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.
You never know who’s watching do you? With the release of Watch_Dogs just around the corner, the guys at Ubisoft have given us the opportunity to check out their official unboxing of the Vigilante Edition of the game. The Vigilante edition is one of the many different levels of collector’s edition that you can get for the game and contains a whole bunch of goodies.
I could describe everything in agonising detail, OR I can just direct you to the sexy video below. The video shows the contents of the box as well as the bonus DLC missions that are included. Check it out the video below and remember that Watch_Dogs is available on pretty much every console from May 27th. So in the lead up to its release, make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the news as it becomes available.
FINAL FANTASY XIV: A REALM REBORN PLAYSTATION®4 BETA TEST 2 NOW LIVE
Everyone with a PlayStation®4 can participate
LONDON (4th April, 2014) – Square Enix Ltd., today announced that Beta test Phase 2 for the PlayStation®4 (PS4) computer entertainment system version of FINAL FANTASY® XIV: A REALM REBORN™ is now live and runs until 7th April, 9am GMT.
Phase 2 of the Beta uses the live game servers, meaning you can join PC and PlayStation®3 players and use existing characters in the Beta. Any new characters or player progress created during this Beta test can be transferred at the start of the official service that begins with the release on 14th April. In addition, anybody that pre-orders the game (either the Standard or the limited Collector’s Edition) can enjoy Early Access that begins 11th April.
How to Participate in Beta test 2
Everyone who has a PlayStation®4 is eligible to participate in the Beta test for free with no need for advance registration.
Proceed to the PlayStation®Store and download FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn (PlayStation®4 Beta Version). Once the download is complete, installation will begin automatically.
Start FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn (PlayStation®4 Beta Version) from the home screen.
Log in using (or create) your Square Enix account and follow the on-screen instructions to start the game.
Since the release of FINAL FANTASY in 1987, this unique RPG series continues to showcase the spectacular visuals, highly imaginative worlds and rich stories leading the industry and earning the highest accolades from users around the world. Titles of the series have so far achieved a cumulative shipment of over 100 million units worldwide.
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.
Did Medabots and Tiger & Bunny have a love child or something?
Majin Bone is the first anime of the Spring 2014 season to drop and going in this was not exactly the hottest looking series on my radar, sure it was on there but it didn’t jump out at me as being especially note-worthy. After watching this first episode, wowee was I wrong.
Echoing the style of 90’s anime series with a splash of modern flair, Majin Bone proves to be mashup of old and new. The artstyle pretty much had me unable to look away, the cel-shaded imagery is vibrant and adds to the light-hearted atmosphere quite nicely. It is smoothly animated and even the CG elements are pretty smooth as well. It is a lovely aesthetic that pleased my eyes, but what really pleased me was the silly yet awesome bombast of the series.
There is some real explosive personality in this series and a lot of it comes from its protagonist Shougo, a porn loving horny teenager who is not only terrible at hiding his porn but he is also capable of hearing green rocks talk in his neighbour’s backyard and saving dogs from alien invaders in armour. So in other words he is your average Japanese teen.
This first episode doesn’t exactly go a long way at setting up the premise for the series, it seems as though there are people who wear armoured suits called ‘Bones’ and fight other armoured ‘Bones’. The ‘Bones’ themselves look very Tiger & Bunny inspired, none of them really got too much time to sink in yet but I’m sure the ‘Bones’ will eventually stick in your head as the series moves on.
Many people are going to probably overlook this series as just another ‘kids’ anime but they’d be fools to do so. While Majin Bone is largely a ridiculous anime, this first episode was ridiculously fun. There was more than a fair share of laughs to be had and the cast is beginning to shape quite nicely. The scenes in the backyard with the rock and alien invader were absolutely preposterous to say the very least but it was so much fun that none of that even mattered. It is what I like to call the ‘shonen saving grace’, which is when a shonen series is so over the top ridiculous that it manages to actually be awesome. Majin Bone is a prime example of ‘shonen saving grace’.
The episode basically introduced us to the characters we are going to come to know over the next few weeks, and gave us a bare bones gaze as the concept behind the series. Where things go from here is anyone’s guess really, but with as much fun as this episode was, Majin Bone only needs to remain consistent at this point. Stay silly, stay fun. I mean who doesn’t want to see that little rascal of a pooch Momotaro barking away at a green rock? I could watch that all day I reckon.
Majin Bone could go either way at this point, this first episode was a total mixed bag, but it leaned more towards silly shonen fun then it did terrible shonen stupidity, so for me this is one to watch for shonen fans. Much like Shougo does with his porno mags I look forward to seeing more ‘Bone’.
Majin Bone kicks off the Spring 2014 season with a bang, its retro, its silly and its a boat load of fun.I may have forgot to mention this, but this is probably going to turn into a card game anime at some point as well considering its adapting one. Do I need to say anymore?I’m down to boogie with the ‘Bones’, baby!
A new challenger approaches! Does that line send a shiver up your spine? Do your palms sweat and your eye twitch as you know that if you screw up the next fight, you will have to redo it all again to unlock a new brawler? Well if so, then you are in luck! Nintendo have announced that they will be doing a special Nintendo Direct Presentation focusing on Super Smash Bros for 3DS and Wii U next week.
