Home Blog Page 3453

Awesome Nintendo Direct 2nd of April Recap

April 2, 2015

Wow! Nintendo just had a fantastic Nintendo Direct focusing on a heap of new DLC and new titles for both the Wii U and 3DS and it was one of the best Directs I’ve seen in a long time. You can (and should) watch the full video below to see everything in action but as it goes for about 50 minutes feel free to read our recap below detailing every highlight you might have missed. Please note all release dates and prices are for the Europe region, release dates should match but prices will differ.

Super Smash Bros Wii U

– Mewtwo has a new trailer, release date and price. He will be available for those that redeemed both the 3DS and Wii U Smash Bros. Club Nintendo codes on April 15th. Otherwise he will be available on April 28th and cost £3.59 if you buy Mewtwo for one console or £4.49 for both.

– Mewtwo won’t be the only DLC though. That’s right more is coming and the first character is none other than the cut from Brawl Lucas! Lucas will be available sometime in June.

– That’s not all though. More DLC characters are planned and this time you get to vote for them. A special site has opened allowing players to request any character they wish. You can visit the site and have your say by clicking here.

– New Mii fighter costumes are also coming out for your Mii. Some are brand new and some are based on classic franchises. The Direct showcases crossover costumes from Zelda, Mega Man and Xenoblade Chronicles. Costumes will be available April 15th and you can cross buy them for £1.09 each or for only one version for £0.69.

– Smash Bros will be receiving software update 1.0.6 which contains the ability to purchase future add on DLC, adjusts the games balance, adds ability to share screenshots, replays, Mii Fighters and custom stages on the Wii U version and has some other miscellaneous adjustments for more enjoyable gameplay.

– The next wave of Smash Bros Amiibo are incoming. Greninja and Jigglypuff are coming May 29th.

– Zero Suit Samus, Ganondorf, Palutena and Dark Pit are coming in June.

– Olimar, Dr. Mario and Bowser Jr. are coming in July.

Amiibo Touch & Play Classics Highlights

– A free download from the e-Shop, users can tap their Amiibo to gain access to a random segment from a classic game such as Super Mario Bros. or The Legend of Zelda but heaps more are available. Games aren’t tied to Amiibo so it it completely random.

– You are limited to only 3 minutes of gameplay at a time but you can tap the Amiibo again to switch ‘scenes’ to go to a different level for example.

Mario Maker

– Mario Maker has a release date at last. Marked as a celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Mario, the game will release in September and seems like it will be receiving both a retail and downloadable release. Nintendo will be exploring fun ways to celebrate this landmark.

– As we knew the game has four different skins you can apply to your levels, from the original Super Mario Bros., Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros. Wii U. The UI seems to be incorporating some Mario Paint elements as well such as the Robot and Rocket Ship.

– Players can upload their levels and share them freely with the world so others can download them. It seems players can make their own worlds of four levels as well.

Yoshi’s Wooly World

– Yoshi can still gobble up enemies and use eggs, similar to Yoshi Story (the game looks very similar).

– Apparently the game will be very challenging. Players can switch between classic mode and mellow mode at any time to make the game easier. In mellow mode, players control winged Yoshi which makes the game much easier.

– Yarn Yoshi Amiibo are coming out! They come in three colours (green, pink and light blue) and are made of yarn! Scanning in the Amiibo in Yoshi’s Wooly World will make another Yoshi appear in game which you can eat and use as an egg.

– The game is launching on June 26th and will come in a standalone pack and as a bundle with a Green Yoshi Woolen Amiibo.

Splatoon

– A few more modes were announced in addition to story mode and local multiplayer. The first was ranked battle where players team up in 4 on 4 matches. One ranked mode is called Splat Zones where two teams battle for ownership of a certain stage area.

– Another mode is the Battle Dojo where players can enjoy local one on one vs. Players compete to see who can pop the most balloons on the stage with one player using the T.V. and one using the GamePad.

– Splatoon are also getting Amiibo. Both the main guy and girl Inkling character have their own Amiibo and an exclusive green squid Amiibo will be released, exclusively in a bundle with the game. Lord help us. The Amiibo grant access to exclusive missions, gears and weapons.

– Splatoon launches next month on May 29th.

Affordable Space Adventures

– A new title centered on space travel on a budget called Affordable Space Adventures.

