The crew at Entertainment Is Dead sat down with Shadowforge LLC CEO Ryan Lamb Thursday night to talk about his new game which is on Kickstarter. “Children of War: Blood and Snow” is an isometric dungeon crawler that aims to redefine how you look at skill trees and level your character. Lamb and his small development team have set a goal of $50,000 which will help them finish the game near their target date of December 2015. While the Kickstarter Page has quite a bit of information on the project this interview goes beyond the surface level information of development and has the crew on the edge of their seats. You can check the project out here, and are able to donate as little as $10, however, we recommend fronting at least $20.00 to receive a copy of the game which you will play into the ground. From the 20 km x 20 km map to the spring physics combat this game aims to make your PC dreams come true, check out the interview above and feel free to donate.

Machinima and Assassin’s Fist Ltd, have teamed up to bring us what looks to be a much better live-action Street Fighter. This looks to be a bit more true to the lore of Street Fighter, and will definitely have a bit of hokiness which Street Fighter is well known for. May 23 can not come soon enough!

With May 9 right around the corner, Spiders Games and Focus Home Interactive are ready to release “Bound By Flame”. The game will be releasing for PS4, Xbox 360 and PC this Friday and the developers have released a trailer that goes in depth on the music, as well as a look at your hero with customization options and new screen shots of your party characters. You can check them out below, and be sure to check back as we will be streaming the game upon its release!

First here is the music trailer with a look at the sound track!

Next up, your companions!

Sybil, the young mage, provides excellent long-distance back-up and uses a special skill that enables her to heal you during combat. Randval the warrior excels at hand-to-hand combat and will divert the attention of your opponents, leaving you free to attack safely and to cast your devastating fire spells! Rhelmar the elf is an expert in ranged combat and will rain arrows down on your enemies while you charge into the heat of the melee. The witch, Edwen, has mastered certain hitherto unknown dark and mystical arts. She is able to devastate adversaries at long range with powerful magic spells, and can temporarily take control of an enemy’s mind and turn it against their allies. Last, but not least, Mathras is no ordinary undead… more ancient than the Ice Lords themselves, Mathras has perfected the art of swordsmanship and melee combat over the last several thousand years. Like Edwen, he can also reverse the allegiance of an opponent for a short period using his willpower alone!

Your companions also play an important part in the story, as they all have their own reasons for fighting at your side and may be driven by honor, vengeance or mere curiosity. You will gradually develop friendships, rivalries and even romances with them along the way, and your actions and decisions will influence your relationship with each one, so make sure you don’t upset your best friend!

Sybil the mage

Edwen The Witch

Rhelmar the ranger

The Warrior, Randval

Mathras, the undead 

We’re just five short days away from this phenomenal looking RPG. Sound off your thoughts below! 

We have a Big Shiny Podcast! double feature for you this week with two new episodes! First up, the Big Shiny Podcast! (and guests) LIVE at Salt Lake Comic Con FanX!

Big Shiny Podcast! LIVE at Salt Lake Comic Con FanX!

This episode features: Tyson, Tom, and Nick, with special guests Kelly, Jessie, and Gavin (Gavin’s Underground)

Recorded live at Salt Lake Comic Con FanX on April 19th, Tyson, Tom, and Nick from the Big Shiny Podcast! join forces with Kelly and Jessie from the Big Shiny Girlcast! and Gavin from Gavin’s Underground to bring you the highlights from FanX! The panel disucsses their experiences at FanX on the final day, including their favorite panels, cosplay costumes, and celebrity encounters!

A big “thank you!” to all of you in the audience that joined us for this!

Listen to the Big Shiny Podcast on iTunes

Listen to the Big Shiny Podcast on Stitcher (Below)

Big Shiny Podcast – Episode 15

This episode features: Tyson, Kiley, Jimmy, Lucas, and Tom

This Week’s Topic: Video Games

Headlines:

• Titanfall
• Diablo III – Reaper of Souls
• BioShock Infinite DLC
• Tower Fall Ascention
• FFX/X2 HD Remake

Discussion: ESports – Where is it heading? What is the current status? We share our thoughts on all things ESports.

As always, thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, please head over to iTunes and subscribe and rate us! Have feedback for the Big Shiny Podcasters? Want to suggest a topic to cover? Want to just give us a shout? Feel free to drop the host of the BSPC!, Tyson, an e-mail at tyson@bigshinyrobot.com or on Twitter, @Arse_bot!

