My.com to Expand Games Division with Four New Games in 2014
Partners with Blue Chip Developers in Addition to Internal Game Development
March 21, 2014, San Francisco – Today, at Game Developer Conference in San Francisco, My.com announced its myGames division with four new gaming properties developed in cooperation with renowned game studios Obsidian Entertainment and Slightly Mad Studios.
A wholly-owned subsidiary of Mail.Ru Group (MRG), My.com aims to bring “communitainment” – a cohesive communication and entertainment platform – to the masses. The new MMO’s expand the My.com footprint into AAA games, and build off of MRG’s experience operating the largest Eastern European online entertainment market. Each new title will be free-to-play and offer optional in-game purchases that enhance user experience or speed progression through the game. The games include:
● Armored Warfare – unveiled during the Game Developer Conference Choice Awards and developed by Obsidian Entertainment, this action-based MMO features modern tank combat with player vs environment (pve) or player vs player (pvp) gameplay
● Skyforge – developed by Mail.Ru’s Allods team in cooperation with Obsidian Entertainment, this next-generation action MMORPG experience challenges players to become Gods
● Evolution – developed by ITT Studios from within Mail.Ru’s games division, Evolution is a mobile science fiction RPG bringing together AAA graphics, solo action combat, player vs player missions and deep, engaging story and world-building
● World of Speed – developed by Slightly Mad Studios, a graphically stunning racing MMO that combines an innovative approach to racing with a strong focus on social elements such as team play and auto clubs
“Our first game offering was Jungle Heat, a very successful project with over 10M installations and nearly 90% revenues outside of Russia, and the US market is a significant part of it,” said Dmitry Grishin, CEO and co-founder of Mail.Ru Group. “It’s very encouraging and leads us to believe that our new AAA games, both client and mobile, are going to be successful abroad.”
With over 30 online games in its portfolio, games represent nearly 25% of MRG annual revenue. As MRG’s publishing brand of MMO games in non-Russian speaking markets,My.com games will also be available for gamers across the world, including the highly lucrative Russian market, where online-gaming generated more than $1.3 billion dollars in revenue for 2012. As a publisher, Mail.Ru Group works with developers around the world and focuses on those who share the same passion for high-quality graphics and exciting gameplay experiences.
My.com launched in November 2013 with a family of communication applications – myMail and myChat – and with myGames, a portfolio of mobile games on Android and iOS. For more information, visit http://games.my.com.
About My.com My.com is a subsidiary of Mail.Ru Group , the largest Internet company in Russian-speaking countries with the audience more than 100 million users (comScore, September 2013), that is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:MAIL, listed since November 5, 2010). My.com’s vision is to build an integrated communication and entertainment platform, dubbed ‘Communitainment,’ beginning with a family of mobile apps: myMail, myChat, and myGames.
The citizens of Salem, Massachusetts are no strangers to tales of the paranormal; imaginations ran wild after the ‘Salem Witch Trials of 1692’, which forms a large part of the town’s identity to outsiders. But what secrets still lay buried in Salem? As Ronan, gamers will be able to uncover the truth in Murdered: Soul Suspect.
Check out the trailer ‘Buried’ at the bottom of this article. You’ll find the Limited Edition of the game revealed at the end of the video, which is now available for pre-order. As seen above, the Limited Edition will include a physical copy of the journal used by Ronan and Joy to hunt down the lead protagonist’s killer and features written and visual clues about the murders terrorising Salem. It will also include free access to an Interactive Digital Strategy Map, which will be accessible via computer or tablet. The map will aid players in finding hundreds of collectibles, side quest locations and all of Salem’s haunting landmarks.
Murdered: Soul Suspect is being published by Square Enix, and will be available for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC on June 6.
As you may already know, in Deception IV: Blood Ties players will make use of various traps to take down their unsuspecting victims and because you have three daemons that you can try to please as the game goes along, there are various trap styles that you can use. This includes sadistic, elaborate, or humorous traps all of which have different effects.
