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The Warface Xbox 360 Edition Beta Has Begun

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Time to paint on your Warface as the Beta for the Xbox 360 Edition of the free-to-play FPS title from Crytek has launched. Gamers from the United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Nordics, Australia, and New Zealand with an Xbox Live Gold membership can register for battle at warface.com/xbox.

The Warface Xbox 360 Edition features the same intense cooperative and competitive first-person shooter gameplay that fans of the PC version have experienced, with a class-based system comprised of four classes: Rifleman, Medic, Engineer and Sniper. Once the full game releases for the platform in Autumn, players will receive regularly updated content, including daily cooperative campaign missions and a steady stream of fresh maps, weaponry, boosts and more. Check out the new trailer below that showcases the four soldier classes mentioned in action.

Indie label Surprise Attack Games to publish Vertiginous Golf Dystopian steampunk golf game tees off on Steam Early Access next month

Indie label Surprise Attack Games to publish Vertiginous Golf Dystopian steampunk golf game tees off on Steam Early Access next month

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, February 6, 2014 – Surprise Attack Games, an indie games label based in Australia,  is excited to announce that it will partner with Kinelco and Lone Elk Creative to bring Vertiginous Golf to fans of the popular dystopian steampunk golf genre everywhere. The game is approved for release on Steam and will launch on to Steam Early Access in March 2014. Those golfers who cannot wait are able to pick up a beta copy now via the game’s website.

Vertiginous Golf is a physics-based, first person exploratory mini-golf game, set in an alternate, steampunk-infused world where life on the ground is enveloped in permanent smog, constant darkness and never-ending rain. Players will chip and putt their way around floating courses with complex machinery and Victorian-era décor, as they slowly discover what the hell is going on.

“This sort of game is basically why we set up Surprise Attack in the first place,” said Chris Wright, Managing Director of Surprise Attack Games. “I mean, who makes a game about mini-golf in the sky, with elaborate victorian contraptions, a golden mechanical hummingbird you can use to explore the levels and a mysterious story to uncover? Awesome people, that’s who.”

“We’re excited to be working with Surprise Attack for our new game Vertiginous Golf,” said Christian Holland, Director at Lone Elk Creative. “Their enthusiasm and skills have already helped shape the evolution of the project and we’re confident they’ll help get the game to the right audience with the right message. With a Steam release in the pipeline and management of community and social media, it allows us more time to communicate with our community and concentrate on the game’s development.”

In development for PC with Mac and Linux versions planned, Vertiginous Golf will launch on Steam Early Access in March 2014 for $15. Players who want to play right away or like a bargain can grab the existing version of the game at the current price of $10 right now via the game’s website.

The development team at Kinelco and Lone Elk are planning a very open and community-driven development through to the full launch later in 2014. Players who buy into the Early Access can expect to have input into development decisions as well as frequent updates with new content and features along the way.

– ENDS –

For more information or to request a press build of the game, please contact [email protected] or [email protected] or visit http://verti-golf.com

Check out the trailer at http://youtu.be/S8UZJY0zirM

Vertiginous Golf will be playable at the Surprise Attack Games booth (#PL112) at GDC Play from March 17-21.

About Kinelco and Lone Elk Creative

Kinelco is an independent games studio that’s been developing for PC, web and mobile for 15 years. Working closely with its sister company Lone Elk Creative, which focuses on game design, art and animation, the two companies developed their own gaming site mohsye.com. They’ve since gone on to create successful browser titles published on Shockwave.com, Addicting Games and Miniclip, plus a series of self-published iOS games.

Websites: http://www.kinelco.com/   /  http://lone-elk.com/

About Surprise Attack Games

Surprise Attack Games is an independent games label focused on partnering with independent game developers to provide marketing, distribution, and strategic assistance in taking their games to global audiences on any and all game platforms. For games that operate as a service, the label also provides monetisation strategy, design guidance and operational analytics.

Launched in July 2013, Surprise Attack Games is part of Surprise Attack Pty. Ltd. a specialist marketing agency for the video games industry. Surprise Attack works as marketing consultants for independent game developers as well as overseas companies seeking to target the Australian market.

Website: http://surpriseattackgames.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/surpriseattack

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 – Toy Maker Revealed as New Boss

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He was a dubious foe in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate (read the review here), and now he is back as a boss in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. The Toy Maker has returned, and has been promised to be one of this sequel’s key confrontations.

