Dying Light finally out in stores today

Chris Hare
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0
Dying Light finally out in stores today

Starting today, Dying Light is finally available as a boxed release in across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Techland’s latest zombie title has already become a best-seller in the United States and has been reported as the fastest selling new IP in the survival horror genre.

“We’ve already seen millions of players enjoying their zombie survival experience” – says Adrian Ciszewski, Game Director. “With the physical launch of the game in new territories, we hope the population of the quarantine zone will grow even more. Both announced and unannounced new content is still coming to Dying Light, so our fans can rest assured we’ll keep them entertained for a long time.”

To celebrate the release and the great critical reception of the game, today Techland released a ‘Dying Light Accolades Trailer’ featuring ‘Killing Strangers’ from Marilyn Manson’s latest album ‘The Pale Emperor’.

Key Features:

Go Anywhere, Climb Anything – Whether you jump between rooftops, climb walls or attack foes from above, you can move around the city with ease and speed.

Creative Brutality – Fight using a diverse selection of melee weapons: knives, bats, axes, as well as loud but powerful firearms. Make use of unusual weapon upgrades and construct your own tools of combat.

Hunter by Day, Prey by Night – In daylight you can explore the city and search for supplies with relative ease. After nightfall, though, the zombies become much more agile and dangerous, so you have to use all available means to survive till sunrise.

The London Book Fair & the Children’s Media Conference

Chris Hare
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0
The London Book Fair & the Children’s Media Conference

The London Book Fair (LBF) has announced a series of new partnerships and initiatives designed to open up new rights opportunities at the fair and nurture new conversations and collaborations between publishers and other media professionals.

The London Book Fair Logo

The first ‘Creative Industries Day’ will take place on Thursday 16th April (Olympia in London) and sees LBF welcome a host of visitors, speakers and delegations drawn from the worlds of film, interactive, games and app developers, as well as publishers of comics and graphic novels. These creative industries professionals will share their expertise on how intellectual property can be extended into new areas of the media. They will also get the chance to meet their peers in the publishing industry to discuss new and potential opportunities for collaboration at structured networking and matchmaking events throughout the day.

Publishing and aligned Creative Industries opportunities at the Fair will include: –

The Children’s Media Conference (CMC) Rights Exchange

LBF will host the second edition of the CMC Rights Exchange, a new market event that connects children’s publishers with multimedia developers and producers that will run throughout the day on Thursday 16 April in Olympia. Kicking off the day with a major keynote, the Rights Exchange curated by CMC, will run a full day of pre-booked meetings matching rights owners with content producers, developers and licensing professionals. This will be complemented by a number of themed seminars in the Children’s Hub throughout the day, which are free-to-attend for LBF visitors.

The first CMC Rights Exchange took place in November 2014 to great success, itself a spin-off of the well-established annual Children’s Media Conference in Sheffield in July, which brings together professionals from children’s media across all formats including TV, interactive media, games, licensing, toys, radio, books and magazines.

Greg Childs, CMC Editorial Director said: “The CMC Rights Exchange was developed as a direct result of demand from children’s publishers and television/ multimedia producers for a meeting place where they could build new partnerships around children’s IP. 

So it’s particularly pleasing to be able to bring the Rights Exchange concept to the heart of the international publishing community at the London Book Fair, and to offer opportunities for publishers to meet children’s production specialists to discuss multi-platform exploitation of their rights.”

Brand Licensing and LIMA

For the second year there will be a brand licensing lounge and exhibiting presence alongside Brand Licensing Magazines Total Licensing and Guide to Licensing World. LIMA, the ‘international’ trade association for the Brand Licensing industry, will once again be curating a programme of seminars around the opportunities across brand licensing and publishing.

Film & TV Producers Delegation (in partnership with Boudica Films)

Working in partnership with award-winning independent finance and production company Boudica films, LBF will welcome a delegation of film and TV producers to the fair. These producers will participate in a round of structured networking. This will help build deeper links between London’s vibrant film and publishing communities and identify projects suitable to make the leap from the page to the screen – and vice versa.

MIPJUNIOR

LBF is renewing its partnership with MIPJUNIOR, the world’s largest and most important showcase for kids’ programming in 2015. Under the partnership, publishers attending LBF will benefit from a special rate for the event in Autumn 2015 held at the Grand Hyatt Cannes, Hotel Martinez, while MIPJUNIOR will take part in the fair to take enquiries.