To help show off how these traps work, as well as how a super combination can be absolutely brutal, Tecmo Koei has released a number of gameplay videos showing a few of Deception IV’s traps in action. Deception IV: Blood Ties is set to be released in North America next week on March 25th for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.
Can you hear the beat? The Xbox Newsbeat? That’s right, it is that time of the week again where we bring you the latest, the greatest, pretty much everything to do with Microsoft’s gaming consoles. This week we’ve got five news snippets hot off the press about the Xbox One (bad luck AGAIN Windows Phone). So, with all that news lying about, what are we waiting for!?
GDC: ID@Xbox Games First Look
A few weeks back we spoke about a group of new developers that had signed onto Microsoft’s ID@Xbox program. Well now the program has more than 250 indie developers working hard at bringing their pride and joys to Microsoft’s flagship console. With GDC happening in San Fransisco, The guys over at Microsoft have finally lifted the lid and started dishing out the goss on some of the games that are coming out of the program.
Australian studio Blowfish will be one of the 25 games coming to Xbox One through ID@Xbox, with their game “Gunscape”. At its heart, “Gunscape” is an FPS construction kit: a game with solid action gameplay, a welcoming approach to map building and a huge toolbox of iconic weapons, monsters and level elements that can be extensively combined to create new and exciting gameplay experiences. As GDC happens, more information and games will be revealed, so be sure you keep your eyes peeled.
Xbox One coming to 26 new markets in September
The Xbox One has already solidified itself as the best Xbox launch ever (out of the staggering THREE of them), and with the release of Titanfall and the new Twitch streaming capabilities, more people are playing Xbox One and on Xbox Live than ever before. However, not ones to rest on their laurels, Microsoft have announced that they will be bringing the powerhouse console to an additionsl 26 markers this September. So if you are in one of these countries, only 6 months till you have your hands on your sweet Xbox One:
Argentina
Belgium
Chile
Colombia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hungary
India
Israel
Japan
Korea
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Slovakia
South Africa
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
UAE
Xbox One keeps getting better with the help of its fans
Recently, aided by diligent gamers around the world, there have been a series of updates rolled out in order to improve the online capabilities and networking for the Xbox One. Well, that posed to be such a hit that they are doing it again! Rolling out in April is the next lot of updates, that will include the following capabilities:
Game and app saves and updates. A game save progress barwill show you the status of your game saves. You will also be able to easily tell what games and apps are being updated or have been updated recently.
Friends improvements. Notifications will be added to see when favourites and friends sign in to Xbox Live. This actually was one of the most frequently requested features from the first preview wave and it was made priorityin the April update. Also, friends who are in multiplayer will be identified in the friends list.
Kinect voice and motion improvements will continue to fine tune the quality and reliability of Xbox One commands.
Improved GameDVR video qualitythrough compression algorithm improvements.
Kinect Sports Rivals Kicks Up the Competition – Are You Ready to Take on Your Rivals?
Kinect Sports Rivals is just around the corner and be it power-up or EXP, Rare are changing the way you play. The more you play Kinect Sports Rivals, the stronger, faster and more dominating the online version of you becomes. The game will be available exclusively on Xbox One on April 8, 2014, so make sure you pre-order it to do all the rock-climbing, jet-skiing fun on day one. Speaking of Kinect Sports Rivals, that leads me directly into our last piece of news for today…
David Tennant Lends His Voice to Kinect Sports Rivals
I know right! Doctor Who himself, David Tennant is lending his brogue to the game! Serving as the narrator, or the “Voice of god,” this will be Tennant’s first foray into video gaming (and hopefully not his last). When asked about the game, the Tenth Doctor had this to say:
I’ve never done a video game before. This is a first for me… Rock Climbing looks good. I quite like the slightly unsportsmanlike element where you can grab a rival’s foot and chuck him off the cliff.
Well that’s it gaming fans for another week of Xbox Newsbeat. Did any piece grab your attention? Are you excited about David Tennant as an omnipresent voice? Let us know in the comments below and remember to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Microsoft news as it becomes available.
