With popular actor Pierre Taki recently being arrested for allegedly using cocaine and Sega then halting all sales of Judgement, where he provides the character model and voice of character Kyohei Hamura, both at retail and digitally the fate of the game in the West had been in limbo, with all images and trailers featuring Kyohei Hamura having been removed from Sega‘s official pages.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the character model and Japanese voice for the character of Kyohei Hamura will be adjusted for the Western release of Judgment, launching on June 25, 2019.
Well fans have no need to worry any longer as Sega has announced over Twitter that while the character will still be adjusted for release in the West, the game will still be released on June 25th for the PlayStation 4 in North America and Europe.
Spike Chunsoft has announced that they will be releasing AI: The Sominum Files in the West on July 25th where it will be available for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC with a standard edition of the game being available for all three platforms and a $89.99 “Special Agent Edition” that will be exclusive to North America offering the game, a six inch tall A-set acrylic stand, a collector’s box, a soundtrack called REVERIES IN THE RaIN, three vinyl stickers of A-set’s logos, and a thirty page art book.
AI: The Sominum Files is set in a near future Tokyo where Kaname Date is tracking down a mysterious serial killer. Date must investigate crime scenes as well as dreams on the hunt for clues. The first trailer for the game has also been released and you can check it out below.
For many years Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines has been retouched on PC by its fanbase and now it looks like a sequel is finally in the works. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has been announced to be in development from Hardsuit Labs with Paradox Interactive handling the publishing with the company aiming to have the game released in Q1 2020 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. It has already been announced that a “Season of the Wolf” season pass will be offered for the game where it will be included in a $89.99 “Blood Moon Edition” of the game alongside the standard version.
Players will take control of a freshly made vampire that was created in an act of vampire insurrection, your existence ignites a blood war among the vampire factions who run Seattle. To survive, you’ll choose a clan and enter into uneasy alliances with the competing factions in a world which will react to every choice you make. Unleash your supernatural powers against your prey, but be mindful of your surroundings at all times or run the risk of breaking the Masquerade, the absolute law of secrecy that keeps Vampire society hidden from humanity.
After a rough road Clementine’s journey will possibly be coming to an end next week when the last episode of The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series – The Final Season is set to be released. After years of fighting to survive, Clementine is now leader of a community of lost children, and they’re depending on her to get them home safe. In the aftermath of an explosive mission, fire, chaos, the living and the dead all stand in her way. Can Clementine be the savior they need? Her story comes to a dramatic and heart-wrenching climax in this final episode.
PUBG MOBILE REVEALS ITS2019
ESPORTS PLANS WHICH WILL FEATURE A PRIZE POOL OF $2.5 MILLION USD
Tencent
& PUBG Corporation announces Vivo as the title sponsor of PUBG MOBILE Club
Open 2019, and Vivo’s products will be “Official Smartphone of PUBG MOBILE Club
Open 2019”
LOS ANGELES –
Mar. 22, 2019 – Unveiled at the PUBG
MOBILE 1st Anniversary party, PUBG MOBILE Club
Open 2019 (PMCO 2019)
marked the start of the long-term and committed partnership byTencent
Games and PUBG Corporation with Vivo to build out a true mobile esports
eco-system for the world’s most popular mobile game, PUBG MOBILE.
The PMCO 2019 is
divided into Spring Split and Fall Split, each with separate prize pool
totaling $2.5 million USD. Vivo, the smart phone company, is the official title
sponsor of the PMCO 2019,
providing smartphones to players and fans during both splits. The Spring Split Global Finals will take place in
Germany this July.
Beginning March
22nd, more than 35,000 teams from around the world will compete in the first
online qualifiers for the PMCO 2019
Spring Split.The online qualification period ends on March 30th.
PMCO 2019 arrives on the heels of 2018’s PUBG MOBILE
Star Challenge, a worldwide circuit of tournaments that was watched by more
than 230 million online viewers for the Global Finals in Dubai, where the Thai team RRQ Athena
took home the Global Championship and $200,000 USD.