A new trailer was also released by Mercury Steam and Konami, and you can get a good look at his menacing and flamboyant appearance by watching the clip below. We are learning a lot about what looks to be an epic follow-up, and this addition is just another layer that is sure to make for an interesting narrative. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is due out February 25th

Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright Screenshots Released

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Nintendo have just released a big batch of glorious screenshots and artwork for the hotly anticipated crossover game Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney for 3DS. The screenshots detail the in game aesthetics while the artwork focuses on the game’s characters and settings.

You can check out all of the screenshots are artwork images for Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney in the gallery below. The game pits two of Nintendo’s handheld gaming icons in what looks to be a battle for the ages. These two gaming legends will come head to head on March 29th, 2014 with the release of the game exclusively to 3DS.

Be sure to check out the screenshots below and let us know what you think of them in the comments section.

Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode Two available March 25

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Bioshock Infinite fanatics have reason to be excited with the announcement from 2K Games and Irrational Games that the third lot of downloadable content for Bioshock Infinite which is titled Burial at Sea Episode Two will be available on March 25th, 2014.

This new episode of Burial at Sea concludes the story of Bioshock Infinite and in particular the Burial at Sea story. It is said to give gamers a new perspective on the vast Bioshock universe. The gameplay in episode two focuses primarily on stealth, which of course will prove to be fresh for Bioshock fans.

If you purchased the season pass for Bioshock Infinite you will receive the Burial at Sea episode two as part of that download. Be sure to pick it up on March 25th, 2014 for the ultimate burial at sea experience.

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re; Birth 2’s opening video released

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Today Compile Heart has released the opening video for Hyperdimension Neptunia Re; Birth 2: Sisters Generation, which has been re-worked for this PS Vita re-release. The video, which can be seen below features the song “Kirihirake! Roleplay Star Girl” by Nao and the game itself is set to be released in Japan on March 20th.

As far as a Western release goes, NIS America has previously licensed every Hyperdimension Neptunia title, including the idol game PP, for release in North America but at the time of this writing they have yet to announce the localization of either Vita remake of the Neptunia franchise.

Strike Vector Review

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Strike Vector
Publisher: Ragequit Corporation
Developer: Ragequit Corporation
Platforms: PC
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Price: $24.99 – Here

Overview
Strike Vector is not your typical shooter by any means. The band of misfits known as the Ragequit Corporation fused together a game that offers transformation, flying, and death in a singular package. However, does Strike Vector please the public with immediate, ruthless death? Let’s take a look…

Story
Strike Vector offers no story for the on-boarding player. While the player controls a futuristic ship known as the Vector and can fly in different modes with it, the title only offers multiplayer and a single player “free roam” environment. The developers can probably attest that the reason a story was not included is because Strike Vector is pure multiplayer.

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I do feel there is a grand story left untold and that could have been accomplished through a single player campaign narrative. I am very intrigued to why a need for these Vectors were put in place and what evil is contributing to these “space dogfights”.

Gameplay
Strike Vector provides a strong foundation of game mechanics which allows the multiplayer to be successful. Some of the many attributes that feed into the successes and failures are: vehicle customization, multiple modes of play, special equipment, variety of weapons, weapon modifiers, palatable score system, and individual progression. First and foremost, the tutorial is presented as a 9-page slide that reveals necessary information for the beginning player. Unlike other human beings, I learn by doing rather than reading slides. An interactive tutorial on a “free roam” environment would be more helpful.

At the home screen you may enter your “Garage” and edit your Vector’s appearance. As you progress with achievements and earn levels, new parts/decals will become available for you. Also listed under the “Garage” is the “Armory”. Once in the “Armory” you are able to select weapons, weapon modifiers, and special equipment to prepare for battle. Three presets are loaded into the “Armory”, so you may differentiate skills in the three sets to plan a strategy. Like most other FPS titles, you are able to access this armory after you die in combat.

There are 8 different types of weapons that can be utilized for each side of the ship: gatling gun, plasma gun, shotgun, homing missile, rocket launcher, swarm missile, smg, and carabine. You can mix match between items to garner the ultimate killing Vector. Further customization is involved as players can then add perks to their weapons. For example, I can increase the damage dealt by homing missiles and increase their effective lock range.

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Still in the “Armory”, players can select a specialization and a special action. A specialization can be considered extra armor or to remain hidden on the radar until a Vector appears in the immediate vicinity. A special action provides the player with an extra goody such as an instant shield to block attacks for a short duration or a rocket booster to jet out of harm’s way. Both of these can also be altered after dying on the battlefield.

