FUNimation Entertainment has just announced their acquisition of the home video distribution rights to the C3 (Cube x Cursed x Curious) anime. It will be available on a DVD and Blu-ray combo pack in North America on March 15, 2016. The release will present the episodes with Japanese audio and English subtitles. FUNimation provided a description of the series:
Fear the curse. Free the cube. Haruaki Yachi has seen his fair share of curses, but despite his familiarity, even Haruaki is out of his element when his father mails him a cursed torture cube with the humanoid figure of a cute young girl named Fear Kubrick (no relation). Now, he’s got to help her break her curse and leave behind her homicidal past before dangerous forces get ahold of her deadly powers. Sassy loudmouth Fear has a hard time keeping a low profile, but with the help of Haruaki’s other cursed comrades, maybe this cubed cutie can find her place in the human world—IF she can break her curse.
FUNimation recommends this series to fans of anime such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica and School-Live, as well as fans of the animation style of Silver Link, known for anime series such as Baka and Test and Yurikuma Arashi.
Since being revealed we have known that Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir will support both the Refined Mode that has all of the various upgrades to the graphics, expanded worlds with new monsters, fully voiced story scenes, and enhanced combat systems. It also will feature a Classic Mode that will allow players who may never have picked up the original Odin Sphere in 2007 a chance to play the game as it was originally created except for the enhanced graphics.
As such, Atlus and Vanillaware have released a pair of videos to offer a look at each gameplay mode and you can check those videos out below. Currently Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir is set to be released in Japan on January 14, 2016 while a Western release has already been confirmed for Spring 2016.
Overview
This generation has been absolutely full of remakes and updated ports, where what once was a simple success could live again on a more modern platform. With Sleeping Dogs, Deadpool, and Metro all seeing new lives in the modern age, one would begin to wonder when the doors would open for the hidden gems of the prior generation. Well, Earth Defense Force 4.1 – The Shadow of New Despair is our first answer to that question, as it brings back the fun of 2025 and blends it with polish and improvements to make it feel as if this title was a new release. Does that extra charge do enough to warrant a whole new purchase? Let’s find out.
Story
I almost feel like giving an opinion about the story to Earth Defense Force 4.1 is doing it a disservice. You are not supposed to care, and this title doesn’t want you to care – as it simply stitches together 2017 with this romp and moves about its day, without a worry in the world. Its been seven years since the last attack, and your squad must save the world from giant insects, robots, reptiles, and plenty of other creatures before everyone’s doom is met.
Yep, that’s about it. Its kind of like a Godzilla movie with no script and a lot of extra costumes. It looks so bad its good, and the player simply gets to enjoy themselves by playing a minor part in a role among a full feature B movie. Before anyone thinks I am trying to take away the awesome stylings that EDF, I’m not. I’m simply putting down my own perception, as I found the whole plot to not really move – yet still provide blast of organized chaos that truly makes the charms from the team involved shine.
Gameplay
This is where it all comes together. As I mentioned, you are of of the Earth Defense Force. Not so much a starring character, but a member of a winning team – nevertheless. Players from the start can pick from one of four classes of soldier. The most basic is the Ranger class, which can utilize a heavy amount of weaponry such as various guns, rocket launchers, grenades, and also take advantage of the many vehicles within the game. Next up is my personal favorite, which is the Wing Diver. This class can take to the skies due to their jet pack for a limited time, scoping out the area and coming from above with quick attacks.
Air Raider is that class you don’t really want to be stuck with – as the action is less involved. Ordering massive air attacks, healing (while offering protection), and bringing in toys for the Rangers to play with in the form of vehicles may sound strategic, but not being at the center in this chaotic battlefield is just a bit stale – to put it nicely. The fencer rounds things off by offering the heavy artillery. Slow – but armored, waddling – but strong, this class acts as a fine balance to the squad, and while it isn’t fun to play as that Air Raider, multiplayer is better for each as everyone’s task at least feels important, even if the enemies seem to fall in the same format with little strategy needed.
