Tom Clancy's The Division - Expansion II Survival out tonight

Tom Clancy's The Division - Expansion II Survival out tonight

TOM CLANCY’S THE DIVISION^®EXPANSION II: SURVIVAL AVAILABLE TONIGHT ON XBOX ONE AND WINDOWS PC

Agents to face most extreme conditions and deadliest enemies

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - November 22, 2016 — The second expansion for Tom Clancy’s The Division, Survival, is available this evening at 7pm on Xbox One and Windows PC and will be released for the PlayStation^®4 computer entertainment system on December 20. Survival is included in the game’s Season Pass but can also be purchased separately for $19.95.

To view the trailer click the image below

As New York is hit by the snowstorm of the century, The Division’s agents receive intel about some powerful anti-virals left behind in the Dark Zone, that could help stem the spread of the pandemic. But before they manage to reach their destination, the agents’ chopper is taken down by the intensifying weather.

To survive and reach their objective, players face the most extreme conditions and have to manage cold, disease, hunger and thirst. Finding warm clothes, crafting supplies, scavenging for food, water, and medicine are key for agents to make their way to the antidote. But with 23 other players struggling to survive and to find the cure, resources are scarce. Competition between agents will lead many to fall on their way to the Dark Zone. Besides this hostile environment, another deadly threat is prowling in the Dark Zone and preying on The Division: the Hunter, a swift advanced enemy who displays proudly the watches of the agents he killed. 

In Survival, players will be able to choose to enable either PvP or PvE. In PvP, while the Rogue mechanic does not apply, agents can fight against or cooperate with other players in every corner of New York, even outside of the Dark Zone. As PvP comes with additional risks, it also comes with additional rewards, in the form of a bonus multiplier to the total score. In PvE, players will be able to play in cooperation with other players, and PvP is disabled, even in the Dark Zone.

Free update 1.5 will include a new world tier for all activities, world tier 5, as well as 6 new high-end named gear pieces, 3 high-end named weapons and 12 new weapon types. 

Killing Floor 2 launches

Killing Floor 2 launches

THE ZED HORDE DESCENDS UPON GAMERS WORLD-WIDE

AS KILLING FLOOR 2 LAUNCHES FOR PC, PLAYSTATION®4 PRO AND PLAYSTATION®4

Tripwire Interactive Releases Highly Anticipated Sequel to the Multi-Million Selling Smash Hit Killing Floor

Sydney, 22 November 2016 - Tripwire Interactive, in collaboration with Deep Silver and Iceberg Interactive, is pleased to announce that their eagerly awaited co-op sci-fi horror FPS game, KILLING FLOOR 2, is available now globally on PC, and for the first time the franchise will be available for console gamers with versions for the newly launched PlayStation®4 Pro computer entertainment system and PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system platforms.

The sequel to the 3+ million unit selling PC game, Killing Floor, makes its console debut with this release, bringing with it, its trademark frenetic gunplay and larger than life gory visuals, completely amplified with fluid controls, sharper textures and overall increased fidelity. Today’s release marks the closure of KILLING FLOOR 2’s extremely successful time in the Steam Early Access phase, selling over 1+ million units and continuing to grow its loyal community. Those who have previously purchased the Early Access version will be able to update their game to reflect the full launch content, including the brand new Survivalist perk, available today.

“We’ve poured our heart and soul into perfecting KILLING FLOOR 2, seeing all of the community feedback from the Early Access phase was invaluable, and to see the game’s full release today is truly overwhelming,” said John Gibson, President of Tripwire Interactive. "We wanted to give existing fans the visceral action that this longstanding franchise is known for, as well as offer new fans a chance to experience the brutal joy that millions of gamers already know and love. Launching KILLING FLOOR 2 for the PC, and for the first time ever on consoles via the PlayStation 4 Pro and PlayStation 4 symbolizes the next step for us at Tripwire Interactive and we could not be more ecstatic.”

In collaboration with Deep Silver and Iceberg Interactive, the deluxe content of KILLING FLOOR 2 is included in the PC, PlayStation®4 and PlayStation® 4 Pro retail and digital versions.

In KILLING FLOOR 2, players descend into continental Europe where the outbreak caused by Horzine Biotech’s failed experiment has quickly spread and gained unstoppable momentum, essentially paralyzing the European Union— Just one month after the events in the original KILLING FLOOR, the specimen clones are everywhere and civilization is in disarray; communications have failed, governments have collapsed, and military forces have been systematically eradicated. The people of Europe know survival and self-preservation too well and lucky survivors have gone into hiding.