Gaming @ LBF in partnership with UKIE

LBF’s gaming pavilion will return to the fair for the second year, again in association with UKIE.  This year the pavilion is twice the size, and has a dedicated Interactive Theatre featuring panels and showcases from cutting edge Games creators.  The pavilion plays host to a range of developers, games publishers and creative professionals eager to explore collaborations between the gaming industry and the publishing industry.

Graphic Novels @ LBF in partnership with Sequential

LBF is delighted to be partnering with the iPad graphic novel app SEQUENTIAL to provide, for the first time, a dedicated area for one of the fastest growing areas of trade publishing – comics and graphic novels. The new pavilion will provide a home at the Fair for exciting international comics and graphic novel content and rights available for licensing and translation through a bespoke app designed by SEQUENTIAL. This will be supported by a series of seminars featuring key speakers from the world of comic and graphic novels in the dedicated Interactive Theatre. To celebrate LBF’s first Graphic Novel Pavilion, SEQUENTIAL will be releasing an enhanced digital version of the first-ever British graphic novel for adults – Posy Simmonds’ True Love – at the Fair.

Russell Willis, the founder of SEQUENTIAL, said, “We’re delighted to be working with the London Book Fair. SEQUENTIAL’s aim is to expand the market for graphic novels via the digital presentation and distribution of the best examples of the form, and this fits perfectly with LBF’s decision to recognise the growth and exciting potential of comics and graphic novels with this new Pavilion.”

BAFTA Rocliffe

LBF is proud to renew its association with the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum through a competition aimed at supporting emerging screenwriting talent for children’s media, which culminates in a trip to MIPJUNIOR for one finalist. To celebrate this, LBF will be welcoming film and television writers into the Fair for events and seminars.

Curtis Brown

World-leading talent agency Curtis Brown will reflect the themes underlying Creative Industries day in their event in the Media Across All Formats seminar streams. Their Thursday event, ‘Differences in adapting for film, TV, TV and games’ will convene a panel of experts to draw out the essential qualities of a successful cross-media adaptation.

The Social Network: YouTubers, Vlogger and Bloggers

This year, following the popularity of Booktubers within the Insights Programme, The London Book Fair will welcome stars of new media in the form of the inaugural Social Network for vloggers and bloggers across all spheres. This follows a year in which the stars of YouTube also became stars of publishing cementing the key role that vloggers play as a rich seam of content across children’s and adult publishing while also celebrating the influence of bloggers. The lounge will provide space for these essential content creators to film content, blog about their experience of LBF and network with the publishing industry and one another.

The lounge will also host a ‘matchmaking service’ for publishers and content creators interested in entering the world of publishing. Luigi Bonomi says of the new initiative: “Publishers have a great opportunity to capitalise on the abundance of creative content that this now established medium has delivered.  I’m delighted to see vloggers taking their rightful place in the leading hub for creators.”

Jacks Thomas, Director, The London Book Fair, said: “The publishing industry proves itself again and again to be flexible and intent on taking every advantage of creative approaches to content. With the enabling short cuts of digital advances, the opportunities to exploit IP and to discover the full potential of content – whether coming from books or being adapted into books from other media – is immense.

Both books as a medium and London as a creative industries hub make this Creative Industries Day at The London Book Fair an obvious aspect of the evolution of the book fair which reflects the energy and appetite for opportunity which characterise publishing.

Zombie Army amassing on gaming borders

Chris Hare
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0
Zombie Army amassing on gaming borders

Reports are coming in thick and fast that legions of undead super soldiers are but days away from overwhelming world defences, with owners of Xbox Ones, Playstation 4s and PCs predicted to take the brunt of the onslaught on 6th March.

Zombie Army

In response to this alarming news, self-appointed zombie exterminators Rebellion have taken it upon themselves to blast the virtual airwaves with an important public announcement outlining the tactics, weapons and zombie weaknesses that players will need to exploit if they have any hope of surviving.

Long story short? You’ll need rifles, a team of four hard-bitten sharp shooters and explosives. Lots of explosives.

WD announces four new My Cloud NAS devices

Andrew Edney
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1
WD announces four new My Cloud NAS devices

WD have expanded its suite of network attached storage (NAS) solutions with four new products that address the increasing demands for content storage, management, protection and streaming among prosumers, creative professionals and small businesses.

