After such a successful launch on Steam, Ubisoft’sTom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Phantoms have rewarded shooters by releasing a redesigned map ‘The Subpen’. The new map is a more darker and mysterious version of the original, Balaklava Sub-Pen, that invites players to execute different strategies; such as using gutters to trap grenades and clear the enemy’s side as a tactical unit.
The producer of Ghost Recon: Phantoms, Corey Facteau declared, “We are thrilled with the number of active players which just passed the one million mark. There has been a rise in popularity of the game in Asia, in particular South Korea and Singapore, which is especially important to our team as Singapore is where the game was created. We are going to continue improving Ghost Recon: Phantoms by releasing regular new content in game, and we are looking forward to seeing what suggestions these new territories have and how it will help us shape the future of the game.”
Currently listed as the third most popular free-to-play title on PC, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Phantoms is available on Steam here. For more information on the changes to the map, check out ‘The Subpen’ video update below.
‘Nico nico ni~!’ That is the familiar catchphrase that Love Live!anime fans across the globe have come to know rather well since the anime debuted in 2013. Now fans of the series are able to take on the roles of the high-school idols and dance, sing and jive to many of the series greatest tunes.
Out now on iOS and Android is Love Live! School Idol Festival, a rhythm game based upon the series that has been released in complete English language on the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Store.
The game is completely free to play and brings all the fun and excitement of the Love Live! series into video-game form. Be sure to pick up the game now and let us know what you think of it in the comments section.
As if restoring tanks wasn’t a large enough investment, Wargaming also has ties to currently under repair Dornier Do17 aircraft. With the project having begun back in 2013, Wargaming has just announced that a permanent exhibition space will be organised to showcase the aircraft upon its completion in 2015. The area in question at the Royal Air Force Museum in London, is known as the Wargaming.net Interpretation Zone. Just in case you forget who made it all possible. As of now the Dornier is still in a state of disassembly, it’s restored pieces available to the public. Though admittedly the full plane will be cooler.
Tracy Spaight (Special Projects Director at Wargaming) said:
“Offering people around the world to participate in each step of the Dornier Do17 renovation process has been a truly gratifying experience. As a company heavily invested in the preservation of military history, we feel it’s important to show our gratitude and appreciation towards these unique relics.”
To celebrate the opening of the Wargaming.net Interpretation Zone on 28th February 2014, Wargaming and the RAF Museum launched a mobile app known as Apparition. Said app utilises augmented reality and allows users to view a virtual version of the aircraft flying over the museum, creating their own little World of Warplanes. Users were also encouraged to submit photos of the hundreds of virtual Do17’s placed in various locations around the world, with the top 15 photos from Australia, UK, Ukraine, Philippines, Mexico and the USA chosen to be on display at the exhibit.
So if you’re ever in the vicinity of London, why not pop on down to the museum and take a gander at a piece of WWII history. If that’s a bit too far out of your way, just check out the images and video below to get a feel for Wargaming’s latest investment and its path from relic to exhibition. It’s pretty awesome.
Overview Magic is a truly wonderous concept. A mystical force with the power to bend the fundamental laws of nature itself. From firing bolts of lightning to transforming stone to gold, everything is possible…including summoning a highschool student. OK, so magic can be a tad unpredictable, I said it was wonderous not reliable. If that wasn’t complicated enough, students are still forced to withstand the perilous period of life that is high school. With elements to control, rivals to best and relationships to forge, it’s a miracle anyone makes it to graduation…
Now that’s a contract!
Story Meet Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere, better known by her unfortunate pseudonym Louise the Zero. You see, in a world of magic and monsters, Louise possesses a rather unique gift…in that she has no gift. Named after her success rate in magic, Louise is pretty much the laughing stock of Tristain Academy. Even the simplest of spells have a tendency to result in tremendous explosions…which when you think about it is kind of awesome. Anyway, Louise’s apparent ineptitude reaches its crescendo when each Tristain student is forced to summon their personal familiar, the companion that will follow them through life. Whilst her fellow students call forth salamanders, dogs, dragons, cats and all manner of curious creature, Louise gets the most curious of them all: Saito Hiraga.
