SG Interactive is undoubtedly excited to celebrate the upcoming fourth anniversary of the release of their golfing based MMO Pangya Challenges, and the fans will have a reason to celebrate as well. The developers plan on giving back to the fans in a big way with various interactive events and exclusive giveaways. The developers want the celebration to focus on the players that make up the loyal fanbase instead of the game itself and fans can expect great prizes and content in the form of raffle prizes.
Players traveling through Pangya Island will hope to discover one of the many “Master Keys” hidden around the land which can be used to spin the Anniversary Wheel to get some great prizes. Another inclusion for the anniversary is the Fan Art Competition in which players can enter their original art to be showcased ingame on Pangya Island as well a nice reward. Another exclusive item being raffled off is real Pangya “Comet” golfballs and gamers who subscribe for the news letter will also win a prize for playing.
Pangya Challenges is an anime-based golf MMORPG thats deeper than it appears at first glance. It feature 18 courses scattered over the game’s Pangya Island and includes five competitive modes for head-to-head play such as Versus and Tournament modes; the game also has all the real world obstacles that face all golfers like sandtraps, the fairway, and the frustrating water hazard. Gamers can find information at SG Interactives official site and those interested in getting in on the action can speed to the games site for the action.
Dungeon Hunter 4 Developer: Gameloft Publisher: Gameloft Platform: iPad (Reviewed), iPhone, iPod Touch Release Date: April 11th, 2013 Price: Free Available Here
Overview
Dungeon Hunter 4 is Gameloft’s latest dungeon crawling action RPG. The game features four playable classes, a complete single player campaign, and two multiplayer modes for co-op and arena PvP.
Story
The heroes of Dungeon Hunter 4 are members of the kingdom of Valenthia. Better known as the Valen, the kingdom defeated the demons a long time ago and entered an era of more normal struggles against their barbarian neighbours, the Kenashi. One day, the demons reappeared and all hell breaks loose. The player’s character is the archetypical chosen hero who will change the course of the battle and save the Valen from destruction.
Although the plot of Dungeon Hunter 4 ticks off all the traditional western RPG archetypes, the writing is very good. The conversations are believable and manage to have a few funny moments that feel very natural. The game does not bring anything new to the table plot-wise, but the story in campaign mode stays interesting enough to avoid becoming forgettable window dressing.
Gameplay
Dungeon Hunter 4 is a full-fledged action RPG experience that could easily succeed on the PC or console. There are four classes, each with its own play style and skill tree. The player can equip one spirit skill, three active skills, and up to four passive skills at any given time, providing lots options for different builds. There is a small shop to purchase new items and a crafting system to create powerful new items. The item system is well thought out and logical. The controls are excellent. They are responsive and provide the option to customize the button placement. The customization option is a life saver for any gamer who plays with the heavier Retina iPads!
With all these excellent points in gameplay, where exactly did Dungeon Hunter 4 go wrong? The In App Purchase scheme. It is incredibly aggressive. Every loading screen shows off some item that can be purchased with Crystals, the real money currency. Each time the player levels up, the game recommends an item to purchase at a small discount. Every item menu has a few items that can be purchased that are a marked improvement to the player’s current inventory. Extra inventory space is constantly advertised. Respeccing and unlocking skills early require Crystals. Players can revive where they died, for a price. The aggressive advertisement for in game purchases could be tolerated if it was not for the ridiculous potion scheme. The player can store up to three health potions at any time. Every eight hours, the player is given another health potion. Regularly, they cost 20 crystals, the real money currency in Dungeon Hunter 4. Crystals can be earned without using any real money by watching short 15-30 second advertisements. Each advertisement provides one Crystal, so in theory; a potion can be earned by watching approximately five to ten minutes of advertisements. Suddenly, Dungeon Hunter 4 sounds more like work than a game. If the player chooses to forgo purchasing health potions, they are stuck grinding an area to survive to the end.
Visuals
Dungeon Hunter 4 provides beautiful console quality visuals. The animations and textures are of high quality. Unfortunately, I noticed Dungeon Hunter 4 on the iPad 3rd generation suffers from the odd drop in frame rate in the first few moments of a freshly loaded level and when there are many enemies and spell effects on screen.
Audio
The audio in Dungeon 4 is top notch. The music is enjoyable to listen to, the sound effects are realistic, and the voice acting is very good. I thoroughly enjoyed the voice work for the NPCs. In comparison, I found the voice acting for the player to be a little inferior in comparison. Some of the delivery just missed the mark and felt a bit too forced some times. However, this is an extremely minor complaint.
