Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 English TGS Trailer & Screenshots

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September 22, 2016

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 English TGS Trailer & Screenshots

Bandai Namco took their time but the official trailer from TGS for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 has finally been uploaded internationally with the English voice cast. Sadly nothing new was contained in the trailer but at least we have a full HD version of it now with translations of all the text and dialogue.

To make up for their lateness, Bandai Namco released a bunch of new screenshots showing off more of Conton City and even a few mini games we can expect to play which take cues from the early days of Dragon Ball with training like delivering milk and finding turtle stones.The milk delivery mission seems to task you with getting around Conton City as quick as possible without crashing. Turtle Stone hunting seems to be a bit simpler as you just have to find shiny stones on the ground and return to Yamcha.

The new screenshots reveal a few other small details as well. Each Time Patroller will have a competitive rank which resets weekly. This can be raised by battling others online and you can choose to display them or not in the main menu. The Time Patroller school seems to give each character a class which you can increase by passing ‘tests’. Raising your class will allow you to train with teachers who require higher ranks. It seems you learn new moves by progressing through this system. In conjunction with that, the mentor system from Xenoverse 1 also seems to be returning and we have confirmation that going on quest with your mentor and wearing there outfits will increase your friendship meter with them faster.

We also have a look at the first screenshots of new playable character Nail and a new stage that is unfortunately just a night version of the previously confirmed archipelago stage. From the screenshots it looks like some pieces of gear will allow you to place an emblem on them, with the emblems we have seen so far including the Time Patrol Symbol and Red Ribbon emblem. Lastly a new gameplay video doing the rounds confirmed that created characters with longer hairstyles will now keep that style when wearing a head accessory. You can check out all the new screenshots and trailer for the game below.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 releases on the PS4, Xbox One and PC in America on the 25th of October and on the 28th for Europe and Australia. In other Dragon Ball related news Dragon Ball Fusions is now confirmed for an international release. Click here to get more information on that game and see the first English trailer.

Pokémon Trading Card Game Expansion XY-Evolutions Released Today

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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September 22, 2016

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Pokémon Trading Card Game Expansion XY-Evolutions Released Today

London, UK 21 September 2016 – Pokémon TCG: XY—Evolutions is the latest expansion to the Pokémon Trading Card Game franchise and the final expansion in the Pokémon TCG: XY Series. XY—Evolutions celebrates 20 years of Pokémon by revisiting the original Pokémon cards. This expansion has the look and feel of those classic Base Set cards, with updated game logic and stats. Long-time and new Pokémon fans alike can see Pokémon-EX in the Base Set frame, offering a nostalgic twist on these powerful cards.

All Trainers and Pokémon grow and evolve—and this expansion restores the very first Pokémon trading cards to glory! With the exhilarating power of Mega Venusaur-EX, Mega Charizard-EX, and Mega Blastoise-EX, plus some wild surprises like Dragonite-EX, Ninetales BREAK, Machamp BREAK, and Mega Slowbro-EX, the classic hard-battling Pokémon and old-school Trainers are reinvented for a new generation. Booster packs and two theme decks—Pikachu Power and Mewtwo Mayhem—will be available at participating retailers and will introduce more than 100 new cards to collect and play.

Please see the attached fact sheet and official TCG websitehttp://www.pokemon.com/uk/pokemon-tcg/ for more details.

SIERRA™ ANNOUNCES KING’S QUEST™ – CHAPTER 4: SNOW PLACE LIKE HOME, LAUNCHING SEPT. 27

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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September 22, 2016

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SIERRA™ ANNOUNCES KING’S QUEST™ – CHAPTER 4: SNOW PLACE LIKE HOME, LAUNCHING SEPT. 27

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Sept. 21, 2016 – Sierra™ has revealed that King’s Quest™ – Chapter 4: Snow Place Like Home, the penultimate chapter in the new King’s Quest adventure developed by The Odd Gentlemen, is expected to release worldwide on Sept. 27 for the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Windows PC via Steam.

