All posts by stellar.ice

WORMS W.M.D: The Liberation

Team 17 is bringing in all the holiday goodies.  Check out free content for WORMS W.M.D.: The Liberation, which will be available December 7th!

The Liberation update includes:
* 5 new single player levels to conquer
* New drillboat vehicle! The first aquatic vehicle to be added to the series with a deadly drill!
* 4 new weapons including the Mischievous Drone, W1 Rocket, Tasty Worm Lick and Worm Stinger
* New theme to battle upon including new buildings and tunnels to explore
* 12 new customisations to adorn your worms with from the Bicorne and Beret to the Cheese hat and Rubber Glove!

The game will also include :

A brand new theme including 5 new single player levels to tackle, a new vehicle to set sail with, 4 new weapons to destroy your opponents with and 12 new customisation items for your worms!

Overcooked: The Festive Seasoning

If you didn’t already hate your friends enough after working in the kitchen, Team 17 is bringing some more modes for our favorite chaotic co-op game: Overcooked. You can pick up this next DLC pack, The Festive Seasoning, FREE on December 6th.

The Festive Seasoning DLC includes:
* 8 new co-op levels set in the new Winter Lodge theme
* 2 new chefs to unlock, the snowman and reindeer
* 2 new recipes to dish up, Turkey Dinner and Stew
* A new way to cook recipes, the flamethrower!
* Santa hats for your chefs
* A brand new wintery world map, complete with a snowmobile to get around with

More Danganronpa V3 Characters revealed!

More characters have been released for New Danganronpa V3: Everyone’s New Semester of Killing.  Plus, more details on the anime featuring Nagito Komaeda which will be included with the limited edition set.

■ Story

In this world, the government is implementing a special encouragement system called the “Gifted System,” by which various privileges are granted, and there are students with “Super High School Level” titles who have great promise for the future. Kaede Akamatsu, the “Super High School Level Pianist,” is one of those students.

The students with Super High School Level talents were scattered about the country, and never gathered in one place, but one day, 16 Super High School Level students, including Kaede, were imprisoned in the “Academy for Gifted Prisoners.”

The self-proclaimed headmaster of the Academy for Gifted Prisoners is a mysterious stuffed toy called “Monokuma,” and the academy’s administrators are its children, the “Monokumas.” According to Monokuma, this school is a place where the extremely talented compete in a mutual killing game.

Monokuma informs the students of his insane rules: In the event that a murder occurs, a class trial will be held to debate “Who is the Blackened?” In the event that the correct answer is achieved, only the Blacked will be punished. In the event that the wrong answer is the result, only the Blackened will survive and the remaining Spotless will be punished.

The academy is surrounded by a huge wall and is impossible to escape. In order to leave this place, as Monokuma said, mutual killing is the only answer—.

In order to stop the mutual killing, and in order to protect someone, the curtain lifts on a class trial where both “lies” and “truth” are prevalent.

■ Characters

Kiibo (voiced by Tetsuya Kakihara) – Ultimate Robot

A robot equipped with high-level learning function “Growth AI.” Kiibo knew nothing at the start when he was created, but his creator Dr. Idabashi raised him like his own child and let him attend high school. Therefore, although he is a robot, he is certified for as a Super High School Level student. He has a serious personality and speaks respectfully, but opts to beat-up anyone who makes discriminatory or prejudicial remarks against robots. Very much like a robot, his robotic speech sometimes estranges people in conversation, and he is teased about this by Oma. He has a built-in audio recorder.

Gonta Gokuhara (voiced by Shunsuke Takeuchi) – Ultimate Entomologist

Young Gonta, obsessed with looking for bugs, got lost in the forest. It would take the young boy 10 years to return safely to the side of his parents, but during that time he was raised by a kind-hearted family of wolves and became able to talk to animals and insects. Just as he says he is—“In order to return the favor of raising me, I am aiming to be a real gentleman”—he is a very gentlemanly person. However, because his early childhood was spent in the forest, he had an insufficient education and as a result often does not mesh well when conversing with other students. His outward appearance is that of one who possesses superhuman strength, but as he says, “I’ve never killed even a bug.”

Shuuichi Saihara (voiced by Megumi Hayashibara) – Ultimate Detective

A young detective apprentice who assists his uncle in running his detective agency. Most requests that come in to his uncle’s office are small jobs related to things like extra-marital affairs, but he once solved a murder case before the police. It was decided that he would be certified as the Super High School Level Detective. He solved the murder case by chance, so he doesn’t think he deserves to be in among Super High School Level students. Because of that his timid manner of speech stands out, but his insight and ability to take action open’s people eyes wide in amazement.

Tsumugi Shirogane (voiced by Mikako Komatsu) – Ultimate Cosplayer

A cosplayer who is so popular she receives corporate sponsors. More than wearing costumes, she likes to make them, but more than she loves her work she hates cosplayers who try to use her to make themselves stand out, so naturally she carries out her work as a cosplayer. She is a quiet and kind honor student, but she talks fiercely about the work and cosplay she loves. Also, when she is deep in thought, no matter how much anyone tries to speak to her she will act as if she is ignoring them. In conversation, she has a habit of quoting lines from her own work.

Monosuke (voiced by Koichi Yamadera) – Monokumas

One of the Monokumas. Speaks in a Kansai dialect. He is the most composed among the Monokumas and plays the role of the straight man, if one were pushed to say. Nonetheless, he is not quiet, undefeated even by Monokid when it comes to foulmouthedness. He shows a positive attitude even during disputes among the Monokumas, saying things like, “These Monokumas sure give off negative vibes.”

