Swedish developer Might and Delight are proud to announce the release of their innovative title, Shelter, (check out our review for it here) on Steam as well as a new trailer to accompany it. The game is set to have a retail price of $9.99, although if gamers act before September 4 they can get the title with a bonus 10% discount off the standard charge.
For the uninitiated Shelter puts gamers into the role of a mother badger with the seemingly simple task of keeping your brood of five cubs alive as you traverse varied woodland areas. The game is broken up into separate levels each with their own theme and obstacles to set them apart from the previous one. The game has you forage for food in the forests, but to keep it interesting the game does not have enough food for the entire pack to remain fed so the game throws in a hunting feature that requires a certain element of stealth to accomplish. There are also dangers in the form of other woodland creatures, most notably a giant bird that you must avoid by hiding and quick movements lest you turn into a hot meal yourself. To accompany the gameplay and setting the developers have included a striking soundtrack to set the mood based on the on-screen action.
The game is available on PC as a stand alone title or also as a bundle for $15 with the developers’ last release Pid.
Steam is kicking Steam Greenlight into high gear by stress testing the system by Greenlighting an unprecedented 100 new titles. These 100 titles will be added to Steam in the coming days and months as each developer can decide when they are ready to release their title as Early Access or complete products. These titles will be released for Windows, with some including Mac and Linux support.
So Nintendo just smacked us with a surprise… come October 12th, the Nintendo 2DS will hit the market. The 2DS will be able to play all 3DS games in, you guessed it, two dimensions. It is also backwards compatible with the entire library of DS titles released over the years.
The Nintendo 2DS will be available in two colour combos at launch – black + blue and white + red (shown in the image above). You can do everything you have been able to do with its bigger brothers. You will be able to swap game data with your friends using StreetPass and receive new content and news with SpotPass. Also added is a switch-based Sleep Mode, which will save power but allow you to continue using StreetPass while you’re on the go. And finally, complementing the signature touch screen and augmented reality abilities are “new ways to play”, with integrated motion and gyro sensors (haven’t they always had them?). The Nintendo 2DS is the “Value” option in the “Nintendo 3DS Family“, priced at $129.99 USD.
Check out the introduction video embedded at the bottom of this article, below the following comparisons chart. For more information, visit the official UK Nintendo 2DS webpage.
I was sorely disappointed when Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned was cancelled in 2010. There’s just something about the pirate life that appeals to me. Not in real-life of course… I don’t drink alcohol, and I’m not exactly a confident swimmer, so I’ve got that going against me. But in the virtual world, I’ve always wanted a more current, complete pirate experience…
Well Ubisoft‘s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is looking more and more likely to fulfill that yearning – funnily enough, Armada of the Damned was compared to Assassin’s Creed back when people first got hands-on. Embedded below, you will find a naval/fort gameplay walkthrough video, with game director Ashraf Ismail walking us through those specific elements of Black Flag. Note the seamlessness between destroying a fort and then raiding it. Oh, and we also get a peek at an opening cutscene featuring Captain Edward Kenway and first mate Adewale touching on the racism of the time, before proclaiming the Jackdaw their “country”.
Nabari Complete Collection Studio:J.C. Staff Publisher: Madman Format: DVD Release Date: July 3, 2013 Price: $59.95 – Available Here
Overview It is the 21st century in modern day Japan and some things never change. The ancient shinobi villages of Banten, Fuuma, Iga and Togakushi are still active and wage a secret war in the “Nabari” world. Ninja anime are a staple of both the shonen genre and the medium as a whole, often playing it safe within a historical or fantastical setting.
Nabari steps up to the plate and attempts to portray a ninja conflict set in our modern timeline with complex character interaction. Does it succeed in giving us a fresh look at the genre? Read on to find out.
Story
Firstly, the unfortunate thing with Nabari is that while the soft and modern approach to the ninja aspect of the show sounds intriguing, it starts off with a whole slew of tired tropes. The high school protagonist Miharu Rokujou not only suffers from mysterious amnesia and happens to be an orphan, but he is also completely apathetic to what happens around him. A familiar archetype, but somewhat forgivable given Miharu’s innocent charm.
Moving on, it becomes known that the 14 year-old has an all-powerful secret art containing the world’s knowledge dwelling inside him. Known as the Shinra Banshou, its power is coveted by every member of the shinobi world and the possessor is recognised as the King of Nabari. Naturally, Miharu doesn’t care and wants to live a normal, if a little anti-social, life. He tries to keep this up even after he is attacked by ninjas who are beaten back by his teacher Tobari Kumohira and friend Koichi Aizawa.
A hostile group known as the Grey Wolves hound Miharu in an attempt to steal the Shinra Banshou from him and use it for their own goals. With the help of Tobari, Koichi, a self-professed samurai girl Raimei Shimizu and various village leaders, our heroes aim to remove the curse and destroy it. Both the Grey Wolves and the good guys must look for the forbidden arts of the clans to find a way to do this. Thus begins a race from both sides to do what has never been done before, separate the curse, but for different reasons.