Paradox Interactive have made quite the announcement today concerning their upcoming PC title, Warlock 2: The Exiled. Those who throw down a pre-order on Ino-Co Plus’ latest will receive instant access to the game, nearly 3 weeks ahead of the April 10th release.
There are some decent options to choose from with this title as well, which consist of the following:
Warlock 2: The Exiled is available in three editions, with premium editions offering several tomes’ worth of extras like soundtracks and content packs for discerning diviners. All three, including the Standard Edition ($29.99), grant instant pre-order access to the game, minus the game-customizing Editor Tool. The extra content for the premium editions will also become available upon release. Players who purchase the Lord Edition or Great Mage Edition will also receive an original digital copy of the novel Warlock 2: The Great Mage Game. Warlock 2: The Exiled can be pre-ordered now at www.warlock2.com/buy
You can get to saving the land of Ardania today as long as you pre-order, so check this little title out and get ready to start a whole new addiction.
Overview Over the last few years a few anime adaptations of visual novels by 5pb. have been released to various levels of success. While Chaos;Head was lacking in a number of areas Steins;Gate managed to excel in nearly every way. Now while many of the people working on the anime are different than the ones who worked on the other two series, a third anime called Robotics;Notes has been released in North America. With some fans already going into the series with some expectations, does Robotics;Notes Part One manage to stand on its own?
Story The setting in Robotics;Notes takes place a few years in the future during the year 2019. In this world people have been able to enjoy a number of technological improvements that deal with robotics and tablets with virtual reality programming and enhanced capabilities. The main male lead Kaito loves to play a fighting game on his tablet named Kill-Ballad and devotes a lot of his time to this game, but he still happens to be a member of his school’s Robot Research Club.
The only problem is, he is only one of two members and the other member is his childhood friend Akiho who is always very energetic and excited to keep the club running with her dream being to complete a giant robot that her elder sister started when she founded the club years prior. The only issue is, since robot building isn’t cheap and the club only has two members, they are on the brink of being shut down and only through participating in a mini-robot tournament do the two have any hope of keeping the dream, and the club, alive.
After rebuilding a mini-robot to enter the tournament the club begins to grow in number as a few new members are brought into the group to help with the construction of this large robot. This introduces a number of new immediately likable characters that help expand the already enjoyable cast to a nice solid number that, at least on surface level, revolves around building a giant robot based on an old extremely popular anime series from their childhood.
However there are two sides to the story in Robotics;Notes and while the light-hearted nature of building a robot and tackling the various challenges that includes, as well as some family drama, takes center focus most of the time, there are a number of dark developments that are slowly revealed to viewers over the course of Part One.
Not only do Kaito and Akiho suffer from a strange illness, where Kaito can slow time down and have inhuman reflexes and Akiho suffers from moments where time accelerates at a fast rate, but these incidents seem to only be the beginning of many sinister revelations. Kaito then finds himself learning more about an unbelievable secret that sees him working with an AI named Airi that slowly begins to reveal a global conspiracy that could destroy the world as they know it.
Robotics;Notes intertwines these two storylines in an intelligent way where the darker revelations are first introduced as simple conspiracy theories or ridiculous but as the series continues on viewers will get the chills when they see that a few of these theories begin to pan out as viewers learn more about the characters, such as Frau, a girl whose mother worked on the famous anime and knows some truth to why the final episode never actually aired despite being an incredible hit, and various developments in the world itself.
While Part One leaves everything still hanging, Robotics;Notes has set itself up with a number of intriguing plot hooks that viewers will find hard to ignore and make them want to see what will happen next, especially after a major revelation in the final episode in this set.
Visuals With the release of Robotics;Notes we have yet another studio handling the series’ animation compared to the other titles viewers will relate the series to. Thankfully Production I.G. has handled the series quite well with a number some basic but nice looking character designs and amazingly detailed looking background scenery.
