GDC 2014: GAMEVIL reveals five upcoming global titles
SAN FRANCISCO, CA- March 20, 2014- Leading mobiles games publisher and developer GAMEVIL revealed five upcoming global titles at its GDC press conference this year.
ZENONIA Online
GAMEVIL’s popular action-RPG is back with full multiplayer online features. Players can party up to complete quests, stages, and boss raids. Players can also compete in various PvP modes and battle in real-time. ZENONIA Online is set to launch on the global stage later this year.
Dragon Blaze
This story-driven RPG features intense battles and hundreds of unique heroes to collect. Players can take part in visually stunning battles with up to three other players in real-time. Dragon Blaze is widely popular in Korea, where it has reached #1 top-grossing on App Store and #4 on Google Play. The game’s new online PvP mode is set to debut with its global launch in the third quarter of 2014.
Dungeon Link
This next game takes an otherwise simple, yet addicting, puzzle game and presents it with the depth and progression of an RPG. By simply connecting tiles of matching colors, players can deliver attacks to enemy targets. With various heroes to collect, each with their own roles, players can build unique teams specific to their play style. Dungeon Link is set to launch in the second quarter of 2014.
Elements: Epic Heroes
This 3D action RPG features real-time battles and up to 4 player co-op. With multiple heroes to choose, players can complete quests, raid dungeons, and collect powerful loot in this immersive MORPG world. Elements: Epic Heroes is scheduled to launch this summer.
Mark of the Dragon
This last title is a refreshing take on the widely popular combat-strategy game. Players can design cities, set defenses, collect units, and battle. The game’s biggest difference is that players can summon dragons which can be controlled to attack specific enemy structures during battle. With legendary dragons to collect, players will want to breed and steal them all. The game is scheduled to launch this summer.
GAMEVIL®, with over 350 million game downloads and experience publishing hundreds of games on multiple platforms, is one of the most active and innovative mobile game companies in the world. Established in 2000 and with offices in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul, GAMEVIL is an experienced global mobile game publisher working with more than 70 top studios around the world.
With deep industry and regional knowledge, GAMEVIL has been able to craft numerous award winners through a diverse portfolio of games. Backed by unparalleled expertise in mobile, GAMEVIL continues to lead the sector with a commitment in establishing mobile gaming as a way of life.
GAMEVIL is currently listed on the KOSDAQ Market (Ticker: 063080, Bloomberg: 063080:KS, Reuters: 063080.KQ)
After some major changes by Blizzard, it is a great time to return to Diablo III. The real money auction house has been removed in favour of a new re-tuned loot system based on player response, the Paragon system has been completely changed, and the crafting system has been tweaked. Loot will be a little rarer, but now, players will be able to get more helpful loot every time. Legendary items are now Bind on Account, meaning all of your characters benefit from your rare loot.
The new expansion pack brings in a new act for players to complete, which follows the Nephalim on a journey to recapture the Black Soulstone from Maltheal, the Angel of Death. Once the new act is complete, gamers will have access to the new Adventure Mode, which will allow them to tackle randomly generated dungeons and bounties. For those looking for new and better looking gear, the new Mystic artisan will provide players with new gear options. Reaper of Souls provides players with the opportunity to rain holy righteousness on their enemy with the new heavily armoured holy warrior class, the Crusader.
Whether you’re an old grizzled Diablo veteran or you are new to the series, it is a great time to play Diablo III. Get ready for Reaper of Souls by checking out this trailer.
Konami Digital Entertainment has today released a new video to celebrate the release of the newest “Metal Gear Solid” title; “Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeros“. The game, which is now available in any good video game retailers around the world (not in Australia until the 27th), continues to expand on the already-extensive universe of Metal Gear Solid and will serve as the first part of “Metal Gear Solid V” with the upcoming title “The Phantom Pain” serving as the second part. The video just released was shot in Paris and features series creator Hideo Kojima infiltrating a video game store to set up displays for the new game without the store owner knowing about it.
It’s very clever, very tongue-in-cheek and very funny. Clearly Mr. Kojima has a sense of humour. Head down to our featured video section below to take a look at the video and don’t forget to head down to our comments section just below that to drop us a line. “Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeros” is now available in all countries apart from Australia, we’ll be getting the game on the 27th of March which is only six days away so don’t stress too much. The game will go for $49.95 (allow for price changes depending on where you are in the world) and will be available for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, XboxOne and Xbox 360.
Sony Computer Entertainment Australia is incredibly excited to announce that the jump into the next generation of gaming has finally happened with the release of the much-anticipated “Sucker Punch” title; “inFAMOUS: Second Son”.
