After receiving a “cease and desist” letter from SEGA, Shining Force Online developer Arcade County decided to take matters into their own hands. Studio Lead Robby Mulvany had the following to say:
We had just really started the beta but Sega was quick! Fan made games are tricky because some publishers are ok with it and some aren’t. Sega’s own terms of service (at least the ones I read) didn’t seem to discourage them. The Sonic 2 HD remake didn’t seem to bother them, so last June I decided to build an MMO for Shining Force. Several fans had attempted it in the past but they always seemed to fizzle out quick. There just aren’t really any party-based MMO’s out there so I thought it would be fun to try. I emailed Sega back in June but I didn’t receive a reply. I figured if it was going to be an issue they’d tell me in advance.
*Screenshots used from original title Shining Force Online*
Rather than scrapping the entire project, the team decided to bring the game to Kickstarter and begin the process to remove/replace all SEGA related trademarks. And in this process Arcade County plans on improving their existing content around community ideas as well as feedback. An aspect of the title worth noting is the “Empire Anvil”. This handy tool is the exact same toolkit that the developers use to create aspects of the game, and this will be placed on the public’s fingertips. Not only will players get to create/modify graphics, but they will also be able to create musical content as well.
With no hard feelings towards SEGA, Mulvany and team seek to see Shining Empire to completion. Ultimately, they want to offer the MMORPG at an affordable price of $10 with free DLC to be administered throughout the first two years. Additionally, Arcade County’s plan is to develop the title for PC, Mac, and iOS devices. To donate to the project and perhaps even join in the development, follow the Kickstarter link here.
Some dual Mass Effect and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans with extremely keen eyes and sharp memories noticed something familiar in the ‘The Bridge’ – the latest episode of the aforementioned TV show…
The screen capture above shows the subject: a building in the background of a scene that was pulled directly from a piece of Mass Effect 3 concept art. The original concept art can be seen below. Obviously, the structure was altered as parts of its geometry have been stretched and the entire left column/spire has been excised. The question now is whether or not this is a homage of sorts by possible fans working on the production’s staff, or lazy plagiarism. I’m not inclined to believe the latter, per se, and many would claim the alterations nullify any claims of the sort. What do you guys think?
After revealing that they would be releasing the newest NASCAR game this year, Deep Silver and developer Eutechnyx has finally released more information on when NASCAR ’14 would be coming out. Fans of the racing series can look forward to February 18th as the release date for the next game for the second most watched sport in the United States.
During its previous announcement, Deep Silver also left it up to the fans as to which driver would make it to the cover of NASCAR ’14 and, with over 700,000 votes total, fans have decided that Tony Stewart would be gracing the front of the game. While Tony wasn’t able to race much last season after an injury, he will be front and center on NASCAR ’14 on store shelves when he finally gets back on the track at the Daytona 500 in February.
NASCAR fans can look forward to NASCAR ’14 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on February 18th, 2014 at the price of $49.99, but those that pre-order can get special bonuses depending on the store. With physical die-cast cars or special DLC paint schemes, players will have a decent amount to choose from. To get an even better look at Tony Stewart on the cover and how the game will look, players can check out the official box art below, with the official trailer embedded below that.
It looks like Raphael will be having himself another adventure in a brand new city with his dog pal Fondue in Rhythm Thief & The Paris Caper, Sega‘s sequel to the 3DS game Rhythm Thief & The Emperor’s Treasure. But, 3DS owners shouldn’t start planning on when they’ll be getting this one as it is out on iOS.
This time set in the city of Paris, Raphael is on the look out to solve the disappearance of his father. Players will be tapping their way through puzzles and rhythm based mini-games. Raphael will contend with completing 50 new missions, while enjoying more than 20 original songs and 100 accomplices to collect.
Those wanting to see how Raphael saves the day in Rhythm Thief & The Paris Caper can find it on iTunes for both iPhone and iPad priced at $9.99 (£6.99).
Line Knight Fortix, the latest game from BulkyPix, the team behind Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf:Blood on the Snow, has officially released on iOS devices today. Fans of the PC games will now be able to take it with them anywhere they go.
Players will take on the role of Sir Fortix, the bold Line Knight, as he captures territory back from the hordes of the evil sorcerer Xitrof. Slicing your way across the land, you’ll have to take enemy keeps, conquer dragons and cannon fire, and more! You’ll have to be smart, though. Tactics and timing can win the day or doom your lands forever.
