Rumour has it, courtesy of Reuters, that Microsoft has purchased Minecraft developer Mojang for a cool $2.5 billion! The title has sold over 54 million copies across various platforms. since it first launched for the PC back in 2011.
It’s crazy to think a developer/publisher with pretty much one title under its belt – although two more, Cobalt and Scrolls, are in the works – could be worth that much moolah! Then again, the phenomenon that Minecraft has become is unlike any other. Last year, creator Markus Persson said that developers don’t bother creating games for Windows Phone because their market share is “insignificant”. You can see, then, how clear the picture is: Minecraft has been a consistently popular and top-selling iOS title, and with only 2.5% of the market share, Microsoft are hoping to bolster their efforts and increase that number significantly by purchasing Mojang and getting Minecraft on the Windows Phone platform.
Will Mojang’s $2.5 billion price tag pay off? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
According to an image of a Fred Meyer reservation card shared by Twitter user @GodDamnProtoman, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will be releasing on November 21, 2014. They then went on to answer a fan’s hope that the date is indeed accurate, stating that “we got the date from Nintendo […]”. The tweet/image can be viewed directly below.
Though Nintendo has not confirmed the above publicly, the rumoured date is backed up by a previous story that a Gamestop manager told a customer Super Smash Bros. for Wii U would be releasing on November 21. Of course, things can change and nothing should be taken as gospel unless spoken by the source.
EA has launched their ‘Feel the Game’ ad campaign for EA SportsFIFA 15, with Lionel Messi front and center. In particular, a new short film created by Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam shows just how closely players will feel the emotion on the pitch.
You can check out the video embedded at the bottom of this article. It will run on various TV channels and networks globally from today. Specifically, the video depicts players taking on an in-game, first person perspective with just the television screen separating them from the action (manifests as an odd fishbowl-like camera effect). FIFA 15 launches on September 25 for virtually all platforms. The demo is available to play right now!
After our recent coverage of the leaked Coro Coro Pokemon Mega Evolutions, more news has surfaced regarding the Legendary Pokemon within the game alongside some other interesting details and a brand new trailer. First off, it was confirmed Rayquaza will be appearing in the game as he comes down to break up the fight between Kyogre and Groudon and you will be able to catch him. It is also implied that he will also be receiving some sort of Mega Evolution, most likely in the form of Primal Reversion as is the case with the two cover legendaries.
Speaking of the two legendaries, we now have some more details about their attacks and Primal forms abilities. Primal Groudon gains the Desolate Land Ability, which changes the weather condition to extremely harsh sunlight. Opponents cannot change the weather condition during extremely harsh sunlight, meaning moves like Rain Dance, Sunny Day, Sandstorm, and Hail will fail. As a huge bonus to Groudon, water attacks will be completely unusable, nullifying his biggest weakness especially as he gains the Fire type when he undergoes Primal Reversion. Groudon can unleash a move unique to it alone, Precipice Blades, a powerful attack that can hit multiple opponents with an upward surge of sharp rocks. Primal Groudon also puts on A LOT of weight, smashing the heaviest Pokemon ever record (which was previously held by normal Groudon) at 2,204.4 pounds!
Primal Kyogre’s exclusive Ability is Primordial Sea, which changes the weather condition to an oppressive heavy rain. As with extremely harsh sunlight, opponents cannot change the weather condition during heavy rain. The Abilities Drizzle, Drought, Sand Stream, and Snow Warning will fail to activate, and Fire-type attacks become ineffective as well. Kyogre has its own move that only it can use, Origin Pulse, an attack that can slam multiple opponents with water massed into ballistic orbs. Not to be outdone by Groudon’s mass change, Kyogre’s body also doubles in size. Interestingly, both Primal Pokemon’s weather abilities will only be in effect while that Pokemon is out in battle and will fade when they are switched out or faint.
