GAMEVIL launches casual endless runner, Kiwi Dash, on Google Play and App Store
LOS ANGELES, CA- January 16, 2014- Leading mobile games publisher and developer GAMEVIL has today announced the launch of its latest title, Kiwi Dash, on App Store and Google Play. The free-to-play game is a casual endless runner, which features a cast of lovable Kiwis and some not-so loving cats.
Kiwi Dash takes place moments after a totem is stolen from the tranquil Kiwi haven. Players will need to help our Kiwis jump, dodge, dash, and fly through dangerous obstacles to retrieve the stolen totem from the mischievous cats.
By collecting kiwi fruits along the way, players can unlock new Kiwis, items, and power-ups to go farther than ever. Players can also complete daily and weekly missions to level up their Kiwis for higher bonuses and scores. Featuring Facebook connect, skills can then be put to test against friends and family for weekly ranking honors.
“We feel fortunate to have partnered with such a large mobile games publisher in GAMEVIL,” stated David Hahn, CEO of Vanilla Breeze. “Their know-how has enabled our game to evolve from a simple, single-play action game into one more social and competitive with long term vision.”
Kiwi Dash will be run as a service with new characters, content, and events introduced regularly. Players are invited to join the community at www.facebook.com/PlayKiwiDash.
“We’re excited to launch Kiwi Dash as it marks our first take on the casual, sideways runner,“ stated Kyu Lee, President of GAMEVIL USA. “We’ve learned a lot collaborating with Vanilla Breeze, and we feel confident that the game will appeal to a wide casual gaming audience around the world.”
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)
Now this is a remaster I can get behind. Final Fantasy X was beloved by fans back in 2001 when it came out for the PlayStation 2. Final Fantasy X-2, well, not so much… at least from many fans’ perspectives. Let’s just say it wasn’t as universally loved. Either way, the two are being released together as a compilation for the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita, entitled Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster. Our Square Enix Showcase coverage continues with a hands-on preview of the remaster… sort of. You see, the build only included a portion from Final Fantasy X HD, and it was quite short to boot.
Now, you guys are reading this because you are fans (most likely), so gameplay-wise, I’m sure you’re familiar with the game. Even if you weren’t, this is sadly not the place to find a detailed look at gameplay since our time was, as mentioned, brief and, well… Square Enix have always been fond of long cutscenes. You remember exactly what I’m talking about. Instead, what’s deserving of the spotlight in this piece are the graphical enhancements and the additions and differences that constitute a HD remaster. The section playable was the opening sequence set in the high-tech, futuristic metropolis of Zanarkland, leading off from that familiar intro of Tidus and his party sitting by a campfire outside a ruined city, retelling his story. There’s also a fleeting segment from the Baaj ruins that immediately follows.
Right off the bat, it is evident to anyone who has played or seen footage from the original, that this HD remaster is crisper, with incredibly enriched color depth and sharper lighting. Once we enter Zanarkland and see Tidus – being the talented and popular ‘blitzball’ player that he is – greeting his fans, what becomes even more noticeable are the improved textures, not just in the environments, but the characters as well. The game is also displayed in a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. With all that being said, character models and objects, as enhanced as they may be, still look rather blocky so do not expect that to change. The developers would need to practically redo every model from the ground up and rewrite a significant amount of code, in which case it becomes a flat-out remake, not a remaster. X-2 understandably fares much better in this respect.
The visuals aren’t the only element being reworked, with upgraded audio quality and, apparently, 60 remastered tracks in the full release. As I played through the run where Tidus and Auron are ambushed by Sinscales, I noticed small revisions to the camera angles, or at least my brain was tricked into thinking as much. With the new aspect ratio, that’s what could be making that impression. I also wouldn’t have recognised this at all if I hadn’t taken a trip back down memory lane before attending the preview event. Almost a dozen years is a long time. Wow, it just hit me… nigh on 12 full years and we’ve only gone from Final Fantasy X to Final Fantasy XIV. All spin-offs considered, if you needed an example of just how much lengthier development cycles become with every successive generation, look no further.
