NEW JUMP
FORCE TRAILER FEATURING JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE CHARACTERS NOW AVAILABLE
FROM BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA INC.
A new JUMP FORCE trailer featuring the recently announced JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure characters, Jotaro and Dio, is now available and ready for viewing.
Jotaro
and Dio, two highly requested characters from the seminal JoJo’s Bizarre
Adventure manga, are ready to take on the competition in JUMP FORCE.
Jotaro fights alongside his Stand, Star Platinum, while Dio deals damage with
his devastating ability to stop time using The World.
JUMP
FORCE
celebrates the 50-year anniversary of Japan’s influential Weekly Shonen Jump
magazine by pitting its most popular franchises together including DRAGON
BALL Z, ONE PIECE, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, and many more in this
electrifying area-based brawler. JUMP FORCE will be
available for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, and PC
via STEAM on February 15, 2019. Fans who pre-order the JUMP FORCEUltimate Edition will be able to start playing JUMP FORCE
three days early on February 12, 2019!
Wheeled Vehicles Are Ready to Roll Out onto World of
Tanks Battlefield
Take the collection of five French machines for a spin
February
6, 2019 — The first
big addition to World of Tanks in 2019 is here: a sub-branch of wheeled
vehicles that are ready to add a new dimension to light tank gameplay. Starting
at Tier VI, the French can be researched after reaching the tracked Tier V AMX
ELC bis.
The wheeled
vehicles are:
AMD
Panhard 178B, Tier VI
Hotchkiss
EBR, Tier VII
AML
Lynx 6×6, Tier VIII
Panhard
EBR 90 (mle. 64), Tier IX
Panhard
EBR 105, Tier X
The
addition of the French wheeled vehicles creates a new role on the battlefield:
the true active scout. These machines need to get closer to their targets to
light them up for teammates, thanks to their high camouflage values.
The
newcomers will also introduce two new mechanics that are unlocked through the
sub-branch. Both of the mechanics are unique to the French wheeled vehicles,
they are:
The
lock-on feature
Two
driving modes: Drive and Default
Due to
sufficiently higher speeds, enabling auto aim would become a challenge. The lock-on
feature massively simplifies this feature and is unlocked with the AMD Panhard
178B. Drive and Default are available from the AML Lynx 6×6:
Drive will allow extreme speed, but
sacrifices handling
Default allows for better
maneuverability, but less pace
“We’re looking forward to releasing
the French wheeled vehicles onto the live server with Update 1.4,” states Maxim
Chuvalov, Publishing Director, World of Tanks. “By adding them, we hope players
will like the new range of vehicles and enjoy mastering the new gameplay role
on the battlefield.”
Wheeled
vehicles are coming as part of Update 1.4 and will be available in-game from 6th
February.
About World of Tanks
World of
Tanks is the first and only team-based, massively multiplayer online action
game dedicated to armored warfare. Throw yourself into the epic tank battles of
World War II with tankers all over the world. Your arsenal includes over 570
armored vehicles from 11 nations, carefully detailed with historical accuracy.
Wargaming
is an award-winning online game developer and publisher headquartered in
Nicosia, Cyprus. Operating since 1998, Wargaming has grown to become one of the
leaders in the gaming industry with 4500+ employees and offices spread all over
the world. Over 200 million players enjoy Wargaming’s titles across all major
gaming platforms. Their flagship products include the massively popular
free-to-play hit World of Tanks and the strategic naval action game World of
Warships.
The company’s dedicated unit, Wargaming Mobile,
is forging collaborations to deliver new mobile experiences alongside their
in-house game development.
TOKYO, 5th February 2019 – Today, SEGA released Revolve8 for global
audiences on both Android and iOS across nearly 100 countries and regions in
five languages: English, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish and French.
This all new real-time-strategy was created by an all-star team that includes
Masayoshi Kikuchi, Koji Igarashi, Ryota-H, Shunsuke Tsuchiya, and Yasunori Mitsuda.
Check out the trailer here!
In Revolve8, producer Masayoshi
Kikuchi and character designer Koji Igarashi created a new real-time-strategy game
featuring familiar fairy tale characters, but with a quirky twist. Players use
a deck of eight cards to destroy their opponent’s tower within three minutes.
The rules are simple, but with the many different combinations of cards and a
variety of Hero skills, mastering the game requires a delicate balance of
strategy and tactics.