More details regarding the game’s story were also divulged. Like the originals, Team Magma wishes to increase the landmass on the planet so humanity can labor to achieve greater evolution and development. Meanwhile, Team Aqua wants to increase the size of the oceans to bring back the rich habitats lost to Pokemon due to human development. Team Aqua believes the ocean is the font of all life, and by restoring it, its members think that they can re-create an ideal home for Pokémon. Team Magma is led by Maxie, who uses a Mega Camerupt in battle with the Mega Glasses. Team Aqua is led by Archie who uses a Mega Sharpedo in battle by using the Mega Anchor.
We also got some news regarding the games compatibility with existing products. Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire will be fully compatible with Pokemon Bank and the Pokemon Global Link page which means we can expect many battle competitions and GTS data from these two new titles. You can also trade between the new titles and Pokemon X & Y.
This demo features unique gameplay not even found in the main game!
Finally some information regarding a demo was released. It was said that a demo is incoming but details about when and how to get it were not announced apart from the fact that you will need a serial code. The demo will apparently feature unique gameplay that you can’t experience anywhere else and you will be able to trade one Pokemon that can Mega Evolve over to the main game as well any special items you receive within the demo. The demo will not have a play limit like all other Nintendo 3DS demos and will in fact offer a unique reward for those that play the demo at least once a day.
Let us know in the comments below if you will be picking up Pokemon Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire when the game releases on the Nintendo 3DS on November 21st. If you want to know more about the games, you can check out all our previous coverage here and don’t forget to watch the brand new trailer below before you leave.
I knew something was up when the Australian Apple iPhone storefront page was not live until about 30 minutes after the planned 5pm pre-order launch on Friday. And don’t get me started on the major telcos and their pathetic handling of what they deemed an “unprecedented demand”.
To the original point, Apple has revealed that massive interest in the iPhone 6 Plus has caused a delay in international shipments of the 5.5 inch smartphone, hence the now estimated October 6-17 shipping date. The “Plus” also sold out over at Telstra despite few customers actually being able to access the buy page for over 90 minutes (what’d they have, 10 phones in stock?!). Optus on the other hand have stated that consumers will have to pop into their local store on September 19 to pre-order their iPhone 6 Plus.
ESL have announced that they will be hosting the BlizzCon 2014 qualifiers in partnership with Blizzard Entertainment, for Hearthstone and World of Warcraft at the Manhattan Hammerstein Ballroom from October 5-6.
The Vice President at ESL North America, Craig Levine stated, “With BlizzCon just around the corner, we are sure to see some fantastic games in both Hearthstone and World of Warcraft, as the best of the best battle for the chance to compete in Anaheim. To get there, players will first have to prove themselves online and at Hammerstein, a location that will do well to prepare them for BlizzCon.”
Hearthstoneplayers must battle their way online through a 128 players Swiss Bracket, with the top 16 advancing to the Hammerstein offline qualifiers, and the top four left to compete in the finals for the US$250,000 BlizzCon competition.
World of Warcraft teams of three are expected to fight their way through an unlimited online talent pool, and reach a 3v3 arena rating of 2,500 ahead of the online elimination bracket. Only the top eight will advance to the offline Hammerstein qualifiers, with the top three moving on to the BlizzCon World Championship.
Register to the free event here, and note that the first 1,500 guests on each day will receive an awesome complimentary three Hearthstone Card Packs.
Be sure to visit the official websitefor more information on the tournament structure and player eligibility, as sign-ups have already kicked off for both Hearthstone and World of Warcraft.
Official dates have been recently announced for the premier of P.A. Works original anime Shiro Bako. The show is scheduled to air on the 9th of October on the Tokyo MX and TV Aichi stations, other stations that will be premiering the first episode include MBS on the 11th, BS Fuji on the 12th and AT-X on the 15th.
The anime will be directed by Tsutomu Mizushima (Girls und Panzer) and will be based around five female characters working inside an anime production studio. From looking at the PV the anime will mainly have a humorous tone throughout it which will fit nicely with the moe designs of each character, this will be the second original anime from P.A. Works this year alongside Glasslip.
Since its announcement, information has been gradually revealed through the official anime website, twitter account and during this year’s Comiket 86, check out the PV down below and let us know what you think by leaving a comment.