The controls, much like in past EDF installments are still tight and functional, providing an easy scheme to wrap your head around for a fun and simple experience. I thought that things might have changed with the whole generation jump, but you will be pleased to know that the original accessibility is still there. The game is in third person (but the perspective can be changed), and revolves around a mission based scenario, where the player must trek through cities with their squad, freeing the poor townsfolk from the grasps of waves of enemies until each are obliterated, one by one. Sure, there are some objectives – but even breaching new areas and destroying bases doesn’t feel too involved, as the game never seems to try to get the player to focus anything but the destruction. You get a ton of weapons to toy with and with each class, this adds up to one of the broadest loadouts ever for a game of this span, so that really isn’t a bad thing. Remember the classics where you were provided with a decent amount of weaponry, but all that really mattered was to get in there and kill? Earth Defense Force has and continues to go with that gimmickry, not allowing itself to be fully realized in order to provide a more enjoyable and mindless time for every player who joins in.
That is both a curse and a blessing, as not attempting to break out of the mission-based formula hurts the experience. I understand what Earth Defense Force wants to do, and it achieves its mission of nonsensical combat without question. Thankfully a lot of problems with glitches have been fixed as well The variation of enemies kept me satisfied personally (as almost everything is over the top, especially later in), but not having enough of a change of pace made me feel like I was doing the same thing, over and over on foes that felt different to fight, but came with the same result upon defeat. Sure, its rewarding to take down a bizarre dragon or an annoying spider that leads to death quickly, but you can only have so much of boom before the explosions become expected and predictable. Sure, this game has a ton of content that will keep you interested, and customizing your character with unlocked weapons while playing with the insane vehicles dropped is delicious, but why not offer just a fraction of substance to make the meal filling?
As a big bonus – and I do mean big, 4.1 features all of the DLC packs that were DLC packs in the first release. Sure, we see this with a lot of titles, but instead of skins and generic DLC, 2025 offered a ton of extra missions and more meat. We also have more NPCs on the ground at once. Now, I played the original a lot upon release and I didn’t notice a big change as lets face it, an NPC with a normal weapon and your specialized class have a lot of separation, but it is nice to have bit of a bigger army – even if the concept doesn’t come together to prove too useful. Even though some might roll their eyes at that, you can tell you are playing a new version of an old favorite as unlike Deadpool and Sleeping Dogs, I give Sandlot props on changing up the feel to create something slightly more modern.
Visuals
I was not a huge fan of the visuals in 2025 as there was so much clipping, even though the models looked decent. A lot of that has been fixed here and the chaos now runs wild in 1080p without much of a struggle whatsoever. In that aspect, this indeed looks like the most polished EDF to date. That said, if you are looking for a game that looks like it came out of the future or even runs at the caliber of something like DICE would create – well, just enjoy the camp and stop expecting as 4.1 still is a bit rusty to look at but is now more enjoyable to play due to the better animation overall.
Audio
The sound I actually liked. The soundtrack is generic and easy to tune out, but the voiceovers and dialogue give EDF 2025 a bit of a boost in the charm department. Citizens scream bloody murder while running on the streets, and your team are known for making quick and obscene one liners that really highlight the tongue-in-cheek nature that has made this series continue to appear in the west. The enemies themselves don’t really do much to capture your attention with sound effects even though the hisses and scowls are present, which is only a light offense as some more polish in that area would have definitely provided a bit more insanity for players to chew on.
Overall
Earth Defense Force 4.1 – The Shadow of New Despair is the same old game with a shiny new pair of shoes. Not only does this version run better, but it also adds more content and fixes a lot of old problems that were only minor- but still hampered the original just a tad. You are not going to get rid of the cheese and nonsense with any EDF as that is where the soul comes from, but The Shadow of New Despair is just fresh enough to give the franchise a foot in the door to a new audience, where it is sure to infest the hearts of a whole new generation.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
BEFRIEND POKÉMON AND EXPLORE EVER-CHANGING MYSTERY DUNGEONS INPOKÉMON SUPER MYSTERY DUNGEON, LAUNCHING ON FEBRUARY 20, 2016 FOR NINTENDO 3DS FAMILY SYSTEMS
Embark on an epic adventure in the definitive Pokémon Mystery Dungeon title and battle alongside powerful Legendary and Mythical Pokémon to save the world!
17th December, 2015 –Pokémon fans will land in a huge world inhabited solely by Pokémon when Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon launches in Australia and New Zealand on February 20, 2016 for Nintendo 3DS family systems. This definitive Pokémon Mystery Dungeon adventure features 720 species of Pokémon, random dungeons filled with near-infinite challenges, and the chance to team up and battle alongside some of the series’ most iconic Legendary and Mythical Pokémon.
