Slaughter 3: The Rebels Has Arrived on Mobile!

     Long time readers will know I've been a fan of the wonderful mobile 3rd person shooter game Slaughter since it launched.  I gave it a glowing review over at Droidgamers, and when the sequel hit- I was equally hyped and impressed as I was with the first game- and a while after that I even did a small interview with the developer Ray "Venomized Art" Spark.
     Over the last year, I've been eagerly following the small updates of the game's status on the official Facebook page, and watching all the developer Youtube videos. 

     The game is available right now, and Mr. Spark has once again outdone himself on every front.  The game is bigger, has more weapons, larger levels, improved visuals and controls, and a much, MUCH more expanded story.  If you like mobile 3rd person action games, this is another genuine treat to play and I highly recommend it.

     For more information and to follow the developer [ Venomized Art ]

     Slaughter 3: The Rebels is $2.99 on [ Google Play ] and $1.99 on [ iOS ]

     The original Slaughter is $2.49 on [ Google Play ] and $0.99 on [ iOS ]

     Slaughter 2: Prison Assault is $2.49 on [ Google Play ] and $0.99 on [ iOS ]

    For transparency's sake, I have to say I've been helping a little with translation and localization for the game (which will be completed and added in a future update patch).  I've received no pay or benefits and I bought my own copy of the game.  I support it because it is good, not for any kind of compensation.

Slaughter 3: Closing in on a Release Date

     The day of release for the third installment of the badass mobile 3rd person shooter game Slaughter is nearing.  I was a massive fan of the first game, and an even bigger fan over the sequel which introduced a number of drastic improvements over the first.  It had better graphics, better gameplay, an arena mode, and even a 1st person mode for those that might dislike the 3rd person version.
     Recently developer Ray Spark has posted more new images for the upcoming Slaughter 3 featuring a great leap in graphical quality and environmental details.  Check out the images below. 

     The chain link fence in the sewer looks amazing, the dusky sky and street light are phenomenal, and the texture work on the rubble ground is damned fine.  It should be noted that Spark says the icons are currently only placeholders, and there's currently a lot of "unnecessary elements in the levels."  Regardless, they look awesome so far.

     According to his Facebook page, the story is almost done and the game's final polishing will begin relatively soon.  I for one, am greatly anticipating Slaughter 3's release date when it arrives.  The exact date has not yet been officially announced.

     All I can say for now is go check out the first two Slaughter games, and give them a chance as they are fun as hell.  They've got action, humor, and a pretty damned decent story.

     For an interview with the developer I did back in Dec. 17 [ Link ]

     Slaughter is $2.49 on [ Google Play ] and $0.99 on [ iOS ]

     Slaughter 2: Prison Assault is $2.49 on [ Google Play ] and $0.99 on [ iOS ]

     Source [ Venomized Art ]

Dead Island: Survivors: Short Review

     It's been a little over 2 years since Dead Island: Survivors shambled into soft launch in Norway, and it has finally spread the infection to the global market.  The Dead Island franchise has definitely had a rough patch over the last five years.  Escape Dead Island missed the cel-shaded mark, the highly under-rated MOBA Dead Island: Epidemic was shut down before it could even leave open beta, Dead Island: Retro Revenge wasn't anything like the beat 'em up it was originally advertised to be, and Dead Island 2 is still lost somewhere in developmental purgatory.

     Unlike its Dead Island predecessors Survivors combines base building with tower defense and adds a dash of 3rd person zombie slaying action in as well.  Players are tasked with setting up protective perimeters, laying all manner of blockades and traps, and defending their bases while attempting to round up all the other survivors from the formerly idyllic nearby islands.  Sadly, what makes this one unique addition to the tower defense core of the game go awry with is the absolutely atrocious controls for the character.  When you want to engage in melee combat with a character the control is of the point and click variety instead of a traditional joystick (virtual in this case).  It then locks your camera in and having to constantly adjust to see what you are missing is infuriating to no end.  Trying to attack a specific zombie in a horde is utterly worthless, resulting in wasted attacks and time, which in turn generally lead to losses for the player.  You have to either focus on building and maintaining the defense system OR using the extraordinarily poorly controlled character.  You cannot do both as the other will suffer quite swiftly- creating an awful situation where in the later game you hit impassable walls because you can't do both.  Having to sacrifice one aspect of the duality is not a good gameplay decision here at all.

     Deep Silver’s development studio Fishlabs Entertainment has brought the franchise to the mobile market, but despite the potentially bright rays of sunshine a new Dead Island game might've provided us with, the Banoi Archipelago has seen better tie-in game days (Epidemic), but to be fair, it's also seen much, much worse (Retro Revenge).  There's an absurd microtransaction focus that happens with a great many mobile games by gating off things with an overabundance of timers and an extreme scarcity of resources leading to the inevitable lengthy wait times and slowing down progress to the point of actually discouraging gameplay. 