“King’s Quest is approaching its final chapters, but there are still plenty of adventures, surprises and puns to be had,” said Matt Korba, president and creative director of The Odd Gentlemen. “Today we are incredibly excited to announce that players will be able to experience the last two chapters and bonus epilogue of King Graham’s journey before the holidays.”

King’s Quest – Chapter 4: Snow Place Like Home opens on the fateful night when King Graham and Queen Valanice’s infant child Alexander was stolen from them. When Alexander mysteriously returns home 18 years later, however, Graham must decide how to reconnect with the boy he’s spent a lifetime searching for. And as father and son work together to solve the towering challenges of the puzzling Ice Palace, questions linger about just what happened all those years ago.

The new King’s Quest is the critically praised reimagining of the franchise whose classic spirit of wit and wonder helped define adventure gaming over 30 years ago. As an old King Graham guides his curious granddaughter Gwendolyn through the lost memories of his incredible reign, players will experience firsthand his greatest untold trials and triumphs.

King’s Quest: The Complete Collection (a bundle* containing all five chapters of the game with a bonus playable story epilogue) and the King’s Quest Season Pass (a digital bundle containing Chapters 2-5) are available now as digital purchases through the PlayStation®Store, Xbox Games Store and Steam. The game’s previous installments – King’s Quest™ – Chapter 1: A Knight to Remember, King’s Quest™ – Chapter 2: Rubble Without a Cause, and King’s Quest™ – Chapter 3: Once Upon a Climb – may also be purchased individually.

King’s Quest is rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and Up) by the ESRB. For more information, please visit www.sierra.com, and follow Sierra on Facebook and Twitter.

*Subsequent chapters and epilogue may be downloaded in-game upon individual release.

About The Odd Gentlemen

The Odd Gentlemen are a small team of gentlefolks based in Los Angeles. Founded in 2008, they create games that are humorous and charming with fantastical worlds, quirky characters, and compelling stories that highlight creative and innovative gameplay. Striving to create experiences that all ages can enjoy, they want to bring classic charm and wonder back into games. For more information or updates about The Odd Gentlemen, visit www.theoddgentlemen.com, or follow them @TheOddGentlemen on Twitter.

About Sierra

Developer-led and player-focused, Sierra publishes highly curated titles that embody best-in-class efforts from indie developers. From providing development funding and deep first-party relations to marketing and retail distribution, Sierra caters to the individual needs of each indie studio. Sierra will primarily publish on digital distribution platforms including Xbox Live, PlayStation™Network and Steam for PC. For more information, please visit www.sierra.com.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, http://www.activision.com or by following @Activision.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about King’s Quest are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

The Godfather Review

Mateja Simovic

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September 22, 2016

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The Godfather

Studios: Alfran Productions
Publisher: Paramount Pictures
Platforms: Cinema
Release Date: Out Now

Overview

Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather is considered one of the cinema’s dramatic masterpieces. Helmed by a master auteur, the admittedly lacklustre original novel by Mario Puzo was turned into grand tragedy for the silver screen. It’s an epic exploring themes of family loyalty, honour amongst criminals, and the loss of innocence. You might be able to tell at this point that I’m a fan of this film and I was very much excited to see it on the bill for this season’s In the House. I grabbed a cannoli and walked on down to George St cinemas.

The MCs for this screening were Jason ‘Jabba’ Davis & David ‘Quinny’ Quinn who opened proceedings by calling for volunteers for Marlon Brando impressions. As a laugh, I volunteered to go up and somehow ended up winning… evidently my offer had been too good to refuse and now I have two tickets to go jetboating on my desk. When I returned to my seat, it was a pleasure to hear the two MCs talk trivia about the film. One tidbit I found particularly amusing was the fact that Brando refused to learn his lines for the film and read them off of giant cue cards. After this, the screening proper started.

