Previously Square Enix launched a rather sketchy pre-order program for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided that locked various bonuses behind undetermined pre-order goals that would be unlocked as more people pre-ordered the title and result in consumers having to choose various bonuses, eventually culminating in a possible four day early release of the game if all goals were met.
Thankfully after almost unanimous fan backlash Square Enix has decided that this wasn’t the best idea in the world and have changed their “Augment your Pre-Order” campaign to a more standard affair where all of the bonuses will be available to those who either pre-order or pick up a launch copy of the game.
Telltale Games released some new details of their upcoming adventure game Minecraft: Story Mode. A new trailer has been released for the first episode entitled “The Order of the Stone.” The video introduces the four members of The Order of the Stone and the cataclysmic event that will see the order reuniting with the help of the player.
The full cast list has also been released.
Male Jesse – Patton Oswalt
Female Jesse – Catherine Taber
Axel – Brian Posehn
Petra – Ashley Johnson
Lukas – Scott Porter
Olivia – Martha Plimpton
Narrator – Billy West
Ivor – Paul Reubens
Gabriel the Warrior – Dave Fennoy
Magnus the Griefer – Corey Feldman
Ellegaard the Redstone Engineer – Grey Griffin
Soren the Architect – John Hodgman
Telltale Games announced they will be hosting what they hope to be the world’s largest Let’s Play event at the ArcLight Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, California on Tuesday October 12th. Tickets will be absolutely free, though attendees will need to contact Telltale Games ahead of time to reserve a spot. It will be an all-ages event, so be sure to bring your favourite Minecraft obsessed relative. The crowd will be in control of the direction of the game. Options sounding off the loudest cheer from the crowd will be selected, so be sure to rest your voice if you plan on attending.
Open World Survival, Horror Game P.A.M.E.L.A.™ is Greenlit on Steam Greenlight
After reaching the #1 spot on Greenlight in 48 hours, P.A.M.E.L.A.™ is Greenlit and Scheduled for Launch on Steam for Windows PC in 2016
Mississauga, Canada – October 1st, 2015 – Indie micro development team NVYVE® Studios, today announced that P.A.M.E.L.A. its open world utopian sci-fi survival horror FPS that is scheduled for release on Windows PC in 2016 has been Greenlit on Steam Greenlight. In P.A.M.E.L.A. players survive against all odds whilst wielding unconventional technology as they explore Eden, an unforgiving paradise that explores the unforeseen consequences of humanity’s craving for technological and biological advancement.
“We have been blown away by the response of the Steam community to our Greenlight campaign”, said Marvin Maalouf, President and CEO of NVYVE® Studios. “After only 48 hours after our launch, P.A.M.E.L.A. was the #1 ranked game on Steam Greenlight and we are incredibly proud to be Greenlit by Steam after 10 days”.
P.A.M.E.L.A.™ begins as a Sleeper is awoken from cryosleep in Eden, a fallen utopia wrought with death and danger. As a Sleeper, the player will struggle to survive alongside Pamela as they explore the once vibrant utopian city. Uncover the tragic events that lead to the downfall of a civilization, and fight for your life as the broken citizens of Eden defend their home against your intrusion. With a personality-driven AI system, no encounter will be the same as the Afflicted react in unpredictable ways, driven by their excruciating pain and disfiguring disease. Interact with various factions, including the Afflicted citizens, security droids, robotic custodians, and more. Each faction has its own unique behaviors and alliances, and will react dynamically to the player’s behavior to become allies, or enemies.
Experience tense gameplay in a richly developed, believable sci-fi universe. Each decision is meaningful, and each encounter could be your last. Wield and customize an array of modular equipment to defend yourself and explore the environment. Utilize an immersive UI that incorporates full body awareness, where the player’s involvement in the world is never broken. Manage the power reserves of the city, using energy only when necessary to avoid the dangers of being stuck in the dark. Upgrade your weaponry, and construct a safe haven to defend against the denizens of Eden. Enhancing your body with Bio-Augmentations will give you an advantage over your enemies, but at what cost? Every decision has consequences in Eden.