For those unfamiliar with the series, the adventure begins as you awake and discover you’ve become a Pokémon. After answering a series of questions at the beginning of the game you become one of 20 fan-favourite Pokémon including Pikachu and Riolu, before embarking on your journey with a partner Pokémon to discover and stop the source of a mysterious force turning Legendary Pokémon into stone. To achieve this goal, you must travel around the world helping other Pokémon and taking on quests, exploring the ever-changing Mystery Dungeons, avoiding their fiendish traps and battling other powerful Pokémon. Battles are turn-based, with basic attacks, signature Pokémon moves and items all at your disposal.
The key to successfully conquering these Mystery Dungeons lies in befriending Pokémon. Each Pokémon will have certain criteria to be met before they can be recruited to your team, such as completing the quests they issue you. Having the right balance of Pokémon in your team to help out with battles is essential. With 720 species of Pokémon in the game, there are hundreds of new friends for players to make and a huge number of combinations to try out. On their epic journey players will never encounter the same dungeon layout twice, meaning the next adventure with your newly befriended Pokémon is always just around the corner.
New for this game is the introduction of the Connection Orb – a giant, galaxy-like map that connects the player with other Pokémon, as well as dealing out new quests to complete. The Connection Orb makes finding, connecting and befriending new Pokémon easier, allowing more quests to be undertaken. Once befriended, Pokémon will team up with you in battle to unleash spectacular combination attacks that can often be the difference between victory and defeat.
As a special bonus, those who purchase the game on Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS for a limited time will receive a download code* for a free theme for their Nintendo 3DS HOME Menu featuring Charizard, Pikachu, Bulbasaur and many more. This theme is also available for those who pre-order the retail version at select retailers**.
Get ready for the definitive PokémonMystery Dungeon adventure with 720 species of Pokémon, when Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon launches for Nintendo 3DS family systems at retail and on Nintendo eShop on February 20, 2016.
*Download code displayed on screen in Nintendo eShop after purchases made during the promotional period. Dates to be confirmed and announced at a later date.
** To be confirmed and announced at a later date. Additional Links:
With Atelier Escha & Logy Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky set to be released in North America in a little over a month Koei Tecmo has decided to reveal a few new features as well as a new playable character for the title. When released digitally on January 19, 2016 the game will feature Nio Altugle, the younger sister of the protagonist in Atelier Ayesha who was previously only a support character in the original game, will now be available as a party member that can be brought into battle.
As for the other additions, Atelier Escha & Logy Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky will feature new event scenes to help delve deeper and expand the relationship between Escha and Logy that was previously not revealed in the original game and of course, this release will also feature all of the DLC released for the original game.
The same day that Hideo Kojima was finally able to escape from his contract with Konami he has announced that his studio Kojima Productions, with a brand new logo shown above, will be working with Sony Computer Entertainment to create the company’s first software title as a console exclusive for the PlayStation 4.
No details about the title that Kojima and his studio will be working on for the PlayStation have been announced at this time but you can check out the announcement video below, marking the first time that we’ve seen Kojima in quite some time after being barred from making public appearances by Konami’s lawyers.
New War Rock update will leave you gasping for air
Intense new game mode added to free-to-play shooter; Christmas event revealed
We’ve got a situation on our hands here, soldier. Our latest black-op at the NIU lab has gone hot, and as our best Derbaran operative we need you to get in there and sort this mess out. This month free-to-play multiplayer shooter War Rock will receive a white-knuckle new game mode, an atmospheric map, formidable new characters and a snow-load of Christmas content. Experience what’s new to War Rock in this brand new trailer:https://youtu.be/-F50x8ke87g.
Launching December 16th, Foggy Escape Mode is an intense new elimination game type that pits a team of humans against a team of nearly unstoppable madmen. The setup is simple; the humans have to evacuate the area by reaching a designate safe zone, or by eliminating all opposition. The Madmen have to stop the humans from achieving their objective, either by blocking their route or by putting an end to them.
Foggy Escape mode is played out on an atmospheric new map, which is making its debut exclusively in European territories. Set in the surrounding area of a recently-exploded secret NIU laboratory, the play area is shrouded by a dense toxic gas which severely limits the human’s field of view, giving the Madmen the upper-hand.
Applying further pressure to the humans, are the three new Madmen characters – based on speed, tank and suicide classes – that are now available for selection. Furthermore, the Madmen gain additional abilities every time they successfully take out a human, ensuring that the humans need to work as a team if they hope to stand a chance at surviving.
