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A NEW ERA DAWNS FOR BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT’S TEAM-BASED SHOOTER WITH OVERWATCH® 2

A NEW ERA DAWNS FOR BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT’S TEAM-BASED SHOOTER WITH OVERWATCH® 2

Upcoming sequel brings players into the story of Overwatch as the world’s heroes stand together against a global Null Sector attack

Level up and customise your heroes with supercharged abilities as you undertake a wide range of cooperative Hero Missions around the world

Team up in a new era of Overwatch’s world-class PvP competition with new heroes, maps, and more

SYDNEY, Australia—2 November, 2019—More than 50 million players* worldwide have teamed up to capture objectives, push payloads, and fight for the future in Overwatch®, Blizzard Entertainment’s acclaimed team-based shooter. Today, before a sold-out crowd of BlizzCon 2019 attendees and millions watching online, Blizzard Entertainment revealed Overwatch 2, a supercharged sequel that will send players deeper into the world and story of Overwatch and build upon the original game’s critically acclaimed foundation of world-class PvP competition.

In Overwatch 2, players will take on the roles of the world’s heroes in cooperative missions that challenge them to team up, power up, and stand together against an overwhelming outbreak of threats around the globe. Players will also battle each other in the next evolution of competitive Overwatch play, which carries forward existing players’ accomplishments and loot collections, and features the current complete Overwatch roster, a new generation of heroes, new internationally recognisable maps that widen the scope of the world, a new Push map type, and more.

“With Overwatch 2, we’re building the cooperative, narrative-driven game experience that players have been asking for since the original—and that we’ve wanted to make for a long time,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re looking forward to telling the next chapter of this epic story in-game, and we’re excited to give players a whole-new kind of co-op experience built around progressing and customising their favourite heroes—all while providing even more of everything they love about Overwatch today.”

In the sequel’s action-packed cooperative Story Missions, players will experience the advent of a new Overwatch as Winston, Tracer, and other members of the original Overwatch join forces with a new generation of heroes. Players will take an active role in the Overwatch saga as a new global crisis unfolds through a series of intense, high-stakes four-player missions. As the story progresses, players will team up as different sets of heroes and fight to defend the world from the omnic forces of Null Sector, uncover the motives behind the robotic armies’ attacks, and come face-to-face with rising new threats around the globe.

The battle continues in Hero Missions, where the Overwatch team will be called upon to go beyond their limits as they deploy across the planet, defending cities against robot invasions, taking on elite Talon agents, and battling the villainous forces laying siege to the world. In this highly replayable mode, players can level up their favourite heroes and earn powerful customisation options that supercharge their abilities in co-op play—such as altering Reinhardt’s Fire Strike to ignite nearby enemies or modifying Tracer’s Pulse Bomb to cause a devastating chain reaction—granting the extra edge they need against the overwhelming odds.

To help realise these missions, the sequel also introduces significant engine upgrades that support larger maps for co-op (PvE) play, as well as the wide variety of new enemies and factions that players will encounter on their missions. The game also introduces visual enhancements designed to bring players’ favourite heroes—and their new looks for Overwatch 2—to life in greater detail.

Overwatch 2 also represents the beginning of a new era for the series’ world-renowned competitive 6v6 play. In addition to carrying forward all of the original game’s heroes, maps, and modes—as well as existing Overwatch players’ accomplishments and loot collections—the sequel adds multiple new playable heroes to the ever-growing roster; widens the scope of the world with even more maps and locations; and adds a new Push map type, in which two teams compete to make a robot (that happens to be pretty good at pushing things) push the map’s objective to their opponent’s side.

Overwatch 2 also renews Blizzard’s commitment to continue supporting the existing Overwatch community. Current Overwatch players will battle side-by-side with Overwatch 2 players in PvP multiplayer. In addition, current Overwatch players will be able to play Overwatch 2 heroes and maps, ensuring the core PvP experience remains dynamic and vital for today’s community in the Overwatch 2 era. More details on Blizzard’s plans, including some of the new heroes joining the fray, will be announced in the future as development continues.

