Cyanide Studios announced today that their latest foray into the sports simulation genre, Pro Rugby Manager 2014, will need crowd funding in order for the game to be completed. Until now, the game was being paid for by Cyanide exclusively, but now they have asked fans to get involved and help by Kickstarting the game, testing it and promoting it up until its release in Summer 2014.
Certainly, if you’re a fan of rugby then Cyanide are a fairly decent studio to put your faith in. While they are more famous for developing the extremely enjoyable, gorey, strategy game otherwise known as Blood Bowl, their experience with the sports sim genre goes far deeper than that. Having developed two previous versions of Pro Rugby Manager in 2004 and 2005 as well as Pro Cycling Manager, they have earned their stripes and are definitely not a studio to dismiss.
Much like previous iterations of Pro Rugby Manager on PC, players will be able to control all the elements of managing a professional rugby team. This includes squad selection, facility management, contract negotiations, and training regimes, as well as sideline control over match day tactics.
To support this Kickstarter campaign, visit its official page here.
TV Tokyo began streaming another Pokemon X and YAnime Trailer today and while there’s not much difference between this trailer and the last one that was released, we do see a couple different and really great looking scenes from the anime including more of a fight between Ash and a Gabite as well as a battle between Pikachu and a Fletchling. It’s not like we havn’t seen any footage yet but, watching this trailer, it has just hit me that the animation as been bumped up a fair bit more than I first thought.
Once again we see the main characters of the series; Clemont, Bonnie, Serena, Prof. Sycamore, etc. Like I said above, it’s not too big of a difference but it still adds to the trailers we’ve previously seen so check out the video below. The Pokemon X and Y Anime will premier in Japan on the 17th of October and will be shown on the 19th of October in the United States.
Hah! Hyah! Hyeah! Which is “Linkian” for; “Awww Yiss”! It was only just revealed through the Official Super Smash Bros. Website that Toon Link from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker will be playable in the next Generation of the Nintendo Brawler! A lot of people guessed that this tiny titan would return for this game and, now that it’s confirmed, those same people will be going crazy in excitement.
I happen to be a fan of The Wind Waker game myself so, like all other Wind Waker fans, I’m so happy to see him return to the ring. We have some incredible-looking pictures of Toon Link in the gallery just below, he looks fantastic on both the Wii U version and the 3DS version, also head down to our comments section and let us know who YOU would like to see in the next Super Smash Bros!
The real-time strategy genre is about to get a little bit bigger as Focus Home Interactive, publishers of Bound by Flame, and Tindalos Interactive, developer of Stellar Impact, have announced a new game currently set to release in 2014. Etherium is a futuristic RTS set in a world where three empires fight for control of a planet and moons. The planet, which is the source of the precious resource etherium, and its moons will be the stage by which the three empires will wage war to try and hold it all.
The three empires each have their own set of strengths and weakness, as well as technologies and special skills. While one empire has the skill of espionage, another has precognition, and another can control the climate. This ability of climate control is noticeably important in and of itself as the climate and weather plays a big part of the game’s mechanics. A sandstorm could hide you or the enemy and rivers may be uncrossable unless frozen, all playing a big role in the game itself as one faction can control it, but another can see upcoming climate change.
But, the three empires aren’t the only factions however, as players will run into 6 secondary factions which can be fought and defeat as well, or allied with for future victory. The choice of course being entirely up to the player, as the single player campaign is non-linear, allowing players to go about it their own way. Build forces and attack to try and lead your empire to dominance. But, the single-player campaign isn’t the only options as players will be able to go head to head with up to four players online.
Etherium is set to release in June of 2014 exclusively for PC.
Forza Motorsport 5 is shooting to be one of best looking games for the upcoming next-gen consoles, so to show it off publisher Microsoft and developer Turn 10 Studios have just released a short gameplay video with the direct-feed from the Xbox One. The video shows off the 2012 Pagani Huayra racing around the Bernese Alps, which have been completely remade for Forza 5.
So those that want to see what racing through the mountains in a sports car looks like in 1080p and 60 frames per second should be sure to check this out. Forza Motorsport 5 is of course utilizing a brand new graphics engine, so those wanting to see just how good a racing game can look should be sure to check out the trailer embedded below.
