After a massively successful early access period, the latest installment in Paradox Interactive’s epic online multiplayer combat War franchise; War of the Vikings is finally available to everyone. Now everybody can create and customise their own warrior and lead them into glorious battle in the name of Odin. In addition, players new and old will find 5 brand new maps waiting for them as of today.
There are a few different editions of the game that players can pick from; the Standard Edition ($24.99), the Blood Eagle Edition ($34.99) or the mythic Valhalla Edition ($174.99) that includes the lifetime Viking pass where all future content released for the game is automatically unlocked, a digital art book, digital strategy guide, deluxe soundtrack, and the brand new ‘Berserker King’ digital novel.
Players who already had the early access client will just need to load up the game through Steam, where the full-game update will be applied. From there it is time to board your long-ships and set sail to pillage and destroy your enemies. Will you be joining in on the slaughter, or are you already a fearsome Viking with an insatiable bloodlust? Let us know in the comments below and remember to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the War of the Vikings news as it becomes available.
DUESSELDORF, GERMANY – April 16, 2014 – Today Ubisoft® and Blue Byte® announced the upcoming Easter Event for ANNO® Online that starts today and runs until April 29.
To celebrate Easter, three new main quest chains that reward players with Easter XP and Easter eggs are now available. Easter eggs can be exchanged for special Easter buildings including a Henhouse and a Barn. There is also a new Easter Treasure Hunter ship that has better stats than the Treasure Hunter ship and can be purchased with eggs.
Players can also collect re-spawning Easter eggs that are hidden all over the home island or receive them as a reward from completing quests.
Goods can be used to produce the Easter buff, which is needed to solve Social Quests which gives players new achievements. There are more than 10 new achievements players can collect and more hidden achievements are planned.
With these new decorative buildings players can turn their island into an Easter paradise.
The Easter Event is currently happening and will last until April 29.
Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher, and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified lineup of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 29 countries and has sales in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2012-13 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,256 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.
About Blue Byte, a Ubisoft studio:
Blue Byte was established in 1988 and released its first hit game in 1991: Battle Isle. This was followed in 1993 by the development strategy game The Settlers®, which established itself as a longlasting favorite. In 2001, Blue Byte was acquired by Ubisoft, and in 2004 the studio moved into the premises of Ubisoft’s German branch in Düsseldorf. The team at Blue Byte is responsible for new productions of The Settlers® and ANNO®. The studio is also active in the free-2-play genre with the web-based browser game The Settlers Online, available in several languages and currently captivating millions of players worldwide.
TT Games release a new Lego Game every year and it can be hard to keep a franchise fresh. Sure, every new game brings with it a few new features to keep it interesting, but it is usually the same gameplay over and over again. Well Lego The Hobbit does away with all that, and manages to keep the traditional Lego styled gameplay, while revitalising the franchise and mixing in some really cool RPG elements. Coupled that with The Hobbit’s timeless story, and brilliant voice acting and you’ve got yourself a complete package that might just be the best game of the year so far.
Story
JRR Tolkein is one of those writers who’s work is still delighting and entertaining people around the world almost 100 years after it was initially published. Whether it is the original books, or Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, you would be hard pressed to find somebody who doesn’t know the tales of Middle Earth and about the diminutive hobbits.
Lego The Hobbit draws heavy inspiration from the film adaptations of The Hobbit, replicating the tone and pace of the film as well as telling the plot in a succinct and direct manner. I am a massive fan of the Lord of the Rings films but one problem I have had with the first two Hobbit films has been that they have felt like they dragged on, with many scenes that don’t add anything to the plot. Luckily, a lot of the dialogue has been cut down and creates a story that flows almost better than the source material. Not only that, but some of the superfluous action sequences from the movies (like the battle of the Rock Giants) actually feel better as a video game set-piece than they do on film.
Gameplay
If you have played the demo for The Lego Hobbit, you may be thinking to yourself that it seems like another typical Lego game. Well let me tell you that it couldn’t be further from the truth. The Hobbit is a massive departure for TT Games’ Lego franchise, and it makes a lot of really cool changes that are definitely for the better.
The basic level structure is the same; you start your level then after being introduced to it through a cinematic cut-scene, you have to make your way through the stage, collecting Lego studs and building objects to solve puzzles. Each character has their own unique skills and abilities that can help you get through the stage. Each of the dwarves has a different skill or weapon that they can use – Fili has a shovel that can dig up hidden objects, Kili is the only character with a bow until the later stages of the game. Bilbo eventually gets access to The One Ring, allowing him to turn invisible and build objects out of invisible wraith-blocks etc.
Lego The Hobbit also takes the construction kit building mini-game from its predecessor, and presents it in a whole new light. When you have enough “loot” to build a piece, you are taken to a mini game where the object builds in front of your eyes, requiring you to find the right pieces when prompted. The quicker and more accurately you can do this, the move studs you earn.