For more information on Overwatch 2, visit www.playoverwatch.com. For screenshots and other assets, visit http://blizzard.gamespress.com.

Diablo® IV Revealed

Diablo® IV Revealed

Newest incarnation of Blizzard Entertainment’s genre-defining action–role-playing franchise returns with dark, visceral gameplay, robust customisation, deep loot, and infinite adventures

SYDNEY, Australia —2 November, 2019—An ancient evilthreatens to engulf Sanctuary in darkness, and new heroes have been called upon to face challenges the world has never seen before. Today, Blizzard Entertainment announced Diablo IV, the highly anticipatednext entry in its genre-defining action–role-playingseries. The newest instalment of Diablo was announced during BlizzCon® 2019, where attendees were eager to be the first in the world to play a public demo of the game.Diablo IV draws players into a grim story line and gives them the freedom to explore and forge their own path across the most expansive and intense vision of the world of Sanctuary—a bleak and shattered hellscape bereft of hope and beset by demons.

True to the franchise’s roots, Diablo IV will deliver visceral combat, gruesome and varied monsters, an epic hunt for legendary loot, and endless playability and progression. Players will find a lifetime’s worth of adventure scattered across a land rooted in unique ecologies and inhabited by dangerous new foes. They’ll delve into randomised dungeons packed with unpredictable adversaries and unimaginable treasures. While continuing to fully support solo and coordinated party play, Diablo IV will also provide opportunities for groups of players to encounter each other in the same shared world—whether to tackle bigger challenges… or possibly even slaughter one another in player-vs.-player combat.

“Sanctuary has been a home to Diablo players for more than 20 years, and it’s with our own deep passion for the series and a deep appreciation of the community that we announce Diablo IV today,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re excited to be returning to the dark, quintessential Diablo gameplay that players love while expanding the world and story in new ways, and we can’t wait for more people to be able to experience it.”

In Diablo IV, players will attempt to bring hope back to the world by vanquishing evil in all its vile incarnations—from cannibalistic demon-worshipping cultists to the all-new drowned undead that emerge from the coastlines to drag their victims to a watery grave. For the first time in the series, Sanctuary will be a contiguous, seamless landmass comprising diverse regions ranging from the burning desert of Kejhistan, to the verdant werewolf-infested forests of Scosglen, to the harsh and rugged wilderness of the Dry Steppes.

At BlizzCon, Blizzard revealed the first three of Diablo IV’s character classes, all playable at the show:

  • The Barbarian, known for their unparalleled strength and brutal melee combat,utilises a new and more powerful system in battle, Arsenal, which arms them with the ability to carry and rapidly switch between four different weapons at a time by assigning them to individual attacks.
  • The Sorceress hearkens back to their Diablo II roots and shapes the elements to obliterate their foes by impaling them upon jagged spikes of ice, electrocuting them with bolts of lightning, or raining flaming meteors from the sky.
  • The Druid is a savage shapeshifter whose updated playstyle empowers them to fluidly transform between werewolf, werebear, and human form to unleash the raw power of nature’s furyon the forces of the Burning Hells. 

These three iconic characters honour the legacy of the franchise and exemplify how Diablo IV builds upon the series’ history by preserving the core Diablo fantasy while allowing players to explore untapped gameplay possibilities with fresh inspiration. Players will be able to experiment and discover countless character builds through customisable talent trees and skills, a deep loot system filled with legendary and set items to collect, runes and rune word combinations, and even personalised mounts for traversing the open world. 

Diablo IV is being developed using modern technology that pushes the franchise to dark, new depths. This technology is at the heart of everything players will see, hear, and feel—delivering much higher fidelity and a more engrossing experience. It opens up countless possibilities for the Diablo series, from smooth character animations, such as the Druid’s fluid shapeshifting, to the seamless, vast overworld players will travel across in search of the next loot-filled underground dungeon. Ultimately, Diablo IV will ground players in a grittier and deadlier world.

Diablo IV is currently in development and will be coming to PC, PlayStation® 4, and Xbox One. Brave souls can seek out more information at www.diablo.com.

