Spectacular remake “Scourge: Outbreak” to be released on Steam April 2nd along with a surprise for the community
Players who bought the original “The Scourge Project: Episodes 1 & 2” on Steam will receive Scourge: Outbreak FREE
Tragnarion Studios is proud to announce that “Scourge: Outbreak”, a futuristic squad-based 3rd person shooter, will be released on Steam for PC and Mac on Wednesday, 2nd of April 2014. Outbreak is perfect for playing with friends, offering 8-player PvP modes (Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture The Flag) in 5 action-filled maps and a 6+ hour Co-op campaign for 4 Players in which each Player has unique narrative elements. This rich multiplayer experience adds tons of replayability to Scourge: Outbreak and is fully cross-platform, allowing PC and Mac Players to fight each other for supremacy.
Assume the role of one of Echo Squad’s 4 playable characters, each with their own stats and ‘Ambrosia’ ability variants, as you storm the island fortress of your sworn enemy, Nogari Corporation. Blast your way through Nogari’s futuristic research facilities as you battle hordes of genetically resurrected monsters and die-hard special forces in search of a dangerous secret that Nogari is keeping from the world. Whether you’re taking on Nogari with your friends, or fighting alongside your Clan in spectacular online PvP battles, Scourge: Outbreak offers hours of fun and exciting challenges.
Scourge: Outbreak is a vastly improved remake of “The Scourge Project: Episodes 1 & 2”, originally released on Steam for PC in April 2010. The game includes a whole host of enhancements and new features based on close attention to community feedback, such as new and re-vamped gameplay areas, a stronger narrative, smarter AI, more gratifying gunplay, powerful new XP Perks, a much more vibrant world and a long list of other exciting changes. The differences compared to TSP are phenomenal, making Scourge: Outbreak an authentic remake worth playing. To celebrate the launch, Tragnarion Studios will be giving away Scourge: Outbreak FREE to everyone who bought the original game on Steam as a huge, heartfelt “Thank you!” for all the support and encouragement, so existing owners should keep an eye on their Steam inboxes on April 2nd!
So whether you’re a returning fan or a newcomer to the exciting world of Scourge: Outbreak, rally your squad-members, check your ammo levels and get ready to join us on April 2nd! As you can see in this new video, Echo Squad is ready for action! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPm8BlKTnhY&feature=youtu.be
For more detailed information on all improvements and features mentioned above, and much more, please visit: http://www.scourgeoutbreak.com/about/scourge-project-vs-scourge-outbreak/
Developer: Tragnarion Studios
Publisher: Bitbox Games
Distribution: Digital. Xbox Live, PSN, Steam
Platforms: Xbox360, Playstation 3, PC, Mac
About Tragnarion Studios: Tragnarion Studios is a team of Game Developers based in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Founded on the 1st of September 2003 with nine members, we have since grown to over twenty full-time developers while working on titles such as ‘Doodle Hex’ (Nintendo DS), ‘Map My Mind’ (iOS), ‘The Scourge Project: Episodes 1 & 2′ (PC) and ‘Scourge: Outbreak’, a heavily upgraded and vastly improved version of TSP for release on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Store, and Steam for PC and Mac.
We are Tragnarion Studios, and we love making games.
Overview The entertainment industry loves revisiting history and making various tweaks here and there. Various war stories both modern and ancient are revisited and reworked to create a new story and it Japan absolutely adores creating stories from the Sengoku Era and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
With video games constantly telling us the story of Shu, Wu, and Wei, anime tends to spice things up by gender-bending characters or in the case of Ikki Tousen, making modern day students have to live out the conflicts from 1,800 years ago. So, now that the fourth season of Ikki Tousen has been released as Xtreme Xecutor, is it worth continuing this story?
Story For those who are unfamiliar with the Ikki Tousen series, it is worth noting that Xtreme Xecutor features a number of flashbacks throughout the season and references a number of events that have happened in past seasons, so unlike Great Guardians it will be harder to jump into the series at this point. That being said, Ikki Tousen follows the premise that a large number of students in various schools in Japan have been given magatama that contain the souls of warriors from the Three Kingdoms Era.
These students then become fighters and through the souls of these warriors they are encouraged to battle and follow the fate of their namesake. It is also worth noting that those familiar with the Three Kingdoms may feel a bit off about the names of some characters as the Japanese equivalents are used instead, such as Guan Yu being called Kan’u or Liu Bei being named Ryuubi.
Anyways, Xtreme Xecutor begins with the introduction of a brand new character to the series named Bachou Mouki, a strong but air-headed girl seeking vengeance for her brother who was slain by Sousou and is willing to fight against everyone in Kyosho academy to do so, a fate similar to her fighter counterpart, Ma Chao. After being soundly defeated, Ryuubi finds Bachou passed out in the rain and takes her in, realizing that their magatamas are linked together and she accepts her as a friend and part of the group.