“Wait, did he just say loot?” Yes avid reader, I did. Lego The Hobbit introduces a brand new Loot system to the game. Loot can be obtained in a variety of ways, and come typically in the form of ores (like Copper, Saphires, Gold etc), food (chicken, carrots or bread) or construction equipment (wood, stone, rope). These can be found by digging them up, breaking lego objects, or defeating enemies. There are also traders found throughout the world that will offer up X amount of their goods, for Y amount of yours. Loot is used to forge new weapons and items, as well as finding a certain amount fo complete side-quests in the game (one NPC requires 500 carrots before you can purchase him as a playable character).
The game features a tonne of side-quests and exploration to do. You will be travelling through a section of Middle-Earth, or a level of the game and you will find areas that can’t be accessed at that point in time, or weapons that haven’t been unlocked yet, prompting you to head back when you have the requisite tools or characters to get the job done. Side-quests although aren’t a main focus of the game, do really add to it, while providing a more tangible reason to collect the game’s many bits and pieces.
The Loot, how you find and forge items, and the side-quests really give the game a very RPG feel. Sometimes you will need to scour back over the world to find enough copper or stone to complete that new weapon. It adds not only to the replayability of the game, but keeps you exploring and manages to draw out the gameplay experience to be as long or as short as you like. Forging weapons out of studs and Mithril Bricks can lead to gameplay enhancements, like more damage output or higher stud worth, but they can also be traded to NPCs for Red Bricks (for those who haven’t played before, they enable cheats in the game).
You also have the opportunity to walk through the entirety of Middle Earth (at least, the parts that we see in The Hobbit films), in an open-world environment. Now, Middle Earth is HUGE and exploring it is a lot of fun, but you don’t actually unlock mounts like Horses, or fast-travel via Eagles until the second half of the game (when the Desolation of Smaug takes place), so exploring is a little bit hindered up until that point.
Visuals & Audio
I will admit, I was not sure how well next-gen technology would impact on the look of a Lego Game, especially after there were no discernable differences in The Lego Movie Videogame. What I got when I loaded up The Hobbit really did surprise and wow me. The world of Middle Earth is rendered beautifully, with each set piece standing out as a marvel to look at. From the shores of Rivendell to the Mountain of Eerbor, each set piece looks unique and distinct, while retaining the true feel of the series (There is even a little sign in The Shire out the front of The Green Dragon, for die-hard fans to take a look at).
Lego The Hobbit doesn’t render the entire world in Lego Bricks like The Lego Movie Videogame does, and instead goes back to having only intractable objects made from the colourful blocks, and while I was somewhat disappointed I can see how it makes it feel more in line with Lego The Lord of the Rings, so it isn’t the worst thing in the world.
The character models all look practically identical to their film counterparts… you know, if they were made of Lego minifigs. Everybody looks the part, with of course a little Lego flair added in (like the elf-ears being part of their hairpiece).
Since Lord of the Rings was adapted to the Hollywood blockbuster franchise, the actors have become synonymous with the characters they portray. This isn’t just a visual thing, but also extends to the voices and mannerisms of every single denizen in middle earth. Much like its predecessor; Lego Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit takes the voice work and audio tracks straight from the film.
Taking the audio out of the film has a two-fold effect. Firstly, we get to experience the narrative of the Hobbit almost identically to how it is shown in theatres (with a few omissions in dialogue to help things flow a little better, and to trim down the clutter). In addition, this provides a sense of authenticity to the product, and really lets you relive all of the magic of the movies in Lego form. Having Martin Freeman’s amazing performance as Bilbo, or Benedict Cumberbatch’s terrifying work as Smaug really do add a lot to the game and make it feel like a complete experience.
Overall
Lego The Hobbit has the whole package; It is a game that is accessible for young and old, presents a compelling and entertaing story, manages to shake things up without letting go of why fans love the franchise in the first place, and be a film tie-in, without ruining the legacy of the IP. While it only covers the first two films in the franchise (for obvious reasons), it in no way feels incomplete, and with DLC coming alongside the release of the third movie, there is a promise of more greatness in the future. Lego The Hobbit is definitely one of the best games of the year (as young as the year is), is the best Lego Game to ever be produced, and is by far the best videogame to make use of the Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit licence.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
RTS gamers, get ready to embark for Asia tomorrow as Wargame: Red Dragon from Eugen Systems and Focus Home Interactive hits store shelves and digital download. You can view the explosive launch trailer commemorating the game’s releases embedded at the bottom of this article.
The most ambitious entry yet, Red Dragonbrings warships to join your ground and airborne forces to the series for the first time as seen in the video and screenshot above (more of which can be viewed here). Succeeding Wargame: Airland Battle, Red Dragon adds over 650 new units in total, and provides meticulously detailed and varied Asian battlegrounds that facilitate strategic depth. A new dynamic campaign system and intense multiplayer modes holding up to 20 players also feature.