Story

The narrative follows the machinations of the fictional Corleone crime family as they deal with the world after the conclusion of World War 2. The film introduces us first to the Patriarch of the Corleone family, Vito Corleone (Brando), listening to requests from various individuals under his influence. We quickly meet the three sons of Vito; the hot-headed Santino (James Caan), the weak-willed Alfredo (John Cazale), and the soft spoken Michael (Al Pacino). Vito makes the fateful decision to resist engaging with the drug trade due to its nature as a politically toxic business which would alienate the Corleone’s from their allies. This resistance is met with trepidation by the other crime families of New York who see it as a sign of weakness in the aging gangster. This sets in motion the primary tragedy of the film’s narrative where Michael Corleone becomes increasingly embroiled in the criminal element of his family.

The film’s script follows a strong naturalistic tone with the action largely avoiding melodramatic overplay. The characters and dialogue are all believable and restrained as we see them plot and plan their various intrigues and undertakings. Although the situations they’re depicted in are quite alien to the audience (or at least I hope they are), you’re able to empathise with certain commonalities of the characters. We can all relate to their desire to protect family and loved ones as well as empathise with the compromises we make in order to do so… although whether any of us would cross the Rubicon of murder is something I’d prefer not to ruminate upon.

The performances throughout were routinely strong and matching the naturalistic style of the film. Brando does an excellent turn as the eponymous godfather and his nasally drawl are iconic to the film. Caan does a particularly good turn as impetuous Santino and you can almost feel his burning rage as he reacts to the various injuries his family suffers. Pacino, however, is the one who needs to fill the biggest role as Michael. We see his transformation unfold before our very eyes. We meet him as an idealistic young man at the start of the film and watch as his attempts to help and protect his family turn him into the jaded crime boss of the film’s climax. His performance is what sells Michael’s journey down the path of good intentions on the road to hell.

My one criticism for the film’s story is that the pacing, at times, can be a bit too slow for my liking. The film certainly indulges in its fair share of slow pacing and build up for dramatic tension but it can feel egregious at times. This may be a side effect of the film’s naturalistic style but I feel that some scenes and shots could have been removed in the film’s final cut without losing much at all. I general prefer for brevity in editing but the choice to pad scenes out may have certainly been a deliberate one by Coppola. It’s not something which I feel is too detrimental to the film, but I understand that audience’s looking for a more immediate filmic experience will be put off.

Visuals

Coppola’s visual direction works to match the film’s naturalistic tone. We aren’t distracted by complex shot composition or montage, except for the film’s climactic sequence, which allows you to immerse yourself more fully in the narrative. The film does offer quite an authentic looking scope into the period of immediate post-war America with careful attention to costumes… which, since this is a gangster film, are almost all suits.

The cinematography was particularly strong whenever the film took the action outdoors. The outdoor shots are luscious in their composition with expansive sweeps across the Sicilian countryside and shots of fields on the outskirts of New York both finding a beautiful place in the film.

Audio

The film’s score is masterfully done. The opening theme is a prime example of how a simple melody can become iconic when scored properly in a film. I doubt anyone hears that mournful trumpet solo without immediately remembering The Godfather or any of its many parodies. The rest of the soundtrack is also quite strong with excellent work throughout to underline the film’s action.

Overall

It should be no surprise at all that I very much enjoyed watching this film in a cinema. The naturalistic tragedy the film tells was well suited to the immersion of a theatre space and all the more powerful for it. The visual design is largely understated to help the audience more fully immerse themselves into the story but with some excellent cinematography for outdoor shots. The soundtrack is phenomenal with the main theme haunting your memory long after the last note plays. I have no qualm whatsoever with recommending you watch The Godfather if you have any interest at all. Kudos to In the House for screening it!