Forza Motorsport 5 will be a launch title for the Xbox One, but those wanting to cash in on the special Day One edition of the game should be sure to pre-order before the console releases on November 22nd.
With Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag coming in just a month, Ubisoft has released a new trailer giving more information on the cast of characters that players will be meeting in the game. The trailer, titled “Infamous Pirates”, gives a look at the major people in both the game and history itself.
Narrated by Matt Ryan, voice actor for the star of Assassin’s Creed IV Edward Kenway, the trailer covers everyone from Edward himself, his first mate, and pirates like Edward Teach aka Blackbeard, as well as the privateers that hunted them. Those wanting a rundown of who everyone is before they get their hands on the game, should certainly check this out to see who they’ll be meeting and facing off against.
The trailer can be found embedded below, so be sure to check it out before Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag releases at the end of October for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, and PC, plus Xbox One and PS4 after the consoles have released.
Cat on a Diet Review Developer:Nawia Games Publisher: Chillingo Platforms:iPhone (reviewed), iPad, iPod Touch Release Date: 26/9/2013 Price: $0.99 (BUY HERE)
Overview
Purrfect! Get me Meowta here! Cat-astrophy! Cat-apult! I love pussy! You’ve gotta be kitten me! Now that I’ve got all those cat-related puns out of my system, let’s talk about Cat on a Diet, the latest cat-themed puzzler from Nawia Games and Chillingo. Simple, creative and puzzling, Cat on a Diet continues to surprise and delight throughout. It may not be incredibly groundbreaking, but it’s a cute, enjoyable puzzler for all ages that’ll be sure to engage and entertain gamers of all ages.
Gameplay
In Cat on a Diet, you take control of a chubby little cat called Dr. Meow who happens to have an annoying owner who thinks the cat should be on a diet. Said cat disagrees with this however and decides to eat as much food as possible, regardless of what threats may lie ahead! Each level contains a goal – a jar of cookies and three muffins. Getting to the jar will complete the level but earning all three muffins will get you 100% competition much like the three-star system in Angry Birds, but getting there won’t be easy. A typical level will have you scratching at wood to let the chubby little cat fall and roll towards the jar like you would in a game like Cut the Rope, but that only scratches the surface.
Bubblegum will make you fly, motors will spin platforms, metal cannot be broken and many other elements come into play to keep gameplay fresh and continue to rack your brain. Oh yeah, and controlling gravity comes in later too. While the core concept never changes, these keep it from feeling to repetitive and it won’t be long until you find yourself replaying levels to get all three muffins as well. Two power ups are also available -the Soap Bubble which lets you control where Dr. Meow will move to, and the Muffin Magnet will draw magnets towards it. To put more icing on the cake, bonus levels can be unlocked as well as costumes so there’s plenty to offer here. This may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s a well-made title with great level design.
Audio & Visual
Cute visuals accompany the game with bright colors and adorable character design, even if it is a little reminiscent of Garfield. Animation is fluent to compliment the physics element of gameplay with Dr. Meow bouncing, squashing and squeezing with smooth animations. The soundtrack has a chill, jazz/blues styled theme to it, generating a comfortable atmosphere that doesn’t drown out your thoughts which required for a puzzler like this. Sound effects are cartoony, much like the visuals and blend in nicely as well. Ultimately the audio & visual aspects do what they’re supposed to do and wrap up the game in a nicely, polished presentation.
Overall Chillingo seem to be killing it in the puzzler department lately, and Cat on a Diet is a prime example of that. Some concepts may seem familiar, but every level feels like it has a fresh new spin with various new elements coming into play and keeping everything feeling new. Presentation is great, gameplay fun and it ticks all the boxes you’d expect a game like this would. But while Cat on a Diet isn’t your average puzzler, it’s not breaking any new ground either. Regardless, it’s a solid title with some nice polish that’s sure to entertain you in short bursts of time. It’s not a must-have, but it’s certainly a good time-killer for casual gamers and puzzlers alike.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Michiko & Hatchin Part 2 Studios:Manglobe Publisher:FUNimation Format: DVD / Blu-Ray Combo Release Date: September 17th, 2013 Price: $64.98 – Available Here
Overview
While Michiko & Hatchin Part 1 was primarily focused on setting up the relationship between the two title characters, it was still somewhat lacking in the overarching plot department, which is understanding when the two main characters don’t meet until the first episode. With this in mind, what can be expected from Part 2? With the relationship handled and out of the way, can it rise up to conclude the adventure these two characters set on? Let’s see what is in store with Part 2.