One of the most interesting aspects is the relationship between Miharu and a similar member of the Grey Wolves, Yoite, who uses a killing technique known as the Kira (think Fist of the North Star, “you are already dead”). Yoite is an unfortunate case of an extremely powerful character marred by angst and often contradicting beliefs. While this aspect of the plot is intriguing considering Yoite wants Miharu to end his existence using the Shinra Banshou, it becomes too dominant in the second half at the expense of everything else in the series.
While the second half is undoubtedly more important, it’s also where Nabari’s is at its weakest. What precious few action scenes we had in the first half are cut down further in favour of needless exposition and supporting characters become increasingly unimportant and are content to simply standing and talking most of the time. It’s a shame because each character has their own mini plot line and and they’re often far cooler to watch than the main story.
Ironically everything seemed to work better when Miharu was emotionless as at the very least it was part his predictable, boyish charm. But when Nabari took a turn to the more deliberate, emotional storytelling it culminated in an ending that served no one. The build-up was slow, the confrontation was slow and inevitably the finale was uneventful. Sure everything wrapped up, but you’re left feeling like all you ate was air on an empty stomach.
Visuals Although Madman has just released this collection, Nabari first aired five years ago so don’t expect the crispness of more modern anime. Having said that it does manage to hold its own in this department and the experience is pleasant, almost soothing to the eyes. Some individual character design and great animation direction tops things off in a package few will complain. The only complaint I have is that it does look a bit too grey and brown and times.
The action scenes are nicely choreographed and are intense without going over-the-top. Each move that a character does is done with purpose and flair. I enjoyed the visual direction and the attention to detail of the few fight scenes more than other, more popular, ninja shows.
Audio Nabari’s musical score was quite nice, offering some peaceful melodies and unobtrusive ambient tracks composed of strings and flutes. The opening theme is uplifting, happy rock with a chorus that can get fairly annoying after a while. It’s even worse since this opening is kept for the entire series.
The voice acting was well done in both languages, with the English dub executing a smooth transition among all the many plot nuances that may otherwise translate poorly, particularly during the second half when Nabari becomes a lot more speech-heavy.
Extras This is a standard DVD release by Madman spread across four discs with no physical extras, but you do get textless songs, trailers as well as two episode commentaries by the cast. The latter of which gives us some welcome insight into the show’s characters.
Overall
A softer and slower take on the genre, Nabari isn’t your usual ninja show. While the story starts off on uncertain footing, it momentarily finds itself before falling into an emotional quagmire that does the rest of the show no justice.
It’s unfortunate because Nabari really isn’t that bad at all, largely thanks to a solid premise that tries to be different. A bunch of detailed and most importantly no-nonsense fight scenes, which is a rarity in these types of shows. What grabbed me were the genuinely entertaining side characters with intriguing back stories, who were often more fun to watch than the main characters. It’s just a shame that many of them are left forgotten by the end.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Welcome to the Apocalypse fellow ghouls. On the menu are zombies, resource runs for fuel, a wide range of weaponry from blazing guns to chainsaws, vehicular mayhem and the choice between scavengers or the resistance. Ravaged Zombie Apocalypse is the new gritty and gruesome expansion to the original title Ravaged; offering players more gore and no mercy. However, there is a debate between whether 2Dawn Games addition of the aggressive Walking Dead rises to the expectations of other Zombie Mods. Should players be hungry for Ravaged Zombie Apocalypse?
Storyline
The title is as unimaginative and predictable as the story: Ravaged Zombie Apocalypse. Unlike the in-depth narrative progression in Telltale’s successful Walking Dead Game, the premise for this online multiplayer FPS and survival-action game is more dependent on quick play (timed-matches) and well-defined objectives –whether you take on zombie hordes as the Resistance or enter the resource run as Scavengers in co-op or solo matches. Following the original Ravaged storyline, players can choose between the Resistance (freedom fighters) vs. Scavengers (murderous savages); where both teams are driven to collect the last of the Earth’s resources for survival during the catastrophic Apocalypse. However, due to the limited story development on either side; there is more incentive to destroy the universe than save it.
Gameplay
Ravaged Zombie Apocalypse offers a wide variety of options in the gameplay department, with five different modes for players to choose from; including new Zombie Survival, Resource Run Valley and Thrust Mode, as well as Capture the Resource and Hijack from Ravaged.
It was disappointing that the anticipated stand out mode, Zombie Survival, did not excel beyond the grave. The objective for players is to loot weapons, fuel and all the necessary vehicle parts to repair the escape helicopter for extraction, without being torn apart by zombie hordes in the process. Seems simple enough –yet players are only allowed one life and the level of difficulty ranges from hard to near impossible. Of course, it is always better to have a more challenging game; but in single-player it is especially hard to escape the death cycle with very limited fuel, ammo supplies and zombies that re-spawn from thin air after you’ve killed them.