Not all have given up hope though... A group of civilians and mercenaries have banded together to combat the outbreak and established privately funded operation bases across Europe. Upon tracking specimen clone outbreaks, players will descend into zed-laden hot zones and exterminate them.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Platform: PlayStation®4

Genre: Sci-Fi Horror / First Person Shooter

Developer: Tripwire Interactive

Publisher: Deep Silver

Rating: R18+

Release Date: November 18, 2016

KEY FEATURES

• Visceral Gore - KILLING FLOOR 2 ramps up the gore with a proprietary, high powered persistent blood system bringing new levels of fidelity to the genre. Players will send entrails, severed limbs, and blood flying as they wade through hordes of enemies. But they need to watch out! If caught, enemies will rip them, and their entire party limb from limb.
• 6 player co-op or solo play - A multitude of varied playable characters await for players to choose from as they enter the fray in online co-op mode or solo mode for those willing to brave the horrific specimens alone.
• Versus Survival Game Mode - Be the Zed!  A 12 player PvP mode where two teams take turns playing Humans vs. Zeds in a pair of short matches. In the first match, one team plays Humans and the other Zeds until the humans all die during a single round or they beat the boss. For the second match the teams switch sides and when the battle is completed both teams receive a score based on their performance and the higher score wins!
• Terrifying Zeds - New enemies and fan favorites from the original game are back with expanded and smarter artificial intelligence, dishing out powerful attacks, working as a group to weaken the player’s party and pushing the challenge level and fear factor to new levels.
• Unique Blend Of Weaponry - From modern militaristic assault rifles, brutal improvised makeshift weapons, classic historical guns, and off the wall “Mad Scientist” weapons, KILLING FLOOR 2 has a unique blend of killing tools that will satisfy any gamer.
• Expanded Perk System - Perks from the original game have been reimagined with more added to the fold. All perks now progress with meaningful talent choices that amplify different play styles, giving players a progression path that is expansive and full of rewarding milestones.
• Brutal Melee Combat - KILLING FLOOR 2 reinvents melee combat completely. Players now have control over the type of melee attacks they can perform, enabling them to deliver bone-breaking crippling attacks to Zeds.

The PlayStation® 4 Pro version features the following enhancements:

• 1800p checkboard rendering on 4K TV (3200x1800) optimized for 4K TVs
• Effectively supersampling and increased fps on HDTV
• Using additional memory to increase texture resolution to "Ultra Textures"

KILLING FLOOR 2 is developed by Tripwire Interactive and will be published by Deep Silver and Iceberg Interactive for the PlayStation®4 Pro, PlayStation®4, and PC. This title has been rated R18+.

DIGIMON WORLD: NEXT ORDER Release date is.....

DIGIMON WORLD: NEXT ORDER Release date is.....

DIGIMON WORLD: NEXT ORDER to be released on January 27^TH 2017!

Dive into a new torn world in disarray because of the Machinedramon

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe announced today the final release date for the upcoming DIGIMON WOLRD: NEXT ORDER. To celebrate this announcement, more details about the story have been unveiled through a stunning new trailer. Dive into a new torn world in disarray because of the Machinedramon and coach your Digimons to the victory on January 27^th 2017!

To celebrate this announcement, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe is also launching today an exclusive interactive activity called DIGI’HUNT! Track down QR codes hidden on the official website, on screenshots, trailers, etc., unveil the secret code and get a chance to win amazing DIGI’GIFTS! This very special activity will run until the launch of the game.

DIGIMON WORLD: NEXT ORDER will be coming in EFIGS versions in the West for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system on January 27^th 2017. To learn more about BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe’s other products go to: https://www.bandainamcoent.eu or follow us on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/BandaiNamcoEU or join the conversation on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bandainamcoeu

OPERATION BABEL: NEW TOKYO LEGACY COMING TO PS VITA

OPERATION BABEL: NEW TOKYO LEGACY COMING TO PS VITA

OPERATION BABEL: NEW TOKYO LEGACY

COMING TO PS VITA AND STEAM® IN 2017!

NIS America is excited to announce that the dungeon RPG, Operation Babel: New Tokyo Legacy, will be coming to North America, Europe and Australia and New Zealand in 2017 on the PlayStation®Vita as both a physical and digital release, as well as on Steam®!