– The game is a stealth/adventure game where the GamePad displays a cockpit of your first ship. Players explore planets on a 2D plane. Players can work alone or with 2 friends to control unique parts of the ship.

– The game will be available on April 9th exclusively as a downloadable title for the Wii U from the eShop.

Swords & Soldiers II

– A sequel to the award winning WiiWare game, player’s build structures to overpower the enemy on a 2D battle ground.

– There are two factions both with different strengths. Touch screen controls are used to use commands. The game will be available exclusively on Wii U on May 21st.

Wii U Virtual Console

– The Wii U is finally getting Nintendo 64 and Nintendo DS titles!

– The first DS titiles will be Mario Kart DS and WarioWare Touched!

– DS games will have multiple ways to be displayed, including top screen on the T.V. and bottom screen on the GamePad, a picture of the original Nintendo DS on the screen with the two screens to display the original aspect ratio or the top screen taking up most of the T.V. with the bottom screen small or that scenario but flipped. There is also a screen smoothing option.

– The first Nintendo 64 titles will be Super Mario 64 and Donkey Kong 64.

– Both 64 and DS titles will cost £8.99 each. If you buy three of the games mentioned here before April 16th you will get the other one free. The games should be available to download now.

– Players can upgrade their games from the Wii versions if they have transferred them over (Super Mario 64 for example) for £1.79.

– Paper Mario and Yoshi’s Island DS are the next titles coming to the Wii U Virtual Console in May.

– Three new Wii VC titles were also announced. Pandora’s Tower on April 16th and Sin & Punishment Successor of the Skies on April 30th. Both games are £17.99 but will be available at 25% off for the first week after launch.

Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem

– Finally more news and a trailer on this title announced nearly 2 years ago from Atlus. The game looks very colourful and has a Persona vibe to it.

– Gameplay looks like a mix of open world and turn/action based battles but it is hard to tell from the trailer alone. No other information was shared.

Project Zero/Fatal Frame

– The newest game in the Project Zero series for Wii U is being localized.

– The game has three main characters all with their own story. Players use the camera to scan the environment and battle spirits in quick bursts of action. The game looks pretty creepy.

Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains

– A new downloadable fast paced action title. for the 3DS. Players take the role of main characters from the show and take down Titans alone or in local or online 4 player co-op mode.

– The game supports the New 3DS c-stick for camera control.

– The game releases on May 2015 in the eShop. As a bonus, the first two episodes of the anime Attack on Titan are now available on the eShop.

Azure Striker: Gunvolt

– A fast paced action 2D side-scroller.

– The New 3DS will use the C-stick for easier weapon changing and will feature faster load times.

– The game comes out today on the eShop for 3DS and will come with Mighty Gunvolt (the original title) for free if you purchase Azure Striker Gunvolt before July 2nd.

– Three home menu themes centered around the two games are also being released today and are available for purchase from the theme shop.

Box Boy!

– A slow 2D platformer/puzzle game by HAL Laboratory, the guys behind Kirby (and the character design shows that very much).

– Player’s take control of Cubee, a box with legs. He can create boxes and jump. He creates boxes which can be arranged and pushed in different ways to make steps to reach new heights or cross over pits full of spikes.

– You need to use boxes cleverly to progress. Stages are short but there are over 150 of them and each has a collectible on them from the looks of it.

– The game is available right now from the eShop on 3DS.

Pokemon Rumble World

– The newest title in the Pokemon Rumble is called Pokemon Rumble World and will contain every single Pokemon ever released in the main series of games including some Mega Evolutions and the Primal Reversions.

– The game will be free to play with in-game purchases. There are many different areas you can get to by balloons which you buy with Poke Diamonds which you earn or, you guessed it, can buy with real money.

– Players use their in game Mii as their Pokemon Trainer.

– Pokemon Rumble World will be available next week on April 8th.

StreetPass Mii Plaza

– Two new games are being added. StreetPass Fishing and StreetPass Zombies.

– StreetPass Fishing has players fishing for over 160 different species of fish (including Cheep-cheep) and legendary creatures. Players get bait from StreetPass members and each fish has a favourite bait.

– StreetPass Zombies is an action game where you get one of 26 unique weapons based on the hobbies of StreetPass Members.

– StreetPass Mii Plaza Premium is also coming out which includes Mii Pass birthdays (where you try and find a Mii with each unique birthday of the year) and the VIP room for Mii’s you choose.