September will see the end of the supernatural mystery manga Tokyo Ghoul, the final chapter will be published in this year’s 42nd issue of Weekly Young Jump which will go on sale on the 18th.
Created by mangaka Sui Ishida the series is set in Tokyo and the various “Ghouls” that go around haunting and eating the people who live in the prefecture. Ken Kaneki is the main character and after a near death encounter with a female ghoul he is able to interact with them all, because of this he now has a secret which he must hide from everyone around him.
The manga began publication in 2011 and has lasted for 143 chapters, the 14th volume will be available in Japan on the 17th of October. The series has gotten an anime adaptation which is currently airing in this year’s summer season with Funimation streaming each episode, tell us what you think about the series by leaving us a comment down below.
Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS is now available in Japan and people have already rushed through the game to find every secret they can and share it with the world. We now have the entire roster and stage list that is present in the game. Keep in mind the Wii U version will have some differences to this list and while the character roster is the same in both games it is know that the stage list will show a lot of variation between the two version.
Nintendo also announced a demo will be arriving on the Nintendo eShop in Australia on September 20th, however some lucky Club Nintendo members will have already received emails with a special download code to gain access to the demo an entire week early! So if you are a member of Club Nintendo make sure to check your email. Obvious spoilers lie below so if you want to wait until the game comes out in your area than stop reading now and go check out some other Nintendo related news, as there has been heaps recently.
The fully unlocked character roster along with notable alternate outfits includes:
Mario
Luigi
Peach
Bowser
Yoshi
Rosalina & Luma
Bowser Jr. (with the 7 Koopalings for alternates)
Wario (regular outfit alternate outfit)
Mr. Game & Watch
Donkey Kong
Diddy Kong
Link (Fierce Diety Link alt colours)
Zelda
Shiek
Ganondorf
Toon Link
Samus
Zero Suit Samus (Shorts and croptop outfit)
Pit
Palutena
Marth
Ike
Robin
Kirby
King Dedede
Meta Knight
Little Mac (Pink Hoodie outfit, Wireframe outfit)
Fox
Falco
Pikachu
Charizard
Lucario
Jigglypuff
Greninja
Duck Hunt Dog
Rob
Ness
Captain Falcon
Villager (Girl Villager alternate outfit)
Captain Olimar (Alph alternative outfit)
Wii Fit Trainer (Male alternative outfit)
Dr Mario
Dark Pit
Lucina
Shulk
Pacman
Mega Man
Sonic
Mii Fighter (includes three different variations which alter their move sets, Sword, Gunner, Brawler)
The Full Roster for Super Smash Bros.
That brings us up to 51 different characters! Don’t forget each character can customise their special attacks to give even more variety to their move set and play style. It has been rumoured that connecting the 3DS and Wii U version may unlock additional characters however there is currently no evidence to back this up so this is still to be treated as speculation. The rumoured characters are Mewtwo, Dixie Kong, Impa and the Chorus Men. Next up is the stage list which includes a number of new stages as well as stages from all past games in the series.
Battlefield (New/Super Smash Bros. 3DS)
Final Destination (New/Super Smash Bros. 3DS)
3D Land (New/Super Mario 3D Land)
Golden Plans (New/New Super Mario Bros. 2)
Rainbow Road (New/Mario Kart 7)
Paper Mario (New/Paper Mario: Sticker Star)
Mushroomy Kingdom (Brawl/Super Mario Bros.)
Yoshi’s Island (Brawl/Yoshi’s Island)
WarioWare Inc. (Brawl/WarioWare)
Jungle Japes (Melee/Donkey Kong Country)
Gerudo Valley (New/Legend of Zelda)
Spirit Train (New/Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks)
Brinstar (Melee/Super Metroid)
Dream Land (New/Kirby’s Dream Land)
Corneria (Melee/Star Fox)
Unova Pokemon League (New/Pokemon Black/White)
Prism Tower (New/Pokemon X & Y)
Magicant (New/Mother)
Mute City (New/F Zero)
Arena Ferox (New/Fire Emblem: Awakening)
Flat Zone 2 (Brawl/Mr Game & Watch)
Reset Bomb Forest (New/Kid Icarus: Uprising)
Distant Planet (Brawl/Pikmin)
Boxing Ring (New/Punch Out!)
