Meet Lost Sphear, a JRPG from the creators of I Am Setsuna that’s coming to PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam in early 2018.
Tokyo RPG Factory’s new game takes place in a world where people are inexplicably vanishing. Loved ones are no longer there. The flowers are fading, and the world is turning cold. What’s causing this? That’s where you, a young boy named Kanata, come in.
Sounds intriguing enough to this writer. Check out the trailer below and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Standing amongst the brigade of brawling titans that are Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, the Tekken franchise has stood tall and proud now for 20 years – and soon enough its seventh numbered title and tenth major installment will hit consoles everywhere. Not much has been released on the combo fighter thus far, but a stylish trailer released by Bandai Namco has given us quite the tease. There’s plenty of new qualities and upgrades being shown off, so let’s break it down and see what we’re getting when Tekken 7 finally hits store shelves.
Since the release of the wildly successful Injustice 2, fighting fans everywhere have been getting their fix of excellent content. Not too far behind, making a grand entrance on the current gen era of consoles and PC, Tekken 7 is adding more combo stringing action to the growing realm of fighting legends. As the original 3D fighter, Tekken has held a strong fan base throughout its long twenty year tenure and helped revolutionize the genre – Tekken 7 is looking to remind fans and gamers everywhere why it’s still around and fighting strong.
Flashy moves, punchy soundtrack and combos, the Tekken 7 trailer swings into full effect highlighting the new features that comes equipped with the new fighter. The all-new ‘Rage Art’ battle system acts as powerful moves to shift the ever-flowing tide of battle. Tactical unique skills known as ‘Rage Drive’ provide special combo moves specific to each fighter. Turning the fight in your favor just got a little easier with ‘Power Crush’, an armored move allowing a momentum shift, blasting through enemy moves.
Enhancing the fighting experience also makes an impressive introduction to the series with slow motion ending battle scenes, showcasing tight matches ending in a single, decisive attack. With lively fighting stages, the blistering combat isn’t the only thing keeping the action full throttle. Day changes, weather shifts, music and stage transfers – all of which add more direct and immersive action, giving players a true, dramatic fighting brawler.
The story mode takes you through the series’ famous storyline of the Mishima saga. With beautiful cinematic detail and cut scenes, matches will seamlessly blend all along the story, keeping the player thoroughly engaged from start to finish. Furthermore, guest characters will make their appearance; the trailer showing off an epic battle between Street Fighter mega bruiser Akuma squaring off against the Tekken hero himself, Kazuya Mishima. Other guest character have not yet been announced but we know of at least two more spots on the roster will be added in a later DLC.
Lastly, the online features are covered, and proudly presenting a first in the Tekken franchise, 8-player tournament mode, as well as ranked matches. High risks playing online also come with high rewards, earning large amounts of in-game money, which can be spent on customization items, player profiles and health bars, not only changing the appearance of the fighter, but adding a personalized look to your most dedicated players.
So far, the fighting genre has been struck by greatness already once this year with the recent release of Injustice 2. Tekken 7 is hoping to show us greatness can strike possibly twice, and only weeks apart. Whether it’s the climactic fight scenes, unique roster of fighters or the fluid combo based gameplay that draws you to Tekken, the next installment looks to deliver fast-paced, heart-pounding action, leaving players breathless along the way.
PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC owners will have their chance to see what the newest title in the series has to offer when Tekken 7 releases Friday, June 2nd, while Switch owners are still clinging to the hope that one day, they too, will have their opportunity.
Capcom have announced that Monster Hunter XX is heading to the Nintendo Switch, in Japan at least, on the 25th August.
The new trailer shows off some gameplay on the Switch while undocked, and then docked, driving home the message that you’ll be able to play the game anywhere.
Monster Hunter is a huge series in Japan and has sold very well indeed on the 3DS. The fact that Capcom has therefore chosen to support the Switch doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Still, it’s nice to see them bring some proper content (Ultra Street Fighter 2…) to the hybrid machine.