     As much of a fan of the series as I am, I can't recommend this game at all unless you really, REALLY like the monotonous grind of tower defense games.  Dead Island: Survivors is a case where they might've done far better had they broken the game into either strictly a tower defense, or gone with a simple hack-n-slash adventure game (which is what I had hoped for) as opposed to attempting to merge the two together as an incongruent mess.  That's a very disappointing thing for me to say too, because the visual design is so good in Survivors, and any hope for another mobile tie in game that is truly worthwhile is rapidly dwindling while awaiting the official Dead Island 2 to re-emerge from whatever undead state it currently resides in.

     Dead Island: Survivors [ Google Play ] [ iOS ]

     Dead Island on [ Twitter ] [ Facebook ]

Marvel Future Fight: Teases (X-traordinary) X-Men Announcement for SDCC 2018

     Ever since the 3 year anniversary of Marvel Future Fight, the game and developers have really turned things around from a few great flubs in the last year- such as the loot box Ultimates characters which resulted in amassive player boycott.
     Today after the official Marvel Games twitter account posted an image about what is in store for this years San Diego Comic Con without Future Fight, players questioned the lack of the game, and the official Future Fight account was quick to respond with an amazing teaser.

Calling all Agents! Your presence is urgently requested for a briefing  that is of the utmost importance! We have something... X-traordinary to  discuss! #MarvelSDCC #SDCC2018 https://t.co/DNUiL6WC0j

— Marvel: Future Fight (@Marvel_FFightUS) June 28, 2018

     This seems like an easy teaser for the Extraordinary X-Men comic series.  Granted we can only speculate at this point, but we already have a lot of the team in the game and there's an opportunity to give them new uniforms and even expand the roster with fan favorite characters like Deadpool.
     Considering that last years SDCC announcement was the Age of Apocalypse, I can only imagine this years will need to top the hype and subsequent letdown last year- Apocalypse himself didn't even arrive in game until a couple weeks after the initial update hit.

     The hype has already begun, and I for one, am very X-Cited to see what Netmarble has in store for Marvel Future Fight as SDCC 2018 at the Marvel Games Panel on Thursday, July 19th from 1-2pm.

     For related [ Posts ]

Netflix & Gaming: Why Aren't There Mobile Video Games of Bright, GLOW, and Game Over, Man!

PREVIOUSLY ON NETFLIX...

     Netflix has been branching out of simple streaming video over the last year and into other media.  They released a comic just last week, The Magic Order, after their acquisition of famed comic book writer Mark Millar's (Wanted, Kingsman, Kickass) Millarworld Publishing earlier last year.
     Netflix has also tinkered with some interactive narrative fiction with their "Choose Your Own Adventure" type children's shows with partnered company Dreamworks Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale (featuring Puss in Boots from the Shrek films) and Buddy Thunderstruck, as well as Stretch Armstrong: The Breakout which through their partnership with Hasbro.

THIS EPISODE...

     Much more recently however,  Netflix has announced both a team up with Telltale games for a new episodic Stranger Things game, a full game in Telltale's own unique fashion, as well as an adapted version of Minecraft: Story Mode to continue in Netflix's interactive narratives.

     Netflix explained to TechRadar that, "Minecraft: Story Mode is a licensed 5-episode interactive narrative series coming to our service this fall. It's an extension of our other interactive stories we have on our service like Stretch Armstrong: The Breakout, Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale and Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile."  Further going on to say, "We don’t have any plans to get into gaming. There’s a broad spectrum of entertainment available today. Games have become increasingly cinematic, but we view this as interactive narrative storytelling on our service."
     That doesn't sound so good.  Netflix regards the Stranger Things Telltale project to rightfully be a video game, but considers the more "Choose Your Own Adventure" type stuff on their own platform to be "interactive narratives" due to the simplistic nature and limitations of the streaming service and a remote.
     That may leave gamers a little disappointed, but we can still be hopeful because...

NEXT WEEK ON...

     They've already entered the gaming realm.  First off, Netflix has already published one extremely fun mobile video game with Stranger Things: The Game.  It was a phenomenal top-down RPG akin to the old Legend of Zelda games.
     Secondly, according to a job posting for Netflix, the Manager of Interactive Licensing says,

     "We are pursuing video games because we believe it will drive meaningful show awareness/buzz and allow fans to “play” our most popular content. We want the interactive category to help promote our titles so they become part of the zeitgeist for longer periods of time and we want to use games as a marketing tactic to capture demand and delight our member community."

     So, they say they aren't getting into games, but have already made one, and have a second one on deck (the two Stranger Things games).  Which means we may be seeing a lot more interactive stories on the streaming service itself, while the licensing could wind up bringing us actual games based on Netflix's properties on other platforms.

     The collaborative projects were an intriguing start, but what really has me curious is the release of their own show Stranger Things: The Game's tie-in mobile game last year.  I wouldn't mind a bunch of small games based on properties Netflix holds.

     Here's a few Netflix shows that would benefit greatly from a video game.