Ironically, this doesn’t last for long as Bachou witnesses Hakufu defeating a number of enemies in one strike and after some pleading, Hakufu takes her in as her first disciple. Of course when you get two ditzs together, especially one as strong as Hakufu, things are never going to turn out as simple as that as their training is not only odd but full of incorrect quotes and idiocy that is great for laughs.
However this focus on Bachou takes a back seat to the main storyline in Xtreme Xecutor, which revolves around a fake tournament being set up by a person named Kentei. After forming an alliance with the leaders of Nanban High, Kentei lures the strongest members of the three schools to a fake tournament in order to weaken each faction and leave them open for attack.
However Kentei’s plans go much further than that as a dark plan is revealed that will not only bring the curse of the fighters back to the forefront but make it harder than ever for them to try and overcome their destinies as they fight one another causing blood to fly and plenty of clothing to be destroyed. Viewers who may have been disappointed in Dragon Destiny’s lack of fighting will be more than happy with what is found in Xtreme Xecutor.
Outside of Bachou the majority of the fighters introduced in Xtreme Xecutor play the roles of villains that the already established cast have to battle against, though only a few members of the old cast actually receive major fighting roles. Hakufu has only one real battle while the majority of the action involves those from Seito Academy with Kan’u, Chouhi, and Bachou battling the most with Ryomou and Kyocho fighting the rest of the time.
Despite placing the fighters in a dangerous situation and establishing a sinister plan, Kentei really doesn’t do much to push the overall story forward and outside of Banchou and some additional bonding in Seito, none of the characters are even developed any further than they were before. This means that although Xtreme Xecutor has plenty of the action fans of the series like and a little bit of time focusing on the characters, by the end of the season it feels like very little has actually happened as the series returns to the status quo held at the start of the season.
Visuals Xtreme Xecutor: Xtreme Xecutor is exactly the type of show one would think about when thinking about an ecchi action anime. Almost every time that a female character is fighting there is a high chance that her chest will be exposed at some point in the battle and it is an absolute given that there will be plenty of panty shots all around with low angle shots giving viewers plenty to see. Now I’m not saying that it is a bad thing, just that at this point viewers should know what to expect from the series.
As for the character designs, they remain the same looking as their classic styles and the newly introduced characters have a bit of variety to them, though the generic enemies that appear feel like a bit of a shortcut as their designs are minimalistic and almost all look the same. Thankfully the action sequences are impressively handled and only on the rare occasion did I notice a drop in animation quality during these scenes.
Audio Again one has to give credit to FUNimation for bringing back the cast of the original Ikki Tousen English dub to continue working on the series as longtime viewers will not notice any changes. The new characters are voiced well and fit in with the rest of the cast, though it does seem like there were more instances of overacting lines this time around.
The background music is rather simplistic and similar to what fans have heard before in past seasons as the same theme is used throughout. The opening theme “Stargazer” by Yuka Masuda is a standard opening for a series such as this and works well and the same can be said for the ending theme “Endless Soul” by Aya Endou and Masumi Asano, the Japanese voice actresses for Bachou and Hakufu.
Extras Now the release if Ikki Tousen: Xtreme Xecutor comes with not only your standard FUNimation bonus features but also the forty five minute OVA Ikki Tousen: Shugaku Toshi Keppu-Roku. More on that in a moment, as for the standard extras there are two commentary tracks, one for episode 1 featuring Jonathan Klein, the voice director, and Cherami Leigh, the voice of Bachou, and one for episode 2 featuring Jonathan Klein again and Rachel Robinson who voices Kan’u.
This is followed by the “Six Dreamy Viewers” which are six shorts that are eighteen minutes long total and are presented in Japanese dub only. These shorts are about a specific character dreaming about a strange sequence of events though most of them are not quite as lewd as one would expect. These are then joined by standard inclusions such as a textless opening and closing theme and promotional trailers.
As for the OVA, it is also given a full forty five minute commentary with Jonathan Klein, once more, Jessica Calvello, the voice of Chouhi, Georgette Reilley, the voice of Kakouen, and Michele Knotz, the voice of Chou’un. This OVA is a completely separate story from the Xtreme Xecutor and follows a number of the fighters as they travel to Kyoto to regain their energy and grow stronger.
This OVA features higher production values than the basic series and looks better overall and it actually feels like it goes back to the roots of Ikki Tousen by featuring extremely impressive looking fights, with the main two of battles are accompanied by some stellar background music, with vocals, that make the OVA an amazing highlight even if it doesn’t actually add anything to the series overall.
