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Tales of Zestiria Announced for PS3

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Namco Bandai has officially announced Tales of Zestiria for PlayStation 3 during the “Tales Of” Series 20 Year Anniversary New Title Announcement stream. A teaser has been uploaded to YouTube which you can check out below.

Regarded as the next “mothership” title, Tales of Zestiria was trademarked some time ago so this wasn’t a complete surprise for fans. Series producer Hideo Baba explained that the “zest” represents passion and enthusiasm while the game’s logo features an elaborate dragon.

Tales of Zestiria is set on the Glynnwood continent where the Laurence Empire and the Highland Kingdom vie for control of the land.

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Two main characters have been revealed: Slay, voiced by Ryouhei Kimura, and Alisha, voiced by Ai Kayano. The game’s character designs are being handled by Mutsumi Inomata, Kosuke Fujishima, Daigo Okumura and Minoru Iwamoto. The animation is once again being done by Ufotable, so we can expect an opening movie similar in style to Tales of Xillia.

In case anyone was expecting a PS4 reveal, Baba has previously stated that the series will remain on the PS3 for the time being. Stay tuned for more info and hopefully a high quality trailer soon.

Let’s Sing, Karaoke game on PC: have a blast at Christmas!

 

Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Avril Lavigne, LMFAO…

 

Pump up the volume and sing like your favorite stars

 

Paris, December 12, 2013. Voxler Games, musical games specialist, is about to release Let’s Sing, the first karaoke game for PC, on December 12, 2013.
Let’s Sing PC is your chance to bring out your inner-star and pose as Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, Lana del Rey, Flo Rida, Bruno Mars, Avril Lavigne, LMFAO and many others…

 

Pump up the volume and party in your living-room with friends and family!  Plug in two mikes at the same time and give your best performance singing duos. And surprise everyone when you share your performances on Facebook!

The built-in voice recognition feature will allow everyone to have fun and improve their singing skills, whatever their level… So, what are you waiting for? Go for it and become THE star of stars!!

 

Main features

  • Playlist featuring 40 of the most recent hits by major artists and their official music videos
  • Sing duos by plugging in two mikes simultaneously (USB and/or compatible audio jack inlet for consoles and PC)
  • High performance built-in voice recognition
  • Share your performances on Facebook

 

The trailer of Let’s Sing PC is available for download via the Voxler Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQRty4muL7o&feature=youtu.be
 
Let’s Sing is available for PC on downloading platforms such as Amazon, UPlay, Gamersgate or directly on www.lets-sing.net  at the recommended price of £24.99 / $29.99

 

To learn more about the game Let’s Sing PC, go to the internet site www.lets-sing.net
Check out the available images of the game: request them or discover them on the following ftp (requires filezilla software or equivalent):ftp.akandco.fr – Login: akandco-LET – Password: kkfd57m3q

 

Volxer Games, is a renowned publisher and developer of musical games such as Let’s Sing and Dance or Let’s Sing for Microsoft Xbox 360® or Nintendo Wii™: Let’s Sing is the company’s first Karaoke game for PC.

 

About Voxler
Voxler is a French video game developer. The studio was created in 2005 and ever since, its team has been focusing on developing high-end games. To date, Voxler has developed or participated in the creation of 30 games for the Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PC, iOS and NDS.

The company’s main mission is to offer users unforgettable moments playing quality games. The studio works in partnership with first rate publishers throughout the world.

Voxler’s latest released offspring was nominated for the Paris Games Awards in November 2013.

You’ll find more information on www.voxler.fr.

WIN – Paradox Interactive Prize Pack!

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We have two packs, each containing PC Steam copies of the following games to give away courtesy of Paradox Interactive.

Crusader-Kings-II-Small-Boxart The-Showdown-Effect-Small-Boxart Knights-Of-Pen-and-Paper-1st-Edition-Small-Boxart Teleglitch-Die-More-Edition-Small-Boxart Europa-Universalis-IV-Small-Boxart

Europa Universalis IV

Crusader Kings II

Teleglitch: Die More Edition

Showdown Effect

Kinghts of Pen and Paper +1 Edition

You can find out more information on these great titles over at the official Paradox Interactive website.

 

TO WIN

All you have to do to win is to simply answer the following question: “What game will enjoy playing the most from this Paradox Prize Pack up for Grabs!”  Leave your answer in the comment section below .

The lucky winners will be drawn at random on 23rd of December. Good luck to you all!