SURREAL ADVENTURE GAME MOSAIC OUT NOW ON APPLE ARCADE

SURREAL ADVENTURE GAME MOSAIC OUT NOW ON APPLE ARCADE

Mysterious Journey About the Monotony of Life Launches December 5 on PC, Coming to Consoles in Q1 2020

STOCKHOLM Nov. 1, 2019 — Global publisher Raw Fury and indie developer Krillbite Studio (Among the Sleep) have announced that the darkly surreal adventure game Mosaic is now available on Apple Arcade for iOS, tvOS, and MacOS.

Mosaic is an atmospheric adventure game about urban isolation and the dread of being a cog in the machine. As an unremarkable worker following a lonely, repetitive existence in a cold, overcrowded city, you’ll proceed through the monotony of everyday life… until some peculiar things begin to occur.

Within that mega-corporate dystopia, Mosaic spins a mysterious narrative inspired by our daily routines, and the small moments of hope that can be found by those who go against the drudgery of the system.

Mosaic will launch on Dec. 5, 2019, for Windows PC, Mac and Linux via Steam and GOG.com; it will be available to pre-order later this month. The game is expected to arrive on PlayStation®4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One in Q1 2020.

Follow the latest updates at TheMosaicGame.com and discord.gg/RawFury.

About Raw Fury

Raw Fury is a passion project. We’re privately funded, fiercely independent, and all about doing what makes us and the people we work with happy. We do that by putting more emphasis on “games” and less on “industry,” by building long-term partnerships with developers where both sides feel they are equals and in this together. Usually that leads to great friendships. And what’s wrong with that? Not a damn thing.

About Krillbite Studio

Krillbite Studio is an award-winning independent game developer that seeks to deliver unique and engaging experiences. We started out as a creative collective of students in Experience Production and Interactive Medias at the college university of Hedmark, Norway. Our Kickstarter-funded game Among the Sleep initially began as our thesis project and was later released on PC, PlayStation®4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. http://krillbite.com

BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT INC. GETS SET TO CELEBRATE PAC-MAN’S 40th ANNIVERSARY WITH A MYRIAD OF PARTNERSHIPS AND EVENTS

BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT INC. GETS SET TO CELEBRATE PAC-MAN’S 40th ANNIVERSARY WITH A MYRIAD OF PARTNERSHIPS AND EVENTS

The Year-Long Celebration Kicks Off in 2020 as the Famous 80’s Icon Celebrates 40 Years of Entertaining Millions of Fans Around the World

SANTA CLARA, Calif., (November 1, 2019) – Leading interactive entertainment company BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. today invites PAC-MAN fans around the world to “Join the PAC” and start getting ready for a year-long celebration in 2020 to commemorate PAC-MAN’s 40th Anniversary as a pop culture and video game icon. To get a sneak peek at the activities, partnerships, and surprises to come, please visit https://www.pacman.com/en-us/ or stop by this weekend at the PAC-MAN exhibit at ComplexCon taking place on November 2nd and 3rd at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in Long Beach, California.

Born on May 22, 1980, PAC-MAN immediately rose to meteoric popularity, first in video game arcades, then on the pop culture stage with hit song “PAC-MAN Fever” and through an array of branding and entertainment appearances. With a brand recognition rate of 90% around the world, PAC-MAN’s image and brand is one of the most recognized on the planet and is as strong as ever as he enters his 40th year of entertaining fans of all ages. PAC-MAN’s 40th Anniversary celebration in 2020 will include the debut of a new PAC-MAN 40th Anniversary theme song, composed by world-renowned Japanese Techno artist Ken Ishii. It will be accompanied by a music video directed by Yuichi Kodama, who has won awards at the Cannes International Advertising Festival, the Clio Awards, and the One Show Interactive. He was also the chief video director for the flag handover ceremony at the Rio Olympics Closing Ceremony. Multiple branding crossovers with Kipling®, Champion®, TIMEX®, and BAIT® will become available throughout the year. Fans will also be able to “Join the PAC” at celebratory events taking place throughout the year around the world. 