Story
When we last saw Michiko and Hatchin, they had just reconciled while plummeting into an ocean ready to set out again to find Hatchin’s father, Hiroshi. Part 2 opens up with the two still on course, but with the unfortunate side effect of Michiko feverish and barely able to see or stand. This begins the biggest difference between the first half of the anime and the second, the focus on the characters themselves than on the relationship between them. While it was great to see these two characters build a solid relationship that isn’t based on being related, this switch right in the middle of the series is perfect for now expanding on and exploring the other characters around.
No more are the episodes set into small arcs as they move from city to city, nor each episode simply a one off adventure. While their are a few side adventures, such as Inspector Atsuko returning to the chase, they are all focused on both driving the story forward and exploring the characters therein. Michiko & Hatchin seems to avoid flat characters to simply exist as adversaries, save for a few that pop up in a single episode, as both Atsuko and the gang leader Satoshi all have suitable arcs that expound on why they are they way they are.
While the first half was a good set up for these characters, it is this second half that makes it all worth while. Feeling like an adventure that was worth experiencing and creating a suitable conclusion to such an interesting series, that avoids many of the anime cliches fans have come to expect over the years. All making for a great series that would work well for people just getting into anime or hesitant to start. While the ending may not wrap everyone up into happy little endings, every character gets the closure that they deserve, without undermining the events of the whole adventure.
Visuals
The visuals maintain their high quality as all the characters continue on their own personal adventures. All the characters continue changing clothes from city to city as they go, plus many of the new characters do a great job matching up to the quality of the other characters before them. But, it is also nice to see references to other past anime, such as almost every book in the bookstore being Vincent Law, after the main character in Ergo Proxy. It is nice to see that even a first time series director looking back on some of their previous work.
As mentioned earlier, Michiko & Hatchin avoids utilizing the old cliches of anime except in a few cases. The one cliche that does get some use is actually done quite well. The tried and true nose bleed that has been a staple of anime for quite some time, only ever gets used a total of three times in the entire series, once each by the core characters of the series, Hiroshi, Michiko, and Hatchin. What is so great about it’s use is that it doesn’t simply indicate one being arracted to another, but a deeper feeling showing that they are the most important thing to them at that time. An excellent use of a cliche, with a deeper meaning than just as a cliche.
Audio
Like the first half, all of the voice actors continue to keep up the quality that they were able to provide. While there are just as many new characters in the second half as the first, neither the original Japanese nor the English dub suffers from needlessly silly voices. Even more, as characters become more and more serious as the plot draws to its conclusion, both languages are able to match the emotions. The care taken with both the Japanese and English makes this a great series that works just as well in either language.
The music of the first half was great and so the the expectation of it continuing to be just as good, would be expected, but surprisingly enough the music ends up even better. While the first half is certainly lighthearted as the two title characters evade the police and search for Hiroshi, the second half has so many more emotional moments and the music is able to keep up the pace. While there were songs that helped keep the feeling in the first half, it mainly seemed to be the same ones again and again, but here there are several songs that only play for a single scene delivering the perfect impact. While the opening and closing are the same for both parts, the final episode does feature a new closing song, “Nothing Can Stop Me Now” by Aurea Martins and the musical composer Kassin, which is a great send off to both the characters and the series as a whole.
Extras
The selection of Part 1 was pretty good for an older release finally making its way to the U.S., so it is great that the special features were not all simply front loaded onto the first half. While Disc 1 of Part 2 is devoid of special features, Disc 2 has a selection to match those of the first part. With 2 more audio commentaries, for episodes 20 and 22, there are additional features that match and mirror those for Part 1. “Hatchin: The Girl We All Love” features Jad Saxton the English voice for Hatchin talking about the character and her role and “Special Interview” has the Japanese voice actresses of Michiko and Hatchin talking about the roles as well. There is also the original commercials from Japan and the U.S. trailer, as well as the textless opening and closing, though these are the same as Part 1 and do not include the closing for the last episode. When paired with Part 1, there is plenty of additions for fans to enjoy.
