Over the weekend Namco Bandai released a few character introduction videos for the soon to be released Tales of Symphonia Chronicles. While we’ve seen a few of these intros before, this time around the company has given us the English version of said trailers with the Japanese voice work that will be available in the game.
Currently Tales of Symphonia Chronicles is set to be released on February 25th in North America and February 28th in Europe. The three videos highlight Lloyd, Colette, and Kratos and can be found below.
The developers of Syrinscape at Interaction Consortium, are proud to announce that they have joined Paizo Inc. for developing the official sounds of Golarion, to accompany Pathfinder RPG sessions.
Benjamin Loomes, creator of Syrinscape stated, “Our partnership with Paizo is something we, as a company, talked about from the very beginning. I am a Pathfinder tragic, and getting to build sounds and music integrated completely with the wonderful world of Golarion is a dream come true. I know Fantasy gamers of all kinds are going to LOVE what I am building right now!”
Syrinscape is a revolutionary sound design app, that enables gamers to experience and explore the ever-changing soundscape of the fantasy world, through the power of unity audio engine and rich encounter-specific music. Following the recent release of ‘Syrinscape Fantasy Player’, this year Syrinscape will launch the rebirth of the much-anticipated Syrinscape SoundSet Editor and ‘Syrinscape Sci-fi Player’ with a whole raft of content for RPG’s, including; Shadowrun,Star Wars and Bruce Cordell & Monte Cook’s, The Strange.
Syrinscape Fantasy Player is now live on Android Tablets and iPad, in addition to PC and Mac, and can be downloaded here for free.
Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to become a part of Syrinscape, join the Facebook Community here today and adventure into Pathfinder!
Outplay Entertainment (maker of the popular Word Trick) has announced that their new monster collecting and battling game, Monster Legacy, will be hitting the App Store soon. If you’re a fan of secret dungeons, clever puzzles and capturing a over 100 unique monsters to use for battle, you may just enjoy this game.
Monster Legacy will send players on a journey chock full of quests, as they are forced to overcome various puzzles in perilous dungeons scattered across the world of Arborea. The numerous monsters that roam these cavernous caves can be captured, trained and evolved, all with the goal of bringing down Evil Lord Ardur. He’s the bad guy. The game itself is free-to-play and offers more than 20 levels and 70 quests, making for hours of gameplay that may or may not be addictive.
Though no release date is concrete, expect Monster Legacy to be gracing the App Store shortly. In the meantime, check out the screenshots and trailer below to get you in a monster catching, puzzle completing, cave exploring mood.
Another week, another victim of the Jigglypuff epidemic
Space☆Dandy Episode 5 – A Merry Companion is a Wagon in Space, Baby
Do you want to know the bane of being an anime reviewer? Every time you claim that a series is amazing, it immediately bombs, and every time you say that it’s the worst thing since sliced Hitler, it makes the biggest comeback ever just to shut you up. Not a week on from saying that Space Dandy wasn’t worth carrying on after episode 4, Bones decided that now would be the perfect time to blow me away and left eating my words. Not only was this week’s foray into the life of Mr S Dandy the best episode of the series so far, but it is one of the most enjoyable self contained, single episode stories to be released in a long while.
He’s not coming back for us is he?
This week Dandy managed to capture an extremely rare alien, a young Gentooan girl called Adélie with the ability to shock any living creature and transfer its mind into a puppet. However, the universe is just as cruel in Dandy’s time as it is in ours and he returned to the Aloha Oe with his prize only to find that it had been towed along with QT and Meow, forcing Dandy to take her to the Alien Registration Centre on the train. To stop her running away, he promised to take her to an address written on an old picture which transpired to be the last known address of her grandfather, the only person left for her to turn to in the universe according to her deceased mother. After finding that he no longer lived there, Dandy left Adélie at a hotel and under the pretence of going to Boobies, spent the night scouring the streets to find any clue that might lead him to her grandfather. One chase scene involving a stuffed orange penguin Dandy defying biology and taking flight to catch two alien hunters fleeing with Adélie on a train later and she was safely reunited with her grandfather. It was then that the pretty young girl vowed to grow up quick so that she could join her baka hero on the Aloha Oe and my heart melted a little.
