Wired Productions has today announced that Tiny Troopers Joint Ops, its explosive, twin-stick arcade shooter originally developed by Kukouri Mobile Entertainment, will be available for digital purchase across North America and Europe today (26th February) for Xbox One, including all-new, Xbox One exclusive content.
Developed for Xbox One by Australian-based Epiphany Games, the Xbox One version of Tiny Troopers Joint Ops includes four brand new Zombie Wave maps, a brand-new soundtrack, and an Ultra Hard Mode for those who like their shooters extra tough!
In Tiny Troopers Joint Ops, players take control of miniature marines as they battle evil foes from around the world with a multitude of weapons and specialist soldiers. Collect medals, dog tags, and intel during the course of each mission. With hours of explosive, gun-toting gameplay, Tiny Troopers Joint Ops is miniature warfare on a massive scale!
Experience the all new Zombie Wave Maps: battle the desert-dwelling dead as they descend in droves in “ Operation: Zombie Storm, ” fight back against a flock of poultry that ain’t paltry in “ZFC,” cruise and clear the airfield of cantankerous cadavers in “Zombie Patrol,” and call in help from the skies while facing endless waves of Zombies in “Z-End.” Players who think they can handle the heat should make sure to try the Ultra Hard Mode! All of the above is complemented by a cinematic soundtrack completely exclusive to Xbox One.
• Over 60 action-packed mini-maps of mayhem including Zombie Survival Mode with online leaderboards
• Recruit specialist mercenaries such as Medics, Machine Gunners and the Elite Delta Force to subdue enemy insurgents
• Twin-stick arcade control system to blast your way through waves of enemy rebels
Published by Wired Productions, Tiny Troopers Joint Ops will be available on Xbox One across Europe and North America for £7.99/$9.99/€9.99 starts today (26th February).
Blurring the lines between cautious strategy and unbridled mayhem, SUPERHOT is the stylishly time-bending FPS in which time moves only when you move, available today on PC (Win/Mac/Linux) via retailers and digital distributors.
In addition to a reality-warping main storyline, SUPERHOT features:
– Endless Mode – How long can you last against unyielding waves of enemies?
– Challenge Mode – Take on SUPERHOT with your bare hands, no restarts, timed runs, and more.
– Replay Editor – Edit and upload your best runs for all to see on Killstagram.com.
– Extras – Delve further into SUPERHOT with mini-games, ASCII art, and [redacted].
No regenerating health bars. No conveniently placed ammo drops. It’s just you, outnumbered and outgunned, grabbing the weapons of fallen enemies to shoot, slice, and manoeuvre through a hurricane of slow-motion bullets.
Available today on PC (Win/Mac/Linux), SUPERHOT will be coming to Xbox One later next month.
French indie game developer Leikir Studio announced today that Wondershot is available now for Xbox One via ID@Xbox, PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam.
Featuring intuitive controls, multiple unique modes, four different weapons and multiplayer for up to four players, Wondershot guarantees a fun time for all!
“Our aim in developing Wondershot was to create a great multiplayer game that everyone can truly enjoy and I believe we achieved that,” said Aurelien Loos, co-founder of Leikir Studio. “My best gaming memories were playing competitive video games against buddies on the couch and our hope is that we bring that type of fun experience to gamers today with Wondershot.”
Wondershot Key Features Include:
Multiplayer Fun: Whether it’s intense competitive four-player matches or cooperative play against an endless wave of baddies, Wondershot is all about multiplayer fun
Intuitive Controls: Responsive controls and play mechanics enable gamers to focus on the multiplayer mayhem
Choose Your Weapon Wisely: Players choose from four different weapons, each with their own strengths and special abilities:
o Arrow: Select from basic slow homing arrow or lightning-fast straight shot
o Boomerang: Quick-firing weapon with special “hover” ability use for strategic sneakiness
o Hammer: Powerful melee weapon with the special ability to fly through obstacles
o Slingshot: Use the wall bounce ability to shoot big, slow, small or fast bullets
Unique Maps and Obstacles: Players must deal with shifting obstacles, mud that slows down movement, quick map portals, and much more
Challenge Mode: Learn the basic, master advanced tactics, and challenge each of the 45 challenge stages to get the top ranking
Twentieth Century Fox has today announced that X-MEN: APOCALYPSE will be released in cinemas and IMAX across the UK & Ireland on 18th May, 2016. Following the critically acclaimed global smash hit X-Men: Days of Future Past, director Bryan Singer returns with X-MEN: APOCALYPSE.
Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshipped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign.
As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction. Directed by Bryan Singer, X-MEN: APOCALYPSE is produced by Simon Kinberg, Hutch Parker and Lauren Shuler Donner.
If, like me, you can’t wait to get playing Total War or Dark Souls III a rather handy event might give you just the chance you’ve been looking for. There’s a whole bunch of other stuff to do like tournaments and workshops too. HTC are showing off their virtual reality headset the ‘HTC Vive’ which is well worth checking out for anyone interested in the developing area of VR. Plus if you have more money than me there’s the hardware zone for you to buy some new equipment or a new rig. But really what self respecting PC gamer doesn’t build their own rig?
If you want to check out everything that’s going on or book tickets head over to the website here. Or you can take a look at some extra info below from the event organizers. Full weekend passes are only £24.99 so it’s well worth a look if you have time to check it out.
Hands On Exclusives:
With the event taking place over two floors, gaming takes centre stage, and will be a chance for attendees to play games before release.
Tournament Gaming:
Every attendee who fancies their chances will get a seat in a tournament as part of their ticket price – but only the finest will survive. There will be a number of different games on offer including League of Legends, Dota 2, Rocket League and HearthStone: Heroes of Warcraft. Qualifiers will be played at the Weekender, and a live final will take place on the Tournament stage where a winner will be crowned. There will also be winner stays on Street Fighter V.
Workshops:
Brought to you by ASUS and led by hardware experts, these in-depth workshops will look at the improvements that can be made to PCs and how to do it, no matter your experience level. Workshop stations will give attendees the opportunity to build along with the experts on popular mods including swapping out hard drives, graphics cards, power supply and RAM.
Workshops will be held throughout the entire weekend, are free (with entry ticket) and work on a first-come, first-served basis.
Hardware Zone:
The Hardware Zone is a try-before-you-buy area full of the latest and most essential equipment for PC gaming. All attendees have the opportunity to use the equipment, talk with the experts and buy on site.
PC Gamer Stage:
Will feature interviews with some of the world’s most important and influential developers. Watch never before seen footage and exclusive reveals. Guest speakers include Julian Gollop, Paradox, presenting Stellaris, Firaxis presenting Xcom 2, and meet the team behind Divinity:Original Sin 2 who will be discussing how to make a CRPG in an hour.
SEGA Common Room:
The SEGA Common Room is all about the indie developer and the opportunity to play their games.
Boardgame Basement:
Esdevium Games and Quest Games will be bringing their team of expert games demonstrators to showcase brand new board games as well as some classics.
2K and Gearbox Software had today introduced Shayne and Aurox, Whiskey Foxtrot, and Kelvin, three new playable heroes for the upcoming hero-shooter Battleborn, which launches with 25 playable heroes on PS4, Xbox One and PC on 3rd May, 2016.
Shayne and Aurox
Whiskey Foxtrot
Kelvin
are the weird oddities of the Battleborn heroes, and like all Battleborn, are available to play in both competitive multiplayer matches, as well as the game’s Story Mode – which can be played single player, co-op up to 5 players, or 2-player splitscreen. First in the trenches, Whiskey Foxtrot is an offbeat and imperfect facsimile of a soldier.
Using scavenged armour and jerry-rigged weapons, everything about Whiskey Foxtrot just seems “off,” but his homemade UPR-SL3 tactical rifle, sticky bombs, and scrap canon can help turn the tide of any battle. At first glance, Kelvin appears to be a hulking ice golem, but is in fact an entire microorganism civilization that, together, form a single sentient being that smashes, chomps and freezes its enemies for the survival of the species. Another unlikely team-up, Shayne was already a bratty teenage girl at the end of the universe with nothing to lose, but her bond with the space creature known as Aurox has made her nearly unstoppable.