It is also nice to note that there are quite a few special effects that play into the series at times and the way the robots are handled are interesting to see. It is worth noting that FUNimation has included full sign translation for the various pieces of Japanese text that appear on tablets which is nice, though it is a bit odd that the sign translation often reads different than what the voice actors actually say.
Audio With FUNimation’s release of Robotics;Notes Part One the company has provided the series with an English dub as well as the original Japanese voice work for viewers to choose their preference. The English voice actors are fairly standard and unfortunately only one character’s voice work, Frau, actually stands out and it is probably simply because of how eccentric she is and her use of internet slang in standard conversations.
As for the series’ background music, most of the music found in this first part is fairly forgettable which is a shame, though the opening theme “Junjo Supekutora” by Zwei and the ending theme “Umikaze no Brave” by Fumika are both enjoyable and worth listening to at least a few times.
Extras The on-disc bonus features for Robotics;Notes Part One are mostly what one would expect from a FUNimation release, with a clean opening theme, clean ending theme, US trailer for the series, other trailers for FUNimation anime, and two commentary tracks. However there is also the inclusion of a video interview which is always a welcome addition.
The first commentary is for episode 6 and features Leah Clark, the voice of Frau, and Monica Rial who voices Juuna while the second commentary is for episode 10 and features Lindsay Seidel, the voice of Akiho, and Jarrod Greene, the voice of Subaru. As for the video interview it is called “Science Adventure Series Interview Part 1” and it is a nearly twenty minute long interview with Joel McDonald, J. Michael Tatum, and John Burgmeier. All of these men worked on either Chaos;Head, Steins;Gate, or Robotics;Notes and they discuss a few of the connections between the three series.
Overall Robotics;Notes Part One feels like a lighter version of what fans have the 5pb. game adaptations have seen so far. It is far better than Chaos;Head but at the moment feels less complex and intriguing as Steins;Gate and is also limited by the basic English dub cast. That being said, this lightness is refreshing and with a likable cast of characters to keep things interesting during the slice-of-life like sequences with the robot creation and the slow reveal of evil machinations in the works, viewers will be finding themselves eager to see how things will develop in the second half of the series.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
After a bit of a hiatus, we have brought the Disney Infinity Toy Box Challenge back in a new and improved way! The folks over at Disney are always working hard to bring the Disney Infinityfans a seemingly never-ending supply of brand new content in the form of new Toy Box Maps. There are five free maps for players this week, and if that wasn’t enough we also have the Toy Box Countdown, showcasing the last week’s winning entries, as well as some information about upcoming challenges and how you can be a part of it. So what are we waiting for!
TOY BOX COUNTDOWN
This week’s Toy Box Countdown is all about those colourful puppets, you who I’m talking about. Join Kermit the Frog, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, Animal and the rest of the crew in this week’s five free toy box maps:
The Muppet Show- As guest star you must help Kermit, take Waldorf/Statler to the VIP box, paint Miss Piggy and find Animal’s drum set.
Muppet Babies- Join The Muppets adventures! Find Animal Idol and save Piggy on the Death Star. (Hint: Escape through the trash chute!)
Chef’s Cuisines-The Swedish Chef has prepared quite a feast! You decide to race through his kitchen instead. Ready, set, BØRK BØRK BØRK!
RainbowConnection- Why are there so many songs about rainbows? Enjoy a race from Kermit’s swamp to the streets of Hollywood!
Most Wanted-Inspired by Muppets Most Wanted. Goal: Escape prison and get the real Constantine. Rules: Don’t change weapons and no flying.
Let’s take a bit of a closer look at these maps, as well as some tips and tricks for making your Toy Box the best it can be, with this week’s installment of Disney Infinity: Toy Box TV.
This week’s Toy Box Submission Challenge will need you to hop down to your local arcade, put a couple pennies in the machine and get ready to hit the grid. Well, ok not really, but this week’s theme is all about Tron. Whether it is the ultimate light-cycle course, or a battle arena where you fight off countless virus-riddled soldiers, just make sure your Tron Toy Box is the best it can be.