GLOW

     I've already expressed wonder as to why some of their properties don't have tie-in games, and GLOW is the perfect example.  Players could work their way through a small story based off of the wrestling characters from the show in an isometric wrestling game.  It could have story mode, an infinitely replayable mode just for fun, and even some challenge modes.  DLC skins would be an option for generating income.
     The reason GLOW would be a great candidate is not just that the show is amazing, but the games it could emulate are insanely popular.  Fire Pro World Wrestling is widely regarded as great (despite some clunky controls), and a more stylized game to emulate would be one of the best wrestling games of all time 1993's WWF Royal Rumble.  By today's standards, it's a simple game, but it still holds up mechanically and plays great- which GLOW could imitate for the mobile market.

BRIGHT

     The gritty crime-fantasy Bright, which I've also asked for a game for, would be another great show that could get a very awesome Grand Theft Auto type 3rd person game.  A simple 3rd-person, action adventure would suit the nature of the Netflix original well.  Players could swap back and forth between narratives of a human and an orc and their intertwined stories leading to a single endpoint.  Think of games like the HIGHLY underrated Dead Space Mobile, Slaughter 1 & 2, or even anything Rockstar Games has on mobile (all the GTA games, Bully, and Max Payne).  There's a wealth of potential in this brilliantly created world ripe for video game entries.

GAME OVER, MAN!

     Another great option would be the action comedy Game Over, Man!, which has an in-film video game adaptation already.  It's nothing special, but offers a small glimpse of the potential it could have.  It could easily be a small entertaining spoof of the movie itself, or even an unrelated storyline all taking place in one of the characters' daydream or some such thing.

     Netflix has a ton of great originals and there's plenty of opportunity to tap into tie-in games through licensing- so for whoever gets the job listed above, please start bringing us this extra form of entertainment to allow for that much more immersion in these worlds.

     Source [ Tech Radar ] via [ PC Games Insider ]

     Stranger Things: The Game [ Google Play ] [ iOS ]

The Elder Scrolls: Blades An Actual First-Person RPG Elder Scrolls Game Announced for Mobile Devices!

     It's been a couple years since learning of the cancelled Sony PSP game The Elder Scrolls Travels: Oblivion, the exact kind of portable first person game many fans were wanting, and 5 years since I complained that the Playstation Vita's sales could easily be bolstered by a Vita version of either the Elder Scrolls or Fallout game.  Since that time, we've gotten The Elder Scrolls: Legends ( a collectible card game) and Fallout Shelter (a Vault building game), neither of which are portable versions of their respective parent games.

     Bethesda has finally listened to the fans and are bringing us The Elder Scrolls: Blades- a true heir to the legacy of the series on mobile!

     "In The Elder Scrolls: Blades you are member of the ancient order of the Blades. Forced into exile, you seek refuge in your remote hometown only to find it reduced to rubble. Now, it’s up to you to restore your town back to its former glory."

     The game will include traditional Elder Scrolls RPG staple elements of a story and a variety of weapons and spells, as well as some new features- such as customizable city where you'll rebuild the surrounding area as you see fit.  It will also have an Arena to battle it out in one on one combat.  And lastly, there's the "Abyss" mode, which is "an infinitely replayable mode in which daring heroes push their limits floor after floor in a never-ending dungeon, where enemies become deadlier and deadlier as you progress" for players looking for an infinite challenge to test their mettle.

     The Elder Scrolls: Blades will be free to play on [ iOS ] and [ Android ] this fall.

     [ Sign up for Early Access ] and an exclusive helmet and sword

     Source [ Bethesda ]

Square-Enix Montreal: The GO Franchise is Gone

     Last Friday Canadian developer Square-Enix Montreal's head Patrick Naud told PCGamesInsider.biz that the studio would no longer be producing games in the GO franchise, as it's becoming difficult finding ways to monetize premium games in an ever evolving mobile marketplace.  They are looking to not only find a new model to bring players their premium quality games, but finding ways of keeping them engaged with them.

     Despite the fact that a great majority of Square-Enix Montreal's revenue was generated through the up-front premium price, they seem to want to steer things away from pushing players to the store, or flooding them with advertisements to purchase things on their mobile titles.

     Naud explains the situation as:

     "The Go series was a great adventure for us as a studio. We've done the three games, we've seen the wind. The hardest element is making premium games on mobile. 

     It's one of the challenges we have today is the premium mobile market is diminishing. You've got more and more high-quality free titles so there are even fewer and fewer people inclined to try something that will not be free. 

     Despite the critical success and the great revenue we've had, it's sad to see that our games are only played by a small slither of the population because of the price point. That's such a big barrier for mobile users. A lot of people consume mobile games only and they have all these options, all these games; why should they invest money in this one unless they're very convinced? 

     That doesn't mean they won't spend in-game, but they want to spend on a game that they're sure they're going to like. The perception of choice makes it that even if it's only $5, that's too much."

