The Battle for Supremacy Begins in World of Tanks Blitz
Fight to hold multiple bases and amass points in this exciting new game mode
July 28, 2016 — The game just got fiercer. With the arrival of the new Supremacy mode in World of Tanks Blitz, players have to duke it out to capture and keep a number of bases scattered across their battlefield. Never before seen in the game, expect new battle plans and ways to win emerge as teams vie for Supremacy across several familiar battlegrounds.
The premise of Supremacy is simple. Around each map, there are several bases to capture. Capturing these bases amasses points for a team. The more bases a team controls, the quicker points are accrued for them. To win, players can either reach 1,000 points, or, if destruction is the name of the game, they can just wipe out the opposition to win.
At its heart, Supremacy is a free for all—any Tier V–X vehicle can help your team take victory. However, tactics, teamwork, and preparation are crucial because those scattered bases can’t be held without a solid plan of action.
“We always experiment with in-game activities and try to make the game more interesting for our players,” said Artem Safronov, World of Tanks Blitz Global Publishing Producer. “The new game mode has been made in such a way that any vehicle type can be maximally effective in battle. Supremacy stimulates active battling related to capturing bases and encourages greater game dynamics and teamwork.”
While exploring this new game mode, keep an eye out for the updated Falls Creek map, too. The map has been visually reworked, which means the way in which players tackle their environment has also changed.
To learn more about Supremacy and other features coming with Update 3.0, visit the official website:
World of Tanks Blitz is a free-to-play team-based MMO action game dedicated to fierce tank combat. Players can take to the battlefield in cross-platform battles for a variety of smartphones and tablets, as well as on Windows 10 devices and Mac OS X.
With an impressive roster of over 200 iconic armoured vehicles, stunning graphics, intuitive touch-screen controls for tablets and phones, as well as keyboard and mouse support for the PC version, World of Tanks Blitz makes it easy to jump into short, action-packed 7vs7 tank battles no matter where you are.
The unified Wargaming.net ID allows switching between platforms and devices while retaining in-game progress, while cross-platform support lets World of Tanks Blitz community play together on a single server.
About Wargaming
Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher and one of the leaders in the free-to-play MMO market. Founded as a privately held company in 1998, Wargaming has shipped over 15 titles. Currently, Wargaming is focused on its team-based MMO war series dedicated to the mid-20th century warfare that includes the armoured World of Tanks, the flight combat World of Warplanes, and the naval World of Warships. The three intertwined titles form a common gaming universe integrated within the portal www.wargaming.net.
As part of its multiplatform line-up, the company has introduced World of Tanks on Xbox and World of Tanks Blitz on mobile platforms, Windows 10 PCs and Mac OS X. Launched in 2014 and 2015, World of Tanks on Xbox introduced epic tank-on-tank battles to console gamers and offers the first cross-platform gaming experience between Xbox 360 and Xbox One. In 2016, Wargaming released World of Tanks for PlayStation®4, continuing its console campaign.
Legendary Digital Studios Partners with Square Enix and dj2 to Adapt Award Winning Episodic Videogame Life Is Strange™ into Digital Series
First game episode now free to download on PlayStation, Xbox, Mac and PC
BURBANK, Calif., 27 July, 2016 – Legendary Digital Studios and Square Enix will join forces on the development of a digital series based on the critically acclaimed, multi award-winning video game, Life Is Strange™, it was announced today by Greg Siegel, Senior Vice President of Development and Production for Legendary Digital Studios. The project will be developed and produced in conjunction with Dmitri Johnson and Dan Jevons of dj2 Entertainment who recently produced the upcoming film Sonic the Hedgehog for Sony Pictures. Life is Strange™ was brought into Legendary by Cory Lanier who will oversee the project with Siegel.
Life Is Strange™ follows the story of photography enthusiast Max Caulfield, a high-school senior who discovers she can rewind time while saving her best friend Chloe Price. The pair soon find themselves investigating the mysterious disappearance of fellow student Rachel Amber, which uncovers a dark side to life in Arcadia Bay. In addition to winning the BAFTA for Best Story, the Peabody Award, the Golden Joystick’s Performance of the Year and The Game Awards’ Games for Impact Award, Life Is Strange™ has garnered over 75 Game of the Year awards and listings.
