Gamevil has just shared it’s figures from their financial reports for the financial year ending 2011. The figures indicate that this has been the company’s best performance yet. All reported figures are in South Korean Won (KRW).
2011 annual sales reached 42.6 billion KRW, operating income reached 17.5 billion KRW and net income reached 16.1 billion KRW, each figure having grown by 39, 12 and 9 percent respectively, over 2010 results. The fourth quarter results also topped historic company records, with sales at 16.5 billion KRW, operating income at 6.3 billion KRW and net income at 5.8 billion KRW. This marks growths of 65, 42 and 44 percent over the previous third quarter. Sales from smartphone devices, which accounted for 73 percent of annual revenues, and sales outside of Korea achieved a growth of 106% over the previous year.
Gamevil has also recently released Zenonia 4 and Baseball Superstars 2012, and other titles such as Arel Wars have also enjoyed success in 2011. The company also had success with externally developed titles, such as Air Penguin and Cartoon Wars.
“Having bested our records again, year over year, is especially meaningful as we face changing trends in the market,” said Yong Kuk Lee, Chief Financial Officer. “As smartphone adoption continues to grow worldwide, GAMEVIL will continue to bring entertaining, innovative and more social game experiences to our audience.”
Gamevil expects a 58 percent increase in sales for 2012, and plan to release over 40 new titles during the year.
While Arc System Works has mostly been focusing on their excellent BlazBlue franchise in this console generation, they still haven’t forgotten about the original fighting franchise that made them big, the Guilty Gear series. As Arc System Works has just unveiled a HD remake of their last Guilty Gear game, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus.
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus was originally released in 2008 for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, and then later on the Nintendo Wii in 2009. The game is essentially the final version of Guilty Gear XX: The Midnight Carnival, and the upcoming HD remake will not only feature HD resolution but also online play for the console versions.
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus is confirmed for an arcade and console release, and while there is no solid release date at this stage, it will certainly happen sometime in 2012. The game is confirmed for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as a digital download and will feature a network mode.
Arc System Works will be sharing more information on the console version soon. In the meantime, check out the images below.
UFC Undisputed 3 has now hit retail shelves worldwide for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game boasts a huge roster of over 150 fighters as well as the addition of Pride mode.
The game has substantially improved various areas of the game including Career Mode, online as well as the general match engine and gameplay.
“UFC Undisputed 3 delivers a best of class experience certain to resonate with MMA fans, sports enthusiasts and fighting gamers around the world,” said Danny Bilson, Executive Vice President, Core Games, THQ. “The game also demonstrates THQ’s commitment to quality and digital ecosystem development, including a robust downloadable content offering, attractive Season Pass Program and popular Facebook initiative featuring UFC heavyweight fighter Alistair Overeem.”
To read our review of UFC Undisputed 3 click here, and also check out the launch trailer down below!
Recently Viz Media forced the hand of wildly popular manga scanlation site Mangastream into submission after what the owner of Mangastream calls “agressive and escalating” threats of legal action made by Viz Media.
As per the demands of Viz Media, Mangastream has dropped the following Viz licensed titles from their rotation: One Piece, Hunter x Hunter, Bleach, Naruto, Reborn!, Claymore and D. Gray Man.
Viz have claimed that Mangastream are hurting the authors of the manga through their illegal actions, however the majority of the titles pulled from Mangastream are no longer being released by Viz or are not planned to get any releases any time soon (Hunter x Hunter, Reborn!)
This had led many fans to fight back against Viz Media for what they are calling unfair and unjust actions (Mangastream did not archive manga, only hosting the past 2 or so weeks worth before removing old content). Many took the Viz Media’s facebook page, which as of posting is still flooded with messages of hate.
Viz Media have urged fans to support their digital Shonen Jump Alpha magazine for iOS devices. Many have expressed hatred for the app which is not only incredibly buggy, 3 weeks behind the Japanese releases and lacking many popular manga series, but also not available in many countries. Perhaps the most hard hit are the international fans who no longer have any way to read their favourite manga series due to Viz Media’s actions and lack of solution to the piracy problem.
Shueisha, the Japanese company that publishers the manga originally as a matter of fact owns Viz Media, which is leaving more fans puzzled as to why a better solution can not be reached when it comes to releasing content faster and with more accurate translations.
Viz Media unfortunately have not announced any plans to release the series that are not being shown in Shonen Jump Alpha in any capacity and do not have any plans to speed up the releases in Alpha. It is a sad day when an American company believes that they have the right to remove content and lock it away from the rest of the world and then not plan to match that content’s release in even the slightest manner, leaving fans worldwide unable to access the manga they love.