Once you have entered a battlefield, you have two available modes to alternate from: Harrier Mode & Vector Mode. Harrier Mode allows you to fly around environments as a jet operating at high speeds (more potential to run into things and die). Your mouse becomes the main vessel of movement as you are directing the spacecraft to move where you are pointing. Meanwhile, you may press the default spacebar button to switch to Vector Mode which halts the vehicle completely. Vector Mode provides limited mobility left to right as well as up and down but in different ways. The mouse is now used to rotate 360 degrees about your position. A, D, and your mouse’s scroll wheel cover the strafing left/right and propelling up/down. By mastering both modes of transportation, you will surely become a force to be reckoned with in the skies.

Both commendable and frustrating the in-game scoring system can easily favor the more skilled player. In deathmatch scenarios it is the team or person with the most points/kills that wins the round. However, the problem that fresh players will encounter is that for every time they crash their Vector – not killed – their kill total reduces by 1. Therefore, if said newbie killed 0 people and crashed 5 times, his/her score would be -5. I suppose that is fair enough, but I warn you it will happen a lot.

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After the completion of a match, your profile will receive awards/accolades for performing well or not-so-well in the game. These points consecutively add up to help you gain new levels which then provide in-game art, Vector decals, and Vector parts.

Audio/Visual
Nothing really stood out for me as amazing in regards to the audio files. Music plays as expected throughout the background of menus and alternates tracks when going to your garage and credit screens. However, I will mention that a lot of thought process must have been placed in applying sound effects. With multiplayer as the title’s focus, importance of timing and variety of effects is crucial to meet player expectations. And I believe they met that standard in delivering consistent as well as varied sound effects.

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Where other parts of the game struggled to shine, environments truly stood out as engineered masterpieces. Whether you are traversing through a torn-up city or mangled space platforms, you will experience intrinsic design that can alter your flight path instantly. Your job to navigate and attack enemies becomes a harder but that also means you may place more longevity to your own life by taking unsuspecting twists and turns through map obstacles.

Overall
As a pure multiplayer title, Strike Vector performs as it is suppose to. It delivers high velocity battles across several maps and game types. Yet with all other contributing factors towards gameplay, a single player campaign would have lessened the learning curve and enhanced the overall experience of this particular FPS. Additionally, I personally would have a hard time coughing up $24.99 for a pure multiplayer title.

There is no ‘ease into’ button for Strike Vector. You simply are thrown in to wait – not long – and die several times before figuring the game out. I will end on this final note though: Death may be imminent, but the subtle chance for a kill urges players on to play just ‘one more game’.

7-0-capsules-out-of-10

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here

Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress licensed by NIS America

fuse-memoirs-of-a-huntress-premium-edition-slipcaseToday NIS America announced a rather interesting acquisition today as the company looks to expand its anime film library. They have announced the license acquisition of Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress, and are planning on releasing the movie on May 6th.

The $49.99 release will be given the Premium Edition treatment that comes with a collectible slipcase, a Blu-ray disc containing the movie, a 32 page hardcover art book, and some on-disc extras in the way of Japanese commercials.

As for the story of Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress, the movie follows Hamaji, a young huntress raised in the mountains as she stumbles into the middle of a vendetta between the shogun and a group of human and dog hybrids named the Fusé. You see, there are rumors spreading that the Fusé have been murdering people in Edo and they now have a bounty on their heads. As such, Hamaji and her brother join the hunt for the Fusé but end up befriending one of them.

Tales of Symphonia Chronicles digital edition available for pre-order on PSN

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Fans of the Tales games that don’t want game cases cluttering up their house will be happy to learn that the digital version of Tales of Symphonia Chronicles can now be pre-ordered through the PlayStation Network for a price of $39.99. Anyone who pre-orders the digital version for the game will be given a special PlayStation 3 system theme, that is also included with the purchase of the Collector’s Edition of the game.

Currently, Namco Bandai‘s Tales of Symphonia Chronicles is set to be released on February 25th. As for those looking for a physical copy of the game, the normal version is still available for pre-order alongside the collector’s edition containing the following items:

  • Limited edition packaging with exclusive artwork from Japanese animation studio, ufotable
  • Tales of Symphonia Chronicles  software
  • SteelBook case
  • Set of five Chibi Kyun Chara figures
  • 4-disc CD soundtrack
  • Tales of Symphonia: Successors of Hope hardcover novel
  • Art booklet with PS3 custom theme download code

Call of Duty®: Ghosts Onslaught DLC Pack Available for PlayStation and Windows PC Players Thursday, February 27, 2014.