Features of the game include:
A Steam success and IGC finalist finally available on mobile
A colorful universe made of Knights and dragons
45 levels to master trough 3 different environments
Very accessible but challenging gameplay : strategy and anticipation will be your best weapons
Capture strategic bonuses and allies to help you in your quest
Line Knight Fortix is available on the iTunes AppStore for $0.99. You can check out the trailer for the game below this article.
Well Kill la Kill is back and boy did it come back strong. Following from the previous episode‘s emotional chaos and torment comes the aftermath. The time when some characters mope, some plot and others just go on their merry way, oblivious to a majority of the world…See if you can guess who the latter is.
With Naturals Election ending in a awe inspiring display of malice, it would appear that Satsuki can now unvail her true plan: the Tri-City Schools Raid Trip. We’ve known for a long while now that Satsuki’s desires dominion over the world, so this cross region display of force should come as no surprise. What may come as a shock however is the newly developed passificity of one Ryuko Matoi. After her brief, but still too long, descent into madness, it would seem that our rambunctious delinquent is in no mind to raise a fist to anyone, let alone don Senketsu. Fearing her own uncontrollable temperament, she holes herself up at home and spends her time focusing on just what might have happened were it not for the timely appearance of Mako. This proves to be yet another of those all too uncommon times that we get to see the heart wrenching vulnerability that Ryuko carries. Stripped of all bravado and combativeness, she is just another scared person in a world ruled by fear.
Poor little Mako
The previous events also show in Senketsu who was just as, if not more, affected by the rampage. When he asks Ryuko if she fears him now, she expresses that she knows the truth about their transformation: it was her fault. Though Nudist Beach despises the power of the Kamui and Tsumugu blames them for his dark past, they are not inherently evil, but rather amplifiers for their wearer. When Ryuko’s blood boiled and her rage broke free, Senketsu was forced to absorb all of her hatred and fury against his will. Unable to contain her raw emotion and meet her desires, she forced power out of him that he was not ready to give. Ryuko also remembers another thing, she recalls that during the mutation Senketsu was doing something. He was crying. As she succumbed to her feelings, he sat helpless as his only friend began to destroy them both from within, helpless to stop her. While this further expresses Senketsu’s nature as a sentient being, it also presents his unwavering care for Ryuko and the pain he feels when something happens to her, even if that something is herself.
Whilst Ryuko and Senketsu explore their strained relationship, Hannouji is buzzing with anticipation for their plans to systematically bring Kansai under Lady Satsuki’s control…look, they don’t have a lot to look forward to normally, you’ve seen the school. Anyway, it would seem that despite the events previous, the Naturals Election allowed the Sewing Club to create new Goku Uniforms specifically tailored to each of the still Elite Four members, along with new Raid Trip tracksuits for the students. I mean, the students have to look presentable while they’re taking over the region. Jumping back a sentence, the fact that the Elite Four remain unchanged after the whole Election debacle serves to once again call into question Satsuki’s entire world view. Though she claims to respect only strength and determination, which the Four possess I’ll admit, she continues to overlook their many losses. She even says that there’s no shame in losing to Ryuko and Nui as they had no chance to succeed. I understand that she respects their devotion to her and her principles, but it seems like she might be showing a little bit of favouritism to the Four. They are after all the one’s she chose from a young age. Might Satsuki have a heart? Who can say, one thing she does have however is one hell of a mother…not necessarily in a good way, but still.
I can see where Stasuki gets it from
Not only do we see more of the dark magnificence that is Ragyo Kiryuin, but also her relationship with her daughter. When the two finally talk it is a very formal affair. They calmly discuss the events of the Naturals Election, with Satsuki noting that she filed a report about the situation. Not the most open and loving relationship ever, but a lot less openly combative than you would expect from Satsuki, who normally entertains no one. At one point when Ragyo was “inspecting” Junketsu, Satsuki even thanked her mother for complimenting her. Even evil has standards I guess. However, that may stem from the revelation that the stalwart leader of Hannouji is actually part of a group herself, the mysterious COVERS Children. I’m personally going to go out on a limb here and say that the group may have something to do with the reflectively named REVOCS…though that’s just pure speculation at this point. Apparently as long as Satsuki acts as a Child of COVERS, the world will be her ally. Again, just going to speculate that this has something to do with REVOCS, though I’m only about 99% sure. Though for all her unquestioned, yet still somehow mysterious, power, even Ragyo cannot control the whims of Nui Harime. Hence her interference in a world that was left unto Satsuki.
