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 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.
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.
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… AntiSquadscreams 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.
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.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be foundhere.
Bohemia Interactive has just updated Arma 3 with the AAF Reinforcements Pack, adding new vehicles and gear. Check out some high-res screenshots below.
The AAF Reinforcements Pack includes three new vehicles: the FV-720 Mora IFV, the MBT-62 Kuma tank and the Wy-55 Hellcat helicopter. The FV-720 Mora is an infantry fighting vehicle in use by the AAF and is armed with a 30mm cannon and coaxial machinegun.
The MBT-52 Kuma is a main battle tank used by the Altian Armed Forces, packing a 120mm cannon, 7.62mm coaxial machinegun as well as a remote controlled 12.7mm HMG.
The Wy-55 Hellcat replaces its predecessor the Super Lynx, featuring improved maneuverability, armour and is outfitted with twin miniguns and unguided rockets.
Players also get the LRPS sniper scope, infra-red grenades and black versions of the MX rifle line.
The first-person military simulator was released several months ago for the PC and is set during a hypothetical conflict in the 2030s on a Greek archipelago. Arma 3’s planned Campaign Packs, which are also free, began releasing last month.
Get ready for some mechanised roughhousing with Mech Battle Arena. This Mech shooter from Glu Mobile is now available on IOS devices. The premise is simple, choose your Mech and customise it for online battle with up to 8 additional players. There is a range of weapons, abilities and upgrades to choose from to help you trump the competition. There is also an offline practice mode to help perfect that Mech design. Features within the game include:
Real-time PVP – Play with up to 8 other players online
Numerous mechs to choose – 15 mechs to choose from with more planned! Try out a free new mech each week to find the best for you!
Customize your mech – Choose from tons of weapons and numerous abilities. Upgrade any weapon or ability to increase their effects
5 unique arenas – Check out the Industrial City, Sunken ruin, Neo City, Metalworks and Industrial Arena maps
Multiple modes – Play online in team deathmatch and free for all or hone your skills offline in endless survival mode and objective based single-player missions
Glu Mobile‘s Mech Battle Arena is supported on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and is now available for free on iTunes.
We had previously heard that approximately 10% of Twitch activity over the last few weeks came from PlayStation 4 users. Now, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) have revealed some telling statistics.
For instance, there have been nearly 800,000 gameplay broadcasts so far and more than 7.1 million spectator sessions via video streaming platforms Twitch and Ustream, totalling more than 20 million minutes of live gameplay streamed from PlayStation 4 systems. Ustream is reporting an average of 31 minutes of streaming per broadcaster. It doesn’t come as any surprise that the top games highlighted in these streams are shooters: Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghostsand Killzone: Shadow Fall. Shuhei Yoshida, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, said;
PlayStation 4 is specifically designed so people can share their gaming experiences and interest in streaming live gameplay has surpassed our wildest expectations. We’re very excited to see gamers embrace live streaming from their PS4 system and we look forward to seeing how PlayStation gamers advance social gaming in the coming years.
Funny how many folks teased about the Share button when the Dualshock 4 controller was revealed, given that it has apparently been pressed over 10.9 million times and counting.
Customised Feature on KC300 Solid-State Drive Allows Corporations to Manage SSDs
Sydney, Australia– December 12, 2013 – Kingston, the independent world leader in memory products, today announced a version of its SSDNowKC300 that allows corporations and organisations the ability to manage the drive. The custom Kingston® KC300 SSD is fully compliant with the Opal specification of the Trusted Computing Group (TCG).
The TCG Opal 1.0 compliant KC300 is ideal for companies implementing centralised management software to manage security policies, password recovery, compliance logging, automatic updates and user creation/deletion. The self-encrypting drive provides organisations with strong, easy-to-use and high performance built-in security. The custom KC300 SSD is designed to work with popular enterprise management applications including WinMagic SecureDoc, Wave Embassy and McAfee Endpoint Encryption for PC (EEPC).