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Kirby’s Triple Deluxe – Nintendo – 05.02.2014 – Nintendo 3DS — $39.99

“Kirby Triple Deluxe” is everything I loved about the original Kirby games stacked with even more content. The game modes alone make the game an incredible buy. If you’re into fighting games like “Smash Bros.” you can jump into Kirby Fighters that lets you pick one power and battle differently powered Kirbys on challenging maps that can be controlled by CPU, another Kirby owner, or a friend via download play. Dedede’s Drum Dash is also a fun new take on the series that allows you to test your rhythmic abilities while guiding Dedede through various musical levels. There is also an un-lockable Arena mode that pits you against the games bosses to test the speed at which you slay them. My favorite mode was Dedede Tour, which allows you to replay the single player campaign as Dedede with harder baddies and more challenging bosses. This mode is only available once you have finished the main story.

The game mechanics are similar to any classic Kirby title you’ve played before. You can double jump to fly, release an air bullet as an attack, and suck up various enemies in the world to clone their abilities. The previously mentioned feature is what makes Kirby addicting and also uniquely fun. Whether you prefer to use the Ninja ability to focus on throwing daggers and executing enemies with your mad sword skills, or jump over them while on fire with the new Circus ability, the moves make level tactics different and can generate funny situations.

I’m still giggling from the first time Izuna dropped a circus clown.

Trees can only be inhaled in Hypernova mode… you know, like in the real world and stuff

.

The new Hypernova mode begins whenever you find a special seed and gives Kirby the ability to inhale larger objects as he is creating a vortex of immense proportions. This vortex allows for interesting puzzles in different levels that involve anything from snowmen heads to cars and also introduce a unique element in fighting baddies. Bigger baddies can be presented in Hypernova mode since your ability to inhale their attacks is also enhanced. The game also makes incredible use of the 3D elements by allowing you to move between the background and foreground while exploring the world, this can be part of your normal route or contain hidden secrets for Kirby to unlock.

I don’t know why I like hunting key chains, but this shark one is so rad.

The tag mode mechanics allow you to send and receive key chains from other players. Key chains can also be unlocked with coins from your systems sleep mode. Key chains are also awarded in the end level game and found hidden throughout various courses. To unlock boss battles you have to find a minimum number of the hidden sun stones, but can aim for that 100% completion by finding all of them throughout the worlds.

Key chains are oddly addicting to collect, so you folk best be Street Passin!

Boss fights are about timing and catching on to the bosses tells before counter-attacking or simply dodging the assault. The game actually felt more challenging when I was using another baddies ability to fight. Sucking up dropped debris from the boss and shooting the star back did more damage, and made the battle easier to manage.

The game is visually stunning as well as phenomenal sounding, and the use of 3D is something that doesn’t strain the eyes but adds to the game environment. Levels remain two-dimensional but are divided into the background/foreground and you transition between the two by riding stars. Enemies in the background can launch attacks into the foreground and abilities you unlock also allow you to fire attacks into the background, or the other way around. This depth of field also adds a new dimension to the puzzles you are solving when trying to find key chains, sun stones, or even hidden portions of levels.

This is a mandatory addition to any platformers library and something Kirby fans have been waiting for, for far too long. You’ve got until May 2 to sell enough of your bodily fluids to pick this one up. You won’t regret it. 

“Daylight” is a procedurally generated horror game by Zombie Studios and Atlus Games. It launches next week for $14.99 on PS4 and PC. Let’s see if I can hang in broad daylight with all the lights on and doors open.

Entertainment is Dead is a Podcast joining the Big Shiny Robot family. Run by Chuck Sweat and Zombietron, the crew focuses exclusively on gaming and gaming culture. You can grab their direct feed at www.entertainmentisdead.com.

The crew has assembled to share their experience at Salt Lake Comic Con’s Fan Experience 2014. They were running around the convention center handing out cards, high fiving and taking photos with cosplayers, and finding someone to give a copy of Titanfall to! Be sure to follow the crew on Facebook, Twitter, and subscribe to the YouTube Channel

Researchers at Washington State University in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science have combined two of my favorite things, robots and video games, to develop an experiment that is cooler than the sum of its parts.

The robots in question aren’t physical machines but rather, virtual robots, or agents, within a computer program, and they’re teaching each other to play “Pac-Man” and “StarCraft” with some pretty astounding results. The research focuses on action advice, or telling an agent when to act. Initially the student agent performed very poorly but over time they did learn to play the game and actually surpass the teacher agent in skill.

