In the spirit of the many skinned characters of Minecraft, Telltale Games announced today that players will be able to customize their version of Jesse, the hero of Minecraft: Story Mode. Players will be able to choose Jesse’s gender and select a variety of appearance options in game. Along with the announcement, Telltale Games released several screenshots with different versions of Jesse starring in each of them.
Just a reminder for those going to PAX Prime this weekend, be sure to swing by the Telltale Games booth to check out the first playable demo of Minecraft: Story Mode and grab some exclusive t-shirts for trying out the demo.
Minecraft: Story Mode launches on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android this fall.
The Breathe– Dive into the depths of an underwater forest and discover the horrifying secrets it holds.
Lilly and Sasha: Guardian Angels – Part 3 of the Lilly and Sasha series sees Lilly following Sasha through the Nexus of Souls and Friffin and Dak continuing the fight against Zahhak.
Slinki– The game stars a twisted rabbit with a prosthetic arm that has a wide variety of tools and weapons that will help players slash through its many levels.
For a minimum purchase of $2.89 in the first 24 hours, buyers will get:
Putrefaction – A hard core shooter inspired old school horror shooters.
Nomad– A hard-core voxel styled sandbox zombie survival game.
Star Chronicles: Delta Quadrant – A turn based strategy game with rogue-lite elements that will send players through the galaxy in a scout ship.
Advent – Cyrus and his friends are embarking on an epic journey to decode four tablets that have the world’s destiny written on them.
Hush– Ashlyn must survive against childhood fears, nightmares, and dreams personified in this action-adventure.
Nightfall: Escape – A first person survival horror inspired by the monsters of Filipino folklore.
Spy Bugs– You won’t have a cockpit, but you’ll get a bugs eye view of some intense aerial combat in this Steam Early Access title.
VolChaos– Grab your adventurin’ had and prepare to tackle one of the most challenging old school platformers you’ll ever play.
Hordelicious – A semi hard-core wave based shooter that will pit players against hordes of enemies.
For the first 24 hours of the sale, the entire bundle can be purchased for only $2.89, so pick up your copy at Indie Gala today.
ASTRO GAMING REDEFINES PRO WITH NEW TOURNAMENT READY SERIES HEADSET, MIXAMP™ AND MOD KITS For Gamers: New ASTRO Gaming Mod Kits™ Introduce Dynamic User Customization and Sound Environment Solutions for TR Series Headsets
For Streamers: New MixAmp™ Pro TR Delivers Dramatic Improvements with Digital Hardware, New Command Software, Fully Customizable Stream Output and Much More
(PAX PRIME) SEATTLE, WA. – AUGUST 28, 2015 – ASTRO Gaming, creators of premium video gaming equipment, announced an exciting new Tournament Ready (TR) series of gaming audio products that will redefine expectations for pro-gaming and livestreaming audio equipment. The ASTRO Gaming TR lineup includes a redesigned ASTRO Gaming A40 TR Headset that enables this award-winning product to be compatible with the studio’s new ASTRO Gaming Mod Kits, a collection of interchangeable parts that enable the headset to adapt to any gaming environment. In addition, ASTRO has delivered exciting improvements to the ASTRO GamingMixAmp™ Pro TR making it an essential piece of gaming hardware for pro players, serious gamers and livestreamers alike. Available later this year, ASTRO Gaming’s new TR series will be previewed to fans this week during PAX Prime in Seattle, August 28-31 – ASTRO Gaming booth #3217.
ASTRO Gaming TR Series products are the official Audio Gaming Headset Brand of Call of Duty®: Black Ops III from Activision and Treyarch. A Call of Duty: Black Ops III branded Mod Kit will be available at launch to provide fans of the franchise with the ability to modify their A40 TR headset to add the iconic Black Ops III logos and graphics. Call of Duty: Black Ops III is scheduled for release on November 6.