With launch imminent, this means that players of AirLand Battle only have one day left to pre-order the game and take advantage of the special 25% discount offer!
Playwith Interactive have announced the start date for the Open Beta of their free-to-play MMORPGEclipse War Online. From April 24, simply being a member of www.playrohan.com will permit you access to participate in the Open Beta.
Those who were able to enjoy all the large living world, character transformations and exciting PvP action during the successful Closed Beta period will be happy to know that no data will be wiped in the transition to the Open Beta period. The developer is continuing to update the game throughout, with a brand new “Seoness” 3-lane PvP map on the way that will facilitate a MOBA-esque gameplay twist on the way. Also, they are assuring players that all in-game items can be obtainable through gameplay, boasting a complete “Play 2 Win” approach to F2P.
So if you’re not already a member and are interested in experiencing a world where time of day and geographic location affect gameplay, and being able to transform into every species of beast and monster by collecting dropped Transformation Cards – of which there are over 700! – thensign up here and check out Eclipse War Online‘s teaser site.
Overview Trying to follow up on a story arc that not only saw main characters dealing with different versions of themselves but also the return of a long lost character is a difficult task. Such is the case with Fairy Tail Part 9, which must follow up the highly regarded Edolas arc. Now with Lisanna back with the guild and everything settled down for now, what will happen to the Fairy Tail guild next?
Story Despite just returning home from Edolas, everyone is on edge and almost every wizard in the guild is running around trying to complete solo missions. Since Lucy has only been in the guild for a little under a year at this point, she is confused about what is going on and her confusion only grows worse when Cana starts talking about leaving the guild.
You see, the annual test that Fairy Tail holds to try and promote wizards to S-Class, the highest rank there is, is about to be held and Makarov has chosen eight wizards to undergo this trial. The chosen wizards, Natsu, Gray, Juvia, Levy, Cana, Freed, and Elfman, are all able to take a partner with them to travel to Fairy Tail’s sacred ground, Tenrou Island where only one of the eight wizards will have the chance to advance to the S-Class after overcoming the other competitors.
Since S-Class wizards cannot be chosen as partners, Mirajane, Erza, and the recently returned Gildarts are also set up as obstacles in the wizards’ paths. Considering the way people are paired off and the large and diverse cast of characters that Fairy Tail sports, this leads to a number of new pairings for viewers to enjoy.
However even while the Fairy Tail guild members begin battling and making their way through the trial, a dark force is slowly moving towards the island but an even darker entity has made the island his home. With the members of the Fairy Tail guild already worn down, the dark guild Grimoire Heart has appeared with two goals. One, find the legendary dark presence on the island capable of wielding evil magic capable of destroying the world, and two… eliminate every Fairy Tail wizard they come across.
With the release of Fairy Tail: Part 9 we see the beginning of another arc that focuses heavily on combat but unlike the past few releases, this time around things are freshened up a bit by changing up the groupings of wizards who usually fight as a team. This gives viewers a fresh look at some powers being utilized, especially with Cana being a highlighted character this time around.
The return of Gildarts and the sudden appearance of a very strange guild member named Mest display a new set of abilities. This helps keep the battles from becoming too stale as some shōnen series battles begin to grow old if drawn out too long, even with new enemies to face off against, but thanks to the way that Fairy Tail handles their battles and the number of powers capable of being utilized, things remain fresh and exciting.
While the battles between the Fairy Tail members and then the fights against Grimoire Heart are the highlight of Part 9, we see some small development for Natsu as well as Makarov as he faces off against a man he once looked up to. To top this off the dark force that resides on Tenrou Island looks like he will be a major issue in the future thanks to his seemingly uncontrollable ability to instantly kill everything around him and the lengths that Grimoire Heart will go to bring him in.
As always with Fairy Tail, outside of the combat there is always a nice dose of humor interwoven between serious moments and intense action pieces and to top that off there usually is a bit of mild fan service here and there as well, which also is used as a joke during a battle in this release. Unfortunately, as with many long running arcs in Fairy Tail, Fairy Tail: Part 9 does not finish the Tenrou Island arc and leaves viewers off on a cliffhanger that places Lucy in imminent danger and a number of Fairy Tail members still facing off against Grimoire Heart’s Seven Kin of Purgatory and growing weaker by the minute.
Visuals With almost the entirety of this release taking part on Tenrou Island, the jungle setting is a nice change of pace from the last few areas that the Fairy Tail members have fought in and this creates some rather nice looking backdrops for the action to take place against, especially since the island even has a set of overgrown ruins. Plus with Lisanna’s return displaying fresh take over magic and a number of characters moving into the new area, a few wardrobes are changed up which is always refreshing.