Overall
Where Part 1 set up the characters and their relationships like dominoes, Part 2 sets them off as the rush through knocking each other down leading to the final goal. Michiko & Hatchin set off on an adventure and not only are able to hold on together as they see it through, everything is able to come to a close in a way that feels satisfying. The voice acting is able to match the quality of the first half, but the music is able to go above and beyond creating great moments between characters. Michiko & Hatchin is able to provide a story and adventure that not only anime fans can enjoy, but almost anyone can, as series director Sayo Yamamoto wanted to create a series that “office ladies would be returning home, and worn out from the day, they could have a beer and watch it”, and succeed in doing just that.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Surely you’re all still deep into Grand Theft Auto V just as I am (playing way beyond my review). Well, today Rockstar have taken some time to collect their thoughts after being overwhelmed by the enormous sales of the game to give us all the details (literally, all) on Grand Theft Auto Online, to be available for all GTA V owners from October 1st.
Now, we’re not exaggerating when we say this is truly extensive and covers all the bases. So, we thought it best to simply provide you with the entire quoted press release:
Grand Theft Auto Online is going to be something brand new for us: a fully realized and living world for multiple players that will continue to grow and take shape over time.
The ultimate shape of GTA Online will be determined as much by you, the player, as by the work we put in. What you like and don’t like, what you play and what you want will determine how the game develops and what it turns into.
Everything we do will be informed by feedback from you all – from the types of missions that roll out to all kinds of future content.
We are planning for a constant stream of new content, tweaks and updates in the weeks and months ahead.
The first couple of weeks we expect to be heavily focused on tuning the experience as it goes from internal testing to the reality of being played by tons of people in the real world so that all the usual teething problems for an online game are overcome. We hope it will all run incredibly smoothly, but please bear with us if it doesn’t, and help us fix any and all problems!
After that, we will begin releasing content updates and giving you the opportunity to make your own content.
GTA Community Feedback Needed from Day One
This is vital for the ongoing success of the game. The first few months of Grand Theft Auto Online will be critical as everyone enters this dynamic new world for the first time. Plenty of issues are bound to occur. Remember this interesting character?
One thing we are already aware of, and are trying to alleviate as fast as we can, is the unanticipated additional pressure on the servers due to a significantly higher number of players than we were anticipating at this point – we are working around the clock to buy and add more servers, but this increased scale is only going to make the first few days even more temperamental than such things usually are. This is part of the problem some of you have been experiencing with the iFruit App and some Social Club services – we apologize in advance for this and thank you for your patience in this area.
More than ever, we need your help to report your experiences, findings, likes, loves, dislikes and hates – and we will be looking at your feedback constantly to tune the game into its optimal shape and help guide how Grand Theft Auto Online will grow and evolve past this initial period. We will be checking out how people are playing and what they are not playing or not enjoying, while also monitoring feedback via two other new Rockstar channels:
[email protected]: This email address will be active from launch day as a place to send your input and feedback direct to us relating to the game.
GTA Online Forums at Social Club: At some point this fall after the initial release of GTA Online, we are planning to launch Social Club Forums where players can chat with one another about their online experiences as well as access a GTA Online Suggestion board to post about any suggested features, tweaks and changes you want to see.
Here’s a rough overview of what you can expect on day one as well as initial details about how the GTA Online world will evolve from there.
The Launch of Grand Theft Auto Online:
From launch, up to 16 players can enter the world together to partake in everything from:
Open-World Crime and Chaos: Go on your own or round up your friends to explore the open world together – catch a movie, go mountain biking, hit the shooting range and much more. Want to test the law? Knock over a convenience store, take down a gang or rob an armored truck for easy cash and Reputation.
Jobs: Los Santos and Blaine County are ripe with opportunity for the ambitious and criminal minded. Take on Missions and an array of other Jobs as a lone wolf, team up with your Crew or join fellow mercenaries and degenerates to pull off a wide range of robberies and illicit activities together.