     Square-Enix Montreal's goal is to make money in a way that players won't feel forced into paying for IAPs.  It should, rightfully, be something players aren't led to hitting a wall in the game.  The plan is to focus on designing games that use a "service-based" direction.
     They'll be attempting to avoid damaging players experience through offering things such as speeding up progression, extra levels of service like the hint system the GO games had, an "Undo Button" to avoid having to replay an entire puzzle over again after making a mistake, or- tying to the fact that users that spend on IAPs tend to have a much higher engagement and lengthening the games longevity- create things like Deus Ex GO's puzzle editor.  It allows for infinite replayability by letting users create, share, and challenge each other greatly extending the length the game will last and enabling better player retention in the long run.

     Luckily enough for us, Square-Enix Montreal's intention is to find a new way to bring us not just the quality, high-end premium games, but ones that lead the way with brand new concepts for others to follow.

     "The focus is still tailoring high-end, high-quality pristine mobile experiences 

     If we are to work on a known IP, our treatment will somewhat reinvent that IP. If we are to work on a new genre, our treatment - I hope - will be a style that's cloned by everyone else.

     There's still the ambition of crafting the best games in the industry. If we keep that as part of our DNA, we're going to engage users for years and years to come, which is the plan now."

     Hitman GO, Lara Croft GO, and its DLC The Shard of Life, as well as Deus Ex GO were all beautifully spartan games- simple gameplay and and tremendously reduced aesthetic and design for a decent price- but the time has come for the studio to move on due to financial viability.  This comes as a bit of a surprise, as it's been over a year and a half since the release of Deus Ex GO, and both Just Cause GO and Life is Strange GO even had domains registered.
          It would've been cool to see a Thief or Murdered: Soul Suspect adapted to the GO design, along with some intriguing new mechanics and story potential, but honestly this shift away from the franchise opens up an opportunity for a completely new and original type of game.  Perhaps a new installment in the Mana series, a new type of game akin to Vagrant Story as an action title, or a mobile 3rd person adventure game in the Legacy of Kain saga.  This offers immense possibility for the future of their mobile-focused lineup through even better innovations and ideas than they've previously brought us- just as they did by taking the Hitman franchise in a completely new direction with GO.  That one departure from previous form spawned numerous isometric-puzzler clones Ghosts of Memories, The Hacker 2.0, and even Star Wars: Heroes Path, and we can only hope they can revitalize other series' with as much ingenuity.

    Sources [ PocketGamer & 2 ]

Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm Small Update

     It's been nearly a year since I covered the announcement of Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm, and almost 8 months since the first gameplay trailer was revealed.  Well, yesterday the 5 man development team of Cornfox & Bros. gave us a tiny update via their blog and at the Touch Arcade forums assuring us that they are still hard at work crafting a vast and beautiful open world game for our enjoyment.

     These images are iPhone screenshots, and show off exactly how much better this game looks compared to the original.  They picture the Capital, and "The Grand Core"- a city-sized machine at the heart of the Capital.

     Cornfox & Bros. promise to bring us many more updates and videos as the game progresses in development- they've been hard at work, explaining that, "We have been building an adventure! More gameplay, more story, more levels, more worlds."
     The first game was great, and this one looks to surpass it in every way possible- Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm is a title to keep an eye on for sure.

     Source [ Oceanhorn 2 Dev Blog ] via [ TouchArcade ]

Star Wars: Rivals- Another Mundane Mobile Game on the Way & Thoughts

     In accordance to modern mobile gaming trends, another cheap-looking Star Wars game is on the way called Star Wars: Rivals.  It's being touted as "the first real-time Star Wars competitive action shooter for mobile."
     Players may currently pre-register for Star Wars: Rivals, and in doing so gain access to some bonuses.  For the pre-registrations, we'll receive for a limited time, exclusive access to special support units.  For those who do so through Goggle Play, they'll receive access to the Imperial Death Troopers to fight alongside players in PvP skirmishes with advanced weapons and cover fire.  For iOS users, they'll get access to the Rebel Special Forces, giving them health restoration out on the battlefield.

     Instead of a new and interesting 3rd person shooter or action/RPG that many fans have been clamoring for, we are getting a yet another bland, half-assed, cover-based shooter with a Star Wars skin- complete with grind heavy, loot-box-laden bore-fest.

     In a post I wrote months ago, "Of Midichlorians and Microtransactions: The Force Asphyxiated," I explained a large part of the Star Wars games' problem:

     This doesn't bode well for the Star Wars game as it sounded like the game was "shaping up to be a story-based, linear adventure game," under Visceral's good hands, but now it may be becoming something much closer in alignment with EA's push towards a "games as service model."  Meaning it might wind up like Battlefront, being all hype and no substance, and completely riddled with preposterous microtransactions for every little thing, of which we can only expect more of this same old shit from with the release of Battlefront 2 soon.  It's the same thing for Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, Star Wars: Force Collection, and Star Wars: Force Arena, they are cheap games designed to siphon money off of players instead of creating a unique and memorable story in a beloved franchise.  All the really good Star Wars games have been cancelled or shut down- Star Wars: 1313,  the mobile game Star Wars: Uprising, the Untitled Darth Maul Project, and the amazing potential of Disney Infinity. 