KEY
CREATIVE STAFF OF REVOLVE8
Senior Producer: Masayoshi Kikuchi
Producer of “Yakuza”, Director of “Jet Set Radio”
Character Designer: Koji Igarashi (Creator of the Igavania genre)
Character Artist: Ryota-H
Sound Producer: Shunsuke Tsuchiya & Yasunori Mitsuda
GAME
FEATURES
● Gripping characters created by Koji Igarashi – Characters from well-known
fairy tales are reimagined in a unique way by Koji Igarashi. For example, Red
Riding Hood is a fashion and social media fanatic while Cinderella is a
motorcycle-loving pop star, and many more!
● Strategically deep, real-time
duels – Understand the strengths and weaknesses of your cards, which are classified
into Heroes, Minions, Buildings, and Magic. Strategize wisely to win!
● Guide your strategy with 3 deck
types – When you build a deck, the game will automatically classify it as one
of three deck types to help you guide your strategy.
Assault Decks: Lets you go deep into enemy lines
Siege Decks: Focuses on long-range attacks
Counter Decks: Looks for opportunities to counterattack
● Lead your team to victory with 2
skill types – Each Hero has a Normal Skill and a Special Skill. Special Skills
can only be used once in a match by the deck leader, while Normal Skills can be
used every 30 seconds by any of the Heroes in the deck. When used correctly,
these skills can potentially turn the battle around.
● Emerge victorious and climb to a
higher League – Participate in League Matches, which involve real-time battles
against players from around the world!
● Learn the basics with Quests –
Clear single-player quests to pick up the basics of battle and understand the
strengths and weaknesses of each Hero.
To celebrate the upcoming release of
Revolve8, all players will receive the following in-game rewards:
1. Kintaro
2. 1,000 gold
3. Karen
4. Aladdin *Players will receive this reward upon
reaching League 2
5. Sinbad *Players will receive this reward upon reaching
League 2
6. Ring Genie *Players will receive this reward upon
reaching League 3
7. Urashima Taro *Players will receive this reward upon
reaching League 3
8. Cinderella *Players will receive this reward upon
reaching League 3
9. Little Match Girl *Players will receive this reward
upon reaching League 4
10. Bear *Players will receive this reward upon reaching
League 4
11. Fairy Godmother *Players will receive this reward
upon reaching League 5
12. Otohime *Players will receive this reward upon
reaching League 5
13. Wicked Witch *Players will receive this reward upon
reaching League 6
14. Sleeping Beauty *Players will receive this reward
upon reaching League 7
15. Buildings, Minions and Magic Set *Players will
receive these rewards upon reaching the League required to unlock the
particular card.
1.
Kintaro
2.
1,000 gold
3.
Karen
4.
Aladdin *Players will receive this reward upon reaching League
2
5.
Sinbad *Players will receive this reward upon reaching League 2
6.
Ring Genie *Players will receive this reward upon reaching
League 3
7.
Urashima Taro *Players will receive this reward upon reaching
League 3
8.
Cinderella *Players will receive this reward upon reaching
League 3
9.
Little Match Girl *Players will receive this reward upon
reaching League 4
10.
Bear *Players will receive this reward upon reaching League 4
11.
Fairy Godmother *Players will receive this reward upon reaching
League 5
12.
Otohime *Players will receive this reward upon reaching League
5
13.
Wicked Witch *Players will receive this reward upon reaching
League 6
14.
Sleeping Beauty *Players will receive this reward upon reaching
League 7
15.
Buildings, Minions and Magic Set *Players will receive these
rewards upon reaching the League required to unlock the particular card.
Download all assets here and stay updated on news and events from Revolve8：
Revolve8 official Facebook Page and the Revolve8 official website
###About SEGA Networks Inc., SEGA Game Co., Ltd.’s mobile division in the
West:
SEGA’s mobile division in the West has its headquarters based in San Francisco
with dedicated studios across North America and the UK. Focused on creating
fun, compelling and engaging games, SEGA’s games feature iconic intellectual
property as well as original innovative content for mobile and tablet devices.
Since 2008, it has been a leader in the smartphone and tablet space and
continues to be at the forefront of mobile gaming. SEGA Networks Inc.’s mobile
studios include Hardlight™ and Demiurge Studios™. For more information, visit
sega.com.