For PMCO 2019,
16 teams from across 10 regions (South East Asia, India, the Middle East, North
America, South America, Europe, Korea, Japan, China and Wildcard) will compete
in the Spring Split Global Finals in Germany. PUBG
MOBILE will provide the environment for aspiring semi-pro clubs to eventually
become professionals.
More information
about PUBG MOBILE Club Open 2019 can be found here.
PUBG MOBILE is
available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play.
PUBG MOBILEis
developed by Tencent Games and PUBG Corporation and based on PLAYERUNKNOWN’S
BATTLEGROUNDS, the original PC and Xbox One gaming phenomenon that took the
world of interactive entertainment by storm in 2017. Up to 100 players parachute onto a remote island to do
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.
About Vivo
Vivo is a leading global technology company
committed to creating trendsetting smart mobile products and services. Vivo is
devoted to forming a vibrant mobile internet ecosystem, and currently owns and
operates an extensive network of research operations, with R&D centers in
the US (San Diego) and China (Dongguan, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Beijing and
Hangzhou). These centers focus on the development of cutting-edge consumer
technologies including 5G, AI, mobile photography and next-generation
smartphone design.
Vivo has over two hundred million users enjoying
its mobile products and services around the world. Vivo is present in 18
markets globally and features offline retail stores in over 1,000 cities
worldwide.
While we have heard a bit about World End Syndrome coming from PQube we haven’t heard much from the game’s North American publisher Arc System Works at least until today. The company has announced that they will be bringing the game to the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch as a digital download on May 2nd where it will be priced at $39.99. This sets the release a full month before the planned European release though that region will also be given physical copies of the game to purchase.
For those who haven’t been following the game, World End Syndrome is a romantic mystery visual novel featuring multiple endings depending on the choices players make throughout the game. Stepping into the shoes of a seventeen year old high schooler trying to escape his troubled past, players will transfer to Mihate High School in an attempt to start a new life but Mihate Town is not the coastal paradise it appears to be. It is home to the legend of the Yomibito, where the dead come back to life every 100 years. Once resurrected, the Yomibito attack the living to regain their sanity, but the dead’s thirst is never quenched.
This year happens to be 100 years since the last known incident…As the protagonist navigates his new life with a colorful cast of new friends, a student at Mihate High suddenly dies. The murder sends shockwaves through the idyllic town as he finds himself caught in a string of strange incidents, romance, and unforgettable summer experiences.
SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE
TWICE LAUNCHES GLOBALLY – DEATH IS NOT YOUR
FATE JUST YET!
With More Than 50
Awards and Nominations, Including “Best of gamescom 2018,” FromSoftware
Immerses Players into a Reimagined 16th Century Japan Filled with Japanese
Swordplay, Unique Stealth Mechanics, and Beautiful Death
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – March 22, 2019 –
Gamers worldwide will embark on an unforgettable journey that makes death an
enemy and ally in the highly-anticipated videogame, Sekiro™:
Shadows Die Twice. Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki of
FromSoftware (Dark Souls and Bloodborne), Sekiro: Shadows Die
Twice launches today as an epic adventure that introduces players to a
beautifully dark world filled with brutal enemies, intense sword combat, and
engrossing vertical exploration! The game is now available on PlayStation®4;
PlayStation®4 Pro; the family of Xbox One devices from Microsoft, including the
Xbox One X; and PC via Steam.
Players will discover an all-new gaming
experience in Sekiro:
Shadows Die Twice as they take on the role of the
“one-armed wolf.” As the game’s sole protagonist, the wolf is willed to obey
and protect by using his newly acquired shinobi prosthetic arm to restore his
honor, rescue his master known as The Divine Heir, and exact revenge on his
enemy at all costs. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice offers reward-based
exploration as players uncover new items, meet new characters, encounter hidden
challenges, and learn more about the rich lore within the game – all taking
place across a detailed world filled with beautiful vistas, unique weaponry,
and larger-than-life foes.
“Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a game set in
Japan’s Sengoku era and portrays the great battle faced by a lone, one-armed
shinobi. Withered and ruined landscapes combined with a vibrant color palette
make for a game world that is true to the FromSoftware style, in which the
player is always one step away from death. It is our hope that new and old fans
alike will enjoy our shinobi’s journey; rich with intense and dynamic
combat,” said Hidetaka Miyazaki, President of FromSoftware and Director of
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
Published by Activision*, a wholly
owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), Sekiro:
Shadows Die Twice keeps true to FromSoftware’s legacy of challenging yet
rewarding gameplay, and offers unique combat that emphasizes patience,
technique and creativity. Players will learn to embrace the posture system,
which focuses on deflecting attacks, while simultaneously being defensive and
aggressive. Resurrection gives the opportunity for either tactical retreat or
enemy deception to go on the counter-offensive. The shinobi prosthetic, which
can be outfitted with a variety of attachments such as the grappling hook,
loaded axe, and flame vent, brings an entirely new dimension to the gameplay as
it enables players to exploit enemy weaknesses.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is available for the
suggested retail price of $59.99. For more information, please visit www.SekiroTheGame.com and follow @SekiroTheGame on Twitter,
Instagram, and Facebook.
About FromSoftware
Game developer based in Tokyo, Japan.
Known for the Armored Core series, Dark Souls series and Bloodborne amongst
other titles. More information can be found on the official homepage: http://www.fromsoftware.jp/
About Activision
Headquartered in Santa Monica,
Calif., Activision is a leading global producer and publisher of
interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world
and is a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), an S&P
500 company. More information about Activision and its products can be
found on the company’s website, www.activision.com or by
following @Activision.
Bloodborne is a trademark of Sony
Interactive Entertainment LLC. Dark Souls is a trademark of BANDAI NAMCO
Entertainment Inc. Sony and Bandai Namco are not the publisher of SEKIRO:
SHADOWS DIE TWICE. Activision has no affiliation with Bloodborne or
Dark Souls.
EXPERIENCE FAMILY-FRIENDLY VR WITH
HIPPOS, ALIENS, PHOTOGRAPHY AND MORE WITH NEW NINTENDO LABO: VR KIT
With a wide
variety of activities, kids and families can make, play and discover in a whole
new way, and even create their own VR games
22nd March 2019 – Ever wish you could paint like an elephant or feel like a superhero by stopping an alien invasion? Nintendo Labo: VR Kit launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch on 12th April with dozens of simple and fun virtual reality* experiences for kids and families to build and enjoy together. Get a sneak peek at what’s included by checking out the new Nintendo Labo: VR Kit – Launch trailer on the official Nintendo YouTube channel.
Combining the innovative physical and digital gameplay of Nintendo Labo with basic VR technology, Nintendo Labo: VR Kit introduces virtual reality in a unique and approachable way. Each Toy-Con offers a unique range of experiences that combine tactile feedback in the real world with exciting virtual adventures. The Toy-Con Wind Pedal simulates flight with blasts of air, while players can charge the Toy-Con Blaster before launching a volley of lasers (or fruit). Players can make different DIY cardboard creations like a Toy-Con Elephant or a Toy-Con Camera; play a variety of VR games and experiences with these creations; and discover how it all works – or even design their own bite-sized VR experiences with the included programming tools.
All the games and experiences in
Nintendo Labo: VR Kit are designed to be shareable, fun and social. By
alternating turns, everyone in the room can watch and enjoy the player’s
reactions and join the fun. Some games even allow players who aren’t looking
into the Toy-Con VR Goggles to interact with the onscreen experience. For
example, if one player is exploring the in-game ocean and taking photos with
the Toy-Con Camera, another person in the room can wear the Toy-Con Snorkel
accessory and step in front of the Camera to make a bug-eyed fish swim quickly
toward the player’s face – the reaction is priceless!