We expect to hear more about the game at E3, with a western release almost a certainty. Check out the announcement (in Japanese) below.
Far Cry 5 has been hovering over the past couple of months with small leaks and rumors keeping the gaming world stern on its toes. With a vague teaser released earlier this week further confirming the next installment in the series, today Ubisoft came through and knocked fans off their feet with five lengthy trailers to soothe our taste buds a bit more. The release trailer has been making its rounds on the internet everywhere but more importantly there are three protagonist trailers sending more chills down our eager spines.
The first of the three character trailers is the pilot Nick Rye. With Ubisoft stating the new Far Cry world will feature free exploration in lands, waters and skies, expect this pilot to make a demanding presence throughout the campaign. With a heavily militarized past and a son of his own on the way, Nick leaves everything on the table to fight for his family and their freedom.
Next is the foul-mouthed local bartender, Mary May. Speaking of rich memories of her past and where her future is headed with the current religious reign, she vows to take back what’s hers. With an arsenal of molotov cocktails ready behind the bar, it’s safe to say Mary May is not a local to be taken lightly.
Not all in the community practicing religion are lost in the way of the cult. Stricken by the falsehoods of the Father Joseph and his religious family, Pastor Jerome Jeffries realizes it’s too late to act as savior and deal with this problem himself.
An eccentric cast of characters is looming around the Far Cry 5 name, from cooperative AI to the charismatic cult leader villain Joseph and his “children”, the outlandish tone of the series continues to deepen. Hope County is full of colorful residents who will come together by your hand to form the Resistance, a rebel group squaring off against the controlling cult family.
Liberating the community of Hope County will be no easy task but on the way you’ll encounter a variety of vehicles ranging from American muscles and big rigs to ATVs, boats and even planes to engage in aerial dogfights against cult forces. The open skies isn’t something particularly new to the Far Cry franchise but open air combat throughout Big Sky Country is bringing a new epic direction of taking on opposing forces. Along the way you’ll meet a few prominent characters to help take back Hope County and knock off the brain-washed, religiously entrenched cult.
Far Cry 5 will take the player and put them in control of a junior deputy set in Hope County, Montana, a fictional setting cut-off from the world and overrun by a fanatical religious cult named Eden’s Gate. With new co-op gameplay, a wide variety of customizable weapons and vehicles, recruiting Guns for Hire from a large cast of characters as well as the all-new animal allegiance Fangs for Hire, Far Cry 5 is set to raise the bar on their own franchise with yet another memorable villain and cast.
Look for more on Far Cry 5 up until its release coming Feburary 27th 2018 on PlayStation 4/Pro, Xbox One/Scorpio and PC.
In the world of gaming there’s enough instances of games being pushed back for later release dates to keep us used to the idea, and somewhat expecting, for certain titles. Gran Turismo Sport was initially set to release all the way back in the holiday of 2016 but has since been put on hold for an un-announced date. That being said, there has been a release of a closed beta offering a look at what the folks at Polyphony Digital have to offer for the seventh installment (not including 2007’s Prologue) of the long running racing sim series.
Thanks to the folks at Eurogamer, a detailed video of the closed beta in action has provided us with answers to a few unanswered questions. A closer look at the game’s frame-rate shows off polished looks on the cars and courses bringing the game to life in spectacular detail. Vivid colors showcase the game’s finely tuned graphics and pristine imaging across the three different courses throughout the beta test, including the new course Dragon Tail. Check out the guys at Digital Foundry’s run-through below of the beta below:
Beautiful detail embraces the racer in extraordinary fashion with impressive car models and the familiar realism that comes as an anchor in the Gran Turismo series. The lighting, shading, color tones and wonderful materials and textures gives the 4K experience a sense of gratification beyond the previous releases in the franchise. With a much smaller list of cars rounding somewhere near the 140 mark, the game will focus more on the racing, both online and offline, giving the player the feel of a true racing sim.