“Life is Strange™ is one of those rare properties that combines incredibly developed characters and storylines with deeply engaging gameplay,” said Siegel. “It lends itself perfectly to live-action imaginings. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Square Enix, DONTNOD Entertainment and dj2 to bring the world of Arcadia Bay to life in an exciting new way.”
“We’re proud and excited to be working alongside Legendary to realise a new version of Arcadia Bay and Blackwell Academy complete with our rich cast of realistic, believable characters and memorable events,” said Jon Brooke, VP Brand and European Marketing at Square Enix. “Now that the first episode of the Life is Strange™ game is free to download on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Mac and PC, there’s never been a better time to play or to introduce a friend to the beautiful world of Arcadia Bay”.
To celebrate, there’s a brand new trailer showing Max and Chloe in action available now. Check it out here.
Legendary Digital Studios, Square Enix and dj2 are currently meeting with potential writers for the series adaptation.
About Legendary
Legendary Entertainment is a leading media company with film (Legendary Pictures), television and digital (Legendary Television and Digital Media) and comics (Legendary Comics) divisions dedicated to owning, producing and delivering content to mainstream audiences with a targeted focus on the powerful fandom demographic. Through complete or joint ownership, Legendary has built a library of marquee media properties and has established itself as a trusted brand which consistently delivers high-quality, commercial entertainment including some of the world’s most popular intellectual property. In aggregate, Legendary Pictures-associated productions have realized grosses of more than $12 billion worldwide at the box office. To learn more visit: www.legendary.com .
About Square Enix
Square Enix Ltd. 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 of companies. 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 of companies boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 115 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 68 million units worldwide; 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://eu.square-enix.com/en.
About DONTNOD Entertainment
Based in Paris, DONTNOD develops video games for consoles and PC based on original concepts and innovative technologies. Since the release of Remember Me and the critically acclaimed Life Is Strange, the studio is internationally recognized for the quality of its narrative games set in immersive and innovative worlds. Today DONTNOD is working on the action-RPG Vampyr, and new yet unannounced projects. For more information, please visit: http://www.dont-nod.com/ .
About dj2
dj2 Entertainment was founded by partners Dan Jevons and Dmitri Johnson in 2011. dj2 recently produced the animated series Skulls of the Shogun for Nerdist, and are co-producing the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog feature film at Sony Pictures with Original Film and Marza Animation Planet. dj2 produced projects include Reloaded Games’ Hawken, Bandai Namco’s Supernova, and Rubicon for Machinima. For more information, please visit: http://dj2entertainment.com/
Brand New Trailer Illuminates the Divine Specializations
Amsterdam, The Netherlands – July 27, 2016 – Developer Allods Team and global publisher My.com are pleased to unveil the divine forms achievable by players of Skyforge. After players transition from being mere immortals and can play as powerful gods, by unlocking their divine Form, they will discover that this is not the end stage of the game. Deep within the Divine Atlas, the character progression menu for Skyforge, players can find the glorious divine specializations. These are unique extensions of a player’s abilities that empower them through different means, ranging from battling other players, to managing their order of followers. However, such magnificent rewards must be earned by defeating the avatars of invading armies, which will only be possible for the mightiest gods.
Watch the Skyforge Divine Specializationstrailer below
Skyforge is a free-to-play MMORPG set in a universe where mortals and immortals use cutting edge technology to fight for survival against mythical creatures and invaders from space. Players start as immortals, newly reborn into the world, and vie to become gods themselves.
To learn more about Skyforge and to download for free today, visitsf.my.com. ‘Like’ the game on Facebook and follow the game’s development on Twitter@GodsofSkyforge for all the latest developer updates and news.
INDIE VIDEO GAME STUDIO DONTNOD ELEVEN® ANNOUNCESBATTLECREW™ SPACE PIRATES WITH A FIRST VIDEO TEASER
COMING SOON ON STEAM EARLY ACCESS
Paris, July 27th 2016 – DONTNOD ELEVEN®, formerly known as HESAW, is an independent video game studio, recently renamed following a growing collaboration with DONTNOD Entertainment, the studio behind the acclaimed narrative driven adventure game LIFE IS STRANGE®, and currently developing the awaited action RPG VAMPYR™, with the purpose of sharing knowledge, expertise and resources in the years to come.
