Three New Dungeons and an Expanded Map Now Available in the Fast-Paced MMORPG CABAL 2
IRVINE, CALIF.– Oct. 15, 2015 – As announced last week, ESTsoft, Inc. has provided the latest and biggest update yet for CABAL 2, “Ruins of the Gods.”
The latest update features three new high-level dungeons for players to truly test their skills. Additionally, the CABAL 2 universe will grow in the new update with a new map expansion; the Gray Canyon area is now open for players at level 40 or higher to explore and take on the vicious enemies that await. One more new feature is the increased level cap, which now sets the cap at level 45, allowing players to continue to grow with all the new content.
ESTsoft will also be running special events to go celebrate the content update, featuring various rewards for players that participate. In “The Race to Victory!” event the first user to reach level 45 will win a reward. This event is class-based, so there will be six winners – one for each class. The second event is “The Ruins of the Gods Playtime Event” which will reward players for playing the game during specified times between Oct. 14 and Oct. 21.
As an added bonus, players that have been inactive from the CABAL 2 battlefields will enjoy a seven day premium for returning to the game. This premium will provide players an increased item drop rate, a higher point acquisition bonus when battling and much more.
Evolving from the wildly-successful CABAL Online, which hosts nearly 30 million users from more than 60 countries around the world, CABAL 2 is a high-fantasy MMO for PC which combines deep, immersive RPG elements with epic skill-based battles. This next chapter in the CABAL series bring a unique style of gameplay sure to appeal to players who are both nostalgic for the classic MMOs of the past, but also still enjoy the technical advancements of modern PC gaming.
For more information, and to download CABAL 2 and check out the “Ruins of the Gods” update, please visit www.cabal2.com.
ESTsoft Inc. is the North American publishing and operations arm of ESTsoft Corp, a leading Korean software company since 1993. ESTsoft delivers essential software products and innovative online games around the world. ESTsoft has been a KOSDAQ listed company since 2008.
WAR BREAKS OUT ON THE ASGAR CONTINENT AS NETMARBLE RELEASES CHART TOPPING MOBILE RPG, SEVEN KNIGHTS
Bonds have been Broken, Friends Became Foes— Which Knight will Reign Supreme?
October 15, 2015 – SAN FRANCISCO – Netmarble Games (“Netmarble”), a leading Korean gaming company, today announced that its hit RPG, Seven Knights, is now available in 146 countries for iOS and Android devices. With seven million downloads since its debut in Korea last year, the game continues to grow its legions of fans and now introduces its dynamic RPG to a global community. To celebrate the launch, a new action-packed trailer featuring combat, characters and can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbTDE9pEm7Q&feature=youtu.be.
Consistently holding a top five spot on the Google Play Store and remaining in the top three for 48 consecutive weeks, Seven Knights currently ranks in top three in revenue in Korea on the Google Play Store. In Thailand where it had the first soft launch outside Korea on October 1st, the game has remained in the top three on both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
Seven Knights introduces seven main heroes and heroines with each knight controlling their own territory, all with a variety of dungeons and their own unique storylines. The lore of the Asgar continent is rich with tales of rivalry, betrayal and personal motivations— both good and evil.
With stunning 3D visuals and exceptional audio, Seven Knights fuses a distinctive combination of intuitive commands and intense strategy. The turn-based battles combine various skill effects and counter skills with tactical battle formations and the ability to customize team rosters for different enemies. Game modes include the single player Celestial Tower mode, a Battle Arena for fighting other players and Castle Rush mode where player guilds can fight for supremacy. Joining the seven knights are over 230 collectible heroes and the choice of five classes, all with their own scintillating backstory.
“Continuing Netmarble Games’ commitment to bring its diverse portfolio of high quality games globally, we are extremely proud and excited to launch Seven Knights, the company’s first RPG to be published in the West,” said Seungwon Lee, President of Overseas at Netmarble Games. “With numerous immersive storylines, over 230 characters and many modes filled with jubilant adventurous gameplay, we feel confident that players around the world will be as captivated with Seven Knights as the fans in Asia.”
Developed by Netmarble Nexus, a subsidiary of Netmarble Games,Seven Knights is available free-to-download, with in game purchase options on the App Store and Google Play.