“With ASTRO Gaming’s new Tournament Ready (TR) series of audio products, we’re reaffirming our commitment to the eSports community globally. Professional gamers have long trusted ASTRO due to our single-minded commitment to delivering products that push the envelope of performance, comfort, durability, style and customization,” said Aron Drayer, VP of Marketing, ASTRO Gaming. “eSports has changed dramatically in the 7 years since we launched our original A40 headset and MixAmp and has come to include more than just tournament play. eSports now includes livestreaming as both a spectator and a competitor, as well as a new generation of professionals who started in eSports and then launched careers in gaming. The definition of who a professional gamer is has changed, and our new products deliver the features and functionality this community demands.”
So, What Are ASTRO Gaming Mod Kits? ASTRO Gaming Mod Kits provide gamers with an opportunity to both customize and personalize their audio experience like never before. Each Mod Kit includes a highly sensitive Voice-Isolating Mic to better combat excess noise in noisy gaming environments; Noise-Cancelling Ear Cushions reduce background noise; Closed-Back Speaker Tags which utilize a silicone baffle to completely close the headset off and further reduce background noise; and, a Leather Headband for additional comfort and style.
ASTRO Gaming Mod Kits can dramatically change the functionality of the ASTRO Gaming A40 TR Pro-Gaming Headset, making it the only gaming headset available today that converts between closed-back and open-back performance. Mod Kits make the headset a much more versatile pro-gaming audio solution, be it at home in a quiet room or at the raucous and sound-filled finals of a Call of Duty® tournament.
ASTRO Gaming Mod Kits are sold separately for $60 and connect to the ASTRO Gaming A40 TR Pro-Gaming Headset.
What’s New with the MixAmp Pro TR?
ASTRO Gaming’s patented MixAmp has long been a critical audio component for pro gamers and livestreamers alike. Its ability to facilitate gaming communication between professional gamers and casters has made it the pro standard since its release. The ASTRO Gaming MixAmp Pro TR represents a big step forward technologically, offering tremendously increased user control to both gamers and livestreamers alike.
The ASTRO Gaming MixAmp Pro TR features include: all new digital circuitry delivering interference-free gaming and >1ms delay time; fully supports PC and Mac gaming with improved Game-to-Voice balance and USB soundcard connectivity; Customizable Stream Output, which can deliver Dolby Headphone Surround encoded output; an AUX input that now allows in and out communication; digital daisy chaining for lag-free local voice chat; and, the new ASTRO Gaming MixAmp Pro TR works with every ASTRO headset ever made.
Finally, the ASTRO Gaming MixAmp Pro TR will work the new ASTRO Command Center software, a free downloadable tool that will allow customization of every MixAmp TR setting and the creation of personalized EQ profiles. Additional capabilities include:
Customize EQ settings that can be stored, shared and easily loaded onto the MixAmp Pro TR
Customize outgoing voice chat with adjustments for mic level, noisegate and sidetone
Customize stream output for the precise mix of game sound and voice chat desired, including two-channel Dolby Headphone Surround Sound output
ASTRO Gaming’s new TR Series headsets, MixAmps and Mod Kits will be highlighted at PAX Prime in Seattle, August 28-31 – ASTRO Gaming Booth #3217. Additional product details, pricing and availability will be announced when the products release later this year. For more information about ASTRO Gaming, please visit www.astrogaming.com.
About Call of Duty: Black Ops III Call of Duty: Black Ops III is set in the year 2065, where bio augmentation and cybernetic enhancements have given rise to a new breed of Black Ops soldiers. Through Direct Neural Interface (DNI) technology, players are now connected to the intelligence grid and their fellow operatives during battle. This elite squad consists of men and women who have enhanced their combat capabilities to fight faster, stronger, and smarter. Black Ops III also offers the deepest, most rewarding multiplayer ever offered in Call of Duty®, featuring a brand new chain-based fluid movement system, Specialist characters with unique weapons and abilities, Gunsmith weapon customization tools and a range of new eSports capabilities. In addition, Treyarch’s signature Zombies mode makes its return with “Shadows of Evil,” an on-disc experience set in a 1940s film noir-inspired era that follows four unwitting characters that must work together to stay alive while a mysterious, shadowy figure offers them a path to redemption. For more information, visit: www.callofduty.com, www.youtube.com/callofduty.
