DARK SOULS III – WIN $10,000 CASH IN THE DARK SOULS III SPEED RUN COMPETITION
Bandai Namco Entertainment are proud to announce a competition for the upcoming Dark Souls III on PS4, Xbox One and PC – The Dark Souls III Speed Run Competition!
Australian and New Zealand consumers will be able to enter this competition where they will strive to finish the game in the fastest possible time – termed the ‘Speed Run’, made famous in games like Dark Souls, Dark Souls II and Bloodborne. The quickest time will win an amazing $10,000 Cash!
To enter, consumers need to purchase Dark Souls III on their format of preference and complete their ‘Speed Run’ and then post their time on the Bandai Namco Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bandainamcoau under the competition posting. Entrants must also upload or stream the entire run to their Twitch account with the hash tag #DS310KSpeedRun. The competition runs for 4 weeks ending Tuesday 10th of May, allowing gamers plenty of time to hone their ‘Souls Skills’ and deliver their best time and performance in their ‘Speed Run’. The Bandai Namco Au facebook page will be updated regularly with a table of the top competitors, allowing entrants and fans alike to compare their styles of play, methods and tricks with others, leading to more enjoyment of what is easily the best game of 2016 so far! Full terms and conditions will be available on the facebook page before the competition starts on April 12.
So, if you fancy yourself as a bit of a player, get along to the Facebook page now and check out the post and start preparing for the ‘Speed Run’ of a lifetime! You could win that $10,000 cash! Just think of how many copies of Dark Souls III you could buy with that?
If you need any hints and tips on how to play Dark Souls III better and to level up yourself, please view the ‘Comprehensive Guide’ here: https://youtu.be/FqiNDwr0bM4
If you still don’t have a review copy of this game and don’t know what I’m talking about, please respond to this email.
Dark Souls III is available on PS4, Xbox One and PC on the 12th of April 2016.
Overview Telltale Games had quite the task ahead of them when they announced that they were making a mini-series following one of the most popular characters from The Walking Dead and after the first episode was released last month, things weren’t looking the best. After a very short experience fans were left waiting for more and now that the second episode, The Walking Dead: Michonne – Give No Shelter, has been released where does the story go now?
Story As usual with a review for an episodic title, those who have yet to play the first episode in the series should do so before continuing on as there may be events spoiled in the following review. Similar to the first episode, those who aren’t caught up with the comics don’t need to worry about any spoilers regarding that aspect as this continues to remain a self-contained storyline.
Now that that is out of the way, The Walking Dead: Michonne – Give No Shelter starts up immediately where things left off, with Michonne, her recent traveling companion Pete, and Sam still under the guard of the makeshift rule of Norma and Randall. This doesn’t last long however as the group quickly makes a fiery escape leaving plenty of extremely angry people prepared to pursue them.
This results in the trio having to head for Sam’s home that just so happens to be within walking distance and, considering the fact that the biggest aspect about Michonne’s character so far has been the fact that she is haunted by the memories of her two daughters, of course includes a couple of adults and two young children. These characters are given just enough time to introduce themselves and provide a little bit of backstory before everything goes south once more and the episode comes to a conclusion.
Similar to the first episode in the series, The Walking Dead: Michonne – Give No Shelter is an incredibly short experience even by Telltale standards as it clocks in at roughly fifty minutes in length at best and, considering there is only one real decision that appears to make a difference and that different won’t play any role until the next episode, players will find little reason at all to go through the episode a second time.
Thanks to this short length players cannot expect much in the way of development for any of the characters they come across, though Sam does get some much needed development and Pete continues to show just how capable he is in his own way and show off his beliefs, which are often a direct counterpoint to what Michonne is used to doing. As far as Michonne herself is concerned, players will continue to learn a bit about her past as one major flashback sequence places players in an area where they are trying to search for clues about what happened to her little girls.
I do have to give the writing team a decent amount of credit for this episode however as the pace never really feels like it slows down at all as there are plenty of tense moments scattered throughout the episode and since Michonne and the group are always reacting this episode and rarely acting on their own, the episode never feels dull and although you can see it coming a mile away thanks to the way it is set up, there is still a certain surprise event that will leave players shocked.
Gameplay Similar to the previous episode, The Walking Dead: Michonne – Give No Shelter provides your standard gameplay mechanics in the form of making different dialogue choices, exploring a little bit, and taking part in quick time event based combat sequences. There are very few areas to actually examine this time around, with the only real moment taking part via the aforementioned flashback but in its place comes a ton of combat sequences and running scenes.