Netmarble Games Corp. strives to enrich people’s lives by providing great games to global audiences. Based in Seoul, Korea, Netmarble Games Corp. has produced some of the most successful mobile games such as MARVEL Future Fight, Raven (Evilbane in US), Seven Knights, Everyone’s Marble, and Monster Taming. The company has more than 2,500 employees worldwide, numerous studios and consistently ranks as a top developer and publisher in Asia and globally. Netmarble Games Corp. has a strategic partnership with CJ E&M Corporation, Asia’s largest entertainment company, Tencent Holdings, Asia’s largest internet company, and NCsoft, a prominent MMO company, as company shareholders. The company is the largest shareholder to SGN, a leading casual game developer. More information can be found at www.netmarble.com.
WORLDS COLLIDE IN MARIO & LUIGI: PAPER JAM BROS., COMING TO NINTENDO 3DS ON DECEMBER 10TH
The Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi universes are stapled together in a hilarious new RPG arriving just in time for the holidays
15th October 2015 – The Mushroom Kingdom is about to learn that two Marios are better than one in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros.! Releasing on December 10th for Nintendo 3DS family systems, the fifth instalment of the popular RPG series will see Paper Mario jump off the page and form a superstar team of Mario Bros. to take on the only thing more threatening to the Mushroom Kingdom than one Bowser: two of them!
When Luigi accidentally opens a mysterious book hidden away in Peach’s Castle, he gets more than he bargained for when characters from the Paper Mario universe spill out of the pages and start running amok. Players must take control of the terrific trio of Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario to defeat Bowser and Paper Bowser and bring the Paper Mario characters back to their original world.
Adding Paper Mario to their ranks means that Mario and Luigi have even more ways to explore, solve puzzles and take down any enemies foolish enough to mess with the Mario Bros. In a first for the series, players can now battle with Trio Attacks, as well as use Paper Mario’s unique copy ability, allowing him to create duplicates of himself in order to bolster his attack power. Our papery hero also has special skills outside of battle, like his ability to slip through tiny cracks to areas inaccessible to the three-dimensional brothers.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. will also see the introduction of Paper Craft Battles, tasking players with taking down the Bowsers’ forces with the power of dance! Craft battles see our heroes take part in rhythm-based events in order to power a giant papercraft and use it to defeat giant papercrafts from Bowser’s army.
Avoid a “tearable” fate as Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. for Nintendo 3DS family systems launches in Australia and New Zealand on 10th December. Additional Links:
BALD EAGLE WEARING 4K CAMERA CAPTURES REMARKABLE FOOTAGE OF LONDON SKYLINE
VIDEO GAME FEATURE, ‘EAGLE VISION’, BROUGHT IN TO REAL WORLD FOR GLOBAL LAUNCH OF ASSASSIN’S CREED® SYNDICATE
London, UK — October 15, 2015, Today, Ubisoft® announced one of the most ambitious filming projects ever to hit London’s skyline, in celebration of the upcoming launch of Assassin’s Creed® Syndicate. The latest installment in the global video game franchise is available to own on October 23rd for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One®, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and will be available on Windows PC on November 19th.
For the first time, a Bald Eagle was flown over London, launched from some of the most iconic and tallest buildings in Europe with a 4K camera (four times as much detail as 1080p Full HD) attached to its back, offering stunning, never before seen footage of the UK’s capital city from an Eagle’s eye.
This project was undertaken to showcase a feature in Assassin’s Creed® Syndicate, where players can use ‘Eagle Vision’; a tool enabling players to have an Eagle-Eyed perspective and vision to locate enemies and key features at distance. The game, set in Victorian London during the industrial revolution, has taken over two years to develop by the global video games publisher, Ubisoft, who have painstakingly recreated 1868 London in stunning detail.
For the Eagle flights, launch points used included; the Walkie Talkie (20 Fenchurch Street) 35th floor Sky Garden (492 feet above ground level) and Sushi Samba at The Heron Tower (792 feet). Other landmark launch points included Trafalgar Square, City Hall and The Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
“The ambition of this project was huge and it was months in planning to make sure we could achieve the stunning content that we set out to capture,” said Tom Goldberger, Senior PR Manager at Ubisoft. “We worked with a fantastic production team, vastly experienced eagle handler and highly trained eagle to ensure the project was a huge success. We’re delighted to have finally been able to bring to life one of the most iconic features in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.”
