Australian (Melbourne) based indie development studio 3 Sprockets has today announced that Cubemen 2, the sequel to the bestselling CubemenRTS cult classic, is now available through the Mac and iOS App Stores for the limited time launch price of AU$1.99. (BUY HERE)
Featuring the same addictive and unique gameplay that decided the success of the first title, the 3D strategy action Cubemen sequel will be fast paced and full of new features, including:
A vast range of compelling new game modes including CTF, Skirmish, Territory and more.
Customizable unit skins… Play as Cowboys, Knights, the list continues…
No static towers. Move your Cubemen around the level and attack or defend as you please.
Globally ranked competitive Campaign mode.
More than 1200 new online stages.
Real 3D levels with Teleporters, Healing Stations and floating platforms.
Online ranking for all game modes.
Team and solo multiplayer games against Human or A.I opponents, or both.
Seon Rozenblum, Director of the 3 Sprockets Development team, explains the changes:
“Cubemen became a cult smash when we originally launched on iOS and Mac in 2012 – the sequel brings many new features, modes and challenges into the mix…We now support phones as well as tablets and all platforms are on perfect feature parity, which is super exciting for us.”
Arma 3 players will be interested in finding that they will soon have access to a new Sniper package in the military simulator from Bohemia Interactive. This new content update is set just before the big gaming event in LA, E3 2013.
This new content update allows players to use two high powered precision sniping rifles, as well as allowing players to don the “Wookie” ghillie suits. These rifles are used for different purposes, as detailed in the quote below.
The first rifle, the Gepard GM6 Lynx, is a semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle using 12.7×108 mm ammo. Its purpose is to stop or disable targets such as light armoured vehicles, armoured rifle troops, light shelters and helicopters from 600–800 m range.
The second weapon, the M320R Long Range Rifle, is a .408 calibre sniper rifle, valued for its accuracy up to 2000 meters
Players looking for a full list of changes should check out the Changelog for info. Be sure to pre-order the full game from Steam or the Official Site to ensure access to the Alpha and Beta versions of the game.
Described as a first-person co-op slasher, Hellraid is a game from developer Techland, the team behind the Call of Juarez and Dead Island games. Hellraid itself has a visual crossover between Skyrim and awesome, but also gives off a massive Hexen vibe. Considering that E3 2013 is just around the corner, Techland have begun the hype train surrounding the Hellraid game.
In Hellraid, four players team up in a story-driven campaign, fueled by hack and slash moments against hordes of undead enemies. Players not only have to work together to survive and complete the game, but they must also battle for the highest score, allowing them to achieve fame and glory.
Hellraid is scheduled to release in 2013 on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Check out the embedded trailer below and the Official Site for more info.
Free-to-play MMORPG Fallen Sword has been given a makeover following the roll-out of Update 1.2. Developer Hunted Cow are promising smoother transitions from level to level and improved beginning stages of the game.
Listening to player feedback, a new system called Composing will be introduced, allowing players to create their own custom potions within Fallen Sword. These can used on their characters or for their guilds. Hunted Cow have opened a poll so players can vote on these changes on the forums.
The following full list of changes will affect various quests and maps up to level 15:
The Quest ‘Kidnap Victim’. The ‘Tavern’ dummy will move to ‘Elya Plains North’. The ‘Cage’ dummy will move to ‘Varas Dungeon’. The ‘Krul Cage Key’ will be added to a Varas creature. The Quest Level will be changed to 5. Quest XP will be increased accordingly.
The Quest ‘Stolen Scribes’. The ‘Scribe’ dummy will move to ‘Mountain Path’.
The Quest ‘Within the Darkness’. The ‘Old Man’ dummy will move to ‘Varas Dungeon’. The Quest Level will be changed to 5. Quest XP will be increased accordingly.
The Quest ‘Cleansing of Varas’. The ‘Paladin’ dummy will move to ‘Varas Dungeon’. The Quest Level will be changed to 5. Quest XP will be increased accordingly.
The Quest ‘Tassodans Lost Rune’. The ‘A Lonely Traveller’ dummy will move to ‘Mountain Path’. The ‘Tassodans Lost Rune’ will be added to a ‘Goblin’ from ‘Goblin Cave’. Quest Text will be altered.
The Quest ‘The Price of Skulls’. The ‘Shop’ dummy will move to ‘Elya Plains North’. The Quest Text will be altered to send players to ‘Varas Dungeon’. The ‘Skeleton Warrior (Elite)’ will be added to ‘Varas Dungeon’.The Quest Level will be changed to 5. Quest XP will be increased accordingly.