About ASTRO Gaming
ASTRO Gaming creates premium video gaming equipment and lifestyle products for professional gamers, leagues and gaming enthusiasts. Spun-off from design powerhouse ASTRO Studios, known in the gaming world for designing the Microsoft Xbox 360™, Alienware PCs, and HP’s Gaming PCs, ASTRO Gaming produces a line of gamer-centric “tech-life” products, supporting this rapidly growing community. ASTRO Gaming’s product line includes the wireless A50 Headset, the A40 Headset and MixAmp™ Pro, the A38 Bluetooth ANC mobile headset, the A30 Cross-Gaming Headset, and the Transport series of gaming gear bags.
All ASTRO Gaming products are available at www.astrogaming.com, www.astrogaming.co.uk and www.astrogaming.fr
Announcing Vainglory Seasons – Autumn Season 2015 Begins in October!
Our long-term vision for Vainglory is to create a game that allows for season-based play at every level, from casual matches with friends at home to live-broadcasted eSports tournaments with fierce rivalries. We are very excited to announce that from October onward, Vainglory will feature quarterly seasons. The first official season, Autumn 2015, kicks off this October!
Every year, we’ll divide the Vainglory calendar into four distinct seasons: Winter Season will run from January to March, Spring Season from April until June, Summer Season from July through September and Autumn Season will kick this off in October and run until the end of the year.
During each of these seasons, individual players and teams will be able to earn rewards based on in-game achievements. To ensure that things feel as inclusive as possible for whatever kind of player you are, some of the rewards will be focused purely on you or your team’s competitive skill, while others will reward your commitment and dedication to the game.
This seasonal model means that there will always be fresh content and activities for you to enjoy throughout the year. Achievements will vary from season to season, and all of the trophies that you earn will be kept in a new trophy room being added to your in-game player profile.
To get everyone started with something to strive for during the buildup to the inaugural Autumn Season 2015, we’re adding a special preseason trophy to earn. Starting with update 1.8, you’ll have approximately one month to reach the highest possible skill tier in Ranked play., Your preseason achievement will be immortalized as a permanent trophy at the start of Autumn Season 2015 in October and your skill tier will be reset.
In addition to the new seasonal in-game achievements and rewards, we will also supporting and officially sanctioning regional competitive tournaments and leagues involving the best teams in each region. Following on from the highly successful Vainglory World Invitational, receiving more than 1M views, we have leagues confirmed for Europe, North America and Korea. For the inaugural season, the global eSports prize pool will total more than $100,000. Look for more regional competition news over the coming months!
We are excited to today also announce that we will be working closely with Twitch to promote and support the growing Vainglory eSports community starting with the VGL regional qualifiers for North America and Europe, which start Sept. 5. See the full broadcast schedule here [LINK]. More details on what we will do together in Autumn 2015 are to come. Also be sure to tune into the Vainglory International Premier League operated by OGN, as the group stages wrap up and the high-pressure elimination games begin! The full broadcast schedule is here [LINK].
Good luck, have fun and here’s to the introduction of Vainglory Seasonal play! As always, we’ll be paying close attention to your feedback, especially throughout the preseason and Autumn Season 2015!
It’s PAX Prime weekend! If you aren’t checking out the convention, then at least get up to date with this week’sXbox Newsbeat from Microsoft.
Get Ready to Jump Ahead with Xbox One Thanks to September’s Games with Gold
September is just around the corner, so it means four new games will be free for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Xbox One owners will be able to get a copy of The Deer God from September 1-30th. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition will be free from September 16th to October 15th. Xbox 360 owners can look forward to Battlestations: Pacific from September 1-15th and Crysis 3 from September 16-30th.
Relive Emergence Day with Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is out now in stores. The HD remaster of the modern classic features completely remastered art and cut-scenes that have been re-recorded with motion-capture technology. The game now runs at a silky smooth 60 FPS at 1080p on the Xbox One.