Joined at the hip, these symbiotic furies strive to utterly demolish their foes through a mixture of brute force and stealth.
With the upcoming launch of strategy epic Samurai Warriors 4 Empires on March 12th KOEI TECMO Europe and Team Ninja are thrilled to announce a set of exciting new additions headed to DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round this March! Fan-favourite Samurai Warriors 4 character Naotora Ii joins the battle alongside the triumphant (and completely free) return of the Azuchi castle stage from DEAD OR ALIVE 3 on 17th March, and a brand new set of Samurai Warriors-inspired DLC costumes will become available for purchase on 29th March. Fans who purchased the game’s Season Pass 3 will automatically receive all of the Samurai Warriors-inspired content.
Dragged into a mysterious portal by-way-of a M.I.S.T. time-travelling experiment, the ruler of Japan’s Warring States era Ii Clan, Naotora Ii, emerges in present-day next to a competitor of the DEAD OR ALIVE fighting tournament. Given no other choice but to fight for her life, and keeping her family motto of ‘once on the battlefield, one must face the enemy head on’ in mind, a determined Naotora sets out to emerge victorious from this strange new challenge. Specialising in kick-based attacks, Naotora developed her signature ‘Ii Style Leg Strikes’ fighting style after serving under Yoshimoto Imagawa, who based his techniques on his mastery of the traditional Japanese ball game “kemari.” The quick and powerful strikes from her long legs make her a formidable rival to anyone who steps into the ring!
Naotora Ii will be available to download for €5.99. Fans can purchase her debut costume pack for €7.99, or alternatively as a bundle including new character Naotora Ii for €11.99 on 17th March for DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and on March 29 for PC via Steam. To whet players’ appetites in the meantime, Team Ninja has shared a variety of images and screenshots of Naotora Ii in action.
March 17 will also see the release of a returning stage that players of DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round can enjoy on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One free of charge. Not seen since DEAD OR ALIVE DIMENSIONS, the beautiful Azuchi stage makes its triumphant return looking better than ever! Dropping competitors into the great hall of Oda Nobunaga’s famous residence, players can break through the walls and continue brawling on its rooftops beneath a full moon. In this three-tier stage the fight can also lead to the ground, where a gorgeous cherry blossom tree overlooks the traditional building lit by torchlight.
Finally, on 29th March, Team Ninja will release a collection of outfits inspired by KOEI TECMO’s celebrated Samurai Warriors series for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.
Warriors, prepare for battle! Rising Star Games today announces that its frenetic and intense action-adventure RPG title, Sadame, is now available on Nintendo eShop for the 3DS for £12.99.
“Sadame features visceral and varied combat systems, massive amounts of loot to hoard, and deep layers of replayability with unique elements awaiting each of the four player class choices”, said Martin Defries, Managing Director of Rising Star Games. “We are incredibly excited to bring Sadame to gamers in Europe and beyond”.
Game Features:
Four distinct types of hero – Samurai, Ninja, Monk or Rogue – allow players to experiment with a variety of gameplay styles.
Action mixes with deep RPG elements: new abilities, levelling up, equipment upgrades via enemy loot drops, and a massive skill tree to unlock.
Dozens of levels and over twenty bosses to test your heroes’ capabilities.
Customise your experience via weapons, upgrades and levelling, with certain events and encounters available only to certain heroes.
New difficulty levels unlock with successive playthroughs, while weapons and armour can be shared across multiple character files.
Collect heroes via StreetPass and then utilize them as a support NPC. Locally saved heroes can also be selected to support!
From Japanese developer Mebius, Sadame pits players against massive hordes of demonic enemies set against the backdrop of an alternate version of the “Warring States”, or Sengoku, period in Japanese history.
