Tecmo Koei has revealed that not only are they bringing Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate over to the West but they are also bringing Samurai Warriors 4 to Europe this fall as well. This title was previously only announced for release in Japan and the company is not only going to be bringing the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita version of the game over but they are also planning on bringing a PlayStation 4 version of the title to the West as well.
It is worth noting that at the moment, Samurai Warriors 4 has only been announced for release in Europe by Tecmo Koei and at the time of this writing Tecmo Koei America has not announced the game for release in North America, but with a full announcement meant to occur this weekend we will likely know more then.
While we have heard for some time that Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate was being developed for Japan, no plans for a Western release of the title were mentioned. That changed today when Tecmo Koei announced that not only are they planning on releasing Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate in the West this fall but they are going a step further by also releasing an Xbox One version of the game as well.
Previously Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate was only being developed for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PS Vita so this is a nice bonus for fans of the Xbox. Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate features a number of improvements over the original game including the addition of a fighter from the Atelier series and SoulCalibur. The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of the game will be released as physical titles priced at $59.99 while the Vita and PS3 versions will be digital only and be sold at $39.99 and $49.99 respectively.
Let’s be honest here…Australia doesn’t exactly have many claims to fame. We’ve got Mad Max, Hugh Jackman and Vegemite, apart from a few other things we’re pretty bare bones when it comes to worldwide popularity though we ARE slowly climbing to the top! Very slowly. A great sense of national pride welled up within me when I was brought to the attention of “Broken Line“. An Australian comic book? With an Australian publisher? Written and illustrated by two Australians? I was hooked. After singing the entirety of the Australian National Anthem and taking a gulp of “Victoria Bitter” (look it up people), I sat down to read issue one of “Broken Line” and this is how it went.
Story
Explaining the story of “Broken Line” will surely prove to be a hard task for me, not because it is convoluted or because it is bad in any way, it’s because it wasn’t entirely explained in the first issue which, may I just say, is quite the confident move. “Broken Line” is set in the post-apocalyptic Australian outback years after a devastating bomb was dropped causing some serious human mutations. Readers follow the story of…well, you’re not actually given his name so maybe, for now, I’ll just call him “Cop”.
Readers follow the story of Cop, a self-proclaimed police officer struggling to survive in the harsh environments. Cop is shown to have some form of mental disease, most likely developed as a side effect due to the large-scale detonation that ravaged the land. Throughout the first issue, Cop fights against the voices in his head constantly trying to out do them or to drown them out in an attempt to regain sanity. He comes into contact with two other humans in the first issue, one of which baits him into a death-match, one that Cop found he couldn’t turn down.
This other man, also unnamed, shared similar traits with Cop which led me to believe he too is in the early stages of something gruesome. The author definitely has balls, it’s one hell of a gutsy move to leave the audience this much in the dark but I’ll be damned if I was to say it didn’t work to keep me intrigued long after I finished reading it.
It’s high risk but high reward. I found it somewhat hard to fully understand the issue with only one read through, I went over it thrice because I was both looking for the proper way for it to be read and curious as to whether or not I could pick something up that I missed the first time around. To say the least…”Broken Line” issue one kept me hooked all the way up to the last page and it definitely left in a state of anticipation for the next issue rather than one that has me sit here negatively wanting more from the issue. There’s a fine line between those two thing and “Broken Line” knows exactly which side to stay on. I just hope that the story doesn’t become too generic but that’s a bridge we’ll have to cross once we get to it.
Artwork
When a comic is given to me with brilliant illustrations and hosting some of the most excellently coloured pages I’ve seen in quite some time I can’t help but immediately become immersed within it. The art style of “Broken Line” blew me away. Emily Smith somehow harnessed the force of the Australian outback and put it on paper, something I’ve never experienced before. The colours were earthy and gritty but oddly soft, it made for some nice shifts between panels of though and panels of action with some of them making quite the impact.
“Broken Line’s” art style constantly jumps from being realistic to somewhat “cartoony” and it’s not that the illustrations actually make a drastic change from panel to panel it’s more that there’s such a subtle mix between the two different styles that one is often more present in certain panels over the other. I really liked it! Action and motion panels were designed so brilliantly and really showed as much motion as a still medium could possibly have done. It’s quite a brilliant feat and it looks like Emily Smith is the master of it. The dynamic lighting/shadowing, the detail, the design, the colour. It was all great!
