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.
25 MILLION CALORIES BURNED AND COUNTING! SHARE YOUR CALORIE BURN INTERACTIVELY WITH ZUMBA® FITNESS WORLD PARTY
Work Your Body and Work Off Your Calories by Uniting with the Online Zumba® Video Game Community
Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), publisher of the Zumba® Fitness video game franchise that has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, is welcoming gamers to share their calorie burn with the rest of the active video game community by utilizing a real-time calorie counter for Zumba® Fitness World Party. Since its New Year launch more than 25 million calories have been burned!
Players can view the dynamic counter HERE to see how their own workout contributes to the fast-growing number. To try out Zumba® Fitness World Party in your living room, download the free, playable demos for Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Kinect for Xbox 360, featuring two hit songs showcasing vibrant choreography from Lady Gaga’s “Born this Way” and Daddy Yankee’s “Limbo.”
Download the playable Xbox One demo from the dashboard directly to your console via the Xbox Live online entertainment network from Microsoft, or get the Kinect for Xbox 360 downloadable demo HERE.
Zumba® Fitness World Party invites you to escape on a global fitness journey to exotic destinations including Hawaii, Brazil and India—set to 40+ new high-energy routines and more than 30 international dance styles. Players can immerse themselves in a fun, effective at-home workout packed with fitness features to maximize results, while jamming out to a world-class soundtrack highlighted by Pitbull, Marc Anthony, Lady Gaga and eclectic Zumba originals. Additional new features include the World Tour mode and an incredible visual presentation that parallels a real-life experience on location alongside Zumba’s celebrity instructors.
Developed by Zoë Mode, Zumba® Fitness World Party is rated E for Everyone and is available now at all major retailers on Xbox One, Kinect for Xbox 360, Wii U™ and Wii™. To find out more, please visit the official site at zumbafitnessgame.com. Press assets are available for download here.
Multiplay announces first wave of content for its biggest Easter weekend at Insomnia 51
Visitor tickets on-sale now
Multiplay, organiser of the UK’s biggest gaming festivals, is pleased to announce the first wave of content for Insomnia51, taking place at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena April 18-21, 2014.
Building on the success of Insomnia50, Multiplay’s first Insomnia festival of 2014 moves to Coventry’s Ricoh Arena, allowing more visitors than ever before to attend this coming Easter weekend. Tickets can be purchased now, at insomniagamingfestival.com.
Insomnia51 brings a wide variety of content from an array of talented and respected developers and publishers. With huge prize pools, Insomnia is still the best place for the biggest eSports tournaments in the UK, showcasing the greatest teams from across the globe and streamed live on Twitch.TV.
Insomnia will once again have a dedicated Minecraft Zone, featuring free to play tournaments and offering Minecraft fans the chance to meet their YouTube heroes. The line-up so far includes: BeBopVox, FyreUK and Noxcrew with more special guests to be announced in the coming weeks.
Community is a huge part of Insomnia, and this year is no different, with evening activities including live music, casino night, and the world famous pub quiz. However, Insomnia51 is also about showing you the latest and greatest games and merchandise in the exhibition hall and will feature incredible games, like Rust, Starbound, and DayZ. It’ll also feature some of your favourite developers and YouTube stars in an expanded Panel schedule, running throughout the weekend.
“After an incredible 2013, we spent a lot of time talking about what we could do more of, and how we can improve our customers experience. The first stage in taking Insomnia to the next level is the move to the Ricoh Arena, but there’s so much more to come,” Said Craig Fletcher, CEO & Founder of Multiplay.
“We’ll be announcing more exclusive content in the coming weeks, and we’ve got some big surprises to share. Don’t miss out on what will be the biggest year in the history of Insomnia festivals.”
Insomnia51 takes place at the Ricoh Arena over Easter Bank Holiday weekend, Friday, April 18th to Monday, April 21st 2014.
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z has alot of first going for it. It is the first DBZ game on the PS Vita, the first to feature eight fighters at once on the battlefield and the first to feature Super Saiyan God Goku, Bills and Whis as playable characters. After a long and decent run by Spike (developer of the much loved Tenkaichi series), this is the first DBZ game developed by new studio Artdink, who have worked on a number of Gundam portable titles for the PSP. For their first effort at tackling possibly one of the largest anime licenses of all time, the studio have done a great portraying the series as well as introducing a new style of play to the Dragon Ball universe we haven’t seen before.