First the marker, now vine whip? Are you sure you’re not a Pokémon?
Depth, how I have missed you! We’re talking a shallow puddle rather than an ocean, but Dandy became the first character to dip his toe into the warm waters of character development this week by growing a heart that yearned for something more than a cheap drink and a cheeky grope at Boobies. Going against his carefree nature he gave up his greatest worldly desires to search out the girl’s grandfather. During the time he spent with her he even learned to care for her a little and she started to see more to him than the selfish, perverted idiot that he normally comes across as. That’s more than I can say for QT or Meow who have both been killed by Dandy at least twice so far. Maybe he was just nurturing her so that one day in the future the, “big breasted, shapely assed woman,” he wished her to grow up into will come aboard the Aloha Oe, but I guess we’ll never know.
I’ll be a White Mage. No one ever hurts the White Mage right?
Considering its run, it pains me to draw this comparison, but was anybody else left feeling like they’d just watched an episode of Cowboy Bebop? High praise indeed, but I can think of at least a few episodes of Bebop that were worse than episode 5 of Space Dandy. I even felt a little Spike Spiegel radiating off of Dandy for a second or two as he let his selfless side break through while maintaining his cool, if not extremely silly, nature. Put that alongside his immediate dislike of kids and Dandy begins to feel more and more like a fitting homage to the legendary, afroed hero of old.
Adélie’s character design was very heavily inspired by classic anime heroines which was refreshing considering how obscenely overly cute lolita characters are nowadays. She was not sexualised or forced into too many scenarios designed to highlight her moe factor and for that I have to commend Space Dandy. It would have been far too easy to make Dandy a closet lolicon, but they chose not to tread that path and kept him faithful to the good women at Boobies which doesn’t exactly add a lot of class to his character, but it keeps him out of jail at least!
Jokes aside, this scene was lovely. I hope we see more like it!
All in all, this episode marked the first genuinely quality episode of the series and highlighted the potential Space Dandy has when it isn’t trying too hard to be quirky and different. Flairs of characterisation and a backwards leap away from the bad jokes that have left a stale taste in my mouth these past few weeks have left me actually looking forward to next week. Give me more of this Watanabe! It’s what you’re best at and what every fan of Bebop wants to see more of. Will we end up seeing more brilliant episodes like this? Stay tuned and find out.
Space Dandy is simulcasting in both subbed and dubbed formats and can be found airing on Adult Swim’s Toonami block or streaming on FUNimation in the US. UK viewers can catch it streaming on Wakanimand Australian viewers can catch it streaming on Madman with new episodes – both subbed and dubbed – up on the Madman Screening Room each Monday, at 1am AEDT.
For more impressions of winter’s best and worst, head over to our Anime Impressions page.
Ghost Games (formerly EA Gothenburg Studio) is the studio responsible for latest game in the Need for Speed series, and it has already been a few months since the release of Need for Speed: Rivals. However, it seems that the success of the game hasn’t protected the studio from being hit with lay-offs. After EA decided that its Guildford office has far too many workers, the company has entered a consultation period for some positions in the Ghost Games U.K. studio.
Of course the worst thing to come out of this will be the loss of jobs, but the second worst thing is the delay of the development of the next installment of the popular franchise. The next Need for Speed title is said to be on hold.
As cloudy as the future seems for the racing franchise, it appears that EA still plans to leave the future development of a Need for Speed title in the hands of Ghost Games, it just might take longer due to the reduced man power.
Given the history of MMOs on consoles, there has been plenty of questions on how Elder Scroll Online (ESO) well plays on the new consoles. Sony has provided some answers about the PlayStation 4 version of the much awaited game to assure anxious gamers that they will provide fluent ‘on the couch’ gameplay.
The greatest piece of news in the Q&A is that players do not need a PlayStation Plus account to play ESO. They will only need to pay for the ESO monthly subscription to have full access to the game. This is a win for PlayStation gamers as Microsoft has announced that Xbox Live Gold is needed to play ESO.
There was still one question left unanswered: ‘when will the PS4 beta testing begin?’. Many are still waiting, but with only a few months till the June launch, eager gamers should keep checking the ESO offical site for invites.
To learn more about Elder Scrolls Online on the PlayStation 4, head over to the full blog.
