London, UK — December 5, 2013 — Today Ubisoft® announced that the next game in the award-winning Assassin’s Creed® franchise, Assassin’s Creed® Pirates, is now available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and select high end smartphones and tablets on the App Store, on Google Play and on the Amazon Appstore for £2.99.
The year is 1716, the dawn of the Golden Age of piracy in the Caribbean. Players take on the role of Alonzo Batilla, a young and ambitious Captain who is embarking on an epic quest to find La Buse’s legendary treasure. Along his way Alonzo will cross paths with famous buccaneers including Blackbeard, Bellamy and Hornigold and find himself caught in the middle of the ancestral fight between Assassins and Templars.
In Assassin’s Creed Pirates,players will be tasked to manage their crew, upgrade their ship, recruit new crew members and engage in massive and brutal real-time naval battles to become the most feared pirate in the Caribbean.
Ubisoft Paris has developed a brand new mobile engine to bring groundbreaking 3D visuals to Assassin’s Creed Pirates. This engine is responsible for the breathtaking moving waters, lush islands, and gorgeous graphics that set new visual standards for mobile platforms.
For more information on Assassin’s Creed Pirates, please visit:
The crew over at Titan Comics are extremely excited to announce the release of one of their greatest comics titles; Numbercruncher. We’ve seen this comic before, it was released as four different issues, well now all you Numbercruncher fans out there can grab yourself the fantastic comic in all its glory as a full and complete release. If you’ve never heard of Numbercruncher before, I suggest you head over and read our review of all four of the issues, you can get to the review by clicking here. The comic revolves around time travel, reincarnation and a whole lot of maths, any fan of science-fiction, supernatural and/or clever story writing will really enjoy this release.
There’s a reason fans absolutely love this series and it didn’t come about by some sort of fluke, it’s awesome in its most purest form and I can imagine a great deal of comic fans will enjoy it. The Numbercruncher Collection is available now in all good comic book stores and for any more information on the release head to Titan Comics’ official website here as well as their sister site Titan Magazines which you can get to by clicking here.
GungHo Online Entertainment (Puzzle and Dragons) have released their 2012 Vita success, Dokuro, on Android and iOS devices for players to relive the puzzle and adventure of the skeletal minion; who defies his Dark Lord in order to save an imprisoned princess.
The smartphone edition of Dokuro maintains features present in the original version; with the chalk art style, unique characters, and original story- shown in the gallery below. However, using virtual controls will allow players to have a more interactive and optimised gameplay experience, with the difficulty and level structure changed to suit touchscreens. Additionally, those with smartphones running iOS 7.0 or later, have the choice to use the upcoming game controller for Dokuro (sold separately).
Dokuro is now available for download via the App Store and Google Play, for the introductory price of $0.99. Don’t miss out on this special offer, which ends early January and returns to the standard price of $2.99.
Overkill Software’s Payday 2 is set to introduce a new premium DLC pack on December 5th. The DLC is called Gage: Weapon Pack #01 and will introduce a host of new features and items for Payday 2 players on the PC through Steam. This DLC includes new guns, masks, and mods, with new patterns, materials, and designs. The last tidbits of the DLC will be announced when the DLC pack is put on sale.
Another cool feature that’ll be introduced on December 5th is that you’ll be able to choose what firing mode you’d like to shoot with. Guns now have the option to go semi-automatic or fully automatic with the press of a button, allowing the users a choice between selective, single shots or heavy bursts of rapid gunfire. Also, more weapon slots will be given to players so that they can store more guns. In fact, there will be more weapon slots available than there are currently with guns. These features will be open to everyone who plays Payday 2, not just for people who purchase the DLC.
Overkill Software has not announced a price for the DLC yet, and there’s still a little bit of mystery shrouded with its arrival. Check out the official linkhere.
What do you think of this weapon pack? Are there any weapons you’re particularly excited for? Let us know in the comments below.
Paramount Pictures have revealed the newly minted international poster for Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, coming out nationwide on January 23. You can check it out below.
It’s odd to see an entry in the series hitting cinemas outside of Halloween season. This – the 5th film of the franchise – is the first to do so due to its lengthier shooting schedule. The official trailer was released last month, which introduces the new characters and namely Jesse, who is the focus of the hauntings. As you may tell, The Marked Ones is in fact a spin-off, although Paranormal Activity 5 is scheduled for October 24 of this year (yes, two in one calendar year) which may follow on from developments in the fourth.
