Xbox Newsbeat: February 12, 2016

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February 12, 2016

It’s a crazy week this week on the Xbox and Windows 10 front. This week’s Xbox Newsbeat is crammed full of news from Quantum Break, Rocket League, and more.

Quantum Break Coming to Xbox One and Windows 10 on April 5

Huge news for PC gamers this week. Remedy confirmed the swirling rumours that their upcoming game Quantum Break will receive a Windows 10 version. The game will launch on both platforms on April 5th. Those who pre-order the game on Xbox One will be able to snag a copy of Quantum Break for Windows 10, Alan Wake, and Alan Wake’s American Nightmare for free. The Windows 10 offer is only for digital pre-orders, but the two Alan Wake titles will be distributed to participating retailers, too. More information on the Windows 10 launch can be found at the official FAQ.

No major Xbox One release is complete without a special bundle. The A 1TB Xbox One bundle will be released for $549 AUD on March 29th that will come with digital copies of Quantum Break, Alan Wake, and Alan Wake’s American Nightmare.

The Halo World Championship Tour: Sydney Recap

It’s been a wild ride, but two qualifiers has been named for the ANZ region. Team Immunity and Team Exile5 will be advancing to next month’s Halo World Championship. ESL has put together a great recap of the day’s matches at their blog. Best wishes to Team Immunity and Team Exile5, do us proud!

Rocket League is Coming to Xbox One on February 17

The indie darlings that has absolutely stolen the sales chart with simple yet addictive gameplay that mixes soccer and remote control cars is coming to Xbox One. Rocket League will launch on February 17th for $19.99 USD. The game will come exclusive Xbox One items from popular Xbox One IPs like Halo and Sunset Overdrive. The following paid DLCs that were launch on PC will come bundled for free on Xbox One:

“Supersonic Fury” – Two Premium Battle-Cars, 12 Decals, 5 Paint types, 2 Rocket Trails, 2 Wheels
“Revenge of the Battle-Cars” – Two Premium Battle-Cars, 12 Decals, 3 Paint types, 2 Rocket Trails, 2 Wheels, 4 Toppers, 2 Antennas
“Chaos Run” – Two Premium Battle-Cars, 12 Decals, 2 Wheels, 2 Rocket Trails, 3 Toppers, 3 Antennas

Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta & Minecraft: Pocket Edition Explode with Mechanical Possibilities!

A major update has gone out that finally adds redstone components to Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta and Minecraft: Pocket Edition. Suddenly, wild things like basic computers and automated machines have become possible! The new features are as follows:

Finally make more advanced mechanical contraptions for your world with additional redstone components. Comparators, repeaters, dispensers, droppers, hoppers, trapped chests and various additional Minecart types will all be available. Invent all the things!
Tangle with spooky witches and their huts during your adventures. Witch huts found while exploring swamps also now contain an exciting new feature – their cauldrons will be filled with a randomly generated potion that you can snag for your own if you’re feeling sticky-fingered.
Speaking of cauldrons, they can now be used to dye your armour an array of beautiful colors.
Display your coolest loot in your home with Item Frames – or mount your maps on the wall to plan your adventures with a world overview.
Other gameplay elements new to Pocket Edition and Windows 10 Beta are slime blocks, wearable pumpkins, red sandstone as well as improved chicken jockey mobs.
Even beyond gameplay elements, we’re also now introducing the ability to import and export maps into the Windows 10 Edition Beta, making it easier for you to share your favourite worlds with friends.

New DLC for Rise of the Tomb Raider

The “Wilderness Survivor Pack” is out for Rise of the Tomb Raider. It adds the Nightshade outfit, Deathsong bloody hatchet, and a card pack guaranteeing two rare cards and three cards with increased chance at being rare. The pack is available on the Xbox One store for $3.95 AUD.

Unravel: What Makes this Puzzling Platformer Unique?

