Nexon Europe have announced that the closed beta for Lost Saga will arrive early 2014. The free-to -play MMORPG, developed by I.O. Entertainment and licensed by WeMade Entertainment, welcomes action-fighting gamers to a battle royale of heroes of sci-fi and fantasy from across the ages; Kage Ninja, Victory Defender, Musketeer, Tao Warrior, Western Gunman, Space Soldier, Crazy Sapper and Savage Beserker.
Managing Director at Nexon Europe, Kenny Chang, stated, “We’re incredibly pleased to have this prestigious title added to our already large and varied collection. Lost Saga is an easy to learn, difficult to master game. Fast-paced, high action, and fun-packed gameplay with 100 different well-balanced offensive and defensive characters will provide unique experiences in every single play. I believe our players will relish in this great addition to the NEXON Europe family.”
Lost Saga is designed to be the ultimate party brawler, that features; six languages (English, German, French, Italian, Polish, and Turkish), with up to 16 players to explore 20 maps, customise their arsenal of heroes and switch between them during multiplayer battles online. Players who win the fight claim ownership over their opponents armour and weapons, along with the accompanying skills.
Lost Saga will feature the following types of modes:
Crown Control: heroes must defend their team’s crown from their enemies
Prisoner: players can capture their opponents on the field of battle
Power Stone: players must protect their skills by keeping their Power Stone safe
Boss Raid: take the ultimate advantage by becoming the boss that their opponents must destroy
Check out the action-packed trailer below and prepare yourself for the closed beta test next year, by joining the official Facebook page herefor Lost Saga.
Piranha Games has revealed a host of Clan Mech packages for its free-to-play PC title, MechWarrior Online, available for pre-order. Check out a short teaser trailer below.
These offers are described as the precursor to the third “pillar” of the MechWarrior Online gameplay, Clan Warfare, which has been anticipated for some time now. Players can now buy one of several bundles for a limited time, including XP bumps, limited edition forum badges and other items ahead of the next big update that’s set to introduce Clan Invasions. More details will be revealed in time.
These Mechs are also available in the Gold edition with a one-off special gold skin. Standard variants will be available for C-Bills in the future using earned in-game currency.
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse Episode 1 Developer:Revolution Software Publisher:Revolution Software Platforms: PC (reviewed), Mac, Linux Release Date: 4th December, 2013 Price: $24.99 – Available Here
Overview
Putting aside the history of the series and its recent Kickstarter rebirth, the most vital thing to bear in mind going into any review of this game is that Broken Sword 5 is currently an unfinished tale. Serpent’s Curse has been split into two parts, with the finale set to be released in January 2014. Even though the asking price for the game covers both episodes, reviewing it now still feels like judging a three course meal when the main course has only just hit the table.
Broken Sword 5 is currently available on PC, Mac, and Linux, but is due for release on the PlayStation Vita before the year is out, and will also see the light of day on iOS and Android sometime in 2014.
Story
The story begins in Paris, where Broken Sword headliners George and Nico find themselves reunited at an art exhibition. Joining them is gallery owner Henri, oily art critic Hector Laine, and a Dominican priest by the name of Father Simeon. The plot moves into motion when a thief crashes into the gallery, making off with one of the paintings and killing have a go hero Henri. Although the painting seems of little significance to George and Nico, both have a vested interest in finding out what happened: George works for the insurers of the exhibition and journalist Nico has the promise of a front page story if she can get to the bottom of the theft.
There are some great supporting characters in The Serpent’s Curse, from Cockney gardeners with a penchant for topiary to a wonderfully cynical French waiter. Fans of the series will also be pleased to see some old characters returning, with Lady Piermont and Sergeant Moue both making an appearance. George is still a likeable and gently funny protagonist, taking up the majority of the screen time whilst Nico is largely there to distract people and give George someone to talk to- an imbalance that will hopefully be remedied in part two.
The humor saunters along in a fairly low key fashion, drawing the best of its comedy from the banter between the characters. George’s inner monologue and reactions are good for a smirk too. The whole game exudes a very safe kind of charm, and is at heart warm and welcoming.
As the two pursue the painting and uncover its history there are plenty of revelations and dramatic incidents to drive things along, with a bit of globe trotting thrown in for good measure. Whilst the theft, murder and associated dodgy dealings are interesting to uncover, there is the sense that they don’t really matter in comparison to the more supernatural element of the plotline.
Where previous Broken Sword games dabbled with the Templar mythology, Serpent’s Curse picks up the Gnostics as its religious fringe group of choice. Sadly the threads of the Gnostic plotline only begin to come to a head as the episode draws to a close, making Episode 1 feel a little lonesome without its climactic brother.