This means that there are plenty of suspenseful moments including a scene where Michonne puts together a signature pair of tools to escape and the same style of heavy action that was presented in the first episode. This means that Michonne continues to exemplify just how capable she is with her weapon regardless of whether or not her opponent is alive or undead.
Visuals & Audio The comic art style continues to work to the benefit of the series throughout this episode and I must give the animation team a good amount of credit in portraying the various emotions that Michonne is feeling through her facial animations since she is often a character of few words. Once more the various elements of violence and gore on display here are a step above the previous series since Michonne is far more violent than any past characters in The Walking Dead series though the actual Walker kills this time around are fairly standard for the series.
Once more a very nicely chosen voiced song is implemented into The Walking Dead: Michonne – Give No Shelter and Samira Wily continues to impress in her presentation as Michonne. It is worth noting that throughout my time in the episode however the game suffered from numerous moments of slowdown to the point that the game actually had to be restarted due to freezing during an incredibly basic scene during the flashback.
Overall The Walking Dead: Michonne – Give No Shelter feels as if it would have worked as a middle episode in a much larger series however with the mini-series coming to a conclusion next episode, players are left with very little reason to care about any of the characters they have come across outside of Michonne and Pete. There is a clear conflict on the horizon that Michonne and the surviving members of the group she is with cannot avoid, but whether or not it will all be worth it in the end is certainly still left to be seen.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Celebrate 25 years of games and friendship at Blizzard Entertainment’s 10th BlizzCon, taking place November 4–5 (November 5–6 AEDT) at the Anaheim Convention Center
Tickets on sale April 21 and April 24 AEST
Sydney, Australia—April 7, 2016—Gather your party, plot a course for Southern California, and get ready for an epic adventure—Blizzard Entertainment today announced that its 10th BlizzCon® convention will be returning to the Anaheim Convention Center on Friday, November 4 and Saturday, November 5 PDT (Saturday, November 5 and Sunday, November 6 AEST)! Tickets to Blizzard’s two-day gaming convention and community celebration go on sale in two batches on April 21 and April 24 AEST.
“With more live games and upcoming content than ever before, 2016 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Blizzard gamers,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We can’t wait to celebrate our 25-year anniversary with everyone during an epic weekend of gaming, esports, and great company at our 10th BlizzCon.”
BlizzCon is the epic celebration of Blizzard Entertainment’s game universes and the global player communities that bring them to life. This year, attendees will have the chance to experience:
Hands-on play time with the latest versions of Blizzard Entertainment games
Global Finals for Blizzard esports, including the 2016 StarCraft® II World Championship Series, 2016 Hearthstone® World Championship, Heroes of the Storm® Fall Championship, 2016 World of Warcraft® Arena World Championship, and more
In-depth discussion panels with Blizzard game developers and artists
Community contests with great prizes
Commemorative merchandise based on Blizzard’s game universes
More activities and attractions to be announced
Tickets to attend BlizzCon 2016 will be priced at $199 USD (plus applicable taxes and fees) each, and will be available for purchase from the online event ticketing service Universe via their website in two separate batches. The first batch goes on sale at 12 p.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time on Thursday, April 21, and the second batch goes on sale at 3 a.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, April 24.
An exclusive pre-BlizzCon dinner to benefit Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) will also be held the evening of Thursday, November 3, where attendees can raise a glass and geek out with Blizzard developers, artists, and community representatives while supporting a great cause. A limited number of tickets will go on sale Thursday, April 28 at 12 p.m. AEST, priced at $750 USD each, and Blizzard Entertainment will donate the proceeds to CHOC.
Gamers from the far reaches of Azeroth, the Nexus, and everywhere in between can once again enjoy BlizzCon from the comfort of their own home by purchasing a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, offering comprehensive live coverage of the event via an online stream. Further details on the Virtual Ticket, including pricing, availability, and programming information, will be announced at a later date.
For more information on BlizzCon 2016, visit the official website (www.blizzcon.com). Additional details will be posted as the event draws near. Those interested in attending the show in person can make advance hotel reservations now and receive special BlizzCon rates by booking through the BlizzCon hotel website.
Blizzard Entertainment is currently hiring for numerous open positions. More information on available career opportunities can be found at www.blizzard.com/jobs.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes nineteen #1 games* and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.
*Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the dates and event plans for BlizzCon 2016, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
Today Capcom released a new trailer for the Resident Evil inspired multipalyer shooter Umbrella Corps and at the end of the video it is revealed that the game is no longer going to be hitting its planned May release date and is now being pushed back to June 21st.