The tension is ramping up in Wargame Red Dragon! The latest game in the Real-Time Strategy series developed Eugen Systems, the game will take players to the heart of Asia and all the conflict that dwells within.
Flagged as a more ambitious title than Wargame AirLand Battle, Red Dragon is taking the same game mechanics that made the franchise popular and adding a few features. The title will feature 5 new nations bringing in over 450 units, new combat vehicles amassing a total of over 1300 and the introduction of brand new naval units, including landing crafts, amphibious vehicles and warships. These new craft will add a new dimension to combat, as waterways now become a means of attack, instead of an obstacle. Whilst the multiplayer mode will pit Wargamers against each other up to 20 at a time, the solo campaign will throw players headfirst into the conflict alone. In a hellish war against North Korea, who will come out on top?
Though information on Red Dragon’s release date remains rather vague, details regarding the game itself are set to come in over the next few weeks. Check out the trailer, along with the screenshots, below and get ready to take the fight to the enemy.
IMPRESSIONS NAMCO BANDAI Games SF (US) New Year Showcase – 1/28
During the NAMCO BANDAI New Years Kick-Off event in San Francisco, I got to watch Lords Of The Fallen, an upcoming hack and slash title that draws some similarities from another company title, Dark Souls II. Deck13 Interactive and CI Games have utilized the many different aspects of an open, deliberate combat system with the fun arcade style class systems to create what I think could be a great title for 2014. Tomasz Gop, executive producer of Lords Of The Fallen, led us through an interesting run-through on the unique features of the game.
In the Lords Of The Fallen universe, mankind has risen up against the gods and imprisoned them. While it may have seemed like a good idea at the time, demons began to pour onto earth at a ridiculous rate, attacking humanity while it had its guard down. Harkyn, an outcast that bears tattoos as a sign for his crimes, gets thrown into the mix as he tries to discover where the demons came from and why.
The game allows the player to choose between three different classes: the cleric, the warrior, and the rogue. Each class stays within the boundaries of its archetype at the time of character creation. Clerics are slow-moving, heavily armored warriors with spells at their disposal, warriors are slightly-less armored, damage-dealing fanatics and rogues are lightly-armored, fast-striking characters who pulls off combos. While these ideas are pushed at the beginning, the game, in no way, limits your choices as to what you could do. Watching the Cleric in action at first, and while he ran through the level, he fell upon a pair of daggers. Usng them, made a slow cleric became a faster, more agile version of itself, dancing around with its blades. The game allows for choices and the developers promise that these choices will affect the way your story progresses. In addition, every class has access to different spells that allows the player more strategy when it comes to taking down enemies.
The game uses a stamina bar to control how much attacks you’re able to do. Spells and physical attacks deplete different amounts of stamina every time it’s used. Spamming attacks or spells isn’t “frowned upon”, but you’re going to have a hard time killing anything if you don’t consider your moves. Combat in the game is fluid. Utilizing all the tools you have at your disposal is one of the better ways of getting good results in combat. Weaving melee attacks with spells creates lots of opportunities for you to get in stronger, harder hits or to dodge an attack. Dodging in the game is also a very important aspect. Generally, most of the mobs you encounter in Lords Of The Fallen won’t be your average grunt. They’ll have mob-specific skills and they will hurt you if you let your guard down. Dodging attacks is really important in the scheme of things. It negates damage and it allows for you to position yourself to do the most damage.
One of the big things I’ve noticed is that the game doesn’t come with checkpoints at every point. When you die during a boss-fight, you begin at the very beginning of the level again. This allows you to re-try different combinations for gear and combat styles. If your first try in full melee combat didn’t yield good results, mixing in some spells might work better. It’s things like these that the developers want the players to consider during their trial-and-error gameplay.