Having been torn from his simple life, Saito is forced to adapt to the fantastic world and its customs. Of course I use fantastic in the “removed from reality” sense, not the “extraordinary” one because, in all honesty, it’s kind of a crappy world. Marred by archaic senses of nobility, society is harshly divided between the magic wielding nobility and the powerless peasants. The world is such that a peasant may be traded like a mere commodity, free to be used and abused by whatever noble should wish to do so. Of course, having come from Earth circa the 21st century, this attitude serves as a constant source of anger for Saito. Combined with his overall lack of class and reform, this makes for a number of explosive confrontations between said nobles and Saito.
The hottest duo on campus
Due to his bizarre manner and disregard for the established norms of society, Saito manages to garner himself quite the female following, much to the mounting ire of Louise. Whilst fellow peasant Siesta remains a stalwart supporter of Seito’s “Hero of the People” ideals and spends her time learning about his life and motivations, the flirtatious Kirche appears simply smitten with Seito’s individuality. So there’s a bit of a difference between each girl’s level of affection towards the hapless familiar. Of course, being the titular protagonist and Seito’s master, Louise’s relationship with Seito takes precedence over all others. As the series progresses, we see her warm up to her unique familiar and begin to see him as more than a servant…though that doesn’t stop her from ordering him around relentlessly. If anything, the other girls in the cast serve only as reasons for Louise to insult and assault poor Seito.
As the series progresses, the occasional plot element will slip through all of the formulaic elements of the series and present a new situation for the cast to face. However, these moments tend to appear rather sporadically and possess a fairly uneven sense of pacing. Action sequences will be followed by mundane chores and discussions regarding the ins and outs of nobility. The series does eventually return to the storylines it creates, but the stop and start layout remove a majority of the drama from a situation. One major plot point isn’t even mentioned until just near the end of the series. It’s just very difficult to maintain any sense of excitement or suspense when the series keeps cutting back to schoolyard trivialities.
A familiar’s duty. A human’s pride.
Visuals Being centred around a world of magic and fantasy, the series contains a few interesting visual elements, namely the creatures…though admittedly they are not great in number…or focused on to any major extent. Regardless, there’s no denying that the salamander and dragon are pretty awesome. Characters themselves also feature a fairly diverse visual style, though a majority of the individuality is given to the supporting cast for whatever reason. The central cast features a noticeably more uniform design, particularly the shape of their faces, instead gaining much of their visual individuality from their colour schemes.
The series also appears to be extremely fond of crossfades, in fact pretty much every scene transition is comprised of one. Not only that, each one is also accompanied by a trail of sparkling stars, it’s quite magical…though it does possess the ability to become rather annoying. Certain episodes rely rather heavily on these transitions, creating situations where the sparkle fades may be seen as many as four times in fewer minutes…you’ve been warned.
The master/servant relationship is a complex one
Audio Continuing on the mystical theme of the series, the soundtrack employs a number of classical instruments to create a fitting accompaniment. Violins are frequently used to create a sense of fantasy and wonder, though these strings are often replaced by guitar during the more action packed sequences. The noble nature of a majority of the cast also sees the brass section get a little work, adding to the forced regality of the series.
The English dub of the series was, in a word, average. Not terribly bad, not amazingly good, it just was. Most characters held a reasonable degree of emotion when speaking, though Louise was definitely the stand out character from a vocal standpoint. That being said, most characters seemed to have one specific emotion that they excelled at and it was in these moments that their voices reached their strongest point. For example, Saito’s sarcasm and Kirche’s seduction were by far their most well performed moments, which is good because they made up a majority of their screentime.
Extras This release features your standard by the books extras. For those wishing to relive the musical bookmarks of the series, a clean version of the opening and closing animations are included. Extended episode previews are also present, providing, as you’d expect, longer pre-caps of each individual episode. Though these variations are only watchable in their original Japanese dub, same goes for the series’ promos that are also included. Finally, as always, are your standard anime trailers. Enjoy.