The game, now available in all good Australian video game retailers, is the third installment in the “inFAMOUS” franchise and it follows the story Delsin Rowe – a punkish young man who has recently discovered he has the ability to absorb the powers of “Conduits” but with that discovery comes a world of hurt when the people around him are attacked by the DUP (Department of Unified Protection) who’s soul purpose is to eliminate the threat of bio-terrorists, also known as; “Conduits”. Now Delsin must take the DUP head on to save his family, friends and, most importantly, himself.
Michael Ephraim, Managing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia:
“The launch of PlayStation 4 has been a resounding success here in Australia, and across the globe. We’re now at a stage where PS4 is readily available to all players and with the launch of inFAMOUS: Second Son, there’s now even more reasons to get your hands on one…”
To celebrate the launch of this incredible game, Sony Australia has released an interesting live-action video for the game that brings Delsin all the way to Sydney, Australia so as to deliver the game alongside a PlayStation 4 to some of our Australian sports heroes. Rugby League’s Beau Ryan, Rugby Union’s Israel Folau, and veteran footballer Mark Bosnich all make an appearance in the video which can be seen in the featured video section below this article.
The video ends with the hashtag “DelsinDelivers” which refers to the competition people can enter to give themselves the chance to win a PlayStation 4 and a copy of “inFAMOUS: Second Son”. Click Here for details on how to enter. Once again; “inFAMOUS: Second Son” is now available for the PlayStation 4 so go now, grab yourself a copy and enjoy the video game splendour that is “inFAMOUS: Second Son”.
Haven’t had enough Pokemon yet? There is more to offer this week as Nintendo have dropped Pokémon Battle Trozei on the 3DS eShop, which is a follow-up to the original Pokémon Trozei released on the Nintendo DS quite a few years ago. While the gameplay is about the same aside from the addition of generation six Pokes, the price has a much lower entry fee at just $7.99.
Pure Chess is also out this week for the 3DS and Wii U at the same price, bringing a non-gimmicky version of the game to those who just want the raw deal. Natsume’s puzzle platformer Yumi’s Odd Odyssey comes in as another interesting feast at $29.99, adding another digital exclusive release to the eShop’s growing library. Other than those releases, we have a nice trial on Wii Sports Club for the weekend that anyone and give a whirl, and the NES version of Volleyball for $4.99 popping up on the Virtual Console.
Ubisoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe have just revealed exactly what exclusive content PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 owners will be receiving with their copy of Watch_Dogs: four additional missions (representing one hour of gameplay), along with a unique ‘White Hat’ Hacker Outfit and perk. Upon completion of this arc of missions, players will apparently have a deeper knowledge of the faction DedSec, and will earn a Hacking Boost called ‘Superior Capacity’, which grants players an extra Battery Slot. You can check out gameplay from the missions in the video embedded at the bottom of this article.
Here is an official ‘synopsis’ – if you will – of the arc;
The scenario takes place after Aiden Pearce, the vigilante hero of Watch_Dogs, catches the eye of DedSec, a notorious hacker group fighting for freedom and security in the digital age. Aiden receives an encoded message asking him to help some members of this organization who want payback. Pearce must use his knowledge of Chicago’s complex ctOS network to discover digital vulnerabilities in Umeni Technologies’ security network and earn his reward.
Also announced is the planned release of Watch_Dogs bundles for both Sony consoles, available at launch in Europe. Watch_Dogs will be released worldwide on May 27 for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. The Wii U version will be released at a later date. Australian readers should click through to find out about the title’s recent re-classification, as should anyone interested in knowing just how big the game is.
TECMO KOEI AMERICA UNLEASHES WICKED NEW TRAP VIDEOS AND DETAILS FOR DECEPTION IV: BLOOD TIES
TECMO KOEI America today unleashed videos for DECEPTION IV: BLOOD TIES entailing the many forms evil can take when laying traps for unsuspecting victims. The videos highlight strategies utilized by Amelie, Marina and Olivier to place traps, including Leonard’s intense battle in “Super Trap”. The official site also revealed details on Abilities, Costumes, Enemies, Modes, and quiz for players to determine their style of evil. These details and the videos can be found at: http://www.tecmokoeiamerica.com/deception4.DECEPTION IV: BLOOD TIES will launch in North America on March 25, 2014 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system.
In this imaginative follow up to the classic Tecmo title ‘TECMO’S DECEPTION’, first released in 1996 on the PlayStation®, players get a taste of what it’s like to play on the side of evil. Much like its predecessors,DECEPTION IV: BLOOD TIES is a strategy-focused action game revolving around a deceitful main character known as the Devil’s daughter who, assisted by three Demons, defeats her foes through trickery.