DONTNOD ELEVEN® is pleased to unveil the first details about their upcoming titleBATTLECREW™ Space Pirates, a competitive multiplayer shooter, with a high-paced gameplay, both accessible and deep. The game takes place in an original and iconic Space Pirates universe, where players control charismatic heroes that cooperate or compete for the most precious treasures of the galaxy. BATTLECREW™ Space Pirates includes innovative in-game community features, events and challenges.
Additionally, a teaser video has been released and can be viewed here:
Oskar Guilbert, CEO of DONTNOD Entertainment, commented:
“We arevery excited about the announcement of DONTNOD ELEVEN® and its game: BATTLECREW™ Space Pirates. The goal of our collaboration is to help those talented independent developers and benefit from their know-how. They’ve been working on this game for about a year and we’re happy to help them achieve their goal of releasing this fun, exciting and innovative gaming experience.”
DONTNOD ELEVEN®‘s debut project, BATTLECREW™ Space Pirates, will be launching soon on Steam Early Access. The Early Access release will give gamers the opportunity to experience a major part of the game prior to release and provide invaluable feedback to the small team of DONTNOD ELEVEN®.
Based in Paris, DONTNOD develops video games for consoles and PC based on original concepts and innovative technologies. Since the release of REMEMBER ME and the critically acclaimed LIFE IS STRANGE®, the studio is internationally recognized for the quality of its narrative games set in immersive and innovative worlds. Today DONTNOD is working on the action-RPG VAMPYR™, and new yet unannounced projects. For more information, please visit: http://www.dont-nod.com/
RATZ INSTAGIB ONE-SHOTS ITS WAY OUT OF EARLY ACCESS Why Instagram, when you can Instagib?
LOS ANGELES, CA – July 27, 2016 – Attention rodents, Rising Star Games is charged to announce that Ratz Instagib has chewed its way out of Early Access and the game has now fully launched on Steam for your fragging fix. Forget the needlessly over-complicated shenanigans of modern multiplayer shooters, Ratz Instagib brings back the fur-raising glory days of the 90s merciless FPS. Casting players as railgun-toting-rats wreaking havoc across various arenas, Ratz Instagib’s rules are simple – one gun, one hit, kills.
Fast frenetic action is what all Ratz Instagib is all about. Say cheese!
During its time in Early Access, the game saw more updates than you can shake a tail at, including: a wealth of new maps, a brand new Steam Workshop integrated map editor, a ton of loot drops, spectator mode, and new and improved controls. The full game is available on Steam for the bargain price $8.99, but will have a 20% discount for the first week (July 27-Aug 2) to celebrate its launch.
For more information on Ratz Instagib, and to learn more about Rising Star Games, follow Rising Star Games on Twitter and visit the official Rising Star Games website.
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ABOUT RATZ INSTAGIB
Rocket jump your way around 13 rodent infested house themed maps and six different action packed game modes as you splat your fellow rats across various household surfaces. Unlock a wide range of different items to get your rodent looking ravishing or create your own maps for greater ’gibbing glory.
ABOUT RISING STAR GAMES
Rising Star Games is a privately held video games publisher with a global reach. With operating offices in Europe and USA the company publishes video game entertainment across all gaming platforms from Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and via Steam. With decades of combined experience and a genuine passion for interactive entertainment, Rising Star Games is proud of its ever-expanding and enormously diverse catalogue of over 120 titles. www.risingstargames.com
JoyCity introduces 3on3 Freestyle, a new street basketball video game, available exclusively on PlayStation 4
Planned for an end of summer 2016 release, 3on3 Freestyle is the only street basketball game on the market!
Paris – 27th of July 2016 – Well-known Korean developer and publisher is excited to unveil 3on3 Freestyle, its first ever console game, available exclusively on PlayStation® 4 at the end of the summer. 3on3 Freestyle is a multiplayer online game which allows players to compete in 3 against 3 matches and follows the footsteps of the previous “Freestyle” games which count millions of players.
3on3 Freestyle offers three different game modes for three unique experiences:
– 3 v 3 online: With your friends on your couch or alongside players from across the world, participate in spectacular games and become the king of the court.
– 1 v 1 online: Compete against another player for frantic street basketball duels.
– 1 v 1 against the AI: Train and master every character!
In 3on3 Freestyle, every character is different and has its own abilities and skills, being able to play at a specific position. It’s up to you to choose how you play, using crisp passes, mesmerizing dribbling or forcing your way through to win the game. Enjoy team-skills based on the combination of your players to score perfect alley-oops. Pick wisely the different types of players and pave your way to success! Your characters can also win experience points in order to boost their abilities and help you define the playing profile which suits you the most.