Call of Duty®: Ghosts Onslaught DLC Pack Available for PlayStation and Windows PC Players Thursday, February 27, 2014. 

Fans Can Purchase the Onslaught DLC Pack Individually, or as Part of the Call of Duty: Ghosts DLC Season Pass Discounted* Bundle

Sydney, Australia – February 6, 2014 – Call of Duty: Ghosts players on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC will have access to the first DLC Pack – Onslaught – on February 27, 2014.  Onslaught delivers four unique and classically designed Call of Duty multiplayer maps, the all-new “Maverick” dual-purpose Assault Rifle/Sniper Rifle, and the first instalment in Extinction’s four-part episodic narrative, “Episode 1: Nightfall.”

New multiplayer maps in Onslaught include:

–          Fog: A chilling homage to classic horror films, set alongside the banks of a murky lake, players skilled enough to pick up the map’s unique Field Order can become the embodiment of evil and don the mask of Michael Myers, one of cinema’s most iconic horror characters, as the entire soundscape changes to the eerily familiar Halloween Theme music.

–          BayView: A coastal Californian boardwalk that offers players fast-paced run-and-gun gameplay amid a seaside town. Clever players will be able to climb onto the map’s moving trolley to engage enemies, as well as call in devastating artillery strikes from the Naval Destroyer anchored offshore.

–          Containment: This map drops players into a raging battle amidst a war-torn Mexican village, where the action centres on the crippled remains of a small bridge holding a hi-jacked truck leaking radioactive material.

–          Ignition: Onslaught‘s fourth map is a completely reimagined version of “Scrapyard” – the fan-favourite multiplayer map from Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2, placing players into a deserted space launch facility with frenetic action amongst abandoned warehouses, flame trenches, a massive transport crawler, and dynamic map elements that can take players out if they’re not paying close attention.

Onslaught arms players with the Maverick, a deadly new, dual-purpose addition to their multiplayer arsenal. Outfitted with a lightweight wood stock and a digital screen display, players can choose to use the Maverick as either an Assault Rifle or Sniper Rifle, depending on their tactical needs.

Anchoring Onslaught is “Episode 1: Nightfall,” the first instalment in Extinction’s new, four-part episodic narrative. As the initial foray into this single, connected story that will be told across each DLC Pack launch throughout the year, “Episode 1: Nightfall” takes fans to a remote research facility hidden deep within the Alaskan wilderness, where a small recon team must infiltrate the facility to find out what happened to the mysterious Nightfall Program. This expanded Extinction storyline introduces new characters, plus two all-new alien species, and debuts an exclusive Venom-X weapon that pulverizes the Cryptids, as players delve deeper into the story of what happened following mankind’s first contact with the Cryptids in Colorado.

Fans can purchase Onslaught as either a standalone DLC Pack for a suggested retail price of $19.95, or purchase the Call of Duty: Ghosts DLC Season Pass.  Season Pass holders not only get all four epic DLC Packs** for the discounted suggested retail price of $64.95*, but they also get instant access to the downloadable multiplayer map, “Free Fall,” as well as the Team Leader Digital Pack, which comes with a unique multiplayer character head, weapon camo, reticle, player patch, player card and player background.

Call of Duty: Ghosts game sold separately and is required to play this Map Pack.

From Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), Call of Duty: Ghosts is rated “MA15+” (Strong Violence and Coarse Language) by the Australian Classification Board.  Call of Duty: Ghosts Onslaught is available today for both Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft.  The DLC pack is created by Infinity Ward, with additional development by Neversoft. For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com/ghostswww.facebook.com/CallofDuty, or follow on Twitter @InfinityWard and @CallofDutyANZ.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, Mainland China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the expected release date of the Downloadable Content (DLC) Pack offerings for Call of Duty: Ghosts, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

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ACTIVISION, CALL OF DUTY, MODERN WARFARE and CALL OF DUTY GHOSTS are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

*Based on DLC Season Pass suggested retail price of $64.95, and four DLC Packs at a suggested retail price of $19.95 each.

**Downloadable content in the Season Pass may be sold separately. If you purchase the DLC Season Pass, do not also purchase these standalone DLC Packs, as you will be charged for them. DLC Season Pass and DLC Packs may not be available on all platforms or in all territories. Pricing and release dates may vary by platform. Call of Duty: Ghosts game required; sold separately.