As always, you can create and share your Toy Box creations though, using these instructions:
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U
Bring up the Pause Menu and select “Online/Multiplayer.”
Then select “Toy Box Share” > “Disney’s Toy Boxes” > “Submit to Disney.”
Follow the prompts. You’ll be asked to give your Toy Box an original name and description. Choose carefully – they will be shown to everybody if your Toy Box is featured.
iPad
Bring up the Pause Menu and select “Toy Box Share.”
Then select “Disney’s Toy Boxes” > “Submit to Disney.”
Follow the prompts. You’ll be asked to give your Toy Box an original name and description. Choose carefully – they will be shown to everybody if your Toy Box is featured
That’s it for the first installment of the revamped Disney Infinity Toy Box Challenge and the end of another week of Disney Infinity updates for you guys. Make sure you get creating and come up with the best Toy Box to fit this week’s theme to be in with a chance to have your masterpiece showcased around the world. Let us know your thoughts on this week’s winners in the comments below and remember to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Disney Infinity news as it becomes available
Overview The original Final Fantasy X has been regarded as one of the best games in the series and that is quite a feat considering some of the titles that came before it. Then it was given one of the first sequels in the Final Fantasy line-up with Final Fantasy X-2 which, at least what I believe, featured the pre-cursor to the paradigm shift mechanic in Final Fantasy XIII which was the dressphere system. Now both of these titles have been given a fancy new coat of paint and combined with a few extra bonuses not found in the original releases to bring fans Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster. The question is, how successful was Square Enix in bringing these titles to the modern era?
Story Now as mentioned before, this collection comes with both Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 and we will be covering the titles in said order, speaking of FFX first and then covering the sequel in each section. Considering the age of Final Fantasy X, it is expected that most if not all fans of the franchise have likely played it by now but for those who haven’t the story follows Tidus who, after his hometown is destroyed by a monstrous creature named Sin, is seemingly transported into the future where he eventually begins to travel with Yuna, a young summoner preparing to set out on a mission to defeat Sin.
Now while the story might seem fairly basic by JRPG standards at first glance, it is far from it. The reason for that is because of how incredible almost every aspect of the game’s story is handled. Each of the characters that players gather into their party are interesting in their own right and are all fleshed out to some degree that it makes them feel like they are all important to the story, not simply side-characters to Yuna and Tidus’ journey.
Speaking of those two, love stories in games tend to be corny or unrealistic, and to be fair there are a number of corny moments in Final Fantasy X, the chemistry and the way that the relationship between Yuna and Tidus is developed over the course of the game is absolutely fantastic and a real treat for players. As for the way the story unfolds it is told at the perfect pace with numerous plot twists and reveals that may catch players off guard once again if they forgot about a specific twist here or there.
It is worth noting that this release also contains the ‘Eternal Calm’ movie which helps bridge the gap in the story between Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 which is certainly a helpful addition and delightful considering we have never been shown in this in North America until now.
As for Final Fantasy X-2, to not go too much into detail for those who many never have went into the game’s sequel or possibly never played either title, the focus of the story revolves around Yuna, Rikku, and the new character Paine two years after the events of the first game. Unlike Final Fantasy X, this title has a tighter focus and feels far less epic in proportion. Still, the singular purpose that drives Yuna forward and the story presented continues to be enjoyable and seeing how characters have changed over the past couple of years plus the inclusion of Paine and her backstory make it worthwhile even if it can’t stand up to its predecessor.
Gameplay Back when Final Fantasy X was first released it was the pinnacle of the turn-based battle system and that hasn’t changed too much over the years. Sure it might feel a bit aged and slow compared to most turn based systems now, but it still feels incredibly enjoyable to use and was the best around back when it was released. Players will have access to a number of attacks and skills all found through menu screens with Limit Breaks and Summons that can be used throughout combat to always keep things fresh feeling even though the random encounter rate is definitely a bit of a pain.