Just an average day at school
Overall The Familiar of Zero is ultimately a fairly flat series. Though it possesses a number of truly interesting elements, it fails to utilise them to anywhere close to their full potential. Plot points are left to fall by the wayside, seemingly picked back up at the series’ convenience. Despite showcasing a number of main characters, any look into their identities or motivations is superficial at best. Hence when characters reveal secrets or undertake controversial actions, there is a severe lack of emotional impact. Even Saito and Louise spend large portions of the series falling into specific archetypes, though they definitely have the best explored dynamic…despite their pasts remaining desperately under investigated. All in all, I feel that if the series had have truly followed through with one of the many concepts it presented, it would have been far greater. Saito’s power was interesting, the world itself is presumably full of untold wonder and the socio political drama that arose in the later episodes held great promise. Unfortunately, in trying to do too many things at once, The Familiar of Zero just wound up being average.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
GAS GUZZLERS EXTREME: FULL METAL FRENZY DELIVERS FIRST ‘EXTREME’ DLC ON STEAM
Stunning New Maps, Cars, Power-ups and Game Modes Add to the Madness During the Weeklong Discount for Base Game
Haarlem, the Netherlands – May 12, 2014 – The hi-octane mayhem that isGas Guzzlers Extreme intensifies today with the game’s first DLC release on Steam. Developed by indie studio Gamepires and published by Iceberg Interactive, Full Metal Frenzy brings dazzling new maps, awesome new cars, exciting new game modes and mega power-ups gamers just can’t be without! As a combo punch, the base game Gas Guzzlers Extreme is on sale for a whopping 66% off this week on Steam.
The brand new trailer launches shows off the new police pursuit action in the centre of Zagreb (hometown of the developers). The trailer can also be downloaded via this link: www.hightail.com/download/ZUczZXQrUzdFc0k4RmNUQw
Full Metal Frenzy key features:
Zagreb arena: A totally true-to-life depiction of the old downtown area of the Croatian capital, where the developers of this game reside!
Cowboy arena: A huge Wild West map where dirt rules and anything goes.
Two new cars: the Stallion and the Rhino JTL. For that extra muscle.
All new female announcer.
Two new power-ups, Invisibility & Stun Grenades
Three new games modes: Dominator, Destruction Derby and Domination Derby (all single- and multi-player)
New police skin. No-one drives like the Feds…
“We are very thankful that Gas Guzzlers Extreme has been so well received by the community and we’re very excited that we can now release Full Metal Frenzy to the players, packed with content and many new features,” says Andrej Levenski, co-founder and technical director at Gamepires.
ABOUT GAS GUZZLERS EXTREME Gas Guzzlers Extreme is a fast, furious, trigger-happy, metal tearing, rubber burning sparkplug breaking combat racer like none other! Hit the pedal to the metal in this enormously addictive racing game with tons of guns, cars and maps. This exciting new twist on the combat racing genre will bring you to the next step of competitive gaming with intense team/clan battles.
Level up your low performance vehicles to cars that will rule the streets, whether it be through speed or bullets. Lots of gas, lead and adrenaline is needed to progress through the game. New cars, maps and game modes will turn up while progressing through the crash course that is GasGuzzlersExtreme. Spend your hard earned cash to pimp your ride with fresh rims, stickers and paint jobs and create the ride to crash and burn your way into glory!
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ABOUT GAMEPIRES
Gamepires’ expertise resides in the highly rendered and superior graphics gaming environments and relies on combining exquisite knowledge in physics and gameplay development with top-class graphic layouts. The team consists of creative groups of developers and designers continuously oriented towards innovation and perfection in game production, their daily passion. This has resulted in a unique game engine, the best of breed gameplay, design and art for each and every entertainment solution we produce. In the last 15 years every Gamepires team member has been engaged in some of the bestselling and top technology gaming products. Their experience and knowledge guarantee the highest performance and usage standards possible.
ABOUT ICEBERG INTERACTIVE
Iceberg Interactive (www.iceberg-games.com) is an independent video game publisher founded in 2009 by an international group of games industry veterans. Iceberg operates in the vibrant European games market through retail publishing and worldwide via direct relationships with dozens of digital download portals. With a distinct focus on the genres of simulations, adventure, strategy and MMO/action games, Iceberg has successfully released digital hits in European retail, such as Killing Floor, Wings of Prey, APB Reloaded and Endless Space — but is also known to back indie developers in getting their games into both the retail and digital space.
Monkey King Online Expands with New Servers, Immortals, and More
Hong Kong – May 12, 2014 – Global game publisher Reality Squared Games (R2Games) proudly announced today that the first month of the Monkey King Online Open Beta has been one of rapid growth and enthusiasm. The first Open Beta server, Havoc in Heaven, is now joined by 8 more servers across the US West, US East, European, and Oceanic regions. As players from across the world discover this free-to-play browser MMORPG’s mythic setting, unique battle system, and PvP modes, Monkey King Online continues to evolve with new content, systems, and accessory updates.