Falconry Expert, Chris O’Donnell, along with his 29 year old Bald Eagle, Sidney, were recruited to make the filming concept a reality; “An Eagle has never been flown to this extent in an urban environment, so this was a very exciting project to be involved in. Sidney is a Bald Eagle who is used to large crowds of people and was highly adaptable to a busy city environment. We developed a bespoke harness and fitting for the camera and spent months testing it for comfort and stability. We had good flying conditions, incredible launch points and the footage we captured was utterly remarkable.”
Assassin’s Creed® Syndicate, developed by Ubisoft Quebec in collaboration with eight other Ubisoft studios*, is an epic single player experience set in London during the height of the Industrial Revolution, an incredible age of invention that transforms the lives of millions. In Assassin’s Creed® Syndicate, players explore the largest, most modern open-world city ever created in an Assassin’s Creed game.
For more information on Assassin’s Creed® Syndicate, please visit assassinscreed.com.
A brand new trailer straight from New York Comic Con has been released for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 showing off a lot of story elements centered around the final battle between Naruto and Obito. The epic trailer is embedded below for your viewing and also includes our first hand look at the specially made Perfect Form Susano’s for Shisui and Itachi Uchiha, designed by original Naruto series creator Kishimoto.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 was scheduled to release in September 2015 but was since delayed. The game will now be releasing on the PC, Xbox One and PS4 on the 4th of February, 2016 (5th in Europe and Australia). For those that preorder the game you will receive some exclusive content including Boruto and Sarada as playable characters.
With Star Wars: Battlefront almost exactly a month away, it is no surprise that we are just now starting to hear about additional content that will be available for the game post-launch. Specifically, publishers EA have released details about the game’s Season Pass, which will be available for purchase alongside the game at launch on November 19.
The Season Pass, which costs AU$59.99 for PC, and $69.99 on consoles, gives players access to the four planned DLC expansions, two-week early access to each of them, and a special exclusive emote for multiplayer communication.
You can check out our recent hands-on with Star Wars: Battlefront by clicking here. Don’t forget to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the awesome Battlefront News as it becomes available.
Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden is launching exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS tomorrow and so Bandai Namco has prepared a nifty launch trailer for the game featuring small clips of most of the playable fighters in action as well as a host of the support characters. Extreme Butoden is a traditional 2D fighting game developed by renowned fighting game developers Arc-System Works.
If you want to try before you buy then a demo is available to download on the Nintendo 3DS eShop which includes 2 playable modes and 4 playable characters. Those in Europe can also purchase a New 3DS Extreme Butoden bundle that contains exclusive faceplates for the New 3DS based on the game as well as a black New 3DS and the game pre-installed. While normally these Europe deals are for Australia as well, that doesn’t seem to be the case here.
Let us know if you will be picking up Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden when it launches. Check back in the coming days for our full review as I currently have the game downloading.
Transformers is easily one of the most popular toy lines in the world and it would be hard to find someone who doesn’t know of their existence. I’ll admit I was never into the original series, first getting into Transformers through the recent movies and the excellent Transformers Prime animated series which you should check out if you haven’t. That being said I was very excited when I saw the first trailer for Transformers Devastation with it’s fast paced action and impressive cel shaded graphics. With renowned action developers Platinum Games behind the helm, has this legendary franchise been done justice or is Transformers Devastation destined for the scrap heap? Read on to find out.
Megatron! You… again.
Story
If you’re familiar with the original animated series or Transformers in general then the story is basically what you would expect, the Autobots fighting the Decepticons for ancient relics that have the power to restore their ravaged home of Cybertron. That is basically what you get in Transformers Devastation and it’s pretty disappointing as most of the meaning behind this feud is lost due to the games short length. It’s serviceable but honestly just felt like a way to string boss battles together. There is no doubt however that fans will squeal with nostalgic joy when a recognisable character emerges, looking, sounding and acting just like they did in the 80’s original run of the series. Unfortunately those same fans will probably find the story the most predictable.
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the game is its level design and environments. Most of the game takes place in the same, lifeless city and it get’s boring to traverse quickly as it wasn’t the most interesting place to begin with. When you get out of the city it’s a breath of fresh air but the other environments aren’t much better and it’s not too long before you are thrown back into the exact same city you’ve already explored. Combined with poor pacing with the overarching chapters feeling a little too long, Transformers Devastation could have benefited greatly from shorter, more varied stages.