The comic book industry is a surprising large one and, despite the fact that a great deal of us read them and love them, it’s not an industry that people tend to delve deep into, at least not on the scale of music or film. Australian publishers Madman Entertainment have come together with Comic Book publishers Milk Shadow books to create a very short documentary series that revolves around three Melbourne-based artists; Tim Molloy, Ben Hutchings and Dillon Naylor. The three men takes us all through what it’s like to create comics, how they started, it’s constantly shifting levels of difficulty and pretty much all about how the world of comic books works.
Any fans of comic books, both reading or creating, should take a real good look at these short videos to get an idea of what a job in the industry is like.The first video you’ll see under the article is the full short documentary that shows each of the three artists, the second video you’ll see features Tim Molloy as he talks about his comic book series “Mr Unpronounceable Adventures” and the third video you’ll see will feature Dillon Naylor as he talks, in depth, about his comic book series “Da ‘n’ Dill”. For more information on these comic books and the men behind them head to Madman Entertainment’s website here or head to Milk Shadow Books’ website here. Stay creative, all you comic fans!
The Artists Of Milk Shadow Books – Short Documentary:
Not to be outdone by the Xbox One’s impressive media features, Sony has announced the launch of two returning services, VidZone and Quickflix, for the PlayStation 4. The video and movie streaming apps were previously available on the PlayStation 3.
VidZone provides access to thousands of music videos which are updated each week, from themed Zones such as Hip-Hop Zone, Metal Zone, Pop Zone and more. Users can create customised playlists with their favourite music videos.
Quickflix is a movie streaming service that now lets PS4 users view blockbusters and TV shows for $14.99 per month from multiple devices in their home.
These come a little late following the PS4’s launch, but will you be using these services? Or are you in it only for the games? Let us know!
Ryse: Son of Rome Developer:Crytek Publisher:Microsoft Studios Platform:Xbox One Install Size:47GB Release Date: Out Now Price: $59 – Available Here
Overview
Ryse: Son of Rome has been 7 years in the making, much like the Xbox One console itself. However, it didn’t always exist in this form. Originally, developer Crytek was planning and working on a first-person, Kinect-only melee game. It was announced at Microsoft’s E3 2010 press conference under the temporary title of Codename: Kingdoms. Pre-rendered footage was shown at the following year’s event, but a further year later, VP of Microsoft Studios, Phil Spencer, hinted that its sole focus on Kinect had shifted to a more augmentative approach. Now, in 2013, Ryse has arrived at the Xbox One’s launch as a fully realised action-adventure title, “better with Kinect”. Initial negative reactions after its E3 2013 demonstration led to lowered expectations, but just how good (or bad) is this Roman epic?
Story
Rome is falling. The barbarians of Briton have amassed an enormous army of fringe tribes and is advancing on the majestic city. Emperor Nero is more concerned with his own survival than the future of his people. Centurion Marius Titus is fighting valiantly, and reaches Nero to escort him to a safe location and protect him. They enter the emperor’s secret chambers behind his throne before Marius tells his story. A story of betrayal, revenge and divine intervention that is then explored. It all started almost a decade before, when Marius first became a soldier, serving the Roman Empire. It was a proud day for his father, Senator Leonitus, but an unexpectedly tragic one for Marius. [SPOILER ALERT]: Skip tothe next paragraph to avoid certain plot details.
That day marked the beginning of the war. They were set upon by a Barbarian ambush that led to the murder of Marius’ sister and mother, and later, the killing of Leonitus, who entered the battle with blind rage in his heart. From that moment forward, Marius would seek vengeance alongside General Vitallion of the 14th. His journey from mere Legionary to Centurion is chronicled as he aids in defending Rome’s walls, ventures out into Britannia and beyond, confronts the Barbarian King Oswald and his warrior princess Boudica, encounters Nero’s arrogant sons Commodus and Basillius and enters the Colosseum before finally discovering the truth about his family’s deaths and exacting his revenge on the true culprit/s. A good revenge tale always appeals to me, and when steeped in deep mythology – whether Roman, Greek, Egyptian or Norse – it’s even better.
One common thread found throughout the stories of the aforementioned civilisations is the mystical or divine… some, perhaps less religious types, would say supernatural. Ryse: Son of Rome also features this with the Immortal spirit appearing at various points to guide Marius, and her opposite Aquilo seeking to influence chaos and havoc. There is also emphasis on the legend of Damocles – the Spirit of Vengeance whom the Goddess of Revenge resurrected as a ghostly black centurion so that he could pay back those who deceived him. He plays an important role in the game’s narrative (you can read his origins in the Ryse: Sword of Damoclesdigital comic). The motion capture and voice-work by the cast is phenomenal and Ryse‘s brutal campaign may not last longer than 6-7 hours, but that is a good thing as the story told is concise, containing little filler; a very well-executed, satisfying tale. All cutscenes can be viewed in the collectibles section of the Smartglass companion.