One big addition to the customization side of the game is the livery editor. Finally. Now racers have the ability to create and design their own unique livery and graphics for their vehicles giving a bit more personality to your racing machine. Additionally, you’re capable of sharing your favorite designs online with friends and other racers, showing off your creative side to the world.
There’s still much about the new title we’re not very clear on. How much different is Sport compared to other numbered games in the series, if at all? Is Sport acting as more of a half-way point to Gran Turismo 7 or taking the roll as a major release in the series? And, most importantly, will it deliver new, fresh and, at this point, crucial enhancements to various aspects of the game to keep it from declining further into staleness of the franchise? With no official release date on paper and E3 right around the corner, keep your eyes peeled for more on this title in the near future.
In the wake of CD Projekt Red’s critically acclaimed The Witcher 3 scooping up over 800 awards – several Game of the Year nods included – back in 2015, devotees of the hit video game franchise soon justifiably wondered where the series might head once the threequel’s DLC campaign had reached its end.
Two years later we have our answer, though the truth of the matter may shock those anticipating a follow-up announcement from series publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment. While there’s every chance of another virtual Witcher outing being announced at E3 next month, that’s not the medium where Geralt of Rivia will appear next.
In fact, we’re about to witness the rugged, war-wearied protagonist’s adventures anew, since Netflix have begun development on an English-language TV drama adapting the original Witcher novels upon which the storylines of Bandai Namco’s RPG titles were originally based.
Written by Polish novelist Andrzej Sapkowski, the books carry the overarching title The Witcher Saga, depicting the escapades of Geralt alongside other witchers journeying through quasi-medieval lands on mythical quests to rid them of supernatural monstrosities galore.
“I’m thrilled that Netflix will be doing an adaptation of my stories, staying true to the source material and the themes that I have spent over thirty years writing,” Sapkowski said of the streaming studio’s new adaptation. “I’m excited about our efforts together, as well as the team assembled to shepherd these characters to life.”
Indeed, the team in question has its fair share of expertise when it comes to spearheading accomplished big and small-screen productions, between executive producers Sean Daniel and Jason Brown’s work on the Mummy film franchise, and co-exec Tomek Baginski – who’s also set to direct an episode per season – having helmed the BAFTA-winning movie The Fallen Art.
They’re scarcely lacking in enthusiasm for the project either, with Daniel and Brown praising Sapkowski’s “original, funny and constantly surprising” characters, and Baginski – as well as co-producer Jarek Sawko – noting the “moral and intellectual depth” in the source material which attracted him to the show.
Will their passion translate to a AAA Netflix series capable of matching its esteemed inspiration, the beloved video game saga and the studio’s other hit shows like House of Cards, however? With no targeted airdate set as of yet, it’ll be some time before we know for sure.
It’s not been surprising to see the Nintendo Switch atop the hardware charts lately. It’s a new system that’s competing against consoles that are relatively old and suffer from fragmented fan bases thanks to the PS4 Pro, Xbox Scorpio and the many versions of the 3DS/2DS that exist.
What did cause me some surprise and prompted me to write a news post was this report from Gamestop via PVPLive. The fact that Switch sales are doing 10% better than Wii sales were at the same period after their launches.
Sure, we’ve all seen posts about ‘Better launch weekends’ before, but I paid them no mind as launch weekend figures can be skewed by all sorts of marketing and manufacturing issues. We all know that ‘most’ consoles ‘sell out’ on their launch but what we often don’t know is if this is down to a huge demand or an extreme lack of supply.
With the initial rush out-of-the-way, the Switch has earned some impressive sales figures and the fact it’s selling faster than the Wii is pretty staggering – especially when you consider the fact that most people who don’t play games haven’t even heard of the Switch.
