racing content for all major platforms including PlayStation4, Microsoft Xbox One, and PC. For more information about Big Ant Studios visit www.bigant.com