Gameplay
Its so commonplace now to adapt the hand-to-hand combat system that Batman: Arkham Asylum introduced that mentioning the very fact has become redundant. It is now the standard for all appropriate action-adventure games. In Ryse, ‘X’ is your Gladius attack, ‘Y’ is your shield bash, ‘A’ is your counter and ‘B’ is your roll evade. These are the basics, although you may also mix it up with a quick Pilum throw with both triggers that does considerable damage, will destroy shields and can stop an advancing enemy in his tracks, from a distance, also aiding in closing angles and allowing you to focus on opposing forces from a more singular direction. Different enemy types are introduced over the course of the campaign that require varying strategies of attack.
When playing on ‘Centurion’ difficulty, combat is challenging to a point, but still comfortable. But turn it up to ‘Legendary’ – which unlocks upon completion – and all the colour prompts (except for in Executions) disappear, requiring you read movements and animations more intuitively. Enemies with heavy attacks are particularly difficult here. They have a longer wind-up, sure, but in the midst of battle, it is deceiving and that split-second of calculating what kind of attack is forthcoming can lead to late reactions, especially without the helpful red glow telling you to dodge. Enemies also take more hits to enter the execution state and do more damage. The A.I. is also unforgiving in that they do not wait for you to be done before advancing. You could have 3 guys striking you in quick succession, so your reflexes will definitely be tested.
Crytek added a layer of depth to the combat with the the Health, Focus, XP and Damage boosts that can be chosen with the D-Pad and are received when successfully completing an execution. Yes, they are quick-time events, but they each have a different timing and combination that must be similarly memorised, like attacking patterns, in order to execute in a quick manner and gain the most out of them. It would have been nice to see more risk involved in the system, like perhaps taking an unblockable hit-back when pressing the wrong button in the chain. Building your focus meter allows you to activate ‘focus mode’ for a short period of time, slowing down time and allowing you to quickly and efficiently waste your opposition.
The previously mentioned Pilums are spears that can be picked up and thrown as a long-range weapon, with the further you aim to throw, the longer the aiming process. Enemies, however, are equipped with arrows, which can be deflected or evaded. Perfectly deflect them and they will return to sender… killing a barbarian by hitting his own flaming arrow back at him is especially gratifying. Set-pieces are spaced out all through the campaign where you must decide between offensive or defensive tactics for your supporting Legion, commanding them to posts where they may either cover you or defend a side while you take the other. On these occasions, optional voice commands such as “Archers, cover me!” are available and quite responsive.
Also, in most of these instances, a Scorpio is present, which is a stationary ballista, or crossbow. These sections, where you can blow up strategically placed explosives and tip over vats of liquid fire, combined with the tactical moments break up the gameplay a little bit and are welcome additions for it. The Testudo Formation (where the Legion advances in two rows, shielding each other) can also be entered in set locations. Here, you choose when to turtle up against the onslaught of arrows and break out, throwing your own artillery at the adversaries. The Xbox One controller’s Impulse Triggers come into play when holding ‘RT’ to build up your retaliation. Outside of this, there are boss-like battles with a few key characters that are largely enhanced versions of already confronted enemy archetypes.
As you gain XP and rank up in single-player, your purse will get heavier. You can then upgrade Marius’ abilities and buy new executions with them. Progressing through the 8 chapters, three kinds of collectibles can be acquired: Scrolls, Chronicles and Vistas. They correspond respectively to accessible biographies, comic book pages and concept art on the Smartglass companion. The app also holds a live timeline that tells you when a collectible is near and offers videos on how to find them. Finally, we have the ‘Gladiator Mode’, or multiplayer suite… even though you can play 4 maps ‘Solo’. Besides that fact, ‘Round-to-Round’ and ‘Multiplayer Arena’ categories are online co-op only, with 12 dynamically self-altering maps at your disposal, the tiles of which transform between rounds, changing the landscape, traps and layout.