“Everyone at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment is extremely proud and excited to celebrate 40 years of PAC-MAN, not just a video game icon, but a true cultural icon.” said Chris Gilbert, Senior Vice President of Sales and General Manager at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. “2020 will be a monumental year as we celebrate PAC-MAN’s birthday all year long with ground-breaking brand partnerships, a new theme song, and engaging events around the globe.” 

To learn more about PAC-MAN’S 40th Anniversary celebration, please visit:  https://www.pacman.com/en-us/. To learn more about BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc.’s other products go to: http://www.bandainamcoent.com/home.html or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BandaiNamcoUS or join the conversation on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/bandainamcous.

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About BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc.

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc., part of BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc., is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive entertainment for all major video game consoles, iOS, Android, and online platforms. The company is known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises including PAC-MAN®, GALAGA®, TEKKEN®, SOULCALIBUR®, and ACE COMBAT®. BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. is the premier publisher in the Western hemisphere for anime based video games including NARUTO SHIPPUDEN™, DRAGON BALL Z®, and ONE PIECE®. More information about the company and its products can be found at http://www.bandainamcoent.com or www.facebook.com/BandaiNamcoUS.

About Kipling

Founded in 1987, Kipling is a bags, accessories and luggage brand that represents 80’s pop culture just like PAC-MAN. Celebrating PAC-MAN’s 40th anniversary, 2020 SS collection will see a brand cross-over. Playful items with PAC-MAN characters and fruits will launch across the world in January 2020.

About Champion®

Since 1919, Champion Athleticwear has offered a full line of innovative athletic apparel for men and women including activewear, sweats, tees, sports bras, team uniforms and accessories. Champion uses innovative design and state-of-the-art product testing to ensure uncompromised quality and innovative apparel for our consumers. Champion Athleticwear can be purchased at department stores, sporting goods, specialty retailers, and at Champion.com. For more information, please contact us at 1-800-315-0563 or at Facebook.com/Champion. Follow us on Twitter @Championusa or on Instagram @Champion. Champion is a brand of Hanesbrands Inc. (NYSE:HBI).

About Timex Group

Timex Group designs, manufactures and markets innovative timepieces around the world. Timex Group is a privately-held company headquartered in Middlebury, Connecticut with multiple operating units and over 3,000 employees worldwide. As one of the largest watch makers in the world, Timex Group companies produce watches under a number of well-known brands, including Timex, Nautica, Guess, GC, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace, Versus and Ted Baker.

Join Timex on social media: @timex

For more information, please visit http://timexgroup.com

Press Release © 2019 BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc.

PAC-MAN® & © BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.

All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

ENGAGE YOUR IMMORTAL NEMESIS THE KUVA LICH AND INHALE YOUR FOES WITH GRENDEL IN WARFRAME THE OLD BLOOD UPDATE, AVAILABLE TODAY ON PC

Laying Early Framework for Empyrean, The Old Blood Update Also Unveils Major Upgrades to Melee Combat, Reworked Warframes Ember and Vauban, and Much More  

LONDON, ON – 1 November, 2019 – Issuing in its biggest update to date for 2019, Canadian developer and publisher Digital Extremes gives Warframe® players the powerful The Old Blood update, available for free today on PC. The Old Blood commands players’ attention by introducing their immortal foe the Kuva Lich, a brand new Nemesis-like game system to Warframe, and debuts the 42nd Warframe, the insatiable Grendel. This substantial update also ties in a meaty upgrade to Melee Combat, with hundreds of buffed/re-balanced weapons, mid-air melee attacks (juggles), improved combos, and more. It also reworks two classic Warframes, Ember and Vauban, for modern audiences.

FACE YOUR IMMORTAL NEMESIS: THE KUVA LICH
The much anticipated debut of the Kuva Lich challenges veteran players with a new Nemesis-like game system. As players encounter and re-encounter their evolving nemesis, the Kuva Lich amasses resources, territory, and allies that will alter their next encounter, whether planetside or, when Empyrean launches, aboard a deep space warship. Use the new Parazon, the hidden blade of the Tenno, to confront and kill the Kuva Lich in its most powerful form, if you dare.