For other films which In The House is screening, feel free to check out their schedule here.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

BATTLE THE AVATAR OF THE OCEAN IN SKYFORGE ASCENSION

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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September 21, 2016

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BATTLE THE AVATAR OF THE OCEAN IN SKYFORGE ASCENSION

The Ascension Expansion Introduces a New End Game Raid

Amsterdam, The Netherlands – September 21, 2016 – Developer Allods Team and global publisher My.com are proud to reveal more details about Ascension, a massive expansion that will be available for Skyforge this fall. Ascension will introduce new challenging end game options for all Skyforge players. The menacing Tol-Monter, avatar of the Oceanids, has sent his space ships to Aelion! The raid is particularly demanding because Tol-Monter attacks are very fierce and gradually destroy the arena in which the battle takes place. It is not just the strongest immortals that can fight the Avatar in this race against time. The brand new raid comes with two difficulty settings in which the first incarnation opens up to every player who has received their divine form and the second one will even be challenging for the best of the best players of Skyforge!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=59G8P_ttcko&feature=youtu.be

The updates and enhancements in the Ascension expansion for Skyforge consist further of the following:

New Progression Campaign: A significant modification comes in the form of the Regions Map, which is an extended progression campaign, where players can unlock access to new Adventures, Classes, and Symbols. Over a hundred marks on the map represent adventures and missions that make progression very clear and keeps gameplay diverse while players improve their characters.
Extended Combat Mechanics: Combat will become even more interesting thanks to an extended combat system. When you defeat monsters, players can take their weapons or even part of their bodies to use them against other enemies! Battles will become more diverse and tactical through the ability to kite enemies and dodge attacks more consistently.
New Politics System: The Council of Gods is a completely new political system. From now on, immortals can elect who the world of Aelion will answer to for a few weeks. In their hands, the leaders will hold power, resources, and the fate of the people. Players will be able to elect or be elected, and take control!
Brand-new Class: The Outlaw: A charismatic, daring and dangerous hero, who expertly wields two pistols and also, when necessary, dynamite. Enemies would do well not to underestimate this new combatant.

Skyforge is a free-to-play MMORPG set in a universe where mortals and immortals use cutting edge technology to fight for survival against mythical creatures and invaders from space. Players start as immortals, newly reborn into the world and vie to become gods themselves.

To learn more about Skyforge and to download for free today, visit sf.my.com. ‘Like’ the game on Facebook and follow the game’s development on Twitter @GodsofSkyforge for all the latest developer updates and news.

Trajan leads Rome in Civilization VI

Press Releases

Philip Federico

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September 21, 2016

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Trajan leads Rome in Civilization VI

2K and Firaxis Games today revealed that Trajan will lead Rome in Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, launching on Oct 21^st for Windows PC.

As the 13th Emperor of Rome, Trajan was as successful a soldier as he was an overseer, responsible for a great expansion of territories for Rome unmatched by any Emperor to follow.

Born around the year AD 52, Marcus Ulpius Traianus held military renown and served as the governor of Upper Germany before being named Emperor in October 97 CE.

Trajan yielded military prowess in wars with Dacia, who had threatened Rome’s economy for many years. Rome defeated Dacia in 101, and again in 105 with the razing of the Dacian capital. In 113 Trajan invaded Parthia after years of uneasy conflict, ultimately annexing Armenia and capturing the Parthian capital, Ctesiphon.

Trajan’s incredible military skill was matched by the love his people garnered for him. He cared for the people by creating a welfare program for orphans and impoverished children. Trajan oversaw the creation of several enduring monuments and roads, including the aptly named Trajan’s Column and the Forum of Trajan. He also hosted a gladiatorial festival with spectators ranging in the millions.

For more information, please see 2K’s official Civilization blog:http://steamcommunity.com/games/289070/announcements/detail/872960009937893098

For the latest news on Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, visit the official site, follow @CivGame on Twitter, and become a fan of Civilization on Facebook.

Pokemon World Championships 2017 Qualification Details Announced

Nathan Farrugia

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September 21, 2016

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Pokemon World Championships 2017 Qualification Details Announced

The Pokemon World Championships have been around in a modern format for around 8 years now but the event continues to change, particularly in regards to it’s qualification details. The year 2017 will be no different, with some major changes in event types, Championship Points needed to qualify and prize distribution. I’ll be listing all the newly announced details here and comparing them to last years with some brief commentary on the changes made and what that means for you if you’re interested in playing Pokemon at a competitive level this year.