There are unique multiplayer and co-op executions to be experienced, as well as special abilities depending on which God you pick to represent at the outset. Mars, for example, grants an automatic damage boost after executions and the power to expel a fiery blast to surrounding rivals (takes the place of focus mode). Each match is made up of multiple rounds with varying objectives, running the gamut from defeating all archers, killing evasive messengers, destroying pesky catapults and holding and defending a location. Gold is earned after each, which can then be spent on buying booster packs possessing new armor pieces, weapons and elixirs, the latter of which can be assigned to the left and right buttons on the D-Pad and drank mid-match. Up your rank and improved packs become purchasable. Complete enough rounds with a designated God and you will unlock their “Gift of the Gods” – either a powerful shield or sword. When teaming up, ‘Gladiator Mode’ can be fun, but also rather easy. It reminds of God of War: Ascension‘s multiplayer, and not just due to the mirroring themes.
Visuals & Audio
So this goes without saying, but Ryse: Son of Rome looks absolutely, mind-blowingly spectacular. Crytek have had the reputation for setting graphical benchmarks since Crysis released for the PC back in 2007, but they’ve really transitioned to this now current-generation of hardware better than anyone else in terms of being able to utilise it and show just what can be done with it. The textures of the different materials, from metal to bone and organic elements are extremely realistic, and in conjunction with the best lighting engine ever witnessed in a video game, you get the most life-like representation of physical objects and space in history. I found myself constantly in awe at this game.
The scary part is, there’s still room for improvement in the graphical department, with fire oddly looking more like a video clip than a rendered effect and characters’ expressions and eyes being a little more “dead” outside of the marvellous cutscenes. The soundtrack does a fantastic job of transporting you to Ancient Rome, with the inclusion of authentic instruments from the time such as the lyre, tympanum and Roman tuba. Although inspired by traditional Roman music, the music has a memorable, signature sound and main motif that will always be associated with the title. If you own a tablet, you can stream the entire soundtrack via the collectibles tab at your leisure.
Overall
I feel like Ryse: Son of Rome has certainly received an undeservedly bad rap. And this could be due to a number of factors, the most obvious of them being a predetermined opinion based off of unfair and short-sighted negativity since its reveal. Crytek tells a revenge tale here that is breathtakingly rendered, expertly acted and performed, well told and tight, sure not to overstay its welcome. If it had – and compounded by complaints of it being too easy/simple – than I could see how criticisms of boredom-inducing repetition would be justified. But play it on ‘Centurion’ difficulty, or better yet, ‘Legendary’, and mastering Ryse‘s combat system become a respectable challenge. Add in the competitive co-op in ‘Gladiator Mode’, plus the collectibles viewable in the Smartglass companion – along with its other excellent supplementary content/features – and Ryse: Son of Rome evolves into an overall deeper, more satisfying experience.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Square Enix, in the past, has made it fairly obvious that they are the kings of JRPG, some may agree with that statement and some may not but what we can all agree on is that when Square Enix is about to release a brand-new game, people are infinitely excited for it and with good reason too. The next big title to come out of the Japanese RPG juggernauts is a little game called Bravely Default which sticks to the roots of the JRPG genre while also very subtly adding a bit more spice to the mix.
The launch/pre-launch trailer that has just been released goes over a great deal of what the game has to offer including fantastic graphics and dual Japanese/English audio but what it focuses on more than anything else is its gameplay which is looking absolutely fantastic! New elements of RPG gameplay like the Brave and Default battle system which challenges players to balance both risk and reward as they choose to either make multiple moves in one go by sacrificing a move in the next turn or to steady their weapons and hunker down in defence to dampen an oncoming attack.
If it’s going to take more than just a trailer to get you into this game may I suggest you head to the Nintendo eShop now on your 3DS device to check out the Bravely Default demo which has been available for a short while at this point in time. Not only will the demo take you through a lot of the basics of the game but it will also take you on special demo-only quests and, at the end of it all, you can transfer your savegame over to the full title with some extra goodies to help you on your new quest through the world of Bravely Default.
Once again, Bravely Default is set for a release around Australia and New Zealand this Saturday, the 7th of December and will be available at all good video game retailers as well as through online distribution. If you’re a real big fan of this game or of Square Enix in general, EB Games will have an exclusive Deluxe Collectors Edition of the game which will come with the physical copy of Bravely Default, exclusive items like an Agnes figurine, a deluxe artbook, a set of AR Cards to use in-game and the original soundtrack on CD.
The Bravely Default Launch Trailer is ready to be watched in our Featured Video section which is right under this post as well as a few images we have of the game. Head down there now to give it a watch and don’t forget about our comments section which will be just below that, we love to hear from you pop culture fans out there so drop us a line and let us know what you’re thinking about Square Enix’s 3DS-exclusive Bravely Default. It’ll be a new adventure that reminds us of adventures past.