TRAMPLE YOUR PREY WITH THE 42ND WARFRAME
A nightmarish predator to his foes but a compassionate liberator to his allies, Grendel, the 42nd Warframe, is armed with stomach-churning Abilities that consume and regurgitate his enemies. These Abilities empower his party and deal massive damage, and also can send Grendel barreling over the opposition. Grendel can be constructed from parts acquired free in-game or purchased in the Marketplace. Visit The Old Blood news post for more information about Grendel, including a full description of his Abilities.

EXPERIENCE MASSIVE CHANGE IN MELEE CHANGES: PHASE 2 
Starting today, Tenno will experience substantial upgrades to the melee combat system with “Melee Changes: Phase 2.” This overhaul streamlines and deepens Warframe’s lightning fast melee combat. At the same time, it bolsters hundreds of weapons with substantial buffs and re-balanced stats to empower more brutal, devastating close quarter combat. These upgrades also feature a reworked Combo System that makes initiating, chaining and ending combos seamless and intuitive and new Heavy Attacks to lift, juggle and pummel enemies in air. For more details, visit the Developer Workshop forum post on Warframe.com.

EMBER AND VAUBAN REVISED
The Old Blood Update also delivers the reworks for Warframes Ember and Vauban, with adjusted stats and re-imagined core Abilities to make some of the oldest Warframes feel fresh and better suited for modern day Warframe gameplay. For complete details, go to Warframe.com.

Download Warframe The Old Blood update on PC today. Look for the console versions in the near future.

Would you like to join the Warframe community? Head to our forums to start a conversation. Check our official website at www.warframe.com. To keep up with the latest updates from the development team, be sure to follow Warframe on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
 

ABOUT DIGITAL EXTREMES
Founded in 1993 by James Schmalz, Digital Extremes ranks as one of the world’s top independent video game development studios. Originating with the co-creation of Epic Games’ multi-million unit selling Unreal® franchise including Unreal, Unreal Tournament – and all its iterations – Digital Extremes went on to develop Dark Sector®, BioShock® for the PlayStation®3, the BioShock 2 multi-player campaign, and The Darkness® II. The studio has reached its greatest critical and commercial success with the free-to-play action game, Warframe®, boasting a global community of more than 50 million registered players on PC, PS4™, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch™. For more information about Digital Extremes, visit www.digitalextremes.com. To sign up for Warframe, visit www.warframe.com.

CHIKARA: ACTION ARCADE WRESTLING UNVEILS 2019 UPDATE ROADMAP

Coming off the recent launch on Steam, CHIKARA: Action Arcade Wrestling has revealed their upcoming roadmap for the rest of 2019. This content update addresses bugs and UI issues with Wrestle Factory Game Patch, and adds new modes including Traditional Tag Team, Battle Royal Online Solo and more. CHIKARA: Action Arcade Wrestling is closing out 2019 with a bang, so head over to Steam and grab your copy today – unleash powerbombs, utilize power-ups, and energy beams in this over-the-top throwback arcade wrestling celebration.

Built using Unreal Engine 4, CHIKARA: Action Arcade Wrestling is now available on Steam. Stay updated on all CAAW activities by following the game on Twitter, ‘like’ us on Facebook, and visit the official game page at ActionArcadeWrestling.com.


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XSEED Games Invites Fans to Join Them in Celebrating 15 Years of Localizing Great Games with a Sale Across Most of their Catalog and Special Insights to their Past

XSEED Games Invites Fans to Join Them in Celebrating 15 Years of Localizing Great Games with a Sale Across Most of their Catalog and Special Insights to their Past

XSEED Games, the independent-minded publishing brand of Marvelous USA, Inc., is celebrating 15 amazing years of localizing and publishing titles on PC and consoles! Incorporated in November 2004 as XSEED JKS, Inc., the publisher is celebrating this milestone with deep discounts across most of their digital and physical catalog, as well as posting never before shared insights throughout the month of November to give people a behind-the-scenes look at what was really going on behind the curtains the past 15 years. Fans are encouraged to keep their eyes on the XSEED Games social channels to catch these “Fun Facts” as they get posted and to stay up to date on livestreams, giveaways, and other promotional activities.