     So when EA says, "We want to take the time to get each game right, to make it unique, to make it amazing," I don't believe it.  When the game arrives we'll see if they really want a good story and experience, or if it follows the path of the Dead Space games, getting worse with each new installment, getting worse with each step away from a great single player experience, and closer to the large multiplayer messes.  We even know that Dead Space 3's original plan was great, and EA flubbed that up in the name of the almighty dollar, proving that they've become the money-hungry monsters worshiping a Marker with a big green S spray-painted on its front.

     Will Disney and EA realize that maybe we might want something more akin to the very underappreciated and truly fun Dead Space Mobile game?  It's a small, but highly replayable, 3rd person game with a good controls and a great story that expands the lore and universe of the main games, while telling us a riveting stand-alone tale from a completely new perspective.  Sure, they could add a competitive shooter arena on top of it, but there's been a plethora of complaints about Disney/EA not wanting to make single player games recently, which is completely idiotic- have they not seen how well The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has done?  Or how about Hellblade, Nier: Automata, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Cuphead, Nioh, and Uncharted 4?
     Maybe some of the backlash is due to not producing anything for the neglected single-player market.  Just take a look at the mass

     We want new mobile games like Dark Forces, X-Wing/TIE Fighter, or the Jedi Academy games.  Or how about a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic version of Marvel Future Fight?  With the ever-expanding roster of Star Wars characters, they could have YEARS of material and more than enough income from players.  We want them to make something worth playing, worth investing our time and money into, not another pile-of-crap, shovelware game.

     Pre-Registration Links [ Google Play ] [ App Store ]

     Source [ Star Wars Official ]

     Reference and Discussion [ Reddit ]

DC Unchained: Superman's Skills Revealed

     Shortly after being announced at Comic Con Seoul, the highly anticipated upcoming mobile action-RPG game DC Unchained was delayed into early 2018 and disappointing many eager fans.  Since that time we've gotten news of a Closed Beta Test, a new trailer, and some other small teases for the game- including a Batman and Superman character "family" tree, and a look at Metropolis.
     Now, we get a teaser trailer for Superman's skills and a good look at his whole skill tree.

   Looks a bit clunky for flow, and his character model isn't nearly as square-jawed and bulky as most modern incarnations of Superman have been portrayed, but still looking good.  A more fully formed description of the skills, including a plethora of unseen passive skills, is listed below.

     We're finally getting a steady stream of new game info at a decent rate now, so I'm really hoping the game will be released soon, and shortly after to the rest of us in the western markets- unless they do a global launch right off the bat.

     It looks like DC fans will finally have a mobile game good enough to compete with Marvel's truly amazing Future Fight.  I truly hope that publisher 4:33 Creative Labs and developer Thumb Ageis can make this the mobile DC Comics game we've been clamoring for years to get.

     Related Posts [ DC Unchained ] [ Marvel Future Fight ] [ Justice League Superheroes ]

     DC Unchained Official [ CBT Site ] [ :Plug Community ] [ Facebook ]

Justice League Superheroes: A Chinese Mobile RPG Video Game Similar to DC Unchained

     While many of us have been eagerly awaiting DC Comics' mobile game version of Marvel's Future Fight, DC Unchained, we received the news that its western release would be pushed back into 2018 from the game's Korean developer FourThirtyThree, Inc (4:33 Creative Labs).  Coincidentally, DC Comics has also licensed and soft-launched an extremely similar game to the Chinese market through Longtu games called Justice League: Superheroes in earlier this year in April.

     The game features a current total of 20 heroes obtained through either a "gacha" system or slowly collecting pieces to unlock a hero.  Each individual hero falls into a paper-rock-scissors type set of classification- Assassin, Support, Warrior, or Mage- breaking down into the traditional roles of tank, rogue, healer, and so on.
     As of now, there's roughly 10 different game modes to keep players occupied and grinding away including a traditional story mode, world boss mode, bounty quests, and PvP modes.

     While Justice League Superheroes does not have the promise of a western release, there's always a small possibility that it could happen, though the chances might be slimmer due to DC Unchained coming here and creating the problem of the two games competing between each other.

     Justice League Superheroes [ Google Play ] [ Longtu's Official Game Site ]

     Source [ MMO Culture ]

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Slaughter 2 Developer Ray Spark

     I've been a fan of Slaughter since it first arrived on mobile, and I later raved about it in my review over on Droidgamers.  Then I caught wind of a sequel being planned and my excitement grew.  With each new trailer I got more and more excited- then Slaughter 2: Prison Assault hit the market and I've been absolutely infatuated with it.

     Now I've been lucky enough to snag an interview with the developer Ray Spark, click below to read.

SEGA Forever: Streets of Rage has Arrived!

     Sega has been slowly porting some of their greatest games to the mobile markets as free-to-play titles under the SEGA Forever moniker, and they are getting better with each new addition.  We've already received an entire library of classics such as Altered Beast, Ristar, Sonic the Hedgehog, Kid Chameleon, Beyond Oasis, The Revenge of Shinobi, Golden Axe, and Phantasy Star 2- but today marks the release of the beat 'em up Streets of Rage.