Meanwhile, Mako finds herself drawn into the plot of a rather bombastic editorialist named Nagita, who was banned from Hannouji for attempting to write the truth of the school. You know, that it’s horrible. He befriends Mako in the hopes of reinvigorating Ryuko’s fighting spirit, so that she may once again stand against Satsuki. His desire to bring the old Ryuko back serves to show just how much of a spanner she was in the works of Hannouji. Without her boisterous personality and rarely matched power, the school reverts to how it always was. Fortunately for Satsuki, Ryuko’s absnce just so happened to coincide with the fragile set up phase of her invasion. If Ryuko was there, I’m sure some vehicles would have exploded. But alas, that was not the case and her preparations went unheeded. La vie est drole.
Sen-i-Soshitsu…
Well that’s about it for the episode, but I can’t help feeling I forgot something…oh yeah, Nagita was actually Nui in disguise using her powers of manipulation to force Ryuko out of her sadness and return to her combative ways. It worked to an extent, but Ryuko still feared herself and restrained her power. So she lost. Also Senketsu got SLICED TO FREAKING RIBBONS! What the hell Kill la Kill? You give us like fifteen minutes to get back into the swing of the series and then you kill one of the main characters? Not cool. Also Satsuki, after showing her in question compassion by covering the exposed Ryuko with a sheet, took said ribbons of Senketsu and gave them to the Sewing Club. So now there are a number of students who will be empowered by our lost deutoragonist. Luckily, I guess, Ryuko managed to latch on to one piece of her friend, which I’m positive will factor into what is hopefully the Senketsu Retrieval Arc.
Well, you can’t say Kill la Kill doesn’t pack a punch when it comes to story. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if a Kamui can be resown or if the Senketsu we know is lost. Kazuki Nakashima, the writer, isn’t exactly opposed to killing of major characters at any point in an animeseries. Stay strong Ryuko! I’m sure it’ll all work out somehow…at least I hope it will.
SteelSeries is cutting the cables on their popular Sensei series of gaming mice. The new Sensei Wireless Gaming Mouse will feature an 8200 DPI sensor, eight programmable buttons, ambidextrous body, an internal battery rated for 16 hours of gaming, and wireless technology with a 1ms response time. Both the base station and the mouse have independent illuminated areas capable of displaying 16.8 million different colours. A quick glance at the base station can provide a rough estimate on the remaining battery life. For extra long gaming sessions, a USB cable can be inserted directly into the mouse to charge it while maintaining functionality.
Stillalive Studios‘ upcoming game Son of Nor will be the first title that will support the EyeX device from SteelSeries and Tobii. The EyeX is capable of tracking eye movements and translating them to on screen actions. Son of Nor will be integrating the EyeX with its magic and telekinesis system, allowing users to pick up objects and hurl them with just their eyes.
Stillalive Studios has set up trailer featuring gameplay using an Oculus Rift and an empotiv EPOC computer at CES that is capable of sensing the user’s brain waves. The player in the trailer was able to control Son of Nor with just their minds. Son of Nor is slated to be released for PC in the summer of 2014.
Competitive Call of Duty players will be contending with a brand new console and new game for this year’s Call of Duty Championship. The tournament is presented by Xbox and boasts a million dollar prize pool. Teams will compete in regulation matches of Call of Duty: Ghosts running on the Xbox One which will be streamed live via Xbox Live and MLG.tv. This is the first official event to use the next generation console. The Call of Duty Championship will take place in Los Angeles from March 28th-30th and will feature teams from around the world.
Any qualifying professional and amateur gamers can participate. The qualification requirements, rules, and regulations are available at the official tournament site.
Set for respective releases in August and September, Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika-hen (Rurouni Kenshin: The Great Kyoto Fire) and Rurouni Kenshin: Densetsu no Saigo-hen (Rurouni Kenshin: The End of a Legend) have received a few new screenshots. Though a small collection, the images show Kenshin facing off against Sojiro Seta and the infamous Shishio Makoto. Also released was a list featuring a majority of the cast for both films, including the previously revealed Tatsuya Fujiwara.
The films will premiere in Japan on 1st August and 13th September, with no word as of yet when they will see their global release. Though if the first film’s (simply titled Rurouni Kenshin) schedule is anything to go by, it shouldn’t be too long of a gap before the world beyond Japan can watch samurai clash in true Rurouni Kenshin fashion. Can you see the future? Are you ready?