NVYVE® Studios is a 6 person indie team that branched out, in late 2014, from NVYVE® Inc. an award winning visualization and interactive content firm. The team employed the skills gained in developing interactive non-game experiences towards creating their first game, P.A.M.E.L.A.™, a utopian survival horror game for Windows PC. The team includes a diverse background in architectural design, concept art, film, and more to create a unique mix of skills and direction. For more information about NVYVE® Studios, visit www.nvyvestudios.com.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided pre-order program to be modified
Square Enix & Eidos-Montréal Altering Pre-Order Program Based on Community Feedback
MONTRÉAL (October 1, 2015) – Square Enix Inc. and Eidos-Montréal ® today announced that the Augment Your Pre-Order program for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ®, will be revised to better meet the expectations of the Deus Ex ® community. Initially conceived as a reward to players by allowing them to choose their own content (mirroring one of Deus Ex’s core gameplay pillars), the promotion was negatively viewed by the community. Having watched, read, and listened to feedback, Square Enix and Eidos- Montréal will modify the program to remove pre-order tiers.
“We really understand and appreciate the passion for Deus Ex that the fans have shown here,” said David Anfossi, Studio Head at Eidos-Montréal. “Know that all of us, both at Square Enix and Eidos-Montreal, share that passion for this franchise.”
A vast majority of the negative feedback received arose from the tiers, and the requirement of specific pre-order numbers to unlock them. Therefore, taking into account the feedback from fans, the pre-order tiers have been removed, and all of the associated content with the program will now be made available for free to anyone who pre-orders or purchases a Day 1 edition of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Additionally, the release date will no longer be changed in accordance to pre-order numbers, and everyone will gain access to the game on February 23rd, 2016.
Square Enix and Eidos-Montréal sincerely thank the community for the love and dedication they have shown for the Deus Ex franchise.
More details and updates for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided will be revealed in the coming days and months, all of which will be made available at deusex.com.
AboutDEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, the sequel to the critically acclaimed Deus Ex: Human Revolution®, builds on the franchise’s trademark choice and consequence, action-RPG based gameplay, to create both a memorable and highly immersive experience. Players will once again take on the role of Adam Jensen, now an experienced covert agent, and will gain access to his new arsenal of customizable state-of-the-art weapons and augmentations. With time working against him, Adam must choose the right approach, along with who to trust, in order to unravel a vast worldwide conspiracy.
About Eidos-Montréal
Founded in 2007, Eidos-Montréal is a leading video game development studio in Montréal. Embracing the philosophy to always pursue excellence in the development of games and create immersive, captivating experiences for players, Eidos-Montréal made its mark on the video game world with the release of its first video game, the critically acclaimed and best-selling Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Eidos-Montréal is part of Square Enix Europe.
About Square Enix, Inc .
Square Enix, Inc. develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX, EIDOS® and TAITO® branded entertainment content throughout the Americas as part of the Square Enix Group. The Square Enix Group operates a global network of leading development studios and boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property, including: FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 110 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 66 million units worldwide; TOMB RAIDER®, which has sold over 42 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix, Inc. is a U.S.-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
Medici is one of the biggest open-worlds in gaming
The third entry in the JUST CAUSE 3 Dev Diary series takes a closer look at Rico’s place of birth; the gigantic 400 square mile Mediterranean island of Medici.
While beautiful and serene on the surface, Medici is under the tyrannous reign of the dictator General Di Ravello and is far from peaceful. This island paradise provides the player with a highly explosive playground of destruction coming December 1st 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and high-end Windows PC.
Pumped BMX +, the Big-Screen Follow-up to Acclaimed Mobile BMX Series, Grinds onto Wii U
LONDON – October 1, 2015 – Indie developer Yeah Us!, in conjunction with Curve Digital, the world’s largest publisher of indie games on console, today are proud to announce that Pumped BMX +, the extreme big-screen follow-up to the addictive BMX game mobile series, is now available on Wii U via the Nintendo eShop with a 20% launch discount for the first two weeks of sale.