Players guide their chosen hero through dozens of stages, facing an onslaught of over twenty enormous bosses, collecting loot, enhancing their equipment, and levelling up with new abilities.
Horror is one of those genres that somehow manages to get away with murder when it comes to negative conventions and unimaginative design. The worst perpetrator of all being the jump scare. The fact that a loud, sudden noise and a flash on screen makes me jump is not a surprise to me. It’s also something anyone can easily do given the right conditions. To me it’s all about atmosphere. Clever use of music, lighting and pacing can become so much more than a short lived scare. I’m also a total sucker for a good story. Town of Light has no jump scares and a story to tell.
In fact there isn’t a single enemy, health bar or weapon in the entire thing. Anything like that would only be a distraction because Town of Light has a serious story to tell you. You play the part of Renée exploring her emotions and feelings through her life in an Italian asylum set in the early 20th century. Renée was institutionalised after an incident which made her “A danger to herself and others and a cause of public scandal”. As you progress you will complete self set objectives as you discover more about her life and experiences.
Your interaction is kept to a simple flashlight for those dark corners, a collection of the memories and experiences you have discovered and the ability for Renée to repeat her last thoughts pointing you in the right direction. The environment is absolutely at the core of Town of Light and is the main way you are able to explore Renée’s thoughts by triggering memories. There’s a wonderful moment when you first enter a room and inspect the old equipment to figure out what the room was for. Looking in medical journals and documents referring to procedures often makes it clear and on every occasion you wish you’d never looked.
Working at the back of your mind to enforce Town of Light’s darkness is it’s realism. You won’t be coming across a machine for reading thoughts or anything else from fiction so the initial horror when you realise what events took place is immediately proceeded by an emotional response from the thought that real people experienced this.
I want so much to talk about everything that happened to Renée in this story because her story really hit me hard. The desperation and solitude that your character experiences while dealing with the barbaric practices performed by the hospital and the staff are terrifying. To think of someone needing help but instead being driven mad by the people who should have helped her. The more help she needed the further the ‘cures’ send her into madness and the vicious circle fuels itself.
Some of Renée’s experiences really touched me and to hear her inner monologue expressed from a perspective that mimics the player is incredibly immersive. I was regularly playing with a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat thinking about the horrors that Renée, and many other real people, went through. It’s been a long time since I have been this upset playing a game and certainly never from anything based on real events.
Town of Light has a rather serious message to tell and it does so through an intelligent and adult story. It’s a joy to see a game that treats doesn’t censor or feel that games are for children. That is not the case and Town of Light proves that the medium is in fact perfectly suited at telling this kind of story.
Because you have only simple interactions available pacing is key in Town of Light. There are a few simple puzzles and moments of thought but nothing that will tax your mind or hold you up, unless you miss out on an object you need to interact with. It’s so common with a game like this or Amnesia that you know what to do but just miss that final click. The worst case of this was when I didn’t turn a valve and spent around 30 minutes looking for how to progress. Turns out it was a wall coloured valve I had to turn in a room I had been in plenty of times.
If an object happens to be the same colour as the wall and is difficult to see Town of Light provides little way to find it. Having no HUD to ensure emersion is a noble objective and 90% of the time I didn’t need any help. After around 5 or 10 minutes some help like highlighting the object would have really improved my experience. Spending 30 minutes looking around destroys the immersion far worse than giving me a little pointer and worse still it leaves you aggravated that you missed something. It’s a trap many games of this style fall into and one that Town of Light actually avoids extremely well for the most part. The reason it was such a problem was that it ruined the atmosphere that is so hard to achieve.
Town of Light is a disturbing game that holds nothing back. The story elements are the darkest imaginable – and then some. It’s hard to believe that some of the procedures that were supposed to help people aren’t actually elaborate and sadistic physiological tortures. If you really let yourself share the experiences of Renée and imagine them happening to a real person Town of Light will leave you with a permanent memory. It’s grown up, emotional, sad and wonderfully horrifying. It doesn’t patronise or imply that you can’t handle it even once.