Additionally, this winter War Rock celebrates the holiday season with the Christmas 2015 Update. Players will be able to experience a number of specially prepared events, exp boosts, themed costumes and more. For further details on the Christmas Update please visit the official War Rock microsite at:http://en.warrock.nexoneu.com/event/goodbye2015#home
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About War Rock
Based on the in-house developed “Jindo Engine”, War Rock is a fast paced, large-scale FPS that offers nothing less than unique battlefields, remarkable game modes, a hardcore class system, and numerous vehicles. The game provides fast and fun action in the Close-Quarter Combat Modes (CQC), and inspires users to survive in the co-operative “AI Mode” with their own driving and piloting skills.
MOVE OR DIE BRINGS EPIC PARTY GAME DELIGHT THIS JANUARY ON STEAM
Addictively Simple Multiplayer Sensation Launching Soon With New Modes And Features
Bucharest,Romania – December 16, 2015 – The mad minds of independent developer Those Awesome Guys announced today that Move or Die will be coming out of Steam Early Access to a full game launch on January 2016. With a 100% Steam approval rating, Move or Die is a fast-paced, four-player local and online multiplayer party game that has become the PAX indie darling with its ridiculously fun gameplay variety and amusing art style.
“We are excited to let the world know that Move or Die is coming in January with a new set of game modes and features,” said Nicolae Berbece, founder and lead developer of Those Awesome Guys. “We believe players will enjoy the frenetic pace of the game and the lightning quick pace of play that will drive players absolutely wild.”
Lay waste to your opponents with a precise flipping jump shot.
As its name suggests, Move or Die forces players to be in constant action as stopping will deplete the health of characters and stopping too long results in a comic “splat” death. Move or Die is a quick game to pick up, and a very hard one to put down.
Move or Die Key Features Include:
Four-Player Local/Online Multiplayer and Offline Practice Modes
Play as one of several outrageous characters on the couch with friends, online against people from around the world or battle devious bots offline.
Game Modes Galore
Choose from an always increasing variety of hilarious game modes that quickly change each round to match the intense lightning-paced gameplay.
Leveling-Up System
Acquire crazy skins for your character and unlock new game modes as you squash your opponents.
Amusing Visual Style and Killer Tunes
Get your blood pumping with vibrant 2D graphics, as well as a head-bobbing soundtrack by Jacob Lincke.
Controller and Keyboard Support
Play with a controller, keyboard…or…the guitar and drums from Guitar Hero. Your choice. (Although, we recommend a controller :))
Available this January on Steam, Move or Die will have gamers battling each other in an ever-growing list of game modes. Each challenge has its own outrageous level design and rule set to promote hours of laughter and good old friendship-destroying fun. Win battles and unlock insane new character skins and crazier game modes.
To learn more about Move or Die, please visit www.moveordiegame.com, ‘Like’ it on Facebook, and follow its development on Twitter @moveordiegame for all the latest developer updates and news.
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ABOUT THOSE AWESOME GUYS
Founded in 2012 by Nicolae Berbece, Those Awesome Guys is a one-man independent video game developer based in Romania that teams up with developers from around the world to create really awesome games. After releasing Concerned Joe, a 2D puzzle platformer Flash game that generated a small, but dedicated following, Nick decided to give the title a proper remake. And so was born Move or Die, an absurdly fast-paced multiplayer party game coming out in January on Steam.
KOEI TECMO ANNOUNCES NEW PLAYABLE CHARACTER FOR ATELIER ESCHA & LOGY PLUS: ALCHEMISTS OF THE DUSK SKY
BURLINGAME, Calif. – December 16, 2015 – KOEI TECMO America today announced new features and a new playable character, Nio Altugle, for the digital-only release of Atelier Escha & Logy Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky, which will become available in North America on January 19, 2016 for the PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system.
Nio Altugle, the younger sister of the protagonist in Atelier Ayesha, only had a supporting role in the PS3 version of Atelier Escha & Logy, but can now be controlled in battle, adding another dimension to the gameplay of Atelier Escha & Logy Plus for the PlayStation®Vita!
This version of the game also comes bursting with new content, including brand new event scenes inspired by the Escha & Logy anime, which released in Japan in celebration of developer GUST’s 20th anniversary. These new scenes delve deeper into the relationship that titular characters Escha and Logy share, revealing a sweet secret story that was not available in previous versions of the game.
