Activision have released a Call of Duty door hanger for players to download. This doorhanger is based on their latest map pack that has just been made available for download and purchase on a a bunch of platforms. This map pack is called the Revolution DLC.
Activision have made up a character called The Replacer. Essentially The Replacer replaces you so that you can spend more time playing Call of Duty. You can have The Replace replace a multitude of your tasks, like mowing the lawn or ordering a pizza.
Check out the link here to begin the The Replacer process and obtain your doorstop and/or start a Replacement service.
March 1st to 3rd at the Emerald City Comic Con, Meteor and Adhesive Games will be in attendance at booth 3005 where they will be accompanied by a life-sized HAWKEN mecha for players and visitors to take photos of and with. There will also be playable builds of the game available at the show where players can battle it out with each other on the show floor.
The team have also announced that there will be an art show for those over 21 years of age. At this art show there will be drink specials available for you alongside (or by using?) your ECCC lanyards. The Hawken ATTACK Show, as it is called, will be available for viewing at the Vermillion.
Lastly, be sure to visit their ECCC2013 page to claim your free Hawken Credits. They’ll go a long way in-game. I can almost afford a new mech.
Black Ops II players that have been waiting for that latest map pack to the Playstation 3 and PC can breath easy, as Revolution has hit both platforms, offering four new multiplayer maps and much more.
The four new maps consist of the following:
-Hydro: Located in Pakistan, this hydro-electric plant comes complete with a lethal spillway that floods with very little warning.
-Grind: Set in a skate park in Venice Beach (the birthplace of skateboarding!), quarter-pipes and curved surfaces drive players away from easy cover and into intense firefights.
-Downhill: A ski resort in the French Alps, this snowy map is complete with a moving gondola system that can both offer cover and crush you to death.
-Mirage: Located in China’s Gobi Desert, a luxury resort has been ravaged by a sandstorm.
Sound good? Well, that isn’t all. Zombie lovers will also be getting their fix with Revolution, as this duo of maps will add plenty more for the undead to croak at.
Details for the new zombie content can be read below.
Zombies fans get a terrifying double-dose of undead action in Revolution. First,the new map, “Die Rise,” drops players inside a maze of crumbling skyscrapers amidst a ravaged Chinese city, where all-new Wonder Weaponry will play a crucial role as they make a valiant stand against the impending zombie hoard. Additionally, Revolution’s new Zombies mode, “Turned,” flips this new fan-favorite mode around, allowing players to become the undead and play as a zombie, offering an entirely new style of bragging rights.
As you all probably know, you can purchase this pack for $14.99, or just simply go download Revolution if you are already a Season Pass holder (which can still be purchased for $49.99 – bonus content included). Check out the new trailer below, and turn on that PS3 or PC and get to downloading if you are wanting to add some new life to your Call of Duty.
It’s that time again folks. Time to ready those eShop spacebucks and download the latest offerings from Nintendo and friends. This week, it’s all about the demo. As of today, those anticipating Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirrors of Fate can snag up the demo ahead of the March 5th release – to which it will be available for a full retail or digital purchase.
Speaking of demos, BIT.TRIP Presents… Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien is available on the Wii U in demo and full form this week, bringing about the sequel to the cult classic indie release.
More you say? Well, Majong fans will be happy to know that Mahjong Mysteries – Ancient Athena is available on the 3DS eShop for $4.99, while Coaster Creator 3D can be snagged up for $9.99. On the DSiWare front, Easter Eggztravaganza shares the upcoming holiday with all for $4.99, and Retro City Rampage makes it’s long awaited WiiWare debut on the Wii for 1000 Points.
Not a bad lot at all. Go out and download away folks, and let us know your pickings in the comments for this week’s digital offerings.
Recently I got a chance to interview Production Manager at Siren Visual, Elio Fois. We discussed Siren Visual’s history and future, the popular noitaminA brand, new merchandise ranges for certain Siren Visual series, their thoughts on the current anime landscape and much more.
Q. Siren Visual has been around for more than 25 years now in Australia and nearly 20 years since it began distributing anime. What do you think has attributed to Siren Visual’s success in the anime industry?
A. Firstly, we were the Company that brought anime to Australia with our launch of the Manga label, based in the U.K., back in 1994. With the release of titles like Ghost in the Shell and Ninja Scroll it was totally new for Australian audiences who had been, for many years, exposed to Japanese anime through Astro Boy, Gigantor, Prince Planet and Marine Boy, throughout the 60’s but had never been exposed to the newer more elaborate or indeed darker productions, both for film and TV, that Japanese Companies were producing from the late 80’s onwards. Our return to anime, in 2009,was due to a combination of factors including the niche market genre, the maintenance of the fanbase and the catalogue of titles that could be created over a long time period. Japanese Companies were also maintaining a high level of title production and many worthwhile titles remained unreleased, especially those that were not being dubbed into English. I think our success since 2009 has been as a result of the demand for both dubbed and subtitled creations that were not being released yet in demand.