     Following the 1980's tradition of cops taking to the streets to clean up their city:

     Three cops, a city on the edge, and a crime lord known only as Mr. X – welcome to one of the all-time SEGA greats. Arm yourself with knives, bottles, and drainpipes and battle through eight thug-infested urban environments to bring order to the city. Relentless, explosive, and addictive as hell – Streets of Rage is the grand-daddy of beat-‘em-ups!

     As with all the Sega Forever titles the game is a free-to-play with ads and an IAP to make ads disappear.  The game features both HID & MFi compatible controller support, local Wi-Fi multiplayer capability, and the standard competitive leaderboards. 

     In my replay and review of I said:

     I've read that this was supposed to be a Final Fight killer, and while they didn't do that, they created one hell of a game.  All around decent and entertaining.  And after replaying there are two things I never noticed back then- the first is that there is actually a time limit for each level's individual section of enemies, and multiple endings.  There are two different endings depending on if there are 2 players and one or both agree to "join" Mr. X.
     What we've got here is great music, good graphics, and tight controls in a city in turmoil.  When boiled down Streets of Rage's best feature is that it spawned sequels, one of which stands as one of the greatest beat-'em-ups in history.  If you like the series it's a fun play, if not- try Streets of Rage 2- it's a lasting gem that has few rivals.

     Overall the Sega Forever games have been fairly great ports with one glaring issue across the board with their touchscreen input controls being clunky and troublesome.  Other than that they are all just as fun as ever.  In Streets of Rage's case, we can hope they've either remedied the situation, or will be, on the way to bringing us its sequel somewhere down the line- as I've said many times before Streets of Rage 2 is simply one of the greatest games ever created.

     Streets of Rage on [ Google Play ] [ iOS ]

     SEGA's Mobile Games on [ Google Play ] [ iOS ]

     Related posts [ Sega ]

Marvel Strike Force: A NEW Mobile Marvel RPG Coming in 2018

     After the sad news of the epic MMO Marvel Heroes Omega being shut down on December 31st, Marvel Entertainment has announced a new mobile game arriving in 2018.  The new game is a free-to-play (with IAPs of course) mobile role-playing game featuring squad-based action being developed by FoxNext Games's Aftershock Studio (this will be their first game).

     The story follows Earth's mightiest heroes assembling against a long-forgotten Kree Eternal named Ultimus, who has become a general in the Kree Empire.  Being an Eternal he shares the same power source as Thanos, and as a Kree he follows warriors such as the religious Kree zealot Ronan The Accuser, and he has realized that Earth is a threat to the the existence of the Kree empire and he has come up with a plane to deal with it.  With his sights set on Earth, Ultimus' goal is to conquer not just Earth, but by every Earth in every dimension by using his technology to controls the minds of all the heroes.

    Aaron Loeb, FoxNext Games President of Studios, has said they are trying to liken the game to fantasy sports teams, where players can draft from a large cast of famous Marvel characters, ranging from Captain America and Doctor Strange to Guardians of the Galaxy like Drax or Rocket Raccoon, or even some of the Defenders like Daredevil and Luke Cage.

    The Creative Director for FoxNext Games, Jason Bender, has described the game's tactical range and gameplay as:

"There is immense depth of strategy across characters and squads, which typically have 5 characters on the field at a time. Players will build a force of around 70 characters, with even more to be revealed! 

Every character has to collect a variety of gear in order to grow stronger, and they have 3 to 4 unique abilities each. As abilities improve, new mechanics will unlock and reveal new tactical options. For example, Daredevil might start out attacking a single target at a time, but will quickly grow to chain his martial arts maneuvers to multiple enemies in a single attack." 

     The game will also launch with at least one player-to-player mode- being a highly competitive, but friendly arena allowing players to test their mettle against each other and earn rewards as they climb the ladder to the top- as well as the promise of a wide variety of more PvP modes planned.  In addition there will be alliances to aid in strengthening teams and collecting new gear and upgrades.

     It should be noted that Marvel Strike Force clearly resembles Marvel Avengers Alliance 1 & 2, both of which were shut down in September 2016, and definitely appears similar to another current Disney owned property's product- Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, and by the sounds of it, ` will also rely on the gacha system of gathering characters and building them up, which is something I truly loathe.  I've got to admit, it looks like a better game than Contest of Champions, (Strike Force's art style is actually extremely similar to C.o.C.'s) but nowhere near as fun as the full 3rd person action of Future Fight.

     Marvel Strike Force [ Pre-Register Now ] and it will debut in 2018.

     Related Posts [ Future Fight ]

     Sources [ Marvel News ] [ Variety ]

Morphite: Finally Arriving on Android Next Week!

     I've been following and reporting on Morphite since the beginning, nearly a year and a half ago.  Posting on it both here, and over at Droidgamers (1 & 2), and when they announced the release date I was overly excited!  But that excitement was quickly quashed when Crescent Moon Games said that it was only hitting the Nintendo Switch, X Box One, PS4, and Steam in September, then in October for iOS users, and is with the curse of Android gaming, we were going to have to wait a while longer after that.