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The My Cloud Expert Series includes My Cloud EX2100 (two-bay) and My Cloud EX4100 (four-bay) high-performance NAS systems designed from the ground up for creative professionals and prosumers who need to reliably save, share, back up, stream and manage large amounts of digital data. Powered by the latest version of the dual-core Marvell ARMADA processor, these two new additions to the Expert Series offer top of their class read/write speeds for simultaneous, high-performance HD media streaming with up to 24 TB of storage capacity.

The new My Cloud Business Series includes My Cloud DL2100 (two-bay) and My Cloud DL4100 (four-bay) high-performance NAS systems built to provide the reliability, security and scalability small business customers need. Powered by Intel® Atom™ dual-core processors with up to 24 TB of storage capacity, the My Cloud Business Series runs on the acclaimed Linux-based WD My Cloud operating software (OS).

My Cloud Expert Series

For photographers, videographers, graphic designers and other creative professionals adapting to ever increasing file sizes, from RAW images and 4K video footage, the new My Cloud Expert Series products include the latest and fastest dual-core Marvell ARMADA 385 and 388 processors for high-performance media streaming, provide up to 24 TB of storage and the ability to keep files safe, secure and accessible from anywhere. The robust data management and security features let customers select their preferred methods for managing, sharing and protecting their most important movies, photos, music and digital files.

The included WD Red drives can be configured using multiple RAID options (model dependent) including RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 JBOD and spanning modes. Customers can use their My Cloud Expert Series products to centralise and back up all of their computers and notebooks with WD SmartWare Pro software for PC users, and with the Apple Time Machine backup software for Mac users.

My Cloud Expert Series products can also serve as a digital entertainment hub, seamlessly streaming movies and music to any DLNA/UPnP certified multimedia device such as gaming consoles, smart TVs and WD TV Live media players. The Twonky, DLNA-certified media server and iTunes server make for simple streaming of large movie and music libraries.

Additionally, the integrated file server, FTP server, backup server and P2P download server provide advanced data serving options. Customers can also customise their My Cloud Expert series NAS, monitor system health, manage users and energy saving features with the My Cloud dashboard, as well as use a suite of third party apps, including aMule, Icecast, Transmission, DVBlink, SqueezeCenter and more.

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My Cloud Business Series

The all-new My Cloud Business Series solutions allow small businesses to centralise and protect their data in the workplace and provide employees with secure access to critical data from anywhere. Powered by the latest Intel Atom dual core processor, with RAM up to 2GB, and data storage capacity up to 24 TB, small businesses have the performance and scalability, to meet their business needs.

Secure access, protection and backup of data for small businesses is critical. Offering AES 256-bit volume encryption and multiple RAID options (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, JBOD and spanning modes), the My Cloud Business Series offers small businesses multiple options to secure and protect their data. Customers can also use their My Cloud Business Series products to back up all of their computers with WD SmartWare™ Pro software for PC users and Apple® Time Machine® support for Mac users. My Cloud Business Series products can also backup themselves, either to another My Cloud in a different location or to cloud services such as Amazon S3 and ElephantDrive. Users can also use the one-touch USB 3.0 copy button to automatically copy data from an external USB storage device onto the NAS.

The My Cloud Business Series products feature many business-ready capabilities including iSCSI target and initiator, replication and file synchronisation, integrated FTP, WebDAV server, SSH Shell, and Microsoft Active Directory support. Additionally there are enterprise-class redundancies such as dual power supply ports with fail over, dual Gigabit Ethernet and UPS support. The My Cloud Business Series also provides memory expansion up to 6GB, and scalable storage through dual NICs or USB.

My Cloud Business Series products are available in several capacity options. The My Cloud DL2100 (two-bay) is available diskless or with 4 TB, 8 TB or 12 TB capacities. The My Cloud DL4100 (four-bay) is available diskless or with 8 TB, 16 TB or 24 TB capacities. With Easy-Slide-Drive technology, My Cloud Business Series customers can easily install or hot-swap drives in seconds, without the need for a screwdriver, toolkit or trays.

Anywhere Access

The award-winning WD My Cloud mobile app provides anywhere access to the entire My Cloud product family. With the WD My Cloud mobile app users can easily view photos, stream video and share, save and manage files from anywhere on their iOS and Android devices. The mobile app makes file sharing and collaborating simple, allowing customers to easily email files, share files as a link and print and open files with third party apps. The WD My Cloud mobile app also integrates major public cloud services so that customers can easily transfer files from their Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive public cloud accounts.

