Classic point and click adventure game Shadowgateis being rebooted by Zojoi and Reverb Triple XP. The game was originally released for Mac in 1987. The reboot is being developed by the two original directors of the game, Karl Roelofs and Dave Marsh. The pair successfully raised enough money on Kickstarter to fund the reboot.
The new Shadowgate game is updated for modern audiences. The game will feature hand drawn artwork, new puzzles, and support for 4k resolutions.Thereboot will be released for iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows. It will be priced for $19.99 with a 25% discount for all pre-orders. The Adventurer Pack and the Hero Pack are available for purchase that will also include special bonus items like wallpapers and soundtracks. Order your copy at the official Shadowgate site.
People can complain all they want about DLC, Free to Play, and so on. Yeah, it bothers me, but seeing a once applauded publisher deliver something just for the sake of cashing in on another person’s idea – well that kind of takes the cake.
Rovio are the latest in the trend of Flappy Bird inspired clones, with their new title dubbed “Retry”. Sure, people will buy it and play it – the Angry Birds publisher has been a trusted namesake on the iOS market, but what happened to integrity? I hated Flappy Bird. It was a game that wasn’t a game, but instead an idea to make the consumer feel like they had to keep going because they were not winning. Its the same kind of thing that we see in slot machines, but translated with happy pixels with the accessibility factor coming in the form of your iPhone. Watch the trailer for Retry down below, and of course you will probably purchase it, but Rovio, I frankly would expect better from you. Enjoy your millions while they last, as it only costs you the supporting beam holding up your brand.
To the reader, I am sorry I am so ranty, but to myself this is about the same thing as seeing a celebrity use their last sliver of fame to get a free meal when they have a wallet full of cash.
Overview
Zombies, the walking undead, there are millions of fans of these monsters all over the world and as such they have spawned a multitude of media based upon the idea of the living dead. The mobile gaming platform is a breeding ground for zombie games and the latest in a long line of them is Route Z, another game that tasks you with mowing down zombies in your trusty vehicle.
This is not the first game of this type, heck the concept itself has been done several times over on the mobile platform most popularly in the game Zombie Highway. So what is it that sets Route Z apart? Well nothing really, it is ultimately another zombie game that brings little to the medium that hasn’t been done before, but it does manage to be a fun game in spite of it.
Gameplay
Route Z puts you behind the wheel of a car in the third person perspective with the task of running down zombies and avoiding obstacles strewn across your path. The game is controlled by tilting your device making use of gyro controls to steer your vehicle like a steering wheel would. It is nothing really new but it works well enough to prove to be a spot of fun.
The game features a great amount of in-app purchase options which is not exactly something that adds favorably to a game, however if you are the type who doesn’t mind popping some bucks on game you downloaded for free to get things that you can earn for free by playing the game, then maybe you might not find such in-app purchases so questionable.
At its core, Route Z is a simple game, run down zombies get points, hit obstacles you die and start again. It is very simple yet is often afflicted with some weird lag issues during intense portions, not only that but there are some tedious loading times for the game. There is a fair amount of unlockable content, but most of it can be bought through in-app purchase.
If you’re looking for the next zombie game on mobile this is it, whether it is any better than the ones you played before is subject to opinion. Route Z is a routine example of a zombie game on mobile devices, not a bad one by any means, but far from a great one.
Visuals and Audio
Aesthetically there is likewise nothing special on show here in Route Z. The visuals are very familiar looking and not impressive enough to warrant the hefty loading times the game bares. The zombies themselves lack definition which is rather odd considering they are one of the major focal points of the game. The cars however are pretty well designed and appear to have had at least a little bit of time spent on them.
As far the soundtrack goes for the game, the word ‘forgettable’ comes to mind. There isn’t anything substantial to grasp at here and it just passes as a decent backing selection for the game. One can’t help but feel that they could have done something better, but the result is nothing but a pedestrian effort.
Overall
If you’ve played one zombie game on mobile you’ve likely played them all and Route Z is proof of that. It comes off as a poor attempt of game that has been made for mobile dozens of times. It offers very little that hasn’t been seen before and it is only as fun as the other games that it follows. Whether you’ve played Zombie Highway or Vroom! this is one game you probably will feel like you’ve played before. It is a shame really because Moonshark do seem to be a developer with some talent, if only they put more creativity into the mix. Route Z is a fairly fun but ultimately forgettable game that brings nothing new to table opting to repeat the same beats we’ve seen dozens of times before.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
A live action adaptation for the popular manga series Bakuman has been announced and is set to release in 2015. The film will be directed by Hitoshi One with the two main protagonists, Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi, being played by actors Takeru Satoh and Ryunosuke Kamiki.
The Shonen Jump title (created by the same guys that did Deathnote) revolves around two aspiring mangakas and the challenges they face when creating manga for Shonen Jump Magazine. The series began in 2008 and finished in 2012 on its 20th volume, since then three anime series have been adapted from the manga. Check out our review of the first season.
Not only does the plot of the series fit well in a live action setting, but all off Mashiro’s drawings will be done by the original illustrator of the manga, Takashi Obata. While Obata will be created as part of the staff, at the time of writing it has not been announced whether or not Tsugumi Ohba (co-creator of Bakuman/Deathnote) will have any involvement in the adaptation.
Keep your eyes on capsule computers for further updates on the live action Bakuman film and let us know what you think about the series by leaving a comment down below.