– The updates and games are coming out on April 16th. The games will be available as a bundle for £7.99 or £4.49 each. Mii Pass Premium will be £4.49.

– International Street Pass week will be arriving around that time and those that access a Nintendo Zone will be able to get a special Mii of Satoru Shibata.

Puzzle & Dragons Z/Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Edition

– As a new Dragon Tamer you must protect the world from a new evil. Players use monsters to defeat enemies in match three style battles. There are over 250 monsters to collect which hatch from eggs.

– Monsters can evolve by using chips collected from enemies and each has one of five elements which kind of work like Pokemon types.

– The game releases both at retail and on the eShop on May 8th. A demo for the Super Mario Bros. edition will be coming soon.

Code Name S.T.E.A.M

– Two multiplayer modes are being detailed. Fast paced death match mode will limit players to 60 second turns.

– In A.B.E battle players use a giant Abraham Lincoln inspired Mech to fight for supremacy. Both modes feature local and online play.

– Worldwide Tournaments are also incoming.

– The game will launch May 15th across Europe for the 3DS.

Fire Emblem (3DS title)

– The ability to create a custom avatar is returning and this time your character is the center of the story.

– It seems the game will have two split paths which will feature completely different stories and chapter missions. The two sides are the traditional, peace loving Hoshidan or the glory seeking Nohr family. Your choices seem to weigh very heavily in the game.

– The games aesthetics are very similar to Awakening. The game is expected to launch sometime in 2016 for the 3DS.

Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer

– Amiibo cards are coming out and the first game they will work with is Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer. The first three cards revealed are Isabelle, Peanut and Goose.

– You scan in the card and try to build that character a home based on their wants.

– The game, cards and the NFC scanner for the original Nintendo 3DS will be released this Autumn in Europe.

Mario Kart 8

– Pack 2 of the DLC for Mario Kart 8 has had it’s release date moved forward! It will now be available April 23rd and contains four news cars, the Animal Crossing and Bell Cups as well as Isabelle, Villager and Dry Bowser as new characters.

– A free software update will be adding a 200CC class! That’s right Mario Kart 8 is about to get way faster and it was said you will even have to break to take hard corners.. This will be available the same day as the new DLC.

– New Amiibo support is being added to Mario Kart 8 to allow players to get more costumes for their Mii racer.

And that’s everything! Big day for Nintendo. Let us know in the comments below you’re favourite announcement from today’s Direct and who you will be suggesting to join the Smash Bros. roster.

WWE 2K Coming to Mobile Devices; First Details and Features Revealed

Dustin Spencer

April 1, 2015

Simulation titles are always big in the mobile scene, and 2K Games are ready to bring their A game to WWE 2K, a new simulation title based on the larges sports entertainment company in the world.

Who is in it? What is it? Take a look below at the first details:

Key features of WWE 2K currently include:

Playable roster of many fan-favorite WWE Superstars, including John Cena, Hulk Hogan, Sting, Triple H, Undertaker®, Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt;
Authentic WWE action, including three match types, full WWE Superstar ring entrances and comprehensive move sets;
Create-a-Superstar;
Career Mode;
Live Multiplayer Matches;
Unlockable Rewards.

I can get behind the fact that n-Space are behind this title, though the $9.99 price point makes me curious of what this will bring to the table. At three match types, I can imagine it already has as much content as WWE 2K15, so there’s that.

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China due Out April 21st; Trailer Revealed

Dustin Spencer

April 1, 2015

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China due Out April 21st; Trailer Revealed

When a franchise becomes a franchise, the next step to keep relevance is to expand the lore behind your product. Ubisoft are doing just that with the freshly revealed title dubbed “Assassin’s Creed Chronicles”, heading to the Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC this month. Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China is due out first and will see a release on April 21st.

Here are some more details of the reveal:

Developed by Climax Studios in collaboration with Ubisoft Montreal, Assassin’s Creed Chronicles brings the thrill of being a Master Assassin to 2.5D. Players will journey to three distinct civilisations and time periods throughout history including the Ming dynasty at the start of its downfall, the Sikh Empire as it prepares for war in India and the aftermath of the Red October revolution. Each chronicle stands on its own with a unique setting, art style, story and Assassin, but is tied together narratively.
Players will embody legendary Assassins, including Shao Jun from the animated short Assassin’s Creed Embers™, and Arbaaz Mir and Nikolaï Orelov from the Assassin’s Creed graphic novels. Assassinate from the shadows, master the art of parkour and take the leap of faith in a collection of stunning, living paintings. Each chronicle has its own artistic signature, from the beautiful brush paintings of China to the vibrant colors of India and the distinctive propaganda art style of Russia.