Buyers will also snag a copy of the entire Gears of War series on through Xbox One Backwards Compatibility program, as long as they play the game before January 1st, 2016. Additionally, the game will come with guaranteed beta access to Gears of War 4.
Xbox announces Partnership with V8 Supercars Australia to Bring Fans Closer to the Action in Forza Motorsport 6
Ten of the top Australian V8 Supercars will be appearing in Forza Motorsport 6. All five constructors in the series will be represented in the game and the livery editor will let players create all the cars from the 2015 season. The following cars have been added to the garage:
2015 Nissan #23 Nissan Motorsport Altima
2015 Volvo #33 Wilson Security Racing GRM S60
2015 Mercedes-Benz #9 Erebus Motorsport E63 AMG V8 Supercar
2015 Mercedes-Benz #4 Erebus Motorsport E63 AMG V8 Supercar
2015 Holden #14 Freightliner Racing VF Commodore
2015 Ford #5 Pepsi Max Crew PRA Falcon FG X
2015 Ford #17 Xbox Racing Ford Falcon FG X
2015 Holden #97 Tekno Autosports VF Commodore
2015 Holden #22 Holden Racing Team VF Commodore
2015 Holden #1 Red Bull Racing Australia VF Commodore
2011 HSV GTS
1981 Ford #55 Liqui Moly equipe Capri Turbo
1973 Ford XB Falcon GT
2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
2001 Acura Integra Type-R
1971 Lotus Elan Sprint
1992 Lancia Delta HF Integrale EVO
2015 Honda #28 Andretti Autosport IndyCar
2015 Honda #27 Andretti Autosport IndyCar
2015 Chevrolet #1 Team Penske IndyCar
2015 Honda #25 Andretti Autosport IndyCar
1980 Abarth Fiat 131
1993 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec
1982 Lancia 037 Stradale
1986 Lancia Delta S4
2013 Abarth Punto Supersport
2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde
1997 Mitsubishi GTO
1994 Nissan Fairlady Z Version S Twin Turbo
2009 Vauxhall Corsa VXR
2011 Lotus Evora S
2010 Renault Clio RS
2003 Renault Sport Clio V6
1989 Toyota MR2 SC
1986 Alfa Romeo GTV-6
2014 Lexus IS 350 F Sport
1980 Subaru BRAT GL
2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Battletoads Edition
Forza Motorsport 6 Has Gone Gold! Demo Arrives Sept. 1
Forza Motorsport 6 has gone gold and we are finally reaching the end of the massive garage listing. Gamers will be able to play the official demo on September 1st, with players getting a bonus Ford GT if they buy the full game. Those who own the Ultimate Edition can start playing on September 10th. The game launches everywhere on September 15th, 2015.
The final garage announcement is being headlined by the powerful 2015 Mercedes-AMG GT S. The final 10 cars being added to the massive 460 car roster are the following:
2015 Mercedes-AMG GT S
1979 BMW #6 BMW Motorsport M1 Procar
2015 Volvo S60 Polestar
2014 Audi #45 Flying Lizard Motorsports R8 LMS ultra
2014 BMW #5 Ebay Motors 125i M Sport
2014 Chevrolet #3 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R
2015 Jaguar XKR-S GT
1976 Lotus #5 Team Lotus 77
1969 Lola #10 Simoniz Special T163
2014 Ferrari California T
Getting Our Hands Dirty with Rise of the Tomb Raider
The Xbox Wire team got a chance to check out a playable demo of Rose of the Tomb Raider earlier this month. The demo was set in an ancient prophet’s tomb in Syria and shows off some of the puzzle solving skills players will need. The crypt is full of nasty traps to protect the ancient prophet’s rest, but Lara is able to scan the area, giving players a chance to plan their approach before things got hairy. The demo also showed the importance of the tape recorder for moving the plot forward while players explore tombs. Rise of the Tomb Raider launches on Xbox One on November 10th.