The Quest ‘Taking Arms’. The ‘Dwarven Military Camp’ dummys will move to ‘Elya Plains North’. The Quest Text will be altered to send players to ‘Varas Dungeon’.
The Quest ‘Divine Vengeance’. The ‘Monk’ dummy will move to ‘Varas Dungeon’. The creature kills requirement will be changed from ‘Skeletal Mages’ to ‘Skeletons’.
The Quest ‘Darmov’s Fall’. The ‘Desperate man’ dummy will move to ‘Elya Plains North’. Quest Text will point to ‘Varas Dungeon’. The ‘Darmov the Great (Elite)’ will be added to ‘Varas Dungeon’. The Quest Level will be changed to 5. Quest XP will be increased accordingly.
The Quest ‘Nomad Retribution’. The ‘Vengeful Nomad’ dummy will move to ‘Otha Caves (Level 3)’.
The Stairway to ‘Angels Keep’ shall be moved to ‘Elya Plains North’.
The realms ‘Fire Chasm (Level 1)’, ‘Fire Chasm (Level 2)’, ‘Fire Chasm (Level 3)’, ‘Krul Beach Forest West’, ‘Darmovs Pit’, ‘Snow Forest East’, ‘Northern Krul Cave’ & ‘Narrow Passage’ will all be removed.
Fallen Sword is a browser-based MMO for the PC with HTML5 canvas gameplay featuring over a thousand levels worth of content, realms and creatures. It has complete trade and auction systems, community events, weekly updates and plenty of skills and abilities available for your character.
You can sign up and create your own character here right now.
Ahoy Mateys! Beep Games have unfurled the sails, pulled up anchor, fed their parrots and set sail in search of gold and treasures untold. That’s right, the anticipated Scurvy Scallywags in the Voyage to Discover the Ultimate Sea Shanty, has plundered and pilfered its way into the iOS App Store.
Scurvy Scallywags is the brain child of Ron Gilbert (the famed creator of the Monkey Island series), and Clayton Kauzlaric (who worked on the enormously funny RPG DeathSpank). The game is a three-in-one, a match-3 puzzler, RPG and Broadway musical all wrapped up together under the banner of the Jolly Rodger. You play as a pirate through a series of match-3 puzzles. As you play through these puzzles, you unlock more loot, quest items and more. There are enemies who want you dead, so you have to use the game board to your advantage in order to send them off the plank.The game has you traipsing across 16 different lands in search of the Ultimate Sea Shanty! I guess there is an even better shanty than Dead Man’s Chest!
Through your adventures you can dress your pirate in a variety of different outfits and equip them with weapons that unlock special abilities for use in combat. Also, for you achievement-hunters out there, GameCenter is fully supported on this title, with 50 achievements to unlock.
Scurvy Scallywags is available now on the App Store for $0.99, and you can purchase it by clicking here. We will have a full review in the coming days so be sure to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for our thoughts.
EA has released the first official gameplay trailer for the current-generation versions (Xbox 360, PS3 and PC) of FIFA 14. The video can be viewed embedded at the bottom of this article.
It details the new features found within the latest instalment in the FIFA franchise, (which is also coming to next-generation consoles), from ‘Precision Movement’ and ‘Protect the Ball’ mechanics to the ‘Pure Shot’ and most realistic ‘Ball Physics’ to date. Of particular note, we see the step-based locomotion technology in place, it’s development partially based on the recreation of the biometrics of real-world athletes. Accelerating/decelerating, changing direction, pivoting, cutting, planting and shifting momentum is now more precise and realistic, with each step a player makes taking into account their speed and positioning.
You can pre-order FIFA 14here. We are expecting (and look forward) to see footage from the next-gen versions at EA’s E3 press conference. Stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all future updates.
Overview
The “Mario vs Donkey Kong” series has evolved a lot over the years, allowing us to experience a more puzzle themed journey with our two favorite Nintendo mascots while trying to save the Princess all over again. Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move takes the namesake in a different direction, using one different but still familiar formula, and breaking it up into four different modes that offer something new to keep the player invested. Are these wind-up Marios starting to show some rust, or is this digital version just what we needed to see out of our beloved set of Nintendo toys? Let’s find out.
Gameplay
The old Mario vs Donkey Kong titles always required the player to find a way to get their toys to the destination by controlling the environment. Minis on the Move stays consistent in that approach, but uses a more accessible design for newer players to latch on to. If you have ever played Pipe Mania, Pipe Dream, or even completed those little hacking activities in Bioshock, you will be instantly at home here, as the entire game utilizes those types of mechanics to complete your goal.