“It’s been an amazing 15 years for us, filled with a lot of memorable games that we’ve been able to share with our awesome fans,” said Ken Berry, President & CEO of XSEED Games. “From the start, it was critical that we serve the needs of the community, so I’m proud that throughout the years, we’ve maintained our mission of being focused on them, as our successes and growth comes from them. Here’s to many more years of sharing games we love.”

The festivities begin with a week of deep discounts across most of their Steam and console releases both new and old –

XSEED Games titles on sale starting October 31 and running through November 7:

Keep up with all the sales, livestreams, and other fun activities throughout November by following XSEED Games on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch!

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PUBG MOBILE UNVEILS NEW PAYLOAD MODE

PUBG MOBILE UNVEILS NEW PAYLOAD MODE

Helicopters, Super Crates, new weapons and more drop into world’s most popular mobile game on iOS and Android while The Walking Dead collaboration grows

LOS ANGELES – Oct. 31, 2019 – Earlier this month, PUBG MOBILE unleashed a massive 0.15.0 update with new ledge-grab features, weapons, vehicles and more, setting the stage for an all-new gameplay mode.  Now, after weeks of growing buzz, the groundbreaking Payload Mode is available for players to skydive into for free on the App Store and Google Play, along with the new outfit of collaboration with AMC’s The Walking Dead.

The Payload Mode enables users to engage in an aerial combat in EvoGround Mode. Since updated on October 23, it has garnered brisk popularity among PUBG Mobile users. They can play TPP squad in this mode in some areas of Erangel. Fans can enjoy never-before-seen features including:

  • Helicopters – For the first time ever, players can take to the skies for damage-dealing aerial assaults in the new attack helicopter
  • Super Weapon Crate – Spawning regularly every three minutes, this special air drop includes weapons, Lv. 3 armor, Payload Mode weapons and more
  • Teammate Recall – Fallen teammate identification cards can be collected and taken to the nearest Communication Tower for a tactical revive
  • New Payload Weapons – The explosive RPG-7, M3E1-A, M79 Grenade Launcher and M134 minigun are now available
  • Air Strike Beacon – Players can call in air strikes to targeted areas around the map for surprise attacks
  • Vehicle Repair Packs – Packs can be unlocked to fixed damaged vehicles and tires.

In addition to the new Payload Mode, players also receive additions to the beloved ongoing collaboration with AMC’s The Walking Dead. Several weeks ago, The Walking Dead’s star character Daryl and his trusty motorcycle arrived as a playable character in PUBG MOBILE. From now until Friday, Nov. 8, players can now have the opportunity to unlock Rick Grimes Skin in game.

PUBG MOBILE is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play

ABOUT PUBG MOBILE

PUBG MOBILE is based on PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, the phenomenon that took the world of interactive entertainment by storm in 2017. Up to 100 players parachute onto a remote island to battle in a winner-takes-all showdown. Players must locate and scavenge their own weapons, vehicles and supplies, and defeat every player in a visually and tactically rich battleground that forces players into a shrinking play zone.

For more information, please visit the official PUBG MOBILEaccounts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

BTS WORLD UPDATE BRINGS CHAPTER 9 TO THE GAME ON OCTOBER 31

Update Include a New Story with BTS and a New Set of Cards Themed Around Their Song “DOPE”

Seoul, Korea (October 31, 2019)Netmarble today announced a Chapter 9 update to BTS WORLD, which casts players in the fantastic role of BTS’s manager. Starting October 31st, log in to experience a new story “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life.”

Additional features of the Chapter 9 update include:

  • Seven New 5 Star Cards based on the BTS song “DOPE”
    • Oct. 31 – Nov. 7: RM, Jin, SUGA and j-hope cards available
    • Nov. 7 – Nov. 14: Jimin, V and Jung Kook cards available
  • Seven-day Check-in Event from Oct. 31 – Nov. 11 with different rewards each day
  • Free items available every four hours from Nov. 1 – Nov. 4
  • Bonus Time event from Nov. 2 – Nov. 4 with a special buff available every day

BTS WORLD includes 10,000 brand new photos and 100 video clips exclusive to the game, and players are able to interact virtually with BTS as their manager through various 1:1 interactive content. The game also features an original soundtrack with exclusive music from BTS and guest appearances from Charli XCX, Zara Larsson and Juice WRLD.

