Nordic Games, the publishing company behind games like Painkiller, Torchlight, and the upcoming game The Raven, have announced today that they’ll be releasing ArcaniA: The Complete Tale to the PlayStation 3 on May 31.
Initially released for Windows PC and Xbox 360, Arcania: The Complete Tale will combine ArcaniA Gothic 4 together with the Fall of Setarrif expansion pack adding a whopping 10 hours of gameplay to the original story.
Set in a rich fantasy world, ArcaniA is an action RPG that invites players to immerse themselves and explore the rich world. Both gameplay and the game world will be affected by the weather, which is accompanied by fantastic atmospheric music and top-of-the-line sound effects.
For more information, be sure to check out the game’s official website here.
UFO Interactive Games, the folks that brought you Way of the Samurai III, Raiden IV, and more, are bringing you a third-person shooter for the Xbox Live Arcade dubbed Scourge: Outbreak.
Developed by Tragnarion Studios, the upcoming shooter will be releasing for the Xbox Live Arcade on July 3, 2013. The game features a raw, gritty, futuristic squad-based game built on Unreal Engine 3. It pits the veteran mercenaries of Echo Squad against the Nogari Corporation, their sworn enemies. Echo squad will have to go behind enemy lines to save a double agent and recover a mysterious meteorite fragment.
Originally released for PC in 2010, Scourge: Outbreak marks the debut of the massively overhauled The Scourge Project: Episodes 1 & 2. Key features to the new and improved game include:
Up to 4-Player Co-op Campaign with 6+ hours of gameplay
4 Playable Characters, each with different weapon handling stats and a distinct combination of Special Abilities
Unique character-specific flashbacks that reveal critical past events, and shed a new light on the game’s story
XP system to track your experience and unlock powerful gameplay rewards in Campaign AND Multiplayer
Squad AI for groups with less than 4 Players
Quick-Order-System (QOS) for rapid deployment of squad-members
9 Weapons, plus multiple variants of each to suit your style of play
Up to 8 Players in Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture-The-Flag multiplayer Versus modes in 5 action-packed maps!
Leaderboards for competing with friends and other Players around the world!
Challenging Achievements to unlock
For more information, be sure to check out the trailer video below. You can also check out the official website for the game here.
Finally after a gruelling wait, comic book and superhero fans around the world are beginning their countdowns, as in just three short weeks Superman finally soars back onto the big screen in “Man of Steel“. The movie had garnered considerable buzz even before the casting was official, as it was announced that David S. Goyer (Dark Knight Trilogy) was writing the screenplay, Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) was sitting in the directors chair, and Christopher Nolan (Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception) would be acting as producer.
Through the course of the film’s production Warner Brothers has met the fan enthusiasm by providing a plethora of updates, tweets, set pictures, posters and trailers all to keep us informed and hungry for more. It seems like every few days there has been something to remind us how much we really want to see this movie. Today WB dropped the latest of these morsels on us in the form of a new full-length trailer. The trailer features General Zod (Michael Shannon) calmly demanding that the people of Earth hand over Kal-El/Superman (Henry Cavill) within 24 hours, or “face the consequences.”
If you are anything like me, this new trailer on top of everything else will have you counting down the days until Man of Steel’s June 14th release date. For those playing at home it is 22 days at time of posting (If you are in Australia, we don’t get the film until June 27th, so it is 41 days). If you just can’t wait that long for your Superman fix, then check out the awesome new animated film Superman Unbound which is based on the 2008 story-arc: Superman: Brainiac.
Check out the trailer below, and be sure to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the news about Man of Steel leading up to its release. Until then lets just hope we don’t have to;
“Kneel Before Zod!”
– General Zod, Superman II (1980)
Metro: Last Light has come out and received some pretty high praise from us at Capsule Computers HERE, but with the retail release finally out that doesn’t mean the folks at 4A Games don’t have more to explore in the world. Which is why they and publisher Deep Silver have announced the Metro: Last Light Season Pass, which will include 4 DLC to add to the story, world, and game.
With 2 new single player experiences with “Faction Pack” and “Chronicles Pack” both focused on other Metro characters, the “Tower Pack” with all new solo challenges to face, and finally the “Developer Pack” to give the player new tools to explore the game world, the Season Pass also includes a new weapon in the form of the Abzats, a semi-automatic shotgun rifle. If that doesn’t seem overpowered enough, the Abzats also has a secondary fire of 6 shells at once.
While the first DLC to be released will be the “Faction Pack” in June, players can get the Metro: Last Light Season Pass right now for 1200 MS Points on Xbox 360, or $14.99 (£11.99 / €14.99) on PlayStation 3 and PC. Those with PlayStation Plus however can get an additional 25% off until June 4th in North America (June 5th Europe and worldwide). Haven’t picked up Metro: Last Light yet? Check out our review HERE.