3on3 Freestyle makes you dive into modern street culture thanks to its artistic direction, its music and the characters’ design. The game artists travelled to many mythical locations of street basketball in order to recreate as closely as possible the atmosphere of 3v3 games.
Joycity is a Korean game developer and publisher based near Seoul. Since 1994, Joycity has developed various types of games, each based on original ideas and innovative technological expertise. With the creation of «FreeStyle» the first Korean online sports game for PCs, Joycity has made a name for itself as a leader in the bracket of first generation developers in its country. Ongoing success has given «Freestyle 2» and «Freestyle Football» global recognition in sports video games.
Currently Joycity developers are experimenting with new genres, as seen in Gunship Battle, Warship Battle, and the board game Game of Dice. Since 2014, Joycity has invested heavily in research and development and is committed to the production of console games and its focus on virtual reality. Joycity affirms its ability to offer cross-platform gaming experiences, is on the cutting edge of innovation, and reaches a community of international players.
You may remember hearing last week that Compile Heart had launched a new countdown website and while it started off showing a silhouette of Neptune from Hyperdimension Neptunia, as the days ticked away the countdown site shifted into other girls from popular Compile Heart properties leading to many thinking that a crossover game was in the works. Well, while that is indeed true the reality is far from exciting.
This week’s issue of Dengeki PlayStation has revealedthat the website is counting down to a game called Nepu-Nepu Connect: Chaos Chanpuru. The game, which is still in development, will be a free to play PS Vita card game that features over a hundred different characters from Compile Heart‘s various series as well as an original storyline. The battles will be handled through the Vita’s touch screen and so far a few characters such as Fang, Eryn, Neptune, IF, Compa, and Faust have been confirmed to be in the game.
Acquire is continuing with their series of character introduction trailers for their upcoming RPG Akiba’s Beat and this time around they are focusing on introducing the eighteen year old Saki Hoshino. Saki has recently moved to Akihabara in an effort to attend a vocational school but unlike many of the other characters, it appears that she has been battling the delusions for some time as she is already working with her familiar, named Pinkun, in order to remove these delusions and protect the world.
You can check out the intro trailer below and as for the game itself, Akiba’s Beat has already been confirmed for North American release sometime in winter 2016 by XSEED Games.
Koei Tecmo has announced that the Japanese release of their upcoming Berserk game has been delayed over a month. Originally slated for release on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PS Vita on September 21st, the company is now listing the title for release on October 27th in an effort to improve the quality of the game.
It is worth noting that when the Omega Force developed Berserk game was announced for Western release it was given a Fall 2016 release window so it is currently unknown if this month long delay will affect the Western version or if it will simply narrow the time between the Japanese release and the localized version.
High school student Yama Jugo is disowned by his father. As a result, he is forced to move to an artificial island and transfer to one of the its high schools. He pays a large amount of non-refundable money to Maboro Shiki, the owner of an apartment block, in order to be able to move in its Room 202. As soon as he steps into the living room of that apartment, he discovers that someone is already occupying it. Shiki claims that no-one was living in the apartment just before Yama moved in, and this claim is true. The mysterious person is a ghost of a person who was murdered ten years ago and cannot pass on knowing that her killer is still on the loose. The ghost, Ryuugajou Nanana, collected a variety of magical artefacts from around the world while she was alive. These artefacts comprise ‘Nanana’s Collection’. Yama decides to work with Nanana to find her buried treasures and use their powers to track down her murderer.
Story
Yama Jugo initially seems like every other male audience-insert character found in an annoyingly large number of Japanese series. The first hint that this is not the case is his exposition about his ideals and the fact that his father kicked him out of his home. It is gradually revealed that he indeed is not an ordinary teenager but the son of the leader of an organisation of bad guys known as Matsuri. First impressions are not always what they seem in this series, giving its introduction a welcome level of unpredictability. Isshin Yuiga, the president of the Adventure Club, also betrays the initial impressions he gives. The Adventure Club is an extracurricular group at Third High School that was created with the intention of collecting Nanana’s Collection. Yama joins this group, along with his ‘rival’, the master detective Ikkyuu Tensai, and her assistant Hoshino Daruku. Tensai demonstrates an extraordinary ability to observe things that others overlook. She uses this skill to get through the first ‘ruins’ that we see the club visit. Unbeknownst to Tensai and Yama, who are alone in the ruins with Isshin, the club president has his own goal in mind. When they open the chest containing a powerful item from Nanana’s Collection, he uses it to trap them in the ruins and then leaves with his obsessive and possessive vice-president Yuu. What follows is a series of increasingly intriguing mysteries and solutions that maintain a constant level of surprise and fun.