BATTLLOON Bursts Onto Nintendo Switch, Steam on
28 Feb.
TOKYO – 5 Feb. 2019 –BATTLLOON, the balloon-battling party game from Sony
publishing label UNTIES and noname studio will pop on Nintendo Switch and Steam on
Thursday, 28 Feb. 2019.
Gather two to four people, choose from six balloons and engage in the ultimate high-stakes drama. Attack and bump buddies into spiked walls to be crowned king of the balloon battles. Using only the control stick and a single button, BATTLLOON is an easy game for everyone to get hooked on. Avoiding getting popped is harder than it looks, but deflation is not the end. Punctured pals revive as ghosts who can still compete for victory points.
Each bouncy balloon is a
supreme warrior with distinct playstyles. Puffer can grow big and become
unmovable; Birdie Jay is the master of maneuverability but light and easy to
bonk into spikes; and Astro Cat wows onlookers with its fabulous rainbow trail.
Retro-style pixel arenas
and upbeat chiptunes set the stage for colorful battlegrounds. Each environment
carries its own special dangers like balloon-eating fish or spiky volcanic
rocks that can pop anyone caught off guard. BATTLLOON’s transcendental
conflicts and whimsical squabbles burst with vibrant visuals and gales of
giggles to create a party experience that will keep people of all ages glued to
their controllers.
“Take one look at BATTLLOON
and anyone can see the kind of over-the-top fun they’re in for,” said John
Davis, G&R Representative, UNTIES. “It’s the kind of experience that has
drawn attendees at shows like PAX across the showfloor to see what the hell is
going on, with gameplay kept them coming back for more. Now we look forward to
sharing BATTLLOON with the world.”
BATTLLOON will be available via Nintendo Switch eShop and
Steam on 28 Feb. It will support the English and Japanese languages for two to
four players locally.
Based out of Tokyo,
Japan, Sony Music’s publishing label UNTIES is dedicated to expanding the reach
of Japan’s best indie developers. Its name derives from the goal of untying
games from specific platforms and sharing them worldwide. For more information,
visit the UNTIES website or follow @UNTIES_Games on Twitter.
About noname studios
Founded in 2017, noname
studios is an indie game development team of undergraduate students based in
Tokyo, Japan. For more information, visit the noname studio
website or follow @noitems_studio on Twitter.
MASTER OF ETERNITY AMPS FIERCE MECHA
COMBAT WITH TEMPLE BOSS UPDATE
New story chapters, suits, Boss Raid, special
events and more arrive for Nexon’s immersive strategy role-playing game (SPRG)
on iPhone and Android
Seoul –
Feb. 4, 2019 –
Immersion in fan-favorite acclaimed strategy role-playing game (SRPG) Master
of Eternity (M.O.E.) just became deeper as NEXON Korea Corporation,
subsidiary of NEXON Co., Ltd. (“Nexon”) (3659.TO), a worldwide leader in
free-to-play online and mobile games, introduces the game’s massive Boss Raid,
New Suit and Temple Guardian update. Fans of both grid-based galactic combat
and loveable Pixie commanders can now plunge into the massive Temple Guardian
update for Master of Eternity (M.O.E.), the acclaimed strategy
role-playing game (SRPG) from. Today’s update is available for download
worldwide on iOS
and Android.
Master
of Eternity explores
a rugged war-torn universe engaged in a massive interstellar battle. Adorable
yet fierce Pixies command formidable Mecha suits to fight rivals, foes and even
friends on the battlefield. Players develop special in-game tactics and engage
in intense battle for ultimate control of the M.O.E. galaxy. Today’s
update boasts several new action-packed gameplay features, challenges and
events, including:
Unique New Chapter
& Temple – The
highly-anticipated Chapter 13 Part Two delivers an all-new story for
players to face, packed with a never-before-seen Temple Guardian;
New Boss Raid and
Mobility Production Center – Players
can now participate in Boss Raids and earn rewards to build exclusive
Mecha suits;
Powerful Rare
Suits – Enlist in galactic battle with 17 new Mecha
suits for the Assault, Support, Bombardier and Sniper classes, including
the coveted Kali’s Child Suit;
Special In-game
Events – Veteran and new players can
participate in several events until Wednesday, Feb. 6 to earn rewards,
including:
Chapter 7 Part
Clear: 300,000 Credits and S3 Crux
x5
Chapter 9 Part
Clear: 500,000 Credits and S3 Crux
x10
Chapter 10 Part
Clear: 700,000 Credits and S3
Guaranteed Ticket x5
The Master of Eternity Temple Guardian update is available now for iPhone and Android and is rated 12+.