Availability

The My Cloud Expert Series and My Cloud Business Series products will be available through selected WD channel partners including retailers in store and online, e-tailers, distributors, authorised resellers and at the wdstore.co.uk.

The My Cloud Business Series is currently available online at wdstore.co.uk and the My Cloud Expert Series and My Cloud Business Series will be available with our channel partners in March.

Warranty

The My Cloud Expert Series and Business Series products come with a 3-year limited warranty for the populated products and a 2-year limited warranty for the diskless products. Terms and conditions of WD’s limited warranty may be found at support.wdc.com/warranty.

Pricing

My Cloud EX2100 Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)

MSRP for My Cloud EX2100 NAS is £239.00 for the diskless unit, £399.00 for 4 TB, £539.00 for 8 TB and £709.00 for 12 TB.

My Cloud EX4100 MSRP

MSRP for My Cloud EX4100 NAS is £359.00 for the diskless unit, £699.00 for 8 TB, £999.00 for 16 TB and £1,399.00 for 24 TB

My Cloud DL2100 MSRP

MSRP for My Cloud DL2100 NAS is £329.00 for the diskless unit, £499.00 for 4 TB, £609.00 for 8 TB and £829.00 for 12 TB.

My Cloud DL4100 MSRP

MSRP for My Cloud DL4100 NAS is £499.00 for the diskless unit, £799.00 for 8 TB, £1,099.00 for 16 TB and £1,419.00 for 24 TB.

The WD My Cloud mobile app currently is available for download for free from the App Store and Google Play.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Havoc out now for PSN

Chris Hare
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0
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Havoc out now for PSN

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Havoc, the first DLC pack for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is now available for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3.  Packed to the brim with content, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Havoc includes four new, epic multiplayer maps, access to the versatile AE4 directed energy assault rifle, the AE4 Widowmaker custom variant plus an exciting all-new cooperative mode called Exo Zombies.

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Havoc’s four exotic and diverse multiplayer maps are set around the globe and are tailor-made for players to unleash their exoskeleton’s abilities:

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  • Core: Deploy to the Gobi desert where the ravaged ruins of a nuclear fusion plant set the stage for a high-octane warzone. Take down enemies through the wreckage in long-range combat or get up-close and personal in the tunnels surrounding the central turbine. Activate decontamination drones using the map-based scorestreak to help clean out the competition.
  • Urban: Prepare yourself for brutal, high-speed combat in Dallas Ward 3, a future mega structure, funneling players into a close-quarters free-for-all. This modular compound’s verticality unleashes the exoskeleton’s capabilities. Stay focused during the timed event as blast doors alter the map’s flow and sightlines.
  • Sideshow: In the shadow of Devil’s Tower, Wyoming, this abandoned inn’s open layout amplifies its creep factor. Blast your way through the clown inn with close-quarters battles or use long-range site-lines from the mining facilities and natural terrain. Use the map-based scorestreak to activate the lights, music and magic of the clown marquee and rain down a barrage of rainbow smoke-trailed cannonballs.
  • Drift: An idyllic ski resort high in the Rocky Mountains is transformed into a festive high-altitude playground, perfect for an all-out firefight. Make your way to the highly contested over watch in the glass observation deck or take a ride on the carousel to deliver 360 degrees of carnage. Players can use the map-altering timed event to their advantage as an avalanche of snow and debris disorients players, intensifying the battle.

 COD_AW_Havoc_Core_1424971670

Havoc’s new cooperative experience, Exo Zombies, features a story told through the eyes of four employees of the Atlas Corporation.  Played by a celebrity cast consisting of John Malkovich (In the Line of Fire, RED, Burn After Reading), Bill Paxton (Aliens, Titanic, Edge of Tomorrow), Rose McGowan (Planet Terror, Scream) and Jon Bernthal (Fury, The Wolf of Wall Street), Exo Zombies ushers in a new breed of zombies and a truly unique experience in the Havoc DLC Pack.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Havoc is also included in the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare DLC Season Pass, where fans can purchase all four epic DLC Packs planned for the year, as part of the discounted bundle. The Havoc DLC Pack also includes the AE4 directed energy assault rifle and its custom weapon variant, the AE4 Widowmaker, combine a versatile firing mechanism with all-around movement speed and handling.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Havoc – top 10 examples of zombies in popular culture

Andrew Edney
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0
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Havoc – top 10 examples of zombies in popular culture

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Havoc, the first DLC pack for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is now available for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. Packed to the brim with content, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Havoc includes four new, epic multiplayer maps, access to the versatile AE4 directed energy assault rifle, the AE4 Widowmaker custom variant plus an exciting all-new cooperative mode called Exo Zombies.

