Kingdom Hearts III won’t be making an appearance at all until closer to Christmas, but we have some new information from E3 detailing some aspects of the game as well as some new gameplay footage from Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue info.
Kingdom Hearts III news first up. Co-Director Tai Yasue has confirmed there will be NO Final Fantasy based worlds in KH III. I’m sure characters from the series will still appear but there will no world based on the franchise. KH III will also have a short prelude to bring everyone up to speed on the long running franchise. Director Nomura goes on to say that the release date should be the same worldwide, if not very close.
Now for Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD. An official demo of the game is playable at E3 and Square Enix have released some high quality gameplay footage from the demo for those that can’t play it for themselves. You can view that footage embedded below. There is confirmation that Dream Drop Distance HD will have some new content, with a new Dream Eater being discovered in the demo. Dream Drop Distance will also run at a smooth 60 FPS.
Lead Director Tetsuya Nomura also discussed the length of the Aqua 0.2 fragmentary passage chapter from 2.8 HD, saying the mission will be about the length of one world in Kingdom Hearts III. Based on him needing to say that, it seems to imply that the worlds will take longer to complete in the final entry of the series than in past games.
Not much about Kingdom Hearts Unchained X Back Cover was discussed, but it was confirmed to be running on the same engine as Kingdom Hearts III. We were also told the identity of the man in the black coat who appeared in the latest trailer which was released last week. The man under the cloak is the leader of the Foretellers. He is described as ‘the glue’ between the Foretellers and has fun nicknames for each one. As expected, the games story will cover the deepest back story of the series before the Keyblade war took place.
This newest entry in the Kingdom Hearts series will be launching exclusively on PlayStation 4 in December of 2016, while Kingdom Hearts III still has no confirmed release window.
So the good folks over at In The House have decided to release their new “sizzle reel” to showcase the upcoming ‘Season 0’ reboot. The reel features some iconic scenes, images, and sequences from the list of films which will be screened in this season’s line-up. I’ve been covering the last couple of seasons of In The House and I’ve been very impressed with their screenings.
Alongside the film screening, In the House generally features a couple of MCs who warm the crowd up before the film begins with humour and general trivia about the film. Last year, they even had Don McAlpine (the cinematographer for Predator) come in to speak about his work on the first after a screening of the film he worked on.
So have a look at their line-up here, and I suggest that if you see anything which interests you then go for it. It’s certainly a fun experience to see your favourite cult classics up on the big screen.
Paramount Pictures recently released a new trailer video for their new Swords-and-Sandals epic film, Ben-Hur, which shows some of the behind-the-scenes production. The upcoming film is a reimagining of the original 1880 novel by Lew Wallace called Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The film stars Jack Huston in the titular role as Judah Ben-Hur and largely appears to follow his quest for revenge.
The book has been adapted into cinema a number of times, with the most famous one being the 1959 version starring Charlton Heston (Planet of the Apes). This particular adaption became a benchmark of the cinematic landscape of the sheer grand spectacle that could be achieved through the Hollywood production with big name stars and lavish sets. It gave rise to the phrase “Bigger than Ben-Hur!” to refer to excessive displays of spectacle.
The new film, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, seeks to capture some of the grandiose spectacle of its predecessor by using practical sets to shoot scenes of chariot racing. I believe that in a film market saturated with an overuse of CGI, the use of practical sets for action sequences is certainly a breath of fresh air.
The question remains: will the new film be as big as Ben-Hur? We’ll have to wait and see as the film comes out on August 25th of this year and you can find the new featurette below.
WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT, TT GAMES AND THE LEGO GROUP ANNOUNCE LEGO® WORLDS ONLINE MULTIPLAYER
Players Can Explore, Discover and Create Together
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games and The LEGO® Group has announced that LEGO® Worlds, the LEGO play experience made entirely of digital LEGO® bricks, is adding online multiplayer. The new online multiplayer functionality allows two players to explore each other’s worlds together, create together, and engage in cooperative and competitive play experiences that players can build themselves. LEGO® Worlds is currently available for PC through STEAM Early Access.
“Building and playing with friends is at the core of LEGO® play and we’re excited to bring online multiplayer into LEGO® Worlds,” said Jonathan Smith, Head of Production, TT Games. “The online multiplayer experience offers unlimited possibilities for players to explore one another’s worlds, build and share creations, and just have fun together.”
“We are very pleased to see how LEGO® Worlds has grown after a year in Early Access,” Says Niels Jørgensen, Vice President, Digital Games for the LEGO® Group. “It’s a fantastic way to engage with LEGO® play digitally, and we are excited for the added social component that online multiplayer will bring to the gaming community.”