The actual focus of the trailer is on the customization aspect of the game and how players can design their outfit to stand out from the rest of the soldiers playing the game since they can change their colors, emblems, patches, and entire outfit types. You can check out the video below and keep an eye out for the game when it is released digitally for the PlayStation 4 and PC.
Overview After delivering episodes at, for Telltale Games, was breakneck speed the company has taken their time to craft what many thought would be the fifth and final episode for Minecraft: Story Mode. Then things changed shortly before episode five, Order Up!, was released when it was revealed that the story would be expanded with an extra three episodes in the future. Considering the core storyline of Minecraft: Story Mode appeared entirely wrapped up at the conclusion of the last episode, how has Telltale Games continued the story?
Story Before continuing to read this review I highly recommend that you either read past reviews in order to get caught up or played the game up until this point as the following content will discuss certain events that have taken place up until this point, meaning that some major events that take place might be spoiled for newcomers.
That being said, Minecraft: Story Mode’s fifth episode, Order Up!, begins sometime after the events of the fourth episode since not only has enough time passed for the citizens of the world to rebuild a fairly impressive city but Jesse and his gang, featuring Petra, Axel, and Olivia, have already established themselves as extremely capable adventurers in the time we haven’t seen them. After saving the world from the Witherstorm the group has ran with their previous success and are now easily able to eliminate numerous foes with little trouble while also searching for special treasures.
Considering the success of the New Order of the Stone, there is at least one group that isn’t happy. The Ocelot gang, now called the Blaze Rods since Aiden has forced the previous leader Lukas out of the group, serve as rival adventurers with a bone to pick with Jesse. After discovering a mysteriously enchanted item and escaping a trap filled ruin, Jesse’s group runs into the Blaze Rods and it is here we learn that Aiden has grown extremely aggressive to the point of threatening the group with violence before running off.
Shortly after this, Jesse learns from Ivor that the item he has found is linked to a secret organization that predates the previous members of The Order of the Stone and that in order to track down what made this organization so powerful, we find Jesse, Petra, Ivor, and the revitalized Lukas going on a journey that takes them to a mystical seeming Sky City that is filled with a few mysteries and plenty of conflict as the Blaze Rods aren’t about to step down.
Order Up! serves as a nice introduction to what the group is capable of now that they have put the Witherstorm behind them and have confidence in their abilities. That being said, those expecting the same type of humor that has been found in past episodes will find Order Up! a bit lacking as both Olivia and Axel are quickly pushed to the side and left behind after the initial scene. Instead the theme this time is more about action, mystery, and even death as the second half of the episode is filled with characters coming under attack from enemies in such a manner that, although no actual fatalities are shown many people are shown being blown away by foes.
This focus on action over comedy isn’t a big loss however, especially since the characters remember that they can literally build anything they need, even if it means building a floating dirt bridge or a giant dirt pillar under themselves like classic Minecraft players, but what is a loss it that the potential that is Sky City and the “Founder” feels a bit squandered here. The roughly two hours (with at least one scene playing out completely differently depending on your choice) that it takes to make it through Order Up! is a rather fast paced story but one that is lacking in any significant depth.
Instead of providing background information or detail certain things players arrive in the area, come into conflict, learn the secret of the area, fight once more, and then resolve everything before bringing things to a close. This does create a fairly enjoyable experience but it feels like more could have been done with the premise, especially when one considers the concept of Sky City and the way it handles a certain aspect that longtime Minecraft fans are familiar with, though the way things are handled feels as rushed as possible. It also doesn’t help that the Blaze Rods group is suddenly such a difficult force to contend with when they were previously seen as being completely inept.
Gameplay Similar to past games in Minecraft: Story Mode this fifth episode combines a mix of making dialogue choices, quick time based combat, some very light puzzle solving, exploration, and crafting. The majority of a player’s time will be spent talking between characters or fighting in some rather well designed combat sequences while the couple of puzzles that are mixed in are incredibly easy but still a nice touch to what could have been a simple combat oriented affair.
As far as exploration is concerned there are plenty of little things to see here and there, especially when you talk to the residents of Sky City and see how the occupants live their life, though there are only a few real areas to explore and these areas are much more limited than past sections.
Visuals & Audio Minecraft: Story Mode : Order Up! features completely brand new areas from what players have seen in the past and the armor decision that they made in the past will carry over into this game. The aforementioned areas are incredibly well designed looking as Sky City is a marvel to look at and I really wish it could have been explored more since the other areas players visit range from the fairly interesting ruin that kicks things off to the impressively designed base of the New Order of the Stone and then a basic world.