After getting sucked up into the Sin and experiencing a vision of his father, we as Tidus awaken, attempting to take refuge in a small watery temple ruin before being attacked by a school of Sahagin. Inciting nostalgia yet? Dispatching of them leads to the emergence of the Geosgaeno. Fighting him off to a scripted near-death scenario, Tidus makes his razor-close escape and the demo concludes. To close, I feel it is important to mention exactly what you would be getting in this package: Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X: Eternal Calm, Final Fantasy X-2andFinal Fantasy X-2: Last Mission, plus a special 30-minute audio drama called Final Fantasy X -Will-, set one year after the events of Final Fantasy X-2.Of note, the versions included are the “International” ones, which include extra options, abilities, optional boss battles and more which the majority of PAL and North Americans players never received.
Seeing as you’re just the right audience, why not check out our hands-on preview of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII while you’re here. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is scheduled for release on March 20 here in Australia.
Daedalic Entertainment has released the first video of a planned series to show punters some of the mechanics behind their roleplaying turn-based strategy game, Blackguards, with the first installment dealing with character creation. The game itself is an adaption of a popular European pen and paper roleplaying game called ‘The Dark Eye’ (woo!) with the narrative following the infamous (and the eponymous) group of rogues known as the ‘Blackguards’. Through the process of said adaption the developers have admitted to streamlining the mechanics from the original (Extremely complex) source into a more manageable format for those players who come completely fresh to the series. This is highlighted in their first video guide for the game with the narrator taking us through the basics of character creation.
Although your character will always start off as some manner of criminal scum (probably brought in for lollygagging), there are three classes to initially choose from with your choices limited to a ‘fighter’, ‘mage’, and ‘hunter’. All three appear to have their own specialisations but due to the use of a non-linear character upgrade system, there is much wriggle room to play a character with a wider range of abilities. In this system, character progression does not occur at set points when characters obtain ‘x’ amount of experience points, but rather each encounter awards ‘adventure points’ which can then be used to upgrade stats and skills/spells. This appears to be a similar system to that of Shadowrun’s ‘Karma points’… in case you needed a frame of reference. This free form character customisation will be available to players from the get go, due to the feedback received during the early access phase of the game’s development cycle.
Speaking of early access we covered the launch of this game’s early access period here, and the first four chapters of the game are still available via Steam’s early access program. The full game itself will be released on January 24th. The aforementioned video guide can be found below.
Last year, Unity Technologies announced a new partnership with Sony to provide support for games on each and every one of Sony’s gaming platforms. Today, that partnership takes it to the next level with the announcement of Unity 4.3 for Playstation Vita.
Now available to the public, and to the million plus Unity users; developers who have a license agreement with Sony can now create and launch games directly to the platform. Doing so gives a few awesome benefits and console-specific features such as;
Motion sensors
Front and rear cameras
Dual analog sticks
Rear Touch pad
Not only that, but the collaboration will mean that Unity developers will be able to implement PSN services into their games. So from now, look forward to seeing Unity titles that feature online matchmaking, friends list and most importantly – trophies.
This is a pretty big step in the right direction for the gaming industry. Let us know your thoughts about the partnership in the comments below and remember to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Sony and Unity news as it becomes available.
Namco Bandai Games have just made a major announcement for fans of the Witcher video-game series. They have officially announced that they will be distributing the hotly anticipated Witcher 3: Wild Hunt throughout Australia and New Zealand.
The Witcher series is the creation of developer CD Projekt RED and began with the original Witcher game back in 2007. Namco Bandai Games have confirmed they will be releasing Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 at some point in 2014.
No solid date has been set as of yet but stay tuned for further details on the release of Witcher 3: Wild Hunt as they come to light.