■ Class Trial Mini-Games

Scrum Debates

Scrum Debates are triggered when the opinions of those participating in the class trial splits into two. In order to discuss different topics, the characters of each side do not engage in debate as normal. As the characters of the opposing side each take turns speaking, you’ll match each other’s topics by figuring out their topics and having a character on your own side with the same topic speak. The main objective of a Scrum Debate is to match all the topics while the opponent’s side goes around.

During a Scrum Debate, the lower part of the screen features “Topic Keywords” from both sides. You’ll know all of your own side’s Topic Keywords from the beginning, but since the opposing side’s are hidden, you’ll need to read into the opposing side’s remarks to figure out which character is talking about which topic.

Theoretical Arms

This is triggered when a frenzied opponent, armed with their own theory, refuses to listen to the opinions of others. This one-versus-one debate is called “Theoretical Arms.” In a Theoretical Arms debate, you can damage the opponent’s theory by shooting at his or her remarks while matching the rhythm.

Super Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the Destroyer of the World

Story

Nagito Komaeda is an ordinary young man who attends an ordinary school. He’s not comfortable being the protagonist of the story and feels that special abilities just get in the way of one’s happiness.

As he observes his classmates going about their ordinary teenager lives, he’s so convinced that a moderate lifestyle will lead to moderate happiness that he makes an impassioned speech to Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, who is in the same year as him.

But then one day, a boy calling himself “Destroyer of the World” appears and begins tearing Komaeda’s world apart.

Timeline

This is the chronological order of the Danganronpa series, to illustrate where Super Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the Destroyer of the World falls in the timeline:

  1. Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak Academy – Side: Despair
  2. Danganronpa/Zero
  3. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
  4. Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
  5. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair
  6. Super Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the Destroyer of the World
  7. Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak Academy – Side: Future

A cosplayer, apprentice detective, robot, entomologist, and more Monokuma’s?! The cast is turning out to be pretty interesting. And I definitely want to see what Nagito has been doing behind the scenes.  This is one game I can’t wait to play!

Will you be picking up this title? Who do you think the most interesting character so far is? Let us know in the comments!

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NCG Review: Chase: Cold Case Investigations – Distant Memories

Aksys Games brings a new detective story to the Nintendo 3Ds.  Released October 13th in North America, Chase: Cold Case Investigations – Distant Memories, lets player step into the role of two detectives, Shounosuke Nanase and Koto Amekuru, to unravel a mystery of the past.

Story
Tipped off by an anonymous phone call, detectives Shounosuke Nanase and Koto Amekura must re-investigate an explosion that happened five years in the past. The detectives must uncover whether or not the explosion was an accident or a crime scene by re-examining the evidence and interviewing their suspects.

Game Play
Chase: Cold Case Investigations – Distant Memories is a visual novel adventure.  As you play through story, you must pay close attention to the dialogue to uncover the facts and find the clues that will lead to the perpetrator.   Most prompts have no more than four choices.  If you guess wrong, your meter will deplete.  Aside from the prompts, you must identify clues hidden within photos of the crime scene.

Verdict
Pros: The game has a strong enough story to keep players interest.  Through re-examining the clues and speaking with the suspects you uncover the truth and learn to stop working based on assumptions.  The story is very fitting for those who like the detective genre and there are just enough layers to the story to keep players in the game until the end.

Cons: While the story is intriguing, you don’t get enough of it.  Gameplay is about two hours, more or less, and the ending is so open ended you feel like you missed something. I wouldn’t call this a complete game since it felt like it was a prologue to a bigger, longer game. Shounosuke Nanase feels like a complex character with secrets of his own, but they are never revealed and cannot be revealed because of the length of the game.

Unlike other detective titles that challenge your skills of deduction, Chase walks you through the mystery.  If you were reading the dialogue, choosing the right answer when prompted and uncovering the right clues is extremely simple. The meter, which depletes when you make the wrong selection, feels like it’s just for show so the game feels like a “game”;  there’s really no way you can actually get a “Game Over” unless you weren’t paying attention to the dialogue.

If you want great, in-depth characters, this is the wrong place to look.  The characters are flat, and while they are driven by their emotions because of what has happened in the past, they’re pretty straight forward and fall into basic archetypes. Shounosuke Nanase is your basic, apathetic senior detective, and Koto Amekura is your basic up-and-coming detective ready to prove herself.

For the price of $5.99, you get what you pay for.  I recommend the game for those who enjoy the detective genre, and are fans of director Taisuke Kanasaki, but not for anyone who is looking for a detective title that can sit beside Pheonix Wright.  Do you like mystery games? Which is your favorite title? Let us know in the comments!

 

 

The ULTIMATE CROSSOVER event for One Piece Treasure Cruise and Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle

Your favorite shounen title game apps are getting the Ultimate Crossover event.  One Piece Treasure Cruise and Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle will get awesome login bonuses, special characters, new quests, and battles against super villains in both games until November 24th.

Login Bonuses are:

  • One Piece Treasure Cruise

    • One Rainbow Gem each day during the crossover campaign

    • Special character: 4★ Monkey. D. Luffy Gum-Gum Gatling Gun

  • Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle

    • One Dragon Stone each day during the crossover campaign

    • Special character: [The Last Instant Transmission] Super Saiyan Goku

Special Quests

  • One Piece Treasure Cruise

    • A special stage with three difficulty levels will appear on Extra Island

    • Boss: Frieza (Final Form) from Dragon Ball Z Series

    • Completion reward: Rainbow Gems and a special character Manual

  • Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle

    • A special stage with three difficulty levels will appear within an event

    • Boss: Doflamingo from One Piece Series

    • Completion reward: Dragon Stones

Raid-style Event, Super Villain Crossover Battle Tracker

  • Takes place October 26th to November 2nd (PST)

Do you have these games on your phone? Don’t forget to login!