Additionally, Atelier Escha & Logy Plus includes all DLC from the PlayStation®3 version, new costumes, and — to the delight of fans of the Atelier IP — a series of new and more challenging missions and ‘boss’ enemies! GUST has also incorporated PlayStation®Vita-specific features into Atelier Escha & Logy Plus alongside minor balancing fixes to create a more level gaming experience for the PlayStation®Vita.
For more news and information on Atelier Escha & Logy Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky please visit the official website at www.koeitecmoamerica.com/escha-logy-plus, Like KOEI TECMO America on Facebook at www.facebook.com/koeitecmous, and become part of the #KTfamily by following KOEI TECMO America on Twitter at @KoeiTecmoUS.
About Atelier Escha & Logy Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky
Following the success of past Atelier releases on the portable platform, Atelier Escha & Logy Plus is the second standalone installment in developer GUST’s latest Atelier trilogy: the trilogy of Dusk. Preceded by the bittersweet Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk, Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky was released for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system in 2014 and is the first of the PS3 Atelier titles to feature a dual-protagonist story structure, in which the player can choose to see the story unfold through the eyes of the romantic alchemist Escha Malier, or the more levelheaded and rational Logix Ficsario.
ABOUT KOEI TECMO AMERICA CORP.
KOEI TECMO AMERICA CORP. is a publisher of interactive entertainment software for current generation consoles, handhelds and digital download content based in Burlingame, California. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of KOEI TECMO HOLDINGS CO., LTD., headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. KOEI is best known for its Dynasty Warriors® and Samurai Warriors® franchises. TECMO is best known for the Dead or Alive®, Ninja Gaiden®, Tecmo Bowl®, and Fatal Frame® series.
“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
ARK: SURVIVAL EVOLVED STOMPS ONTO XBOX GAME PREVIEW TODAY
Epic Phenomenon With 2.5 Million PC Players Becomes First Online Survival Game to Hit Consoles With Massive Dinosaur Armies, Brutal Tribe Battles, Exclusive Xbox Content, and More
Seattle, WA – December 16, 2015 – Studio Wildcard, the team that never sleeps, is proud to hand deliver today the dinosaur-sized present Xbox One players have been waiting for — the first-ever online survival game to consoles with ARK: Survival Evolved. Launching today on Xbox Game Preview, players can now dive into this dynamic ecosystem where they will craft weapons, clothing, and tools, build multi-story houses, join and commune with other tribes, and tame, train, ride, and breed dinosaurs.
ARK: Survival Evolved is available now for download on Xbox Game Preview for $34.99 and includes all the content of its PC counterpart. Xbox One players will receive exclusive content including a Bionic “Tek” T-Rex, Safari Hat, and Survivor’s Trophy, free access to Xbox-specific ARK official servers (up to 70 can play on a server simultaneously), and a steady delivery of exclusive Xbox One content prior to full game launch in June 2016.
The world of ARK is constantly evolving and the development team loves feedback. Players can join the ARK discussion now by visiting the newly launched Xbox One forums on survivetheark.com/forums/.
Built on Unreal Engine 4, ARK takes on the survival genre with a unique blend of emergent multiplayer cooperation and competition. Players awake naked and starving on a mysterious island, and must hunt, harvest, craft items, grow crops, and build shelters to survive. Tame as many as 100 amazing dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts, including gargantuan creatures on a scale never before seen in video games! Fly a Pterodactyl squadron over snow-capped mountains, race through deep jungles with your pack of trained Raptors, tromp through a fortified enemy base with a convoy of gigantic Brontosaurus, or chase down prey on the back of a raging T-Rex.
ARK: Survival Evolved is expected to officially launch in June 2016 on Xbox One via the ID@Xbox program, Steam and on PlayStation®4 with Project Morpheus support.
Studio Wildcard was co-founded in 2014 by Jesse Rapczak, former Technical Art Director at Microsoft Game Studios, with the mission of bringing AAA quality to ambitious indie productions designed for core gamers. With 12 years of industry experience across multiple independent and studio-backed titles, Jesse has teamed up with other veteran developers for a Seattle, WA-based development studio that also includes distributed team members across multiple continents. Wherever talented, driven developers may reside, Studio Wildcard intends to seek out and work with them!
ABOUT INSTINCT GAMES
Instinct Games is Egypt’s leading game development studio. Started in 2011 by former Timeline Interactive co-founders, the Instinct Games team develops and produces video games on all major platforms utilizing its competent technical team. Its mission is to collaborate with world class partners to foster Egypt’s video game development ecosystem and set a precedent of high quality, low cost, entertaining indie games with worldwide appeal.