Story
Battle of Z plays fast and loose with the original story of Dragon Ball Z (as well as a couple of movies including the recent 2013 film Battle of Gods), opting to adapt certain moments of the story into missions. Nearly all the fights have been adapted to suit the new team battle aspect, meaning that it won’t just be Goku vs Frieza but your team of four fighters vs Frieza. There are 60 missions to complete all up with some missions following the original story, some missions putting you in the perspective of the villian and some missions revolving around what-if scenarios which are fun and offer something new for long time fans of the series. The variety of gameplay in the missions is also appreciated, with some missions tasking you to take out an army of weak soldiers, defeat an opponent within a time limit or defeat a giant boss character.
Small cutscenes introduce a mission and theres normally one or two cutscenes in the middle that transition into the next stage of the mission (such as your opponent transforming). The cutscenes are done well enough and are fun to watch as they don’t always stick to the original script and these changes are mostly well written. Basically if your looking to experience the story of DBZ in a detailed and cohesive way then know you won’t find that with Battle of Z. If you have been playing DBZ games for a while and know the story well, this is a great change of pace and helps keep the experience fresh.
A nice bonus is that the missions can sometimes change slightly depending on your actions. For example, in one mission your team of 4 fighters takes on Super Saiyan Gohan, Android 16 and Vegeta and Trunks. If you defeat Super Saiyan Gohan before Android 16, the mission will end as normal when you defeat all your opponents, but if you manage to defeat Android 16 first, Gohan will snap and power up to Super Saiyan 2 (just like in the manga) making the mission much harder. In a similar fashion, you also get extra dialogue between characters when choosing certain combinations of characters on cretain missions. It’s great to see the developers reward fans for knowing the series well and for imitating the events as they originally happened.
Gameplay
For those who read my impressions of the demo you might recall that I found the game to have a somewhat limited combat system, with each characters having the same basic abilities as well as two unique attakcs and a different special to make them feel different. If you ever get into a one vs one match online (which is possible if the creator of the room sets it up that way along with 2 vs 2, 3 vs 3 etc.) then the shallowness of the combat is fairly noticable, but it’s obvious the combat system wasn’t designed for these 1 on 1 encounters. When you play Battle of Z with 7 other fighters on the field the game is heaps of fun to play and can quite quickly get addictive. The team aspect somewhat makes up for the lack of combat options as the hectic battlefield means there’s never a moment where you don’t have a role to play; whether it’s stopping an attack on one of your teammates, joining a synchro rush to gang up on one opponent or reviving a fallen teammate, if you’re not locked in combat yourself there’s always a way you can be supporting your team. Characeter movement feels fluid and the design of the maps is well done with them being large enough to host the battle without ever feeling too large or too small.
Characters have one or two ‘types’ which dictate their specialty in battle from the categories of melee, ki, support and interference. For example, Goku is a melee type who can deal big damage with his combos and has unique attacks that are damaging as opposed to interrupting the opponent or giving your comrades health. These types also factor into your customisation opportunities, so as Goku is a melee type, he will be able to equip more melee attack damage support cards as opposed to a ki blast type who might only be able to equip one or two. It’s a creative system and surprisingly fits the world of Dragon Ball Z well, serving as a way to balance the character roster and ensure that no one in the 70 strong roster feels quite the same. Speaking of the roster it is suprisingly robust for being the first entry in a new series. There is a great mix of characters here and nearly all the essential ones are there with Zarbon, Dodoria, Vegito and a few forms being the most noticable exclusions.
Some of the games missions include giant boss battles against great apes or another large character, and this is the best that giant characters have been handled within a Dragon Ball Z game. The size of the bosses is menacing, their attacks are devastating and have a great variety, and taking them down is no easy task.
In terms of game modes the game is rather limited, especially if you don’t have access to online as you will be stuck with the single player mission mode and that’s it. There are three main game modes; single player offline mission mode where you are paired up with A.I, co-op mission mode where you take on the same missions but with a team of people and battle mode where its players vs players and A.I. filling in any gaps. A quick word on the A.I., they perform rather well as teammates with one exception, reviving you when you are knocked down. More often that not the A.I. will not make an effort to revive you, sometimes choosing to stand right next to you as you die. Supposedly levelling up your A.I. partners helps with the problem somewhat, but it is still a big problem and is incredibly frustrating when it costs you to lose a mission you are close to completing.