Havoc’s new cooperative experience, Exo Zombies, features a story told through the eyes of four employees of the Atlas Corporation. Played by a celebrity cast consisting of John Malkovich (In the Line of Fire, RED, Burn After Reading), Bill Paxton (Aliens, Titanic, Edge of Tomorrow), Rose McGowan (Planet Terror, Scream), and Jon Bernthal (Fury, The Wolf of Wall Street), Exo Zombies ushers in a new breed of zombies and a truly unique experience in the Havoc DLC Pack.

To celebrate the release of Havoc on PlayStation, we’ve decided to round up our top 10 examples of zombies in popular culture!

10. Warm Bodies

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9. World War Z

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8. Michael Jackson in Thriller

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7. 28 Days Later

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6. Night of the Living Dead

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5. Dawn of the Dead

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4. Call of Duty: World at War

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3. Shaun of the Dead

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2. Exo Zombies in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Havoc

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1. The Walking Dead

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For the latest intel, check out: www.callofduty.com, www.facebook.com/callofduty, www.youtube.com/callofduty or follow @CallofDuty on Twitter and Instagram.

Win Glue The Complete Series on DVD

Andrew Edney
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92
Win Glue The Complete Series on DVD

To celebrate the release of Glue: The Complete Series on DVD, we are giving two lucky winners the chance to win it on DVD.

Glue Packshot

From the BAFTA award winning writer of Skins and This is England ’88, comes a compulsive thriller exploring the dark underbelly of the British countryside. Prepare to be stuck on GLUE: THE COMPLETE SERIES as it comes to DVD on 23rd February, courtesy of Entertainment One (eOne).

Featuring a fantastic ensemble cast of rising home-grown British stars including; BAFTA Breakthrough Brit Award nominee Callum Turner (Ripper Street, The Borgias) as Eli Bray, whose brother has been murdered; Jessie Cave (Pride, Great Expectations) as Annie Maddocks; Yasmin Paige (Pramface, Submarine) as Ruth Rosen; Jordan Stephens (Rizzle Kicks) making his acting debut as Rob Kendle; Adrian Rawlins (Silent Witness, Harry Potter) as DCI Simson; Billy Howle (New Worlds) as James Warwick; Faye Marsay (Pride, Fresh Meat) as Janine Riley; and Charlotte Spencer (Les Miserables, Wild Bill) as Tina Fallon.

When 14 year old Cal is found murdered in the small town of Overton, the lives of his friends change forever. During the police investigation old loyalties are stretched to the limit as dark secrets threaten to surface, secrets that could tear the friends and their communities apart. The tragic events set the village on a collision course that could spell disaster, and with the killer still at large, the race is on to stop them before they strike again.

How to enter to win

We have two copies of Glue: The Complete Series iller to give away on DVD.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Usual contest rules apply, and the winner will be selected at random. This contest is open to the UK only – sorry!

The contest ends at 12.00AM on Saturday March 14th, and Glue: The Complete Series is available on DVD now courtesy of Entertainment One.

Far Cry 4 – Valley of the Yetis announced

Chris Hare
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0
Far Cry 4 – Valley of the Yetis announced

Ubisoft today announced that Valley of the Yetis, new add-on content for Far Cry 4, will be released on 10th March (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC) / 11th March (PS4,PS3).

FC4_DLC_90_YETI_1424910680

Players step back into the role of Ajay at the moment his helicopter crashes on a perilous Himalayan ridge. Stranded with no shelter, players must capture a camp and guard it from a mysterious cult who will return to reclaim their encampment. If players persevere, they will have more to fear than a stand-off against the cult, as yetis lurk in the shadows.

Players can take on Valley of the Yetis in single-player or with a friend in co-op as they fight to survive in the harsh Himalayan Mountains. While searching for a way out of the valley, they will unravel the mysteries behind the yetis.

Valley of the Yetis is available as part of the Far Cry 4 Season Pass or can be purchased separately. The Season Pass includes Valley of the Yetis as well as The Syringe, Escape from Durgesh Prison, the Hurk Deluxe Pack and Overrun.