Mechanically everything is kept very simple to let the strongest elements run the show which they do brilliantly. The pacing is lost when you miss a task and have to go hunting but aside from that is perfect. The gaps between progressing the plot give you just enough time to take in and process what happened but never wait too long. Town of Light is a beautifully told story dealing with the increasing madness of a young girl and the cruelty she and other patients experienced from the people supposed to help her. It creates atmosphere with finesse and precision which delivers a unique addition to the horror genre and one of my favourite, most poignant, narrative experiences ever.
I can be honest to say that the FPS genre is a go to game genre for me but in recent years the games have almost blended in terms of what they offer and all feel rather similar and samey. But one game completely changed things up by bringing back true arcade action but in a fresh and fun way that felt new and different. That game was Plants Vs Zombies Garden Warfare back in 2014. Now two years to the day it released, the sequel is out and promising to be Bigger, better and….Bigger!
For those unfamiliar with this game the first thing to advise is do not assume that it is a game for the kiddy winks. PvZ GW2 is perhaps one of the deepest and rewarding FPS experiences you can have right now any platform. The depth it is has is as surprising in the sequel as it was in the first game with a broad appeal to all types of FPS fan. But what exactly does not offer to deserve such praise?
PvZ GW2 is exactly what it’s marketing tag line says it is. It is bigger, better and indeed bigger (so much so it is pointed out twice) than the first game. You start the game in the Battle Background, an entire town which serves as the main hub to the game world. Each battling force of Zombies and Plants have their own side in the town which they call home in their base camp area. In the middle you have the very opposite of a no man’s land with a skirmish area that will see troops from either side mixing it up.
This Battle Background will have the portals to the online modes fans will be familiar with but what is a new feature is now the free roaming nature to explore each side’s base and take on side quests which can serve as tutorials to the game modes, introduction to gameplay of characters in particular the new classes that join PvZ GW2 and is a great way to earn coins to spend in the Sticker Shop and levelling up characters. It brings both sides to life in such a vibrant way that it gives both Plants and Zombies far more character and presence than simply two sides trying to destroy each other. You can select any class and just wander around learning how they play by doing the quests which almost serve as a campaign of sorts and with each side having their own to experience, it gives a single player feature not seen before but with the bonus that you can share it with friends as well before heading into the competitive online modes.
One of my favourite modes in the original was Garden Ops, a horde like mode which saw Plants establish a garden on a map who must then defend that garden from waves of increasingly difficult Zombie attacks. That mode makes its return but finally now has the game type available for players more fond of playing as Zombies with Graveyard Ops. This for me is the best game type as you can play with friends or solo with AI team mates or matchmaking online. It is a great way to level character classes up and earn coins but for me it just exudes the pure sense of fun that PvZ GW2 offers on different levels.
The competitive online modes are a fun take on all the familiar game types FPS fans will instantly recognise. The online now has 12 Vs 12 match us across 12 maps on release and range from traditional team death match called Vanquish modes but also features fun spins on objective modes with Suburbination and Gnome Bomb serving as Domination and Search and destroy. The competitive mode really takes all the popular FPS game types and brings them all together her with a refreshing and fun adaptations that will offer so much to sink your teeth into.
With so many modes and game types to enjoy the only thing left to decide is which class you take into battle. Each side now has six classes to choose with PvZ GW2 adding three new classes for each side to the returning characters from the first game. Joining the plants comes Rose, Citron and Kernel Corn whilst Super Brainz, Captain Deadbeard and Z-Mech Imp. All bring impressive new abilities to the mix and are huge fun to use. However it is abundantly clear that the Plants sadly have the strongest line up of character’s and highlights a problematic issue with balancing whilst not really a problem in Garden or Graveyard Ops and solo modes, it is a glaring problem in the competitive modes and needs to be addressed quickly to keep the experience becoming very frustrating and to give both teams a fair sense of competing. Balance tweaks are often implemented after release but is it a shame that something that was evident in the beta was not addressed before release.