WHISPERING WILLOWS NOW AVAILABLE ON XBOX ONE, APP STORE AND GOOGLE PLAY
Indie 2D Horror Adventure Launches Today with New Trailer – Wii U and Windows 10 Versions Coming Soon
Los Angeles, CA – August 28, 2015 – The wait is over – Night Light Interactive’s gorgeous, hand painted horror gem Whispering Willows is now available on Xbox One, the Apple App Store, and Google Play. Whispering Willows will also be launching for the Wii U System and Windows 10 in the very near future.
As part of Microsoft’s Deals with Gold promotion, Whispering Willows will launch at 30% off its normal $9.99 price for $6.99 (through Friday, September 11). It will be launching at a special 50% off price point of $4.99 for both iOS and Android for the first two weeks as well.
Elena’s journey through the Willows Mansion is fraught with danger and haunted spirits.
“The response we initially received from gamers who checked out Whispering Willows on OUYA was phenomenal, and we are so thrilled to be able to give Xbox and mobile gamers the same opportunity today,” said David Logan, CEO and Co-Founder of Night Light Interactive. “Partnering with Abstraction Games has ensured that the Xbox and mobile versions are of the highest quality, so gamers will have a memorable experience waiting for them.”
Rich with narrative, filled with gorgeous hand-painted 2D visuals, and set to a haunting soundtrack, Whispering Willows is a horror themed side-scrolling adventure where players take the role of Elena, a young girl determined to solve the mystery behind her missing father. Using a unique amulet gifted from her father, Elena possesses the extraordinary ability to project her spirit outside of her body. While in this spectral form, she can interact with the benevolent spirits and wicked wraiths that used to dwell within the walls of the sinister Willows Mansion. Help Elena use her astral projection to solve puzzles, help lost spirits, and uncover the mysteries behind her missing father.
A winner of multiple awards including Best Story at Casual Connect Indie Prize, Whispering Willows review codes are available – contact Jerry Whitehead III with Reverb Communications at [email protected]. For more information head to nightlightinteractive.com, follow @NightLightGames and like it on Facebook.
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ABOUT ABSTRACTION GAMES:
Abstraction successfully bridges the gap between the major AAA publishers and the small, bootstrapped independent development teams. As it is essentially an independent development studio, Abstraction is plugged into the indie scene and knows which games and developers are worth paying attention to. Abstraction has strong publisher and first party relationships from its history of working on large adaptations, such as Angry Birds and Hotline Miami. With several major adaptations under its belt, Abstraction Games looks to continue to establish itself as a leader in the space, while also working on their own projects and games in the near future. For more information, please visit abstractiongames.com.
ABOUT NIGHT LIGHT INTERACTIVE:
Night Light Interactive is a Los Angeles based independent game studio founded by David Logan and Michael Bellavia that produced the beautifully crafted multi-platform title Whispering Willows. The award-winning studio is comprised of passionate designers and developers, located both locally and internationally, who share the same enthusiasm and dedication for game development. For more information, please visit nightlightinteractive.com.
Daedalic “Developer Weekend” on Steam: Huge Discounts, Skyhill Pre-Order and More!
Publisher launches pre-orders for Skyhill, releases Skyhill demo, discounts many games up to 95% and adds new bundle
Hamburg, Germany August 28, 2015 | Daedalic, a leading international publisher and developer of story-driven interactive games, announces the Daedalic Publisher Weekend on Steam. From now until Monday, 6:59 PM (CET), 36 titles and bundles are massively discounted up to 95 percent. The Publisher Weekend takes place exactly three years after Daedalic first presented a game on Steam.
Daedalic is also offering two incredible bundle deals: the Armageddon Bundle, containing eleven adventure games including popular titles such as “Edna’s New Eyes” and the beloved “Deponia” series. The new Gigantic Bundle holds 13 games, including popular recent releases such as Anna’s Quest, Dead Synchronicity, Blackguards 1+2 and Skyhill (pre-order).