Overall Ikki Tousen: Xtreme Xecutor introduces a few new fighters and provides viewers with a new conflict but ultimately feels like it goes nowhere in the end as the series ends with no major advancements and only minor character growth. That being said, this release does contain plenty of the action and fan-service that fans of the series love and the inclusion of the OVA is a great addition to the release as it not only returns to the root of the series a bit but also features some highly entertaining battles.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Kinect Sports Rivals has a lot to prove when it launches next month. Not only does this franchise have to prove the weight of the new Kinect, it also has to show us that the device can be more than just a gimmick on the Xbox One, like it was ultimately perceived on the Xbox 360. Kinect Sports did well showing off what the Kinect could do, now we just need to see how relevant the add-in is.
Today, Rare and Microsoft released a new commercial for the game, which you can check out below. Other than that tease, it was also announced that the first ever global motion-sports competition will begin on April 8th, where the winner can take home $10,000 and a trip to Bora Bora, the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, or the Swiss Alps, with the runners-up also receiving cash prizes. More details on that can be found here.
Overview Ever since Kojima first revealed Metal Gear Solid V fans have been waiting eagerly for the game’s release. Then when it was revealed that the game would be broken into two parts, Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain, fans still were ready to dive into the game wholeheartedly. However after more information on Ground Zeroes was revealed, the gaming community grew skeptical about Ground Zeroes and whether it is nothing more than a paid demo. Well, were they right or does Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes stand up on its own?
Story Well… let’s begin by saying that if you never picked up Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker on the PSP or didn’t access it through the HD Collection you might feel a bit off with Ground Zeroes. However if you happen to feel too lost then the game does feature a little backstory option which provides the player with a nicely detailed list of events that took place in Peace Walker which is a nice inclusion, albeit one that is provided in text only.
Anyways, Ground Zeroes involves Big Boss infiltrating a military base with Kazuhira Miller as his handler and voice in his ear. Big Boss is attempting to rescue Chico and Paz, both of which have been captured and are possibly being tortured for information and it is Big Boss’ job to not only rescue them but possibly find out what they might have said.
And well… outside of the stunning cut-scenes that, of Metal Gear fame, can be rather long but highly enjoyable, that is about it. Ground Zeroes is meant to be a prologue to the events that take place in Phantom Pain and while it does set up players nicely for the events that will likely occur in the main title, this doesn’t help the fact that Ground Zeroes’ single story mission feels like a demo that only hints at what will come in the future.
Gameplay Now while the fact that there is only one main story mission in Ground Zeroes sounds bad, but in reality it isn’t actually that terrible due to the way that the game has been designed. Players are able to infiltrate the base and literally do anything that they feel like in the sandbox. You can explore the island gathering collectibles or additional pieces of information and how you actually choose to complete your main objective is all up to you. That being said, if you choose to simply make your way through the main mission without being side-tracked, you will be finished within an hour.
Before we go into the choice aspect of Ground Zeroes, there have been a number of refinements made to the way this game is played. Players will no longer need to carry around rations to heal themselves, as Snake is able to regenerate health slowly, though you can apply a healing spray if you are on death’s door. There is also no radar in the corner but players are now able to tell when an enemy might be noticing their presence through a white line in the direction of the enemy.
If this enemy happens to see Snake, then the game gives the player a brief time of slow motion that allows Snake to take out the enemy before he calls for help, but doing so might still attract attention. In lieu of the radar, players can use their binoculars to mark enemies, vehicles, weapon placements and more to fill out their map and plan their route of attack as any marked enemies will always appear on the map.
Now as to that whole choice option, players can really tackle Ground Zeroes however they wish. They can play the stealthy pacifist that takes advantage of the game’s enhanced stealth controls and mechanics to sneak through an area and put guards to sleep, or you can go in guns blazing while commandeering enemy weaponry to level your opposition.
This is a good thing considering that, outside of the main mission; players will be spending a lot of time on this island as all of the side missions that are unlocked after the main mission is completed still take place on this island, just with different weather conditions. While the main mission might take place during the cover of night during a rainstorm, your chosen side mission could happen in broad daylight making Snake’s infiltration a lot more difficult.
Speaking of these side-missions, they are fairly enjoyable and feature some different challenges but it would have been real nice if there was some additional variety in these areas. Even giving the player a different objective still doesn’t change the fact that they have been in this same map for the last five missions which quickly makes these missions feel repetitive and padded.
Visuals Now while there have been a number of power houses available for the Xbox One at launch, watching the cut-scenes and playing through Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes really feels like it was designed to harness everything that the console is capable of. From the way that the rain looks to the lighting effects, to how detailed everything in the game is, Ground Zeroes is absolutely stunning.
This is beneficial to the way the game plays as well since the lighting in night missions can play a major role in knowing whether or not Snake is hidden from view. That being said, there are a few cut corners here and there, such as killed enemies’ bodies disappearing quickly and a few areas may look a bit off compared to how polished the rest of the game looks and the fact that the player is limited to only this island throughout the entire game is quite detrimental.