The online battle mode hosts four different modes within itself . Standard mode has the first team to lose all their retries (the stronger a team is the less retries they will have) lose the match, score mode has a team gaining points for each K.O. they can get on the other team (with stronger characters and builds giving away more points), a non team based battle royale where everyone fights for themselves and last but not least, Dragonball hunt mode where the first team to collect all seven Dragonballs scattered around the field wins. The last one is particularly interesting as players must balance chasing down the Dragonballs but also trying to defend the ones they have collected as well as stealing the ones from their opponents. Each mode is fun it its own right and you can play pretty much lag free if everyone has at least decent connections. Getting into a room can be annoying at times, and all too often it says the room is seeking members and then when you get in the room they turn out to be in a battle. You have no idea how long you will be waiting for as you get no information on how far along in the mission they are. A spectator like mode would have been great here but unfortunately that opportunity has been missed.
The glaring omission of any offline vs mode is surprising, as there is no way for you to battle an A.I. filled dream team, complete a mission with a friend sitting beside you or challenge that friend to a battle (except in the Vita version where ad-hoc is available for local play). The developers have stated there is no local multiplayer mode due to the amount of screen space required for the player, but this type of game is perfect for at least 2 players to play together locally and it is another missed opportunity.
Visuals
The graphics in Battle of Z is a mixed bag. While some characters look spot on and have that ‘epic’ look about them (Super Saiyan Goku for example), some characters look less than average, especially in their facial features and it is a noticeable problem. Part of the problem is the cel shading style which is hit and miss. Sometimes it can look amazing and other times there are just too much levels to the shading and characters can look very blocky and poorly shaded because of it (as you can see in this screenshot of Frieza below).
The combat looks fluid and impactful and you will notice characters get blood stains and scratches on them as they rack up damage. All your favourite super beams and moves look equally impressive as they tear across the battlefied. Stages are rather large with a decent amount of destroyable objects such as rocks and buildings scattered on them and there is a nice variety of battlefields as well as different times of day to fight at (only on certain stages). One small touch that I enjoyed was the occasional earthquake on the exploding Planet Namek stage that would make the stage and the camera shake.
While you can customise character colours for their outfit which is fun to experiment with and a great addition, there are no alternate outfits to speak of which is a let down considering most past titles always looked to have at least one different outfit per character. Another dissapointment are the Ultimate attacks. Ultimate moves are already an annoyance in the game due to the way you have to buy a usable item to use one and only certain characters can pull them off, but when you do manage to pull one off they lack the impact and epicness you think they would have. You can search them up on YouTube and have a look for yourself, but don’t expect anything amazing.
Menus look nice and are presented fairly well but the main mission menu isn’t very intuitive and it might take you a small amount of time for you to find out how to customise characters and navigate the missions. There are also a fair amount of grammer mistakes in alot of the text, most noticably in character profiles and moments when what the characters are saying does not match the subtitles. Not a deal breaker by any means but there are enough of these errors for it to be noticable.
Sound
The music in the game is a combination of new music and old tracks from the various Raging Blast titles. The new music is all fairly good and fits the game well and it seems they have brought over the premium selection of tracks from the previous games to combine for a good soundtrack that is good but you probably won’t remember long after. The animated opening clip features the new version of Cha La Head Cha La which fans of the series will definitely appreciate. The rare ability to play your own music in the game (even when online which previous games didn’t allow) is very welcome, as you can play the original anime OST if you like or any music you desire (beating on your opponents to dubstep or some Disturbed is very satisfying).
In terms of voice work, the game features both the English and Japanese voice tracks (except the Vita version which will feature only one track or the other depending on your region) and the performances from the original cast are spot on, with voice actors delivering lines well for the most part. The English voices given to new characters Bills and Whis (that have only ever spoken Japanese before this game) match the Japanese voices perfectly and the casting department should be praised for doing a great job. All the games sound effects from powering up to shooting off kamehamehas are authentic to the source material and everything fits well and is in place.
Conclusion
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z is a great entry into a new type of series. While the somewhat weak combat offering, graphical inaccuricies and lack of an offline vs mode may deter people who are passionate about those features, the enjoyable team based gameplay should make it up to those who can overlook those drawbacks. The addition of missions and the online co-op has been well implemented and the challenge the game gives is very welcome. Unless you really dwell on the negatives it is impossible to not have fun with this title and boths fans and non fans of the series alike should find plenty of enjoyment within Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z. With Artdink’s new found experience, there is definitely potential for a sequel in this series to build on the already strong foundation laid here and produce what could be one of the best Dragonball Z games ever.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Overview Since being released in 2004, Lionhead Studios’ Fable franchise has seen two numbered sequels and a handful of spin-off games. Now a decade after the first game was released on the original Xbox, the game that started it all has come forward with a new coat of paint to remind gamers how the series started. Despite initial rumblings over Peter Molyneux’s extreme promises not coming true, the original Fable was one of the best games on the original Xbox so does Fable Anniversary stand the test of time?