Since the launch of the Open Beta, R2Games has released two powerful Primordial Immortals, The Earthshaker and The Watcher. Players that unlock these Immortals – through the PvP Pagoda honor shop in the case of The Earthshaker, and through the free Login Rewards screen in the case of The Watcher – will wield five unique combat skills. More Immortals are set for release in the coming months, ensuring that the PvP battlefield will never be the same.
The May 8th update introduced The Watcher, as well as a host of free content. Monkey King Online veterans can advance to level 85 with fresh quests and a brand new map, “Thunder Temple”. After 3 days of cumulative play time, players will gain the title “Buddha’s Blessing”, the first of what promises to be an extensive Title system. After 5 days, players can permanently unlock The Watcher Immortal. Upgradeable Wings, which provide stat bonuses and cosmetic value, become available after 6 days of play time. As MKO grows, R2Games will continue to release features for new users and experts alike, bringing an evolving experience to a global audience.
Monkey King Online is a free-to-play browser MMORPG inspired by the Chinese epic Journey to the West. Players choose one of four ancient heroes, including the rebellious Monkey King himself, and embark on a quest to bring peace to a broken world. Real-time combat is enhanced by the Immortals, giving players the ability to change shape during battle. Monkey King Online can be enjoyed solo, but features a host of robust multiplayer modes, including team dungeons, PvP combat, competitive Arena play, and territorial Guild versus Guild battles.
Key Features:
Live the Legend: discover a vibrant MMORPG world inspired by Chinese mythology… in your browser!
Choose your Champion: become one of four heroes from Journey to the West, including the Monkey King himself
Fight for Justice: bring peace to the heavens with hard-hitting real-time combat
Invoke the Immortals: transform into powerful deities during battle, with new Immortals added every month
Enhance your Equipment: master the art of crafting to create the ultimate arsenal
Claim a Kingdom: conquer territories with a Guild in open-world PvP
About R2Games
R2Games is a global online game publisher specializing in microtransaction-based, free-to-play browser and mobile games. The company primarily works with development teams whose games appeal to wide audiences. R2Games’ growing portfolio includes hits like Wartune, League of Angels, Blade Hunter, and Dragon Pals. The company manages all marketing and PR, locates distribution channels, and carries out day-to-day operations including customer support, community management and event design/implementation.
BANDAI NAMCO GAMES AMERICA INC. RELEASES NEW KUSHINA UZUMAKI ASSETS FOR NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: ULTIMATE NINJA STORM REVOLUTION
BANDAI NAMCO Games America Inc. today announced a new playable character for NARUTO SHIPPUDEN™: Ultimate Ninja® STORM REVOLUTION. Kushina Uzumaki, mother of Naruto Uzumaki, will be bringing her unique brand of fighting to the battlefield for the Xbox 360® games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and STEAM® for PC this September throughout the Americas.
Kushina Uzumaki, second jinchuriki of Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox, is known to hold a temper to match her striking red hair. This quick red-hot temper makes her a formidable opponent against anyone foolish enough to cross her or her family. Kushina’s appearance in NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM REVOLUTION will also detail a brand new storyline “The Far Reaches of Hope” between herself and Team Minato members Rin, Kakashi, and Obito.
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM REVOLUTION combines stunning anime visuals and fluid 3D ninja fighting action once more for the largest and most explosive Ultimate Ninja STORM game yet! NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM REVOLUTION features brand new gameplay mechanics including devastating Combination Ultimate Jutsu attacks, allowing characters to combine their honed powers to create powerful techniques to bring opponents to their knees. With a roster reaching 100 playable characters spanning the entire NARUTO and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN anime arcs, there are sure to be characters that fit everyone’s play style.
NEW ONE PIECE UNLIMITED WORLD RED BATTLE COLISEUM MODE DETAILS AND STREET DATE REVEALED
Earlier this year, BANDAI NAMCO Games America Inc. announced for ONE PIECE Unlimited World Red the brand new Battle Coliseum Mode, where all the fierce and powerful pirates of the seas will collide for the ultimate brawl. Today the leading developer, Ganbarion, and publisher are proud to reveal new details about this mode. A total of 20 characters will be playable in this arena including Fujitora, “Flame Fist” Ace D. Portgas, the stunning Empress Boa Hancock, the whole Straw-Hat crew and more! Players will be able to select their favorite character, including characters like Jimbei that were formerly quest-limited, and experience the heated battle of their dreams against the most fearsome bosses the ONE PIECE universe has ever seen!