Not much is known about the presentation so far, other than the fact that it will be airing on April 9th. Will we get a new character reveal? Or maybe finally a confirmed release date? No matter what it is, make sure you are watching on by clicking on this link. If you miss it then don’t worry, we will have all the news soon after the presentation finishes so as always, stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Smash Bros. news as it becomes available.
The battle rages on as Call of Duty: Ghosts receives its newest DLC Pack, entitle: Devastation. As always, the pack will add a plethora of features to the game, including a few that may just surprise you.
Adding a host of new content to the game’s online multiplayer experience, Devastation features four new small-to-medium multiplayer maps, to set the scene as players brutally assault each other in the hopes of achieving victory.
Set in a multi-level Mayan temple, “Ruins” provides the verticality needed for long-range weapons, while the underground pathways below are perfect for close-quarters showdowns. Skilled players that find and complete the map’s unique Field Order will have the ability to become one of Hollywood’s most formidable action film stars and the galaxy’s ultimate hunter, the deadly Predator. As the Predator, players will brandish its dual wrist blades and shoulder-mounted plasma cannon, as well as be able to utilise the creature’s keen hunting abilities to track down enemy players.
“Collision” takes place in the mangled remains of a cargo ship that’s crashed into a New York City bridge. The map’s tight corridors – made-up of burnt-out vehicles and demolished shipping containers – create a space perfect for run-and-gun players. Players that dominate “Collision” and complete the map’s specific Field Order will be able take control of a heavily armed aircraft and rain down destruction from above.
“Behemoth” drops players atop a massive excavation platform in South America. The map’s long sight lines are ideal for long-range weapons, while the confined interiors of the platform’s control rooms make for intense SMG and Shotgun encounters. Completing “Behemoth’s” Field Order will allow players to control an attack helicopter armed with a deadly, armour-piercing mini-gun as it circles the excavator searching for enemy combatants.
“Unearthed” is a reimagined version of thefan-favorite map “Dome” from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. “Unearthed” is full of new secrets and Cryptid artifacts for players to discover in this compact, versatile map, great for all play types. Unlock the map’s Field Order and unleash the power of the Cryptids, with three “Seeder” aliens chasing down and inflicting heavy damage on enemy combatants.
The hunter…remains the hunter
To compliment these new locales, Devastation will also add the fearsome Ripper to player’s arsenals. Half SMG. Half Assault Rifle. The Ripper grants you the power of both in one handy gun. Alter functionality on the fly and choose how you wish to see your foes fall. Isn’t military technology frightening? Though if you were looking for something a little more advanced, perhaps you’d be interested in taking control of one of space’s most dangerous threats: the Predator. That’s right, one of film’s most iconic figures is set to join in the chaos of war and use some out of this world skills to ensure victory. Mike Doyle (Head of Fox Interactive Games) said:
“Activision and Infinity Ward have done a tremendous job in bringing the Predator to life within Call of Duty: Ghosts. The Devastation DLC Pack was a perfect opportunity to pair two incredibly iconic and complementary brands – Call of Duty and Predator, and we’re extremely pleased with the explosive result.”
On the topic of aliens and their destruction, players will also be able to enjoy the next instalment of the ongoing Extinction storyline, known as Episode 2: Mayday. Following the events that took place in the Nightfall Program facility, the Quick Reaction Force boards a Chinese research vessel adrift in the South Pacific Ocean. Players are tasked with pursuing Captain Archer and attempt to uncover what has become of Doctor Cross. Of course the Cryptids will be there to throw up a little resistance, luckily numerous Venom-X weapons are ready and waiting to be used against the alien menace. For some added difficulty, a new Cryptid known as the Seeder will make an appearance. Though that pales in comparison to the 400 foot tall monstrosity, known only as: the Kraken.
If you think these are ruins now…
Daniel Suarez (Vice President of Production, Activision Publishing Inc) said:
“Devastation is another incredible offering for fans to sink their teeth into. With an array of new maps tuned for the fast-paced, run-and-gun action Call of Duty is best known for, new weapons in both multiplayer and Extinction mode, the next chilling entry in the game’s Extinction story, and now the Predator – Devastation continues the unparalleled season of Call of Duty: Ghosts post-launch content.”
Call of Duty: Devastation is, at the moment, available on the 360 and One via Xbox Live. Standalone, the DLC will cost $19.95, though purchaser of the Season Pass will gain access to four DLC Packs (including Devastation) planned for release throughout the year for $64.95. Season PAss holders will also gain instant access to the Team Leader Digital Pack, which includes a unique multiplayer character head, weapon camo, reticle, patch, player card and background. If this isn’t enough to sate your Call of Duty lust, head on over to their Facebook page and watch football players A.J. Green (Cincinnati Bengals) and LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia Eagles) coach fans and Infinity Ward members in a grudge match for the ages. Isn’t it nice how a good fight brings people together?