Review: Dragon Ball: XenoVerse

Sam Thompson
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0
Review: Dragon Ball: XenoVerse

The Dragon Ball franchise is often regarded as highly influential, not only by the series veterans who’ve followed its meteoric rise across the globe, but also the newcomers to manga and anime who, without its severe popularity, might never have explored those avenues. In the past, as exciting and as over the top as they can be, Dragon Ball games have largely felt all too familiar with each other, let’s hope its first venture onto the newest generation of consoles can spice things up a little.

In a hope to freshen up the series of games that, unfortunately, can’t delve into new canon story arcs, developers’ Dimps have chosen to incorporate the ol’ fan favourite time travel mechanic. Instead of repeating classic storylines from the past ad nauseam, instances in time have been altered in order to create some seriously fan-salivating moments. Whilst the plot itself will neither truly excite nor disappoint fans, it’s the clear attention to fan-fiction that will prevail; thinking of the game as more of a sequence of ‘what if’ moments will largely set the tone for what you’ll be playing. The inevitable downside being that, once more, newcomers to the series will likely not appreciate, or even vaguely understand the source material here.

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One of the subtler screenshots

New in this iteration, is the inclusion of a loose, if not terribly addictive set of RPG mechanics to tinker with. Starting out, you’ll create a character from a fairly diverse set of races including Saiyans, Majins and others; with each race also possessing bespoke abilities that are reflected in the show. That’s not where it ends either, you’ll also have to pick between either a male or female combatant, the male being physically stronger, in comparison to the females’ higher agility. Once you’ve finally plastered on an outfit and of course, chosen the most outrageously overt hairstyle, it’s pretty much time to explore the city of Toki-Toki.

In a style oddly reminiscent of Destiny’s Tower, Toki-Toki is where the MMO style (yes that’s right, MMO) hub is located. From here you can strut about, adorned in all but the commonest of clothing options, hoping people will notice your, not entirely unique pose. Clearly aimed around a centric community atmosphere, you can form up groups, request help from others, and even start a ruckus with a stranger, the usual stuff really. Whilst it seems to be the way games are going in this generation, they do still require a little work in terms of fluidity and streamlining. The separation between having an eye watering, airborne battle, complete with more anime effects than you can physically comprehend, before trotting about casually on your way to the shop is jarring to say the least. I suppose everyone has to have some downtime, but the pedestrian pacing can often be too much, especially when a simple menu would often suffice.

On top of the starting levels of customisation, Dragon Ball XenoVerse has plenty of loot tricks up its ghee too. On your way through the games’ many, many quests, there are quite literally hundreds of skills and pieces of equipment to unlock and acquire, not only satiating many a hoarders needs but also attempting to ensure each character can have a fairly versatile and distinct feel from one another.

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Your guess is as good as mine…

It wouldn’t be a Dragon Ball game without completely over the top battles; needless to say, this one doesn’t disappoint either. Whilst the combat might seem a tad too familiar to veterans of the series, there’s still a lot to appreciate. Fighting still takes place in enormous, dense and rich 3D arenas ripe for exciting brawls. Alongside the myriad of moves at your whim, there’s also a smattering of destructibility to the environments too, perhaps not as much as I’d like, but enough to echo moments of the show when they do occur. Attempting to once more add to the veritable spectacle are the 3 vs 3 fights where you would expect all hell to break loose. Unfortunately, they’re more frustrating than epic as your AI controlled ‘teammates’ will just nonchalantly sit back and relax whilst you’re getting beaten from all angles. It doesn’t help that the targeting system largely shows its true colours here either, often being the cause of many a cock up.

Once more, in terms of fighting, people new to the series will struggle to keep up for quite some time. There is a tutorial, but as is the trend with pretty much every fighting game, it’s of little help. Grasping the basics should, and will certainly inspire some to explore further into chaining attacks and such, but the true newcomer will likely be either spamming basic attacks or getting beaten up relentlessly. When eventually you do end up playing with some modicum of skill, the fights can genuinely become as epic as some of the franchises most well renowned moments. Patience and experimentation are usually their own rewards with fighting games; this is no different.

Whilst there is fantastic roster of nearly 50 fighters to choose from, I felt that my own unique(ish) creation was always my go-to character. Levelling up and unlocking both abilities and game altering items was by far my greatest draw. Others who’re much better versed in the lore of the series than I will likely relish the opportunities of certain matchups and scenarios, but I’m always partial to a little levelling! Content is certainly one area where the game simply doesn’t let up, as described earlier there’s no shortage of missions, unlockables and playable characters to whet ones appetite. Add to this, the sheer amount of fan service included and devotees of the Dragon Ball universe are bound to be happy.