EA isn’t all about publishing giant AAA titles. Unravel is their new platformer developed by Coldwood Interactive. The game stars Yarny, a little red creature made of yarn. As traverses the winter wonderland, he slowly become unraveled, allowing him to swing through the levels. Check out Xbox Wire’s preview of the game. Unravel is out now for Xbox One and Windows.

Hitman Brings Episodic Assassinations and Endless Options

The Hitman reboot is an episodic title coming out on Xbox One and Windows on March 11. Buyers have the option of just trying out the first episode and buying the rest of the game if they like it or buying the whole shebang at once. Ahead of the beta kicking off on February 19th on PC, Xbox Wire put together a short preview of what fans can expect from the new game.

Getting Up to Speed with Rainbow Six Siege’s “Operation Black Ice” DLC

The first major content drop for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is out. “Operation Black Ice” adds the new map Yacht set in the frozen over Boffin Bay. Additionally, two Canadian JTF2 operators have been added. Buck is a Quebecois assaulter rocking an underbarrel shotgun attached to his C8-SFW and CAMRS marksman rifle. Frost is the JTF2’s defender, packing a nasty bear trap that is so thin, it looks like a welcome mat. Inattentive enemies that step on it will be immediately incapacitated and will need a revive from a teammate. Additionally, a ton of polishing has been done behind the scenes with the latest update. Check out the full details at Xbox Wire.

Wandering Son Mangaka Creates Short Manga For Upcoming Single

Sanjay Parbhu

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February 12, 2016

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Wandering Son Mangaka Creates Short Manga For Upcoming Single

When it comes to making music getting a mangaka involved is always a good option; they can design an album cover like the Evangelion author did for Eric Clapton, or they can create a short manga to be included in an upcoming single like Takako Shimura.

The creator of Wandering Son and Aoi Hana has created a short series which will accompany the latest single from voice actress/signer Kana Hanazawa, the song is titled “Tōmei na Onna no Ko” and is going to be on sale in Japan within the next two weeks.

Hanazawa has made three studio albums and released eight singles, you may recognise her voice in Oreimo as Kuroneko or as Mayuri in Steins; Gate. The single is being produced by Yukari Yamazaki, band member of pop rock group Kukikodan, the band has been involved with Shimura before as they provided the opening theme for the Aoi Hana (Sweet Blue Flowers) anime.

Sega 3D Classics Collection to come with a Set of Retro Decals

Dustin Spencer

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February 12, 2016

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Sega 3D Classics Collection to come with a Set of Retro Decals

If you are someone who is waiting for Sega 3D Classics Collection to land on the 3DS, you now have another reason to get pumped. Sega have announced that the game will come with a set of decals, providing a look back at old logos and mascots of the past.

It is kind of rare to see official decal stickers in the west for the most part, so this is quite the collector’s item to go with an already awesome set of games. April 26th marks the physical release for this set – and even though these are on the eShop right now separately – the exclusive Puyo Puyo and Power Drift are sure to even the scale just a bit (The original Sonic however is still the main draw being the definitive version to play). Stay tuned, as this cart is coming soon.

Cornerstone: The Song of Tyrim Release Date Announced

Tom Alderton

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February 12, 2016

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Cornerstone: The Song of Tyrim Release Date Announced

Following their successful Kickstarter campaign (and unsuccessful first campaign), Phoenix Online Publishing and Overflow Games have today announced the release of their epic action RPG Cornerstone: The Song of Tyrim, set for April 26th on PC, Mac and Linux. Described as a ‘sweeping fantasy tale’, Cornerstone will allow players to hold the heathen hammer high as they lead a young viking named Tyrim through the wondrous world of Nygard. The game will feature extensive combat and crafting mechanics, combined with physics-based puzzles, giving you all the tools Tyrim needs to quest and battle his way through the nine worlds of lore.

