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New Two Worlds II Trailer Lets Us Know How Much The Europeans Love It

Dave Oshry — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 01:41:53 +0000

It seems that David Hasselhoff isn’t the only thing that’s a hit in eastern Europe. Two Worlds II has been getting rave reviews, and South Peak is happy to rub our yankee faces in it with their new trailer.

Two Worlds II is set to release here in the states in January, 2011 – One can only hope it’s as good as those smelly Europeans say it is.

Two Worlds II Release Pushed to January 2011

Dave Oshry — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 23:31:21 +0000

South Peak’s highly anticipated sequel to their critically un-acclaimed game (Two Worlds) has been delayed. This does not come as a surprise, but it does come as sad news for those of us who have been eagerly awaiting the game.

Here is the official statement from South Peak:

There have been numerous posts recently regarding the release date of Two Worlds II. First of all, it’s gratifying to see that so many people care so much about the game and we thank you for your enthusiasm and passion. It’s definitely a game that we’re proud to publish; Reality Pump is on the verge of delivering a benchmark RPG experience.

Here’s the vital news: Two Worlds II is set for a January release in North America. We understand that this is not great news for those of you eager for an October release and we can understand that you might feel that our European cousins’ potentially getting the game before you is frustrating to say the least. However, there’s a reason for everything and although we feel that the game is truly at ‘AAA’ level, that reason is that we want Two Worlds II to be absolutely flawless when it launches in the North American market. Although we could bring the game to market earlier in order to take advantage of the holiday buying season, we felt that we would do a better service to you by making sure that the game you want is absolutely as it should be. It’s vital to us that we always give you the best possible information and this is the reason that we haven’t commented on the date before now; we did not want to say something to you, only to have that information change once again. Now, we are in a position to confirm the January release date.

For those that have said that they will torrent or import the game because they simply cannot wait, there’s nothing that we can do to stop you. However, please remember that by pirating the game, you are hurting those who worked hard to make the game for you, reducing the chance of another game in the future. By importing the game, you’re paying more money for something that if you can wait, you’ll be able to buy in January at a cheaper price and that will have benefitted from heavyweight Quality Assurance (QA) for the North American market.

We’ll have a further update for our friends in the UK, Australia and New Zealand in the near future.

We are continually grateful for your understanding, patience and continued support.

Sincerely,

The SouthPeak Team

Upon further investigation it seems that the game just isn’t quite ready for release and an October RPG release competing with the likes of Fable III and Fallout: New Vegas was going to be tough anyway, to say the least. Check out RipTen’s Five Reasons Why Two Worlds II Won’t Suck and look for our full video review next year!!

Five Reasons Why Two Worlds II Won’t Suck

Dave Oshry — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 23:07:45 +0000

Let’s face it. Two Worlds sucked. So it’s safe to say that we were skeptical when checking out Two Worlds II at PAX this year. The concept was always solid, but TopWare, Reality Pump and SouthPeak had yet to deliver the single player and multiplayer RPG experience that once looked so promising.

Nobody was more aware of the fact that the original Two Worlds sucked more than SouthPeak themselves. In fact, you may have seen this series of videos in which they make fun of how bad the game was. Behold, Sordahon’s Journey.

I’m willing to give any developer that is able to make fun of themselves for their own shortcomings a second chance, so it was with reckless abandon that I demanded answers about Two Worlds II, and why it shalt not sucketh!!

The first thing I asked when speaking with them at PAX? “Give me five reasons why Two Worlds II won’t suck!” Well, low and behold . . . they did.

Reason #1 – A brand new game engine specifically designed for multi-platform gameplay.

There are no ports. There was simultaneous development for all three major gaming platforms. A big problem with the first game was that it was developed for PC and then ported to consoles. They had never done a console port before!! This time around, they’ve got the bases covered. That being said, the game now looks and plays better than the original, watch the E3 Trailer as proof.

Reason #2 – DEEP Customization.

There are no classes in TW II, you build your own. You can also build up and break down nearly any materials in the game to create better armor and weapons. The crafting system is enormous and the spell system is currently being considered by the Guiness Book of World Records for the most player activated spells or abilities in a videogame . . .ever.