Pumped BMX + sees players ride their way through increasingly challenging levels as they pull off crazy and impressive trick combos. More than 500 challenges over 50 heart-in-mouth courses await players as they throw down their best stunts in the race to reach the top of the leader boards.
Featuring beautifully redesigned HD graphics and animation, an enhanced control system, a brand new, fully-licensed soundtrack, and loads of authentic BMX tricks that can be combined for almost unlimited possibilities, Pumped BMX + is the ultimate Pumped experience. Pumped BMX + also features off-TV play, a feature exclusive to the Wii U version of the game.
Pumped BMX + is priced at $9.99 / €9.99 / £7.99 with a 20% launch discount available for the first two weeks of sale. Pumped BMX + is now available on Wii U, Xbox One, Windows PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and PlayStation 3.
A special interview with BMX athlete Dan Lacey discussing the game and how the franchise has taken the BMX community by storm can be found here: https://youtu.be/X1Con_InN_Y
About Curve Digital
Curve Digital is the largest publisher of independent video games on console formats in the world. Working with high profile developers such as Mike Bithell (Thomas Was Alone), Dan Marshall (The Swindle) and Olli Harjola (The Swapper), Curve helps individuals and small teams bring their games to a larger audience. Curve actively publishes on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U and 3DS.
Yeah Us! is a micro studio focusing on authentic, high quality sports games. Founded in 2012 by Adam Hunt, Yeah Us! aims to make extreme sports games for real enthusiasts.
Game’s biggest update launches, featuring three new heroes, daily challenges, perks system, revised combat and more.
Thursday 1st October 2015, Cambridge, UK – Jagex Games Studio is proud to announce that with today’s significant update for Block N Load, the game is now free to play. The transition takes the existing core game, mechanics, and modes, and enhances them with substantive improvements to the shooter’s combat and matchmaking, as well as launching a whole raft of additional content such as new heroes, daily challenges, perks and player progression.
Block N Load now includes a daily challenge system that gives players objectives that have to be fulfilled within a single match or 24 hours. Challenges can come in the form of multiple conditions, including gaining a certain number of kills or completing specific actions, and allow players to generate a flow of gold bars that can be used to purchase new Heroes or Perks.
The introduction of a Perks System in Block N Load allows players to further customise their Heroes, so they can play how they want to. Unlocked with gold bars, there are more than 55 Perks to choose from, including some that improve offensive and defensive capabilities on the battlefield. The update also sees the arrival of three recently announced heroes: master of electricity, Vander Graaf; J-Pop, kitty-launching, Kira-chan; and the always frosty, Yury the Yeti.
Block N Load: Free-to-play features
Challenge system: Daily challenges to overcome for great rewards
Upgradable Perks: Allow players to customise their play style for maximum effectiveness
New rewards system: Get gold to choose new Heroes and Perks
Hero rotation: Get familiar with all of the Block N Load Hero roster
Enhanced mechanics: Improved matchmaking, combat, and player progression
“We know from working together with our amazing player community, that the vast majority of our players wanted Block N Load to be a free-to-play game, so that’s what we’ve done! We took the time to develop and implement a fully-rounded free-to-play experience, and added a ton of new content and improvements on top,” said David Solari, vice president, Block N Load. “We are really proud to have made a game that is truly unique in the shooter space and look forward to working with our players again to build on it.”
Notes to Editor
Block N Load features a dual currency system: Gold bars are acquired by playing the game and completing challenges; platinum bars can be purchased directly through the game.
About Block N Load
Block N Load is an up to 5v5 team-based online first-person shooter published by Jagex. Choose your hero, select your block load-out, and get in game to fight it out in highly destructible arenas. Teams will need agile tactics and good strategies in order to destroy the opposition’s generator cubes in sequence before claiming victory. Featuring fast-paced gameplay where no game is the same, Block N Load launched on PC in April 2015. For more information visit: www.blocknload.com.