Visit the official Master of Eternity Facebook page
About NEXON Co. Ltd. NEXON Co., Ltd. (“Nexon”) (3659.TO) is a
worldwide leader in free-to-play online and mobile games. Founded in Korea in
1994, Nexon developed one of the world’s first graphics-based massively
multiplayer online games. Nexon also pioneered the concept of microtransactions
and the free-to-play business model, setting a new standard in which play is
free, and users have the option to purchase in-game items to enhance their
experience. Nexon currently services nearly 100 titles in more than 190 countries. The
Company is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and its shares are listed on the Tokyo
Stock Exchange.
The Moero Chronicle series has had a bit of a rough time as far as English releases go but it looks like Nintendo is going to allow localizers some leeway as Idea Factory International has announced that they will be bringing Moero Chronicle Hyper to the West. The game will be released digitally only for the Switch through the Nintendo eShop in North America and Europe where it will be priced at $39.99 with a 30% launch discount when it is released sometime this spring.
Moero Chronicle Hyper follows the story of Io, a man that is so perverted that he simply cannot talk to a woman though he doesn’t seem to have problems talking to his best friend Lilia who happens to be a monster girl. This becomes the least of his problems when he’s tasked with going to the dangerous region of Monstopia and finding why the monster girls there have started going on a rampage.
Players will be able to recruit up to fifty different monster girls with their own unique traits and skills while also building their relationships with each girl though the most “interesting” feature happens to be the “Bumping Scratch” that purifies them and returns them to their senses by finding their weakpoints and then touching, rubbing, and poking them until they are purified.
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2is based on the classic tabletop war game from the Warhammer 40,000 franchise. It is the first game to be set in the new “Gathering Storm” setting. The sequel improves on the first video game adaptation with larger fleets, more ship customization options, all 12 factions from the tabletop game, and improved gameplay.
Story
As the first video
game in the new “Gathering Storm” setting, Battlefleet
Gothic: Armada 2 does a lot better job at explaining the intricate Warhammer 40,000 universe than most
video games. The three campaigns for the Imperium, Necrons, and Tyranids introduce
players to each faction’s lore and their current situations. It’s still not a
complete introduction to all twelve factions, but I hope this signals a greater
interest in bringing new players into the world.
The writing is
solid. While the game is not text heavy like an RPG, the rally the troop
speeches are done very well. The cutscenes are well paced, providing just
enough information to sketch out the lore and keep the story going without
dragging into doldrums.
Gameplay
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 offers three campaigns for singleplayer
and two player co-op. As of the writing of this review, the co-op is still in
beta testing, with a final release expected to come out sometime in February. The
campaigns are formatted in two phases. The overworld is a turn-based board game
style affair where players move fleets around different sectors to control
them. Controlled sectors are used for shipbuilding, resource production, and slowing
down enemy fleets with sector defenses. Battles for sectors can be handled
automatically by the AI or by the players in the RTS section of the game.
Multiplayer skips
the turn-based world map all together in favour of the shorter RTS matches. Multiplayer
matches are either 1vs1 or 2vs2 in either Domination or Cruiser Clash, their version
of team deathmatch. Players can opt for either skirmish mode or ranked play. I
would have liked to see random unranked matches for newbies to practice and
experiment in before wading into the deep end. Instead, Skirmishes are invite
only.
The RTS battles
are intense. Matches are like games of chess in motion, where players are attempting
to move into the right position to unleash their main guns on the enemy. Players
manage not only the integrity of their ship, but also the crew. A mutiny will
cause the ship to ignore commands and flee the battle, making morale just as
important as shields. Because the fleet battles only involve a handful of
units, micromanaging ships is a must, as well-timed skill usage can turn the tide
of a battle. The speed of multiplayer matches can’t be adjusted, but players
can slow down, speed up, or even pause the gameplay in singleplayer to give
themselves time to react or skip over dull moments of travel.
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is not for those who like a lot of variety
in their mission objectives. The game stays true to its tabletop wargaming roots
and generally sticks to either domination or cruiser clash. There are not many
epic set pieces created by the developers, and it’s a bit of a shame. Some of
the greatest variety is in the different faction’s ships, as they all have very
different playstyles. Since there are only three factions with campaigns so
far, I would have liked to see a versus AI mode for those who prefer to play singleplayer.
The learning curve
in Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is steep.