DECEPTION IV: BLOOD TIES follows the story of Laegrinna, an animated fragment of an imprisoned Devil’s soul, as she battles her enemies by mischievously luring them into strategically placed traps. From rolling boulders and spiked walls to spring boards, iron maidens, human cannons, falling bathtubs and banana peels, the player can choose from a multitude of dramatic, sadistic, and comical traps in order to finish off an enemy.
However, simply setting traps is not enough, as they need to be activated in turn. Timing also plays an important role, as an untimely activation could result in Laegrinna falling into her own trap or allowing her rivals to catch her. Depending on the manner in which an enemy is killed or captured, the Devil’s three servants – Veruza, Caelea and Lilia (each representing a different aspect of cruelty: Sadistic Torment, Elaborate Death and Humiliating Demise) – reward points and upgraded traps.
Those playing the PlayStation®3 version of DECEPTION IV: BLOOD TIES will be able to upload their combos online or challenge other players to beat their highest-scoring, funniest, or most sadistic combos. Other network elements include leaderboards for total Ark (points accumulated in a level), clear time etc., in addition to uploading and downloading user-created missions (Cross-Quests).
The PlayStation®Vita version boasts additional features, like Cross Play and Cross Saves between PS3/ PSVITA and touch-screen functions to select and activate traps.
DECEPTION IV: BLOOD TIES is produced by the creator of Fatal Frame, Keisuke Kikuchi and developed by Tecmo Koei. The franchise as a whole has sold more than 800,000 copies globally.
Namco Bandai Games America have just brought us some exciting news regarding their upcoming action/adventure game title “One Piece: Unlimited World Red” and it comes in the form of an official plot synopsis. Written by series creator Eiichiro Oda himself, this new One Piece title will take players and the Straw Hat crew on an adventure into mysterious lands as they meet new friends, battle old enemies and discover new and exciting places around the One Piece world! The game will introduce new areas to explore with your friends and new characters to meet but don’t just take my word for it, have a read of the official Namco Bandai games synopsis below:
The Straw Hat Pirates encounter and befriend a cheerful and sassy raccoon named Pato who possesses a mysterious power to create anything drawn onto a leaf. In order to help their new friend, the Straw Hat Pirates agree to assist Pato on an ambiguous mission “to meet someone;” Pato then leads the crew to the Forgotten Island where all the Straw Hat Pirates except Luffy are subsequently kidnapped by a villainous pirate named The Red Count, who had escaped the lower depths of Impel Down two years ago. With Pato’s help, Luffy must fight to recover his crew from the enemy’s grasp and find out exactly what The Red Count’s evil plots are.
With some great looking visuals and awesome gameplay mechanics that allow you and up to 3 friends to adventure side-by-side through the world of One Piece, I don’t see why any fan of the series would pass this title up. “One Piece: Unlimited World Red” was previously released in Japan late last year but thanks to Namco Bandai games it will be hitting our shores on a number of platforms starting sometime this year. The game is set to be released on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS and Wii U so start saving up for one of the most awesome One Piece titles to hit our shores!
Hozuki No Reitetsu Episode 11 – The Samurai Who Was Once Inch-High/The Quagmire Sisters Of The Mount
Another week, another episode and I’m so glad because I cannot get enough of Hozuki No Reitetsu. Welcome back to another installment of Hozuki No Reitetsu Anime Impressions, I hope you’ve all been as excited about this new episode as I have! This week marks the release of Hozuki No Reitetsu episode eleven: An episode that teaches the audience that it isn’t necessarily bad to be small and that jealousy can turn ones life upside down.
Whether they’re a legendary hero or a Goddess that guards the mountain tops, mythological entities are just like us humans in a way; we wall want to be wanted and we all want to be loved. Accepting each other for who we are is the best way to bring about peace in this world…hopefully those in the afterlife can learn it before we do because, according to this weeks Hozuki No Reitetsu, they can’t stop causing trouble because of it.
The Samurai Who Was Once Inch-High:
Any fan of Japanese legends or mythology would have heard of the “Inch-High Samurai” but for those of you who don’t; it’s the tale of a tiny samurai who one day comes across a huge mansion (which would be even bigger for him). In this mansion lived a beautiful princess whom he fell for. Realising his height wouldn’t allow for him and her to every be together, he hoped and prayed for a chance to be transformed into a normal person. While out for a walk one day with the princess, the two come across an ogre who threatens the life of the beautiful young lady.
The Inch-High Samurai wielding a needle battle the ogre but was dealt with easily when the ogre simply swallowed out hero. From the inside, the inch-high samurai poked and prodded at the ogres stomach until he was spit out along with a magical item called the miracle mallet. The ogre fled and the princess used the mallet to make the tiny one normal sized. The two got married and lived happily ever after…but not in the world of Hozuki No Reitetsu! The episode starts off with Shiro taking care of three puppies who belong to his boss, if you remember past episodes you’ll recall that he had babies with a cute little dog called “Cookie”. The three adorable puppies want “Uncle Shiro” to read them a story and they choose the tale of the “Inch-High Samurai” but…Shiro can’t read.