Overview
The wheel of fate turns once again, this time into the realm of Chrono Phantasma, the latest installment in the hardcore anime fighting game franchise BlazBlue. Unlike previous installments the game is exclusive to PlayStation platforms, completely skipping Xbox format this time round. It carries on the spirit of its predecessors and proves to be the most BlazBlueiest BlazBlue game to date, it is complex, highly detailed and choc-a-block full of content to sink your teeth into. BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma is a love letter to the fans of the series and with this installment Arc System Works give them all they could ever want in a BlazBlue game and then throws even more stuff they didn’t even know they wanted on top. Are you ready? Rebel 1! Fight!
Gameplay
This wouldn’t be a BlazBlue game if it weren’t challenging and boy oh boy is this one hell of a challenging game, both in regards to the games mechanics itself and the complexity of its multi-layered story mode that will baffle even the most educated of scholars with its intricate web of plot. BlazBlue has always been known to be a hardcore fighting gamer’s dream come true and Chrono Phantasma is surely Arc System Work’s gift for all of those dedicated gamers.
Building upon previous installments of the series, BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma adds a slick coat of polish to the core formula of BlazBlue and adds some nice new touches that improve the gameplay experience in subtle yet impactful ways. Perhaps the most notable improvements come in the way of the newly introduced ‘Overdrive’ mechanic which replaced Gold Bursts in the previous games, this is of course the new type of special power for your character but there are some differences to it that make it rather interesting.
For starters the Overdrive builds up over a period of time and once activated gives your character certain special effects such as increased damage from attacks and other character specific abilities as well. There is a good level of strategy that comes hand-in-hand with the Overdrive power, with players needing to consider the time limit available on the power up, which is relative to your amount of health left at time of activation. It is also worth noting that Overdrive has the otherworldly power of freezing the stage clock and thus giving players extra precious moments of time to lay the smackdown on their opponents. It is a simple power-up that has major possibilities if you are willing to master it.
The game also features a plethora of game modes which is quite simply utterly mind-boggling to say the very least. There is of course the standard VS Mode which allows you to play against a friend or computer player in a traditional best of 3 battle. Also featured is the traditional Arcade Mode, which has you duking it out with a series of computer players in succession. What I found really interesting however was the Abyss Mode, which pits you against a wave of enemies with survival being top priority. It is a very challenging mode and one that will no doubt excite veterans of the series.
Alongside those modes is also a traditional Score Attack Mode and an incredible hard gameplay mode called Unlimited Mars Mode. The Unlimited Mars Mode is worth noting because of its concept alone, you are pitted against the most intelligent computer player the game has to muster and tasked with getting the highest score possible. In a way it is like playing Score Attack Mode on the hardest difficulty imaginable. It is incredible difficult and sure to offer up quite a challenge for those willing to give it a go.
Chrono Phantasma’s story mode may very well be the most complex one yet. Thankfully the game features a mode that has the characters update you on the story so far, recapping events of previous BlazBlue games. If you still can’t follow the story by that point then unfortunately you are going to have a difficult time with understanding this game’s story mode. Regardless of that, you should still be able to find a level of enjoyment from it. The cutscenes are a lot of fun and the characters personalities simply burst off the screen.
Ultimately BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma is a fighting game and when it comes down to the nitty gritty it is a difficult game for casual gamers to get into. It is a game with a steep learning curve and for button-mash gamers BlazBlue is punishing. If you are looking to take it online be prepared to get your butt handed to you unless you are willing to take the time out to master at least one character. This one is made for the veterans of the fighting genre and I’m certain they will love it all the more for it. There is a lot of fun to be had here in BlazBlue and as they say, there something so fun about a challenge.
Visuals and Audio
Aesthetically Arc System Works have really stepped things up a notch with BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma. They have touched up all of the character sprites and crafted a more vibrant world than ever before. The animation is smooth as silk and the anime cutscenes are a real sight to behold, gorgeous in every way. The character designs are wholly unique and visually memorable capping off a brilliant artistic endeavor from Arc System Works.
Chrono Phantasma’s score is superbly composed on top of all that. It features many familiar tracks as well as some newly composed tunes to boot. The voice work is as solid as ever, with many standout portrayals of these unforgettable characters. I mean who could forget Arakune’s devilish cackle? An all around great job as far as audio work goes.
Overall
Sometimes it’s nice when things just happen good, and with BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma there is a hell of a lot of good things happening here. Arc System Works have built upon and improved the core mechanics of BlazBlue in a very positive new direction, the game’s graphics and soundtrack have received a new coat of paint and the game is simply a tighter and slicker experience overall compared to previous games in the series.
While it is every bit as difficult as it’s predecessors, BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma offers enough leeway for new players to learn the ropes and hone their skills. The game is of course tailored towards the hardcore fighting game fanatics and there is plenty of challenge on offer for them to bust their knuckles on.
The wheels of fate are turning and BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma is the game this series has been destined for. It is the most polished and the definitive BlazBlue experience there is and Arc System Works have earned a nice pat on the back for this one. BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma is simply ‘Phantastic’.
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