After the initial wow factor of the headline wears off, you might ask yourself what utility there is in teaching primitive artificial intelligences leisure activities and there is actually a pretty good answer. One of the major problems in robots and AI stems from the inability of one machine or intelligence to pass information on to another. Due to hardware or software problems, information can be lost when transferring from one machine to the next, allowing them to teach one another overcomes that concern. It also allows for the possibility of human and robot student/teacher relationships. This becomes especially impressive when considering that while “Pac-Man” may be relatively simple, “StarCraft” is fairly complex.

Imagine a robot that could do household chores or cook dinner to your specifications and tastes. Imagine that a few years later you upgrade your robot; you don’t want to have to go through that calibration process again, so the initial agent could teach its own replacement.

Current research is focusing on the optimal times to give action advice. Matthew E. Taylor, WSU’s Allred Distinguished Professor in AI and the author of the paper stated:  ‘As anyone with teenagers knows, the trick is in knowing when the robot should give advice. If it gives no advice, the robot is not teaching. But if it always gives advice, the student gets annoyed and doesn’t learn to outperform the teacher.’

Robots appear to have similar problems with learning.  Identifying the best times to give advice, and best times to hold your synthetic metal alloy tongue is an important task.

As computer technology continues to increase, the reality if thinking robots becomes more and more apparent. Teaching them how to learn seems like a no-brainer (pun intended) and specifically teaching them to hold off hoards of invading insects will only help us in the long run. The practical applications of eating dots and chasing ghosts are less obvious.

Source: E! Science News 

Machinima launched another original series based around the worlds most popular shooter of all time “Titanfall.” If you haven’t taken time out of your life to play this unrelenting hype monster than you truly are doing it wrong. This series is based around the antics of the different people assisting with the deployment of Titans. It’s pretty smart stuff, check it out below!

Machinima and Capcom announced this morning that they will be teaming up to release “Street FIghter: Assassin’s Fist.” Described as what a live action “Street FIghter” should be. This web series will release all episodes at once for binge-watching via Machinima Prime. While we are waiting on an exact air date, this is something that many in the fighting game community, and Capcom fans outside of this have been waiting for.

“STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN’S FIST is what a live-action Street Fighter should be,” said Ansah when he announced the project at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con. “This takes the story right back to the start: the origins and motivations of Ryu, Ken, Gōken and Akuma. This will become the definitive back-story from which further epic adventures will follow.”

With Machinima leading the way for independent production of game related content in the live action front, and the solid success of the Mortal Kombat web series I am really excited to see “Street FIghter” getting the live treatment it deserves. Keep checking us daily and we’ll let you know as soon as we have an air date.

Press Release Below:

MACHINIMA AND CAPCOM ANNOUNCE ALL EPISODES OF

STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN’S FIST

WILL DEBUT ON THE MACHINIMA MAIN CHANNEL

 

Created By and Starring Joey Ansah and Christian Howard, Series Also Stars Togo Igawa, Akira Koieyama, Mike Moh, Gaku Space, Shogen, Hyunri, and features Hal Yamanouchi and Mark Killeen

 

Los Angeles, CA, March 14, 2014 – Machinima, Assassin’s Fist Limited, and Capcom U.S.A., Inc. announce today, in partnership with Producer Jacqueline Quella, and Director Joey Ansah, that STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN’S FIST will debut in its entirety onMachinima, the number-one global video entertainment network for young males. The exact air date will be announced soon. The live-action series, which is distributed by Content Media, is the brainchild of Ansah (The Bourne Ultimatum, Snow White and the Huntsman), a member of the creative team behind the hugely successful fan film Street Fighter: Legacy—which has received almost 5,000,000 views to date. Ansah, who also stars in the series (Akuma), wrote the script with Christian Howard, who reprises his role as Ken Masters from the original fan film. The series also stars Mike Moh as Ryu, Togo Igawa (47 Ronin, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Last Samurai) as Gōtetsu, Akira Koieyama as Gōken, Gaku Space as Gōki, Mark Killeen (300: Rise of an Empire, The Dark Knight Rises) as Mr. Masters, and Hal Yamanouchi as Senzo. Through the coming of age story of Ken & Ryu, we are shown the back story of some of the game’s most iconic characters, and over the course of the series we will see how the past, present, and future of all of those characters are intertwined, as the battle to become Ansatsuken Master threatens to tear apart another generation of brothers.