At the same time, Daedalic is offering pre-orders for Skyhill, a survival rogue-like set in a massive (and monster-filled) hotel after an apocalypse. A playable demo is also available, containing the first 21 levels of the 100-level hotel “Skyhill”, that the player has to escape from. Daedalic will release Skyhill on October 6.
Daedalic Entertainment is a Hamburg-based indie-studio that develops and publishes high-quality games worldwide, focusing on the projects with strong narratives. Over the last few years, Daedalic has collected 21 German Game Developer Awards (incl. “Studio of the Year” 2009 and 2013), five German Computer Game Awards (incl. “Best Game 2011”), and more.
It’s never good to be alone inside the horror genre, so it’s a good thing Supermassive games has created a companion app for its latest game Until Dawn. The PlayStation 4 exclusive launched just a few days ago with the companion app right after. The app is available for download from both the iTunes store and Google Play, but reportedly is having issues running on the Samsung Galaxy S6.
The App store description reads as follows.
Get the most out of Until Dawn™ on PlayStation®4 with this companion app. All you’ll need is for your PlayStation®4 console to be on the same WiFi network as your device and you’re ready to go! Follow the instructions in the app to connect to your game. (Download App here from the iTunes Store)
App features:
• Unlock secrets as you play the main game
• Track your behaviour as the game progresses in your Player Profile
• Review the hidden collectables you’ve found in-game
• Find out the history of the game’s location, Blackwood Pines
• Test your character traits against the game’s protagonists, and let your friends know how you did. What would YOU do?
• Find out more about the characters and their backstories
• Buy the full game online
Some of those collectibles are tough to find so I definitely recommend the app, it’s free so you have nothing to lose after all. You can check out our review of Until Dawn to see what we thought of the full game.
For the past three years, kids (and kits at heart) all across the globe have been putting figures down onto bases, loading up games and letting their imagination run wild on their TV screens. Thanks to Disney Infinity we have been able to have Mr. Incredible and Spider-Man team up against Davy Jones and Loki, or Mike Wazowski frightening Nick Fury. Well it was bound to happen sooner or later, and now Disney have added characters from a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away to the mix. Disney Infinity is here and in addition to all of the new vehicles, characters and lightsabers, the entire game has been reworked and kicked up to 11 to provide the most fluid, exciting and downright fun Disney Infinity experience to date.
Note: Since the game is sold as both a bundle, and a digital-only stand alone game, we have broken the review into several parts. The part you are reading now is focused on the Starter Pack and Toy Box components that everyone will have access to at launch. For the rest of our reviews, click through below:
Disney Infinity 3.0 may look like it is all about Star Wars, but really it is about being bigger and better than ever before. All of those features you loved in the previous games have been taken to new levels.
In previous games there was always a pre-built Toy Box for you to kind of run around in and learn the ropes of the game, but there was really not all that much to it. Now, Avalanche have taken it up several notches with the Toy Box Hub. Now not only do you have a pre-built world to explore, but with tutorials, challenges and access to the game’s online, the Hub is definitely the place to be.
Heading into Flynn’s Arcade through the Toy Box Hub will put you in an online lobby where you are able to face off against three random players in competitive challenges. The downside is that you need four players or else the game wont start. That sadly means that with so few people playing before launch, I didn’t really get to experience too much of this aspect of the game. Although what did happen a lot is that when I went to one of the arcade machines to select which game mode I wanted to play, the game would deposit me into somebody’s world where more often than not, they would be none too happy to find a level twenty Darth Vader suddenly standing in the center of their INterior. That being said, this kind of random dropping made for some absolutely hilarious encounters.
Another of the new additions to the Toy Box is the new farming and sidekicks mechanics. Taking inspiration from the 2.0 Toy Box Games sidekicks and amping it up to 11, the new sidekicks provide a fun addition to the Toy Box experience. You can unlock gear for your sidekicks by playing through certain missions (although most of my gear was found in the Toy Box Takeover game) which allows them to help you out in the Toy Box. Weapons, armor and creative tools are found in abundance, but the real treasure comes from the new farming mechanic.