Overall
Games like Dungeon Hunter 4 break my heart. The game is fantastic, but the aggressive IAP scheme completely ruins the game. The blame for this mess deserves to be split between the consumers and the developers, but that is a rant for another column. The controls, the gameplay, the video, and audio come together in an excellent console grade package. But all of this gets drowned out by the unending flow of advertisements and the oppressive potion scheme. I would be more than happy to fork over ten dollars for Dungeon Hunter 4 if it meant that the advertisements were banished and Crystal prices were converted to in game gold. It would be worth the money. Too bad the option isn’t there.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Much to the excitement of developer Smart Bomb, their game National Geographic Animal Jam has been nominated in the ‘Games’ category at the 17th annual Webby Awards. The nomination comes as a treat as it symbolizes a recognition of being among the best content that the Web has to offer.
For those not familiar with the goal of the game, players take control of their favorite animals in free-roaming open world gameplay. Its also an educational tool as it teaches you about various flora and fauna present in the games world, Jamaa. The game is being recognized around the world as a great tool for teaching kids about the natural world in a fun way that also stimulates the mind. The way to fame for this title was only paved due to word of mouth from the many fans of Smart Bomb’s work, with players clocking in at over an hours worth of play per session which exposes them to over 60, 000 minutes of educational videos and other features to develop mental growth.
To be nominated for a Webby is a big deal, the group received over 11,000 entries from over 60 countries around the world. The ‘Games’ category is an especially competitive category with contestants being judged on several categories including content, visual design, interactivity, and functionality.
For fans interested in how they can help propel Animal Jam to the limelight can cast their votes for the win. Additional information can be found at Smart Bomb Interactive’s official site, or play the game at the official site.
Publishing giant Namco Bandai announced that they’ve struck a deal with indiePub Entertainment for three games to be released in 2013. Storm, Capsized, and Vessel.
All three games will be available for digital download on the Xbox Live Arcade. Storm and Capsized will both be made available through the PlayStation Store for the PlayStation 3.
In Storm, you will solve puzzles to guide a seed to fertile soil where it will take root and spring up new life. Capsized is a 2D action platformer where you must use your grappling hook, jetpack, and more to save your crewmates from bloodthirsty aliens. Vessel presents the players with puzzles to solve in a single-player game set in a steampunk world. It features a unique liquid-physics engine and features music from prodigy Jon Hopkins.
For more information, you can check out the official indiePub website here.
Com2uS released their newest game to iTunes today, GolfStar. The golf simulation features realistic 3d graphics and physics, bringing the golf course onto your iOS device. Com2uS are very proud to point out that over 70 different factors calculated in every swing. Each character has ten skills to master, a large variety of outfits and accessories to wear, and can participate in a variety of game types including career mode, multiple online modes, and major tournaments. To ramp up the competition, GolfStar features a weekly competition.
GolfStar is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch and can be downloaded for free on iTunes.
Welcome back for this week’s iOS Game Suggestions. If you missed last week’s, or are new to the suggestions, click on the link below and check out what cool games you should be picking up for your iOS device along with the introduction on how the suggestions work. (suggestions 1 has how it all works)
A great week on iTunes! As always, it started slow and but ended with a bang! There are many must-buy games this week in all departments, FREE, 99c and over 99c. This week I’ve suggested a total of 16 great quality titles. Make sure you check them all especially… Gemini Rue, Rayman Jungle Run, Lumber Jacked, HEAVY sword, Crime Connection, Dungeon Hunter 4 just to name a few.
Break down below :
7 – FREE Games
5 – $0.99c Games
4 – Over $0.99c Games
As always for this week’s suggestions are all new titles that you should take a look at and consider spending your hard earned iTunes cash / time on. Well the Free games just below certainly should all be given a shot as they won’t cost you anything!
For The Cheapskates – FREE GAMES
MASTERABBOTT’S FREE GAME PICK OF THE WEEK!
Dungeon Hunter 4 – Price : FREE – Publisher – Gameloft (The Demons, a race thought to have been extinguished eons ago, have returned. You awaken from what seemed like a nightmare to find your kingdom, Valenthia, decimated. Unharmed from the battle, you are mysteriously gifted with tremendous new power and skills. You could be your people’s only remaining hope…) on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Crime Connection – Price : FREE – Publisher –TAITO Corporation (Lead your own gang to victory against deadly rivals in a battle for city-wide domination!