I’ve experienced this first-hand when talking about what I’m up to these days. My friends know I play video games and out of sheer politeness, they’ll enquire about my hobbies. I mention that I’m looking forward to eventually getting my hands on a Switch when I can and they look at me blankly.
Polygon even reported that the Switch is actually struggling to obtain brand recognition with ‘non-gamers’, with polls showing that only 7% of respondents who identify as ‘non-gamers’ have even heard of the console.
We all know the Wii had huge success in large part thanks to the chord it struck with ‘non-gamers’, so it’s amazing to see the Switch doing so well on the back of its popularity with ‘actual’ video game fans.
The fact the console launched with not just a Zelda game but what many people are calling the best Zelda game ever is no doubt a factor in its success with core gamers.
We knew that Far Cry 5 was coming out and we knew it was going to be set in Montana. Now, after the release of the reveal trailer, we can confirm some more details.
Judging by the glimpses of character and thanks to the voice-over we can expect the game’s story to focus on a fanatical religious cult taking over a part of rural America. The Seed Family, as they’re known, seem happy to brand people sinners and don’t shy away from delivering their own unique form of justice and retribution, which is shown by the number of bodies glimpsed within the trailer.
Whilst I’m excited by the new location and theme, it’s fair to say that previous Far Cry games had these too. Amazing locations and some great main villains – only for the game itself to not take advantage of this and it just descended something that was more ‘fun’ than ‘meaningful’.
Other bits of info we can gather from the trailer include the return of violent animals. If you enjoyed being clawed at by honey badgers in previous Far Cry games, it now looks like you’ll need to be cautious of more familiar animals like cows. To be fair, there is a shot of a bear chasing down a petrified man, so it looks like Far Cry 5 will still have you fighting the elements just as much previous entries.
You’re not on your own, however, as Far Cry 5 has previously made hints at the more friendly faces you’ll encounter too. With an ally system, Far Cry 5 will give you AI assistants throughout the game and also offers a co-op mode too. There was also some mention of the map-maker feature returning but I can honestly say I’ve never made a Far Cry map in my life. So for what it’s worth, I have no interest in that.
Ubisoft sums it all up by saying;
“Freely explore Hope County’s rivers, lands, and skies with the largest customizable weapon and vehicle roster ever in a Far Cry game. You are the hero of the story in a thrilling world that hits back with every punch, and where the places you discover and the locals you ally with will shape your story in ways you’ll never see coming.”
Sold? If you are you’ll have to wait until February 2018 when the game launches for PC, Xbox One, and PS4.
Earlier this year at Nintendo’s reveal event for the Switch, the company surprised the gaming community by announcing a Switch exclusive remake for one of the most classic fighting games of all time… Yes, that’s right, Capcom has remade Street Fighter II…. again.
This time it’s labeled as “Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers.” Now, you might be asking yourself, how is this any different to “Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix” that launched in 2008 digitally for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360? Well, this is not just a port of HD remix, this is an entirely new remake with brand new content.
The Final Challengers has everything HD remix has plus new balance changes, updated graphics, two new characters (Evil Ryu and Violent Ken…) a new first person motion controlled game mode called “Way of the Hado,” and a in-game high quality art book. But, with this added content comes a price…. literally. The Final Challengers launched today for the Nintendo Switch at a price point of $40, while in 2008, HD Remix launched for $15-$20 depending on the console.
Do you think “Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers” is worth the increase in price? Why, or why not? And if so, will you be picking it up today? Let us know in the comments section below!
There have been some great indie games released recently on Steam, here’s a few we selected for this week. You might discover something weirdly wonderful in this mix:
The Fidelio Incident
From the Art Director of God of War 3, this first-person thriller has been inspired by Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, and is set in Iceland after a violent plane crash.
A real-time strategy game based in space with two opposing factions – build your base, upgrade your fleet and conquer the galaxy with skirmish battles and campaign mode.