You can equip your sidekicks with a hoe and watering can, which allows them to grow food. This food in turn is used to feed your sidekick so that their skills will improve. There is a kind of Pokémon-esq vibe to the whole thing where you train a select group of sidekicks to best help you out (my team of sidekicks were Dipper and Mabel Pines, Darkwing Duck, Scrooge McDuck, The Mad Hatter and Rapunzel). Growing food is largely a waiting game as your minions rush about the land planting and watering thewir crops. Each time you harvest a fully grown crop you will be awarded with a hat for your sidekicks to wear which increases the chance of finding more of that crop. I found that if you plant more of the crop you just found, you will move up the rarity chain, starting at things like Carrot and Sunflowers until you are growing things like Pumba’s Grubs and Mickey’s Ice Pops. It is an exciting experience to see a surprise new crop type in amongst what you have planted, and then waiting for it to grow so you can harvest it. As I’m writing this, I realise that Disney have tricked me into playing Farmville on my PS4… damn…
Disney Infinity is a franchise that despite its colourful exterior has always really been about the combat. You fight enemy characters, you fight bosses, you fight other players! So it has always been a shame that the combat, while fun, has always been a little on the clunky side. Well thanks to Ninja Theory, all of that is a thing of the past. The combat engine has been completely reworked and the results are clear from the moment you start playing. While simple button press combos are still present, the developers have added a new combo system where if you press your attack buttons in specific strings, you will unleash devastating, flourished combos that can absolutely obliterate anything in your path. These combos are relatively easy to learn too, especially because they are accompanied by a visual cue – when your lightsaber flares (or other equipped weapon sparkles), hit the attack button again to continue the combo. Mastering these combos takes a little more time but is very doable, and once you do you will feel like a real Jedi Master.
This improvement to combat could not have come at a better time, because frankly Jedi need to feel like elegant dancers in how they move and fight, and the developers have managed to pull off this feeling perfectly. Even just watching some of the Jedi’s combos will have you awestruck at just how impressive they look. Characters move like they do in the films (or animated shows) and
No matter which game you had or which platform it was on, Disney Infinity is a franchise that has always been riddled with performance issues. It is no surprise considering the incredible scope of the games themselves, but none the less they have been a consistant burden in players everywhere. Well, I am oh so happy to report that like most other parts of the game, the performance has undergone a serious improvement. Loading times have been cut by more than half compared to 2.0 and the random glitches, bugs, lag and framerate issues have largely been done away with. Now that isn’t to say that the game runs perfectly as is; there are still more than a couple of bugs that players are likely to encounter but they are minor and far more infrequent than previous titles.
Visuals & Audio
Disney Infinity has an art style that is unique unto itself, managing to blend the unique properties of all of its included franchises, mix it with a bit of its own and cover it with a splash of cartoony colour that manages to hold the whole package together perfectly.
While I was playing, someone commented to me that they felt the visuals of this game were not up to par with what you would expect from a current-generation console game. Now from a technical standpoint I can see that it would be nearly impossible for the game to run higher-resolution textures than it does. The sheer scope of the game means that it would likely crumble under its own weight if it did so (compare this to Minecraft which runs low-resolution visuals for a similar reason) However, on a purely subjective note; I like the art style of Disney Infinity, I always have. The bright cartoony colours, the fact that every character and every represented franchise has its unique and defining traits maintained while all still feeling uniform; to me it all just works.
Sadly though, the visuals are not perfect. On more than one occasion, several textures would flicker and disappear completely. These are minor in the grand scheme of things, but they also can’t be overlooked
Overall
The Disney Infinity franchise has always been about recreating that feeling of free play you had when you were a child. When you had your Lego Minifigs battling against your Iron Man action figure. It didn’t need to make sense back then because it was just imaginative fun. Well, after playing these games for three years, I feel that the intended spirit has finally been captured and honestly I did feel like a kid again, having Obi-Wan Kenobi standing side by side with Captain America or Buzz Lightyear going toe-to-toe with Darth Vader – it really is the type of experience that you can’t get anywhere else in video gaming.