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Chillin’ with Krillin

Dragon Ball XenoVerse is probably the nearest you’re likely to have come so far, to playing an interactive version of the show. It simply looks fantastic. The outrageous special moves and detailing of each and every character really help draw you in to the game. Vibrant and bright colours splash everywhere and are a treat in comparison to the many variants of brown and grey on offer elsewhere. The only slight let down sadly being the city of Toki-Toki, without much interaction on offer besides a smattering of shops and quests, for a hub, it seems a little too sparse and barren for somewhere to truly savour and enjoy.

There’s no doubt about it, XenoVerse has been imagined, designed and tailored for the fans. It’s got a plot that they won’t instantly know the outcome of; it’s got set pieces with a variety of ‘what if’ situations and a decent RPG base. The unfortunate downside to this is that newcomers won’t have a clue what’s going on for the most part. The story will make no sense and the tutorial’s lacking anything beyond basic actions. If you can get past that however, there’s no shortage of content to sink your teeth into.

Watch the FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD gameplay trailer

Chris Hare
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0
Watch the FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD gameplay trailer

With the launch of FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD just one month away, Square Enix Ltd., today released a brand new gameplay overview trailer for the upcoming title during its first European Active Time Report, broadcast live from London.

The overview trailer showcases some of the things fans can look forward to seeing inFINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD, including; the history and environments of the war-torn Kingdom of Orience,  the fourteen brave young warriors of Class Zero; as well as the action packed battle system, with customisable magic spells, and the ability to summon fearsome monsters known as Eidolons!

During the Active Time Report broadcast earlier today, Hajime Tabata, director of FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD and FINAL FANTASY  XV, also showcased the eagerly awaited FINAL FANTASY XV -EPISODE DUSCAE- demo.  The live stream featured a live gameplay demonstration – as well as an exclusive video which gave fans a deeper look at the ecology and wildlife that inhabit the world of FINAL FANTASY XV. The first European Active Time Report is available to watch again now.

Fast forward to 45mins into the video

FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD offers a new type of FINAL FANTASY experience not seen before in the series- one that is sure to captivate a new generation of players as well as long-time fans.

FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD will be released on 20th March 2015 and will feature an exclusive demo of the highly anticipated FINAL FANTASY XV game titled FINAL FANTASY XV -EPISODE DUSCAE-. The demo will be playable on day of launch, and will be available only while stocks last.

Guild Wars 2 getting first-person POV and more

Chris Hare
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0
Guild Wars 2 getting first-person POV and more

This week ArenaNet will reveal a host of new camera changes heading to Guild Wars 2, including the addition of a first-person camera and adjustable field of view options. These new features are slated to go live in-game on Tuesday, 10th March.

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Here are more details:

 •            First-person Camera

Zooming in all the way will allow players to experience a first-person view. First-person mode is available while standing in place, walking, running, jumping, playing PvP and just about anything else. There aren’t any restrictions on where first-person can be used.

•             Field of View

A much requested feature, the field of view slider is a setting that will allow players to adjust how much can be seen in the game world. Players can use a slider to shrink or enlarge the field of view.

•             Position Slider

The Position Slider has been split into two different options, horizontal position and vertical position. The horizontal position slider will offset the camera to the left and right. An ‘over-the-shoulder’ view can be created as well to keep the centre of the screen clear. The vertical position sets the maximum height the camera can go when the camera is at maximum distance from a character. The actual camera height will adjust the more you zoom in to ensure that your character is always on the screen.

•             Collision Sensitivity

When enabled, this setting will adjust how much stuff (trees, walls, rocks, etc.) needs to be between a player’s character and camera before the camera snaps in.

•             Character Height

No matter the race or size, the camera will now focus on a character’s head. This is going to give norn players a relatively taller feeling than their asura-playing friends. This change might affect players who frequent jumping puzzles, so to counteract this, there is an adjust camera to character height toggle. When unchecked, the camera will move to a consistent position above the character’s feet, regardless of how big or small the character is. ArenaNet will reveal details about the new camera system and give players their first glimpse of how it all works in-game on the studio’s “Ready Up” livestream hosted by Josh Davis.