In this crime simulation you’ll gain both territory and enemies as you climb the ranks from street thug to Mafia Don!) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Tink – Price : FREE – Publisher –BulkyPix (Tink is a gluttonous frog with an endless appetite. And there is good news: the swamp just got invaded by a flying insect swarm! Tink can count on his old pal Otto the otter. Otto holds a shop in the middle of the forest, where he brews mysterious concoctions. Try them
all to upgrade Tinks skills, freeze the screen, to speed up your gulping aptitudes or to unleash the full-blown tornado!) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
4 Elements – Price : FREE – Publisher –Playrix (The ancient kingdom is in trouble! The magic of the four elements that kept it running for centuries has been corrupted by evil powers and the altars no longer yield the energy of life. It is up to you to unlock the 4 ancient books of magic and collect 16 mysterious cards that will help you restore the kingdom to life. An adorable little fairy will be your aide in this perilous journey as you encounter elementals, dragons, knights, and various magic creatures.) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Pocket Village – Price : FREE – Publisher –Wooga (In Pocket Village, build a tranquil mini-paradise for your Pocketeers to live in. Trade with the mysterious balloon trader as she passes through your village. Help the cute and happy Pocketeers gather a host of interesting treasures as well as extract rare natural resources. Craft, create and explore with the Pocketeers in this lovable and attractive 5 star game.) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
RAD Soldiers – Price : FREE – Publisher – WARCHEST Ltd(Assemble a squad of fearless soldiers and lead them into explosive, turn-based battles against your friends and single player missions around the globe. Use the outrageous special abilities of your mighty mercs to turn the tide of battle and come up with hilarious new ways to leave your opponents eating your shrapnel/bullets/dust. Level up your squad as you play to master new abilities and use the spoils of war to unlock brand-new soldiers, weapons, and outfits.) on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
GolfStar – Price : FREE – Publisher –Com2us (Introducing GolfStar™, the greatest golf game you’ll ever play, featuring realistic graphics, a multitude of pro golf techniques, and powered by physics-based gameplay. Play with other golfers from all over the world in real-time! Experience heart pounding, hole-in-one action with GolfStar™!) runs on iPad & iPhone. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
For The Bargain Hunters – 99c Games
Heavy Sword – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Monster Robot Studios (Inspired by classic platformers of old! Take control of a young hero by the name of Pike! Run, jump, dash, chop, bomb, smash your way through Goblin, orcs, ogres, Robot knights, Wizards, lava, falling rocks, man eating plants, and loads of other dangers on your quest to rescue the Princess Lucinda!) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
Bottle Cap Blitz – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Big Pixel Studios (Introducing Bottle Cap Blitz, the explosive one minute action game where you fire bottle caps to smash as many ice cubes as possible in 60 seconds!) runs on iPad & iPhone. BUY NOW
Lumber Jacked – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Everplay (Take on the role of Joe the Lumber Jack in his quest for justice against the notorious Bustin Beaver and his band of beaver bandits! Bustin Beaver has stolen the lumber that Joe worked so hard to collect and those bandits seek to build their own dam nation. This cannot be allowed!) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
Runaway Snack – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Alawar Entertainment (Help a cute little fish make sure he doesn’t become the next meal! Escape the alien chef, ready to cook you for a tasty snack! Play through over 80 levels, but be extremely careful! Obstacles and traps await you along the way! Absolutely stunning graphics, the cutest hero you have ever seen, and top notch physics gameplay await you in Runaway Snack!) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
Mr.Crab – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Illusion Labs (Join Mr. Crab on his greatest adventure! Mr. Crab is a super fast arcade game with a twist. Take control of Mr. Crab and jump your way to the top, rescuing as many baby crabs as possible. Just tap on your screen to jump and climb to reach the top of the ever-spinning tower. But be aware, there are some foul enemies that will do anything to stop you.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
For The Millionaires – All games over $0.99
MasterAbbott’s over 99c Pick Of The Week!