Audio There was a bit of controversy back when it was revealed that the iconic voice of Snake, David Hayter, would not be returning to reprise his role in Metal Gear Solid V but I can happily declare that Kiefer Sutherland has done an amazing job fitting right into the role. The serious tone of his voice fits perfectly with the darker nature that most of the cut-scenes presented in Ground Zeroes feature and if this is anything like what we will be seeing in the full game, longtime fans should find Sutherland a suitable replacement.
As for the rest of the cast the voice actors fit their roles nicely and keep in tone with the serious nature of their present condition. The game’s sound effects are fairly basic but there are a few nice pieces of music implemented here and there, especially in the opening cut-scene before Snake makes his way onto the island.
Overall Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes does everything that fans would hope for in a prologue, it introduces us to a bit of the story that we might be seeing in the full game as well as the way Snake will handle in the next game with all of the changes made to the title’s gameplay. However it really does come off as nothing more than a demo at times, and although the length can be extended a few hours with the side-missions, it will feel like a short game for most. However coming in at a budget price of $30 on next-gen consoles, this game is a stunning example of what next-gen can do and any fan of the Metal Gear Solid series would be missing out if they passed it up.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
While the Vita version of BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma doesn’t hit shelves for a few more months, those who own a Playstation 3 can pick up the latest installment of the fan-favorite 2D fighter as of today. BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma brings a new story, new mechanics, and of course new characters into the mix, with that same fast-paced and frantic gameplay that has made the name “Blazblue” hold weight among fans of the genre.
Aksys Games have released a new launch trailer as of today, showing off all of what you can expect to see – and you can give that a view down below. Keep in mind to get this title fast as well, as all first run copies include a code to download Yuki Terumi.
It is time to celebrate! Last year, the little Vocaloid that could brought in fantastic reviews (check ours out here), and made Sega a nice chunk of change to end the year on. After the experiment of its predecessor, it has now been announced that Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd will be reaching the west on the Playstation 3 and PS Vita.
Along with this wonderful news comes a trailer – which you can check out below, featuring some of the tracks and the announcement itself. Stay tuned, as we should be getting a more solid date down the road for what is sure to be another wonderful rhythm-action adventure.
Not too long ago, we seen Activision come at us with Angry Birds for almost all platforms – bringing a cheap digital title into a more packed physical version. Expanding upon the idea, ZeptoLab have partnered with the publisher and have as of today launched Cut The Rope Triple Treat for the Nintendo 3DS.
This version contains the original along with two of the expansions, Cut the Rope: Experiments and Cut the Rope: Time Travel, at a price of $29.99. Now, I am still not a fan of $1 apps becoming $30 games, but prices drop and this is indeed a safer way for kids to play without getting near your iOS wallet, so the gem here may be in the eye of the beholder. You can find the trailer down below and find Cut The Rope Triple Treat in stores today.
I have a confession. I too, like some of you out there am a “little monster” of sorts, as I tend to enjoy taking in anything creative. Lady Gaga is no stranger to the pop culture scene, and with her latest music video has crossed into our world due to Minecraft. As you see in the screenshot above, Lady Gaga is Minecraft.
What is really cool about Lady Gaga‘s new video G.U.Y. – An Artpop film aside from the theatrics is that she rewarded a fan with a cameo who also happened to be a highly popular Youtuber by the name of SkyDoesMinecraft after being introduced via Twitter when the singer was invited by the Youtuber to learn how to play the game. Other than Minecraft, the entire video really is a bit of a spectacle running at nearly twelve minutes with Gaga reviving the likes of Michael Jackson, being at the center of greed, and performing a ton of outfit changes for our entertainment. Check out the song below, and to see the cameo, you can go to the 5:20 mark.
Trials has came a long way over the years, and now RedLynx and Ubisoft are gearing up for the release of Trials Fusion, which is due out for the Xbox One, Playstation 4, PC, and Xbox 360 on April 24th. Sure, we could be nostalgic about the classics, but Fusion is a game that is begging for attention due to its stunning visuals and new physics engine that are of course bound to impress.
Today, a new trailer was release showing everything working in unison to bring the player a whole new experience. The tricks, the tracks, those graphics – its all here. Watch the clip below and stay tuned, as we are only weeks away from seeing this latest edition of the digital favorite hit our consoles.
In case you weren’t aware, Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars is going to be having a demo released before the full title is released and it just so happens to be today that that demo was made available for download on the 3DS and PS Vita.
Now in case you don’t have the space on your memory card to download the demo or want to learn some tips, then you will be happy to hear that Atlus USA‘s PR Manager has recorded twenty five minutes of the game’s demo on the Vita. You can check out the trailer below and keep an eye out for the game itself when it is released on April 15th in North America.
