NEW TRAILER SHEDS LIGHT ON KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 FINAL CHAPTER PROLOGUE STORYLINES
SYDNEY, 9TH December, 2016) – SQUARE ENIX® and Disney released a new trailer that reveals new details from KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, the game that is the final update leading up to the highly-anticipated entry in the franchise, KINGDOM HEARTS III, which will conclude Xehanort’s Dark Seeker Saga.
The trailer features gameplay footage and cut-scenes from each title in the compilation: the remastered KINGDOM HEARTS Dream Drop Distance HD, and the entirely brand-new chapters KINGDOM HEARTS χ [chi] Back Cover and KINGDOM HEARTS 0.2 Birth by Sleep – A fragmentary passage –. Accompanied by “Simple And Clean –Ray of Hope MIX–“, a new remix version of the theme tune for the series by Utada Hikaru, the trailer peeks into the machinations of the foretellers and the threat of a traitor within that lead to the devastating Keyblade War; the fate of Aqua as she battles to survive through the perilous and deceptive dangers of the Dark World; as well as Yen Sid’s wisdom on what Sora, Riku, and King Mickey must do in order to prepare for the final confrontation against Master Xehanort.
The new trailer can be viewed on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/fkN9OBVHX-c* KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologuewill be available from the 24th January 2017 for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system
NIER: AUTOMATA DEMO GOES LIVE ACROSS AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND ON 22ND DECEMBER
SYDNEY, 9th December 2016 – Square Enix Ltd., today announced that both fans and newcomers alike can experience the exciting action RPG, NieR: Automata™, for the first time in a consumer demo releasing on the 22nd December on the PlayStation®Network.
With an abandoned factory as the backdrop, the demo follows android 2B’s mission to destroy a massive enemy weapon that lies within.
NieR: Automata will be available across Australia & New Zealand on 10th March 2017 for the PlayStation®4. For more information, visit: http://nier-automata.com.
Invaders from another world attack without warning—unleashing the machine lifeforms. In the face of this seemingly insurmountable threat, the human race is driven from the earth and takes refuge on the moon.
Humanity develops an army of android soldiers to fight back against the mechanical horde, but succeed only in slowing its advance. To break the deadlock, a new breed of android infantry is sent into the fray: the YoRHa squad.
In the forsaken wasteland below, the war between the machines and the androids rages on. A war that is soon to unveil the long-forgotten truth of this world…
DRAGON QUEST HEROES II ANNOUNCED FOR AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
SYDNEY, 9th December 2016 – Square Enix Ltd., today announced that DRAGON QUEST HEROES II will arrive across Australia & New Zealand on 28th April 2017.
Set in an all-new world with new heroes and story, DRAGON QUEST HEROES™ II is an action-RPG that sends players on a grand adventure to restore order to a once peaceful world, with thrilling battles of epic proportions along the way. With the addition of multiplayer functionality, players can form a party of up to four online to conquer swarms of enemies and defeat gigantic monsters.
DRAGON QUEST HEROES II brings together a cast of numerous unique characters each with unique moves and abilities, including a host of familiar faces from the DRAGON QUEST® series and two brand new heroes to choose from cousins – Lazarel and Teresa.
Once upon a time, many years ago, there was a long and terrible war. When the war finally ended, the people of the world made a solemn pact never to fight again. The world was divided into seven realms and peace reigned for a thousand years.
One day, cousins and fellow knights-in-training Lazarel and Teresa reunite in the Kingdom of Harba, far from their Dunisian home. Little do they suspect that the Dunisian army is about to invade, with their old friend Prince Cesar at the helm.
The long-kept peace is broken and the world descends into chaos. With the aid of High King’s envoy the cousins must travel to Accordia for a meeting with the Supreme Sovereign of the Seven Realms to find a solution and bring back peace to the world!
DRAGON QUEST HEROES II will be available on 28th April 2017, for the PlayStation®4. For more information, visit: www.dragonquest-game.com.
NIS America has announced that they now have a solid release date set for the Grasshopper Manufacture-developed title, The Silver Case. The company is planning on releasing the game physically and digitally on April 18th in North America and April 21st for the PlayStation 4. This HD remaster of the debut game by developer SUDA51 involves a story where string of mysterious serial killings plague the city of 24 Wards in 1999.