Q. How would you describe Siren Visual’s position in the Australian anime industry?
A. Without doubt Madman remains the pre-eminent company for anime releases in Australia and they have put a lot of resources and effort into that side of the company. However, as mentioned above,there was room for a second tier player that picked up good titles and also put an effort into providing something a little different. I think we are now respected by the anime fanbase, release consistently, attend most of the major, Australia wide, anime events and interact with our customers through Facebook and our own website. This has all combined to put us firmly in the minds of anime fans and to make us the number 2 player.
Q. In the past few years Siren has released an increasing amount of off-beat anime titles such as those from the noitaminA brand. Some of which have never been released in any other English speaking region. What makes niche titles like the noitaminA line so popular?
A. Once again I think it is the need for us to be doing some things a little differently and the noitaminA titles have given us this opportunity. Most remained unreleased in the U.S. or did not receive English dubs, although quite a few of the more recent titles are now getting those dubs. It was a deliberate move and as with all risks some have been successful releases and others not. A title like the recent Thermae Romae has been totally unique in it’s style and theme and that is not a bad thing.
Q. The name noitaminA represents many things to anime fans. What does noitaminA mean to Siren Visual?
A. To Siren Visual it is a brand within our brand. Fuji Creative have gone out there and sourced/produced titles that may not have been green lit by many other studios. They have also created their own merchandise store, which I visited on a recent trip to Japan. This is where they hold screenings, serve coffee, sell merchandise and generally launch the noitaminA titles that are upcoming. We are just happy to be able to help push this in Australia.
Q. A growing trend in the Australian anime industry is the increase of subtitle-only releases. What is the benefit of subtitle-only releases in comparison to dubbed releases?
A. Frankly speaking there is no “benefit” in releasing sub-titled series or films as sales results,in most cases other than a few exceptions like “When they Cry” series, are never like those of dubbed releases. However, as previously mentioned, there are some great series that either are ignored by U.S. licensees or slip past their radar that deserve to be released, as with the follow on to “When they Cry”…”Higurashi no Naku Koroni Kai”. We will still be looking out for more subtitled only releases in the future.
Q. Siren Visual previously simulcast the anime series Tiger and Bunny through ANN Video. Will we see any more simulcasts like this?
A. Unfortunately our association with ANN ceased at the end of 2011. The results achieved by them for our simulcasts and the costs involved in keeping their end going were just not adding up. It is not something we are working on at the moment.
Q. What can we expect to see from Siren Visual in 2013 and beyond?
A. In 2013 you will continue to see Siren Visual making regular announcements about title acquisitions with Tiger & Bunny, Book of Bantorra, Intrigue in the Bakumatsu, Mawaru Penguindrum, Heaven’s Memo Pad and a few more taking us to mid year. We will also be launching our first titles onto iTunes, for download and last but not least we will finally, after many, many years of the Japanese Companies being very reluctant to allow it we will be putting together ranges of merchandise for sale in Australia and New Zealand, for some titles.These will include t-shirts, coffee mugs, caps, note pads, key rings, etc. I intend to expand as much as possible into this area, contracts permitting.
Q. How would you describe the current state of the Australian anime industry and its future?
A. Judging by the continued presence of large numbers at most of the anime events we attend, the Facebook numbers (nearly 4000 to date) that we have and the store and online sales levels we are achieving I would say that currently it is still quite strong and stable. Blu-Ray has not set Australia on fire, as yet, but it is slowly picking up. Anime is a genre that will outlive more mainstream TV or Film and the “collectors” fanbase remains as vibrant and dedicated as ever. Therefore I see a “steady as she goes” future at this point in time.
That concludes our interview with Production Manager at Siren Visual, Elio Fois. For more information on Siren Visual and their products you can check out their official website here. As always be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section below.
In a saddening announcement made earlier today on the Hanabee Facebook page, the Anime series Bakemonogatari is having it’s release date pushed back here in Australia. This means that Part One will be releasing on the 3rd of April, 2013, while the second part will be releasing at a To Be Announced date sometime afterwards.
Unfortunately the announcement was made without a justification, at least on the Facebook page. If you were to take a look over at their Twitter page, however, you would find that the reason for the delay is a production error of some kind.
You can see this announcement below.
We're sorry to announce that Bakemonogatari Pt1 & Pt 2 has been delayed due to production. Please expect Part 1 to be on sale in April.
Penumbear, the puzzle platformer from iOS developer Taco Graveyard (creators of the musical runner game Four Hats), is finally live via the App Store now for $1.99, 1.89€. Penumbear is a game where you literally walk the line between light and shadow, flipping on lights to create new paths as you work through over 100 levels.