“As SSDs become more common in businesses and organisations, many of our enterprise customers are now looking into managing these drives in the workforce,” said Nathan Su, Flash Memory Sales Director, APAC Region, Kingston. “We are proud to offer a version of our top-selling KC300 SSD with the ability to be managed by the most popular endpoint software applications to give companies flexibility and peace of mind to keep work data secure.”
The Kingston KC300 with TCG Opal is available in 60GB, 120GB and 240GB capacities. Enterprise customers looking for the custom TCG Opal 1.0 compliant KC300 solid-state drive should contact their local Kingston sales representative for more information. KC300 is backed by a three-year warranty, free technical support and legendary Kingston reliability. For more information, visit www.kingston.com.
About Kingston Technology Company, Inc.
Kingston Technology Company, Inc. is the world’s largest independent manufacturer of memory products. Kingston designs, manufactures and distributes memory products for desktops, laptops, servers, printers, and Flash memory products for PDAs, mobile phones, digital cameras, and MP3 players. Through its global network of subsidiaries and affiliates, Kingston has manufacturing facilities in California, Taiwan, China, and sales representatives in the United States, Taiwan, China, India, Australia, Vietnam, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and Latin America. For more information, please visit www.kingston.com.
YS: MEMORIES OF CELCETA TO RELEASE IN EUROPE FEBRUARY 2014!
NIS America is proud to announce that Ys: Memories of Celceta will release in retail form in Australia and New Zealand on February 21, 2014 for the PlayStation®Vita system. The European PSN version of the game will release the following week on February 25. Ys is a long-running, much-loved action RPG series from Nihon Falcom.
In Ys: Memories of Celceta, developer Falcom revisits the land and characters of Japanese cult favorite Ys IV for its first ever European debut. This re-envisioning of the fourth installment in the Ys series takes a brand new approach, changing and framing the story of Ys IV within an all-new tale of conspiracy, deception, and mystery. Featuring an updated version of the party-based battle system from Ys SEVEN, as well as the largest and most varied overworld in series history, Ys: Memories of Celceta brings a greater sense of adventure to the Ys universe than has ever been seen before.
Key features:
Experience the Land of Celceta in English for the Very First Time
Its first ever release in Europe, Ys: Memories of Celceta will take players on a new adventure in never-before-seen locales within the Ys universe.
Explore the Biggest Overworld in Ys Series History
Eclipsing all previous entries in the Ys series in both size and content, the overworld map metes out battle and exploration in equal measure. A robust mapping system with customizable waypoints and clear, detailed icons aid the journey through this mysterious new land.
Adventure Forth with a Party of Allies
The party battle system from Ys SEVEN returns, but this time with a host of upgrades such as enhanced flash-guarding, a more versatile party AI, and unique abilities for party members to streamline encounters for fast and furious battle.
Throw Down the Gauntlet in Boss Rush Mode
Boss Rush makes a comeback, pitting Adol and his companions against implacable foes to keep the challenge going well after the main story has been completed.
GT6™ owners are the first to take a virtual test drive of the latest BMW M offering.
SYDNEY, 12th December 2013 –Polyphony Digital Inc., creators of the newly-released Gran Turismo®6 for PlayStation®3, and BMW have announced that the new BMW M4 Coupé has been made available through a new update for the game. Owners of GT6™ will be among the first in the world to sample the delights of the BMW M4 Coupé, albeit in virtual form, before the car goes on sale during 2014.
As a celebration of this collaboration between BMW and Gran Turismo 6, a unique seasonal event featuring the BMW M4 Coupé is available to all on GT6 for two weeks, from today until 26 December 2013. The BMW M4 Coupé Superlap challenge will take place on the Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit and gives players the opportunity to drive the car to complete the event, giving anyone the chance to experience this stunning new vehicle in the virtual world before it launches in the real world.