**SPECIAL NOTE**

When you enter please leave a VALID email address so we can notify you if you are the lucky winner.

FOLLOW US ON  Twitter | FACEBOOK | YouTube | Google Plus | RSS

Check out our other Competitions here

Heroes And Villains Unlease The Power Of Rage In “War Of The Light Part I” For DC Universe Online

Heroes And Villains Unlease The Power Of Rage In “War Of The Light Part I” For DC Universe Online
Unterföhring – Dec. 11, 2013 – The European Publisher ProSiebenSat.1 Games and Developer Sony Online Entertainment, LLC (SOE) today announced the next installment in the DC Universe™ Online (DCUO) narrative, War of the Light Part I. Introducing a brand-new storyline, the ninth downloadable content (DLC) pack introduces the Blue Lantern Corps to DCUO and brings a new power set – Rage, which can be used by both heroes and villains. Players will also have access to new Legends PvP characters – Saint Walker and Atrocitus. The DLC will be available for download on the PC early next year.

“Our first DLC introduced Light Powers and allowed players to feel the awesome abilities of the Power Rings employed by Hal Jordan and Sinestro in the pages of the comics,” said Jens Andersen, Senior Creative Director for DC Universe Online.  “With War of the Light Part I, we are adding another light power to the mix, this one fueled by the Red Light of Rage. Rage Powers will have a brand new tanking mechanic for players to master, adding a whole new strategy to group content.”

Added Andersen, “War of the Light Part I will let players explore new and reimagined environments in DCUO. They will notice changes to Metropolis, which has been affected by this new war of light, and for the first time they will journey to Mogo, the sentient Green Lantern Planet, and Ranx, the Sentient Sinestro Corp City. These environments play a big part in the storyline and we look forward to expanding each of them as the trilogy unfolds.”

War of the Light Part I is one of three upcoming downloadable content packs that focus on characters that manipulate power from the Emotional Spectrum. Players can expect to see additional corps introduced by the end of the trilogy.
In War of the Light Part I, lanterns of all colors have lost connection with their emotional spectrum entities. Following cryptic evidence, four Corps – Green, Blue, Sinestro, and Red – converged on Earth determined to find their entities. The clash of Lantern Corps has resulted in a new war of light, centered in Downtown Metropolis and nearby sentient planets Mogo and Ranx. Players must team up with Hal Jordan or Sinestro in high-level multiplayer adventures to investigate the colored mists that have descended upon Metropolis and are affecting the citizens’ emotions.

War of the Light Part I will include:

  • New Rage Power – The game’s 12th Power Set is a product of red light of rage and can be utilized for both good and evil. Heroes and villains who wield the tank power will notice its abilities have a berserker style feel.
  • New 4-Player Operations – Unusual colored mists have appeared and caused a new war of light, centered in Downtown Metropolis, Mogo and Ranx. With the help of friends, including Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner on the hero’s side, and Hank Henshaw and Sinestro on the villain’s side, players must uncover the origin of the mysterious mists.
  • New 8-Player Operation  – The Green Lantern and Sinestro Corps clash while investigating the mists in this new raid that takes place on Mogo and Ranx.
  • New Legends PvP Characters – War of the Light Part I introduces two new Lanterns – the violent Atrocitus and the agile Saint Walker.
  • New gear and collections.

DCUO’s War of the Light Part I DLC pack will be a free download for the game’s Legendary members and will be available later this winter for purchase by Free and Premium players via the DCUniverseOnline.eu website.
DCUO is licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on behalf of DC Entertainment. For more information about DCUO, visit www.DCUniverseOnline.eu.

RPG adventure Pocket Titans goes FREE on iOS platforms

RPG adventure Pocket Titans goes FREE on iOS platforms

Get it free and defeat your friends this holiday

London: 12th December, 2013. Noisy Orc Games has today proudly announced that their acclaimed mobile RPG adventure Pocket Titans will now be absolutely free to download for all iOS devices.

Developed by two veteran developers in their weekends and evenings, and originally released as a paid app, Pocket Titans will now be made free across iOS platforms in response to player feedback.

“We were overwhelmed by the initial response to Pocket Titans,” says John Payne, Technical Lead. “We achieved a loyal following really quickly and our players loved fighting each other in multiplayer. We therefore felt that by making the game free to all players going forward, the Pocket Titans community would go from strength to strength.”