Those convention goers who happen to be going to this years MCM Comic Con will be in for a little treat every day of the convention when Art Director Scott Lee presents Ubisoft‘s upcoming Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Don’t think that it will be the same thing every day either, as Scott will be demoing a version never seen in the UK live before with a different focus each day.
Being presented on the Xbox360Achievements gamestage, the first session will begin at 16.00 on Friday May 24th and feature a general overview of Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Fans of the stealth side can come back the next day, Saturday May 25th, at the same time (16.00) to see a stealth focused demonstration. Finally, on Sunday May 26th action fans can come at 15.00 to see a more aggressive take on the gameplay.
But, these sessions will be more than just showing off Splinter Cell: Blacklist, as Scott Lee will also be answering questions from those attending, then finishing up each day with a signing. So, those headed to the convention should try to check out what they can.
While the Australian fans of Mortal Kombat have only just received Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition this month, the PC gamer fans have been sorely overlooked. That is until today anyway as the games’ developer NetherRealm Studios and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment have announced that the Komplete Edition will be making its way to Windows PC this summer thanks to the work of PC devs High Voltage Software.
Packed with all the DLC available for the console version of the game, including addition characters Kenshi, Skarlet, Rain, and Freddy Krueger. The added content doesn’t just stop with the extra characters as 15 additional “Klassic” skins for characters and Klassic Fatalities for their 3 most famous ninjas; Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Reptile.
PC gamers can expect to get Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition as a digital download July 3rd, while those wanting to pick up a physical copy will have to wait until August 2nd. Not sure how the game stacks up, check out Capsule Computers’ own review HERE.
After reaching $269,000 out of the $350,000 target, Thomas Lund, CEO of Full Control, explained what this meant for the development process:
“We have been blown away by the support of both the Jagged Alliance community and modders since we started the Kickstarter campaign…We have 60 hours left to raise the remaining funds so we can turn what has been a concept into a full-fledged release that will stand up to the classic turn based-action of the originals.”
Gameplay features will focus strongly on the core elements that enabled the success of past games in the series. In-depth strategy, intense action and an RPG element are all strong indicators that through Kickstarter, Full Control have had access to a lot of community feedback and support. This inevitably suggests that it’s going to be a hit with fans of previous titles in the series.
Full Control have also released a video developer commentary to offer players more insight on the upcoming release – (see below)
Sanctum 2 Developer: Coffee Stain Studios Publisher: Coffee Stain Studios Platforms: PC (reviewed), Xbox, PS3 Release Date:15 May 2013 Price: $14.99 – Available Here (Steam) – 1200 MSP Available Here (XBLA)
Overview
In the crowded FPS and Tower Defence markets, it can be hard to stand out. Sanctum 2 manages this feat simply by being a clever mix of the two with tonnes of polish. I wasn’t expecting to be wowed when I picked up the game, despite the positive reviews the first had received. After playing for a few hours, I came to see how some would be drawn to this type of play. Multiplayer fans will get the most out of what this game. Sometimes I felt I was navigating a User Interface rather than playing a game, but the same criticism could be levelled against any Tower Defence game.
Story
Kudos to the guys at Coffee Stain Studio for trying, but the story for Sanctum 2 is pretty thin. Each loading screen before entering a level reveals a page of a comic book that serves as exposition. Stylistically, these panels suit the tone and aesthetic of the game despite being almost devoid of content or character. All that you need to know is that aliens want to attack your base and you can’t let them. The character development is pretty weak outside of their individual designs. To be fair, the character designs are amazing. Everything has an anime cyberpunk sheen which matches the in-game use of technology. Inasmuch, the universe feels particularly polished but lacks depth on closer inspection.
Gameplay
Luckily, this game doesn’t need to concern itself with a cohesive narrative. Sanctum 2‘s core mechanic is deliriously fun. If you’ve played an FPS or Tower Defence game before you’ll immediately feel comfortable with these two phases of gameplay. If you are into these genres, it’s going to take a little while for the difficulty curve to catch up to you. Once you get to the harder levels the dedication put into executing this game cleanly will become obvious. When simple mechanics can be stacked on top of each other to bring further complexity to the overall game without making it feel bloated you know the developer has hit on something solid.
Sanctum 2 is built around 2 core phases; base building and shooting. Base building consists of plotting to lead incoming enemies away from your base and into your line of fire. You are given a limited amount of base related resources at the beginning of each round that either help you build walls or buy towers. Towers have different impacts on play; some are Area of Effect weapons and others are big old mounted guns. Successfully mixing combos of these towers is the only way to ensure victory. Initially, you will only be granted 2 slots for defensive phase add ons, however once you start leveling up you will be granted additional slots. As the defensive walls begin to snake around the level, you will be tested in finding the most efficient placement of these upgrades.