The Nintendo Labo: VR Kit offers a
variety of games and experiences that work with the different Toy-Con
creations, including:
Ocean
Camera (uses Toy-Con Camera): Dive into
the deep blue virtual sea and complete objectives like taking photos of
sea life. The ocean is full of surprises.
House
Camera (uses Toy-Con Camera): Interact
with the strange creature living in the house – which some people may
recognise from the Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit! – and complete missions by
taking photos in its mysterious home.
Marble
Run (uses Toy-Con Elephant): Try to
complete physics-based puzzles by using various objects to guide marbles
through rings. You can even create puzzles of your own to challenge
friends and family.
Doodle
(uses Toy-Con Elephant): Create
colourful 3D artwork by moving the trunk of the Toy-Con Elephant through
the air, using various in-game tools and styles to bring your creations to
life. Once finished, show off your masterpieces on the TV by docking your
Nintendo Switch. An additional multiplayer game lets players take turns
drawing and guessing each other’s drawings.
Bird
(uses Toy-Con Bird): Soar
through the sky on a bird’s back, collecting items and helping baby birds
hatch along the way. When using the Toy-Con Bird, players can flap its
wings. But a tap of the Toy-Con Wind Pedal delivers a surprisingly strong
puff of air to the player as the bird in the game gets an extra boost of
speed.
Bird
Dash (uses Toy-Con Bird): Compete in
timed challenges by racing through checkpoints as you fly through the sky.
Blaster
(uses Toy-Con Blaster): Battle an
alien invasion and giant bosses in an on-rails experience that requires
sharp reflexes and a keen eye.
Kablasta
(uses Toy-Con Blaster): Challenge
a friend to competitive hippo feeding! Fling different types of fruit
toward the hippos to lure them toward your side of the pool and score the
most points.
Hop
Dodge (uses Toy-Con Wind Pedal): As a frog,
jump as high as you can on an ever-growing stack of colourful balls while
avoiding obstacles and heading soccer balls. The wind resistance from the
Wind Pedal will make you feel as though you’re actually experiencing a
breeze.
VR
Plaza (all Toy-Con creations): Enjoy 64
bite-sized games and experiences in VR Plaza, including platformers and
puzzlers. Many of these experiences can be enjoyed using only the Toy-Con
VR Goggles and Nintendo Switch system.
Two programming tools are included
with the Nintendo Labo: VR Kit software. Toy-Con Garage is the tool that is
returning from previous kits and optimised for this kit’s Toy-Con creations.
Toy-Con Garage VR is a new tool that allows players to create their own VR
games and experiences. In fact, Toy-Con Garage VR is the tool that the
development team used to create everything in VR Plaza. Players can even import
VR Plaza games into Toy-Con Garage VR mode to discover how they work, customise
the experiences or use them as inspiration to create a completely new game.
Nintendo Labo: VR Kit will launch
on April 12th with two primary configurations, one that includes all
Toy-Con creations and one that includes a smaller selection of projects to get
started:
Nintendo
Labo: VR Kit: The complete Nintendo Labo:
VR Kit includes the Nintendo Switch software and materials to build all
six Toy-Con projects – the Toy-Con VR Goggles, Toy-Con Blaster, Toy-Con
Camera, Toy-Con Bird, Toy-Con Wind Pedal and Toy-Con Elephant – as well as
a Screen Holder and Safety Cap. Launching with a suggested retail price of
AU$119.95, it’s a good option for kids and families who want to dive in to
the full experience.
Nintendo
Labo: VR Kit – Starter Set + Blaster: The Starter Set includes the Nintendo Switch
software, plus all the components to build the Toy-Con VR Goggles and Toy-Con
Blaster, as well as the Screen Holder and Safety Cap. Launching with a
suggested retail price of AU$59.95, the Starter Set is a great entry point
into the world of Nintendo Labo VR.