The prequel campaign is long and will prepare players with some basic skills;
however, beating a campaign is still a challenge on easy. The campaign offers
three levels of difficulty and the option of disabling the emergency meter. As
players lose fights or fail objectives, the game becomes all the more difficult.
Combined with the 12 possible factions, Battlefleet
Gothic: Armada 2 offers a solid challenge for players willing to put in the
effort of learning the game’s intricacies.
The user
experience is usable, but there are room for improvement. In the overworld, I
would have preferred to move fleets between sectors by clicking either the
sector or the slot I wish the fleet to occupy, instead of just the sector. The
loading time for the build new ships menu also could be improved, as the game
currently locks up for several seconds. The ability bars on the bottom of the
screen works well for one or two types of ships, but commanding a fleet comprising
of several different types can make the ability bars very cramped. While ability
ranges are shown with a light blue overlay and the mouse icon show valid
targets, some abilities may not fire because of some other condition not being
met. It would have been nice for the text error message to show exactly why the
ability would not work, such as Lightning Strikes requiring the target to have
no shields.
Visuals
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 looks fantastic. The ship design is
eye catching and unique, ranging from the regal Imperium fleets to the floating
rust buckets the Orks call a battleship. There are a few subtle nods to the game’s
tabletop roots like the bases the miniatures would traditionally be mounted on
and the background that is set below the playing grid. When combat strikes,
players are treated to an incredible light show. While the game emphasizes large
ship combat, there’s quite a bit of attention to detail, as small fighters and
bombers can be seen buzzing their way to enemy ships. The cutscenes are
gorgeous. They look hand painted with only a few moving elements. The style
reminds me of the illustrations found in tabletop rule and source books.
Audio
The audio is solid.
The voice actors do a good job of delivering their lines, though I would have
liked to see a little more variation for unit chatter. The sound effects are
enjoyable, doing a great job of immersing players into the massive space
battles. The music is subtle, but is pleasant to listen to.
Overall
Battlefleet
Gothic: Armada 2 does an excellent job of translating the
tabletop wargaming experience to the digital sphere. There are some
improvements that can be added in future patches or the next title in the series.
The user experience could use some polish and Skirmish vs AI mode is needed. Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is a
challenging game that isn’t the easiest thing to learn, but it offers some of
the best fleet-level combat in the market.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Inspired by developer Leonard Menchiari’s experiences surrounding the Italian NoTAV protests, Riot – Civil Unrest lures players with its real-time riot simulation. But after originally being crowdfunded six years ago, can this game deliver?
Story
In Riot – Civil Unrest’s story mode, you play as protestors/rioters or police over four campaigns based on real life protests and locations, with the cutscenes in between each level explaining the historical reasonings for the protests. The Egyptian campaign covers the Arab Spring protests which started in 2014 and lead to the overthrow of the Egyptian government, the Spanish Indignados campaign which features the anti-austerity campaigns that took place between 2011 and 2014, the Keratea, Greece protests that took place in 2011 over a planned landfill site, and the NOTAV movement (TAV being Treno Alta Velocita, the high speed train) which protested the construction of a high speed railway between Turin, Italy and Lyon, France.
Despite the story mode being very Mediterranean centric, the global mode features thirty scenarios around the world on top of the campaign levels, but the game doesn’t go very deep into the socio-economic and political reasonings behind the protests and riots, preferring to cover why they happen and not how they happen. Despite this, in an era where ‘edutainment’ games are in short supply, this feels like edutainment done right for the modern era.
Gameplay
The game consists of playing as two separate factions, police and rioters. As the police you’re lower on manpower but have access to more sophisticated riot control weapons. Whereas rioters have much superior manpower, but less weaponry and the player has less control over them. To win each level in this game, you have to complete the goals of the level, which may consist of getting all of your side to a certain point, holding an area, or pushing back the enemy faction and advancing. The player must balance out military and political scores, as even if you win militarily, you can lose the level politically because you were too heavy handed. The AI will base its reactions in each level based on how you’ve played before, so playing violently as the police will lead to more violent protests and vice versa. At the end of each level you get a newspaper front page with the headline describing the result and a picture of the riot. If you use the camera ability it will be a picture you took on the front page, which is a nice touch.
Riot – Civil Unrest features multiple game modes, besides the aforementioned Story Mode, Global Mode has you trying to keep public opinion of your side positive with the levels getting harder if you don’t. On the protest side in this mode you choose special characters who have different abilities and strategies to help your riot defensively or offensively.