The detectives of the 24 Wards Heinous Crimes Unit have their eyes on one man: Kamui Uehara, legendary serial killer and assassin of a number of government officials 20 years prior in the now-famous “Silver Case.” However, nobody knows who—or what—Kamui really is. Has he really returned? Who is this infamous serial killer? It will be up to the player to uncover the truth.
Rockstar revealed the five winners of the Grand Theft Auto Online Rockstar Verified Creator Stunt Races Contest today. The contest started back in August and wrapped up on September 12th. Since then, Rockstar has been busy playtesting all the entries. The winners earned themselves the honour of being Rockstar Verified and a cool GTA$8,000,000. The following five race tracks are now part of a special playlist running from now until December 12th.
Rocket Kars by Slimjim171
Fight for first place and gasps of air in this cloud-top celebration of Stunt Races – stick to the track and don’t look down!
Straw-Dogzz Crew Commissioner Slimjim171 has built this Race high above Mount Chiliad, giving much needed space for the epic jumps, straight runs and tight bends that dominate this soaring course. Be sure to keep an eye out for those sharp turns and big leaps – without the comfort of a Barrier along the winding roads you may end up taking a tumble down the side of the mountain.
Black and Yellow by eclaide38
Careful not to get stung on this thrilling dash above Paleto Cove – a distinctively coloured Stunt Race full of tight turns and narrow dashes.
Set around North Chumash, this appropriately titled black and yellow Stunt Race course by French creator eclaide38 is meticulously designed for adrenaline junkies. Locked to the Super class, manoeuvre through twists, turns, tunnels, loops and crossovers as you careen your way to victory.
Gordo by neogry
Hit all the sights of North Eastern San Andreas in this luscious tour of Mount Gordo, rapidly descending from raised chicanes down to scenic sea level straights.
Taking its moniker from the Job’s locale, Creator and NEO-Army Leader neogry creates a scenic but death-defying Race around Mount Gordo. This challenging course is chock-full of ways to trip up even the most seasoned of racers.
Love Canyon by Serg3n
Rocket down Raton Canyon and enjoy the views from the climb up Mount Josiah before an unforgettable final stretch.
Starting off down Cassidy Creek, Jokers Elite Clowns Crew Leader Serg3n makes great use of both Stunt Props and the natural terrain of Raton Canyon. This eclectic course takes you down rivers, through forest fires and then switches the playing field to Prop-heavy technical jumps and turns with a little something for every type of racer.
Meuy’s Grand Line by shawface
Race over the Alamo Sea from McKenzie Field to Sandy Shores and back. Stunt jumps, long straights, track and street.
In Meuy’s Grand Line, the NorCal Banditos Commissioner takes players on a there-and-back trek spanning high above the Alamo Sea. With several path options along the way
The Rockstar Verification program helps players identify the best of the best player created content in Grand Theft Auto Online. The new races are available now on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
It looks like we could have another Pokemon GO situation on our hands here with Super Mario Run. Start with the already popular ‘runner’ genre, mix in the iconic Super Mario Brand, throw in tight, simple controls and then add some fun looking additional game modes and Nintendo looks to have a sure-fire winner on their hands.
The new trailer released today shows off new level elements, previously announced game modes and most importantly, that additional characters will also be playable, each with their customary abilities. It seems Luigi and Yoshi, both with their signature jump styles, can be made playable by purchasing a certain house in the build your own Mushroom Kingdom mode. Toad is also in the trailer and is said to be a reward for My Nintendo members, Nintendo’s loyalty program.
Thanks to a partnership with Apple, a live demo can now be tried in retail Apple Stores across most of the world. Super Mario Run will be available for most iDevices on theApp Store on December 15. No Android release date has been announced yet. It has been confirmed the game will be free to explore but will require a $10 US in-app purchase to unlock the entirety of the games features.
Capcom has released a new set of gameplay videos for Resident Evil 7: biohazard. The three videos, found below, give players a detailed look at the Baker family home where the residents of the house stalk the player character though a mysterious maze filled with traps and puzzles.
Currently Resident Evil 7: biohazard is set to be released on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One,a nd PC on January 24th in North America and Europe and an updated demo was recently released on the PlayStation Store and will soon be available for the Xbox One and PC over the next few weeks.
A brand new Japanese trailer from Square Enix for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue has launched with a particular focus on Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage. The soundtrack is awesome, the graphics look spectacular and really polished up from earlier trailers and the bosses and battles look incredible, I was especially enjoying that chain attack against all the basic heartless.