Now, I know what you’re saying, “Oh great, a really complicated spell building system? No thanks.” But alas! Not only is this system easy and intuitive, but it’s also easy and intuitive!! You simply stack and arrange cards to upgrade and change spells!! Want a lightning spell? Done. Want an AOE lightning spell? Done. Want an AOE lightning spell that shoots 5 bolts instead of 3? Done. Want an AOE Lightning spell that shoots 5 bolts instead of 3 and ricochets off the environment? DONE. See what I’m getting at here?

The possibilities are endless, and for roleplayers, this is very very cool. You can also name your own spells. I call this one Uber Fire Face Pwnage IV!!

You can also do things like bind different sets of armor to your keys and change them on the fly!! (Not realistic, but very cool) Go from tank, to rogue, to battlemage with the push of a button!! Watch this short off-screen video I recorded at PAX.

Reason #3 – The huge and diverse game world.

There is not much to say here, except for the fact that it is. From lush jungles to barren plains, Two Worlds II covers the entire spectrum of RPG environments. Don’t believe me? Check out this map of Antaloor and the following video in which it is detailed:

This Map From Two Worlds Shows Just How Big Antaloor Is!!

Reason #4 – The Storyline.

The story was localized in multiple languages and written by a multinational team. German, English, Spanish and Polish writers working together to make a story with flavors from all these different cultures. The game will also feature voicework with over 200 unique voices. Remember how many different voices Oblivion had? Of course you do, and you’re probably laughing just thinking about it. The entire game is voice acted (for those of you with a fear of reading) and the voicework is clearly superior to that of the first game. The in-game cutscenes have much better direction this time around, yet unfortunately I’ve no footage of them. You’ll have to just take my word for it and know that they are definitely better than this:

Reason #5 – The Multiplayer.

Stepped up across the board. Not just PvP, Not Just PvE. There is now a unique co-op campaign with nearly 10 hours of gameplay that is completely different from single player campaign. SouthPeak promises some great multiplayer footage soon!!

Also, All modes are 2-8 players and are completely drop in / drop out.

So there you have it. 5 solid reasons why Two Worlds II won’t suck. This is the sort of game real RPGamers want to play. Hell, so was the first one, but as we know, it was riddled with issues that made it hard to enjoy. SouthPeak, Topware and Reality Pump seemed to have addressed all of those issues and are proud to bring us the epic roleplaying experience we have all been waiting for.

Look for our full HD Video review of Two Worlds II when it launches on October 5th.

Section 8: Prejudice Is Set To Take on Halo in Debut Trailer

Dave Oshry — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 02:53:10 +0000

There’s nothing evolved about fighting. Well, that’s what it says in this trailer for Section 8: Prejudice. Looks like someone is looking to take a stab at Halo.

The original Section 8 was well received, and this one looks pretty damn good as well.

Enjoy.

TimeGate says the game is coming in early 2011. Sweet.

DS Review: Ninjatown

Beau Rosser — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:19:16 +0000

Who would have thought that such snuggly little ninja could be so dangerous?

Southpeak Games’ Ninjatown is a welcome addition to the Nintendo DS’s line-up with its tower defense-style play mechanic and extremely adorable art style.

For those of you out of the loop, Ninjatown stars the cute little ninja characters from the Shawnimals toy and plush lines. Things were going fine in Ninjatown until the nefarious Mr. Demon and his wee devil minions started to invade and terrorize the town’s residents. Now, it’s up to the wit and wisdom of the Ol’ Master Ninja to overcome the odds and keep Ninjatown safe.

Players are charged with building Ninja hut after Ninja hut in order to stop the oncoming waves of wee devils. At the outset, the player has the ability to build two types of Ninja, both of which specialize in hand-to-hand combat. As the game progresses, new types of troops are incorporated into the mix.

When I began playing Ninjatown, I could barely see any kind of strategy being used, and I was arbitrarily building Ninja huts to kill off the enemies. As different types of Ninja became available for use, I found the strategic elements of the game fall into place. Each map was approachable in various ways and breathed fresh air into what felt repetitious.

Like other tower defense games before it, being able to build certain types of troops means the player will also be assaulted by enemies with particular weaknesses: the snowball throwing “Ice-cream” Ninja can slow the fast devils down, the Sniper Ninja takes down the flying devils, and the fast-moving Business Ninja is ideally equipped to fight the slower moving devils. However, once the player realizes the patterns and what-hurts-what play style, each encounter can be easily overcome.

As the player defeats enemies, they are rewarded with cookies that can be used to upgrade the Ninja huts, giving the Ninja of that hut more power. Sadly, there is little to no visual indication that a hut is already upgraded or needs upgraded without tapping the hut with the stylus. Having the tap each hut individually while being attacked became a stressful procedure that could have been easily overcome with some kind of visual clue.