The livestream is scheduled to take place at Friday, 27th February at 9pm CET/ 8pm GMT on the official Guild Wars 2 Twitch channel.

Fable Legends is going to be free to play

Chris Hare
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Fable Legends is going to be free to play

Today Lionhead’s has announced that the Xbox One and PC multiplayer title Fable Legends will be free-to-play.

The free game will come with a story’s worth of free quests, with more to follow episodically.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAzpP0lSrEc

Four will be made available individually on a two week rotation and when a character you’ve levelled is switched out, you can wait for their return or pay to access them permanently, with any payments made using cash earned in-game or by using real cash.

“The right version of F2P is a very good thing for the world,” creative director David Eckleberry said. “The wrong version is kind of an abomination, but if you’re very fair to your players and they can play as much as they want, then it seems right.”

The game will include cross-platform multiplayer.

Fable Legends is out later this year.

Velocity 2X coming to Xbox One and PC this summer

Chris Hare
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0
Velocity 2X coming to Xbox One and PC this summer

Sierra today announced that it is teaming up with FuturLab to bring the independent developer’s critically acclaimed arcade shooter Velocity 2X to Xbox One, and Windows PC.

Velocity_2X_Screenshot_1_1424944652

Built around fast action and tight controls, Velocity 2X combines a top-down vertical shooter with a side-scrolling platformer, delivering the best of both worlds in the balance. Whether flying in her Quarp Jet or sprinting on foot, ace pilot Lt. Kai Tana can teledash through danger at the speed of light, crushing alien invaders and rescuing innocent survivors with incredible power.

Velocity_2X_Screenshot_4_1424944652

Exclusive to the Xbox One and PC editions of Velocity 2X are special daily challenge stages, making the game’s deep leaderboard system even more compelling for competitive speedrunners. These versions also include all the bonus stages from the Critical Urgency and Dual Core DLC packs from Velocity 2X’s original PlayStation releases. The full game features over 50 stages of twitch-trigger adventure, including engaging puzzle levels, dynamic boss battles and energetic audio-visual design.

Velocity 2X will dash onto Xbox One via the Xbox Games Store and Windows PC in summer 2015

Payday 2 Coming to PS4 and Xbox One in June

Chris Hare
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0
Payday 2 Coming to PS4 and Xbox One in June

505 Games and OVERKILL – a Starbreeze Studio, today announced that hit co-op shooter, PAYDAY 2, will take over new gen consoles with the “Crimewave Edition” this June.

PD2Crimewave Edition_Logo

PAYDAY 2: Crimewave Edition will satisfy console fans’ craving for action packed crime sprees by bringing over a year’s worth of paid DLC packs and free updates bundled in the box – including the fan favourite The Big Bank Heist, and “Clover,” the first female heister.

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“The continuation of the PAYDAY-saga on Xbox One and Playstation 4 is going to be awesome. With improved frame rate, greater looking textures, 1080p resolution and more than a year worth of updates included in the game at launch, robbing banks together has never looked as sweet.” Said Bo Andersson Klint, CEO of Starbreeze AB. “Getting PAYDAY into the hands of as many gamers as possible has always been one of our mantras, hopefully our initial offer will make it easier than ever for new and old heisters alike to enjoy PAYDAY 2 ”.

PAYDAY 2 is one of the most popular shooters in the market with more than 9 million players on Steam, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. As one of many heists in the PAYDAY 2: Crimewave edition, the Big Bank adds the new contact the Dentist, voiced by actor Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad) as well as the new Preplanning feature that lets you plan out your heist beforehand. This is the ultimate bank robbery experience – achieved by stealthy guile or relentless assault. There are more heists, characters, weapons and masks and other updates added, making PAYDAY 2: Crimewave edition the ultimate heist experience on the next-gen consoles.

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By pre ordering PAYDAY 2: Crimewave Edition from participating retailers, consumers will unlock the special Hard Time Loot Bag digital content including:

 

  • Red dot weapon sight modification available for use on all rifle weapons
  • Exclusive Skull mask
  • PlayStation 4 or Xbox One exclusive mask
  • Unique mask pattern titled “I LOVE OVERKILL”
  • Unique color pattern, only available with this unlock
  • Bundle of in-game cash

In addition to the retail pre-order campaign, PAYDAY 2: Crimewave Edition will be exclusively available at a 25% discount on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live for the duration of the pre-order period.

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