You can watch the trailer down below and stay tuned, as more footage and chapters are sure to emerge as release dates draw near. Oh yeah, if you invested in the Season Pass to Unity before it got pulled, you very well may be entitled to the first chapter, as it was promised before release.

Welcome to Los Santos Album Now Available for Pre-Order

Dustin Spencer

April 1, 2015

Who doesn’t love soundtracks? Rockstar are ready to launch “Welcome To Los Santos”, a full collection of music inspired by the world in Grand Theft Auto V. This collection features a diverse assortment of tracks spanning several genres, with the track ‘Play It Cool’, by Gangrene featuring Earl Sweatshirt and Sam T. Herring of Future Islands available for download now with every pre-order.

Here is a sneak peak at the tracklist:

1. Gangrene – Play It Cool feat. Samuel T. Herring (of Future Islands) & Earl Sweatshirt
2. Ab-Soul – Trouble feat. Aloe Blacc
3. Tunde Adebimpe – Speedline Miracle Masterpiece feat. Sal P & Sinkane
4. MC Eiht & Freddie Gibbs – Welcome to Los Santos feat. Kokane
5. Phantogram – K.Y.S.A
6. Vybz Kartel – Fast Life
7. King Avriel – 20’s 50’s 100’s feat. A$AP Ferg
8. MNDR – Lock & Load feat. Killer Mike
9. Popcaan – Born Bad feat. Freddie Gibbs
10. E-40 – California feat. Dam-Funk & Ariel Pink
11. Wavves – Leave
12. Curren$y & Freddie Gibbs – Fetti
13. Little Dragon – Wanderer
14. Action Bronson & Danny Brown – Bad News

Not too shabby at all, and those who want to indulge can do so now – with the album available on CD, vinyl and digital download on April 21 via Mass Appeal Records or follow this link to pre-order off iTunes.

2K Games’ WWE SuperCard receives Large Wrestlemania update

Dustin Spencer

April 1, 2015

2K Games and their mobile division have been keeping up with WWE SuperCard quite well, and have delivered a new update that looks to cash in on Wrestlemania. This new update features new themes and features, with new cards, bonuses, and so on.

Here is a look at what to expect:

New “WrestleMania” Rarity Level: More powerful than Survivor, this new card rarity is a permanent addition to the game and gives WWE SuperCard a total of nine card rarity levels;
50+ New Cards: Featuring the likes of WWE Superstars John Cena, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, WWE Diva Paige and new Support cards, WWE SuperCard continues extending its array of collectible content;
Daily Login Bonuses: Beginning April 1, players will earn rewards for daily logins; the more days a user logs in each month, the better the rewards;
King of the Ring Rewards: A revised King of the Ring rewards structure for players;
Key Improvements: Players will notice Card Locking now helps players lock cards to keep them from accidentally being deleted or trained without authorization, a revamped My Cards menu and other fixes.

You can download these updates today and get to battling foes for card supremacy.

War for the Overworld Review

Mateja Simovic

March 31, 2015

War for the Overworld

Developer: Subterranean Games
Platforms: PC
Release Date: 02/04/2015
Price: $29.99 USD – Available Here

Gameplay Video

Overview

If, like me, you were playing strategy games from when you were a miniature version of a human then you may have come across a game by the name of Dungeon Keeper. It was one of those quintessential late 90s games by legendary studio, Bullfrog Productions (which was founded by Peter Molyneux). When I heard there was a spiritual successor in the works and that Molyneux himself had given the development his blessing; I was eager to get my hands on it. After a long delayed release, Subterranean Games has finally released War for the Overworld. Read on to find out what I thought…

Story

The game narrative is fairly straightforward. You play as an ‘Underlord’, an Eldritch evil being who seeks to gain dominion over the land of Kyros. You play across a campaign which will take you through a variety of dungeons in the overland empire and the netherworld. The story does unfold with some manner of an arc as the secrets of the demonic narrator (voiced by Richard Ridings who gives an amazing performance) and his motivations are revealed. The story isn’t too complex but it does treat the audience to Ridings dulcet tones beyond the snide remarks which the narrator occasionally throws out during a level… so I wasn’t complaining. The writing and dialogue isn’t the best I’ve heard, but there are a few zingers in there which are worth hearing.