Developed by TT Games, LEGO®Worlds is an open environment of procedurally-generated worlds made entirely of LEGO® bricks where players create anything they can imagine. Entire worlds and creations are brought to life with characters and creatures that interact with each other as well as the player in unexpected ways. From cowboys riding giraffes to vampires scaring polar bears, to steamrollers, racing cars, and colossal digging machines, there are always interesting and exciting ways for players to explore the vast worlds. Go on a quest for a king, protect a farmer from a zombie invasion or build a home for a caveman, there are always new things to uncover as you explore each new world.
The game is in STEAM Early Access with the goal of allowing the gaming community to provide feedback for continual improvements and the integration of additional content over time. Players who want to join the Early Access experience can download the STEAM client at http://store.steampowered.com/ then visit the LEGO®Worlds product page at the following link to download the game: http://store.steampowered.com/app/332310. The game is available at a reduced price during Early Access with a limited time offer to buy one and get one free until 3:00 a.m. AEST on Saturday, June 18th. What better way to introduce a friend to LEGO® Worlds and start playing together.
People were wondering if Nintendo would be showing Paper Mario: Color Splash at E3 and we have our answer as well as a surprise release date announcement. Paper Mario: Color Splash will be arriving on Wii U on October 7th, with live gameplay of the game being streamed through Nintendo’s Treehouse at E3 tomorrow.
Keep in mind at the moment this release date is only confirmed for the United States, and unfortunately with Nintendo games (Yoshi’s Woolly World and Fire Emblem come to mind) there can be some large gaps in release dates between regions. Color Splash didn’t do much to impress in it’s initial reveal and we haven’t heard any news since then, so hopefully it can impress on the show stage tomorrow.
UPDATE: A new trailer for the game has surfaced at E3 and is embedded below. It is definitely embracing a more ‘real element’ for some of the battle graphics and seems to have more focus on exploration and puzzles than RPG elements and battles. Mario teams up with a talking paint can and Peach to solve the mystery of why colour is leaving the world.
Nintendo’s main focus this E3 are definitely Pokemon and Zelda, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t any time for new game announcements. Mario Party: Star Rush has been quietly announced for the Nintendo 3DS and has a release date of November 4th. The game will have it’s debut on the Nintendo Treehouse tomorrow, but as current no images or footage has been released. The game will allow all players to take their turn at once thanks to being on the 3DS. We don’t know if this means the return of the heavily criticised vehicle that has all players moving together (hopefully not).
In tandem to the new game announcement, 7 new Mario Party series amiibo have been announced. Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Rosalina, Daisy, Wario, Waluigi and Boo. These amiibo share the same November 4th release date and as a cool unique feature Boo will be the first glow in the amiibo released.
UPDATE: A new trailer and new gameplay footage from E3 have surfaced alongside some official information. For those looking for a traditional Mario Party experience you won’t find it here but the new concept does look interesting.
Team up with Mario, Peach, Donkey Kong, and more in the most perfectly portable Mario Party game to date. Play with up to four players simultaneously, exploring different worlds as you freely move your Toad across maps and recruit Mushroom Kingdom allies. Break free of turn order, with all players plotting strategy, rolling the dice, and moving… all simultaneously! Team up with your friends in the real world to compete or cooperate to take down bosses in each game board.
Features:
Recruit characters like Toadette, Rosalina, and Wario to team up with and support you in Toad Scramble starring Toads.
Choose from multiple boards in different worlds, each with tricky boss battles.
Up to four players can simultaneously roll and move freely around a map.
Team up with up to four Mushroom Kingdom characters who can help you win by participating in different events.
Fully refined for bite-sized portable play for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.
Multiplayer via Local Wireless (additional games and systems required; sold separately). For the first time in series history, compatible with multi-card communication.
Packed with different modes that everyone can enjoy.
E3 2016 brought us the first live gameplay footage of Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon alongside some new details, new Pokemon and even a brand new battle mode. A new trailer was released which you can check out embedded below.
First the meaning of the games names were revealed. The sun is the source of all life and we are also greatly affected by the moon. The producer wanted to convey the feeling of the game brimming with life and thus we have our names. The players from Nintendo tried to get more information on the special looking bracelets the trainers are wearing in the main artwork, but the producer and lead designer had to dodge the question and say they are saving that for a later time. Interestingly, Pokemon fusion has been rumored but that could easily be speculation.
As always, the player will start in their room. As always their mum is down stairs and it seems you have a Meowth as a pet. The camera is positioned much lower to the player than in past games to increase the sense of immersion. The movement is not tied to a grid at all, with full 3D movement possible. The walking animation looks a bit funny though. A shadow will form around the screen whenever you are in danger of being sighted by a fellow trainer that will challenge you to a battle. The bottom screen was black during the play through but when you get the Rotom Pokedex it will occupy the bottom screen. The player encounters a Ledyba in the first patch of grass.