Story Fable Anniversary’s storyline remains unchanged after all of these years and while some people might know what to expect there are two types of people who may come into the game surprised. The people who were still very young when Fable was originally released and never played it before, or those that played the game so long ago but have since forgotten about what most of the game’s story had to offer outside of the very basics.
As such, Fable Anniversary follows the story of a village boy living a peaceful life in Oakvale with his father and sister. On a day that his mother was to return home, disaster strikes Oakvale as the village is raided by bandits that slaughter the inhabitants of the town. With his father dead and his sister and mother missing, the boy is saved by an elderly hero named Maze who spirits the boy to the Heroes’ Guild, a place where heroes are trained in the ways of the sword, bow, and will (magic).
From here, the boy grows into a man with the potential to become a hero and is set on a course that will see him facing down enemies of his past and darker forces than he could ever have imagined. However will this hero choose to be righteous or will he put the worst villains in history to shame? That is the major set-up for Fable as players are free to make a number of decisions throughout the game’s storyline, as well as accept certain quest types from varying employers, that will either be seen as Good or Evil.
Unfortunately while the hero’s appearance will change depending on how good or evil he becomes and the way the populace reacts whenever you walk past depend on your actions, there really is no long lasting affect from your decisions. Choosing an evil option will usually elicit a slightly different telling of your tales by the townsfolk compared to a good choice. These acts do slightly alter the telling of the story, but only a very small amount though players will probably want to try out a completely evil path and a completely good path for the sake of variety.
All in all, with the addition of the Lost Chapters adding a nice bit of content at the end, which was something I never had touched before despite loving the original, Fable tells a concise but expansive story that sees the player traveling the land and facing off against all manners of foes. Many characters players come across will fall by the wayside as they are usually forgettable but there are a number of memorable ones all the same and then there are those the player can choose to remember if they follow various side-quest paths. Despite the limited nature of the storyline decisions the player makes, Fable Anniversary continues to give players the freedom to do what they want outside of the storyline and make their own unique experience.
Gameplay Those of you who played the original Fable probably remember that while the control scheme for combat was alright, it was extremely bothersome. Of course that option is still there for players wishing to choose the ‘legacy’ control set but the combat system has been reworked to work similar to the more recent Fable titles, with dedicated attack buttons for melee, ranged, and magic attacks. This makes combat a lot more fluid than the original as players can easily wade into combat, retreat with the bow, or use magic spells, of which there are numerous types to choose from, to suppress enemies better than ever before.
Players will earn four types of experience that can be applied to skills. Base experience points dropped by defeated enemies, and three types of attack based experience that is accumulated whenever blows are struck with a specific weapon type. Herein lies the importance of the combat multiplier, a meter that increases in number the more the player deals out damage and avoids getting hit, as the higher the combat multiplier is the more weapon experience they will earn to then distribute into becoming more skilled.
Of course while fighting enemies, players will occasionally find themselves on the receiving end of attacks and these can be either blocked or dodged with a rolling mechanic. However there are a number of annoying tendencies that remain in the game’s combat system, one of which being enemy attacks that tend to lock players into a multiplier destroying combo attack and the other being the game’s dated lock-on system. Players can choose to lock onto the closest enemy with the left trigger and swap between enemies with the right analog stick, but the game often either forces the player to look away from the fight, lock onto a distant foe, or lock onto a friendly character in the midst of the combat, occasionally causing the player to kill an ally thanks to the shoddy system.
That being said, Fable Anniversary remains a relatively easy game, especially with the newly revamped combat system. Of course it is worth noting that considering the nature of Fable’s experience system, grinding for experience is recommended but not entirely necessary to advance through the game. This is because players can carry large numbers of instant healing potions and rapidly healing food items with them and these can be used with a quick left tap on the d-pad. If the worst should strike the player, they can also carry up to nine resurrection potions which will immediately resurrect them. It is also possible to save at any time, though occasionally the game will only save to your last checkpoint, making difficult decisions and fights easier than before.
Another touted feature of Fable Anniversary are the revamped menu systems which have been given a bit of a face lift but still remain a chore to slog through. There are a number of sub-menus to be navigated through to look at the smallest detail, which is something that should have been refined more. There are also achievements to be had for the first time in Fable and in pure Fable fashion; many of these achievements come with jokes either poking fun at the franchise or something similar.
Smartglass functionality is also implemented and constantly shown whenever the game starts up to remind players about the feature. Smartglass for Fable Anniversary provides pre-upgrade screenshots from the original game whenever the player is in a new area and various character bios. This is a nice little addition but far from mandatory or required to enjoy the full game.