As far as the soundtrack is concerned, it doesn’t appear that any new tunes play throughout this episode and while the voice actors all return to reprise their roles in this episode, none of the new characters are voiced in any memorable way. It also is worth noting that the subtitle option provides far more dialogue than what is actually said in the game, going so far as to reveal the true name of the “Founder” five minutes before she actually states her name.
Overall Minecraft: Story Mode: Order Up! had the difficult task of continuing what felt like a wrapped up package and thankfully it does it in a rather superb fashion by showing just how much these characters have grown from standard civilians to gifted fighters. Taking the story at face value we find our hero and his allies venturing into a new strange area in search of treasure and taking on a revitalized foe with plenty of new concepts.
This creates a satisfying enough journey for Jesse and the group with a tone that is a refreshing change from past episodes, but does feel like many aspects were only barely touched upon and could have been expanded far more if the series decided to spend an extra episode focusing on the events of Sky City instead of ensuring that the Jesse’s group will on a brand new journey next episode. Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Indie developers 8 Points has announced the launch of The Wild Eight’sKickstarterand Steam Greenlight campaigns. The team hopes to raise over $50,000 on Kickstarter to complete development on the game. Stretch goals include increasing the size and scope of the game and a day one console release. Currently, the planned release date for the Linux, Mac, and Windows build is late 2016, early 2017, with a console release after that.
The Wild Eight is a top down co-op survival game with a twist. Eight players are plunged into the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash. Not only must they survive the harsh winter, there is a cannibal among the group who is desperately craving human flesh. The game will feature a full story with plenty of side quests, a deep skill tree, and a complex crafting system.
The game looks like an interesting mash up of the ever popular survival genre with elements of the classic party game Mafia. It is pretty rare to see an eight player co-op game, which may make this the perfect game for LAN parties. I’m curious how long a full run of the game is expected to take, as coordinating eight players for a long term game can be difficult. Considering the game has pulled in over $9,000 on the first day of their Kickstarter campaign and Kicktraq is predicting a successful campaign, we may find out soon enough!
The highly anticipated 3.50 system update for PlayStation 4 is out now. The update tweaks some of the social features to allow players to appear offline, get notifications when specific friends log on, schedule events, and see what party members are playing. To coincide with the PlayStation 4 3.50 software release, the PlayStation App has been updated to reflect the new social features.
The most important feature being added with the 3.50 update is the Remote Play functionality. Using Mac or Windows, gamers can play their PS4 games by downloading the Remote Play software and plugging in a DualShock 4 controller via USB to their computer. Depending on network speeds, the following options are available:
Resolution options: 360p, 540p, 720p
Frame rate : Standard (30fps), High (60fps)
By default, the software streams at 540p at 30 FPS.
If you happen to be a fan of classic strategy RPGs then you may be interested in the latest game to be placed on Kickstarter. The title is called Arcadian Atlas and it is a pixel style tactical role playing game that features dynamic job classes, a “rich character driven narrative,” combat that takes place on a grid-based battlefield and a soundtrack made up of jazz infused tunes.
If you check out the Kickstarter page, you’ll see that many elements of Arcadian Atlas harken back to the classic SRPGs from years ago where players will need to take advantage of positioning, height advantages, class advantages and more in order to succeed in battle, especially since it appears that a lot of attention has been put into making sure that character classes will play a significant role in the game as characters will be able to evolve into various advanced classes as they grow stronger.
Currently Arcadian Atlasis seeking $90,000 in funding and has currently made $14,470 at the time of writing. Those who wish to support the project will find that a copy of the game, which will be released on PC, Mac, and Linux if funded, can be secured for $20 though higher tier rewards offer various physical bonuses and in-game items such as the ability to design items or obtain a “Raccooninator,” a weapon that can turn enemies into raccoons.
Although many of the characters that are appearing in MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies will be familiar for longtime fans of the series, the title does sport a few fresh faces compared to the last action oriented game. As such Idea Factory International has released a new batch of screenshots for the PS Vita title focusing entirely on these fresh additions to the roster.
In the images below you’ll see Plutia, Peashy, Uzume, and Tamsoft fighting against many enemies and even transforming into their HDD forms, well outside of Tamsoft that is. MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies is currently slated to be released in North America on May 10th and in Europe sometime in the future.
Bethesda has announced that they will be launching the open multiplayer beta for Doom on April 15th and that it will run until April 18th on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC and those who participate in the beta will be able to partake in Team Deathmatch and Warpath on the Heatwave and Infernal maps.
The company also detailed the game’s season pass which will cost $39.99 at launch and will include three premium multiplayer add-ons that will cost $14.99 if purchased separately, though free ones are planned. The first Doom multiplayer add on will include the following content:
