These are the minimum required specs for a PC user, taken directly from the Steam page:
OS: Windows Vista or above (with only support for 64 bit OSs.) Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 @ 2.66Ghz or AMD Phenom II X4 940 @3.0Gz Memory: 6 GB Ram Graphics: Direct X 11 graphics card with 1 GB Video Ram – Nvidia Geforce GTX 460 or AMD Radeon HD 5770 DirectX: Version 11 Hard Drive: 25 GB available space Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card with Latest Drivers Additional Notes: Broadband connection and service required for multiplayer mode. Supported Video Cards at Time of Release: nVidia GeForce GTX460 or better, GT500, GT600, GT700 series; AMD Radeon HD5850 or better, HD6000, HD7000, R7 and R9 series Intel® Iris™ Pro HD 5200
The game is available for pre-purchase right now, and will be released May 27th, 2014. You can pre-purchase the regular order for $59.99 USD, which will come with a Blume Agent Outfit and a Blume Weapon perk, which reduces recoil on shots, or you can pre-purchase the Deluxe Digital Edition for $69.99 USD. This version will come with exclusive content and other perks like the Club Justice Pack, which will give you a Chicago South Club skin and more HP to your vehicles.
Players who want to enjoy the game to its fullest capacity will need better specs than this, but with a minimum such as this, it’ll be completely possible to enjoy what Watch_Dogshas to offer. The game is available on PC, the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3, and Wii U. For more information, check out the official Steam pagehere.
We’re giving away 10x Capsule Computers CC IndieGala Every Monday bundle packs which includes a total of 6 fantastic PC Indie games. (See below for list of games)
This competition will close on April 12th. Make sure you use a valid email when you register. If you choose to enter by logging in with your Facebook account, your email is not required
RefleX Developer:SITER SKAIN Publisher:Nyu Media Platforms:PC (Reviewed) Release Date:March 27th, 2014 Price:$7.99 – Available Here
Overview
RefleX is the second chapter to one of the most beloved Japanese shooting trilogies, The Tale Of ALLTYNEX. The game seamlessly provides a great shooting experience through the usage of intense gameplay, interesting mechanics, and strongly crafted levels. The title is well-known around the world as one of the best indie shmup titles, and that recognition is well-deserved. With over 8 levels and stages, each with their own unique boss battles, and the unique mechanics of a shield to reflect and block attacks, RefleX is easily one of the best shmup titles I’ve ever had the joy of playing. This version of RefleX is available on Steam as of March 27th, with the other two installations of The Tale Of ALLTYNEX soon arriving to Steam as well.
Story
The story revolves around the aftermath of the ALLTYNEX incident, and how humans have resettled on Earth. The world was unified under one militaristic government, and has created a global economy to match it. However, there are those who defy this leadership and would turn against it in an effort to rid humanity of this single-minded government view. The resistance is known as Valkyness. Their conflict grew as the years passed, but suddenly, an alien force arrives on Earth to exact revenge for what the humans did to their race. The aliens are known as Raiwat, and this conflict leads into the third installation in the trilogy, KAMUI.
Gameplay
The gameplay for RefleX is very fast-paced. The log-in menu is very simple to navigate, providing you with the options to play the Campaign mode, Game Select Mode (where you can pick which level you start at, as long as you’ve unlocked it), and to see your ranking. When you enter the Campaign mode, you’re allowed to choose your name for which you’ll save your high scores as. Inputting it all is simple enough, but after that is where the fun begins. You’re immediately thrown into the action, as you’re attacked by enemy forces. You break off from your main ship and proceed to attack the enemy head on.
Your controls are simple. The directional keys to control your fighter jet and the default keys for your attack button is set to Z. Your shield ability is set to X, and the Pause function is set to C. Unlike other shmups that allow you to slowly unlock more powerful weapons, RefleX kicks it off with huge weapon capabilities. Instantly, you’re given guns that fire off multiple bullets in a straight line, and less-frequent bullets to the side. It feels really good to blow your enemies up with your rounds, but it’s even better when you can reflect their attacks.
A unique factor of this game that really sets it apart from the other shmups in the market is the shield ability. There’s a little bar at the bottom left of your screen that shows you how much energy you have left to power your shield. Your gun’s power is also based off of that same energy. The shield recharges quickly when you let it sit, and it will recharge a bit more slowly when you’re firing your guns. The shield will blocks all bullet types, with the exception of the blue colored projectiles, which it will reflect back towards the user. The shield factor is what allows a player to get exponentially higher scores than their friends who simply use their guns. The reflection creates a score multiplier that will continue to increase as you reflect more or get consecutive kills after a reflect.
You can keep track of your health in the bottom right side of the screen, where your health is represented by little blue boxes. You have 7 lives before your plane explodes into a flaming ball of metal. After your initial runs, you’ll slowly accumulate extra “Continues”, which will allow you to start over from the same position you died at, allowing you to progress further into the game. However, your high score will only be recorded if you end the game at your first death. Continues are mainly used to unlock the later levels.
One of the toughest things that I had to get used to was the fast paced action that RefleX provided. I’ve never been a good shoot-em-up player, so giving this title a try was definitely a new experience. The minute I entered the game, I started losing my lives almost instantly. The controls are very sensitive, so a light tap of the Right-direction key would spur my plane far into the side of the screen. Before I even reached the first boss battle, I was dead. Every stage is split between smaller acts. So it’ll go 1A, then 1B, and so on. You’ll know when the boss comes because a huge “WARNING” sign will be plastered across your screen, warning you of your imminent doom.
The game easily ranks as one of the more challenging titles that I’ve tried yet in the shmup genre. The title’s relentless levels really creates a strong sense of gameplay, one that continuously becomes more and more challenging. Everything about RefleX is top-notch, and I really had a blast playing the game over and over again, regardless of if I beat the level or not.
Visuals & Audio
The visuals are very old-school, without looking so classic that it takes away from the actual gameplay. Visually, the game is very appealing. It does tend to get a bit too cluttered every once in a while in the game, but that’s more of the levels design than a problem with the visuals. The audio was actually very fitting for the title. The music matches each of the levels atmosphere and when you’re battling the mobs and bosses in a level, the music really transports you into the game. The soundtracks are very well-picked and they really deserve a lot of the credit in setting the stage for the gameplay.
Overall
RefleX is an amazing title that does what its intended to do very well. The game is the sort of title that is very easy to learn on the spot and to have fun with, but it’s also very difficult to completely master to a point where you can successfully beat the game with ease. Out of all the shoot-em-ups I’ve played in recent years, I’ve got to tip my hat to RefleX for bringing out the fanboy in me in the genre.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
The mobile platform is by far the best place for film tie-in games. It allows developers to do something a little bit different without breaking the bank, and offers the perfect opportunity to tease fans with enough content to make them want to watch the movie. Captain America: The Winter Soldier – The Official Game ticks all of these boxes quite nicely. It is a brawler that implements elements of tactical combat and wraps them in a very comic book-esq wrapping. It has its faults, but is still an enjoyable experience and definitely one to keep on your radar if you are a fan of the character.
Story
When a bunch of evil villains decide to wreck havoc on a massive scale, Steve Rogers steps up to the plate and vows to take them down. Working alongside S.H.I.E.L.D. for the betterment of mankind, Captain America’s Idealistic ways are challenged when he comes face to face with an adversary unlike any he has encountered before – The Winter Soldier.
The story has little to do with the actual film, so you don’t need to worry about spoiling yourself if you haven’t seen it yet. It manages to take some iconic Cap villains and shows you how they might look and act if they were in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the game features some characters that are first introduced in The Winter Soldier (like The Winter Soldier and Falcon).
Gameplay
One of the few games in recent memory where you hold your phone vertical to play. Captain America has you controlling the titular character (who’d of thought) while he bashes his way through waves of H.Y.D.R.A. soldiers on his quest to save the world. Cap’s powers are a little awkward for a video game, as he doesn’t have anything flashy or visually impressive aside from his shield throw. Most of the game will be spent with you punching enemies in typical brawler fashion. You can throw Cap’s shield around by drawing its trajectory on the screen, but enemies that are shielded can deflect it away, leaving you without your ranged weapon for a short time.
There are two control schemes in the game, and both are available from the get-go. You can either tap where you want cap to move, and should he come into contact with an enemy in the meantime; the fight is on. If that is not your style, there are also virtual control sticks and buttons for you to play along with. I found the latter control scheme to be awkward at best – not because of the control pad itself (which worked flawlessly), but because you hold your device vertically, if you are playing on a phone then your hands are quite close together. It might just be me, but I felt like I should have been typing a text message to someone from the way the phone was held.
Cap isn’t the only member of your team through this adventure, as you will be joined by up to two S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives through your missions. Part of the game is to pick which type of operative will be best for the upcoming mission. Do you want a long-range sniper or a close up gunner? The type you choose can heavily impact how easy or difficult a mission is. This is especially pertinent during the later stages of the game where the difficulty has jumped up a notch or two. In addition, you are able to call in Black Widow or Falcon if the battle gets too hairy, and they can provide the kind of screen-clearing result that is typically saved for a special move.
Visuals & Audio
Visually, this game looks like it is ripped straight from the pages of a comic book. While it doesn’t have the highest polygon count or high-res textures, it has a lot of charm and everything from the characters on screen to the special effects during combat all look great.
Combat is accented with large colourful explosions and giant words flashing across the screen. The developers have taken inspiration from comics both old and new to create this look, and as someone who grew up on comic books, seeing a large “FWOOM” flash across the screen when I fell an enemy is a great addition.
The game’s audio probably isn’t up to scratch with its visuals, as most of the sounds you will hear are Captain America’s hand hitting an enemy or a gunshot going off from one of your troop members. The actual verbal dialogue in the game is short and repetitive. It is unfortunate, because Roger Craig Smith (reprising his roll of Captain America from the Marvel’s Avengers Assemble tv series) has an almost perfect voice for Steve Rogers.
Overall
I am always a big fan of Gameloft’s movie tie-ins. They all feature massive production values and make the best use of the license without ever spoiling the films they are based on. Not only that, but every one of their games actually feels fresh and different. Unfortunately they also have this habit of really pointing us in the directions of their microtransactions and in-app purchases, which unfortunately are rampant here. This isn’t pay to win I still felt like I was being told “no seriously, buy this upgrade.” While Captain America: The Winter Soldier – The Official Game is not a perfect experience, it is still really fun to pick up and play, and fans of Steve Rogers or Marvel Comics would be amiss to not at least try it out.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Indie legends, VooFoo Studios and Ripstone Games are excited to announce that Pure Chess will be checking into the PS4 Store from April 15.
Phil Gaskell, Creative Director at Ripstone declared, “The team at Voofoo did such a great job on previous versions, and set themselves a high benchmark for PS4. When gamers download this new version on next-gen consoles they will experience the step-change in visual fidelity. There are moments when playing this game where it genuinely looks better than real life.”
Pure Chess is considered the ultimate version of the magnificent strategy board game, with HD visuals and an absolutely stunning 3D chess experience (see for yourself in the trailer below). Originally released in May 2012 on PS3 and Vita, Pure Chess has since then proven itself worthy of joining the mobile market on iOS, Android devices, as well as the Nintendo e-shop on Wii and 3DS.
Make your move April 15 and purchase Pure Chess on PS4for only $7.99 or get the best value from the “Complete Bundle” for 14.99. Keep in mind, there will be discounts for Playstation Plus users!
The follow up to Artifex Mundi’s (Nightmares from the Deep) popular 2011 adventure game Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek is now available for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. Enigmatis: The Mists of Ravenwood follows the detective that has been hot on the heels of the demonic preacher behind the events of The Ghosts of Maple Creek. The detective has been haunted by her experiences, but she thinks she has finally tracked down the preacher to Ravenwood Park. The strange thing is, Ravenwood Park does not exist on any map.
Enigmatis: The Mists of Ravenwood is now available on the Windows app store. The Windows 8 PC version is currently sale for 30% off while the Windows Phone 8 version is 25% off to celebrate the game’s launch.
The large multi-national team developing Ubisoft‘s free to play shooter Ghost Recon Phantoms went in front of the camera to give fans a taste of development. The first episode turns back the clock to when Ghost Recon Future Soldier was in development and Ghost Recon Phantoms was a small idea in the minds of Ubisoft. The second episode features developers talking about the challenges of developing a video game with a multi-national team with offices around the world. Things we take for granted, like everyone speaking the same language, became problems that needed to be conquered before the technical aspects of the game could be tackled.
Ghost Recon Phantoms is the new name for Ubisoft’s free to play shooter Ghost Recon Online. The game is leaving its lengthy open beta on April 10th. It is available for download on Steam.
WHERE DOES YOUR ETHICAL COMPASS LEAD YOU? ALWAYS SOMETIMES MONSTERS HITS STEAM MAY 21
– Now Available for Pre-Order on Steam –
Toronto, Canada – Independent developer Vagabond Dog and the questionable professionals of Devolver Digital have announced Always Sometimes Monsters, an unconventional story-driven RPG about life, love, and the lengths that we will go to find happiness in both, will hit PC via Steam and Humble on May 21st. Inspired by always sometimes true-life events, Always Sometimes Monsters features an incredibly touching and engaging emotionally driven narrative as players struggle with tough life choices.
Players will assume the role of a down-and-out character on the verge of collapse after learning the love of their life is set to marry someone else. Selecting from characters of different gender, race and sexual orientation players will encounter a world that reacts uniquely to who they are as they live through common experiences and unique hardships.
With time working against them, players set out on a unique cross-country journey filled with memorable and countless choices. Each playthrough is filled with a staggering number of diverging paths, creating a narrative tailored to the individual playing, their choices, and their personal ethical compass.
“Always Sometimes Monsters is designed to reflect parts of yourself as you play and possibly give you a better understanding of who you are,” said Justin Amirkhani from developer Vagabond Dog. “What makes it interesting is not learning whether or not you’re a monster, but reflecting on how you can change.”
Always Sometimes Monsters will be playable at PAX East, Booth # 787 inside the Indie Megabooth with a custom demo asking players to question their morals and step into the shoes of someone altogether different from themselves.
Always Sometimes Monsters is now available for pre-order on Steam and Humble via AlwaysSometimesMonsters.com with a 33% discount for a limited time.
Follow development at vagabonddog.com or on Twitter @VagabondDog.
Cubical Drift are proud to announce that the KickStarter for Planets has exceeded its initial funding target of $250,000!
March 4 2014, Cannes, France – Cubical Drift are proud to announce that the KickStarter for Planets³ has exceeded its initial funding target of $250,000!
‘We are incredibly grateful to every backer we have for believing in our dreams of a Cubical world. The kind words, encouraging each other and helping us to get featured on websites all over the world has helped us to fund. Without you guys, there would be no Planets³. The love for our game is both very heartwarming and endearing – we can’t thank you enough.“, said Michel Thomazeau, Planets³ Project Director.
“Planets³ is something we have all worked hard on to get to this and now we can continue on and see this through to completion. We are very happy with the reaction from the games media press and public and very motivated to make P3 live up to everybody’s expectations.”