Overall
“Broken Line” took a big risk with it’s first issue, a risk that ended up doing the series so much good rather than making it crash and burn. It’s vague storytelling actually made the comic so much more interesting than it would have been had you been given all of the information upfront and I thoroughly enjoyed it because it forced me to read it over and over until I felt I truly understood what sat before me. I can imagine some people out there wouldn’t be TOO impressed that you’re not given the whole story straight up but I think those people aren’t exactly the type of audience this comic want to attract. The story is intriguing, the art is fantastic and it’s an Australian comic that deserves lots of attention. I definitely want to follow this series and I can’t wait for the release of issue two. Bring it on!
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
This is one of those articles where I can’t really say much. If you have been following TellTale Games‘ The Wolf Among Us however, you know what went on and how interesting the next chapter, “In Sheep’s Clothing” should be once it releases.
Well, there is great news on that as the penultimate episode will be released on May 27th, which is next week. There is a trailer below, but be warned – there are a few spoilers. I am getting excited as we wrap up Bigby’s story, and hopefully – this tale will have just as much of an impact as the first season of The Walking Dead (I’m not feeling the second season too much, but that may just be me and the fact that The Wolf Among Us is the stronger story at the moment). 360 owners remember that your release date is a day later on May 28th, so watch this trailer and get ready for more madness below.
Ubisoft has announced a number of titles that they are planning on showing during this year’s E3. Most of these titles are games that we have heard about already, such as Assassin’s Creed Unity, Far Cry 4, Tom Clancy’s The Division, The Crew, and Valiant Hearts: The Great War.
Outside of these titles the company will also be hosting a media briefing that will reveal new content for its upcoming titles and gamers will also be able to experience games on the E3 floor thanks to the Uplay lounge for Uplay members.
The media briefing will start at 3 P.M. PDT on June 9th and will be hosted by actress and comedian Aisha Tyler. For those not attending the event will be broadcasted on Ubisoft’s official YouTubechannel and Twitchpage.
Heavy Bullets is an exciting FPS dungeon crawler being published by Devolver Digital, the publishers behind Broforce. Developer Terri Vellmann created a wonderfully colorful yet dangerously deceptive dungeon crawler. In all of its glory, Heavy Bullets provides users with an intense gameplay experience as they battle their way through eight levels and two bosses in attempt to shutdown the security mainframe. With little creeps that try to chomp away at you at every turn and malfunctioning security bots that fire rounds at you constantly, Heavy Bullets will test your reaction times and courage. The little creepers will rush at you the minute they see you, so your reaction time will be the only thing that will save you. There is no real backstory to the game that they provide. Basically, your goal is to shut down the security mainframe and reset it.
At the beginning of the game, you will start off with nothing but your trusty revolver and six bullets. The funny thing about this is that you have to constantly pick up your bullets after you fire them off, which means that if you pop all your shots and don’t have any spare, you’ll be dead very soon. This mechanic is actually very interesting. It adds a new level of depth to the game, one where you have to consider why you’re about to shoot your gun and how frequently you do. If there’s multiple enemies in the vicinity, you can’t just go spend all of your bullets trying to take out one mob. Bullet management is really important in Heavy Bullets, and you really feel the importance of such a mechanic.
There are also items scattered around the separate levels, each providing a unique buff or activate skill that will help you in your journey to the eighth level. The items might range from homing bombs to repellent, but you have to decide what item is the most useful for any given situation, as you are only given one slot to hold the item. Items can be picked up as you uncover the nooks and crannies in each level.
Every level is unique and created to make it as tough as possible for you to survive. You will never meet the same level twice, and every round will be a completely different experience for players as they battle their way through the colorful plethora of plant life. The randomly-generated levels gives the title a completely different twist to it, and makes the game a little bit more difficult to traverse. There is some hope, however. Even though when you die, the effects are permanent, you can invest in your next gameplay experience by depositing the coins you earned into a bank that can be accessed from certain points on each level. You can also purchase life insurance and a last will to carry your items over to your next attempt. At least these measures will create an easier experience for a player to get back up to their most current level.
While the game is being presented as an early-access title, it is nearly fully developed, with the main additions and changes only being made to the minor things such as items and bug fixes. The game is pretty much completed, so I had a chance to get a good look at the true gameplay nature of it from start to end. Sadly, I was unable to make it all the way to the eighth level on my attempts, but I did gain a lot of insight into what was going wrong with my attempts. As stated before, spray-and-pray methods of shooting will yield you poor results, as you have very limited bullets, unless you move quickly and can pick up and reload your gun before the mobs catch you.