From December 2017 the games that will be used in all sanctioned Pokemon events will swap over to the upcoming Nintendo 3DS games Pokemon Sun & Moon. The first event using these games will be an all new type of event, an International Challenge hosted in London, with several top players from around the world being invited to compete. Those who prefer TCG will get to use the XY Evolutions format when it releases later in the year. Let’s break down the types of events and how much CP will be rewarded for each one for both the Video Game Championships and Trading Card Game Championships. Sadly it looks like Pokken Tournament will not be returning to the championship circuit despite some very epic matches in the final sets.

A couple of quick notes. A best finish limit means that only that many of that event type will count toward your CP total. So for example a Regional has a best finish limit of 4 which means only you’re top 4 placings across those events will count. A kicker is the number of participants which have to be competing for that amount of points to be rewarded. For example if only 3 people show up to a Premier Challenge then only first place will be able to score points.

Video Game Events and Points Distribution

VGC Premier Challenge

Best Finish Limit (shared with VGC Premier Challenge (Elevated)): 2 per series

Play! Points: 1

Autumn Series: September 1–November 30, 2016

Winter Series: December 1, 2016–March 31, 2017

Spring Series: April 1–June 30, 2017

Placement	Championship Points	Kicker (# of participants)
1	20	0
2	14	4
3–4	10	8
5–8	6	16
9–16	2	32

VGC Premier Challenge (Elevated: 40 or more total players)

Best Finish Limit (shared with VGC Premier Challenge): 2 per series

Play! Points: 1

Autumn Series: September 1–November 30, 2016

Winter Series: December 1, 2016–March 31, 2017

Spring Series: April 1–June 30, 2017

Placement	Championship Points	Kicker
1	20	0
2	18	0
3–4	16	0
5–8	14	0
9-16	12	0
17–32	8	64
33–64	4	128
65–128	2	256

VGC Midseason Showdowns

Best Finish Limit: 4

Play! Points: 2

Placement	Championship Points	Kicker
1	50	0
2	45	0
3-4	40	0
5–8	35	0
9–16	30	0
17–32	18	64
33–64	12	128
65–128	6	256
129–256	1	512

Select Online Competitions

Best Finish Limit: no limit

Play! Points: 1

Placement	Championship Points
1	50
2	45
3–4	40
5–8	35
9–16	30
17–32	25
33–64	20
65–128	10
129–256	5

VGC Select Premier Events

Best Finish Limit: 4 (shared with Regionals)

Play! Points: 3

Placement	Championship Points	Kicker
1	130	0
2	105	0
3–4	80	0
5–8	65	32
9–16	50	64
17–32	35	128
33–64	20	256
65–128	10	512
129-256	5	1,024

VGC Regional Championships

Best Finish Limit: 4 (shared with Select Premier Events)

Play! Points: 3

Placement	Championship Points	Kicker
1	200	0
2	160	0
3–4	120	0
5–8	100	0
9–16	80	64
17–32	50	128
33–64	30	256
65–128	20	512
129-256	10	1,024

VGC International Championships

Best Finish Limit: 4

Play! Points: 5

Placement	Championship Points	Kicker
1	500	0
2	400	0
3–4	300	0
5–8	240	0
9–16	180	64
17–32	120	128
33–64	80	256
65–128	40	512
129-256	20	1,024

There are also special events that can be sanctioned under certain conditions. They will have the same Championship Point scale and are included in the same Best Finish Limit as the Championship Series tournament that best matches their anticipated attendance. Regionals will also have prize money for the top 16 competitors depending on attendance, with prize money ranging from $250 to $3000 in US Dollars, this applies to both VGC and the TCG. Up to 72 packs of boosters cards of the most recent TCG expansion will also be handed out to top 16 finishers across both formats.