~~The Lay of Thrym~~ The Song of Tyrim sets the player against that most classic of adversaries, pure evil, as Tyrim attempts to discover what happened to all the men of his village of Borja, missing for years. A boy gone astray, the hunt will see Tyrim explore a wide range of climes and environments, from dungeons to desert; idyll villages to raging seas; from the halls of the free, to the towers of torment, where treasures lie in mountains high. You won’t be left entirely to the mercy of the open world however, with the player being able to craft all of his own equipment, as well as a variety of vehicles. Beyond the mundane equipment you can forge the game also secrets away rare artifacts and forbidden magic, encouraging exploration of a quite vibrantly animated world.

The announcement trailer is available to be viewed below, and the game can be pre-ordered from Phoenix Online‘s website.

World of Warships to Challenge the Elite with Team Battles

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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February 12, 2016

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World of Warships to Challenge the Elite with Team Battles

Captains will be able to form their own teams for high-level, 7-vs-7 skirmishes

February 12, 2016 — Wargaming today announced the new battle type “Team Battles” for World of Warships will set sail in Update 0.5.3. This new battle type, which unlocks at account level 12, lets captains create an elite squadron of players, work with them to sharpen their skills, and then set out to decimate their opponents and rule the waves.

Taking the prestige of World of Warship’s naval combat to a new level, Team Battles are the domain of certain tier vessels, consisting of 7-vs-7 skirmishes. Players can have up to 10 people in their team (with three in reserve). They can also be recruited for up to three teams simultaneously, so there is always a new Team Battle waiting on the horizon. Team Battles will only be available during “prime time,” a necessary restriction to ensure a competitive number of players are all in the queue.

“The fans have been asking for more forms of team interaction since we started developing World of Warships,” said Danny Volkov, World of Warships Development Director, Wargaming. “With Team Battles, we’ve listened to their feedback and created an arena where they can meet teammates, forge their perfect squad and take on intense battles with top players in their region.”

On a team’s journey to become the dominating force of the seas, they will advance through a number of leagues, battling towards a common objective, to improve their ranking. Through Team Battles, captains get their fill of high-level skirmishes and truly take their skills to the next level.

To learn more about Team Battles, please watch the video:

https://youtu.be/xRRZyiMBr0U

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About World of Warships

World of Warships is a free, historical, online combat game from Wargaming. Command a massive naval fleet featuring some of history’s most iconic war vessels, level up important tech modules and prepare to dominate the oceans in World of Warships.

With four classes of ships, myriad upgrades, and strategically designed environments, the action never ends and every match is a unique experience.

World of Warships brings players endless hours of strategy, tactical gameplay and pulse pounding combat!

Learn more about World of Warships:

http://worldofwarships.asia

Swift German Scouts Make an Entrance in World of Tanks Blitz Update 2.6

Rapid and well-armored, 6 new German light tanks are ready to hunt down the competition

February 11, 2016 — Wargaming today announced the release of Update 2.6 for World of Tanks Blitz, which adds a brand-new branch of German light tanks to the mix. These new vehicles are great for players who enjoy surveying the action from afar as a scout or rushing in with swift hit-and-run tactics.

The new German light tank line, consisting of six vehicles with superb mobility, speed and high damage potential, culminates in the Spähpanzer Ru 251, the first Tier 8 light tank in World of Tanks Blitz. This tank, like its brethren, is perfect for reaching key positions before the enemy and dealing pinpoint damage with its quick aim time, making it an asset to any squad.

Update 2.6 also introduces new game mechanics. Tankers can now blast through objects to strike enemy vehicles lurking in cover, and with dangerous ricocheting shots, a shell will continue moving and can even penetrate objects or another vehicle. These enhancements add another exciting dimension to World of Tanks Blitz’s rapid combat, making matches more unpredictable than ever.

To learn more about World of Tanks Blitz, visit the official portal:

http://wotblitz.asia

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About World of Tanks Blitz

World of Tanks Blitz is a free-to-play team-based MMO action game dedicated to fierce tank combat. Drawing inspiration from the hugely popular World of Tanks, it introduces cross-platform tank combat for a variety of smartphones and tablets, as well as on Windows 10 PCs.