You can visit Viz Media’s facebook page to witness the fan outcry surrounding this very controversial decision made by a company that is clearly very out of touch with their own consumers. Let us know what you think of this situation in the shoutbox and comments section below.
Razer, one of the most renowned gaming hardware manufacturers, and BioWare, the development house behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, have partnered to bring forth to the world a new series of Mass Effect-themed gaming peripherals.
PC fans of the series can deck out their gaming rigs with the Mass Effect 3 editions of the Razer Imperator gaming mouse, Razer Black Widow Ultimate gaming keyboard, and the Razer Vespula double-sided mouse mat. Xbox 360 players will be able to purchase Mass Effect-embellished Razer Onza Tournament Edition controllers and the Razer Chimaera gaming headset. The line of products are said to give players “a competitive advantage” in their fight against the galaxy-destroying Reapers.
The new product line also features Mass Effect-themed iPhone protective cases and messenger bags. Each of the products is emblazoned with Commander Shepard’s classic N7 logo and they can all be preordered on the Razerstore right this very moment.
Mass Effect 3 hits store shelves on March 6th, and a singleplayer and multiplayer demo is available now.
DARIUSBURST SP Developer: Pyramid Publisher: TAITO Platforms: iPad (Reviewed), iPhone (Reviewed), iPod Touch Release Date: February 9th, 2012 Price: $10.99 USD/$11.49 AUD Available Here
Overview
There is a small elite club in the video game world. In an age where video game franchises come and go, a franchise that has survived for over two decades is a rare sight to behold. The Darius series started in 1986 with the game Darius for the arcade. The formula is simple and has not changed much over the years. But for the first time, the Darius series has reached a touch screen platform in the form of DARIUSBURST SP. This major change in platforms brings along some big changes to the control scheme of the game and a $10.99 USD price tag to boot. Does DARIUSBURST SP live up to its predecessors? Does it justify its hefty price tag?
Visuals
DARIUSBURST SP is mostly a great looking game. Enemies are colourful and focus on a fish and crustacean theme, ranging from what looks like flying Master Chief helmets of Halo fame to robotic seahorses. The boss battles deserve a special note. They take the design ideas of the cannon fodder type enemies and turn them into something menacing and unique. The backgrounds strike a good balance between interesting, but not eye catching enough to distract from the action in the foreground. The one big detractor to the visuals is the player ships. Compared to the enemies, they look pixelated and messy. DARIUSBURST SP is based on the PSP game DARIUSBURST from 2009.
The visuals seem to have gone through an upgrade since its release on the PSP. Although the player ships look exactly the same from the PSP version, the enemies look like they have been improved. The game looks great on both the iPad and the iPhone sized screens, though iPad users will notice that their screen is displayed in widescreen format to stay true to the original game. The UI is minimalistic and unobtrusive. Players are free to adjust the buttons on the UI to their preference. I wish more games would do this as some times buttons get in the way of players preferred control scheme. This method allows a near zero chance of accidentally hitting a button at an inopportune time. For the exception of the lousy looking player spaceships, DARIUSBURST SP provides well executed visuals.
Audio
The one point that sticks out the most in this game is the audio experience DARIUSBURST SP brings to the table. The first Darius series was well regarded for its avant-garde soundtrack, and thankfully DARIUSBURST SP carries on this tradition with an amazing soundtrack. The music is a frantic electronic sound, with influences ranging from rock music to jazz. The music really helps to give players a feeling of being on edge, ready to twitchily dodge the incoming stream of enemy ships and bullets.
Boss fights are a special treat, as they have their own unique twist to the music that turns up the emotional intensity. The sound effects of ships exploding and guns firing are well done. Interestingly, the sound effects seamlessly meld into the music, helping to build the frantic tempo of the music. Although not a music or rhythm game, anyone playing DARIUSBURST SP with the sound muted is missing a huge part of the Darius experience.
Gameplay
DARIUSBURST SP is your traditional side scrolling shoot’em up game similar to the Gradius and the R-Type series. The whole game can be boiled down to fighting your way to epic boss battles while dodging enemy fire and suicide ships as you collect upgrades to your ship. Unique to DARIUSBURST is the inclusion of the Burst system. The Burst meter is filled by destroying enemies. With enough burst, players are able to unleash a special attack to do massive damage that is unique to the ship used. The game itself is split up into small short levels capped off by a boss battle. After a boss battle, players are given the choice of which path to take similar to Star Fox 64’s path system.
Like any good game that finds its roots in the arcade, scores are tallied at the end of the game with a high score list. There is very little in regards to a storyline for the exception of a small blurb at the end level of the game that does not seem to change depending on the route you choose in the game. There are three modes offered in the game. Original mode is self-explanatory and SP mode provides a remixed version of Original Mode, changing up enemy patterns and boss battles. Both these modes follow the Star fox 64 path system. On completion of either mode, Mission mode is unlocked. Mission Mode provides one life and pits players against a variety of challenges.