I am both excited, and very scared to launch Morphite on Android next week.

— 🌙 CrescentMoonGames (@CM_Games) November 16, 2017

     Considering it was originally hyped as game for the mobile market, it's been a long, long wait for this glorious game.  If the reviews on all the other systems are any indication, Morphite's arrival on Android will be well worth the wait.  We will finally have a decent combination of Metroid Prime and No Man's Sky in the palms of our droid gaming hands for some action-packed space adventures.

Slaughter 2: Prison Assault NEW Trailer

     The first Slaughter game was a genuine surprise for mobile gamers.  It came out of nowhere from creator/developer Ray Spark (aka Venomized Art).  He brought us a truly sublime 3rd person shooter for mobile.  I've said over and over that Slaughter had great controls, tons of action, loads of fun, and even some oddball Borderlands-esque humor all crammed into our pocket.
     Then I found out he announced a sequel and was downright ecstatic, and with each new teaser my excitement grew.  Now, as we inch ever closer towards launch day, we've received yet another great new trailer showcasing some awesome footage featuring new locations, hints of the story, and even a peek at some of the improved combat- and it certainly looks amazing

     Where the first game put players in the shoes of a mercenary named Russel fleeing a town populated with hordes of madmen, the sequel places you on the opposite side of things and into the role of one of the Special Forces soldiers that crossed paths with Russel.  It has also been confirmed that Slaughter 2 will at some point cross-over in terms of story with the first game.

     Spark has said the game will have better graphics, animations, and a bunch of new weapons and enemies.  Slaughter 2: Prison Assault is set to be about twice the length of its predecessor in terms of gameplay, along with a bunch of additional trivia, texts, and in game secrets to uncover! 

     Slaughter 2: Prison Assault will be available "SOOOOOOOON!"*

     The first Slaughter is currently available for $.99 on [ Google Play ] [ iOS ]

*This new trailer was listed as being for a Google Play technical preview.

DC Unchained: Delayed to 2018

     After it was revealed at Comic Con Seoul, the upcoming mobile action-RPG game DC Unchained has been oddly missing from the news.  In late October however, the developers released some potential bad news for the title.

     Due to some financial woes, DC Unchained developer FourThirtyThree, Inc (4:33 Creative Labs), a one time top South Korean developer, has reported massive net losses since 2014 with  great competition from mobile game giants like Nexon and NetMarble (who make the Marvel comics equivalent game called Marvel Future Fight).  Since the announcement 4:33 has had to make huge alterations to their business model after having no break out titles in years.  They had an emergency board meeting to discuss and plan a new business strategy, which includes a move away from creating 3rd party and move towards more self-developed IPs and titles, as well as reductions in manpower in marketing and publishing roles.  While 4:33 have said there's been no restructuring, they have offered employees the opportunity to retire from the company.

     The company has stated that any games that already have 3rd party deals will remain unaffected.  With that, they've got Blade 2, Boxing Star, and DC Unchained on the way to hopefully alleviated the financial troubles.  Part of the announcement mentioned the fact that DC Unchained will not hit the expected release of late 2017 in time for the release of the Justice League film, but rather the game will be released in 2018- and it has been confirmed to be coming to western markets for certain.

     Sources [ MMO Culture ] [ NewsNews ]

Beyond Oasis has Come to Mobile from SEGA Forever

     Thanks to the SEGA Forever program, the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive classic, action-adventure RPG Beyond Oasis, known as The Story of Thor: A Successor of the Light in Europe, is now available on mobile devices.

     SEGA Forever has been expanding their library of classic games, ported as free-to-play mobile titles, and Beyond Oasis is another tremendous installment being brought to the modern gaming market.  Beyond Oasis is the story of Prince Ali stumbling upon a sentient gold amulet attempting to save Oasis from a villainous enemy in possession of the silver amulet.  It's kind of like a wonderful combination of Prince of Persia and the Legend of Zelda- a huge open world filled with a variety of weapons, magic, secrets to uncover, and a wealth of enemies to slay.

     One neat new feature of this version is the "Rewind" button, which was recently added to Golden Axe, which helps alleviate some of the problems I had in my Golden Axe Sega Forever review.  It's a small clock in the upper left corner, that rewinds the game 15 seconds- oddly fitting for Beyond Oasis making it feel a bit more like a Prince of Persia game by coincidence.  It should be noted that there is an abuse-prevention measure in the form of a cooldown timer (or at the cost of watching an ad, if you didn't purchase the single IAP to remove ads), so you can't just rewind time over and over.
     In addition, like all the rest of the SEGA Forever lineup, the game comes with cloud saving, leaderboards, and controller support. I'm hoping they've cleaned up the controller support as it's been relatively loose and has been unresponsive on previous titles.  Beyond Oasis is a game with a 6 button set up, doubling the usual 3 button standard of the last bunch of games, meaning it'll need a much better handling of the control scheme.

     I'm looking forward to giving this title a go, as it was a an amazing title- ranking up there with games like Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Alundra, and Landstalker- all around great action-adventure RPG games.