Races: Everything from classic street competition and off-road tracks to boat racing on the open ocean, or take to the skies in aerial events. Jump into the madness of a GTA Race, or try out a brand new race type, Rally, where driver and co-pilot work together to navigate treacherous courses at high speeds.
Sports: Join your friends / any random stranger for a game of tennis, a round of golf or go base jumping and more, all for cash and Reputation.
Customization: Create your character using the Character Creator – then earn some cash and spend it getting dressed for success. You can also collect and customize cars for your garage and personalize your full weapons cache.
Reputation and Cash Flow: Reputation is earned from all your online exploits in everything you do in GTA Online – and will help you rank up, providing access to new features, weapons and criminal contacts. Spend cash you’ve gained on cars, clothes, guns, properties and much more. You can either quickly accumulate cash through profitable activities like knocking over armored cars, winning street races, doing stick-ups or a host of other cash-making endeavors – or if you’re the completely instant gratification type, you can choose to buy denominations of GTA$. You will have the option to purchase GTA$ through the in-game Store. The game and its economy have been designed and balanced for the vast majority of players who will not buy extra cash. There is no in-game paywall and nothing that should disrupt the balance of the game. You don’t have to spend real money to attain the cars, guns, clothes, flash and style of a high-roller in Los Santos, but can if you wish to get them a little quicker. The economy is balanced differently from the single player economy, and cash earned in one cannot be taken over to the other. Most players will earn cash much faster Online than in Story Mode.
Growing Pains: There will be the typical growing pains for an online game, including but not limited to crashes, glitches, crazy bugs, gameplay modes and mechanics that need re-balancing and other surprises! Even in GTAV Story Mode, some of you may have seen a few odd and even amusing little glitches out there last week. This sort of thing is inevitable in a massive open-world game and there’ll surely be lots more unexpected oddities like this in the Online world next week – rest assured we’ll be monitoring and actively doing all we can to smooth such things out as they happen, but we need your help to find them, as well as your feedback to help fine tune all of the game’s systems so everything is perfectly balanced.
Currently Planned GTA Online Content Updates:
Here is a quick overview of a few initial things we’re working on for the first few weeks of Grand Theft Auto Online, alongside an aggressive period of tuning and finessing the game. We will give you dates for all of this content as soon as we have them – bear in mind that the order of things may well change, and we will probably add some extra stuff as well!
The Content Creator: The Content Creator will launch with tools to tailor and publish your own Deathmatches & Races.
The Beach Bum Pack: Featuring 4 new amazing beach fun vehicles, over 300 new items of incredible down tempo leisure wear and 2 new but not remotely relaxing weapons.
Capture the Flag: GTA Online’s take on the classic CTF mode including the ability to make your own using The Content Creator.
Heists: This update will introduce full-on cooperative Heist missions that will require careful planning, teamwork and sharp execution – along with the Heist Planning Board for your apartment.
Just to be clear, all of these updates will be free. We’ll have more info on this and much more additional content as our plans develop through the launch period, and as we get feedback from you. Please stay tuned for further info and updates. And remember – we need your help to make this experience all it can be.
Geez… this is like an entirely stand-alone game in and of itself! We can’t wait, and will surely post up some impressions after October 1st, so stay tuned.
We’ve shared with you our impressions from PAX Australia 2013 of the exploratory MMO called Wander, which supports the use of the Oculus Rift. Originally slated for release on PC, Mac and Linux, the developers have announced some exciting news: Wander will be, um, wandering (used that multiple times now…) onto the PlayStation 4 as well!
The non-combat, collaborative MMO is all about exploration. You will begin as a giant tree, or Ent, which is transformed and influenced by the storms that affect the land. A rare and powerful flower will further alter your course as you explore the serenity of the land with the voices of enchanting opera singers guiding you. As you continue your journey, you may encounter a fellow explorer and team together to discover new experiences and pieces of the plot. You will be immersed in the 64 square kilometer area with a total of 5 characters to morph into: the Ent, Polynesian Elf Girl, Griffon, Azertash (sea creature) and Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger).
Wander will be released early 2014 for $25 USD. The beta with switchable VR support is open right now for Windows, Mac and Linux users.