With an impressive roster of over 200 iconic armored 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 armored 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 mobiles, tablets and Windows 10 PCs. 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.

Official website:

http://www.wargaming.com

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories Now Available for Android Devices

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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February 12, 2016

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Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories Now Available for Android Devices

Today, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories arrives for Android devices. Just like the iOS version released in December, Liberty City Stories for Android includes updated real time lighting and shadows, upgraded textures and art, greater draw distance, performance enhancements for touch-based gaming like analog steering and rebalanced targeting, and cross-platform cloud saves via Social Club. And for a limited time, you can get Liberty City Stories for just $5.99(AUD/NZD) on both mobile platforms (ends 2/24).

Plus, if you download Liberty City Stories and then sign in to Social Club within the app, you’ll unlock the bonus I HEART LC t-shirt for that same account used in Grand Theft Auto Online for PlayStation 4, Xbox One or PC (please allow up to 24 hours for the I HEART LC Shirt to become available in GTA Online).

For details on compatible devices please visit the Rockstar Support page, and watch the Liberty City Stories Mobile Trailer here.

The superb GTA Series Videos YouTube channel show off their new I Heart LCS t-shirts which you can now unlock by purchasing the iOS & Android versions of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

AUSTRALIAN EVENTS ANNOUNCED FOR CAPCOM PRO TOUR: COUCHWARRIORS’ BATTLE ARENA MELBOURNE 8 AND OZHADOU NATIONALS 14

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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February 12, 2016

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AUSTRALIAN EVENTS ANNOUNCED FOR CAPCOM PRO TOUR: COUCHWARRIORS’ BATTLE ARENA MELBOURNE 8 AND OZHADOU NATIONALS 14

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FEBRUARY 12, 2016 – Overnight, Capcom, ahead of launching Street Fighter™ V, has announced its Capcom Pro Tour event circuit. CouchWarriors’ eighth annual Battle Arena Melbourne, Australia’s largest competitive fighting game event, and the fourteenth OzHadou Nationals (Sydney), Australia’s longest running competitive fighting game event, will both be Ranking events on the international esports series, the Capcom Pro Tour, putting Australia’s best fighting game players in the global spotlight.

By earning ranking points at BAM8, OHN14 and other Capcom Pro Tour Ranking Events, competitors can qualify for a place in the prestigious Capcom Cup Finals this November. In addition, winners of Street Fighter V at each event will be sent to the Capcom Pro Tour Asia Finals in South Korea; the winner of this CPT Premier event will earn a direct qualification to the Capcom Cup Finals.

The Capcom Cup, in its fourth year, has showcased the best of the best in Street Fighter™, with past champions including renowned players Naoto Sako, Yusuke Momochi and “Kazunoko” Ryota Inoue. All three have made appearances in Australia before, so only time will tell what sort of international talent the promise of CPT ranking points might bring to Melbourne and Sydney this year, and which local champions will rise up to challenge the best in the world.

If you’re looking for your own piece of the action, you can register for Battle Arena Melbourne 8, to be held at CQ Functions in Melbourne on May 13-15, and look forward to news regarding OzHadou Nationals 14 in Sydney, closer to its date of August 26-28.

As part of the wider Australian fighting game community, both CouchWarriors and OzHadou strive to make new players welcome, and host a range of events for players to enjoy and level up their game.

About CouchWarriors: CouchWarriors Inc. is a not for profit association created to energise the fighting game community. Starting in 2006 as an informal community group, it created an event series for social play and ranking battles which serves as the heart of the Melbourne scene. The project has blossomed into large events like the major annual, Battle Arena Melbourne (BAM), providing tournament services, support and resources for industry including major events such as PAX Australia, and ongoing support to community companion events.

About OzHadou: OzHadou is a group passionate about bringing together fighting gamers throughout Australia. Since its founding in 2001, OzHadou has been establishing connections between fighting gamers nationwide. As the chief fighting game body in Sydney, the OzHadou team has developed extensive tournament experience which culminates annually in the OzHadou Nationals (OHN), Australia’s first and longest running fighting game major, where the nation’s best gather to compete for the coveted title of “OHN champion”.