While the theme of Disney Infinity 3.0 is Star Wars, it could also be called Disney Infinity 3.0: Bigger and Better, because that’s what it is. Elements and mechanics that were introduced in previous games have been expanded upon to incredible levels, and the nagging technical issues that plagued the game have been largely done away with. Slick combat, more advanced building tools and a new Toy Box hub that makes world creation feel a bit less daunting all combine to create the best Disney Infinity experience to date.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Those who purchase the physical edition of the Disney Infinity 3.0 Starter Set will get this Play Set and its two included figures; Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano as part of the bundle. It can also be purchased individually for those who opted for the digital edition of the game. With its combination of ground based action/adventure/brawler combat and spaceship dogfighting, Twilight of the Republic is easily the best Play Set of the entire Disney Infinity franchise.
Story
When a droid production factory on Geonosis is mysteriously switched back online, the Jedi forces make their way to the desert planet to see what the Separatists are up to. There they discover that the Separatists were not the ones responsible for the factory being reestablished, and the true plot is much more sinister.
One great thing about the Clone Wars era of Star Wars is that there is so much that they still haven’t shown us. We haven’t seen every battle, every encounter, every major player in the war and that leaves writers a lot of breathing room when it comes to crafting stories set in this time period. With that in mind, Avalanche have created a story that fits cohesively with the rest of the Clone Wars animated series and in fact feels like it could just as easily be a “lost episode” to accompany it. The tone of the campaign, as well as the delivery of the voice cast are spot on and players will be able to find themselves just enjoying the experience for that factor alone.
Gameplay
Twilight of the Republic is at its core an action/adventure game. You take control of one of four Jedi characters; Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi or Yoda, and battle through waves of enemies as you make your way through the Play Sets several distinct locations.
With Disney Infinity 3.0’s updated combat engine, Twilight of the Republic feels like an honest-to-goodness action title. The way your characters can string combos together is a thing of absolute beauty and it makes facing hordes of Battle Droids no big deal. Juggling an enemy into the air, following up with a combo and then blasting them away with the force all before landing back on the ground and using a finisher on the rest of the droids around you just makes you feel powerful. This sense of power is something that I believe was missing from previous Disney Infinity games and it is a great feeling now that it is included.
While there is a certain focus on the ground-based combat and exploration, it isn’t the only focus of the Play Set. Since this is a Star Wars game, space-based combat is an important component and when you jump into your star ship and blast into space, you will encounter enemies in an almost Star Fox/Lylat Wars style space shooter. With the mixture of ground-based action/adventure gameplay and aerial battles as you travel from one location to another; I am reminded strongly of the Star Fox Adventures game for GameCube, which although it copped its fair share of flack, I personally liked and being able to revisit that style of gameplay but with Star Wars characters is incredibly awesome.
Taking a cue from Disney Infinity 2.0, the Play Set is also littered with Champion Coins (formerly known as Crossover Tokens). These collectibles, once found will allow their corresponding Star Wars character to be used in the Play Set. Unlike 2.0, there is only one token for each character and most of them are pretty easy to find along your journey.
Visuals & Audio
Right off the bat I will say that it is phenomenal to hear the cast of Clone Wars back together again. For many people, the Clone Wars animated series versions of the characters are the definitive versions, so seeing Avalanche put so much effort into keeping it as close in feel to the show is outstanding and should be applauded.
Overall
For those who feel that the Clone Wars was cut short before its time, you now have one final storyline to enjoy! Twilight of the Republic manages to capture everything about that show and brings it to life in Disney Infinity. When looking back at all of the Play Sets for the DI series (Incredibles, Monsters Inc, Pirates of the Caribbean, Avengers, Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy) I honestly think that the gameplay and story of Twilight of the Republic make it the best of the bunch.
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Forza Motorsport 6 has gone gold and we are finally reaching the end of the massive garage listing. Gamers will be able to play the official demo on September 1st, with players getting a bonus Ford GT if they buy the full game. Those who own the Ultimate Edition can start playing on September 10th. The game launches everywhere on September 15th, 2015.