During the one level presented, we watched as the character entered the game and met a demon that was fully armored and was slightly taller than the character. Rushing into him and proceeded to cut him down, all the while dodging his attacks. Didn’t even get scratched, as he went down. Then taking a door to the right that led to the next room. Big mistake. Immediately after entering this stage the character was face-to-face with a real boss. The demon was covered in thick armor, hefting a huge broadsword and shield that looked deadlier than equipped hammer could ever look. As he ran at him at an attempt to bash his head in, but as he hit him, he blocked the attack with his shield. He then proceeded to cut the character down with two sword strikes. The character was put back to the beginning, where he faced the small demon again (even though he wasn’t small in reality). You will need to rethink your strategies, and considered actually dodging. The fight went a lot better this time around, as he was able to bring him to about 50%. Every 25% of the boss’s health, he would activate a new phase, shrugging off his armor at an attempt to become more comfortable while he tried to cleave our face in half. He gained a new attack animation, a downward cleave that split would have split us in half if he didn’t dodge out of its way. Through trial-and-error, slowly whittled the boss down until he was beaten. Winning looked extremely rewarding, and that wasn’t even the end of the level.
Lords Of The Fallen has huge potential. Their debut trailer released earlier in 2013 set the bar pretty high, and the developers did not fail to deliver with this latest version of the game. The game was in its pre-Alpha stage and still it looked and felt like it was ready to take the world by storm. The game will be ready by the fall of 2014, and will be released on the PS4, the Xbox One, and the PC. Make sure you keep an eye out for this title cause it’s going to be a good one.
GAMEVIL launches Vegas-style casino slots game, Jackpot Madness Slots, on Google Play
LOS ANGELES, CA- February 3, 2014- Leading mobile games publisher and developer, GAMEVIL, today announced the global release of its latest title, Jackpot Madness Slots, on Google Play. The free-to-play game is a third party title developed by Dragonplay, creators of chart-topping hits such as Slot City and Live Holdem Poker Pro, and published by GAMEVIL through its global expansion funds.
Jackpot Madness Slots is an all-new Vegas-style casino slots game. The game features high quality art and a variety of creative slot machine themes. With emphasis on social, players can connect through Facebook and win huge rewards by being atop the leaderboards. The game will be run as a service with new casino games and themes scheduled to launch each month.
What sets the game apart is its game engine, which was designed by Professor of Mathematics, who are experts in casino table game design, advantage play analysis, game development and mathematical certification. This allows Jackpot Madness Slots to emulate the same feel and joy as playing in a real Vegas casino.
“We are privileged to have partnered with GAMEVIL, the most active and innovative mobile game company in the world,” says CEO of Dragonplay Sharon Tal. “We appreciate the knowledge-sharing, great communication, and over all support the GAMEVIL team has provided, and we’re looking forward to a successful collaboration in 2014.”
“We are especially excited for Jackpot Madness Slots as it marksour first casino game,” stated Kyu Lee, President of GAMEVIL USA. “The high quality look and feel of the game is sure to attract players worldwide, while its social elements will keep them engaged.”
Dragonplay is a leading developer of free-to-play social games for smartphones and social networks. Dragonplay’s vision is to connect people through games and enable them to play with friends and others on multiple platforms. Dragonplay places a special emphasis on user experience with the aim of delighted and connecting users from all over the world.
Dragonplay has developed a world class scalable technology platform and strives to maintain the highest standards security and privacy for its customers. Dragonplay was one of the first social gaming companies to focus on Android as its primary distribution channel and has emerged as one of its leading developers with its chart-topping titles Slot City and Live Holdem Poker Pro. Dragonplay was founded in 2010 by Sharon Tal with seed funding from private investors. The company has about 80 employees and is based on Tel Aviv, Israel.
About GAMEVIL
GAMEVIL®, with over 330 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)
A collection of 10 new vehicles will become available to Forza Motorsport 5 players on February 5 via ‘The Smoking Tire Car Pack’. Car enthusiasts may be familiar with the website The Smoking Tire – established in 2009, it has since developed into what many would consider the future of independent automotive journalism and humor, featuring viral films, one of the most popular podcasts in the industry and much more.
The automobiles featured run the gamut. Above you will see the 2013 Abarth Punto Supersport – the result of a melding between Fiat’s performance division Abarth and the Punto Supersport design. It marks a return to the performance-driven Fiat subcompacts of the past with a speedy facade and a Garret-turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine.