About Jagex
Starting in 2001 with their flagship free-to-play adventure game, RuneScape, Jagex has created a long-standing reputation for crafting the world’s best online games services. Today they stand as the UK’s largest independent games developer and publisher with over 40 titles released to date, Jagex prides itself on developing and publishing hugely popular, accessible, online games for millions of players globally. For more information please visit www.Jagex.com.
With the excitement of EB Games Expo 2015 taking hold of gamers this coming weekend at Sydney Olympic Park, I took the time tonight to interview Jim Norris – the designer behind Activision‘s Guitar Hero Live.
It’s nice to meet you Jim. I’d like to hear more about Guitar Hero Live and why you feel like it was a good time now to bring it back?
So it’s been roughly 5 years since the last Guitar Hero game was out and we kind of felt like it was a good time to bring another one out. People seem to be ready for another rhythm action game, we’ve got the next gen consoles that came out, and so we thought that it would be a good time now to do it. And as freestylers, we of course wanted to do something different, so that’s why we went with the whole new controller, GH Live Performance and GH TV concept as well. So we thought it was the right time and we made some pretty cool innovations to it.
Yeah, I completely agree, I’m really excited to play the game. Out of the two playable modes, which one do you prefer – Guitar Hero Live or Guitar Hero TV?
I mean, that’s like forcing me to choose which one of my kids I like the best (laughs). But I like GH TV, just for the plain fact that when you are on one channel, you know that everyone else in the world who is playing on that channel is playing in the exact same song, at the same time as you are. And I find that sort of unifying thought, as a designer, just really pleasing. So I think GH TV is my favourite.
I was reading a little bit about how the songs are different on GH TV then they are with Live, and that if you get a certain trophy or award you get to play songs or you can buy your way to play the same songs again. Is that correct?
So the way it kinda works is when you’re playing GH TV, you can earn what are called “plays” and use those plays to go into your on demand catalogue. Let’s say you hop on to GH TV and you’re in the middle of a song and you actually want to play the whole song, you can go into on demand and you can use one of your plays to play that song.
With the audience, are you expecting more new players or previous players who were part of Guitar Hero games back when they were released?
I think both, because it’s been long enough that there’s probably a lot of gamers who maybe never played a single rhythm action game in their life. So they’ve got their PS4, they’ve never played a Guitar Hero before, so we’d like them to play. And we also think that there’s gonna be a lot of stuff that old GH fans are going to appreciate, you know. The new controller works in such a way that if you were awesome at Guitar Hero in the past, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re just going to be able to pick it up and play on expert right away. It’s easy for new players, because the new three by two button layout.
The fret board?
Yeah. You got rid of that pinky finger, so there’s no need to use the pinky anymore, which we call the danger pinky in the office because it . . . from our research it actually turned away a lot of players, like they would get up to medium and they’d have to start to use that pinky on hard and they just, they found it too difficult. With this one, you start out nice and easy, you sort of transition to that top row, then on to advanced difficulty you start to do some chord shapes, some bar chords, which is a new shape that we can do with the new controller and all the way up to expert mode, which is going to provide a new challenge for all GH players.
I feel like the new controller that you made looks a lot more comfortable and also, I would say it’s more realistic when you’re playing a Guitar Hero game.
It’s a sexy controller, it’s a really good looking controller.
Do you feel like it’s been a limitation that players’ can only use that controller to play the game, and they can’t use the Xbox controller or the Playstation controller? With the previous Guitar Hero games, you could actually use the controller as opposed to the guitar.
Yeah, we just wanted to make sure that this Guitar Hero Live was all about the guitar, that’s the main focus here. So that’s why that’s the only instrument, we’re focusing on the Guitar and we feel that the new button layout makes it accessible. Whereas, in the past maybe that’s why people used the controller, because they couldn’t get up to that pinky, maybe they wanted to play all throughout the difficulties. So we feel like this one is a better way to sort of step you up through the early difficulties all the way to the end.