Tortimer Island (New/Animal Crossing)
Gaur Plain (New/Xenoblade)
PictoChat 2 (New/3DS PictoChat)
Balloon Fight (New/Balloon Fight)
Living Room (New/Nintendogs)
Find Mii (New/Find Mii 3DS)
Tomodachi Life (New/Tomodachi Life)
Green Hill Zone (Brawl/Sonic the Hedgehog)
Wily Castle (New/Mega Man)
Pac-Maze (New/Pac Man)
Some other secrets such as modes and other features have also become known.
The 3DS can be used as a control to control Super Smash Bros. Wii U.
Transfer custom characters between the Wii U and 3DS version.
Trophy Rush mode which is a new way to get trophies similar to the Target Blast mode.
Let us know if your favourite made the cut (you shall be missed Squirtle and Ivysaur) and what you think of the roster and stage list on a whole in the comments below. The 3DS version of Smash comes out on October 4th while the Wii U version still has a tentative holiday 2014 release.
After spending almost a year as an Xbox One exclusive, Dead Rising 3 has been ported to Windows by Capcom Vancouver. Dead Rising 3: Apocalypse Edition contains the base game and the Untold Stories of Los Perdidos DLC. The port has been retooled with high resolution graphics, game controller support, and Steam integration.
Story
A decade after Dead Rising 2, Nick Ramos’ life as a humble mechanic in Los Perdidos is turned upside down by a zombie outbreak. It appears the Zombrex chips that keep people’s zombie infections in check have malfunctioned and the government is faking their rescue efforts in Los Perdidos. Nick Ramos and his friends are looking for a way out of the city, while possibly bringing the truth behind the events in Los Perdidos with them.
Dead Rising 3’s plot is like the sequel to a long running summer blockbuster franchise. It will not win any awards at Cannes or any other prestigious film festivals, but it is guaranteed to be an entertaining but safe bet. Dead Rising 3 does not stray too far from the previous two titles, falling back on the same tropes and plot twists, with some new characters and a fresh coat of paint. The formula still works well, as the main plot line still proves to be enjoyable.
Personally, I felt the best of Dead Rising 3’s writing came out in the small side quests and optional psychopaths. Especially with the psychopaths, the writers let go of any sense of seriousness that had to be maintained in the main plot and just went wild with the writing. The result is a memorable cast of characters that are hilarious, crude, and generally unhinged.
Gameplay
Dead Rising 3 continues the formula of providing players with a huge variety of everyday objects and weapons to butcher hordes of zombies. Thanks to advances in technology, these hordes have grown from small groups of zombies in a mall found in the original Dead Rising into mobs that will fill entire streets. The combo system has seen expansion and significant change since Dead Rising 2. Long gone are the crafting benches that littered Fortune City. Nick can now squat down and craft combo weapons where ever he pleases, although he can be interrupted by zombies looking to pick a fight with a vulnerable target. The combo weapons have multiple stages, with their ultimate versions requiring six or more items to craft. Additionally, two vehicles can now be welded together to create a variety of combo vehicles that are normally armed to the teeth. For all these combos, Nick will need to acquire blueprints for them by either scavenging the plans around Los Perdidos or levelling up. Some plans are hidden in buildings that are unlocked at a certain point in the story, which will drive completionists a bit crazy.
I believe Dead Rising 3 takes the combo system in the right direction. Creating combo weapons is no longer a chore of collecting the right items then hauling them to the closest crafting bench, dodging zombies all the way. On the other hand, combo weapons become the main form of damage in Dead Rising 3, making the run of the mill items found scattered around the world more of an emergency fallback plan or an amusing time waster. Mixed with the ability to spawn in any weapon previously equipped in the game at weapon lockers in safe houses, the combo system has rendered all but a small handful of regular weapons obsolete. Some may mourn the change, as part of the series’ charm is the weird and wacky items wielded as weapons, but I feel the strange combos Capcom has dreamed up make up for the loss. The one thing I hope will be addressed in future iterations of the game is the sorting for the weapons blueprints. After a while, there are so many blueprints, it becomes difficult to find specific blueprints without a lot of scrolling around. A sorting or filter function is desperately needed to ease navigation.