Planets³ is a beautifully presented, unique mix of adventure, RPG, dungeon crawler and building. Set in a multi-player universe, players can shape their own adventure and visit multiple planets, each composed of nearly 30 trillion blocks. Truly breath-taking landscapes and environments will be achieved through voxel-based graphics and the “Long Distance Display Engine”.
Progress through the game is achieved through “levelling-up” their character, embarking on various story-driven quests, tool-building and habitation and vehicle crafting. All of these things contributing to ever-deeper exploration of the planets in the vast universe.
Planets³ also offers side quests allowing players to unlock secrets of the game’s world and to find special items only reachable in secondary storylines.
About Cubical Drift
Created in 2013, Cubical Drift is an independent video game studio bringing together video game “passionates”, each of them being an expert in their field.
Planets³ is the studio’s first project, which is ambitious both from a technical and artistic point of view. The studio foresees a 5-year schedule with the release of an extension within 3 years after the initial release, and its development onto console and mobile platforms.
SQUARE ENIX COLLECTIVE OPENS AFTER SUCCESSFUL PILOT PHASE
Tuque Games’ World War Machine first game going through to crowdfunding
London, April 4, 2014: Square Enix Collective today opens its doors fully for developers to submit original game ideas. Teams can now access the site’s CMS directly and upload pitches which, once submitted and checked against submission criteria, could then be published on the Collective platform.
Following the completion of the initial three-project pilot phase, the Collective platform has undergone some additional development work taking into account developer and consumer feedback and is now ready for the full live launch.
“The pilot phase went really well, we learned so much during the test month and the teams we worked with; Tuque Games, Kitfox Games and Ruffian Games, have given great and useful feedback,” said Phil Elliott, project lead for Collective. “Now it’s over to you as we open up the platform on an ongoing basis, and see what sort of ideas come in, from developers all around the world and what gamers think of those ideas.”
Collective is open for new submissions from today and pitches will be published every Monday, starting when the first pitches are received. A full list of submission criteria is included in the developer terms of use and is available for anybody to see here.
The first of the teams to come through the pilot phase, Tuque Games, with World War Machine will begin a crowdfunding campaign via a Collective/Indiegogo campaign page towards the end of April.
“World War Machine obviously caught the eye of a lot of people,” added Elliott. “With 90% of those who voted on the project indicating potential backing through crowdfunding, we’re very happy that Tuque Games decided to accept our offer for continued support on Indiegogo, we’ll let you know when the campaign page is live.”
The option for teams to use older Eidos IP (Gex, Fear Effect and Anachronox) will be added at a later date as the details are finalised. Collective aims to be a fully transparent platform and all details will be shared in the developer terms of use. This means that at this time Collective will only accept original ideas.
Collective was recently nominated for a GamesIndustry Innovation Award, in the ‘Innovation in Business’ category, alongside companies such as Kickstarter, Valve, Supercell and Disney.
About Square Enix Ltd.
Square Enix Ltd., a part of the Square Enix Europe business unit, develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX, EIDOS® and TAITO® branded entertainment content in Europe and other PAL territories as part of the Square Enix Group. Square Enix Ltd. also has a global network of leading development studios such as IO Interactive™, Crystal Dynamics® and Eidos Montréal. The Square Enix Group boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY, which has sold over 100 million units worldwide, DRAGON QUEST® which has sold over 62 million units worldwide and TOMB RAIDER® which has sold over 35 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix Ltd. is a London-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
Ubisoft (the creators behind titles like Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag) has updated their official Steam page for Watch_Dogs to reveal the minimum requirements needed for PC users.
The game is available for pre-purchase right now, and will be released May 27th, 2014. You can pre-purchase the regular order for $59.99 USD, which will come with a Blume Agent Outfit and a Blume Weapon perk, which reduces recoil on shots, or you can pre-purchase the Deluxe Digital Edition for $69.99 USD. This version will come with exclusive content and other perks like the Club Justice Pack, which will give you a Chicago South Club skin and more HP to your vehicles.