Visuals Now the biggest part of Fable Anniversary is how it is meant to improve the way the game looks over its decade old counterpart and boy has Lionhead done a great job on this aspect. The game looks incredible compared to the original with all of the character models, environmental objects, nature textures, building textures, and even weapons and armor receiving a significant upgrade. Spell effects are impressive to witness and since the environment has been revamped, the world of Albion has become quite gorgeous over the last decade.
That isn’t to say that things are all great however. There are a few instances where characters will look extremely odd, especially at the start of the game where children are mostly the focus as the face models for these children can be rather scary to look at. There are also some significant frame rate issues at work with Fable Anniversary with the game slowing down with too much action happening at once and there are instances of the game’s textures popping in and out during cutscenes. It is also worth noting that throughout my time playing the game, the title had a tendency to freeze on multiple occasions on two separate consoles, one with the game installed and one without.
Audio As far as the game’s soundtrack and voice work are concerned, Fable Anniversary sounds the exact same as the original but that really isn’t an issue since the original was amazing in this regard. The background music as the player ventures through the various environments is fitting and enjoyable while the voice actors in the game range from humorous British sounding characters with cockney accents and those that can deliver serious dramatic speeches.
Overall Fable Anniversary takes what many gamers enjoyed so long ago and has made it better by reworking a few of the gameplay mechanics to flow better and giving everything a nice graphical upgrade. That being said, the title does show its age in a number of problematic areas and suffers from slowdowns and freezing problems. Even with those issues, Fable Anniversary still offers a highly enjoyable, and often funny, addicting experience that players will find themselves sinking hours into just like they did ten years ago.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Nexon Europe holds poll event for users to choose new battle arena for online FPS
Luxembourg – 3rd February 2014: Nexon Europe, one of the leading publishers of free-to-play MMOs in Europe, is holding an international poll event between 3rd and 10thFebruary for the fast-paced multiplayer FPS, Combat Arms.
The poll, which has now started, allows users to assist the developer in creating a new map for Combat Arms; players vote for their favourite of the design options available, which will then be created. The map will be tailored to players’ needs and different global regions will have adapted versions. In addition, users will be rewarded with various in-game prizes when taking part in the voting process through Nexon Europe’s Facebook page and the Combat Arms Forum.
“We take the opinions and considerations of our community very seriously and we’re excited to once again involve players in the building of the game that they want to play”, said Kyle Lee, Product Manager at Nexon Europe. “The new map is made for and voted on by the players, and we’re open to all feedback.”
For more information on Nexon Europe and its games, please visit the official website atnexoneu.com.
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About Combat Arms
Combat Arms is a fast-paced, multiplayer shooter, designed for non-stop action on various battlefields, recruiting players to get engaged with their opponents in multiple game modes. Whilst integrating the traditional attributes of the FPS genre, Combat Arms advances it further by evolving a whole new set of striking features allowing character customization as well as weapon modification, enabling the player to adjust their weapons with attachments such as scopes, silencers, and extended magazines. An additional eye-catching feature is the unique backpack system, which allows players to combine a set of multiple weapons from the extensive armory for a more sophisticated combat experience on the battlefield. Moreover, the extensive community features within the game actively support the clan system, where players can easily recruit, manage, and communicate with their other clan members.
About Nexon Europe
Established in March 2007, Nexon Europe is one of the leading publishers of free-to-play MMOs in Europe. The company brought the worldwide hit casual MMORPG MapleStory to Europe in May 2007, and the successful FPS Combat Arms in January 2009. With the launch of the 3D action MMORPG Vindictus in 2011, Nexon Europe has strengthened its position as a promising publisher in Europe. Next to these in-house franchises, Nexon Europe was also able to acquire and fully operate Atlantica Online, an innovative, tactical MMORPG; Dekaron, an authentic action MMORPG set in a grim fantasy universe; and the action-packed FPS War Rock. The newest additions to its growing portfolio are Navy Field 2 alongside the legendary FPS game Counter-Strike Online in Turkey. For 2014, the company’s first browser-based full-scale MMORPG Arcane Chronicles and fun-packed, action fighting game Lost Saga will join as new line-ups. For more information on Nexon Europe and its games, please visit the official website at www.nexoneu.com.
Compatibility: Requires iOS 5.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
Description
Regardless of your playing level, ZingMagic’s multi award winning Chess is a fun, stimulating and challenging game for beginners and champions alike.
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The object of Chess is to capture the opponent’s King. To capture the King you must place it in check. If the King cannot escape by itself, or with the help of its army, it is in checkmate and the King is captured.
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