As for the action, the animation quality remains impressive throughout most of the battles, though some of the more elaborate powers are not used this time around since Erza and a few of the more flashy wizards do not spend a lot of time fighting in this release which can be disappointing to some and there are a few strange looking drops in quality during a few of the less important fights.
Audio With the release of Fairy Tail: Part 9 FUNimation has retained all of the previous English voice actors for the series, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, and they have continued to impress in this release, with Todd Haberkorn’s energy level constantly being successfully tested by Natsu and the amount of screaming that goes on in this series. It is worth noting that, for those who want it, the Japanese voice track is also included in the release.
The background music throughout this release is similar to what fans have come to expect as a number of signature pieces of music are used throughout the release which is something viewers have come to expect. Interestingly enough, since this release follows right on the heels of the Edolas arc, the first couple of episodes feature the opening “The Rock City Boy” by Jamil and the ending theme “Don’t Think. Feel!!!” by Idoling!!! which were used for that arc. Following those we have the opening theme “Towa no Kizuna” by Daisy x Daisy feat. Another Infinity with the ending theme being “Kono te Nobashite” Hi-Fi Clamp.
Extras With this release, FUNimation has chosen to include their first video commentary for the series so far for episode 99 which features Tyler Walker, the series’ ADR Director, Tia ballard who voices Happy, Monica Rial, the voice of Mirajane, and Todd Haberkorn who handles Natsu’s voice. These video commentaries are always a nice inclusion and it features discussion of the episode and a number of jokes.
As for the other inclusions on this release, the case features a reversible cover art, two basic episode commentaries, one for episode 97 which features Tyler Walker, Tia Ballard, and Todd Haberkorn and one for Episode 107 that sees Tyler Walker once again, Michael Johnson who voices Caprico, and Justin Locklear the voice of Rustyrose. Closing out the extra features we have the clean version of both opening and ending themes, the US trailer for the series, and finally trailers for other FUNimation anime.
Overall Fairy Tail continues to keep moving at a steady pace without missing a step as it successfully manages to keep upping the stakes despite leaving behind the Edolas arc. In Fairy Tail: Part 9 we not only see a fresh pairing of wizards battling each other in intense combat but also a number of important developments happening at the same time. With many members of Fairy Tail falling to their opponents and a dark force capable of destroying the world about to falling into enemy hands, viewers will find it hard to look away from this release and, once it is finished, eagerly waiting to see what will happen next.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Are you ready for a little anime version of H.P. Lovecraft? Well in a very minor way that is what Nyaruko: Crawling with Love! is but instead of twisted horrors we have anime girls, one of which happens to be desperately in love with a certain fork wielding boy named Mahiro.
For those looking to dive into this hilarious series, then you are in luck because NIS America has just released the first season of Nyaruko: Crawling with Love! in North America as a Premium Edition package that comes with the series on Blu-ray as well as a hardcover art book and a collectible slipcase. The premium edition is priced at $51.99 and can be ordered from the company’s online store here.
Aussie anime distributor Hanabee has recently announced via Facebook that it will release Amnesia and Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl (Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko). Both titles will be released on July 2nd along with the previously announced re-release of Toradora! on Blu-Ray with English dub.
Amnesia is an adaptation of an otome game of the same name, featuring a girl with no memory of who she is with a spirit only she can see. Surrounded by handsome coworkers in the cafe she works at, the girl pieces her life back together.
In SHAFT’s Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl, Makoto Niwa is forced to live with his cousin of the same age, Erio Touwa, who is a self-proclaimed alien and likes to tie a futon around her body. The two travel the path of adolescence in bizarre circumstances.
Amnesia will be released on both DVD and Blu-Ray while Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl is getting the DVD-only treatment with English subtitles. Let us know what you think of the new acquisitions!
Today NIS America has announced that they are planning on releasing the second season of Arakawa Under the Bridge, aptly named Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge, in a standard edition package two years after the premium edition version of the anime was released in North America.
When the standard edition of Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge is released it will be priced at $49.99 and this standard edition version of the anime will be released at the end of the month on April 29th and it will include all thirteen episodes of the season on two Blu-ray discs and two DVDs.
This release comes with all of the same on-disc bonus content of the original release but as far as physical bonuses are concerned it only contains a brief episode guide leaflet. For those who want it, the Premium Edition version of the release is still available for purchase on the company’s online store here.
Today Atlus USA has delighted fans of Japanese games across America by releasing Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars for the 3DS and PS Vita. To commemorate the game’s launch in the States they have given us not only the below launch trailer but also information about the game’s European release and planned DLC.
The game will be released in Europe sometime in May and the game’s demo will also be made available sometime before the title’s release. As for the DLC, it has been revealed that a special Danganronpa themed DLC where players will need to fight against Monokuma will be released in May. To see if Conception II is worth picking up, you can check out our review of the 3DS version here.
Today 