Are you going to be releasing any other colour guitars, or are you just going to keep the same one?
We are just focusing on this one, because we think it is so gosh dang beautiful, that nobody else will want any other colour. It’s the perfect colour. It’s the best guitar we’ve ever made.
That’s good to hear, that way I won’t have to invest in another guitar.
You can paint it though yourself, kinda customise it. Mine at the office has all sorts of weird stickers all over it.
So which one is your favourite song so far in the game from the song list?
A band I didn’t even know about until we put it in the game. They’re called the Marmozets, a song called ‘Move, Shake Hide’ and the lead singer is a young gal and when she gets screaming during the chorus, it’s just like the most exhilarating thing that I’ve heard in a really long time. So I’d say that’s my – I just got goosebumps right now talking about it – that’s my E3 sorta get pumped song, so Marmozets ‘Move, Shake Hide’, if you haven’t listened to that song go check it out.
No I haven’t, but can’t wait to! Alright it was great talking to you, thanks so much for your time.
You too Vicky, thanks very much.
Can’t wait to play the game, can we try it out now?
Let’s do it.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to play Guitar Hero Live at EB Games Expo this weekend, before the official release of the game on October 20th!
Overview Thanks to the original Persona 4 delivering such a satisfying experience and creating characters so likable the title has remained extremely relevant despite originally being released back in 2008. Not only has this RPG been given an extended remake, it’s also seen its cast developed into two fighting games, transported to a dungeon crawling RPG, and even given a few anime adaptations. Now that the enemies are defeated and the fists have been thrown, it is time for the cast to get down on the dance floor with Persona 4: Dancing All Night. The question is, does this release continue Atlus’ strong series of titles featuring the Persona 4 cast?
Story Taking place chronologically after the events of the Persona 4 Arena games, Yu Narukami has moved back to live in the city and Rise Kujikawa is fixing to make her big comeback to the idol industry during the Love Meets Bonds festival that will feature numerous performances by big stars from the industry. In an effort to show off her bonds that she has made with Yu and the rest of her friends from Inaba, she has invited them to perform as background dancers during her performance.
As such Rise has been focusing on training Yu and Naoto while also visiting Inaba to train the rest of the group. During one of these training sessions the three of them meet a new up and coming idol group called Kanamin Kitchen, led by the idol Kanami Mashita, who have become quite popular during Rise’s absence. Later thatnight it is discovered that the majority of Kanamin Kitchen has gone missing and Naoto tells the others that she has heard rumors of a strange video appearing on Love Meets Bonds’ website at midnight featuring a dead idol that drags people to a different world.
Due to the similarities with what they have experienced in the past, Naoto, Rise, and Yu choose to investigate and find themselves transported into a strange version of the Shadow World that is not the Midnight Channel, but instead called the Midnight Stage. The only problem is, despite the existence of shadows in this realm, they find that any type of violence is immediately nullified and that the only way to defeat and escape these creatures is by expressing themselves through dance. As such it is up to Yu and the rest of the Investigation Team to try and solve the mystery behind the Midnight Stage.
While it may start out sounding rather strange, this roughly twenty hour long story mode does lay the foundation as to why we find the Persona 4 cast dancing around to defeat enemies instead of the usual way. The lengthy storyline is quite a surprise considering the nature of the game but also does become rather wordy at times due to the visual novel style of the game which means that those going through story mode will often find themselves listening to quite a bit of dialogue before they are asked to perform a dance once again.
This does mean that those who want to enjoy the story for what it is will likely want to take some breaks now and again to play some of the game’s Free Mode since, despite the characters still being incredibly likable with all of their shining personalities remaining a big bonus in this game and there being plenty of funny moments and interesting developments taking place, it feels like a better balance may have been needed between the dances and visual novel part of the game’s story. That being said, those coming into the game and not expecting to find an interesting storyline will find themselves pleasantly surprised as this title still serves as a great example of what the Persona writers are capable of, even if they are basing it around dancing and the idol industry.