Gemini Rue – Price : $3.99 – Publisher – Wadjet Eye Games (A sci-fi noir adventure in the tradition of “Blade Runner” and “Beneath a Steel Sky.” Azriel Odin, ex-assassin, arrives on the rain-drenched planet of Barracus. When things go horribly wrong, he can only seek help from the very criminals he used to work for. Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a man called Delta-Six wakes up in a hospital with no memory. Without knowing where to turn or who to trust, he vows to escape before he loses his identity completely. As fate brings these two closer together, we discover a world where life is cheap, identities are bought and sold, and a quest for redemption can change the fate of a whole galaxy.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
Where Angels Cry– Price : $2.99 – Publisher – G5 Entertainment (Embark on a secret mission to a mysterious and isolated monastery! Journey deep into the Alps to a remote medieval monastery, where you must investigate the disappearance of Brother John as well as the curious case of a weeping statue. Explore the monastery and its eerie surroundings while interrogating its inhabitants, completing challenging tasks, solving perplexing puzzles and playing dozens of mini-games. Uncover a sad and shocking story of love and treachery in this exciting adventure game!) runs on iPad. BUY NOW
Rayman Jungle Run– Price : $2.99 – Publisher – UBISOFT (The legendary platforming hero is making the jump to your favorite iOS device! Rayman Jungle Run is powered by the same UbiArt Framework engine that brought you Rayman Origins – Winner of numerous Game of the Year and Platformer of the Year awards.) runs iPad & iPhone. BUY NOW
Blue Toad Murder Files: A Touch Of Mystery – Price : $2.99 – Publisher – Relentless Software (As one of the detectives from the infamous Blue Toad Agency you arrive in the quaint village of Little Riddle for a well-earned break. But there is murder and mystery afoot. Eliminate suspects, get witness evidence and solve the puzzles to discover Whodunnit. Who is the mysterious murderer?) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
There you have it folks these games should keep you busy for quite some time well until next week at least. I’ll be back next week for another dose of iOS goodness, in the meantime if you would also like to suggest your own suggestions, please feel free to share them in the comments section below or in the iOS forum section on the site here.
Despite failing to meet its target on Kickstarter target of £300,000 , Ambient Studios hasn’t given up on Death Inc. yet. Instead it’s moving the game to a paid alpha model that let’s gamers start playing today for $10.
The full game will be available in November 2013 for $19.99 ,but players who want to support the title’s development can pledge their support now and get immediate access to the alpha version, which is downloadable from today for $10. Those playing the alpha will gain a unique insight into the game’s development until launch, including access to special pre-purchase-only development builds, secret forums and other assorted goodies.
Boasting a quirky art style, and genuine laugh-out-loud play mechanics, Death Inc. places players in the shoes of Grim T. Livingstone, freelance reaper, as he wanders through 1660’s England spreading fear, pestilence and the bubonic plague.
Jonny Hopper, Director at Ambient studios has said
“We were overwhelmed by the support we received during our recent Kickstarter campaign.Despite the fact we didn’t reach our initial target, we did raise support of over £122,000 – that’s a tremendous amount of support which has given us the confidence to push on.Players who pre-purchase the game now will be able to join us on this incredible journey as Death Inc. helping us shape it into the game we know will be enjoyed by the world over.”
Death Inc. can be pre-purchased now from www.deathincgame.com, and Death Inc. will be released in November 2013.
Warner Bros., DC and Netherrealm Studio’s have today released the official launch trailer for their upcoming DC Superhero fighting game, Injustice: Gods Among Us. The fighter is being developed by the team that released the latest Mortal Kombat game and as such, looks like it will be a very tight and fun fighter.
Injustice: Gods Among Us will feature a new and unique storyline featuring many of DC’s most recognisable superheroes. This storyline will place all characters in a world where good and evil doesn’t matter, and in a world where heroes can face-off in the most brutal and engaging battles ever.
Be sure to check out the video embedded below to see the trailer.
To celebrate the release of Injustice: Gods Among Us on April 17th, (along with the launch trailer just released) Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment have commissioned these cool infographics for both newcomers to DC Comics and die-hard fans alike.
They detail some of the key characters from the universe, and the game. One focuses on the Superheroes and one focuses on the Super-villains, with each offering an insight into each character’s humble beginnings and assembling the best traits of them all to posit the ultimate Superhero and the ultimate Super-villain.
Check the infographics out below. We will have our Injustice: Gods Among Us review up as soon as the clock turns to 12:00am on April 17th. For now, make sure to vote in the Battle Arena to determine the champion between Batman and Superman, and download the free iOS game that enables you to unlock extras across both versions (console and mobile).
Breaking Update: Players will now be able to warp between Bonfires from the beginning of the game. And one can’t help but be happy about no more slogging through already discovered areas.
It’s time to sharpen your sword, don your armour and wearily step into battle once more, because Dark Souls II has finally revealed the new horrors that players will have to endure in a dark world. Confirmed as a direct sequel to the original Dark Souls, Dark Souls II will however feature an entirely new world and character, with this Hero cursed and seeking a cure in these new and uncharted lands.
Players will once again be able to experience the soul crushing difficulty of the previous two games with Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura taking the helm as new developers; Hidetaka Miyazaki (who directed both Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls) will luckily still be returning in a supervisory role.
Combine the new gameplay features and a brand new awe-inspiring but always deadly world shown off in the trailer below with the incredible news of the return of dedicated servers, and you have a Dark Recipe for success. Coming to the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC sometime in 2014, Dark Souls II looks to continue the running trend of quality From Software has become known for.
Check out the just revealed cover art for each version down below and make sure to watch the “Despair” trailer for a taste of what is to come.