About Capcom Pro Tour

The Capcom Pro Tour (CPT) is the premier league destination for competitive fighting games. Featuring the latest flagship title of the legendary Street Fighter series, the CPT brings together players and spectators from all over the world to share their love of gaming. With over a dozen official events, and even more independently run tournaments involved, the CPT showcases the very best that competitive gaming has to offer. More information about the Capcom Pro Tour can be found at www.capcomprotour.com.

Earth Defense Force 4.1 – Mission Pack 2: Extreme Battle on PlayStation®4

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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February 12, 2016

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Earth Defense Force 4.1 – Mission Pack 2: Extreme Battle on PlayStation®4

Gear Up, Soldiers! The Battle Gets EXTREME with 23 Extra-Hard DLC Missions; Fight Every Bug, Bot, and Battleship in the Ravager Army!

Torrance, Calif.—February 11, 2016—XSEED Games, the independent-minded publishing brand of Marvelous USA, Inc., is excited to announce the launch of Mission Pack 2: Extreme Battle for Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair on the PlayStation®Store. Mission Pack 2 includes 23 of the most challenging missions yet, mixing returning favorites from Earth Defense Force 2025 with brand new, exclusive missions. The Ravager army has lined up every unit at their disposal for their final assault on Earth, and it’s up to the EDF to crush them once and for all!

Numerous players have reported issues with the saving system in Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair, and after much work, the developers were able to correct these problems. As a thank you to players for their patience, and an apology for any inconvenience these issues may have caused, Mission Pack 2: Extreme Battle will be free for its first two weeks of availability. After this period has passed, the DLC mission pack will revert to its standard price of $9.99.

EDF fans can also play through Mission Pack 1: Time of the Mutants before diving into the most recent DLC. Mission Pack 1 adds 26 intense missions that all have one thing in common: They’re really, really, REALLY hard. Mission Pack 1 is also available on the PlayStation®Store for $9.99.

About Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair

The wild sci-fi action of the Earth Defense Force series comes to the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system for the first time as Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair, a complete reimagining of Earth Defense Force 2025 (known in Japan as Earth Defense Force 4) with the addition of silky-smooth framerates, beefed-up graphics, and tons of new and rearranged content. After selecting from one of four unique playable classes and customizing a loadout from hundreds upon hundreds of weapons, players will lead NPC troops into city-wide battles against hordes of seemingly endless giant bugs, robots, and other colossal enemies.

In Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair, players will take on extraterrestrial invaders as the versatile Ranger, the aerial Wing Diver, the vehicle-summoning Air Raider, or the armored Fencer. Call in airstrikes, commandeer tanks, and operate giant robots to obliterate the alien scum that threatens our planet! Two players can enjoy local campaign co-op and head-to-head versus modes, while online co-op features 98 total missions (9 exclusive to online play) with support for up to four players to increase the odds against this gargantuan incursion.

Developed by D3 Publisher and Sandlot and published in North America by XSEED Games, Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair is now available exclusively for the PS4™ system. This title has been rated “M for Mature” by the ESRB. For more information, please visit the game’s official website at http://www.theedfdeploys.com. PQube will be publishing the title in Europe on February 12, 2016.

For more information on XSEED Games products, please visit www.xseedgames.com. Fans can also follow XSEED Games on Facebook at www.facebook.com/XSEEDGames and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/XSEEDGames.

Hyper Rabbit Power Go! (Hyper RPG!) Twitch Channel Captures the Vibrancy of the Pacific Northwest’s Game Community and Development

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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February 12, 2016

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Hyper Rabbit Power Go! (Hyper RPG!) Twitch Channel Captures the Vibrancy of the Pacific Northwest’s Game Community and Development

Hyper RPG!: 10-hours-a-day, 5-days-a-week live programming from Zac Eubank, former Showrunner of Geek and Sundry, in collaboration with Seattle’s own Harebrained Schemes
Hyper Rabbit Power Go! is a new Twitch Channel led by Zac Eubank, former Showrunner of the popular Geek and Sundry Twitch channel. Hyper RPG! will highlight the critical mass of both tabletop and digital game design and development talent in the Northwest, and the vibrant and diverse gaming geek culture that abounds in the area.