Players that own the Starter Set
can purchase the following optional expansion sets to expand their experience:
Nintendo
Labo: VR Kit – Expansion Set 1**: Expansion
Set 1 includes the components needed to build the Toy-Con Elephant and
Toy-Con Camera, with a suggested retail price of AU$29.95.
Nintendo
Labo: VR Kit – Expansion Set 2**: Expansion
Set 2 includes the components needed to build the Toy-Con Wind Pedal and
Toy-Con Bird, with a suggested retail price of AU$29.95.
Experience family-friendly VR with
hippos, aliens, photography and more when Nintendo Labo: VR Kit for Nintendo
Switch launches on 12th April. Nintendo Labo: VR Kit will launch
with two primary configurations – the Nintendo Labo: VR Kit and the Nintendo Labo:
VR Kit – Starter Set + Blaster – while owners of the Starter Set looking to
expand their Labo VR experience can purchase two optional expansion sets.
*Users can easily turn off the VR
feature and use the included Screen Holder instead of the Toy-Con VR Goggles to
enjoy any of the included games and experiences in 2D.
**The two expansion sets do not include the Toy-Con VR Goggles or Nintendo Labo: VR Kit software.
Ever since One Piece began being published over twenty years ago the series has been quite popular and throughout the years it has continued to garner attention alongside numerous different video games throughout the years. These titles range from fighting games, brawlers, action adventure games, and a variety of other different genre but like many other anime and manga franchises, the series has barely touched upon an open world style of game. Now with One Piece: World Seeker choosing to tackle that type of game, is it worth picking up?
Story
While in the New World the Straw Hat crew hear of a vast amount of treasure being held within a prison facility called Jail Island and in an attempt to obtain these riches, Luffy pretends to be captured while the rest of the crew infiltrate the prison through other means. Unfortunately for the group this treasure turns out to be nothing more than a trick to lure unsuspecting pirates to the waiting hands of the Marines and other captors.
With the marines sporting an uncommonly high number of sea-prism stone weapons Luffy barely escapes from their trap only to find himself plummeting into the ocean. Saved by a woman named Jeanne Luffy finds himself initially separated from the rest of the Straw Hat crew only to eventually locate them with the help of Jeanne and the rest of the Anti-Marines faction. Due to a previous war, the island that was previously named Jewel Island due to its precious resources, ended up falling under Marine control and was transformed into its current state, with the Straw Hats now caught between the Pro-Marine and Anti-Marine factions it will be up to Luffy to help those in need.
While playing through the story players will feel like it fits right at home with the general theme of the series’ mini-arcs as the crew is separated as usual and slowly gathers together while meeting with those in need and fighting against various enemies along the way. This is partially due to the fact that the series’ author Oda has helped supervise the game’s story and had a hand in creating the new characters for the game so it all blends together incredibly well even if the story itself is a bit on the short side on its own.
Along those lines players shouldn’t expect a really advanced storyline to be told here, though fans should find it decent enough, and even side-stories that can be viewed through increasing your bond level with various characters tend to feel a bit flat overall. This is primarily due to the fact that although all of the other Straw Hats and a number of other familiar faces make appearances in the game, they are not playable in any form and are instead relegated to being quest givers, opponents, or simply services for small side-features in the game.
Gameplay
As mentioned before One Piece: World Seeker is an open world style game and with it come a variety of little features. Players will be able to explore a fairly sizable world where various hidden treasures can be located and opened, resources gathered from various points, and of course a number of side-quests to undertake if you so choose. Generally these side-quests fall into either gathering a certain amount of items from around the world or taking down enemies in a specific area so don’t expect anything too revolutionary here.
Navigating through this world as Monkey D. Luffy is an enjoyable task as his rubber abilities allow him to initially launch up the side of buildings and other tall objects by stretching his arm and once the player continues to upgrade Luffy’s abilities he can even begin to hover using his legs as well as extend his stretching powers. It is worth noting that the movement may feel a bit slow at first but once the first few upgrades are purchased navigating throughout the world can often be a far more enjoyable experience than simply using the fast travel system most of the time.