On the contrary, Resource Run Valley offers players the perfect rough edge and daring landscapes to engage in vehicular combat, between the Resistance and Scavengers. The most appealing aspect is racing for survival; where the fastest team to capture 50 fuel resources and drive through a series of checkpoints across the map wins the round. The fast-paced gameplay and combat style is great for co-op matches; one player drives the vehicle, whilst the other rides on top to shoot the opposition. If you manage to blow up your vehicle or get hit by a stray bullet, there is only a 10 second lapse before players can re-spawn back into the game. Conveniently, players can pinpoint where they wish to deploy from the map to another vehicle or their base point.
Depending on the team you choose and level of progression you make in the game, players can access different character classes, weapons and vehicle options. The Scavengers are hard-hitting warriors, bandits and assassins that specialise in deadly armoured machinery from tractor tanks to the gyrocopter and carry harpoon guns, tennis ball grenades, nail machine guns and hunting rifles. In contrast, the Resistance relies on a team of veterans, military support and weapon specialists to operate their heavy artillery, from their eight-wheel stryker to the mini helicopter and keep in supply combat shotguns, soda bombs, M249, M26 grenades and SCAR-L Assault Rifles.
The competitive nature of the game is reinforced through the online leaderboard stats and ability to vote kick players, who aren’t contributing to the team, from the server during co-op gameplay. Although this function might discourage players from joining, it is a great way to allow dedicated players to reach their full potential and earn the victory and skill achievements they deserve.
Visuals & Audio
Although the Zombie animated visuals are not top-notch (up-to-date), the beauty of the visual experience for players lies within the stunning maps and distinctive landscapes; including the Grand Canyon, Dustbowl, Chasm, Ice Breaker, Asylum and Tank Hill, all of which have been devastated by the looming Apocalypse. Ravaged Zombie Apocalypse should be accredited for their fantastic audio and sound effects, put together by Matt Harwood, who was able to create an intense and ravishing atmosphere for killing zombies and savages.
Overall
Ravaged Zombie Apocalypse is a mediocre action-survival game that does not quite reach the same level of success as their original title, Ravaged. The Zombie expansion does not factor in consideration for lower-skilled players and consequently does not provide an enjoyable gaming experience for everyone on the team. However, the Resource Run Valley and other CTR modes offered through Ravaged are really well designed and embrace a unique approach to apocalyptic warfare with powerful and addictive vehicular combat –that is very appetising!
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Frictional Games is coming up on the release date of their second instalment to the ‘Amnesia’ series, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. The game play will be very similar to the first instalment, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, although they have dropped many of the mechanics of the first game, they have changed and added many more to the mix also, It will still be played from a first person perspective.
The developers have stated that the core game play will remain the same as the game (the game is still horror based), however the level design is significantly different. The developers have also confirmed that the inventory function was also removed from the game, along with lamp oils and tender boxes.The game is going to feature many interlocked story lines, some in the present, and some even in the past. The game features beautiful visual work, and environmental designs, as well as another fantastic sound track, and brilliant ambient sound effects.
Frictional Games has pushed the release date back multiple times due to them changing the entire game. It was originally going to be released Halloween of 2012, but it was going to be extremely short, and purely experimental. It was pushed back in order to make a full game, that the fans would appreciate and enjoy just as much as the first. Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs has now been set to release on September 9th, 2013 for the Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems, for $15.99 at these distributors: Steam, GameFly, Gamer’s Gate, GOG, MacGameStore, and Desura.
Company of Heroes 2 multiplayer has just gotten a little bigger thanks to the release of the map Semoskiy. Players will receive the summer variant later today as soon as the game auto-updates in their Steam client, with a winter version coming September 10.
Semoskiy is based around the popular Semois map from the original Company of Heroes game. The new map has been rebuilt from the ground up on Relic’s shiny Essence 3.0 engine powering Company of Heroes 2.
While I can appreciate the developers bringing over fan-favourites to the sequel, I’m hoping for some new map designs based on other or even existing locations on the Eastern Front.
Some great news has come in from Ubisoft for Mighty Quest for Epic Loot. They have confirmed that there will be a third open house which signals the start of a ‘Loot-o-thon’ allowing gamers to get a chance to preview the game while still in its closed beta phase.
The ‘Loot-o-thon’ is a challenge to players to get as much loot as they can, preferably of the epic variety.To partake in this open house ‘Loot-o-thon’ just head over to Ubisoft’s official Might Quest for Epic Loot website here to sign up. The open house will take place from today until 5.00pm on September 4th, 2013.
Not only did they confirm the third open house, but Ubisoft have also released a brand new ‘Mage’ trailer for the game which you can check out below for your viewing pleasure. Stay tuned for further updates on Might Quest for Epic Loot.
Today the next game from the mind of Suda51 and his team at Grasshopper Manufacture has hit store shelves courtesy of XSEED Games. Killer is Dead is now available for purchase throughout North America for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Every launch copy of the game comes with an 80-page hardcover art book, a soundtrack CD containing 25 songs, and the ‘Smooth Operator’ add-on content pack containing bonus in-game goods including ‘Gigolo Glasses,’ an alternate costume for Vivienne and Mika, a bonus ‘Gigolo Mission’ with Betty, and an entire additional episode with the vampiric Sebastian.
To learn more about the game and see whether or not it is worth your time, you can check out our full review of the game here.