About the story:

Continue the story of Operation Abyss and defend near-future Tokyo from a new threat in this dungeon crawling RPG. When a mysterious object - dubbed ‘the Embryo’ - appears in the sky, the CPA and the Xth Squad are mobilized to face the new threat. Venture into challenging new labyrinths and create the perfect team to challenge each threat. Featuring a mysterious new story, unprecedented character customization through the new ‘Sub-Blood’ system, and item-based character ability modifications, Operation Babel: New Tokyo Legacy will give you a world to lose yourself in.

Key Features:

Extensive Character Customization - Expanding on Operation Abyss’ Blood Code system, you’ll now be able to assign characters supplemental Blood Codes to create hybrid job classes.

Item-Attached Skills and Spells - Add new skills and spells to perfect your squad by equipping items that bring with them new abilities.

Balanced Challenge and Reward - With the return of the Rise & Drop system you’ll be able to recover increasingly powerful drops - if you’re willing to risk increasingly powerful enemies.

A New Operation to Complete - After a short period of peace in near-future Tokyo, dive into the battlefield once again and continue the story of the Xth Squad in a new mysterious adventur

Watch_Dogs 2: PS4 Review

Watch_Dogs 2: PS4 Review

Released by Ubisoft
Platform: PS4

It's a hard life being a sequel.

Especially when you're following the much derided Watch_Dogs, an Ubisoft title that got itself a fair share of unfair criticism for its dour plot, slightly dull protagonist and repetitive game play.

Well, even though apathy may have hit some at the news a second Watch_Dogs was on the way, they'll be blown out of the water by the game which easily eclipses its past and emerges as a real contender for game of the year as we head into the last 2 months of 2016.

This time around, rerouting the action to San Francisco and the Bay area seems a great move - and throwing in a lead whose punkishly amusing trains of thought and execution fuel a great deal of fun in the game.

The Big Brother machine ethos is still in full effect in Watch_Dogs 2 with your main character Marcus Holloway setting out to take down his profile from the Central Operating System as the game begins. Once this mission of infiltration is complete, Holloway's kidnapped by a hacking collective known as DedSec.
Coming to, Holloway realises he's been inducted into their world and sets out to be part of the group, following their aims and desires to bring a bit of anarchy to the monitoring system that's in play.

And this is really where the fun begins in this open world game.

Revelling in an ethos that came to life in the massive open world of Grand Theft Auto, Watch_Dogs 2 is a bright, vibrant, loose and nimble sequel that is easy to lose hours in.

Whether it's fulfilling the ongoing missions that are laid down by DedSec, or becoming an Uber style driver with various tasks (a la taxi missions from GTA) to simply lifting cash from passers-by by hacking into their phones, there's so much to do, explore and see in Watch_Dogs 2 that it's no wonder the main story missions end up being sidelined.

It helps that the NPCs fuel such a rich world around the Bay Area and that every encounter proves to be another distraction; this is a world that's both realistic and utterly compelling; a sort of Second Life San Fran to throw yourself into. Stealth is once again needed and Holloway gains experience and followers by completing jobs (thus expanding out his own experience and skill base).
But there's much that's rich on display here and a smattering of social commentary thrown in as well (one of the Uber style missions sees your passenger starting to lay claims against what Uber's doing to the industry) and these ingredients all combine to keep the world feeling like it's incredibly realistic and utterly engaging.

Marcus himself is a nicely visualised character and the DedSec gang all work well (no real Hackers style cliches here, but to be frank, they'd be forgiven) - from using drones or a RC to help him achieve some of his tasks, there's much around to ensure that Marcus can progress easily. Most of the time when things go wrong, it's due to your own efforts, rather than glitches from the game. The police are ferocious and chases are frenetic and adrenaline-fuelled; there's little to do when the chase is on but try to get out of it as quickly as you can.

And that's nowhere near as easy as it sounds.

The online elements of the game are currently down due to Ubisoft issues, so can't be fully reviewed at this stage, but regardless of that, the main game itself is well worth owning.

The Watch_Dogs sequel is utterly essential; if you're after a game that consumes your life and you have a damn good time letting it do so, then this hacking saga is ultimately going to consume you. With its bright breezy gameplay and its tremendously engaging outlook, Watch_Dogs 2 is one for the ages - it's hard to see if they go for a threequel, how this slice of gaming perfection could be topped.