The challenging and promising ONE PIECE Unlimited World Red game will reach American shores on July 8, 2014 for PlayStation®3, PlayStation®Vita, Nintendo 3DSTM and Wii UTM. For the latest news and updates, please visit http://www.bandainamcogames.com.
TOM CLANCY’S GHOST RECON PHANTOMS® RELEASES SECOND REDESIGNED MAP FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH
London, UK – May 12, 2014 – Today Ubisoft® announced that the launch of Ghost Recon Phantoms was well received with a positive response from Steam and PC players. The game is now the third most played free-to-play title on Steam, with more than 200,000 daily active users across all platforms and more than half a million visitors to the Ghost Recon Phantoms website daily.
“We are thrilled with the number of active players which just passed the one million mark. We are seeing a lot of new players from countries where the game was already available during open beta, like the UK and Germany, as well as from newly opened territories including Brazil and Australia. There has also been a rise in popularity of the game in Asia, in particular South Korea and Singapore, which is especially important to our team as Singapore is where the game was created,” said Corey Facteau, producer on Ghost Recon Phantoms. “We are going to continue improving Ghost Recon Phantoms by releasing regular new content in game, and we are looking forward to seeing what suggestions these new territories have and how it will help us shape the future of the game.”
In late April, the Attica map, formerly known as Attica Heights, was redesigned to match the new style of Ghost Recon Phantoms. For information on how the map changed please see this video:
The second redesigned map since the launch, The Subpen, formerly known as Balaklava Sub-Pen, was released today along with smoke grenades that are now available in the Ghost Recon Phantoms store.
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman and Far Cry. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2012-13 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,256 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com/.
Video game company Space Rhino Games launched on May 2nd 2014, a Kickstarter campaign for Breach TD, its first mobile game, set to debut during the Summer of 2014. The Kickstarter effort will aim to gather additional funds to expand the game’s already innovative goals. Their initial crowd-funding goal is $35,000, with many stretch goals to follow. For access to the Kickstarter campaign visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spacerhinogames/breach-td.
In creating a Kickstarter campaign the Breach TD creators are able not only to present their game to a global community of gamers, but also ensure that their future goals have an additional form of funding. These include not only being prepared for the current challenges of creating a complex mobile game, but also expand upon the features of such game after launch. Some of the features they hope to expand upon after the original release are allowing for Voice Chat between players and diverse attacks in the multiplayer capacity that will already exist. A variety of rewards will be available for the backers of the Kickstarter campaign such as additional unlocked Guardians, Battle Relics, exclusive wallpapers, access to development forums, and for those big spenders even the opportunity to design your own artwork for the game.
BreachTD.com will be unveiling Kickstarter updates, as well as game development updates such as new guardians and other pertinent game information, so users will be up-to-date on the elaboration process leading up to the game’s release. On the game’s website players will be able to get the latest game news and updates; a comprehensive game guide including game-play instructions and other background information; Guardian and Battle Relic descriptions; access to multimedia such as videos and artwork; a community section with forums open for discussions with other users; and much more. Players can also follow Breach TD via social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others accessible through the site for further updates.
Breach TD is a tower defense game, without the towers, set to revolutionize the genre by creating a unique take on game play, action visuals and user interaction. The game allows for a variety of defensive units and battle relics (items with unique powers) to choose from for the formation of unique builds. It also will have a 3v3 multiplayer component, the ability to go into the offensive against the enemy team, and the ability to support your allies within that same component, which further separates it from other tower defense games.
For more information on Breach TD visit www.Breachtd.com and stay tuned for updates on the game’s release and other news regarding the Kickstarter campaign.
About Space Rhino Games
Space Rhino Games was established in 2013 to develop videos games for multiple operational platforms. Its first game, Breach TD, will be released the Summer of 2014 initially for mobile platforms and with an online version to be released later. Space Rhino Games mission is to become one of the most recognized player centric videogame companies in the world. Its focus is to develop player-focused, free to play games, where the player community forms the foundation of its business. Its goal is to develop smart strategic concepts, which promote team-based gameplay while delivering an action packed experience, fostering and building a strong, avid, and loyal online community. For information visit www.spacerhinogames.com.
‘Nico nico ni~!’ That is the familiar catchphrase that 