Recent reports online have surfaced concerning the Disney production of the 7th installment in the Star Warsmovie franchise. These reports are stating that the replacement of Michael Arndt was not due to ‘timing concerns’ as was once believed but rather a disagreement with the focus of the script for the new installment of the Star Wars film saga. Arndt was considered a worthy candidate to pen the screenplay for the newest installment of the Sci-fi series featuring space samurai. His previous works on Toy Story 3 and Little Miss Sunshine stand credit to his ability to scriptwright and we covered his appointment previously here.
Said reports allege that Arndt disagreed with director, J.J. Abrams over the focus for the opener of the new trilogy with Abrams, who aimed to craft one last narrative around the old protagonists (Luke, Han, and Leia), while Arndt argued for the film to follow the offspring of said protagonists. Arndt was alleged to have planned for the original cast and characters to make an appearance as supporting roles to the new heroes (of the Republic/Rebel Alliance/galaxy). Abrams possibly pulled his rank and intends to give the old heroes one last adventure as a final send off for fans of the original trilogy. Whether or not the use of a such clear nostalgia bomb will make a good Star Wars movie is yet to be seen, but one thing is for certain; said nostalgia bomb will almost certainly help cement the film’s box-office performance upon release.
Feel free to post your thoughts about this change in focus in the screenplay. Right now it’s too early for anyone to really guess how the film’s going to turn out and it would be wrong for me to provide conjecture… but that doesn’t mean you can’t 😉
Play the iconic RPG on mobile devices for the very first time
Square Enix® are excited to announce that FINAL FANTASY® VI is now available to download from the Google Play Store, priced £10.99/€14.49, compatible with Android 3.2 and after (Android 4.0 OS recommended).
Originally released in for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994, the game’s graphics have been recreated to bring the world of FINAL FANTASY VI to your mobile device for the very first time. One of the graphics designers involved in the FINAL FANTASY series from the very start, Kazuko Shibuya, personally worked on the main characters and supervised this recreation.
FEATURES
FINAL FANTASY VI features intuitive user-friendly controls that make the game easy to play on touch screens. In particular, the battle interface has received a complete overhaul for use on your smartphone.
The magicites and events that were introduced in the 2006 remake for the Game Boy Advance, will also make a return. In addition, events have been optimized to be played with user-friendly touch controls.
Need a hint? Mog will help players who are stuck by telling them what they should do next. And the album feature allows players to revisit the story of the game, just in case they missed something earlier.
Available in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Chinese (Traditional/Simplified) languages; Android device users can pick up FINAL FANTASY VI from the Google Play Store today for £10.99/€14.49.
The War of Magi left little but ashes and misery in its wake. Even magic itself had vanished from the world. Now, a thousand years later, humankind has remade the world through the power of iron, gunpowder, steam engines, and other machines and technologies.
But there is one who possesses the lost power of magic, a young girl name Terra, whom the evil Empire has kept enslaved in an effort to harness her power as weapon. This leads to a fateful meeting between Terra and a young man named Locke. Their harrowing escape from the Empire’s clutches sets in motion a series of events that touches countless lives and leads to one inevitable conclusion.
Tribal Wars 2: Cross-Platform Gameplay and going Native for Mobile
InnoGames elaborates on development; game reaches 100.000 pre-registrations for beta
Hamburg, January 16, 2014. Today InnoGames released additional information on its strategy online game Tribal Wars 2, describing the technical basis of the company’s first native cross-platform game. The browser component is a combination of the Open Source-framework AngularJS, created by Google, and Javascript Canvas. Mobile access will be granted via native Apps – those use additional COCOS2D frameworks on iOS and Java as well as Libgdx on Android. All mobile versions will be optimized for touchscreen-use on numerous devices. 100.000 players already pre-registered for the upcoming closed beta phase.
Unlike its browser-based predecessor, which added crossplay via iOS- and Android-Apps later, Tribal Wars 2 was planned to take full advantage of cross-platform possibilities. Therefore the game had to be streamlined on browser, tablets and smartphones in terms of technical basis and gameplay. “Our goal was to make all parts of gameplay feel and interact with the players the best way possible – on all platforms. At the same time, the performance had to meet our standards,” says Marc Kamps, Producer of Tribal Wars 2. “We experimented with multiplatform-solutions like HTML 5, but in the end, going native allowed us to take full advantage of the mobile devices’ processing power and touchscreen displays.” Kamps adds.