I do feel that the method for telling this story through narration during a level, while I’m hurriedly excavating or directing my minions towards the enemy, was not an optimal approach. However, in this type of game, I was not expecting too much from the story and was focused more on the level design.

Gameplay

The gameplay is largely a holdover from the original design of Dungeon Keeper and the player indirectly controls the goings on in their dungeon. Players are able to order their minions to excavate and claim underground rooms and tunnels. The player expands their dungeon, manages their gold reserves, and attract minions to live under their rule. The level generally also requires that you repel enemy incursions and ultimately destroy their base or complete some other objective. There isn’t too much variation in this area of the game as you are largely trying to make your dungeon as efficient as possible while you try and take down your opponent (or stop them from taking you down). This is pretty much classic Dungeon Keeper gameplay which we all know and love.

As much as I love the old-school game design of this spiritual successor to one of my favourite classics, I still find that I could not get much mileage out of the game’s campaign. Playing through the game I felt that War for the Overworld had not gone through a significant amount of playtesting. I feel that the elements which make up the game simply do not fit together.

An example of this is that the AI feels incredibly stupid for both minions and enemy units, as they go about their business and traverse the map. The need for me clarify my to order to a minion to attack a trap which is actively attacking my forces as opposed to a door in the nearby vicinity seems to be a bit silly. Granted, there could be a tragic backstory to said minion wherein they lost their entire family due to the machinations of a dastardly door and thus have an irrational hatred of all manner of doors, gates, and portcullises… but prioritising their quest for revenge does annoy me a significant amount in that it confounds my attempts at tactical planning.

The enemy AI is similarly stupid as hero units (not so much other underlord enemies) are only able to attack you along a predetermined route. Generally this involves following a tunnel which was already hollowed out in the level until they get to your dungeon. This leads to some very cheap exploits wherein the player can erect a dirt wall in the path of these advancing heroes and magically snipe sapper units (who dig through walls). Instead of attempting to walk around and find another entrance to your dungeon, these heroes appear to engage in a form of subterranean moshing in the general vicinity as they wait for the next sapper to come along and dig through the wall.

You might fault me for finding and using these exploits, but I did not feel that the game was giving me any other option than attempting to stack the odds overwhelming in my favour through means fair and foul. The levels simply do not feel fair and after about the third level, the difficulty spikes up dramatically. It begins to feel like the level does not have sufficient resources for you to get through as there aren’t enough gold, minions, or time between enemy attacks. Too often you’re on the defensive and not able to accomplish anything beyond simply repulsing the enemy, although I admit that this might be the result of sub-par management skills on my end.

The game requires you to engage in a ridiculous amount of micromanagement while also forcing you to manage everything with a hands-off approach. You can’t directly order your minions to attack a specific hero unit or trap and instead have to move them around the map through the use of rally flags which you can place on the ground. Your imps (which you have slightly more direct control over) are also similarly rage-inducing to control as they appear to be under the impression that your orders are more suggestions than anything else. If this sounds infuriating, that’s probably because it is.

Part of the reason so much micromanagement is necessary is that the levels just don’t feel particularly well designed. Too often I would excavate into a river tunnel which would worm across the width and breadth of the map. This usually ends up providing an easy route for the heroes to enter into my domain and cause havoc. The game encourages you to place down traps to waylay and damage these hero units as they approach. The problem with this strategy is that these traps lock away a portion of your mana bar with each placement and so by using them, you are limiting your capability to directly interact with the game through spells.

These design choices are largely carried over from the previous Dungeon Keeper series, and kudos to the developers for keeping true to the spirit of the series, but they don’t appear to be implemented effectively in this title as of yet.

Visuals & Audio

The graphics and visual style are not particularly cutting edge. The dungeon room and creature designs largely feel like an update to the classic Dungeon Keeper. The creature designs are all largely creative and give a sense of character to the monsters, even if they could not use the same ones as from the original Dungeon Keeper to avoid IP infringement. The UI feels a bit clumsy and can become cluttered quite easily with superfluous details.

The narration by Richard Ridings is absolutely spot on. It is a joy to hear him giving audible existence to one of classic gaming’s most (audibly) iconic characters again. Kudos for getting him involved with this title!