A number of improvements have been made to the games battle user interface to help keep better track of battle progression and information. The move lists can now show if a move will be effective, super effective, or not effective on the opponent Pokémon and you can see how your stats have been lowered or raised thanks to various moves in battle, with an arrow representing each of the 6 stages.
The battle camera looks a lot more natural and dynamic, with Pokemon being placed in the battle environment much better than in past games. The trainers are present in battles now which gives a nice scale of how big the Pokemon are. Catching Pokemon looks great as well. You now get a message whenever you register a new Pokemon in the Pokedex.
A new Pokemon called Yungoos was shown in the footage. The developers say it’s always hungry and thus always angry. It is Normal-type and has the new ability Stake Out or Strong Jaw. Stake Out can deal twice the normal damage to any Pokémon that switches in or enters the field mid-battle, a very strong ability potentially.
Two other new Pokemon were also shown in the play through. The standard Normal/Flying type Pikipek is found early on and will most likely evolve twice. It’s based on a woodpecker and has the abilities Keen Eye or Skill Link. The other is Grubbin, a small bug type Pokemon with the Swarm ability.
The new Battle Royal mode was shown off, introducing a new way to battle with four players and three Pokémon, each sending out one at a time. It’s a Free-For-All battle but when one trainer loses all their Pokémon, the game ends and players are tallied up by defeated Pokémon and remaining Pokémon and that determines the winner.
There were also a couple of reveals at some other recent events. First off, the Pokemon Zygarde will have it’s previously confirmed forms in Sun and Moon. 10% form (the hound dog looking version of Zygarde and Complete Form (the behemoth looking version) will both be playable in Sun and Moon. Zygarde 10% form will transform into Complete Form when it is low on health. The version of Zygarde we previously knew from X & Y is it’s 50% form.
Australians rejoice there is now a Koala Pokemon! Nekkoala is described as the Half Awake Pokemon and has the ability Definite Sleep, which prevents all statuses except Sleep, strangely. A pretty useful ability. Nekkoala is a Normal type.
A new dog Pokemon named Iwanko was also revealed in CoroCoro scans. This is the Puppy Pokemon and is surprisingly a Rock type with the abilities Keen Eye or Vital Spirit, which prevent losing accuracy or falling asleep respectively.
The first official Generation 7 Pokemon Magearna got some new details. The Pokemon is to be released as a QR code in Japan and will have a new unique attack as well as a unique ability. Soul-Heart will rase Magearna’s Special Attack one stage each time a Pokemon in the battle faints. It has the unique attack Fluer Cannon but more information on the move is unknown.
And that’s all your latest Pokemon Sun & Moon news. We’ve got all the big announcements from E3 including the latest from Nintendo on the new Zelda game, Breath of the Wild so be sure to check that out. Pokemon Sun & Moon release on November 18th.
After the success of the Alpha Demo for Nioh that was released in April, Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja have announced that they will be releasing a second downloadable demo that will be released sometime in August. To go with that news Koei Tecmo also released a brand new trailer for Nioh that is meant to show off the variety of locations, strange mythical creatures, dangerous enemies, and mysterious allies that they will cross paths with in their journey.
You can check out the video as well as some new screenshots below and keep a eye out for Nioh sometime this year when it is released exclusively for the PlayStation 4.
Koei Tecmo has released two E3 2016 trailers for Attack on Titan with the first video giving fans a look at the characters and the story of the game while the second one focuses on showing off the advanced gameplay mechanics that will come into play while fighting for survival.
The company also talked a bit about Eren’s Titan transformation, as he exchanges his ODM gear and blades for immensely powerful fists. You can check out the videos below and as for the game itself, Attack on Titan will be released physically and digitally on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, digitally for the PC, PlayStation 3, and PS Vita on August 30th in North America and then on August 26th in Europe under the name A.O.T. Wings of Freedom.
Although Sony might have had plenty to show off on stage during their E3 2016 press conference they ended up leaving Gravity Rush 2 off the stage and instead opted to only release a simple trailer and a few more details about the game to help tide fans of the series over until the sequel is released sometime this year for the PlayStation 4.
Gravity Rush 2 is a new story set just after the conclusion of the first game, Kat returns with her gravity-shifting partner Raven and the police officer Syd to investigate strange gravitational waves appearing over Hekseville. The next adventure for the gravity queen begins when Kat is swallowed by a gravity storm of unprecedented scale and taken to a remote mining village.
Separated from Dusty, the source of her gravity powers, Kat is forced to mine ore for the village to earn her keep along with Syd. However, they soon face the dangerous Scarabs lurking near the storms – a new breed of Nevi that threatens Kat and the village…