Gameplay
The Serpent’s Curse returns the Broken Sword franchise to its point and click roots, utilising a simple interface that allows the usual selection of examine, use, and talk. Mouse work takes care of all movement, with the inventory accessed through a corner hugging suitcase. Everything works perfectly and there are no awkward moments with screen transitions or object interaction.
Not so old school however, is the relative lack of difficulty. Whilst there are a couple of head-scratchers most of the puzzles are pretty simple, with little to send well traveled point and clickers googleward. The way the game handles plot progression means that only relevant locations are accessible, and if a puzzle doesn’t require items from elsewhere then you’re simply stopped from leaving until it is solved, leaving little mystery if you do happen to come stuck.
Audio & Visuals
Broken Sword 5 features some utterly gorgeous hand painted backgrounds- picking out screenshots for this review was a very lengthy process! Whether it’s a Parisian street or a florist’s shop bursting with blooms, the environment work in Broken Sword 5 is a delight. Paris and London are full of vibrant colours and lush landscapes, with the artwork brought to life by the clever use of light.
All the characters are cell shaded 3D models, and whilst some of the movement animations are a little clunky there is a nice level of expression in their faces that can add to some of the comedic moments. Voice acting throughout is strong, with side characters efficiently brought to life. Nico does feel a bit flat at times, but given that George carries the majority of the game with his warmth and wit it’s not overly noticeable.
The music is a largely subdued concoction of strings and piano that mellows or comes to life with the action on screen. As well as the background tracks there is a pop tune that plays a minor part in the story, and it’s actually a pretty plausible creation that is catchy enough to stick in your head.
Overall
Broken Sword 5 is off to a good start. The plot is intriguing, the artwork is beautiful, and George and Nico have a good selection of supporting characters helping them on their way. The return to a more classic point and click style along with the successful Kickstarter campaign has hopefully reinvigorated the series, but whether this is a good or a great game can only be judged come January, when Episode 2 is released.
Given a great climax and a few trickier puzzles, The Serpent’s Curse could quite easily find itself in nine out of ten territory. For now Episode 1 doesn’t quite stand on its own as a great adventure, but that won’t stop fans of the series from enjoying it. Returning to that three course meal analogy, The Serpent’s Curse Episode 1 is a tantalising appetiser.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
It was only just announced that the popular actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt will be taking the lead voice acting role in the English dub of Hayao Miyazaki’s (the co-founder of Studio Gibli) eleventh and final film; The Wind Rises. As mentioned in the title, Mr. Gordon-Levitt will be leading a cast of many well-known and highly popular actors and actresses in Miyazaki’s most recent film that takes us on a journey into the life of Jiro Horikoshi the man behind the design of Japan’s “Mitsubishi A6M Zero” fighter plane of World War II.
Stars such as Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Martin Short and Stanley Tucci, alongside so many other greats will all have somewhat pivotal roles in this movie as they play the people within Jiro’s life that help him develop as not only a brilliant engineer but, in true Miyazaki style, into a truly brilliant person too. The stars had much to say about the film, all of them being positive, which leads me to believe they were the perfect choices for the roles they will be playing.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt In “USA Today”:
“The film is more grounded in human beings and a historical moment in time. However, there’s still a flavor of magic in it as you go inside the mind of this aeronautics engineer and you see him walking on the wings of airplanes in his dream…”
Emily Blunt In “USA Today”:
“It’s that dreamlike idea of thinking for one’s self. My character represents that idea, that purity of dreaming for a better world, and that’s partly because she knows she hasn’t got long in this world…”
The Wind Rises has already been a great success and has been received well outside of Japan despite the movie not yet being released: It has been nominated for a Golden Globe, it has been submitted for an Oscar nomination and Joe Hisaishi has made the shortlist for the “Best Original Score” Oscar nomination as well as so many others. The film has also just recently won the award for “Best Animated Film” from the New York Film Critics Circle, The National Board of Review, The Boston Society of Film Critics and the San Diego Film Critics Society.