The sound effects and music are kind of annoying, and aren’t very refined, but it will be fixed as the final release comes out. The aesthetics of the game are amazing, however. I have to commend Terri Vellmann for creating an amazing title that has a lot of potential. The graphics are captivating and very easy to look at, while not being overly intimidating. This rogue-like FPS is unique in its approach, and is certainly a force to be reckoned with when comparing it to other rogue-like FPS’s. The entire atmosphere of the game creates an undeniable sense of panic and excitement as you try to reign in your fear from forgetting to reload your gun when you encounter a killer mob.
All in all, this early-access version is definitely worth looking at. If possible, purchasing the title will probably yield rogue-like FPS enthusiasts a few hours of fun that is unique to other titles. Heavy Bullets will be available on the PC, Mac, and Linux, and should be completed rather soon this year. Check out their Steam page from the link above, and make sure to follow this intriguing title into its final stages of release.
Crytek have today announced an all new action, online multiplayer game for PC called Arena of Fate. The game will feature fast-paced 5 on 5 battles with a huge roster of historically recognisable characters to choose such as Frankenstein, Jack the Ripper and Baron Münchhausen. These characters feature popular traits you would expect such as being able to bring Frankenstein back from the dead, use Jack’s cleavers and launch across the map on Baron Münchhausen’s cannonball! Managing Director of Crytek Black Sea and Game Director of Arena of Fate, Vesselin Handjiev, said:
“Imagine Joan of Arc and Robin Hood cooperating to hunt down Little Red Riding Hood – Wouldn’t that be terrific? But besides the game’s iconic heroes, which everyone in the team really loves, we are also challenging ourselves to carefully craft a streamlined player experience that allows for both greater accessibility, and rich, deep, action-packed gameplay. We are very excited to meet the first wave of players in the arena this summer, and will be listening carefully to the feedback we receive and making the community’s contribution a key part of our efforts to perfect the fun.”
You can watch the short teaser trailer released alongside the announcement below and look out for the game at E3 this year as Crytek have promised it will be playable for the first time at the event. Arena of Fate is scheduled to enter Early Access Beta testing on PC this Summer and players can sign up for a chance to get in on the action at http://www.arenaoffate.com.
Ok sports fans, time to reach into your pockets, grab your smart phones and head to the App Store (or Google Play) because it is time for another installment of EA Mobile Weekly News. It is only a small installment this week, but if you are a soccer fan then EA have a treat for you!
Gooaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllll!!!! I’m sure you’ve guessed it by now, but today we have some news about a FIFA 14 update that is heading your way. From today, players can download the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil content and join in on the action of one of the world’s biggest sporting events. Until the world cup tournament beings, players can jump into Matches of the Week to relive the most memorable matches of the World Cup qualifiers, then from May 20th o June 12th, six new matches will be available every week. Then when the World Cup begins, all of the national teams will be added (following the real tournament schedule).
So if you are a soccer fan then what are you waiting for!? Head over to the App Store or Google Play and download the content today.
That’s right RWBY fans, Volume 2 is on the horizon and the wait is almost over. To tease the release of the upcoming episodes, Rooster Teeth has revealed the new animesque intro sequence that will accompany them.
The intro itself features a more intricate collection of sequences than Volume 1, full of varied locales, the fast flowing action we’ve come to expect and a whole slew of new characters to fill out the cast. The title song itself is “Time To Say Goodbye” by Jeff Williams and Casey Lee Williams and is available on iTunes. Volume 2 will premiere proper in July at Rooster Teeth’s RTX Convention. So tide yourself over with the video below, the day you’ve been waiting for is almost here.
Ever since Disney Infinity 2.0 – Marvel Superheroes was officially announced a few weeks ago, fans all over the world have been clamoring for more sneak peaks and more info about the upcoming Disney Infinity follow-up (I know I have been dying to find out more). Well today, the guys over at Disney Interactive have given us a look at the story behind the Avengers Play Set that comes as part of the game’s Starter Pack.
Loki takes centre stage as the Play Set’s antagonist here and calls upon the Frost Giants to help him freeze the planet that his dear brother loves so much. It is up to you and the Avengers to save the day and send Loki back to his Asgardian prison where he belongs. We have provided the trailer for the Play Set below so be sure to check it out. If you want a recap of all the currently known information on Disney Infinity 2.0 – Marvel Superheros, check out our announcement page here, and for all the Disney news as it becomes available be sure to stay tuned to Capsule Computers.