Along with these modes, the game has a spectator mode where you can set up the riots and watch them happen, journalist mode, which is basically a spectator mode where you’re on the ground taking pictures and could of really been something unique if it was more fleshed out, and on PC, the Steam Workshop levels, where you can download and create your own levels, with many already in the workshop covering the current Yellow Vest protests taking place in Paris. There is also a versus mode, where two to four players can play against each other.
According to the promotional material for this game, each individual member of the crowd has their own AI which does make the crowds look natural and realistic, but no matter which side you play as, you feel like you have no control over any of the actions of the crowd, as it feels the game frequently disregards what actions the player wants and due to that, the game becomes a clicking frenzy as you try to control the crowds. The game would of benefited from being able to select multiple units at once (Like Warcraft 3 and other RTS games), when playing at the police you have multiple formations to use, which I didn’t find myself using much outside of the line and defensive formations as the arrow and skirmish formations felt useless when I thought I had situations to use them in.
The game, even on higher difficulties, didn’t feel as if they posed any challenge. No matter what difficulty Riot – Civil Unrest was played at, it still felt like I spent the whole time left clicking as I tried to get my troops to listen to me.
Visuals
Visually, Riot – Civil Unrest is a beautiful game. It’s 8-bit graphical style stands out well and is really the defining mark of the game. The pixelated styling reminds me of the low-res footage you frequently saw of riots on websites like Liveleak. One of my favourite graphical features has to be the flames from Molotov cocktails, which have a beautiful glow in this game that really helps set the mood.
Audio
The sound in the game accurately represents what a riot sounds like, chaos. The mixed audio of crowds, screaming, footsteps, police and more all add up to a soundscape that sets the mood of a riot.
Overall
This is a game made with great love, there’s no doubt about it. I would have liked it if the game went deeper into the individual stories of protesters or policemen there, as many films, TV shows, books and games around riots and protests have in the past. I strongly believe that if this game released around 2012-2014, it would be making a much larger splash than it is now, as I feel the world has moved on, as it often has, from any major rioting in the last couple of years (although one could point at Venezuela and Paris at the moment, they aren’t on the scale of the Arab Spring) and because of this, the games relevance is lessened.
Despite this, Riot – Civil Unrest isn’t a game I’d recommend for everyone. If you’re political or you enjoy the idea of controlling riots, then this is the peak example we have so far of a game in this political genre and you’ll have at least six hours of fun. But if the concept doesn’t excite you, then it’s a game I’d skip at full price.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
A little over a decade ago Bandai Namco released, for many people, one of the best entries of the Tales series in many years and although they have kept the series going with six different games since it was released, Tales of Vesperia has often been held as a high standard for the series as a whole with only entries like the original Symphonia reaching that point. In what ended up being a bit disappointing for many however was that the game was released with additional content in Japan and this version was never released in the West, turning it into “not that one” in discussions about the series. Now we finally have this version of the game and more with Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition, but has nostalgia clouded our memories or is this even more of a great game that fans previously enjoyed?
Story
Set in a world where the majority of technology relies upon the energy from mystical blastia that were created by an ancient race, players follow the journey of Yuri Lowell, an ex-knight trainee turned delinquent from the lower quarter of the capital city. In pursuit of a thief that stole the water blastia that provided the lower quarter with drinkable fresh water, Yuri finds himself on the wrong side of the law once again but this time he is in for far more than he bargained for as his journey finds him being joined by a number of friends and allies who each have their own goals.
As is standard for a Tales game, it isn’t long before this seemingly simple quest to catch a thief quickly turns into something far more dire as we learn more about the danger facing the world and uncovering sinister plots, though Vesperia is more upfront with how dangerous and villainous certain elements of the world are than other games in the series, allowing players to get into the story a bit quicker than the usual slow burning start the franchise is known for.
Another element that makes Tales of Vesperia‘s story stand out is just how amazing the entire cast of characters happens to be. While a few may start out being fairly cookie-cutter in nature before evolving beyond that into their own characters, some start out feeling immediately unique and the way that these characters interact with one another is yet another element that helps boost the journey in this game.