Betrayal is a common theme from this point, but the story mostly avoids taking things too far and being too ridiculous. This adaptation does not adapt the entirety of Kazuma Outorino’s original manga series, which is currently ongoing, but these 11 episodes end with a powerful message after exploring the themes of power and corruption. Whether the goal of the story is to find Nanana’s killer or not does not matter; these 11 episodes present one of Japan’s best detective stories since Death Note. Solving mysteries in Nanana’s Buried Treasure is a whole lot of fun, but it should be mentioned that multiple questions go unanswered in this adaptation.
One of the many fantastic elements of this series is its setting. Given that it is set on an artificial island, it is most likely set in the near future. The ‘ruins’ in which the items from Nanana’s Collection are hidden are not the kind of ruins that the word suggests. The ruins are mechanical rooms filled with deadly traps, complete with a massive treasure chest in the middle. The artefacts inside are intricately designed, and their powers add a supernatural touch to the series. The blending of contemporary settings, such as a high school, a club room, a shopping mall and an online gamer’s apartment, with ancient and mechanical locations creates a surreal but almost believable world. There is no need to travel to an alternate dimension in this series; the out-of-this-world events and locations all exist right here in this version of Earth. The characterisation is not as strong as the setting, however. There are some particularly annoying characters, such as the vice president of the Adventure Club. Some interactions between characters do not make any sense at all, so this is an adaptation best watched for its setting and its plot, even though it concludes while trying to be a character-driven series.
Visuals
Original character designs are hard to come by these days. In modern anime, it generally involves different hair colours, different hairstyles or unusual clothes. The cover art of this release alone is enough to show that some thought has been put into the designs of the main characters, and this impression holds up in the series proper. Yama Jugo stands out as having a somewhat different appearance from the ever-growing group of male audience-insert characters. Ryuugajou Nanana has a carefree appearance, wearing a simple dress and an unusual necklace that may in fact hold a mysterious power. Master detective Ikkyuu Tensai is about right for a young Sherlock Holmes-esque character, but perhaps the most uncommon character design is that of Tensai’s assistant Hoshino. He is not a female, as his appearance initially suggests, but actually a ‘trap’, as the subtitles put it. ‘Trap’ characters are not all that common in anime, and unfortunately are not a realistic representation of transgender people. Additionally, he has an obsession with Tensai’s saliva that is more perverted than in Mysterious Girlfriend X.
Audio
The background music is every bit as excellent as expected from composer Keigo Hoashi. He is hardly a prolific composer, especially in comparison to the more famous Japanese composers, but his music is mysterious, fun and everything else that background music should be. His skill at creating music for any scene is strongly evidenced throughout. In particular, he composes music that enhances the sense of mystery and adventure, both of which are fundamental themes in this series. The voice acting is consistent with the voice acting in most other Japanese series, i.e. it does not stand out, but does not disappoint either. The subtitles are fairly well-translated, but they unfortunately cannot be turned off.
Extras
The extras consist of the textless opening animation sequence and the textless ending animation sequence. They are both completely average, but are nonetheless enjoyable to watch and listen to.
Overall
Nanana’s Buried Treasure has an intriguing premise. Murder mysteries are not new, and neither are detective stories, but even the synopsis of this series shows hints of originality. Just like in a Sherlock Holmes story, we receive an explanation once the action is over as opposed to while the mystery is being solved. This technique is highly effective at making viewers second guess their own solutions to the mystery. Ulterior motives, stories from the past and interactions between characters are frequently different from what they seem to be. Whether or not the bad guys are really the bad guys and whether or not the good guys are really the good guys both come into question, but the plot rarely feels clichéd. The presence of overused tropes is as unfortunate as ever, although they are occasionally used in entertaining ways here. This is no doubt one of those series that will provide a vastly different experience upon the second viewing. It can be silly at times, but only a few things ever detract from the viewing experience. The fusion of a slightly futuristic setting and classic genres and the clever use of setting and the concept of magic result in a brilliant anime series.
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