These are the amount of points needed to qualify per age group and region and information on how to qualify for a day two invite.

Rating Zone	Masters Division	Senior Division	Junior Division
US and Canada	500 CP	450 CP	350 CP
Europe	500 CP	400 CP	200 CP
Latin America	400 CP	300 CP	200 CP
Asia Pacific	400 CP	300 CP	200 CP
South Africa	300 CP	300 CP	300 CP

Day Two Invitations

Day Two invitations are divided by rating zone as follows:

The Top 8 players from the US and Canada rating zone
The Top 16 players from the Europe rating zone
The Top 8 players from the Latin America rating zone
The Top 8 players from the Asia Pacific rating zone

As someone from the Asia Pacific region that attended the World Championships this year, it is clear that it will be much harder to obtain an invite to the 2017 World Championships. Not only has the CP requirement doubled from 200 to 400 CP for the Masters division, but events will be giving out much less CP on average for smaller events. It seems traveling has become essential, because unless you do extraordinary well at each tournament you attend you may not have enough events in your area to get you the required CP over the course of a season. The higher best finish limits seem to support the theory that The Pokemon Company wants people to travel and attend more events. It is important to note that players are free to compete in any tournament all over the world, regardless of where they reside.

Saying all this, the 2016 World Championships was perhaps too easy to get an invite too which lead to a very large number of attendants. This new structure is more balanced across the world and will ensure that only the best of the best will make it to the prestigious World event. Australia saw roughly 16 competitors attend the World Championships this year and I expect that number to half under this new points format.

Trading Card Game Events and Point Distribution

League Challenge

Best Finish Limit: 2 per quarter, shared with League Cup*
Play! Points: 1

Placement	Points	Kicker (# of participants)
1	15	0
2	12	4
3–4	10	8
5–8	6	32
9–16	4	64
17–32	2	128

League Cup

Best Finish Limit: 2 per quarter, shared with League Challenge*
Play! Points: 2

Placement	Points	Kicker (# of participants)
1	50	0
2	40	4
3–4	30	8
5–8	20	32
9–16	10	64
17–32	8	128
33–64	6	256

*League Challenge and League Cup share a Best Finish Limit of two events per quarter. The quarters are:

July 11, 2016, through October 2016
November 2016 through January 2017
February 2017 through April 2017
May 2017 through the end of the tournament season

Special Events

Best Finish Limit: 8, shared with Regional Championships
Play! Points: 3

Placement	Points	Kicker (# of participants)
1	130	0
2	105	4
3–4	80	8
5–8	55	32
9–16	30	64
17–32	20	128
33–64	15	256
65–128	10	512
129–256	5	1,024

Regional Championships

Best Finish Limit: 8, shared with Special Events
Play! Points: 3

Placement	Points	Kicker (# of participants)
1	200	0
2	160	4
3–4	120	8
5–8	80	32
9–16	40	64
17–32	32	128
33–64	24	256
65–128	16	512
129–256	8	1,024

International Championships

Best Finish Limit: 4, shared with the 2016 World Championships
Play! Points: 5

Placement	Points	Kicker (# of participants)
1	500	0
2	400	4
3–4	300	8
5–8	200	32
9–16	100	64
17–32	80	128
33–64	60	256
65–128	40	512
129–256	20	1,024

The amount of points needed to qualify for the World Championships TCG 2017 and how day two invites will be handled.

Rating Zone	Masters Division	Senior Division	Junior Division
US and Canada	500 CP	500 CP	400 CP
Europe	500 CP	500 CP	400 CP
Latin America	350 CP	250 CP	200 CP
Asia Pacific	350 CP	250 CP	200 CP
South Africa	350 CP	250 CP	200 CP

Day Two Invitations

Day Two invitations are divided by rating zone as follows:

The Top 16 players from the US and Canada rating zone
The Top 22 players from the Europe rating zone
The Top 8 players from the Latin America rating zone
The Top 8 players from the Asia Pacific rating zone

Will you be fighting to compete for a place at the 2017 World Championships in Anaheim California? Hopefully all this information helps you plan your season in what is an exciting time for Pokemon players all over the world. Please be aware that this information is subject to change and that is a real possibility as several changes were made already prior to the publishing of this article.