Firearms have also seen a major change in Dead Rising 3. Guns were a precious commodity hoarded for psychopath battles in previous games. I was thrown off when I encountered a light machine gun within the first fifteen minutes of the game. I soon discovered that firearms are liberally scattered through Los Perdidos. They are still a necessity for battling psychopaths, but their higher numbers means pouring points in ranged skills and opening fire on zombie hordes is no longer a huge waste of resources.
The quest objectives are a bit of a mixed bag. The main quests are incredibly fun, with some really neat gameplay mechanics. However, the vast majority of side quests boil down to boring fetch quests. The psychopath battles serve as optional boss battles and are much more enjoyable. I did notice their difficulty levels vary wildly, with some requiring Nick to use all the ammunition in a shotgun to complete, while others required practically the entire inventory. It would have been nice to see some more emphasis on melee combat with the psychopath battles, as most were best tackled with an inventory full of firearms.
The co-op system has seen some improvement over past titles. Now, matchmaking can now find partners based on personal play styles such as completionist, casual, and hardcore. Though the follower AI has improved compared to previous titles, co-op players make much better partners as the AI followers are still a bit too stupid to be little more than a hindrance that provides a little extra damage on some occasions.
Dead Rising 3 supports both controllers and mouse and keyboard combinations. The controller layout will be instantly familiar to those who have played the previous titles. The keyboard controls are workable, though I feel the game is much better with a controller. I really like the fact the controller and keyboard can be used at the same time, allowing players to use the controller for driving then switching to a mouse and keyboard when using ranged weapons.
Visuals
The visuals in Dead Rising 3 is an absolute minefield. From a purely visual perspective, the higher resolutions have been good to the game. The Xbox One version only ran at 900p and the PC port supports much higher resolutions. The game is absolutely beautiful, with a well crafted city. There are plenty of different zombies in crowds to ensure the game doesn’t feel like an attack of the zombie clones. Capcom Vancouver has gone to great lengths to provide lots of visual options to fine tune the graphics.
But that’s where things get messy. Whether you want to blame things on poor optimization or simply a really taxing game, Dead Rising 3 does not run well. The system requirements are high, but even then the game suffers from serious frame rate dips from the most powerful of systems. The game is locked at 30 FPS, but can be uncapped with some tweaking with the system files. Personally I found the game performed worse with the frame rate cap removed. Frame rates absolutely tank during cut scenes, resulting in a jittery performance. I run an Nvidia GTX 670 on my test rig and I was forced to downgrade to an older driver due to random crashes that made the game practically unplayable with a crash every five to fifteen minutes. Dead Rising 3 is in desperate need of fine tuning, tweaking, and patching.
Audio
Dead Rising 3 lives up to its big name status, providing an AAA audio experience. The voice acting is top notch. The soundtrack is moody and tense with a nice industrial flair. Capcom Vancouver does a great job of making sure the right tracks kick in just at the right time. The sound effects have also received a good deal of attention. I’m really splitting hairs with this minor complaint, but I do feel that the sound effects used for gunfire could use a little extra oomph.
Overall
Dead Rising 3 is a great game crippled by a poor port job. The game won’t win any new fans to the series, but anyone who liked the previous titles will find Dead Rising 3 is an excellent addition to the series. General frame rate issues and system requirements aside, the port is desperately in need of patching. There are still rampant issues with crashing and the frame rate dips during cut scenes are unforgivable, even if they can be somewhat addressed with some patience and tweaking. If Capcom is willing to put in the effort to address the issues, Dead Rising 3 is an incredibly fun title that will be a must buy for many PC gamers.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