The imbalance issue although frustrating does not deter the sublime and fun experience PvZ GW2 really is. It offers great value for those who prefer both a single player experience and one with friends. It is great to see the split screen mode return and all the added features really make this game a strong alternative to the usual FPS heavy hitters available now. If you have played the first game you can import all the characters you have unlocked and your player level into PvZ GW2. Visually it looks fantastic with really fun animations for the new classes and their abilities, just wait till you play as Rose and transform a Zombie into a goat!
PvZ GW2 is full of cheeky nods to other EA game series and those Easter eggs are great to find and not overly used if they are rather cheesy at times. I found the game to be a real celebration of just why not just the FPS genre can be fun, but also to why so many of us fire up our games consoles. To have fun. PvZ GW2 is all about the positive aspect of gaming which is simply to escape to have a good time playing a superb game with friends and making new friends whilst sharing a solid experience.
Fun is exactly what video gaming should be about and this game is all about doing just that.
ARK: Survival Evolved has introduced a number of prehistoric dinosaurs and dinosaur-sized animals to its roster over the past few months, so what else could Studio Wildcard introduce to this survival game that could surprise its user base? How about a Giant Beaver?
The PC version of ARK is adding the Castoroides Feliconcisor, also known as the Giant Beaver. These gargantuan builders of the forest will function just as they do in real life, carrying large amounts of wood and building dams wherever they can. They can either act as builders or as ferries, since their massive size allows them to swim across waters with humans riding on top of them.
Today’s update also introduces Handcuffs for those looking to sequester humans and keep them prisoner. If this sounds close to human slavery… well… just remember that it was a simpler time back then. Or think of it as a way to rein in unruly humans that try to steal your stuff.
The river cuts through the wilderness, a roiling path stretching over the horizon toward adventure and the promise of a better life… if it doesn’t swallow you first. The Flame in the Flood is available today on Xbox One, PC, and Mac.
With an original soundtrack by Chuck Ragan, The Flame in the Flood is a rogue-lite river journey through the backwaters of a forgotten, post-societal America. Forage, craft, outwit predators, and brave the rapids as you make your way down the procedurally generated river.
From cold to starvation and rapids to wolves, the odds are stacked against you. Craft clothing to keep the elements at bay, traps to keep yourself fed, and upgrade your makeshift raft to withstand the hazards of the river. With a little ingenuity and a whole lot of determination, you just might survive.
Naughty Dog has released a brand new story trailer revealing additional bits and pieces of the narrative we can expect from Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
Uncharted 4 does sound as though it may be improving on the previous entries in the series considerably, however, and that’s saying a lot since I absolutely adored the second game. The branching dialogue choices Naughty Dog has talked up make it sound like a very different adventure this time around, with player input and altered actions in-game to reflect player choice.
Today Ubisoft has released Collapse, a realistic simulator that shows how quickly a weaponized virus can spread, leading to the collapse of society, as depicted in the upcoming online open-world action RPG Tom Clancy’s The Division.
Collapse is an online interactive experience that uses real data to create an immersive and personalised projection of the end of society. The user is patient zero of this highly infectious virus and has to make several choices that will have consequences on the spread of the pandemic.
Based on Open Street Map, NASA open source data and IATA Flight routes, with input from emergency risk specialists and public service employees, Collapse features more than 3800 cities worldwide, home of 95% of the population. The user can compare different scenarios by choosing another epicenter or by making different choices in the simulator, and find the most vulnerable and the safest cities.
This simulator is based on the storyline of Tom Clancy’s The Division, which takes place in a mid-crisis New York that has been devastated by a deadly fictional virus named Variola Chimera. The Division, a secret unit of self-supported tactical agents, is activated to restore order in the city and take back New York.
Collapse is a powerful reminder of the fragility and complexity of our interdependent systems on which we rely daily – power, transport, communications, banking and hospitals. When one of them collapses, the other ones fail in a matter of days. Collapse shows how fast our world would fall down in case of a pandemic similar to what happens in Tom Clancy’s The Division and help players understanding the context of the game.