There have been plenty of RPGs that feature main characters that shy away from doing things by the book but Yuri is a real highlight that stands out in this regard. He is more than willing to help out anyone in need regardless of whether or not it may be lawful to do so and treats each member of his party with a different demeanor. This means he is more than willing to tease the naive Estelle or encourage Karol, albeit with some teasing sarcasm at times, while also trying to keep a good relationship with Rita and Judith and being annoyed at Raven, with his feelings towards each of these characters growing closer as the story progresses. Yuri isn’t the only stand out here though as almost every member of the core cast goes through growth throughout the story and especially in the skit scenes that players can find throughout the game.
Interestingly enough, with Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition adding a brand new character in the form of Patty and then offering Flynn as a full time party member eventually, it doesn’t feel like they are tacked on in any way. Patty is introduced far earlier in the story than one may expect for an added in character although she doesn’t officially join until some time past that point but her pop-in appearances immediately endear her to the cast while Flynn’s longer presence serves as a great opposite to Yuri at times. These additions to the group as well as the original members create a highly entertaining story that will please newcomers and even offer something new for longtime fans of the series who’ve played the original before.
Gameplay
In standard fashion for the series players will be able to explore towns and interact with NPCs, purchase and synthesize various items and equipment, and of course rest at inns while the rest of the time they will either be out in the overworld or inside of a dungeon area where enemies can be seen in the overworld. After getting a bit into the game players do receive an item that allows for some enemies to be stunned before combat, allowing for an advantage, but along those same lines enemies can trigger surprise attacks that mix up your party set-up making for some interesting fights if you don’t keep your party properly equipped.
Combat should feel more than familiar to anyone who has played games in the series before as it takes place in real time with players having control of one character while the others operate on AI that can be adjusted to fit nearly any situation. It is rather easy to learn what type of Artes (special moves) can be easily strung into combos with the standard attacks and, as mentioned before, your equipment does play a factor in this. This is primarily due to each character being able to learn passive skills from equipment that can be learned and equipped to provide various bonuses even while not equipping that item.
To make things even more interesting is the fact that, even though Yuri and Flynn are a bit similar, nearly every character handles and plays in a different way allowing for some rather unique experiences depending on who you like to take the lead on in a battle. This is especially true in the case of Patty who features a wide array of different abilities that vary depending on her form.
Since this is an enhanced version of the original release, players can also expect to see a number of new dungeons here and there as well as a few new side quests, though these do remain a problem once again. Similar to the original release, it is incredibly difficult to keep certain side-quests going properly or even trigger them at all since they usually involve returning to an area after completion or talking to a completely innocuous character meaning you will need to be very thorough when exploring a town if you hope to see everything that the game has to offer, including various skits that can only be obtained this way.
Visuals & Audio
Thanks to the extremely colorful art style used by the developers in the original game, Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition holds up incredibly well with age and the extra bit of polishing that was applied to make sure the game looked as good as possible on the current batch of consoles. The character designs are lovely and feature a wide array of alternate costumes and there are numerous dungeon designs that keep things feeling fresh when exploring the world.
One thing that will unfortunately surprise some returning players is the fact that the developers could not retain some of the English voice actors from the original release. This means that while old audio recordings are available using the original voice actors and actresses, there are scenes and skill takes where that dialogue is now voiced by someone that may sound rather similar but is still different. This isn’t too noticeable most of the time but there are a moments where scenes were extended or new skills are used where the dialogue will flip-flop voices. If you don’t wish to deal with this however the game does offer the original Japanese voice options at any opportunity.
Overall
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition is the game that many fans of the series were hoping would eventually make its way overseas and now that it has it does not disappoint. Although the voice acting for the English track is a bit shaky at times due to the different voice actors being used, the difference can be ignored in favor of the Japanese track so one choose. With plenty of new content for returning fans of the game and a lengthy storyline with some of the best characters in the franchise even newcomers will find that Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition is one of the best Tales games.
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The first person dungeon crawling RPG Operencia: The Stolen Sun has been revealed to now be heading to the Xbox One and those looking to pick it up on PC will now have to do so through a different digital storefront. ZEN Studios has announced that the title will be a console exclusive for the Xbox One in 2019 where it will be available as part of the Xbox Game Pass and that the previously announced PC version of the game will now be exclusively sold through the Epic Games Store.
Operencia: The Stolen Sun will make use of a classic tile-based movement system engaging in strategic turn-based battles at every turn. The entire quest to free the abducted Sun King, Napkirály, thereby saving Operencia from endless days of night, comes rife with malevolent monsters, devious traps and mind-bending puzzles.