THE IRON LORDS RISE AGAIN – DESTINY: RISE OF IRON AVAILABLE NOW

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Philip Federico

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September 21, 2016

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THE IRON LORDS RISE AGAIN – DESTINY: RISE OF IRON AVAILABLE NOW

New Expansion Drives Record-Setting Pre-Orders* for Any Individual Destiny Expansion Yet

Brand-New Chapter of Destiny Includes Cinematic Story Campaign Set in Vast, Snowy Location, New Six-Player Raid, Missions, Quests, Strike, and Gear

Destiny – The Collection Gives New Players a Chance to Experience Every Adventure to Date Including Destiny: Rise of Iron

September 21, 2016 – Bungie and Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), deliver the next highly-anticipated storyline to the action shooter Destiny with their large expansion, Destiny: Rise of Iron. Before there were Guardians protecting humanity, there were Iron Lords. The new, cinematic-filled adventure sets players on a heroic journey where they will join forces with one of Destiny’s greatest heroes, Lord Saladin, to battle an ancient, vicious enemy from the past and ultimately earn their place in history as Iron Lords themselves.

Available today alongside Rise of Iron is Destiny – The Collection, an all-in-one experience containing every release from the award-winning action shooter franchise to date. Destiny: Rise of Iron and Destiny – The Collection can be purchased today, worldwide, in each territory where available at global retailers, and through console digital stores for the PlayStation®4 system and Xbox One (PlayStation®Plus, Xbox Live Gold, required for some features). Destiny: Rise of Iron requires Destiny game and The Taken King (includes Expansions I & II), sold separately.

“Rise of Iron’s record shattering pre-orders* make it by far our most anticipated expansion for Destiny ever–and for good reason. It’s packed with incredible new adventures that Destiny players are going to love,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision. “Along with our partners at Bungie, we can’t wait for our fans to explore “The Plaguelands,” conquer an entirely new Raid, “Wrath of the Machine,” and tackle all new modes, a new Strike, quests, weapons, and gear. I, for one, can’t stop playing. And you won’t be able to either.”

“The team was excited to expand upon the heroic tale from one of Destiny’s most renowned characters in Destiny: Rise of Iron,” said Pete Parsons, CEO of Bungie. “We can’t wait to see the memories and stories that will unfold as the community discovers what it means to become an Iron Lord.”

In Destiny: Rise of Iron, players will explore the noble backstory behind one of Destiny’s most beloved events, “The Iron Banner,“ and fight alongside its herald, Lord Saladin. Mysteries and challenges await in Rise of Iron including: an all-new setting on Earth called “The Plaguelands,” a twisted, dangerous, and action-packed area that has been quarantined for centuries; a brand-new six-player Raid; Felwinter Peak, a new social space where players must ascend a snowy, mountain top to reclaim a Guardian stronghold from the enemy; cooperative three-player Strikes; more quests, weapons, gear; a new competitive multiplayer mode called Supremacy and four new PvP maps; a Light level increase to 385; a new mutated enemy faction of the Fallen, and more. The “Wrath of the Machine” Raid will go live at 3 o’clock a.m. AEST on Saturday 24^th September.

Destiny – The Collection is one of the largest content offerings in gaming this year, comprising all the magic of Destiny since its beginning in 2014. It is the perfect opportunity for new and returning Guardians to join the fight for humanity’s survival and includes a character boost allowing players to instantly level up and join their friends. Additionally, legacy-gen console players can utilize the Destiny – The Collection upgrade program to transition to current-gen until January 31, 2017.