The main mode (and I use that term lightly due to the heavy amount of content within each) titled “Mario’s Main Event” has a small Mini-Mario waddle out of a pipe. On the bottom screen, a green warp pipe is also in place beside a more vanilla version of the map up top. As the player starts, a timer begins and you must catch tiles as they fall into the structure using the touch screen, and attach them to the map to build a course for our toy to safely traverse. Sure, it sounds simple, but that timer is constantly ticking and once more than five pieces fill the pipe, it is game over. This means the player must be on their toes and have a ready eye for the correct piece at all times. The stages themselves are rather bite size, but come in great numbers so just like a lot of current mobile titles, there is always a more complex puzzle that awaits right after your current victory.
As stages are beaten, new mechanics enter the equation in an attempt to stump the player. Starting out, the player will simply be guiding their Mini-Mario toy to the star by connecting a path. As the game progresses, springs, enemies, and more pits enter the mix, making it more difficult to simply place pieces without thought. Yes, this means you get to use your brain in a tense, timed situation, but the charm of Minis on the Move keeps the atmosphere joyous enough make the experience pleasing, allowing the player to have many successes and failures as they quickly shift tiles. Bombs are also a big factor, as now and then an explosive will show up that can destroy a tile that was already set on the screen. Now, it does help to blow up an unnecessary piece, but you must do so with caution as bombs are rather rare, and one wrong placement of any tile will lead you to a game over in no time.
I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I didn’t say I wasn’t frustrated from time to time with Mario’s Main Event, as the timing of pieces and shape of the tile path on each can feel like luck a good portion of the time, meaning you might not get the next area of the path during your turn due to the falling tiles being of random design. Thankfully however, there is more than enough tools to get rid of bad tiles, so with a little patience and perseverance, Mini-Mario will be happily at that star and ready to continue on.
The best mode in the game is without a doubt Puzzle Palace, which bares a Princess Peach theme and comes with lower stress attached due to your needed pieces already being available from the start. It is kind of odd how that makes the experience more enjoyable, but with a few added mechanics and different level designs, it is this mode that quickly becomes the standout of the download. Many Mini Mayhem is also fun, creating a bit of chaos with the task of leading multiple Toads to their destination, but with the catch of swapping tiles on the map that are already placed by default. These two modes may not be the “Main Event”, but certainly allow the user to tap into some creativity without strain.
The mode to avoid sadly comes with the big Kong himself. I hate even saying that this mode is avoidable, but I just did not enjoy “Giant Jungle” much at all. Much like Mario’s Main Event, this mode has the player control a wind-up DK’s destination to the finish on a huge map with a hefty number of tiles. The timer is back, as is the pipe full of tiles – and due to the sheer size of the map, the journey has only intensified this time around. If this large map was present in a mode without a timer or the whole limited time aspect, there might have been a lot to enjoy within Giant Jungle. However, that is not the case as one wrong move means you must complete the giant puzzle all over again. It’s frustrating, and just seems like a miss compared to the delightful puzzle solving found elsewhere.
As for replay value, there is still a ton to be found. As I mentioned, there are a ton of stages to complete (over 180 in all), and each have coins that can be collected by setting up the appropriate path. This means you might just want to retry that level, even if you got to the destination just to get the colorful loot. For an incentive, Nintendo have added the ability to win toys and play a few mini-games as a reward for completion, but these offerings lack much substance and only offer a mild distraction from the main experience. Sure, I like polishing a statue of a new toy and there is a feeling of accomplishment to that collect them all scenario, but these rewards only go so far and don’t do much to broaden the actual gameplay due to the mini-games being forgettable party fare.
Visuals and Audio
The visuals in Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move are rather basic in 2D, but come in full effect while playing in 3D. You see, each map allows the player to rotate it to get better perspectives. While in 3D, this little feature adds more depth to the playing field, and makes the lovable little toys come to life even more as they hobble about. There isn’t a ton of detail when it comes to the artwork, but since we are dealing with toys, that isn’t much of a problem as the vibrant colors and solid shapes do enough to set a chipper mood.
The soundtrack is fairly basic and even a tad uninspired compared to most Nintendo fare, but still chipper enough to come off as enjoyable. To be honest, it is the little familiar voice acting of Mario and Company that makes the sound, with the addition of small squeaks and wind-ups that give off the charms of these little robotic characters. As I said, this doesn’t have the full budget of a bigger first party Nintendo title, but it has the heart – and that is really all that matters when you are dealing with Mario.