For more information, please visit the official site [https://btsw.netmarble.com] or follow BTS WORLD on Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Exclusive merchandise from BTS WORLD is also available on the Netmarble Online Store.

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About Netmarble Corporation

Netmarble Corporation strives to entertain audiences of all ages around the world by providing great mobile gaming experiences. Established in Korea in 2000, Netmarble is one of the fastest-growing mobile game companies and consistently ranks as a top mobile developer and publisher worldwide. With more than 6,000 employees, Netmarble has been producing and servicing some of the most successful mobile games including Lineage 2: Revolution, Blade & Soul Revolution, MARVEL Future Fight, BTS WORLD, Everybody’s Marble, and Seven Knights. As a parent company to Kabam, a top mobile game developer in massively multiplayer free-to-play games, and the largest shareholder to Jam City, a leading casual social game developer, Netmarble has a strategic partnership with CJ ENM Corporation, Asia’s largest entertainment company, Tencent Holdings, Asia’s largest internet company, and NCsoft, a prominent MMORPG company. More information can be found at http://company.netmarble.com

About Big Hit Entertainment

Founded in February 2005 in South Korea by CEO and Producer Bang Si-Hyuk, Big Hit Entertainment’s core business focuses on music production, artist management and publishing. Big Hit’s business ventures incorporate and develop a range of content produced from top-notch artists’ IP, including global superstars BTS and its newest addition TOMORROW X TOGETHER. With its mission of ‘Music & Artist for Healing’, Big Hit strives to impart a positive influence through content while providing comfort and inspiration to music fans worldwide.

About Takeone Company

Takeone Company Corp. is an innovative content company that utilizes pop-culture within a gaming environment. Established in 2016, Takeone is leading the new genre of mobile games called ‘Cinematic Games’ that combines interactive game elements within a story concept based on both pop-culture and original IP’s.  The games include full motion videos and various visual contents that push the boundaries of next-generation storytelling.  Years of experience and knowledge in both storytelling and game development have led to the creation of cinematic games such as Take Urban, BTS WORLD.  Takeone is currently developing a series of future cinematic games for their next up and coming titles.  For more information, please refer to www.takeonecompany.com.

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes Complete Edition Review

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes Complete Edition

Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher: Marvelous Games
Platforms: PlayStation 4 (Reviewed), PC
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $39.99 – Available Here

Overview

When it comes to Grasshopper Manufacture and Suda51 we never quite know what to expect. Sure, some of their games have been down to Earth but others are so off the wall and unique that fans can’t help but love them. One of these happened to be a story about a certain otaku turned assassin by the name of Travis Touchdown and while we haven’t seen much of Travis over the years but after a return earlier this year on the Switch, he has arrived on the PlayStation 4 with Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes Complete Edition. Designed as a bit of a different designed fairly differently compared to its previous entries, is this more experimental take on Travis’ story worthwhile?

Story

Seven years after the events of No More Heroes 2, Travis Touchdown spends his time in a trailer down in Texas where he kills time playing video games and eating poorly but that all comes to an end when another assassin comes seeking revenge. Badman, the father of Bad Girl who Travis killed in the first game, has managed to find Travis and is out for vengeance but just as the two are battling it out a strange video game console called the Death Drive Mk II powers on and sucks both fighters into the virtual world.

Shocked at what has happened, the pair learn that this strange and mysterious console has only ever had a few games developed for it and with Badman already holding one of these games in the form of a Death Ball, the pair have a chance to complete the console’s ultimate goal, finish every game and be granted one wish of their choosing. With such a goal in mind, Travis and Badman team up to try and find every one of these Death Balls and complete the strange games that they contain.