It looks like Sora, Donald and Goofy will also be making an appearance in 0.2 Birth by Sleep in some capacity but the trailer merely teases this. Aside from a few new lines of dialogues and locations the biggest feature the trailer quickly included was the ability to equip custom parts on Aqua such as cat ears, Minnie Mouse ears, shoulder armour and some decorations for her back. You can also change the colour of some of these items from a pre-made selection. It is unclear if equipping this ‘armour’ grants any stat bonuses or other abilities but it sure looks cool and I’m sure most fans will love this feature.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue, which contains a high-def remaster of Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, the Kingdom Hearts χ [chi]: Back Cover film, and the new Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage, is currently set to be released on the PlayStation 4 on January 12th in Japan and on January 24th in North America and Europe. Check the trailer out for yourself below.
The choice between the needs of the many versus the needs of the few is something that a hero occasionally faces and Batman is no different. Over the course of Batman: The Telltale Series players have been given many choices that continue to ripple through the events later in the series and now that the fourth episode, Guardian of Gotham, has been released, does the developer successfully deliver a penultimate episode?
Story
As per usual, those who have yet to finish the episodes prior to this one should note that the following review will mention certain events that have taken place over the course of the series so continuing on past this point will likely risk spoiling major events or revelations that should be experienced firsthand.
The last time we saw Bruce Wayne he had finally discovered just who the mastermind behind the Children of Akrham was. Problem is, it wasn’t really his choice as the leader attacked him out of nowhere with the same strange drug that has caused characters to go crazy in the past and unfortunately for Bruce, he is just as susceptible to the drugs as anyone else. No matter how well you might have handled the transition of Wayne Corp. to Oswald Cobblepot, Bruce wakes up to find that he is in Arkham Asylum after brutally assaulting Oswald while under the influence.
With Bruce locked in a prison that his father had hands in creating and with Harvey Dent turning his back on him and going so far as to fully betray him, Bruce finds himself in hostile territory with no one to turn to. Or at least he would until an “ally” makes an appearance and helps him out of a tough jam. As was heavily promoted before this episode’s release, John Doe, a simple placeholder name for the man everyone knows the real moniker of is more than willing to help Bruce out and find his way out of Arkham though this assistance will likely play a heavy role later on. Bruce already has trouble on his hands though as the city of Gotham has quickly changed during his brief time in the asylum.
Despite being the second to last episode in this first season, Guardians of Gotham really doesn’t do a whole lot to move the story forward. Instead players are given a brief time in the asylum and it is likely during this time that fans of the series will get the biggest kick out of things. I say this because not only is “John Doe” played extraordinarily well here, but a couple of other familiar faces from the Batman make an appearance and can even be interacted with a bit, even though at this time Bruce has no clue who or what they are.
After this players are quickly given a small number of developments with a simplistic reveal and while it might give a bit of insight into Lady Arkham’s past the story moves along at a brisk pace making this feel like one of the shortest episodes of the release despite the actual time saying otherwise. This is primarily due to how quickly events take a turn after the aforementioned reveal that places players once again in the shoes of either Bruce or Batman though no matter how you choose to handle this situation; the end result is mostly the same though handling things as Bruce does lead to a far more interesting and nuanced development for other characters.
Perhaps more than ever a player’s final choice in this episode might have the most impact of the entire season so far. So much in fact that it I would recommend creating an extra save file simply to see how things might play out in the fifth episode because depending on how you handle this situation, players will find themselves in a highly different place and with so many questions still left unanswered and the story leaving Bruce reeling it will be incredibly interesting to see just how things play out in this upcoming finale.
Gameplay
Batman: The Telltale Series – Guardian of Gotham makes use of the same type of playstyle that fans of the series are familiar with at this point. There is a small of exploration that allow the player to examine various things and interact with characters, the return of the crime investigation mechanics that see Batman linking various pieces of evidence in an effort to recreate a crime scene, and of course plenty of quick time based fighting sequences.
Thanks to a certain event taking place at the same time of these fights, players will find that Batman’s style of combat is far more limited this time around and this leads to quite a few interesting action sequences that will keep players on the edge of their seat depending on how they progress the story.