The game itself is broken up with the main action and user input handled on the bottom touch screen and the zoomed out map of the playfield on the top. My main complaint with the map screen was the fact that the developer only used half of the screen for the map. The other half is used to show the Ol’ Master Ninja floating high above Ninjatown in his hot-air balloon. It’s a pretty neat graphic, but I feel that space could have been better suited as an expanded stats and map visual.

For the most part, user input is handled well with the stylus. Picking the appropriate Ninja hut to build, choosing which huts to upgrade, and selecting the Ol’ Master Ninja powers work seamlessly with the stylus, but I found moving the camera around the battle field felt clumsy and slow. Sometimes, as I placed the stylus on the screen for camera movement, the camera would not react as fast as I needed it to, resulting in a few more dead ninja on my conscience. Luckily, the d-pad is usable for camera movement as well.

If you are the type of gamer that has no time for this holiday’s blockbuster console games, then I recommend you pick up a copy of Ninjatown, sit down for about an hour a night, and enjoy the cuteness levels beaming from this solid, tower defense game.

That’s right, I said it – cuteness levels.

Two Worlds Title Update Coming Soon – Demo Hits Xbox Live Tomorrow

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 23:45:30 +0000

Gamers spoke, and SouthPeak Games listened to every word they had to say. In addition to a playable demo that will be hitting XBL tomorrow, the crew at SouthPeak has been hard at work on an update to address the feedback they received from players. We have been told that the update will be available soon, and when it comes down to it, you really can’t ask for much more than that.

Below is a list of some of the improvements that players can expect to see in the update.

Both platforms (PC and Xbox 360)
- Horse steering has been improved
- Character development curve not as steep over level 25
- HP regeneration slower for max values above 2000
- Death strike skill – executable by strike button while in sneak mode
- Critical hit skill fixed
- Damage is now allowed over 32000
- There is a cap on damage and armor at 99999
- Necromancer spells have been balanced
- Magical boosters – effect restricted to 5 boosters
- Stacking potions with different statistics – fixed
- Objects stacking – objects can’t be stacked up if result has higher level requirements than current player level
- Equipment Class cap on 50
- When killing in towns – after you leave the town and go back guards will ask you to pay instead of immediately attacking you
- NPC’s in towns don’t resurrect
- Tweaked hi- level monster balance
- Wing Membrane ingredient added to Helllord
- Dragons strike not breakable by player hit
- Bomb traps attached to some chests and wardrobes
- Balanced number of lock picks in chests and wardrobes
- Walking under water and not dying has been fixed
- Inaccessible Cave north of Ashos has been fixed
- Multiplayer Lag issues have been improved
- Multiplayer too many skill points generated due to combat stats has been fixed
- Friendly fire disabled in RPG mode (players cannot damage each other)
- Resurrect spell on players has been disabled
- Experience points for killing players has been removed
- Disarming skill disabled against other players
- Freezing/stopping spells disabled against other players
- Multiplayer RPG quests given to all, reward splitter between players
- Team assault – main monuments 50 times stronger
- Barbarian – berserk skill in PvP reduced to 5
- Chest and wardrobe lock levels improved in multiplayer
PC specific:
- Issue of moving money between servers has been fixed
- Maps D2,E4,F4, Multiplayer Tharbakin – missing triangles or flying objects have been fixed
- Enter opens console in single player
- Horse steering – stopping horse by back key changed
- Cloning character when logging on new WarNet server is fixed
- Boosters disappearing in Arena modes
- Atmosoheric fog for multiplayer towns added
- Chat over open dialogs possible (by F11 chat dialog)
- All PVP arenas unlocked from beginning

Xbox 360 specific:
- Improved single player framerate
- Interface – repeat changes selection left stick hold added
- Game HDD cache cleaning possibility – RB + A + B during game launch
- Achievements for 5 elements is fixed
- Map interface improvements – only one open quest at the time, quests selection box better visibility, hero location on map better visibility, quest name on tooltip
- Hit info fonts larger
- “BACK – Show Instruction” text disappears
- Double saving multiplayer characters to protect character lost from power-off or hard-locks
- Interface – no controls after “server refused connection” is fixed
- Doubling gold in multiplayer is fixed
- Doubling objects in multiplayer is fixed