“Overall, Penumbear is a fantastic package. The platforming is responsive and the puzzles are well-designed. There is plenty of content here – over 100 levels, hidden stages, 138 collectible teddy bears hidden throughout the stages, and more will give you hours and hours of game to explore. ”
“Penumbear is one of the best puzzle platformers on the iOS and easily worth the price of admission.”
We highly recommend you give Penumbear a look. You can check it out on the App Store’s page here.
If you helped fund the OUYA Kickstarter then you’ll be excited to know that shipping for the indie console starts on March 28. Those who didn’t can still get on board but you’ll have to wait until June, which isn’t all that long. Some pretty great teams are being assembled to make OUYA exclusives and/or launch titles.
Valve’s Kim Swift, whose work on Portal and Left 4 Dead brought her much acclaim, is working on a OUYA exclusive. No official announcement on the content of the game as yet other than proclaiming it will appeal to ‘core gamers.’ She’ll be teaming with Airtight Games.
Minority Media are currently developing a game that is designed to utilise the OUYA’s touchpad and buttons simultaneously. Minority Media are the team that developed the critically acclaimed PaPo & Yo.
‘The Ball,’ developed by Tripwire Interactive, will be coming to OUYA in March. They’ve also announced that a OUYA exclusive, intending to extend on their iconic FPS puzzler titles.
‘ChronoBlade’ will also be coming to OUYA. nWay, a web & mobile free-to-play developer, and the OUYA developer team are working together in order to optimise the game for a television screen-sized experience.
On the back of that huge info dump, they’ve also announced that Kellee Santiago, co-founder of thatgamecompany and maker of ‘Journey’ will be the new head of lead developer relations. The title has been tagged DBF or Developer’s Best Friend. This move is all a part of making sure that developers can get tight feed back and involvement from the people they require it most from.
As Spiders Studio is nearing the release of Mars War Logs they and publisher Focus Home Interactive have thought now is the perfect time to announce their next game. Intended for release before the end of the year, Bound by Flame is an Action RPG with a main character possessed by a flame demon. The kicker? It is up to the player if they will sell pieces of the character’s soul in exchange for power or maintain piety for heroic traits instead.
Players will have a lot of choices as not only will they decide from giving into temptation, but also full customization of the main character from gender to facial features. Players will also have three skill trees to decide how they want to fill them, but should have plenty of chances to try out different ways as choices in the game will impact how things will play out.
Bound by Flame also allows players to craft and improve equipment, such as weapons and armor to ensure they are exactly how they want them in order to combat the vast bestiary, which will include a great variety of creatures to face. From shadow dragons, to liches, to ice creatures to name a few, as well as the Swamp Beast which can be seen in the picture above.
While they are a little short on other details currently there will be plenty of time to show off much more of the game in the intervening time. Bound by Flame will be released for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC at the end of 2013.
Overview
Have you ever been initiated into a group of people? Well, I can guarantee you probably have never been initiated into a group of mages. When joining a group of people, you normally train alongside a “master” of the trade for quite some time before getting your hands dirty. But of course the best way to test out your current prowess is to throw you into a fray of goblins…
Story
Albeit the demo was short, I found the story to be interesting enough to want to pursue further. Starting off as the fire mage – D’arc, you are given the task to prove your worthiness of receiving your initial magical powers. By acquiring a gem and performing rigorous tasks to illuminate the object, D’arc can finally practice his skills as a mage. However, your teacher teleports you to a forest where he does not join you. Waylayed by enemy goblins you must think fast and utilize your new abilities in order to save your own skin.
And there you have the demo in a nutshell. Being short and simple, Mage’s Initiation sets up a viable storyline in a fantasy point-and-click adventure.
Gameplay
I would first like to point out that I jumped right into the game disregarding all instructions. It is a personal habit which allows me to dissect a game internally by identifying its learning curve without knowledge of basic/advanced controls. At first I noticed that my character could only walk everywhere with the left mouse click. Further investigation made me aware that double-left clicking enabled the character to sprint to target location. Testing out the right mouse button provided additional options for inspection such as: use, talk, look, inventory item, and spell. Finding these options made the demo much easier to traverse.
One aspect that needs close attention is active battles in a point-and-click adventure. I have noticed that in any point-and-click that response times are a bit sluggish in processing commands. As seen in Mage’s Initiation, the action of walking and running seem slow at the moment and could cause frustrations while in active battles. I am guessing that the team is currently working to improve this performance before the final launch.
Conclusion
With the demo being a very slim experience it is hard to tell at the moment how much content that will be provided upon release. We do know that four different mages can be selected at the start but the developing storyline could essentially be the same experience with a few twists. Other concerns will strictly deal with combat and the effectiveness of movement when in these active environments. If battles remain sluggish with player movement, the combat element will become tough to grow accustom to and deter players from enjoying the active battles. Fine tuning this area of the title will definitely bring out the role playing elements instilled through the rest of game.
To help Himalaya Studios further with the project you can donate at their Kickstarter page (here) or even give an approving vote at their Steam Greenlight (here).