The combat system of One Piece: World Seeker is a bit of a mixed bag primarily due to the fact that the game features an upgrade system with various abilities locked away until they are purchased. This means that until players progress, Luffy is left with a droll move set that quickly grows tiresome even when swapping between his standard fighting form as well as the Haki based fighting styles. In fact even once the player has managed to upgrade Luffy’s combat style the game still feels a bit lackluster in this regard with most fights simply boiling down to a few simple moves even on harder difficulties though in harder fights players will need to play more defensively primarily due to how awful the game’s dodge system works. It is interesting to note that there are stealth takedowns available in the game to take down unaware enemies and it is possible to string these takedowns together if enemies are grouped up.
Completing tasks, defeating enemies, and advancing the story provide the player with various skill points that, as mentioned before, can be applied to a number of different categories to allow players to advance Luffy’s skills in a way they see fit though be careful with some abilities as some skills are completely useless in practice. Along those same lines players will find that the various items and relationships they can build up tend to mostly unlock costumes and various other items that tend to play a minimal role in the game, leaving players with an open world game that simply feels empty at times, especially since the various locations tend to be sparsely populated.
Visuals & Audio
It is clear that the development team for One Piece: World Seeker had some oversight when it came to bringing the character’s of One Piece to life within this game. The character designs perfectly match with their original counterparts and even the new original characters fit in quite well. Although empty the actual designs of the world and the various locations players visit on Prison Island are nicely detailed with a great amount of variety to be seen.
It is interesting to note that the game does not really feature any of the signature music of the original series but does sport a fairly satisfying mix of background music throughout the various areas in the world. In fact there is even an option to listen to various tracks in the menu system if you happen to have a favorite. As for the voice work players will find that this game only features the Japanese voice track but unlike many anime games, it features a disappointingly limited amount of voice work outside of main dialogue events and cutscenes.
Overall
Although anime games don’t tend to try the open world formula often, One Piece: World Seeker does deserve a bit of praise for trying it out even if it doesn’t end up feeling like anything special because of this. The game’s combat system eventually does work rather well after advancing past the bland beginnings and thankfully the same character design aesthetic from the original series carries over well into the game. Those looking for a nice new story in the One Piece world will find that with the help of Oda this game feels like it fits right in with the original work like a side-story though be prepared for most of the crew to sit around while Luffy does all the work.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
SQUARE ENIX TAKES PLAYERS INSIDE THE MAKING OF FINAL FANTASY SERIES
Inside
FINAL FANTASY IX Developer Featurette Available Now
SYDNEY, 22ND March 2019 – Square Enix Ltd., today unveiled an in-depth
look at the beloved and timeless classic FINAL FANTASY® IX. Inside
FINAL FANTASY IX takes a look at some of the secrets and anecdotes from the
development of the game, featuring interviews with:
The first in an ongoing series of developer featurettes, “Inside FINAL FANTASY” takes viewers on a deep dive into the legacy of the series bringing together interviews with a variety of original creators, artists and developers.
FINAL FANTASY IX tells a grand story of love, war
and betrayal in a world of incredible magic and larger-than-life characters.
Zidane and the Tantalus Theater Troupe have kidnapped Princess Garnet, the heir
of Alexandria, but to their surprise, the princess herself yearned to escape
the castle and see the world for herself. Together, they explore the world and
encounter new friends and enemies to make an adventure unlike any other.
FINAL FANTASY IX is available now on App Store®,
Google Play™, STEAM®, Playstation®4 computer entertainment system, the Nintendo
Switch™ system, the Xbox One family of devices, and Windows 10. Follow the
FINAL FANTASY YouTube channel for updates in the Inside FINAL FANTASY
series: https://www.youtube.com/finalfantasy