Fans of Suda-51’s games and even those who have only played the No More Heroes games before already have some idea of what to expect when it comes to Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes Complete Edition‘s brand of humor and it is certainly cranked up to the maximum here. Numerous fourth wall breaking jokes are made within the first few minutes of the game and continue to run throughout alongside tons of pop-culture references and even little bonuses that fans of older Grasshopper Manufacture games will notice. This style of humor works fairly well but what is a bit odd is the way the game chooses to portray most of the game’s storyline. Rather than unfold through standard gameplay in levels, the story is almost entirely told through visual novel like story sequences that can run quite long. 

There are even a few jokes about how long winded some game’s can be but when a story sequence focusing entirely on text drags on, it ends up hurting the game as a whole, this is especially true for those who may not be familiar with this style of storytelling as well. Thankfully this release does feature a bit of extra content once the game is completed as there are additional bits of story that feature both the returning Shinobu as well as Bad Girl herself. Accessing these segments requires the core game to be completed first but they work as a nice little bonus once the core game is completed, even if that may end up feeling like a bit of a chore at times.

Gameplay

With Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes Complete Edition focusing on Travis and Badman traveling through a number of different games players will find that each game has a little something different to ask from them in terms of gameplay. For the most part nearly every one utilizes a fairly standard combat system that sees Travis utilizing only his standard beam katana, complete with simple recharging mechanic, or Badman’s bat with light and heavy attacks that can be strung together in a combo. These moves are fairly standard but there is some option for customization as the game includes a new modifier called Skill Chips. 

Skill Chips can be equipped to any of the face buttons and, when pressed in combination with L1, unleash a special skill related to that chip. These moves can be swapped out at any time through the main menu so players can change their move-set on the fly should the need arise. Unfortunately should players choose to play the game in co-op, a Skill Chip can only be equipped to one character at a time. Players will find that the game offers full support for local co-op play which is a blast, especially since the second player does gain some advantages, but unfortunately no online co-op is available, which is disappointing.

Even with Skill Chips offering some form of variety, and the fact that the game does feature completely different worlds depending on what Death Ball game Travis is currently in, things quickly become rather stale and repetitive. Outside of a few sequences, that carry their own annoying problems with the only great one being far too short, most of the game’s systems boil down to simply swinging away at countless enemy “bugs” that have appeared in these games. Combine this with the fact that the enemies themselves rarely feel threatening, with even bosses feeling slightly stronger, to the point that players will want to play on a harder difficulty so things feel at least a little challenging and might require a little actual strategy.

Outside of combat and the games players will find that there are plenty of random little oddities to enjoy in the real world as Travis can look around his camp, purchase little t-shirts for both himself and Badman to wear, looking at ramen recipes, and other random things including the signature toilet save system. As mentioned before players will also have the option to play as either, or both in co-op, Shinobu and Bad Girl once the core storyline has been completed and these characters even have some unique text when going through core levels, though be prepared for their fighting styles to really be the only unique thing to them as the standard gameplay remains a slog.

Visuals & Audio

As the game quickly points out through its first fourth wall breaking joke, Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes Complete Edition utilizes Unreal Engine 4 and for the most part the signature art style translates well into this engine. Character models for the core cast and the boss enemies are well designed and the designs for each of the in-game worlds offer plenty of great window dressings to the simple action though be prepared for most of the game to be presented in 4:3 format to mimic old-school CRT televisions. Oddly enough, despite being released on the PlayStation 4 after first releasing on the Nintendo Switch the game still suffers from slowdown at various points in the game, especially when multiple enemies are on screen.

It appears that most of the returning characters in the game have reprised their English voice actors which is a nice boon for fans of the series though players shouldn’t expect too much dialogue in story sequences as the lengthier visual novel scenes are not voiced. One thing that fans will appreciate is that the game utilizes a number of familiar songs from the series so far in a more simplistic format to better fit the themes of the game and this is especially true for the bonus post-game content.

Overall

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes Complete Edition features all of the signature humor and quirks that fans of Suda51’s games have come to expect and this release does feature Shinobu and Bad Girl’s post-game content but the game’s fairly generic combat quickly becomes repetitive despite the numerous changes in scenery and style. This, plus a feeling that some segments feel padded, hinder what could have been Travis’ great return but instead leaves us with only a solid sampling to hold us over until the next full game in his story.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.