Why not? This wacky, fun, colourful VR game will have you laughing as you dodge donuts, collect donuts and destroy donuts with your trunk, yes that’s right, trunk… you play as a floating elephant head.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier is coming to an end on the 30th of May. For those of you that have been following the third chapter in the game universe, you’ll know that things have become pretty hairy for the gang, (no spoilers here folks).
The final trailer for Episode 5: ‘From the Gallows’ teases the mayhem to come in what is sure to be an emotional rollercoaster. Good luck!
You can check out the trailer below. Have you been enjoying the series so far?
It’s that time of year where most of the gaming headlines are focused on this year’s upcoming E3 event, wondering how Microsoft and Sony will approach their respective conferences. It’s no secret that we’ll already see more on Project Scorpio and Sony are keeping quiet as it stands. As for Nintendo though, their approach is the same as it has been for the last couple of years; we’ll do our own thing.
Nintendo seem to be a law unto themselves lately, keeping a distance from the constant arms race that Microsoft and Sony are engaged in an attempt to outdo one another. Whilst they will have a strong presence at E3, Nintendo have elected again to have a special E3 Nintendo Direct presentation instead. Undoubtedly, this will have many announcements for the Switch including more on Super Mario Odyssey and other familiar franchises.
But whilst the Switch may take up the majority of the conference where will the 3DS fit in, or the recently face lifted 2DS? You see the Switch allows gamers to enjoy their latest titles in various ways; docked or undocked, inside or outside the home. So with that in mind, what does the future hold for Nintendo? Will they look to wind down their record-breaking handheld console in favour of the Switch, or allow both to flourish in their own right?
Nintendo face an interesting problem here as the Switch has proven to be very popular already. Many had questioned its popularity, but it has already flown off the shelves with limited availability in many regions. Granted, the launch line-up was limited but there are already some enticing games on the horizon which Switch owners can look forward to playing. Yet out of the blue with little warning, the new-look 2DS was announced which raises questions for both the 3DS and Switch.
The 2DS now falls in line with the tried and tested design of the 3DS, no longer looking like a doorstop. From the promotional images that have been released, it wouldn’t surprise me if many favoured one of these new units over the 3DS. With 3D gaming being a trend that has well and truly passed, it wouldn’t surprise me if many opted for this version or if Nintendo did start to end production of the 3DS itself.
But even then, does the Switch not offer a more viable option for mobile gaming? With the ability to take your home titles with you whilst you travel, you’re not getting a watered down version of the title to fit the portable platform. Granted, the 3DS/2DS would be more convenient size-wise and potentially have a longer battery life, but wouldn’t you rather have a better experience on a bigger and better screen?
These are questions purely based on the actual units themselves, but when you think about the games line-up it would surely make more sense to opt for the Switch. Personally, I own a Switch and have owned a 2DS and 3DS in the past. Even at this early stage, when the catalogue is relatively small, I would prefer to have a Switch and use that for portable gaming. Why would I need two devices that can offer the same function?
For example when Super Mario Odyssey comes out for the Switch, would you need a Mario game to come out on the handheld platform? I couldn’t see much demand for handheld spin-off, or a port of the Switch title onto the handheld when you could take the Switch with you. Of course, not every 3DS/2DS owner will have or want a Switch but surely Nintendo would want to support their latest console? What’s more, isn’t the idea of the Switch to offer the perfect solution to handheld gaming so you don’t need two devices?
Of course, there’s nothing to say that Nintendo can’t continue their handheld dominance and the Switch be a success at the same time. I think the Switch was a marker for their future however, and expect to see the Switch take priority for the handheld market. I wouldn’t want to feel that I was missing out on something only available on the 3DS/2DS nor would I want ports of Switch games to hold back their release. Granted this would be very unlikely, but Nintendo have got to please both audiences somehow.
I’m sure Nintendo will look to bring some exciting announcements to the table at their Direct showing for E3, some of which may clarify the future for both their console avenues. For all gaming fans, this year’s E3 could be the biggest and most exciting in recent years.