What else can be said about The Wind Rises? It’s already a hit and the addition of all these wonderful actors and actresses can only make it that much better. The film will be released by Disney and was previously screened in New York and Los Angeles for a very short time last month but has been said to officially open across the United States sometime in February. Madman Entertainment has the rights to the release of the movie down here in Australia. Just below this article, in a little gallery, you can see all the actors that have been announced alongside the picture of the character they are playing and a short description.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt — Main character Jiro Horikoshi
Emily Blunt — love interest Nahoko Satomi
John Krasinski — Honjo, Jiro’s college pal and fellow aviation engineer
Martin Short — Kurokawa, Jiro’s grumpy boss
Stanley Tucci — Caproni, Italian airplane creator
Mandy Patinkin — Hattori, senior designer at Mitsubishi
William H. Macy — Satomi, Nahoko’s father
Werner Herzog — The mysterious Castorp
Mae Whitman — Kayo, Jiro’s younger sister, as well as Kinu, Nahoko’s caretaker
Indie developer Red Knight Games is pleased to announce that their retro inspired platformer Grapple Knight has reached its funding goals on Kickstarter with time left to spare. The team is now looking forward towards stretch goals that will allow the team to do things like create an extended soundtrack and add achievements to the game.
Grapple Knightis a platformer that integrates a grappling hook mechanic into both the platforming and combat aspects of the game. A demo for Linux, Mac, and Windows is available for free at their official Kickstarter page. The full game is slated for a February 2014 release and is currently on Steam Greenlight.
MapleStory fans jumped with joy last month when the second game (not counting spin-off titles) in the MMO’s series was announced by Nexon. There was nothing but a simple teaser website at that point in time but now we’ve been given something to get fans really excited! It is a MapleStory 2 Cinematic Trailer and, while there’s no actual in-game footage shown, it is looking absolutely fantastic. The trailer keeps the cutesy style of MapleStory but adds a a hell of a lot of action which actually seems to go well.
It’s a CGI cinematic trailer so unfortunately we cannot actually determine what the game itself is going to be like, some out there thing that it may turn out to be an entirely 3D game which is a massive jump from the 2D style gameplay it was running beforehand, what we do know is that there will be a new gameplay system for the title, that much was confirmed by Nexon. I guess we’ll just have to wait until the beta opens up in early 2014 to see exactly what it has become. Be sure to check out the trailer in our Featured Video Section below and let us know what you think about it in our comments section just under that.
Since the release of Postal 3, there hasn’t been much activity in the Postal series till now. Developers Running With Scissors have rolled out a patch for violent first-person shooter game Postal 2. The patch is available on Steam for the PC version and fulfils the greenlight pledge of adding achievements, while also adding in some extra features to spice up the game. There are also plans for Mac and Linux versions of the update.
There are some minor visual improvements and the promised 68 Steam achievements, but the main feature in the upgrade is the ability to play Postal 2 and its expansion Apocalypse Weekend in a single play-through. Also, with a load of new weapons including a chainsaw, knuckle dusters, dynamite, flame thrower and baseball bat, players can go postal in more ways than before.
However, there is a catch to this upgrade, older saves are not compatible with this release, but the developers have ensured that the trade-off is worth it. So for those that are ready to go postal, you find the link to download it here.
Warner Bros announced today that their upcoming DC Comics-focused MOBA, Infinite Crisis, is getting another new champion on December 18. The Joker’s side-kick Harley Quinn is already in the game, and now it’s time for the Dark Knight’s right hand, Robin, to take the stage.
Tim Drake, the new Robin, is a solid support character. With skills that are meant to lend heavy assistance to a partner (such as Batman), he can help keep the fight going while providing surveillance. He can also use his fantastic bo skills to deflect damage and his acrobatics to zip in quick for a distanced flip kick.
To see the full Robin trailer, be sure to check out the video below this article.
The zombie mod Day Z finally entered the much awaited Early Access program today. After several delays, the game is now in open alpha status. The developers believe the core of the game is in place and ready for widespread testing. The standalone alpha features persistent player profiles, crafting, weapon customization, improved visuals, and 40 player servers. Players will explore the country of Chenarus in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. There are no rules and the other players can be just as dangerous as the merciless zombies.
Day Z can be purchased by the general public for $29.99 on Steam. The game only runs on Windows PCs.
Here we have it, people! The Pokemon X and Y Anime has been running wild with fans all of the world absolutely loving the way the series is both animated and the way it seems to be panning out in general so it’s no mystery that a Pokemon X and Y movie has already been announced.
So far no actual information regarding the story of the movie has been released but what we do know is the name of the film will be “Cocoon Of Destruction” which, if you ask me, sounds down right fierce! The picture you see to your right is a scan from the CoroCoro magazine regarding the new movie, as you can see a fair few of the Mega Evolutions from the new generation are shown and that leads us to believe that they may have a place in the new movie alongside the legendaries that were shown in the trailer.
Speaking of which, you can actually see the short trailer in our Featured Video Section below so head down to have a look at what’s beginning to seem like the start of something Poke-awesome! This will be the 17th movie and is to be released on July the 19th of next year (2014) which should be followed by an English release that wont be too far behind.