Until now, the BMW M4 Coupé has only been shown publicly as a ‘concept’, but thanks to an innovative collaboration with BMW M GmbH, Polyphony Digital enjoyed unprecedented early access to the car during its development phase in order to meticulously recreate the BMW M4 Coupé for Gran Turismo 6.
A camouflaged version of the real BMW M4 Coupé was a mystery guest at the recent spectacular Gran Turismo 6 launch event at Ronda in southern Spain. Kazunori Yamauchi, legendary creator of the Gran Turismo® franchise, enjoyed the privilege of a couple of laps of the Ascari Race Resort in the all-new car.
While the Gran Turismo series has reached its sixth iteration in a 15-year history, the all-new high-performance sports car represents the fifth generation of BMW M philosophy applied to the M3 – albeit with the new M4 badge distinguishing the Coupé from the four-door M3 variant.
Owners of Gran Turismo 6 now have the opportunity to experience a virtual version of the high-revving six-cylinder in-line engine housed in the BMW M4 Coupé. The M TwinPower Turbo technology produces 431hp in a car that weighs only 1,497 kilograms. With Gran Turismo 6’s new physics simulator, new aerodynamics, suspension and tyre models, and incredibly high-definition rendering, the virtual BMW M4 Coupé looks and drives just like the real thing. As well as completing this month’s special Nürburgring Superlap event, GT6 owners are able to take the new car for a spin at over 37 locations – including Ascari – with over 100 layouts to choose from. Alternatively, the stunning new car can be captured at some amazing locations in the in-game ‘Photo Mode’.
Making such an iconic model available ‘in-game’ before its market launch reflects the mutual respect between BMW and Polyphony. “It is very exciting to virtually ‘launch’ the BMW M4 Coupé in Gran Turismo 6,” explains Dr Friedrich Nitschke, President BMW M GmbH. “The BMW M4 Coupé takes motor sport technology from the race track to the road, and thousands of laps of the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife – the world’s most demanding race track – have readied the new model for that transition. I am very much looking forward to seeing how it looks and feels in Gran Turismo on the same circuit.”
The partnership is also a source of pride for president of Polyphony Digital, Kazunori Yamauchi: “It is always wonderful to be able to bring to life a brand new car and I would like to thank BMW for trusting us with all of the data we needed to create the BMW M4 Coupé at such an early stage. The car is fantastic. I felt very privileged to have a few laps around Ascari during the Gran Turismo 6 launch event and I am sure that Gran Turismo fans will now enjoy the same experience as well as the novelty of being among the first in the world to try the BMW M4 Coupé.”
BECOME THE DRAGON MASTER! MINI ACTION ROLE PLAYING GAME AND CONSTRUCTION KITFIGHT THE DRAGONLAUNCHES KICKSTARTER
Hack and Slash Your Way to Becoming the Ultimate Dragon Master in 3 Sprockets’ Epic Micro Adventure
December12, 2013, Melbourne, Australia – 3 Sprockets, an indie development studio, today announced the launch of a 36-day crowdfunding campaign for its 3D mini action role-playing game, Fight the Dragon. Scheduled for release via Steam and Humble store on Windows, Mac and Linux, Fight the Dragon, combines epic hack-and-slash action and looting with the ability to create and share adventures through the easy-to-use Adventure Construction Kit.
The Kickstarter campaign begins today with the team at 3 Sprockets seeking a minimum of AU$50,000 to make Fight The Dragon a reality. Supporters of the project can get involved by pledging as little as AU$15 at Fight the Dragon – Kickstarter. Backers can select from multiple pledging tiers, from early alpha access to being credited with naming the Dragon.
“With the support of the Kickstarter community, we are excited to move forwards with the next stage in development,” said Seon Rozenblum, Director of 3 Sprockets, “We are pleased to be bringing back split-screen multiplayer, a feature that has been overlooked in recent years, and we cannot wait to see what players come up with using the Adventure Construction Kit.”