“Our goal from the outset was to make a game that we enjoyed playing ourselves,” adds Ian Pestridge, Art Lead.  “We’re very pleased with the final game that we delivered at launch and humbled by the numbers of positive feedback that we’ve already had from existing players. We look forward to welcoming even more players over the holiday period.”

Originally released in October, 2013, and featured on the App Store as one of the Best New Games, Pocket Titans is an enchanting casual RPG adventure that blends tactical brain-bending decision making with casual puzzling fun.

The game features include:

8 Playable characters – Each with their own special abilities, picking the right heroes throughout the course of the campaign is vital to overcoming impending doom thrust upon the player at each turn.

30 Enemy classes – Battle against a vast selection of enemy classes and five evil bosses across an expansive selection of levels.

Upgradable weapons & armour – Level up your characters’ weapons throughout the course of the campaign.

Multiplayer matches – Challenge your friends to two player head-to-head online battles.

Challenge Mode (NEW) – Once you have mastered the game, pit your wits against deadly foes in our fiendish new challenges.

Pocket Titans is now available as a free download on the App
Store – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/pocket-titans/id716040449?mt=8

Madman licenses Blue Exorcist Movie

blue-exorcist-movie-madmanAs part of their #12AnnouncementsOfXmas promotion Madman Entertainment have just made their first of twelve license announcements. They confirmed that they have acquired the license for Blue Exorcist: The Movie.

Fans of the Blue Exorcist anime series will no doubt be pleased to know that the wild adventures of Rin Okumura and his fellow exorcists will continue in this feature length film. Madman plans on releasing it on DVD and Blu-Ray in April 2014.

Madman will be announcing a new title every day for twelve days in the lead up to Christmas Day. Stay tuned each day for a new title announcement from Madman Entertainment.

BitTrip Runner 2 coming to PlayStation Vita

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Gaijin Games have just dropped a rather awesome bombshell of an announcement. They have confirmed that BitTrip Presents: Runner 2 Future Legend of Rhythm Alien will be heading to the PlayStation Vita handheld console.

Yes BitTrip fans you read that right, Runner 2 will be heading to the PlayStation Vita. The game is launching on PlayStation Vita in North America on December 17th and in Europe on December 18th. Gaijin Games goal with this release was to achieve complete parity with the PC and console versions of the game, they seem to feel like they have accomplished that.

Be sure to pick up Runner 2 on PlayStation Vita just in time for Christmas. It would surely make a super gift for your friends and even children who love the future legend of Rhythm Alien.

Peggle 2 Review

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Peggle 2
Developer: PopCap Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platform: Xbox One
Install Size: 1.72 GB
Release Date: December 9, 2013
Price: $11.99

Overview
Sometimes the simplest games can be the most enjoyable. When Peggle was released it featured a rather simplistic concept that quickly took the world by storm with its colorful cartoonish appearance and basic mechanics that attracted the masses. Despite seeming like an odd choice for a next-gen console, Peggle 2 has landed on the Xbox One. Being the first numbered Peggle title since 2007, does Peggle 2 still have the same charm of the original?

Gameplay
Peggle was a simple game that anyone could pick up and play thanks to some easy to understand and addicting mechanics. Peggle 2 is the same in many regards. Players are given control of a little cannon on the top of the screen that they can aim and their objective is to remove every single orange peg from the board which is littered mostly with blue pegs, bonus score giving purple pegs, and special ability providing green pegs.

peggle-2-review- (5)

They are given a certain number of balls to start with, but if a ball lands in a constantly moving bucket at the bottom of the screen, or gain a high amount of points from a single shot they are given a free ball.  There are a few new additions to the basic pegs now with the inclusions of bumper pegs that will send a ball bouncing away if they hit it and armored pegs that take two hits to remove from the board.

Aiming is a simple matter of using the analog stick for fast movement, the D-pad for slower movement, and moving while holding RT for slow fine-tuning. Those unfamiliar with the game may wonder why a title with an objective as simple as eliminating orange pegs requires fine tuning and the reason for that is because the game can be incredibly addicting and a lot of the fun comes from  trying to rack up as high of a score as possible while also performing various trick shots.

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Many types of shots are considered trick shots, such as long bounces between pegs, eliminating a peg by bouncing off a wall or the bucket, and much more. These type of skill shots, as well as shooting to eliminate a large number of pegs at any given time, require a lot of skill and aiming is essential at these moments. Since one of the special goals in every level is to earn an “Ace Score,” which simply means a high score, this sets an extra challenging goal for those who are looking to conquer everything Peggle 2 has to offer. Other challenges include clearing every peg from the board and a third objective that varies from stage to stage.