Destiny: Rise of Iron and Destiny – The Collection are rated M (fantasy violence, online interactivity). The expansion will be available at a suggested retail price of $44.95. Destiny – The Collection will be available at a suggested retail price of $89.95. At launch, PlayStation® gamers will also receive access to additional content for Rise of Iron, including a Crucible map, a ship, and a quest. Timed exclusive until at least Spring 2017.

For game information, visit www.DestinyTheGame.com and follow the official Destiny social channels at www.facebook.com/DestinyTheGame and @DestinyTheGame on Twitter and Instagram. The community can interact directly with the developers at www.Bungie.net, www.facebook.com/Bungie, @Bungie on Twitter, and www.Twitch.tv/Bungie on Twitch.

About Bungie

Bungie was founded in 1991 with two goals: develop kick ass games that combine state-of-the-art technology with uncompromising art, captivating storytelling, and deep gameplay, and then to sell enough copies to fund our ongoing quest for World Domination. Over the past twenty years, Bungie created a bunch of fun games, including the Halo franchise, the Marathon Trilogy, and the first two Myth games. Our independent, employee-owned development studio is located in Bellevue, Washington, the base where we launched our most ambitious project to date: Destiny.

More information about Bungie can be found at www.bungie.net.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. 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.

Dragon Ball Fusions Officially Confirmed for an International Release

Nathan Farrugia

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September 21, 2016

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Dragon Ball Fusions Officially Confirmed for an International Release

UPDATE: Dragon Ball Fusions is now officially confirmed by Bandai Namco to be releasing outside of Japan. The American release date is the 13th of December while everywhere else will have to wait a fair bit longer, with only a February 2017 release window given. As expected, because this is a handheld game it will retain the Japanese voice track with no dub option.

Following some information obtained from a Brazilian rating board there seems to be more confirmation to the rumour that Dragon Ball Fusions will be receiving an International release. A reddit user has claimed that the game can now be pre-ordered from Gamestop, a popular game shop in the United States. They provided a SKU number to give more credibility to their claims. A Japanese only title would most likely not make it’s way into the Gamestop system so this is a very good sign the game is coming out of Japan. Great news for Dragon Ball Z fans all over the world.

Dragon Ball Fusions is a 3D RPG where you travel the Dragon World recruiting friends who you can then perform fusions with. There are over 50 fusions in the game between the main cast with a lot more being allowed between more generic characters that you can also recruit. The battle system features a turn based system where the objective is to push an opponent outside the fighting space. The full game released on the Nintendo 3DS in Japan back in August, receiving mostly positive reviews. A free update is coming to provide new functionality, including an online vs mode and new Time-Space Radar stage which is set in the real world.

Sonic Mania Collector’s Edition Trailer Released

Nathan Farrugia

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September 21, 2016

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Sonic Mania Collector’s Edition Trailer Released

Sonic Mania is the newest Sonic game in the franchise and as per usual these days it is receiving a Collector’s Edition. However the trailer for this Collector’s Edition is no usual trailer. Sega have gone with a 90’s infomercial throwback theme for their latest trailer and it’s great for a laugh.

The Collectors Edition will include:

Deluxe “SEGA Genesis” style Collector’s Box
12″ Classic Sonic Statue featuring SEGA Genesis Base
Flip the power switch to trigger the “SEEGAA” startup audio!
Metallic Collector’s Card with Sonic Mania Download Code (digital game code)
SEGA Cartridge Cast with Golden Ring

Strangely the game is only available as a digital download instead of a physical disc but apart from that all the other goodies seem pretty cool. The Collector’s Edition will retail for $69.95 US with the game alone expected to cost $19.95.

Sonic Mania, and is a 2D side-scrolling platformer with graphics reminiscent of the original titles on the Sega Genesis. It will feature Sonic, Tails and Knuckles as playable characters as well as completely brand new 2D levels featuring remixes of levels from classic zones as well as all new ones. Sonic Mania is coming to the PS4, Xbox One and PC sometime in Spring 2017. A more modern game known only as Sonic Project 2017 was also announced recently.