Fight The Dragon is a hack-and-slash game based around short 10-15 minute play sessions that allow players to jump in for a quick fix or play multiple adventures over longer play sessions. Players take control of a hero who begins the journey as a young naive adventurer who must battle everything in their path to quickly evolve into the ultimate dragon warrior. With a procedural loot system that allows the hero to fine tune equipment and abilities, players will never run out of loot to find, no matter how far they progress.
Fight The Dragon supports local split-screen co-op as well as up to 4-player online drop-in co-op over LAN and Internet. By completing adventures and passing milestones, heroes earn tickets to “Fight The Dragon” in the ultimate dragon battle arena. Players will need to summon all they have learnt on this epic adventure to destroy their deadliest foe.
Shipping with a feature rich in-game Adventure Construction Kit, players can design and share their own adventures with players around the world. The Adventure Construction Kit allows players to sculpt and paint environments, place props, traps, loot, enemies and encounters, becoming the ultimate Dungeon Master of old.
For more information about Fight the Dragon and 3 Sprockets news:
Bohemia Interactive deploys AAF Reinforcements Pack for Arma 3
Sydney, Australia, Thursday 12th December 2013 – Bohemia Interactive today released the (free) AAF Reinforcements Pack for Arma 3. Supplied via an automatic update on Steam, the package includes a variety of new sandbox content, among which three new vehicles: the FV-720 Mora IFV, the MBT-52 Kuma tank, and the Wy-55 Hellcat helicopter.
The FV-720 Mora is an infantry fighting vehicle used by the AAF. They were bought by the AAF from the British Armed Forces and reconditioned to serve two more decades. The Mora is armed with a 30mm cannon and a coaxial machinegun, providing not only a carrying capacity, but also reliable fire support.
The MBT-52 Kuma is the main battle tank used by Altian Armed Forces. A batch of a few dozen tanks and spare turrets were bought under-price from a south-European country facing an economic collapse. Like similar MBTs of the era, the Kuma is armed with a 120mm cannon, a 7.62mm coaxial machinegun and a remotely controlled 12.7mm HMG. The level of protection for the crew is also remarkable, thanks to additional armour layers.
The Wy-55 Hellcat is a multi-purpose military helicopter, most suited for anti-surface, battlefield utility with limited transport capability. It replaces its predecessor the Super Lynx, improving the manoeuvrability, durability and protection. The armed version is fitted with twin miniguns and unguided rockets.
Aside the new vehicles, the AAF Reinforcements Pack also includes other sandbox content, such as the LRPS sniper scope, infra-red grenades, and black versions of the MX rifle family. The complete changelog can be found on Arma 3’s official website.
People can purchase the Arma 3 (€44.99/₤39.99/US$59.99) or the Arma 3 Digital Deluxe Edition (€49.99/₤42.99/US$64.99) from Steam and Store.bistudio.com. Boxed versions are also currently available at Australian retailers priced from AU$47.
About Bohemia Interactive
Established in 1999 in Prague, Czech Republic, Bohemia Interactive is an independent game development studio which is primarily known for its award-winning mil-sim Arma series starting with Arma: Cold War Assault. Published in 2001, this debut title became the no. 1 bestselling PC game around the world and has won many international awards. The hugely successful series was followed by Arma 1 and Arma 2 on PC as well as Arma 2: Firing Range on mobile devices, before a standalone PC expansion Operation Arrowhead was released, as well as three DLC which greatly added to the series. Bohemia Interactive is also the developer of Take On Helicopters, Carrier Command: Gaea Mission, and the recently released Arma Tactics – a turn-based strategy game for Android, iOS, PC, Linux and Mac. In addition to their support for Arma 3, Bohemia Interactive is currently also working on Take On Mars (currently available as an Early Access title on Steam) and the standalone version of DayZ. More information about Bohemia Interactive is available at www.bistudio.com.