Peggle 2 offers one hundred and twenty stages, half of which consist of standard levels while the other half are challenge levels that the player can choose to tackle if they so wish. In these various stages players will encounter a familiar Master as well as a handful of new Peggle Masters. For those who are unfamiliar with the title, these Masters each possess a special ability that can be used to help the player clear a stage. Except for a familiar unicorn named Bjorn, there are four new Masters in Peggle 2 and each of them is as charming as the next.

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While Bjorn comes with a familiar and helpful power called “super guide” which shows the exact trajectory of a ball for three shots, the other Masters provide a set of new abilities that include throwing a peg destroying boulder out of the cannon, freezing the board so pegs bounce around and eliminate each other, lightning that eliminates pegs in a certain area, and a fun ability that makes every blue peg on the field intangible, allowing the player to shoot through them to hit difficult orange pegs.

At first these Masters can only be used on their specific stages but it is possible to return to old stages and use any Master that has been unlocked and while Bjorn is a useful Master for learning the physics of the game and aiming for trick shots, Luna, the Master with the ghost ability, is easily the most useful as she also restores blue pegs to the field allowing for higher score counts.

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Outside of the single player mode of clearing pegs for high scores, there is also a multiplayer option. Sadly at the moment there is no local multiplayer which is a disappointment to say the least but there is online multiplayer. Online there can be four players in a lobby with players taking turns to earn more points than their fellow competitors with the person earning the most points winning. The game does have a tendency to place players in already started matches however which places them at a disadvantage in points.

It is also worth noting that Peggle 2 takes advantage of the Game DVR system to an almost annoying degree. While it is nice that any shot that earns a certain amount of points is recorded, it also means that there can be times that one stage will see as many as three game clips recorded at a time, absolutely flooding the player with recorded clips.

Visuals
Peggle 2 may not be a demanding game as far as graphics go, but it is a colorful and crisp title that looks wonderful on the Xbox One. The title features nicely detailed backgrounds that have animations of their own and every single board looks unique with their pegs usually arranged to match the background.

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Now earlier I mentioned the five Masters in the game. In the original Peggle they were simply basic images but in this one they have been given a rather stellar upgrade. Every Master now sits in the bottom left corner of the screen and will react to the events that are happening on the stage. This means they will look concerned if the player is running low on balls, anxious if they are about to win, pleased if they do well, and a lot more. They even react when their special powers are activated or the player is in Extreme Fever mode as they celebrate your completion. This adds a nice level of character to the game and makes it even more charming than before.

Audio
The background music throughout Peggle 2 provides a nice calming effect and one thing that has been added to this version of the game is a difference in sound effects between stages. Hitting pegs in one stage can sound different from hitting pegs in another stage and even the song that plays when every orange peg has been eliminated changes between Masters, providing some nice variety between stages.

Overall
Peggle 2 doesn’t push the envelope nor does it do too much to change itself up from the original game, but considering how popular the original was, that might be a good thing for people. Peggle 2 feels more charming and colorful than ever before thanks to the inclusion and new implementation of the Masters and many gamers will find it hard to pull themselves away from this fun and addicting title.

8-5-capsules-out-of-10
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Company of Heroes 2 – Southern Fronts Released, Original Updated

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SEGA has announced the launch of two big updates, one for Company of Heroes 2 and another for the original game first released in 2006. Company of Heroes 1 will see a number of updates to the game’s Steam functionality such as leaderboards, battle and arbitration servers.

Company of Heroes 2 sees the release of a premium Theatre of War pack titled Southern Fronts, two free maps (Hill 331 and Don River) as well as a number of game improvements and the ability to upload fan-made maps.

During the Spring Rasputitsa in early 1943, the Red Army launched a series of counteroffensives against German lines in the southwest. While initially successful, the Germans regrouped and managed to regain the momentum to recapture Kharkov. Take command of both factions in a series of 10 challenges and battles that feature new environmental conditions; thick mud that impacts vehicle movement and exposes new vulnerabilities.

Southern Fronts is available for $4.99 on Steam and includes two Solo Challenges and eight AI Battles. Have a look at the new screenshots below.