Gameplay As mentioned earlier, there are two modes for players to select in Persona 4: Dancing All Night, the aforementioned Story Mode and the Free Mode. Free Mode allows players to select the difficulty of whichever song they choose to play, what costume they want the main dancer to wear since the main dancer for a song cannot be altered only their dance partner can be, the dance partner and what outfit they wear, and of course various modifications that will be mentioned momentarily.
Only four tracks will be available at the start but either progressing through the story mode or completing songs on any of the three initial difficulties, with a fourth one that must be unlocked, will unlock additional tracks. It is worth noting that while almost all of the tracks can be unlocked simply by playing Free Mode that a couple of tracks can only be unlocked after completing the story and it is possible to spoil a little bit of the storyline’s ending if you choose to unlock all of the Free Mode songs first.
Now once you actually start playing a song, you’ll find a tightly designed rhythm game with a couple of ways to play. Notes will appear throughout the song and will fly towards a corresponding button that the player must touch as close as possible, with perfect ratings earned by tapping the button when the indicator is right on the button, to earn points. There are also blue and rainbow colored circles that will be produced and these are activated by moving one of the analog sticks to the side when they approach the edge of the circle.
It is worth noting that if you do end up missing one of these “scratches” that they do not count as a miss but completing them does add to your combo, provide points, and if you manage to hit three of the rainbow circles players will be able to enter “Fever Mode” at specific points in the song. Fever Mode allows players to earn bonus points and if they are performing well at the time of activation, their partner will also enter the stage to perform a unique dance during that period of time.
It is interesting to note that the touch screen can also be used to activate notes if you so choose, with taps completing basic notes and swipes counting as scratches, though I’ve found using the button prompts to be far easier. Of course if you want to challenge yourself there are various books that can be bought, alongside the aforementioned costumes and accessories, that will change the way notes behave during songs to provide the player with bonus points as well as items to make things a bit easier at the cost of reduced rewards, making this a game that can be easy to play through if you wish or incredibly challenging if you want to aim for the top.
Visuals & Audio Although this isn’t the first Persona 4 game to arrive on the PS Vita it features the best looking character models we’ve seen for everyone’s favorite cast so far. Each of the cast is extremely well detailed with each character having a unique dancing style and different interactions depending on who they are paired up with. To make things even better, there are a wide variety of costumes ranging from humorous to fan-service oriented to purchase and although one would think that the wide-range of bright colors would be distracting during the rhythm gameplay, the way it is designed surprisingly eliminates this issue.
As for the soundtrack, Persona 4: Dancing All Night features remixes of all of the best tracks from Persona 4, though it is worth noting that a couple of songs have been remixed more than once meaning that there is a bit of repeat here, though thankfully these remixes are different enough to make the song feel fresh. There is a great mixture of rock, metal, pop, jazz, and even a light and fluffy Junes theme to dance to and this creates an excellent soundtrack with something for everyone.
Overall When it was first revealed that Atlus was working on a Persona 4 rhythm game many doubted that it would turn out great and it turns out that Atlus may have taken that as a challenge since Persona 4: Dancing All Night is an excellent rhythm game featuring an amazing soundtrack, a decently enjoyable storyline, and great looking visuals that you can sink hours into at a time if you wish or simply play through one song whenever you feel like as you continue to dig into the numerous unlockables available in a game with surprising depth that Persona fans should adore.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Today Sega released a new video for Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax where they continue to introduce some of the popular light novel characters that will be playable once the game is released on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita on October 6th.
The characters highlighted this time happen to be the likes of Shana from Shakugan no Shana, Kirino from Oreimo, and Misaka from A Certain Magical Index. You can check out the full trailer below and as for the game itself, it is worth noting that the PS Vita release will be priced at $29.99 while the PlayStation 3 version will cost $39.99 and all launch copies will include a soundtrack CD.