Two ships are available for play right away with two more available for unlock. Additionally, the game has a View mode that allows players to view the models of enemies and the short cut scenes at the end of missions. These are unlocked you play the game more. DARIUSBURST SP provides a challenge to newbies and experts alike. There are three difficulty levels and customization options for Original and SP mode is available to change how many lives and continues are available for use. This allows DARIUSBURST SP to be an excellent starting off point to those new to the genre while still keeping veterans entertained.
The switch from a traditional control scheme to a touch screen system can be a dangerous one. The transition can go horribly wrong in many ways. Admittedly, I was leery about how well a genre that relies on accurate and quick movement could translate onto the touch screen. DARIUSBURST SP quickly put my fears to rest. Controlling the ship is as simple as sliding your finger around the screen. This can be done anywhere on the screen as not to interfere with the view of the action.
Additionally, many UI movements can be shuffled around in the options screen so you can keep the area where you like to control the game clear. This allows the buttons for Burst mode and automatic fire to be easily pressed, while still being out of the way. Although the ability to move the UI around is not nearly as important on the iPad, on the iPhone this is a god send. I am notoriously bad at the side scrolling shoot’em up genre, but I found I quickly shook off my reputation for failure thanks to the touch screen controls. The ships respond quickly and accurately input and controlling your ship feels completely natural.
Overall
Without a doubt, DARIUSBURST SP is a great game. The visuals are tight and the soundtrack is second to none. However, there is a big question hanging above the game. Is DARIUSBURST SP $10.99 USD good? Considering most big titles for major game developers rarely crack the $10 USD mark, DARIUSBURST SP can be a bit of a hard sell. There is a good amount of replay value to the game due to the arcade style nature of the game. However, the caveat is that the replay value comes exclusively from beating your previous high scores. This may not be enough for some players to justify the high price tag. If you are a huge side scrolling shoot’em up fan or you are looking to make one big splurge purchase on a top notch game with a tried, tested, and true reputation, then buy DARIUSBURST SP right now. But if the sticker shock is a bit too much, then put DARIUSBURST SP on your must buy when on sale list. You will not regret it.
It seems that a whole branch of THQ has suffered greatly from the publishers financial downfall over the past few months. So much in fact that the company has chosen to shut it down completely at the end of the month. THQ Japan will be closing its doors and letting go of all of its staff on February 29th according to Andriasang.
This leaves the state of future THQ releases in question up in the air, as they did not reveal what, if any, companies would be publishing the titles in Japan instead of them. As you can see above, this does not please Japanese born WWE wrestler Yoshi Tatsu…
A Japanese news report is claiming that a large number of developers who were creating games for the PlayStation Vita have chosen to cancel their projects and instead are switching to creating Nintendo 3DS games. Sony on the other hand has responded to this claim, stating that third party companies are still fully backing their system.
Nikkei was reportedly told by an unidentified source that “Major Japanese companies are cancelling all projects intended for Vita and are changing development to 3DS.” Sony’s Scott Rohde was quick to dismiss this claim, simply stating that it is largely exaggerated to Gamasutra. He went on to say that “I know many, many, many third party developers are feverishly working on Vita titles, not just for now, but for the foreseeable future. There’s always going to be the hot platform of the moment in our industry. There’s always going to be reason to talk about a story like that.”
Tecmo Koei recently revealed that they would be bringing the franchise-combining Warriors Orochi 3 to Western gamers next month on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. The games are set to be released in America on March 20 and in Europe on March 30. However it seems that, while the Xbox 360 version of the game will be seeing a full retail release, Sony has a strange policy that is forcing Warriors Orochi 3 to be a digital download only.
According to Destructoid, Sean Corcoran, Marketing Manager for Tecmo Koei America, has explained that Sony does not allow games without English voice acting to be released on retail discs. The game will not be sold at full price however through the PSN, though no price has currently been set yet.
Still on the fence about purchasing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 on PC? Or were you waiting for a sale before taking the plunge. Good news, Steam is offering Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 for 33% until Monday, February 20th at 10 am Pacific time. Additionally MW3 will be free to play from now to Monday, February 20th at 1PM Pacific time. You can download the game here.
This way you can see just how good your skills are before you buy the game and turn out to be a total noob that would only be a detriment to your team, or perhaps a shooter god capable of running a 3.5 K/D ratio.
Gamevil has just shared it’s figures from their financial reports for the financial year ending 2011. The figures indicate that this has been the company’s best performance yet. All reported figures are in South Korean Won (KRW).