Hyper RPG! channel launches at Noon PST on February 26th with a 48-Hour Charity Drive benefiting the HALO Foundation and featuring segments such as:

The first play-through of multiplayer in Harebrained Schemes’ soon-to-be-released and anticipated Steam game Necropolis.
A tabletop BattleTech Grudge Match between Harebrained Schemes and Catalyst Game Labs- six beards enter, three beards leave!
Live music, special guests, giveaways, and much more!

The HALO Foundation, empowers youth in the greatest need to become contributing members of their communities. HALO is a volunteer-driven, grassroots non-profit with 87 percent of donations going directly to programs. Currently, HALO supports 21 orphanages and programs in Uganda, Kenya, Mexico, India, Guatemala, Nicaragua and the United States. This includes providing food, water, shelter, clothing, education, art therapy, caretakers, and vocational training or college for youth in the greatest need. Domestically, HALO supports future-focused programming for at-risk youth, helping them set tangible goals and become contributing members of their communities. HALO serves more than 1,000 youth each year. You’ll be able to donate to the HALO Foundation while we’re live on the air during the CharityStream by using the “Donate” button on our Twitch channel.

Jordan Weisman, co-founder of Hyper Rabbit Power Go! and of Harebrained Schemes said, “With many of the largest video game and tabletop game companies, and literally hundreds of independent developers and creators, the Northwest represents a really dynamic game geek culture providing a great foundation for Hyper RPG!. Our goal is to not only focus on local creators and companies, but to create experiences that really push Twitch forward as an interactive entertainment format of its own.”

Highlights from Hyper RPG!’s Regularly Scheduled Programming, beginning February 29th at 1PM PST: After Hyper RPG!’s charity launch weekend, the channel will start with its regular programming of 10-hours-a-day, 5-days-a-week on February 29th at 1PM PST. Highlight weekly programs include:

Rabbit Stew: The Daily Show meets Tech TV with some of our own spices thrown in the pot. Each weekday we bring our audience exclusive news surrounding the games industry and feature previews of some of the world’s most anticipated games hailing from Seattle.
Trivia Hops: Three teams consisting of in-house talent, guest developers and lucky community members face off on head-to-head trivia. Who can hold their own as the ridiculousness intensifies along with the levels of inebriation?|
Shadowrun: Corporate Sins: We teamed up with Discord and Catalyst Game Labs to bring a fresh and innovative take on Shadowrun 5th ed. RPG. Audience members are encouraged to join one of the ten corporations bidding their power for world domination. Corporations are able to communicate with the DM sending our Shadowrunners on missions to bring down those who may oppose them.
WTF Is This?: Two of our in-house comedians play through some of the most universally accepted messed up and crazy games. Upon completion they will record a podcast on air featuring those who may have been close to the project.
Future/Retro: We take the audience on an explorative journey through what will be and what once was. Future: Seattle’s leading innovators stop by to show off advancements in video game technology. Retro: Game Over Games brings by some of their favorite forgotten hardware. Hopefully we won’t have to blow on any cartridges.
Mech Mash: In anticipation of the 2017 release of Harebrained Schemes’ BATTLETECH, we’ve created a whole new way to experience ‘Mech Warrior demolition. This unique RPG will be split into two parts. Part 1: An expansive intergalactic story sending a group of reluctant heroes out to claim powerful tech lost throughout the ages. Part 2: Our team faces rotating special guests and a unique form of tabletop BattleTech– our custom 3D printed ‘Mechs experience real damage and the fear of permadeath. Audience members are able to affect the game Hunger Games style by sending in repair crews and/or weapon attachments.

