Monthly Archives: July 2015

Ronda Rousey Named Taichi Panda Spokesperson

Ronda Rousey Named Taichi Panda Spokesperson news header

Snail Games, developer of hit mobile hack ‘n slash dungeon crawler Taichi Panda, excitedly announced today the game’s new official spokesperson: UFC® women’s bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey.

 

Rousey, who on August 1st will take on Bethe Correia for UFC 190 in Rio de Janeiro, has become a well-recognized figure among action and martial arts fans, from her undefeated winning streak to her budding Hollywood acting career. Talking about her fighting background, Rousey called the new partnership “a really exciting step for me and for martial arts.”

 

“I got my start in Judo, and since I was little it’s really been a lifelong love affair with martial arts. It’s taken me amazing new places, and I’m really excited to now be working with a game that shares that passion,” Rousey said.

 

“In Taichi Panda, you have to beat down opponents using kung fu and magic. The game is about building up your warrior, taking on other players in matches, learning their weaknesses and playing up your strengths to win. In a lot of ways it’s similar to my own experience with MMA. You’ve got to strive to be the best, work hard to find that inner fighter and let it loose.”

 

Launched earlier this year, Taichi Panda is an action RPG for mobile with strong influences from martial arts. “We’re very excited to be working with Ms. Rousey” said Snail President Shi Hai. “We look to partner with individuals who share our appreciation of martial arts, old and new. For this, we feel she is a good fit.”

 

The extent of the partnership is still to be seen, but Snail has confirmed that Ms. Rousey will appear in a promotional campaign including TV advertising later this year.

Phantasy Star Online 2 SEA’s IP Block Appears Lifted

Phantasy Star Online 2 SEA's IP Block Appears Lifted news header

A tip sent to MMOSite has some folks in a frenzy – because word is, Phantasy Star Online 2 SEA (that’s the only current official English version) has lifted its IP ban. That means that players from the West can access the official English servers for the first time without a work around.

However, a word of caution: Playpark, the game’s SEA publisher, has not made any official statement regarding the IP block situation. Some community members suspect that the IP block lift is unintentional, possibly the result of a recent fix to connectivity issues for regular players reported earlier in the month.

While official word awaits, though, you can visit PSO2’s SEA site and give it a try!

Blockstorm gets Mecha-bulous

Blockstorm gets Mecha-bulous news header

A new update will feature a brand new weapon which is very different from any other you have seen in Blockstorm so far!

Mechas are mechanical vehicles with some special features. They could perform very long jumps and then glide once in air (by holding “jump” button). They are pretty fast, so they could cover long distances through the map. They also offer a special protection for the player who rides them, since their armor is strong and the player cannot be hurt while he is inside the vehicle.

When the vehicle is completely injuried, anyway, a self-destruction countdown is started and the player should initiate the eject process before it’s too late. Finally, each mecha provides  3 weapons: a minigun with high damage bullets, a terrible fist which breaks terrain and crushes enemies and two high speed rockets.

The mecha is engaged in the following way:

– first, the user should find an engage platform in the map;
– then, by walking over it, he requests a mecha
– a countdown will start and the player could leave the platform and continue play;
such countdown will be decreased faster if, meanwhile, the player kills any enemy;
– when the countdown is over, the player should return to the engage platform, here
he can choose his mecha (including a custom mecha, previously authored using the editor