Visuals & Audio
Players will see a handful of new locations this time through and though the character designs of many of the new characters seen in Arkham are worthy of praise, especially “John Doe,” the actual area itself is designed in a sparse manner that is unimpressive. Outside the asylum there are a number of well-designed looking scenes and the aforementioned combat sequences remain a real treat.
The voice work this time around is handled fairly predictably with the returning voice actors handling their roles well while the voice actor cast for “John Doe” fits the role perfectly.
Overall
Due to poor pacing issues and the lack of major developments until the very end, this fourth episode feels as if it was delivered as more of a teaser for other possible future elements more than deal with the current problems. That being said, with only one episode to go Telltale Games has definitely left players with a major cliffhanger but thanks to the way things have been handled in Guardians of Gotham, it feels like it will be quite challenging to wrap everything up in a single episode.
NITROPLUS BLASTERZ: HEROINES INFINITE DUEL MAKES WINDOWS PC PREMIER TODAY WITH NEW FIGHT-READY FEATURES
XSEED Games Teams Up with ‘Skullgirls’ for Steam Launch of 2D Crossover Fighting Game; PC Version Offers Rebalanced Characters, Added Animations, Previously Released DLC, and More
Torrance, Calif. — December 8, 2016 —XSEED Games, the independent-minded publishing brand of Marvelous USA, Inc., today announced that its 2D crossover fighter Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel is now available on Windows PC via Steam® for $29.99 with a 10% launch week discount. Expertly developed by the studio behind the Arcana Heart series of fighting games, EXAMU, the title boasts an intuitively balanced game engine, stunning artwork and animation, and satisfyingly fast-paced fighting action sure to delight players of all skill levels.
A special discount offer has been extended to Steam owners of the fellow fast-paced 2D fighter Skullgirls, with patrons of the title able to receive 25% off of their purchase of Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel between December 8 and December 18, which when combined with the game’s 10% launch week discount offer Skullgirls owners on Steam a total 35% discount. Conversely, players who pick up Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel within the 10-day window will receive 75% off a purchase of Skullgirls on Steam.
Originally released for the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, the Windows PC release of Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel mirrors the latest version of the game still popular in Japanese arcades, offering rebalanced characters, added victory poses and animated stage backgrounds, as well as a brand new color palette to celebrate the PC version. All DLC from the console release, including the additional fighters Homura from the SENRAN KAGURA series and Heart from the Arcana Heart series, is also included.
With easy-to-execute combos, cinematic cut-ins on “Lethal Blaze” attacks that run the gamut from awe-inspiring to adorable, and assist mechanics that allow for up to six on-screen characters at a time, combat in Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel is guaranteed to stay fast and flashy. The game is populated by numerous heroines from the visual novel company Nitroplus’ rich collection of IPs, including playable characters Ein, Mora, Ruili, Al Azif, Saya, Ignis, Anna, Muramasa the 3rd, Kibanohara Ethica, Saber, and Ouka, as well as fan favorite mascot character Super Sonico. Players can also test how their skills stack up online against one another via network play with other gamers on Windows PC.
Developed by EXAMU and published on Windows PC worldwide by XSEED Games, Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duelis now available on Steam with Steam Achievements, cloud saving, and leaderboard support for $29.99, €29.99, and £24.99, with a 10% launch week discount. The Windows PC version is not rated by the ESRB. The console version of this title has been rated “T for Teen”.
More information on the game can be found at http://www.nitroplusblasterz.com. For more information on XSEED Games products, please visit www.xseedgames.com. Fans can also follow XSEED Games on Facebook at www.facebook.com/XSEEDGames and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/XSEEDGames.
After this players are quickly given a small number of developments with a simplistic reveal and while it might give a bit of insight into Lady Arkham’s past the story moves along at a brisk pace making this feel like one of the shortest episodes of the release despite the actual time saying otherwise. This is primarily due to how quickly events take a turn after the aforementioned reveal that places players once again in the shoes of either Bruce or Batman though no matter how you choose to handle this situation; the end result is mostly the same though handling things as Bruce does lead to a far more interesting and nuanced development for other characters.
Thanks to a certain event taking place at the same time of these fights, players will find that Batman’s style of combat is far more limited this time around and this leads to quite a few interesting action sequences that will keep players on the edge of their seat depending on how they progress the story.
The voice work this time around is handled fairly predictably with the returning voice actors handling their roles well while the voice actor cast for “John Doe” fits the role perfectly.