Resources:

About Hyper RPG!
Hyper RPG! is an independent Twitch channel led by Zac Eubank, former Showrunner of Geek and Sundry. This Redmond-based studio is centered on capturing all the Pacific Northwest has to offer in gaming: behind-the-scene studio tours, interactive digital and tabletop gaming, interviews with key game industry game makers, and more. Hyper RPG! can be viewed for 10-hours-a-day, Monday – Friday, http://www.twitch.tv/hyperrpg.

XCOM 2 Review

Mateja Simovic

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February 11, 2016

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XCOM 2
Developer: Firaxis Games
Publisher: 2K
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
Release Date: 5th of February, 2016
Price: $59.99USD – Available Here

Overview

Off the bat; I’m going to tell you that XCOM 2 is a bloody great game. From the highs of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Firaxis continues to reach even higher. I was a fan of the original XCOM series back in the day and I’m not ashamed to say that I’m a fan of the reboot instalments. This is something which I’m sure you’ve already heard from any number of other publications in their own reviews about a fortnight ago but it’s no less true. Please keep this mind as, in this review, I’ve tried to provide you with some manner of useful information beyond that which has been covered by other outlets by being more sensitive to that which I believe are weaker elements in this title.

Story

The backstory basically follows on from the story of the previous Enemy Unknown… but not a successfully completed campaign. In this universe, aliens invaded Earth and XCOM lost the war to defend humanity from their predations. Twenty years on and the aliens have occupied the entire planet, established themselves as a totalitarian world government by the name of ‘Advent’. Most people live in sci-fi looking cities and live under the alien regime which has officially been working to help cure humanity of all its ills. Unofficially, they’ve actually been working on all manner of genetic experimentation on humans to some unforeseen end.

The XCOM organisation itself has not been idle in these twenty years however and have set up the start of a resistance with a mobile base in a converted alien carrier. The tutorial starts with a rescue operation of “the commander”… which means you. Yup, the first mission is about rescuing yourself from Advent captivity. From there, the plot thickens as the player leads XCOM troops on various missions to undermine Advent control and to also set back their evil schemes. Most of the story points are delivered through cut-scenes after researching story-relevant tech or in voice over while conducting missions important to the plot.

Right off the bat the game creates a story that’s actually quite meta in its points. The player, as “the commander”, is actually a greater physical presence within the game itself with characters looking directly into the camera and speaking directly to you. This isn’t on the same level as say Fallout or other first-person games, but it certainly adds a layer meta-textuality to the game’s narrative. This works to set up some pretty sci-fi concepts into the game as well in the game’s third act. The game’s resolution is pretty darn satisfying but also sets up narrative threads for more instalments in the XCOM series.

In terms of the non-player characters, we don’t really get much in the way of characterisation. Richard Tygan, An-Yi Shen, and Central Officer Bradford reveal parts of their backstory and experiences in their voice overs while you examine the cross-cut of your base. They each have their own experiences of living through the 20 years of alien occupation which are interesting and help to build the world bit more… but don’t come through in their characterisation. This certainly isn’t the focus of the game but I feel they could have done something similar to Xenonauts, for instance, who had a very strong character for their lead scientist (which came across in the research reports the player would read). That being said, there is one cutscene where Shen does have some of personality shine through and it was cute to see it.

The main storyline is fairly engaging and has an air of mystery to keep you guessing as you unlock each plot point. This story however, will pale in comparison to the emergent narratives you yourself will create with the soldiers under your command in each mission.

Gameplay

As a strategy game, XCOM 2 par excellence. The team have Firaxis have reworked not just their already great design from the last game, they have restructured significant parts of the entire XCOM design. As I’ve mentioned previously, they’ve completely revamped the geoscape gameplay with the player attempting to spread the resistance across the globe rather than defending multiple funding nations with limited resources. There is a markedly different feeling of building up the organisation and its reach on the world map as opposed to slowly seeing that influence recede as was the case with the old design. It’s certainly a welcome change and one which changes the mentality of the game from defence to one of offence.