Me Grimlock confused! Everywhere look same!
It should be noted that the story will only take you about 5 hours to polish off. While this may seem like a negative, it is important to remember that the game is priced at a cheaper price point and this is in no way the end of the actual game. A separate mission mode exists as well as two unlockable difficulties which add a lot to the replayability, especially if you’re one of those players who wants to achieve the highest ranking on each mission (SS in this games case).
Gameplay
Fortunately, striving for those SS ranks is made fun thanks to a fantastic combat system focused on flashy melee, ranged combat and dodging. This is the action genre near perfected. The ‘bullet time’ mechanic borrowed from the critically acclaimed Bayonetta series (also developed by Platinum Games) really rewards the player for their battle vigilance and is satisfying to pull off. The awesomeness of the gameplay is best seen for yourself, so feel free to watch me kicking some Decepticon butt in the short video below.
While there a decent number of combos at your disposal, it is most likely in the franticness of combat you will only stick to a select few. However there are a lot of other advanced combat options available to you, some of which have to be purchased first like the parry or shove attack. Each Transformer also has a unique ability which normally helps continue a combo as well as a screen clearing Ultimate Attack which can be used once the special meter is filled. Initiating combos, switching between melee and ranged weapons and even transforming into a vehicle all feel effortless and responsive thanks to the tight controls and well thought out control scheme (which you are free to remap if you don’t like it initially).
Outside of combat you will be exploring the maps looking for hidden caches or completing various side missions. These tasks are rather basic but serve their purpose in breaking up the combat with small mini games such as collecting all the orbs before time runs out, shooting moving targets and even some (very) basic platforming sections. For those who like collectibles there are these hopping robot bugs to find, Decepticon flags to shoot down and spy drones to take out, each rewarding you with new artwork that you can view in the extras gallery.
This is pure run and gun action!
There are 5 playable characters in all (as well as additional skins for Optimus, Bumblebee and Sideswipe) which adhere to the same combat basics but are different enough to warrant their inclusion. Optimus Prime is your all rounder, Bumblebee is quick and proficient at range attacks, Sideswipe has a strong focus on speed, Wheeljack is slower and utilises a more defensive play style and Grimlock is strong and bulky but the slowest of the group by far and doesn’t have much range potential. Of course each character also has their own unique look, personality and feel easily allowing for a player to pick their favourite based on their play style or just simply who they like the most.
To compliment the magnificent combat, Platinum Games has packed in some fun RPG elements to improve the experience. Defeating enemies and smashing containers reward you with Credits. These Credits can be used towards leveling up an Autobots stats, synthesizing new weapons or forging new T.E.C.H which you can equip to the Autobots to give them unique abilities such as more attack, faster gauge charging, automatic health regen and so on.
The gangs all here!
If you’ve ever played Darksiders II then the weapon synthesis system here is basically the same. You feed one item to another to power up the first weapon while sacrificing the second. Sacrificed weapons can pass on their abilities and a weapon can have up to 5 slots depending on it’s rank, allowing players to craft a weapon which may raise the rare item drop rate, have a higher chance to land a critical hit, etc. Weapons can also level up in this way to have more raw power and in the case of range weapons, more energy (ammo).
Unfortunately the game doesn’t do a great job at explaining any of these facets in detail, leaving it to tips on the game over screen to explain what stats like CBF mean. Luckily we live in the digital age (where it’s still quite hard to get a definitive answer on what these stats do) but it still would have been nice to have an in game explanation on what these stats mean or what the abilities on a weapon are without first having to select which ability you are going to ditch first because a weapon’s ability slots are maxed out.
There’s a great variety of ranged and melee weapons present here.
Visuals
Just as excellent as the gameplay are the visuals, with a bright, gorgeous cel shading style that makes the characters look better than they did in the original material. Not only does the game look great, it runs at 60 FPS in all versions and in 1080P on PC’s and the newest consoles. During my time with the PS4 version I experienced no slow down no matter how many enemies or special effects were on screen. For some reason cutscenes seem to take a bit of a frame rate hit, but it seems to be an intentional move.
The presentation of the combat is superb. Every missile that hits its target or punch landed feels impactful, looks flashy and is a joy to watch. Special shout out to the person that implemented the slow down effect whenever you complete a mission and your results are shown. Finishing an enemy with a slow motion energon sword slash or a flaming hammer downward thrust is nothing but awe-inspiring.