Along those same lines, fighting monsters allows players to make use of the Sphere Grid, or the Advanced Sphere Grid I should say, which allows players to level and customize their characters how they wish as they gather various abilities and stat boosts from the grid. Outside of combat it is worth noting that the exploration factor in Final Fantasy X, and Final Fantasy X-2, remains unchanged but it also means that the camera angles have not been retouched at all which means it can be problematic at times.
With Final Fantasy X-2 the combat remains fairly similar on the surface but now players will be able to make use of the Dressphere system which, for those unfamiliar with the game, feels like the Paradigm Shift or better yet, the Schema from Lightning Returns. Players are able to switch costumes in combat, with elaborate transformation sequences, to change their classes and wield different skill sets against their foes. This makes for a much more customizable and often random and enjoyable combat experience that offers a similar but faster paced system than FFX.
Visuals & Audio Now for the main reason that many gamers will be looking into picking up Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster if they already have played these games, the whole “HD Remaster” part. Back when Final Fantasy X was created it was already an impressive looking title on the PS2, but taking a look at what Square Enix has managed to do with the game is quite stunning as they have upgraded nearly every aspect of this game to make it look as amazing as they can.
Almost everything in the environment, including the numerous towns in the game, have been revamped with better looking textures and fancier details and the cast of main characters are amazing looking with some nice attention to detail in their clothing, though some of their faces look a bit off at times. That being said, there are some areas where the HD does lose a bit of its luster and this is mostly for unimportant NPCs, but seeing them side by side with the HD looking main characters makes for quite a contrast.
As for Final Fantasy X-2 these improvements are even more evident as the character models for the main cast are amazing looking. It also helps that with all of the outfits in the game, and a few new ones in this release, all of them feature great transformation sequences and look wonderful and it is good to see that no corners were cut.
It is also worth noting that all of the cutscenes in the game have been remastered as well and while Final Fantasy X had its fair share of great looking scenes, the one worth checking out for sure is the opening cinematic that plays at the start of Final Fantasy X-2.
Not only have the graphics been improved but the game’s soundtrack has also been remastered and while this might be a bit of a sticking point for some people who really loved the way some of the old songs sounded, it is evident that the majority of the songs in the game have benefited greatly from the remastering and makes what was one of the greatest soundtracks in the series into what some may consider to be the best.
Overall There are a few issues here and there where it looks like Square Enix may have let a few things slip under their radar but for the most part Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is everything that a fan of the games could ask for, especially with the new content it contains, and if you haven’t played either of these titles then you really need to pick up this collection as these amazing titles have never looked better than they do right now and if nothing else, Final Fantasy X deserves your attention while X-2 can simply be the icing on the cake.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Idea Factory and Aksys Games’ visual novel series Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi is finally reaching western shores on the PlayStation 3. The English version of the game adds the Stories of the Shinsengumi expansion to the main game, which will add an extra 20 hours of content. Additionally, special bonuses like a series of short stories starring the Hakuoki cast in a modern Japanese high school and media galleries are available.
Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi will be available for PlayStation 3 on May 6th, 2014. The release will be followed by DLC that will expand the game further with optional side stories. Pre-orders for both the regular and the Limited Edition are available through Amazon and GameStop. The Limited Edition contains both the game, a love charm, a hair comb, and a hair pin packaged in an Japanese inspired box.
Frau Engel – the character story designer Tommy Tordsson Björk is proudest to have created
The latest instalment in the Bethesda Underground ‘Know Yours Devs’ video series has just been released, putting the spotlight on MachineGames story designer Tommy Tordsson Björk. The interview, which you can view directly below, includes mention of the train sequence from Chapter 3 of Wolfenstein: The New Order, which we experienced first-hand in our preview last month. Now, you can see this scene – dubbed by the publisher ‘On a Train to Berlin’ – in full, embedded at the bottom of this article.
Bethesda Underground: Know Your Devs – MachineGames’ Tommy Tordsson Björk
Wolfenstein: The New Orderis slated for release in Australia and New Zealand on May 22 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. As an added bonus, everyone who pre-orders the titlewill be invited to access the DOOM beta from within their copy of Wolfenstein: The New Order.