Batman Telltale Games: Episode 3: New World Order: PS4 Review

Batman Telltale Games: Episode 3: New World Order: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Developed by Telltale Games

The Telltale Batman game episodic series has been fairly compelling playing in its first 2 episodes.

But it's fair to say the third episode of the show blows everything out of the water in terms of story and propulsion of the narrative - and delivers one hell of a (spoiler) sucker punch at the end.

Sadly though, the third episode, The New World Order, is also the one that suffers from the most from technical issues, with at least 3 freezes forcing the restart of the game.

That aside, this is still all about Bruce Wayne, and follows Telltale's ethos that this is where the focus has been lacking in the past. Interactions with established characters, sinister machinations and at least one out of the blue moment ( as well as one slightly seductive moment) combine to make episode 3 the most turbulent yet.

With a heady mix of action and consequence starting to play out, and an established character heading down a path that has been long expected, Wayne's problems with his family legacy, his suspicion of others and his uncertain allegiances add up to one powderkeg of choice. Packing in narrative, some action and some detective work ensures all the elements are in place for an unpredictable ride that plays out before you.

As ever, the voice work is strong and both Troy Baker and Travis Willingham add a real emotional depth to the Wayne / Dent dynamic. There's real pathos at work here and the investment over the past few episodes is actually beginning to pay off (for reasons that again are too spoiler to go into further).

Ultimately, technical issues aside, New World Order is a real propulsion into the final two chapters of the story - with strong story-telling and real stakes being laid out, it's actually proving to be more worthwhile to play as Bruce than Batman. If anything, the Batman sections of the game slow things down and follow a degree of predictability whereas the human edges give the story nuances and reality.

Telltale Games has said episode four is a real game-changer and given the way three ends, it's going to be one hell of a wait to get into that penultimate episode.

The Founder: Film Review

The Founder: Film Review

Cast: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Laura Dern, Linda Cardinelli, Patrick Wilson
Director: John Lee Hancock

A prime slice of business ethics and an attempt at a semi-biographical piece of McDonald's early life, The Founder is once again Michael Keaton's award nomination spotlight.

Keaton is Ray Kroc, a travelling salesman and a veritable magpie of a man when it comes to what he thinks are good ideas. But often, his gambles fail - as testified to by his terse wife played by Laura Dern who simply wants a normal life and to spend evenings at the club. When he gets an order for 6 multi-mix milkshake machines, he assumes it's an error and contacts the buyers.

But it turns out those buyers are Dick and Mac McDonald (Parks and Rec star Offerman and American Horror Story's Carroll-Lynch), a pair of good ole boys running a burger joint. Kroc heads to the joint to take in the operation - and sees a potential money-spinner in front of him.

However, the MacDonald brothers are principled and work under their own sets of rules and ethics; believing expansion could denigrate their brand, they resist Ray's attempts to jostle into the takeaway industry. But Kroc's dogged persistence pays off - and he begins to expand and build an empire...

But at what cost?

The Founder is in no way a love letter to McDonald's.

It's a serving of unscrupulous behaviour and questionable morality - and aside from one early sequence that dishes up nostalgia in the form of the McDonald brothers starting their empire does it leave you hankering for a fast food fix.

Much like the junk food itself, The Founder promises much but fails to deliver much nutrition.

Kroc's avarice is well documented by Keaton; and to be fair, there's never an attempt to portray him as anything more than a complete asshat, who appears to have run roughshod over any who oppose his desires. Simply put, in Keaton's hands (and to a lesser extent director John Lee Hancock), Kroc's story is solely about getting what he wants, consequences and people be damned.

The film's gentle and genial beginnings give way to a sense of flatlining as the tale goes on over two hours as narrative threads wither worse than a pickle left out in the sun for days.

Dern's wife is afforded scant characterisation and is wasted; and Wilson and Cardinelli float in as Rollie and Joan Smith (the latter of whom Kroc ended up marrying) but their burgeoning relationship is sketched over with little more than a few looks suggesting the big bad wolf in Kroc. Offerman and Carroll Lynch start off strongly as the McDonald brothers, whose fraternal bond is forged and deepened over fries. But they waft away in the film and even Offerman's nuanced and rarely seen dramatic turn can't save them from feeling like piecemeal offerings in the overall story.

It's moments like these which feel like The Founder's floundered its initial promise and premise.

Granted, there are times when Keaton's performances trumps all but the lack of emotional investment into proceedings and the under-playing of the ethical clashes mean this drama unfortunately has little to offer at the cinematic dinner table.