This screenshot doesn’t do the epicness justice!
Audio
The audio here really nails that old school vibe and is right on par with the visuals in terms of quality. The soundtrack is full of guitar shredding goodness, the perfect backing track for a fast paced action title based on an 80’s cartoon. Nearly every original voice actor reprises their roles from the cartoon and still sound fantastic, matching up perfectly with their onscreen robot counterparts.
Not only does the combat look awesome but it sounds awesome too, from missiles firing to the cool sound that happens when you enter slow down mode thanks to a well timed dodge, the sound effects are loud, meaningful and make the combat that much sweeter.
Combat sounds as good as it looks!
Overall
Transformers Devastation story is short and mediocre, the level and mission design isn’t the greatest and the game doesn’t do the best job at explaining most of it’s mechanics, but all that is forgiven when you are thrown into one of the most fun action combat systems I have ever had the joy of playing. Add in the fun and meaningful RPG elements and excellent presentation and you have one of the most lovingly crafted Transformers titles of all time. If you’re a Transformers Generation 1 fan you will love this, if you’re an action fan you will love this and if you’re a fan of both then I don’t even know why you haven’t bought the game yet. For everyone else, this is a very solid title that you should definitely try out if action games interest you at all especially at it’s more welcoming price point.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Madman Entertainment announced via press release that they have uploaded an original live-action film to promote their theatrical release of the anime film Boruto: Naruto the Movie. This six-minute video, titled Uzumaki vs. Uzumaki, was produced in collaboration with Deerstalker Pictures. It can be watched on Madman’s official YouTube channel here. Madman provided a synopsis of the original film:
The son of a legend carves his own story!
With Naruto as the Seventh Hokage, Hidden Leaf Village is planning to host the Chunin Exams to train new shinobi from the village and from their allied villages. Among the entrants are Sasuke’s daughter, Sarada, Mitsuki, an exceptionally talented yet mysterious shinobi… And Boruto, Naruto’s talented but impetuous son.
Meanwhile, Sasuke who’s been on a mission in another dimension appears before Naruto to warn of a strange impending danger. Shrouded with an evil aura, Momoshiki and Kinshiki appear and attempt to assassinate Naruto. Petrified, Boruto is shielded by Naruto, only to disappear in front of Boruto’s own eyes.
The film is showing in cinemas across Australia and New Zealand from October 15-21, 2015. This one-week theatrical run will present the film in Japanese with English subtitles. It was originally announced that it would run from October 15 to October 22, although this seems to have been in error. A special screening was held on October 10 in Melbourne and Sydney.
Rejoice Disney Infinity fans, as it is time to once again dive into the Toy Box, but this time we aren’t just building our own worlds and hoping for the best. Disney will be officially releasing the Toy Box Expansion games in stores across the country from tomorrow!
The two games work similarly to the Disney infinity 2.0 Toy Box Game Discs, where you place the disc on your Infinity Base and are taken to a complete game experience. The two new games are;
Toy Box Takeover – When Syndrome gets his hands on Merlin’s magic wand, it’s up to the player to stop him. Using their favorite characters in Disney Infinity, they must battle across multiple worlds, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Marvel’s Upper Manhattan, The Old West, or The Incredibles Volcano Lair to defeat the bad guys before they ruin the Toy Box forever. Family and friends can play together via two-player local co-op or four-player online.
Toy Box Speedway – Players can join their favorite Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars characters and vehicles in an action-packed kart-racer. With nine franchise-themed tracks to choose from – Sugar Rush, Frozen, Tatooine, a classic Star Wars location, San Fransokyo, Agrabah, Monsters Inc., Halloween Town, Gravity Falls or Marvel’s Knowhere – players can choose from three different game modes including Time Trial mode, Race mode and Combat mode. Players put their driving skills to the test as they attack opponents with gadgets and weapons and earn trophies across three challenge cups.
We actually reviewed Toy Box Takeover a little earlier this year, so click here to check out our review. With any luck, Toy Box Speedway will be just as fun and both combined will no doubt provide hours of fun for players everywhere. Also remember that the two games unlock a tonne of new Toy Box content for players to muck around with, so be sure to check them out!