Overall
The Mario vs DK franchise has grown a lot over the years, and while it does fit into the line of portable titles, Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move isn’t quite as imaginative as it’s predecessors. For just under ten bucks however, Nintendo have created a well-rounded package full of clever puzzles, accessible gameplay, and all of the Mario goodness that one could ask for that is just right for the eShop. Go ahead, set a path – as these little minis are well worth the investment.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
We’ve seen a very tiny sampling of what Fairy Fencer F will look like thanks to a teaser trailer of Tiara in action and a handful of screenshots so far, but besides the few main characters revealed so far, little is known about what Fairy Fencer F will have to offer.
Well today Compile Heart released some new screenshots of the game which not only show off some of the game’s combat and dialogue sections, but also a new character named Harler. Harler is being described as a mad scientist who often becomes absorbed in her research and cares little for her outward appearance, which may explain why she’s wearing such a revealing top.
Over the last few weeks Compile Heart has been releasing promotional videos for Hyperdimension Idol Neptunia PP focusing on each of the CPUs from Hyperdimension Neptunia performing a song and dance. We’ve seen Neptune, Noire, and Blanc so far and today the company closed out CPUs with Vert/Green Heart. It is unknown if the CPU Candidates will be included in this game, so we may see some more videos in the future.
Anyways, the video can be seen below and it features Vert performing the song “HP ∞ Love Power” (idol dance ver.) with her voice actress Rina Satou handling the singing. As for the game itself it is set to be released on June 20th in Japan while NIS America has so far been silent regarding a possible Western release of the game.
Sparkle 2 Developer:10tons Ltd. Publisher: 10tons Ltd. Platforms: iOS (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad) – Reviewed on iPad Release Date: 5th June 2013 Price: $2.99 – Available Here
Overview As the sequel and spiritual successor to the original Sparkle iOSgame, is Sparkle 2 more of the same or another blast of fun? It’s time to dust off the Slinger and find out.
Story Though the gameplay is simple, there is an apparent plotline looming in the background, pushing you to march onwards. Long ago, five enchanted keys were created and it was said that, when combined, they unlocked something of great value. Due to this, the keys were scattered across the land. Throughout time, many have looked for the keys and none have succeeded. Being the player, it is naturally your destiny to find the five keys of legend and claim your prize, without losing your soul to the obsession of a pointless quest.
Gameplay Though there is a dark plotline present, there is a fair amount of gameplay and story segregation within Sparkle 2. You control the Slinger, simply tap an area to fire the coloured marble currently loaded, match up groups of three and they disappear. You are also given the option of swapping the current marble with the one behind it, this is where the strategy begins. Occasionally the marble you are given is of little help as the cascade of colour flows towards the end of the course, and therefore the end of the level. As the game progresses, the tracks get more complicated, twisting around each other and even moving on different heights. As the marbles move in front of each other, it becomes harder to match up pairs as your options are slowly but surely blocked, giving you less time to make even more decisions.
Where would a game be without powerups? For every third or so combo, the game produces a powerup relic. These range from altering the colour of the remaining marbles, to a supercharged blast that decimates everything in its path. These powerups are a great help during the levels and as the game progresses, they pretty much become necessary to win. As you complete more levels, another type of powerup is unlocked. These “Enchantments” provide a number of functions from acting as upgrades to the Slinger itself, altering the difficulty of courses and even unlocking other features, such as the classic Survival Mode.
Visuals and Audio Sparkle 2 definitely has a contrast in its visuals. The background and overall theme of the world is dark. The game plays out along the trails of a shadowy forest, locked in night and home to abandoned windmills and statues that reach out to the sky (literally, it’s a statue of an arm). Amidst the perils of this dangerous world are your key to survival, brightly coloured marbles that explode into pretty sparkles. The blue, red, green and yellow onslaught of colour that rolls across the brown, blacks and dark greens of the background are a definite contrast.
The overworld theme music has an almost majestic quality to it, adding to the mystical purpose of your marble matching journey. During the levels themselves, the soundtrack has a definite fairy tale feel to it, though more upbeat than the overworld theme. Both pieces of music create a unique feeling, somewhere between innocent fun and looming danger. At certain points during the game, when receiving a key, a single frame “cutscene” appears complete with foreboding narration by an ominous deep voiced man.
Overall Sparkle 2 is a great iOS game. It’s relatively simple and a whole lot of fun to play. Though the storyline is not really important, the game likes to constantly remind you that there is one. Although it is somewhat unnecessary, in the end it doesn’t take away from the gameplay and that’s what matters most. All in all it’s a fun iOS game and a great way to lose time, playing for way longer than you may set out to.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