Another welcome aspect is that you are given multiple objects to complete simultaneously in the first two acts of story. This allows you to feel a greater sense of progress as you follow leads, research specific tech, and break into facilities the aliens really don’t want you to investigate. Every mission in the first half of the game is given a sense of urgency and relevance to the main plot as pretty much every foray into enemy territory has the possibility of progressing some objective or other. This also helps to avoid choke points in the story as you’re pretty much always learning something about the invaders through one discovery or another.

The tactical gameplay similarly supports a more aggressive approach to bringing down the aliens. Concealment as a mechanic allows soldiers to come much closer to the enemy without triggering combat which allows you to set up ambushes (which can be quite effective). Most missions also have a timer attached to the completion of their objective which forces the player to move across the map at reasonable fast pace. Other small tweaks like the increased health of your soldiers also works to facilitate a more risky play style that wasn’t present in the original game. This creates a faster pace in the gameplay as you go from being the overly cautious approach of Enemy Unknown to the riskier plays of this installment.

Visuals

The visual design of the game is gorgeous. The graphics don’t appear as too much of an upgrade from Enemy Unknown but with small changes here and there. For example, during night time combat, the guns of your troops will sport flashlights. The biggest change I could notice was in the visual design of the maps themselves. There is now a striking dichotomy between rural and urban environments. The rural zones more often than not generally have some manner of overgrown ruin of a modern building or such which were drawn directly from Enemy Unknown. The urban centers have a very strong cyberpunk influence to them with futuristic slums and city blocks showing varying degrees of neon and futuristic architecture.

The alien designs are also changed to a significant extent with the designs of old alien units being blended to create a more human look. The Sectoid, I would argue, comes out through this process looking quite awesome and creepy with their more humanoid appearance making them quite uncanny. The rest of the enemy and alien designs are great as well and you will s%&* bricks whenever you encounter a new variant in combat… but I don’t feel that they come as close to the creep factor which the sectoid design evoked.

The game is largely stable but does occasionally glitch out when it comes to working through a number of actions. For example, a ranger soldier of mine got pulled out of cover and enveloped by a Viper alien unit. One of his abilities triggered however causing him to eviscerate the viper in response. The animation didn’t appear to take this turn of events well however as his model became stuck in the ‘Viper captive pose’ (seen below). Luckily, saving and reloading solved the problem. Loading times were also a bit long on the highest graphical setting after a mission. Overall, however, the game did run smoothly for me on a fairly high-end rig.

Audio

The soundtrack and sound design is of a sufficient polish to complement the game. The different pieces which play during tactical gameplay suit the action quite well regardless of whether you’re in a firefight, sneaking around the map, or hunting for that last elusive alien unit. With synthy tones and orchestral accompaniment, it’s a suitably high production score to punctuate the action and gameplay. The sound effects for the various weapons are also of a high quality. I would like to give special mention to the track which plays while you kit out your squad for deployment… it was extremely effective in amping me up before going out on missions.

One thing I was disappointed by in character customisation was the limited range of voices I could give to individual soldiers. There are only two options for Australian soldiers to be appropriately voiced and they both kind of sound like they have the accent of the ‘Sniper’ from Team Fortress 2. It is nice that the chosen voice of the soldier changes to represent the personality they’ve been given with a twitchy soldier sounding quite different compared to one which is happy-go-lucky (even with the same voice actor).

Overall

XCOM 2 is a star which shines oh-so-brightly. Even with a mind to being overly critical and nitpicky, I could not help but love it. The narrative is strong and pulls you along from mission to mission even if the non-player characters could have been done better. The visuals are great, although there are a few bugs and glitches which mar the otherwise seamless performance. The audio design was also quite strong in its presentation although I was disappointed by the limited selection of voices and accents for my soldiers. This is a great game that will fit nicely into the collection of all fans of turn-based strategy or the original XCOM. Believe the hype, go play it.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.