 

A first look at the new series can be found below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYjIT-HALrY

 

“This series was meant for Machinima,” said Allen DeBevoise, Chairman, Co-Founder and CEO of Machinima. “We have successfully launched popular game-inspired web series in the past, and Street Fighter is about as iconic as they come. We couldn’t be more excited about working with the incredible production team behind the series and the folks over at Capcom to launch not only a compelling and action-packed series in its own right, but also one that stays true to the Street Fighter lore.” DeBevoise continued, “After the success of Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2, we will once again provide all of the episodes on the day of launch to our fans to ensure they get exactly what they want—the entire series from start to finish!”

 

 “We can’t wait for our fans to get the opportunity to experience Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist,” said Matt Dahlgren, Senior Product Manager at Capcom. “Working with filmmakers who are so passionate about the brand was an extremely rewarding process and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Their work embodies the heart and soul of what Street Fighter is and we’re thrilled that Machinima will be able to deliver the epic series to those who care about the celebrated franchise as much as we do.”

 

STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN’S FIST is Machinima’s latest live-action series based on one of the world’s best-selling video game franchises, and is one which will very much stay true to the game, featuring fight moves and action performed by the cast with stunning attention to detail. It follows on the heels of last year’s highly successful airing of Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2, the successor to, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, as well as Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn. Combined, the three series have garnered more than 130,000,000 views on Machinima.

 

A thrilling, multilayered series, STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN’S FIST takes the audience back to the formative years of iconic characters Ryu and Ken as they live a traditional warrior’s life in secluded Japan. The boys are, unknowingly, the last practitioners of the ancient fighting style known as “Ansatsuken” (Assassin’s Fist). The series follows them as they learn about the mysterious past of their master, Gōken, and the tragic, dark legacy of the Ansatsuken style. Can their destiny be changed, or will history repeat itself?

 

“STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN’S FIST is what a live-action Street Fighter should be,” said Ansah when he announced the project at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con. “This takes the story right back to the start: the origins and motivations of Ryu, Ken, Gōken and Akuma. This will become the definitive back-story from which further epic adventures will follow.”

 

“Our priority is to stay true to the appearance, fighting techniques, and canon of theStreet Fighter game,” Quella added. “At the same time, we’ve managed to make this an emotion- and character-driven story, which will surprise viewers who might just be expecting a super-faithful fight fest!”

 

The series is produced by Assassin’s Fist Limited (a UK based company) in association with Lonely Rock Productions, Gloucester Place Films, Capcom U.S.A., Inc. and Evropa Film.

 

About Machinima

Machinima is the leading video entertainment network for young males and video gamers around the world. One of the top entertainment networks on YouTube, Machinima delivers more than 2 billion video views per month and reaches more than 170 million viewers monthly. The network features scripted series, original content, weekly and daily shows, official publisher content, and gameplay videos, all aimed at the coveted 18-34 year-old male demographic.  The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California and backed by MK Capital, Redpoint Ventures, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Raine Ventures, and Google Capital.

For more information, please visit www.Machinima.com and YouTube.com/Machinima.

 

About Capcom

Capcom is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment for game consoles, PCs, handheld and wireless devices. Founded in 1983, the company has created hundreds of games, including best-selling franchises Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Devil May Cry. Capcom maintains operations in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Tokyo, Korea and Hong Kong, with corporate headquarters located in Osaka, Japan. More information about Capcom and its products can be found on the company website, www.capcom.com or www.capcom-unity.com.

 

Capcom, the Capcom logo, Devil May Cry, Mega Man and Resident Evil are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd. in the U.S. or other countries. Street Fighter is a registered trademark of Capcom U.S.A., Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

 

About Content Media Corporation

Content Media Corporation Limited is a global entertainment media company based in London with offices in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto, which owns and distributes a significant library of film, television and digital assets. Content Film, the film sales division, holds the rights to over 255 feature film titles and helps producers secure financing, marketing and distribution. The division also acquires top-tier documentaries. Content Television is the television sales division, which holds the library rights to 4,000 hours of TV programming incorporating major drama series, non-fiction entertainment, special event programming, kids’ series, TV movies and mini-series. Content Digital licenses over 300 hours of bespoke digital properties, in addition to the existing library, to digital media platforms worldwide, including on-demand, broadband and mobile. The Company also owns a 50% stake in Collins Avenue, a LA based entertainment TV production company, a 55% stake in Spirit digital media, a digital production company, and 50% stake in film and television production companies Jigsaw Productions and Preferred Film & TV. www.contentmediacorp.com