Overall

Overall, I was disappointed by War for the Overworld. I felt like the game had a significant amount of promise, but just needed more polish to make it truly shine. The flaws that I’ve outlined can easily be fixed with balance and playtesting. I understand that the game was kickstarted with an aim to finish and release the product before last year, but I feel the game would have done better to remain in early access a bit longer while various aspects were fixed. I hope Subterranean Games continues to support this title and refine it into something amazing (all the pieces are there), but as it is now I cannot recommend it.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Lykan Hypersport Added to Project CARS Roster

Nathan Farrugia

March 31, 2015

Lykan Hypersport Added to Project CARS Roster

The Lykan Hypersport is one of the most exclusive and expensive cars ever to be made with additional options such as embeddable diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires being available and you can own it free in Project CARS as it will be the first car to be given away by developers Slightly Mad Studios.

The Lykan Hypersport is capable of reaching 62mph in just 2.8 seconds with a top speed of 245mph whilst also showcasing breathtaking styling and futuristic technology such as a holographic mid-air dashboard. It is also the first supercar to be produced in the Middle East and is one of the central cars in the upcoming film Fast & Furious 7. Project CARS Creative Director, Andy Tudor, commented:

“We are immensely pleased to have this awesome machine in the game and to give fans the chance to get behind the wheel of a truly amazing vehicle. The Lykan Hypersport represents the first of a series of free cars we’ll be giving away every month as a thank you to our fans for being so patient in the lead up to the release of the game. We’ll have more info on the full schedule of further content for Project CARS soon but we hope that this is a great sneak peek of just one way in which Project CARS is going to expand in the future.”

The constant delays to Project CARS has indeed been a dampener on the hype but excellent news like free content does help. Project CARS is releasing mid May for PS4, Xbox One and PC with a Wii U version in the works as well. Fast & Furious 7 will hit theatres in Australia on April 2nd, one day before the U.S. Before you speed off, be sure to check out the Hypersport in action in the trailer below.

Rainbow Six Siege’s Newly Announced Operators Pay Homage to the Books

Jamie Laike Tsui

March 31, 2015

Rainbow Six Siege’s Newly Announced Operators Pay Homage to the Books

Ubisoft Montreal released a new gameplay trailer and a dev diary of the upcoming title Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege to announce the Operators feature. It pays homage to the franchise’s literary roots by allowing players to select from a range of characters with unique skills. The game will offer twenty operators from five counter-terrorist units from around the world. I would not be surprised to see the roster increase in size through content updates or DLCs post-launch.

Each operator has a unique ability, their own personality, personal strengths, and weaknesses. Only one of each operator can be part of a single team, so players will need to choose their operators wisely to create a well balanced team that not only compliments their play style, but also their teammates.

Ubisoft made a second announcement regarding the game, revealing the Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Art of Siege collector’s edition at the same time. It is available for pre-order at the Uplay shop and contains the game, a collector’s box, a Gold Skins Pack for all weapons, and a 120 page tactical guide providing vital stats and intel to help players plan.

Indie Gala Every Monday Bundle #53 Now Available

Jamie Laike Tsui

March 31, 2015

Indie Gala Every Monday Bundle #53 Now Available

Indie Gala and Capsule Computers is kicking of another year of Every Monday Bundles with seven new indie games this week. Buyers will snag the following titles for Windows (and even a few on Mac and Linux):

Ostrich Island – MeDungeon have mixed together RPGs, platformers, adventures, and ostriches for one quirky game that may just win your heart.

BiT Evolution – A platformer that pays homage to retro games, going from simple pixel based hockey games all the way to the glory days of the SNES.

SickBrick – A fast paced sci-fi FPS featuring 15 levels, 5 weapons, and a hover tank.

GunWorld – A non-linear action-platformer designed as a love letter to the 8-bit era.

Aviator – Bush Pilot – Players will engage in one of the most dangerous but vital jobs in aviation, flying small planes in far flung places like the Serengeti.

Cahors Sunset – This old French man is entering the sunset of his life and players are in control of the decisions, in hopes of keeping him alive as long as possible.

Chaos Ride – A fast paced racer inspired by the dead genre that was inhabited by the likes of Wipeout and Ballistics.

For the first 24 hours of the sale, all seven games can be purchased for only $1.89 USD. Grab your copy at Indie Gala before the price goes up.

Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines Review

Andrew Day

March 31, 2015

Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines
Developer: Alfa System
Publisher: Sony
Platforms: PSVita (Reviewed)
Release Date: Out Now
Price: $19.99 – Available on PSN

Overview

JRPGs have kind of fallen out of favour as of late haven’t they? The old turn-based system that many of us grew up with has been done away with in lieu of a more immediate style of gameplay. However all is not lost, as coming straight from Japan themselves is Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines, an old school JRPG with a cool family tree mechanic and a gorgeous art style, that is here to show us that the genre is far from dead.

Story

After the capital of Kyoto is ravaged by natural disaster, the emperor believes his kingdom cursed and hires a sorcerer to unravel the mystery. The sorcerer arrives and puts blame wrongfully onto a single samurai clan, and orders them all to be brutally killed.

When the gods intervene and resurrect the clan, they discover that they are cursed, being able to only live a life span of two years while also being unable to reproduce. The gods again intervene, and allow the clan members to procreate with them in order to produce offspring to help find the sorcerer and eliminate him for what he did to the family.

The concept for Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines is pretty cool and a little out there, but the interesting part about it is how well the storyline is reflected in the actual gameplay mechanics themselves (which I will go into a little later on). However, the fact that you are only with your team members for a short time before they die and are replaced with the next generation means that there is little to no time to become invested in any characters, leaving the whole experience a little hollow.

Gameplay

This is one of those games where the storyline is built right into the game’s mechanics, creating a seamless experience that just makes sense as you play it. Firstly, since the clan members only have a life span of 2 years, it means that your party is constantly changing on your quest to fell the sorcerer who cursed you. Not only that, but you will reproduce with a number of ancient gods and goddesses in order to keep your bloodline alive and fighting fit. There is a strategy to procreating, as the gods all have their own set of skills and abilities that can be used to either complement or balance out the weaknesses of the clan members and create the perfect offspring. There is a bit of a eugenics vibe going on here, but I’m sure we can all ignore that for the sake of gameplay.

Since time is such a key part of the storyline, it is not unexpected to see it integrated into the gameplay in multiple ways. Certain events only happen at certain times of the year, meaning you have to budget the very limited time you have in order to attend festivals, have children, buy items, explore dungeons and fell demons all before your character’s 2 year limit is up.

When a new clan member is born, you are able to select with of the game’s classes they will belong to. There are initially 8 classes to choose from, and the various choices you make affect how affective and synergistic the clan is during combat. The advantage to the system presented in Oreshika is that if your current clan isn’t working out, you don’t have to wait too long before you can fix it up just the way you like.

At its core, Oreshika is an old school JRPG with a modern twist. After deploying yourself to one of the game’s numerous, huge dungeons, you will traverse the landscape and encounter random enemies for your party members to do battle against. Battles are done in a turn based style that is rarely seen nowadays, and runs as smooth as you would expect it to. Each of your party members has suggestions about what skills or attacks they think they should use in combat, but as Clan Leader you are free to ignore their advice and command them to do what you want instead. This is a double edged sword because ignoring their advice too often will lower their loyalty towards you, which in turn can have them leaving the clan for good.

Visuals & Audio

The art style used in Oreshika is some of the most impressive and unique that I have seen in a video game. It combines the style of ancient water colour paintings that are synonymous with the feudal Japanese era of clans and samurai, and mixes it with a more modern, anime-inspired look. The two very different, yet both very Japanese art styles blend perfectly and the result looks like an ancient scroll come to life on the screen. One of the cooler things to see is the fact that many attacks are highlighted in what looks like heavy black ink, which makes them pop and contrast perfectly with the otherwise faded watercolour look of the world and its inhabitants.

As for audio, since this is a Japanese game, the language is set to Japanese from the moment you boot up. This will no doubt be a pleasing feature for all of you anime lovers out there who prefer to hear audio presented in its original language. The character voices all suit their roles perfectly, and there is a good mix of voice actors so not everybody sounds the same.

Overall

Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines is the kind of game that I really like to see; a JRPG with new elements that manages to keep itself fresh and interesting all throughout my time with it. Sadly though, as much as I enjoyed it, the whole experience felt kind of hollow, like I hadn’t achieved anything and there was no real pay off in the end. I think this is largely due to the 2 year lifespan mechanic, since your team is constantly rotating you never get the time to become invested in your characters the way you would in say Final Fantasy VII. However despite this, Oreshika is still an enjoyable game with some really solid, mechanics and an art style that is a real pleasure to look at.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

1...3,4523,4533,454...6,750 Page 3,453 of 6,750