Players can already pre-register for the game’s beta on www.tribalwars2.com. Tribal Wars 2 sports state-of-the-art graphics and will later be released as cross-platform for Android, iOS and all browsers. Therefore, players can set up one account for all platforms and play from whichever combination of devices they choose. In the recently released announcement video, members of the team and InnoGames co-founder Hendrik Klindworth, are describing their visions for the game and upcoming features.
In Tribal Wars 2, players find themselves as leader of a small village in the midst of a medieval world. Tasked with growing and expanding their empire within a war-torn landscape, they have to fight in order to survive. The MMO’s focus is real-time strategic battles with and against other players. Tribal Wars 2 will be released as cross-platform game for Android, iOS and all browsers. Therefore, players can set up one account for all platforms and play from whichever combination of devices they choose.
Tribal Wars was developed as a hobby project in 2003 by the three founders of InnoGames, Hendrik Klindworth, Eike Klindworth and Michael Zillmer. Today, Tribal Wars has more than 50 million registered players and recently celebrated its tenth birthday with a big in-game event and a video saying thank you.
With more than 110 million registered players, InnoGames is one of the world’s leading developers and providers of online games. Next to Tribal Wars, the Hamburg-based company has scored major successes with games such as Forge of Empires and Grepolis.
This is the end. The end of the world. The end of Lightning’s story arc. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII releases on February 13, and signals the closing of a chapter in the long-standing series. We went hands-on with a full build (not the finished build) of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 title, getting in over 90 minutes of playtime, as part of a Square Enix Showcase. Unfortunately, there is much we are not allowed to discuss or mention, so we apologise in advance if you’re looking for very specific plot details. Then again, you shouldn’t want that spoiled, should you?
As alluded to in the title, Lightning makes a triumphant re-emergence since her “demotion” in Final Fantasy XIII-2, not only as a primary character in the plot, but the player character. In this(effectively) third act of her story, Lightning is tasked with something oh so minor… saving the world, and on a timer no less. No biggie, right? What’s great about the limited time in which she has to achieve this is it’s not just a plot device, but a gameplay mechanic. A countdown is visible on screen at all times, with a clock present to its right. The clock itself has added purpose, as certain missions place a time-of-day requirement on you, and many gateways to further areas on the map only unlock during a specified window. Not every quest is mandatory, but they all eat up valuable time, so it’s up to you how you want to tackle the game and where you want to dedicate your time and effort. If you feel like you can accomplish everything in a swift manner, then you can attempt that completionist goal. There is just so much to do, however, that I’m not sure that’s even possible.
I’ve gotten ahead of myself a little here. The game starts off with an encounter that re-introduces a familiar face – Snow Villers. Fans would know that the death of Serah, his fiancée and Lightning’s sister, had a very powerful impact on him, with Yoshinori Kitase having previously described him as “struggling with all his might to keep himself from falling apart from the sadness of losing Serah.” Without overstepping boundaries, its clear given their dynamic as complete foils of each other, that the two individuals may not continue to see eye-to-eye on everything. The opening sequence also introduces the mysterious Lumina – a near-splitting image of Serah, but that’s about all you know about her from the get-go. Amongst the literal Chaos – unleashed in the previous title – the player is walked through combat tutorials against an Anubys that emerges from the substance.
The combat system keeps the Active Time Battle (ATB) elements, with some additional tweaks and extra layers. The ATB gauge works much in the same way, but now garbs change the the face of the battlefield. Yes, reminiscent of the “dresssphere” of Final Fantasy X-2. Lightning can equip up to three different ‘schemata’, which can be quite deeply customised. They are built off the base of an alternate garb, with each having their usual slots for a melee attack, magical attack, guard and a fourth ability. However, you can assign one to be your dedicated mage-like schema, focusing solely on high magical attack, defence, etc. What determines these distinctions are the properties and specialities of the chosen garbs, weapons, shield, accessories, adornments and abilities. When in-combat, the player can press the corresponding button for the desired ability, or hold it down for a prolonged use, which drains the ATB gauge, or meter, continuously. Once your meter is empty, you can switch to one of your other schemata with ‘R1’ or ‘L1’. Whilst using another schema, the meter of the previously equipped schema refills over a matter of seconds.