2000 BMW Z8
First noticed by true car enthusiasts at the 1997 Tokyo Auto Show as a BMW 507 50th anniversary celebratory concept design. BMW only built a few hundred, but went into full production of the vehicle once the feedback on the car was so positive. It’s an almost perfect recreation, featuring retro touches but a modern performance base. The Z8 shares the same drivetrain of the BMW M5, giving it 400 horsepower to play with. It’s body, however, is much lighter being made of aluminium, and was the fastest, best-handling BMW of its era.
1994 Nissan Fairlady Z Version S Twin Turbo
The ‘Z’ line of Nissans began in 1969, and this is the ultimate representation of it. The Fairlady Z Version S Twin Turbo – or 300ZX for the North Americans – was fueled by power and technology like the “Z32” generation. Its high performance came at an also high price-point, though it managed to sell well regardless, breeding a 2+2 variant and non-turbo model.
2002 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Ram Air
This final F-body Firebird represented old-school muscle and modern power. Aesthetically, it had some quirks, such as the anachronistic pop-up headlights. By muscle car standards, the 0.90 lateral G’s it pulls on a skid pad means it sits at the top of the handling class. Its 325-horsepower LS1 V8 enables a mid-13 second range for a quarter mile, its excellent brakes keep the Firebird in its cage and a smooth six-speed keeps the engine on the boil.
2011 Ferrari FF
The 2011 “Ferrari Four” was a game-changer, being practical for everyday tasks and not-so everyday tasks with its 290 kph-rated winter tires. Power, as expected, is not an issue with a Ferrari V12 creating a ridiculous 651 horsepower. That’s the conventional side of this Ferrari. Unconventional is its Pininfarina shooting brake body style, 50% lighter “4RM” all-wheel drive system with a small gearbox up front to transmit power directly from the crankshaft to the front wheels in low-traction situations. Basically, all that means a fantastic grip on nearly any surface and close-to-perfect weight distribution.
1968 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale
A beautiful, lightweight and powerful classic, the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale holds the distinction of being the most expensive new car sold in the U.S. at the time (approx. $17,000). Now extremely rare, with only two existing in North America, the vehicle is regarded as one of the greatest Italian cars ever made. In many respects, it was ahead of its time – the butterfly-like doors, large wrap-around glass, twin-spark ignition, dual-overhead cams, a six-speed Coletti transmission, and plenty of lightweight magnesium parts. Oh, and its 2-litre V8 engine, and 9,500 RPM redline, is insane for a 1968 production.
1966 Chevrolet Nova SS
Ironically translated to “no go” from Spanish, the Nova SS could definitely “go”. A hallmark of American Muscle, it was restyled to be sportier and trendier for its time in 1966. It has a distinctive look for a “compact” vehicle, with its fastback-like roofline, grill filled with bright aluminum, deck lid cove and humped fenders. Under the hood, it could be fitted with any Chevy engine above the four-cylinder all the way up to the 350 horsepower Turbo-Fire 327 and matched with a close-ratio four-speed.
2004 Maserati MC12
Following the design of the Enzo Ferrari, the MC12 is much larger and slightly slower, but marked the Trident’s return to racing after 37 years. In 2005 the JMB Racing Maserati took second in the FIA Team Cup and Maserati won the Manufacturers Cup, but was disallowed from entering the American Le Mans Series due to its width. However, it was allowed to race as a guest without the ability to earn points in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In Forza Motorsport 5, you need not worry about such restrictions.
1992 Toyota Celica GT-Four ST185
Toyota produced 5,000 GT-Four RC ST185’s to meet homologation requirements for Group A Rally competition. The 1992 racing version was named the “Carlos Sainz Edition” in honor of the Spanish driver’s racing achievements, including becoming Toyota’s first world rally champion in 1990. While this ST185 is not the racing version, it does deliver 10 more turbo-charged horsepower than the normal GT-Four for a total of 232 horsepower, and with its distinctive hood and front bumper the GT-Four RC is a much sought-after model.
1995 Audi RS 2 Avant
The RS 2 features the evolution of the turbocharged inline five-cylinder sitting behind a mesh grille insert laden face. It was the first Audi to adopt the RennSport name, and the wagon body style was intentionally chosen to show off the company’s ability to produce a no-compromises vehicle that can blow the doors off many sports cars while comfortably transporting a family with generous luggage space to boot. Its performance can outshine newer, high-performance tuned vehicles, which aided in earning its legendary status for the era.