AntiSquad Review

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AntiSquad
Developer: InsGames
Publisher: Bulkypix
Formats: iOS
Release Date: December 12, 2013
Price: $2.99 – Available Here

Overview

AntiSquad is a turn-based strategy game for the iOS developed by newcomers InsGames and published by mobile juggernaut Bulkypix. It’s presentation – in all facets – is very reminiscent of a certain Valve release. The studio set out to create a colourful cast of memorable characters to choose between, each with their own unique gear, ability and weapon sets that lend to player specialisations. Read on to find out whether AntiSquad breaks away from its obvious influences to find its own identity.

Story

The AntiSquad’s first mission is to rescue one of their members named Cactus who, whilst on leave, decided to investigate a new synthetic drug being produced in his home town in Mexico. After getting in touch with some friends in the DEA, he went undercover at the responsible drug mafia’s lair but was not heard from since. His successful extraction leads to a further investigation into the cartels of the Wild West prairies and East Asia. There’s really not much to be said about the uninspired story of AntiSquad, as it is little more than your basic infiltration team going in to bust some baddies and end a drug-trade, guns-blazing.

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Gameplay

There are 7 playable characters at your disposal, any combination of which can make up your team of 3. Two of them – Valery (Scout) and Hammer (Machine Gunner) – must be “hired” with rubies, the game’s micro-transaction currency. Thankfully, you never feel forced or it truly necessary to make a purchase. The remaining 5 are unlocked from the start: Backet is your typical ‘Demolition Man’, Teddy the ‘Assaulter’, Rose a ‘Scout’, Cactus the resident ‘Sniper’ and finally Sunny, another ‘Machine Gunner’ (basically a ‘Heavy’). Experimenting with different combos may be the key to succeeding on particular maps, especially when the higher difficulty levels come into play.

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Each of the aforementioned characters have their own special abilities, attributes and attacks. Items can be equipped which provide buffs such as additional shielding and other various effects. Rescuing Cactus acts as your tutorial campaign, but if you choose not to partake, the “Useful Info” sub-menu can be accessed, including graphic tutorials on the game interface, buffs, infographics on the ground and bonuses, the latter of which are attained by looting the bodies of defeated bad guys. Every move you make depletes your Action Points (AP), and double tapping on the portrait of anybody on screen will take you to their info page, detailing their traits.

Shooting range is signified by a coloured outline on the ground, with possible movement options highlighted by a broken white circle. It can be tough, at first, to be mindful of your foes’ field of view and shooting range, if only because you need to check their values before making a move, needing to calculate exactly how many steps you can take whilst staying at a safe distance. There is a lot of visual learning to be done. Interface elements on a whole could have been more succinct and better communicated. I also found myself tiring of taking multiple turns to round a block or get into a confrontation. At its core, AntiSquad has a good foundation, but could do with some tweaking.

Visuals & Audio

It’s pretty clear which Valve title I referred to in the overview… AntiSquad screams Team Fortress 2. And I don’t just say that because of the art style – which is maybe slightly less blocky and cel-shaded. The tone, the character archetypes, the music, the colour palette and even the type used for all the text is extremely similar. Its influence couldn’t be any more evident and overt, which isn’t necessarily a problem in and of itself in most cases. However, when a game shares so many facets, in presentation or otherwise, with a bigger, already established and popular title, it fails to mold its own identity. For me, that’s exactly what happened with AntiSquad.

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It also doesn’t help that the majority of the cartoon-like character and level designs are quite flavourless… there’s nothing individual about AntiSquad‘s art design at all. Other than its startling resemblance to Team Fortress 2, musically, the main themes remind of something pulled from Sly Cooper. It’s playful and upbeat, featuring lots of staccato horns with a bass guitar providing the groove and a basic drum beat. One word immediately comes to mind upon hearing it: espionage. At least, thematically, there is a consistency here; I just hope that others can use this as an example of why you should strive, not to imitate, but to innovate (on all fronts).

Overall

AntiSquad is a solid entry in the TBS genre on mobile platforms, but is marred by now clichéd character archetypes and bland enemies, locations and story. It’s hard to stay mindful of your foes’ field of view and shooting range, and while hints are readily available as a reminder of the systems in place, I feel overall it could have been more streamlined and intuitive. The game’s pace can also be on the slow side at times. Nonetheless, there’s value to be extracted from the experience, with Game Center achievements, unlocked difficulty levels and challenges promoting replay-ability. It just doesn’t do an expert job in other departments to hold your interest and keep you coming back to tackle those achievements, harder play-throughs and challenges.

7-0-capsules-out-of-10

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.