You should never be left powerless, however that doesn’t mean every battle will be a cakewalk. If the enemy you are currently facing is weak against sword strikes, for instance, and your melee-geared schema runs out of ATB meter due to overuse, then you’re obviously going to be less effective, take longer and have a generally tougher fight with a differently customised schema. Monsters make their presence known across the land, so you can avoid confrontations if you see fit. Initiating the combat with ‘R1’ – which acts as an early strike – takes off 10% of the enemy’s health before the battle even begins. Catch them off guard and that bonus increases to 25%. Repeatedly hitting an enemy with their weakness will eventually ‘stagger’ them – a feature that is well known to experienced players. Once that occurs, their statistics are updated and can be brought up during the fight by pulling ‘R2’. This screen will show you stagger conditions (once met), which attacks they are immune to and more. The only way for this information to be learnt is for the player to first try it out.
Potions and other items can be used at any time by pressing ‘start’ and choosing one of the six that Lightning can carry at any given time. When there are multiple enemies on screen at once, the player can shift between them with the D-Pad. Sometimes, whichever enemy you are not locked onto will creep out of view of the camera, but camera angles can also be cycled through at a moment’s notice (and you’ll also do well to read audio cues). ‘Energy Points’ – equivalent to ‘Technical Points’ from Final Fantasy XIII – are gained by defeating enemies and allow for ‘EP Abilities’ to be executed in and out of battle, which can be accessed by pulling ‘L2’. As an example, the ‘Escape’ EP Ability lets you do just that against a hard opponent. The catch in this case is that every tie it is used, you lose one hour of precious time. It’s the only one with a negative feedback loop though, partly because it’s also the only ‘free’ EP Ability, costing zero Energy Points.
The final piece of the combat puzzle is Overclock, which is directly tied to your EP. Activating this special ability slows down time as you are enabled to bombard your practically stasis-bound opponents with relentless fury. Rewards for being victorious are much the same as most previous entries in the series, comprising of Gil and another item, the type of which depends on the identity of the monster. It’s important to note that, unlike the prior two games, your health bar does not automatically regenerate once the battle is won. Merchants and healers are your friends, remember that. With that covered, plot-wise, I can’t be detailed in what I divulge past a particularly early section. Lightning is brought back up to The Ark – a zone where time stands still and our heroine can check-in throughout her journey with Hope Estheim, who serves as her operator in a way. The Saviour of souls can’t be expected to do everything on her own, after all. From here, players can also replay big battles (and presumably boss battles).
Before progressing, the duo engage in an aggravatingly circular conversation in which Lightning exclaims, in as many words, “So this is what I must do…” at least three times. It also reflects the problem with FF games – the dialogue and action are rarely balanced well. When you enter into a conversation or trigger a cutscene, expect to be there for quite a while, with nothing to do but feverishly skip lines or play with the camera. I was pleased to teleport out of there as fast as possible, through the Ark Portal, and enter Luxerion – a main location in Nova Chrysalia. But that’s all I can tell you… I’m sorry! I wish I could say more, but I’m sworn to secrecy. The upside is, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XII is merely a month away, so you won’t have to wait long to dive in yourself. We also checked out the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster. Stay tuned to Capsule Computers for future FF coverage, and our reviews closer to launch.