Luckily for the pack, Hozuki is around the corner as always and he offers to tell them the story of the Inch-High Samurai. Already this episode was highly entertaining and actually quite funny despite the “dry spell” it’s been in the past couple of weeks. Hozuki being a genuinely nice demon, offers to take Shiro and the kids to actually go and see the samurai. They all agree and head off on a little excursion. They eventually turn up to where the man is now residing (he happens to be a worker of hell because of a nasty little thing he did while he was alive that didn’t turn up in the legends) and he doesn’t seem to be as upbeat as his stories make him out to be. Hiding in the bushes, the group soon realise that the “former inch samurai” is not too happy that he’s normal sized.
It seems as though nobody pays him as much attention anymore and that people actually liked him better when he was an inch tall. Eventually he is introduced to Momotaro, another former legend who no longer has the same popularity level as he used too, and they bond. A friendship built on understanding blossoms and these two fallen stars are happy once again. If you’re a constant reader of my Hozuki No Reitetsu anime impressions than you’ll be aware that I enjoy when the series takes these legendary heroes and myths but flips them on their heads so they act almost like normal people. That’s why I really enjoyed this half of the episode. To see the hero of a story acting like a former Hollywood star is something so entertaining for me and I’d have to say my favourite episodes are the ones that are similar to this. Not only was it somewhat educational, it was funny like the series was when it first started out. Brilliant!
The Quagmire Sisters Of The Mount:
“Beauty isn’t everything.” is just something ugly people say. Am I right? This half of episode eleven takes us into the real world or “mundane world” if you ask the cast of Hozuki No Reitetsu. A place where beauty rules over everything and everyone, even the spiritual creatures who spend most of their time there. Two sisters, Princess Rock and Princess Blossom, were one day set to marry the son of the great Shinto God Amaterasu but on the wedding day Princess Rock (the uglier of the two girls) was told she was far too unattractive to be married to and was thrown out of the wedding.
Many, many years later Princess Rock sits on Mt. Fuji as its spiritual protector but, so overcome by jealousy still to this day, every time a beautiful woman steps foot into her land she uses her powers to make trees crush them, trees that just so happen to be spiritually connect to another mountain-dwelling spirit called Kodama. One night as Hozuki and Oko are sitting down to a meal together they’re met by Kodama who, after some idle conversation, states that the mountain is in some sort of trouble. Princess Rock is far too aggressive with the way she deals with her jealousy and it is beginning to affect the mountain and those who call it their home. A small mountain festival for spirits is taking place that night and Kodama invites Hozuki with the hopes that hells best demon will be able to defuse any tense situations and make for a great festival. Obviously, Hozuki agrees and they head down to Earth.
There Hozuki meets Princess Rock who almost immediately falls in love with him but cannot help to think that her appearance isn’t good enough for him. Hozuki being Hozuki, he’s as honest as he can be and its actually quite flattering to Princess Rock but disaster is on its way. Princess Blossom eventually turns up to the party, taking the gaze of every spirit there thanks to her beauty. Princess Rock explodes into a violent rage that is quickly turned around by Hozuki. Taking you all through the “play-by-play” isn’t the best way to experience this episode. It’s a fantastic one to watch and it ends quite well.
I enjoyed this episode thoroughly, not just this half but both! I had a smile on my face from the opening minute to the very last minute. Hozuki No Reitetsu does many things well and this is one of them; lessens are taught through humour and through the actions of these supernatural beings but it is done so fantastically. Usually anime that tries to teach its audience a lesson falls flat but Hozuki No Reitetsu seems to know what it’s doing because it is doing it well. The voice acting, the music, the visuals, it’s all great and it has taken me this long to actually fully appreciate it. Sometimes you just have to sit back and think of every element of an anime to truly appreciate it and this episode of Hozuki No Reitetsu once again opened my eyes. Go and experience this episode for yourself, people, it’s a great one.
Check out more Hozuki No Reitetsu impressions HERE.
Blizzard Entertainment has announced that they will be deploying Australian and New Zealand game servers in preparation for the release of Diablo III: Reaper Of Souls. The new infrastructure being released by Blizzard will provide local players a smoother gameplay experience.
Reaper Of Souls introduces an all new dark and terrifying expansion that expands on the continuous conflict in the mortal realm of Sanctuary. Blizzard is best known for their blockbuster hits World Of Warcraft, Starcraft, Warcraft, and Diablo franchises.
For more information on Diablo III: Reaper Of Souls, check out their site here. The expansion will be released on March 25th, 2014. Keep an eye out for the exciting expansion to Diablo III.