     Beyond Oasis on [ Google Play ] and iOS
          To eliminate ads, there's a one-time IAP of $1.99/ €2.29 / £1.99.

Undergrave: An Open Alpha Review

     Three Dudes Make Indie Games, creators of the indie title Tel and Aitch, have an awesome Castlevania inspired rogue-like action-platformer game called Undergrave that's been in the Open Alpha stage since October 2016, and has not been updated since November 2016.

     In Undergrave players take the role of an aged, nameless alchemist fallen into darkness.  In the gothic underworld you must rely on your chain-whip, platforming skills, and knowledge of alchemy to make your way through this dangerous journey.  You must slay strange monsters and harvest their viscera.

     What immediately caught my eye was the alchemy crafting mechanic.  As you kill enemies and find items, you collect bits and pieces of things such as bones or mushrooms with which to make potions.  It's a very interesting set up with a plethora of options in what can be created.  When you find a laboratory, you can bring up the list of craftable potions and by adding ingredients, crushing, and heating to the instruction's specifications you are able to make all manner of things.  Looking for a draught of flame?  Done.  Elixir of health?  Here you go.  An "osseous" potion that explodes a pile of bones through the air?  Just made 10.
     On the down side of this is sometimes the instructions aren't clear.  Following the instructions exactly often resulted in "unknown" potions.  After repeated tries, I found that I had to adjust the recipes just slightly, like heating half a second longer than was stated, to achieve the correct results.  It's a little frustrating, but still mostly works.  To not sound too harsh, I'd like to add the scrolling scroll of potions in the upper right corner is one of the smoothest, and coolest, animations in the game.

     What Undergrave does well lies in its concept.  It's basically just another rogue-like, but the Castlevania-esque visuals take it to a memorable level.  Then it pushes the game further with clean, gorgeous animations, in a heavily Gothic and atmospheric environment.  It also features brilliant and fitting music, adding to the tension of the environments quite wonderfully.
     Sadly, this open alpha is plagued by one awful problem- the controls.  As they are right now, the controls are very, very clunky and unresponsive.  In a rogue-like, unresponsive controls can lead directly to death, which is unbelievably frustrating.  A great many of my deaths were due to the jump not responding and subsequently falling to my death or taking fatal damage.  Jumping while moving often stops the character and instead of jumping in an arc, he just jumps straight upwards, and in turn often meaning incurring damage that could've been avoided had the momentum carried him forwards as it should.
     It should also be noted that the "interact" button is inexplicably in the center of the screen instead of one side by all the other controls.  That way players aren't forced to stretch a finger across to the center of their devices, some of which are large enough they may need to pull a hand away to reach.

     All in all, Undergrave is a tremendous in its alpha state- it's off to an amazing start with excellent graphics and distinctly moody music.  It's got an amazing base concept of creating your alchemical weapons, but could definitely expand on that, perhaps to making more than just potions- maybe other weapons or things to enhance his whip, such as adding an elemental attack to it.  They could add a wider variety of locations, a bit of story lore for us, and some permanent unlockables to aid us in our quest.
     Regardless of whether it's still in development or not, if you are a fan of Castlevania or rogue-likes, you should definitely check Undergrave out.  Despite my complaints, it's still a beautiful little game you can pick up and play in short installments.

     For updates follow 3DMG on [ Twitter ]

     To play [ Undergrave ]

Slaughter 2: Prison Assault: 3rd Person Shooter's Sequel: Teaser Trailer has Arrived

     I was a huge fan of Slaughter, it's a tremendous 3rd person shooter game with a ton of action, humor, and fun all crammed onto Android devices.  Then I found out there was a sequel on the way and hyped it over on Droidgamers.

     I've been eagerly awaiting more news of how far along the game has been and what the status might currently be.  Recently creator/developer Ray "Venomized Art" Spark has mentioned the game's release is "just around the corner," with no specific date given.  Though it should be noted that it was sitting at around 60% complete as of a month ago, and as of 20 minutes ago, he released a teaser video with the comment that it is, "Almost finished."

     I can only tell readers to watch the videos and go check out the first game to get a feel for it- this is one that I highly recommend, as I said before, "Slaughter is a genuine treat for anyone that likes short and sweet 3rd person shooter games.  It's has good controls, lots of shooting, humor, and a lot of replayability."  Though I should note that there ARE sound effects, but they aren't in the trailer- here's a trailer/gameplay of the first showing them, so please don't be offput by not hearing anything in these teasers.

     Slaughter 2 puts players in the shoes of a Special Forces soldier (some of whom shot at Russel, the protagonist of the first game), and will cross over with the first game at some point.  This game should reveal the secrets of the first's captured city, and the developer has said he hopes this one will be about twice the length in terms of gameplay.
     In previous contact with the developer he's stated the game contains better graphics, animations, new weapons and enemies, as well as including a lot more trivia, texts, and secrets.

     The first Slaughter is available for .99 on Google Play

     Source [ Venomized Art on Facebook ]