Overview From rags to ditches, from bar stools to bar floors, from sex and drugs to violence and love – Shameless is about as dark as family comedies get and it is all the more awesome for it. It is a series that takes all the things wrong with the world and strips it back to the core humanity underneath it all. Who would’ve thought an alcoholic deadbeat father who’d trick his own child into believe he had cancer just to reap the benefits would actually have some shades of goodness inside of him. It is that core humanity that makes Shameless resonate so strongly with audiences of all races, colours, classes and creeds. Beneath it all this series is about one thing; family.
Story Season 3 of Shameless turns things up a notch from previous seasons getting more raunchier and more darker than we have ever seen in this series. Of course all of that is underscored by some genuinely funny comedy that ultimately keeps the series grounded. But it is of course the dramatics that take center stage here in Shameless season 3, whether it be the Jimmy storyline or the rise and fall of Frank Gallagher, things are tense in this season.
Of particular interest is the Jimmy situation. It quickly comes to light that Jimmy has got himself deeply involved in the worst kind of trouble and must now live a sham of a life in a fake marriage with his life now at stake. The problem that has always plagued Jimmy from day dot is that he has an attraction to danger, something bad has always enticed him and perhaps you could make an argument that his interest in Fiona has been based upon the same desire.
Over the course of this season the Fiona/Jimmy relationship becomes deeply strained and things become even further confused when more elements are added to the equation. This relationship has been the core of many of the story arcs in Shameless to date, but there is a sense that this may just be the last goodbye for these two, especially when you consider the depressingly dark turn of events for Jimmy at the end of this season.
It must be said that this could quite easily be the best season of Shameless to date. All the machinations that have been moving since the very first episode come to a head in this season, with a lot o the long-running story-lines reaching some pretty hard conclusions. Miraculously however this season is not the end. It leaves viewers on a pretty huge cliffhanger but there is undoubtedly a sense of closure to many of the ongoing storylines. This is a closing of a chapter for Shameless and it is that cumulative feel that makes this season so very compelling.
Each member of the cast is given a great opportunity to shine here with the best writing in the series to date. Every character is given a central role in one of the major storylines and each play out with deft pacing and wit. Shameless has always been quite good but with this season it becomes plain brilliant. This is Shameless at its absolute best. Showtime’s remake of the UK original has really set itself apart from its predecessor with its own distinct style and direction. This was the season that Shameless broke that glass ceiling and became something truly special.
Visuals and Audio The derelict streets of poor-mans Chicago is quite the setting for a TV series and it is one that Shameless uses to the fullest. The dingy back alleys and the overlooking railway that serves as backdrop for much of the series gives a real sense of place to Shameless. The city of Chicago at times feels like a character in and of itself. The wild antics that take place on these streets is unforgettable and a lot of that has to do with the aesthetic the city provides the show with.
As for the soundtrack, Shameless implements a great musical arrangement composing of some plucky rock tracks and some fist in the air punk rock tunes. It is the perfect blend for a series like this that revels so greatly in the rage of the little guy. The shouting and roaring guitar riffs are exactly the right tone for this show.
Extras Warner Bros have done a great job with this release for Shameless season 3. This release comes bundled with every episode of season 3 across 3 discs. On top of that there is an incredible amount of special features and bonus content including 6 featurettes an some awesome unaired scenes. It is one hell of a jam-packed DVD release and well worth the price of admission.
Overall Shameless season 3 takes the series to new heights. Not only is the drama more tense and emotional than ever but the comedy is at its all time best. Shameless gets smarter with each passing episode and it is all underscored by some genuine human emotion. The reason why Shameless works on so many levels is that it focuses on human emotion at its most raw. The things that make us all human, flaws and all, that is why it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, the story of the dysfunctional Gallagher family is one that connects us all.
Warner Bros release of the 3rd season is an admirable effort that is more than worth the price tag for fans of the series. If you’re looking to collect the series, then this is definitely one to add to your collection. Shameless season 3 is an achievement for this dark comedy and the one that takes the giant leap from being a pretty good TV series to being a great one. Showtime have a hit on their hands and the 3rd season is the best one yet. Shameless is just plain addictive fun. While the Gallagher’s may be living crappily ever after, it is shameless entertainment at its finest.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