Ever since the PlayStation 2 classics started rolling out fans of the Shin Megami Tensei series have been hoping that a few specific titles would be released under that label and now their wish has been granted. Today Atlus USA has placed Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne up on the PlayStation Network where it can be purchased herefor $9.99.
In Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne players have just witnessed the “Conception” and have been turned into a demon. Now they must try to navigate through the aftermath and try to bring order to the chaos overtaking the world. It also appears that there will be another SMT release sometime in the future as the announcement closed out with the following: “Is that it? Are there more PS2 classics to come? It’s getting hot in here with all these SMT releases…”
You may never have heard of Fruitbat Factory but they have been giving smaller Japanese titles an English translation and release on the PC such as 100% Orange Juicebut now they are going to be taking a big step in localizing a PS3 title called Eiyuu Senki – The World Conquest. Eiyuu Senki is a visual novel/tactical RPG that was originally developed by Tenco and published in Japan by MAGES last year.
There is currently no set release date for Eiyuu Senki but it will be released in North America and Europe at the same time. The title is an adaptation of a PC eroge that was toned down for release on consoles and given a number of improvements. Eiyuu Senki features over seventy characters drawn by Oyari Ashito and other industry artists. Players find themselves in an alternate version of the world where all of the famous characters of history and legend are now beautiful women and they must fight against others to try and conquer the world.
Square Enix’sCollective platform for indie games has been live for about a month now. Every Monday, a new pitch for an indie game gets posted. This week’s pitch is Debugger v3.16 by German developers Work of Spider Entertainment. The game aims to teach basic programming skills in an entertaining manner. The main campaign will teach basic scripting that will allow players to solve environmental puzzles. The game also comes bundled with tutorials that will teach players how to code simple games from start to finish. Vote on the future of Debugger v3.16 at the pitch page on Collective.
Additionally, there are still several popular pitches that have a few days before close.
Game: Leap of Fate
Developer: Clever-Plays
Genre: Action
Location: Canada
“New York, present day. A rogue occultist must undergo a deadly rite of passage, forcing him to face his own demons and choose his fate.”
Game: Black The Fall
Developer: Sad Sand Sailor
Genre: Side-scrolling Shooter
Location: Romania
“This is an atmospheric side-scrolling shooter with puzzle solving elements. An odd and unexpected black and white dream.”
“A 2D side scroller puzzle-solving adventure about exploring a world of dreams… or nightmares?”
Collective is a platform that gives indie developers 28 days to pitch their game to the public. If the pitch is received well by the voters, then Square Enix will examine the project, make recommendations, and possibly offer their support in mentoring and arranging for crowd funding via IndieGoGo.
Today Square Enix has released a new video interview for Drakengard 3 and this time around they are interviewing Keiichi Okabe, the game’s sound director. He starts the interview by discussing that while he didn’t work on the first two Drakengard games, he did work on the soundtrack for Nier.
He goes on to say that the producer wanted him to create an entirely different music style from what was found in Nier so players can expect a different style of music that will apparently make use of a number of tracks that include vocals. You can check out the full interview below and keep an eye out for Drakengard 3 when it is released on May 20th in North America.
Take the fight to the enemy…once they finish their turn
Ubisoft has just announced that Blue Byte‘s historically inspired turn based tactical title Panzer General Online has gone into Open Beta. Currently available in English, French, German and Dutch, the free-to-play browser game provides players with both singleplayer and multiplayer options.
During their previous Closed Beta, the development team worked closely with the community to gather feedback and implement improvements to the core game. The balance of both singleplayer and multiplayer was fine tuned, resulting in the introduction of powerful new units and command cards, as well as the optimisation of the booster packs mechanics. A new multiplayer mode known as Skirmish 2.0 was also added to the game, allowing players to enter versus player battles with pre-constructed decks. This grants newcomers and advanced players the ability to face each other on equal footing.
As a thank you to early fans of Panzer General Online, all players who participated during the Closed Beta will receive two exclusive tanks, one for the US army and one for the German army. For all those just joining the fight, Panzer General Online will be supported by new content releases through Open Beta and into launch.
So head over to the official site and try your hand at becoming a Panzer General…Online. Additionally, check out the images and trailer below and get yourself into the mood for some organised, turn based warfare. That’s how war works right?
Aksys Games has announced that Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi, the first otome visual novel for the PS3 is available now on the PSN and in the process of being shipped to stores. As one of the first visual novels on the PS3, Hakuoki brings an epic story of love, honour and betrayal to the console market, presented in a beautifully drawn format. With character’s faces brightly animated, Hakuoki’s visual style is more akin to an anime than a game.
Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi is an epic love story about Chizuru, a girl looking for her missing father as she gets swept into a burgeoning war between Imperial and shogun forces. Oh, did we mention there are bloodthirsty demons as well? Will Chizuru and her newfound friends, the Shinsengumi, find her father – but more importantly, will she find love in the midst of all this madness?
Though players will experience the bulk of Hakuoki through Chizuru’s eyes, additional unlockable content will provide a number of side stories and chances to learn more about each of the main characters. One specific bonus also allows players to see the cast re-imagined in a manga that throws them into modern day Japan.
So with both digital and physical copies (and a limited edition) to choose from, nab yourself a copy of Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi and experience a story of finding love within the chaos of war…or high school.
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