The second phase is all about shooting. If you’ve structured your walls correctly, a significant amount of the hard work should be done for you. Having said that, the balance between the two core mechanics is calculated to ensure the shooting phase doesn’t feel inane or ineffective. Of the 4 classes, I never really strayed from the demolitions expert because explosions are cool. The difficulty level ramped up pleasantly when I tested out the shot-gunner class. These two classes felt like they were useful in achieving specific goals within the game. The other two classes, the assault and sniper, didn’t fit the pace for me. Choosing assault means you’re not going to be able to play with much versatility; if you were on a team I can’t imagine this class ever dominating. Sniping has its issues too, removing the player too far from the action in a game reliant on close quarters strategy in both phases.
Levelling is handled by a classic RPG interface which is welcome. In the last few years we’ve seen a lot of games dump in RPG levelling features simply because games are expected to. Sanctum 2 offers useful abilities, weapons and towers as you rise through the ranks, abating any notion that these features were forced into the game. Adding Feats of Strength goals to levels before you play increases both XP and difficulty in game. Reading their descriptions may give you the impression that they don’t do much, but activating all five Feats of Strength will be punishing. You’ll definitely get your money’s worth if you attempt to get the achievement for finishing the game with all of them activated.
Enemies types are varied and come with specific approaches the player must learn if you want to take them down as quickly as possible. They aren’t hard to figure out, but their diversity means you’ll be swapping strategies constantly throughout play. As an FPS it doesn’t really test your twitch skills and this kind of game shouldn’t. Taking down large swarms of enemies requires good positioning and playing to your perks, so it’s best not to squander them. Mixing up tower slots can be treated far more liberally. Bosses are just larger than normal bad guys who have the ability to break through walls. While it can get repetitive, they are challenging and pretty much always end up dragging you away from what you’re doing.
Visuals & Audio
Sanctum 2 is a good looking game. Each design opportunity is relished, whether it’s a menu or character models. In the defensive phase, tower positioning manages to meld the necessary clarity of showing you where you’re putting stuff with a holographic interface. The whole game is a mix of detail and clean execution. Much of the character comes from the visuals; the Autumn sisters only feel like they have spunk because of their sweet outfits. In the dialogue they’re pretty drab people but once you’re in game they mature into warriors. All the costumes have these futuristic curves to them, in contrast to the angular aliens they really pop out as not just clothes, but weapons. Some maps are murky in parts but once the shooting starts you won’t notice.
Navigating your way through the options, picking levels and selecting perks is really simple thanks to the lay out. In fact, the futuristic lay out of menus and display icons work to help build the universe. Simple touches like this say far more about the world than pages of dialogue. That kind of attention plays through everything, including the audio. It’s a subtle soundtrack. Most of it is folley; self-assembling robot sounds and the like. Such an unobtrusive approach allows players to project tension onto the game rather than having a bombastic score tell them.
Overall
Sanctum 2 is the kind of game a designer would be proud of. The fluidity of play makes it highly approachable for people of all skill levels. Best of all, you always know what’s happening around you, what you have to do next and the choices available in order to to it. Hardcore FPS fans, being the high maintenance bunch they are, may huff about the difficulty. Hardcore Tower Defence fans, if they exist, would probably find this pretty satisfying. If you want to systematically blow away stuff then look no further.
To get the most out of this game play with friends. Not only do you get to chat to your mates, but there’s more stuff happening on screen which really adds to the chaos. There are probably a bunch of people who are skeptical about the idea of a Tower Defence FPS and I think they should probably stay away from this one. It plays out almost exactly how you’d expect. Rating the mechanic alone, this game is slightly above average. Add in the slick design and the great artwork this game features and all of a sudden this game stands out against the bell curve.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Rush Bros., a music-injected, platform racing game of the likes you probably haven’t played before, is coming very soon on May 24 with cross-platform capabilities between PC and Mac.
With what is described as “reactive” level design, players will race each other through levels with gameplay that changes to the beat of the music you play. The game will have both single-player Fast Forward and Survival modes as well as multiplayer support with split-screen. The competitive online mode allows you and a friend to race as either DJ Bass or DJ Treble.
Courtesy of Digital Tribes Games and XYLA Entertainment, Rush Bros. will be on sale on Steam with a 10% off sale of $9.99 along with a special 2-Pack Bundle at $14.99 for a limited time, so bring a friend. The game will support English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese and Turkish language options.
Check out some single-player and online gameplay below, and for more info follow their Facebook and Twitter pages.
SMASH! has just confirmed that director Matsubara Hidenori will be attending the convention this year, joining Japanese voice-actors Masakazu Morita and Haruka Momoi on August 10.
Hidenori-san is also a famous character designer and illustrator for well-known classics like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ah! My Goddess and Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. It will be his first time visiting Australia, coinciding with the Evangelion Art Exhibition currently touring Australia’s east coast.
“We want every guest panel to be distinctive in its own way,” says SMASH! President Ray Elinon. “To have a celebrated artist-director attending SMASH!, fans can expect a live demonstration and a Q&A panel with Hidenori-san on the day. This is a great chance for aspiring artists to meet and learn from him.”
The Sydney Manga and Anime Show is an annual, one-day convention that will be held on Saturday, August 10 2013. For more info, check out their official site.
