Exclusive Day One Edition Digital Content and Box Art Revealed
SYDNEY, 22ND July 2016 – Square Enix Ltd., today revealed details of the “Day-One Edition” of its all-new block-building adventure, DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS™ – arriving across Australia & New Zealand on 13th October.
Players who secure the Day-One Edition will receive a selection of exclusive in-game item recipes that allow for the creation of materials for use in the game’s Terra Incognita (Free Build) mode, including;
Springtide Sprinkles Recipe – Transform trees into festive Cherry Blossom Trees and soil into comfortable Straw Floor Blocks
Slimy Blocks Recipe – Craft delightful blocks adorned with cute blue Slimes
Gold Blocks Recipe – Show off your opulent side with blocks made of pure gold
In DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS, players will use their creativity to build a variety of unique tools from the materials they gather, and rebuild towns and cities to restore life to the shattered world of Alefgard– a human realm destroyed and plunged into darkness by the menacing ruler of the monsters, the Dragonlord. Explore with the freedom of sandbox gameplay, combined with an immersive and charming DRAGON QUEST® story – battling with iconic DRAGON QUEST monsters and interacting with gorgeously designed 3D characters along the way. With an intuitive control system, DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS will have you building the towers and castles of your dreams in no time!
DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS will arrive across Australia & New Zealand on 13th October 2016f or the PlayStation®4 Computer Entertainment System and PlayStation Vita (digital only). For more information visit: www.dragonquest-game.com
The Olympic bound team are set to appear in a video game for the first time
Friday 22 July, 2016 – 2K and Basketball Australia announced today that NBA 2K17, the latest release in the award-winning basketball game franchise by Visual Concepts, will feature the Australian Boomers as a playable team for the first time on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Other than Team USA, this is the first national team to appear in the NBA 2K franchise since its inception in 1999.
The lineup includes Australia’s top players from leagues around the world, including the NBA, Australia and Europe:
David Andersen
Cameron Bairstow
Aron Baynes
Andrew Bogut
Ryan Broekhoff
Matthew Dellavedova
Dante Exum
Chris Goulding
Joe Ingles
Kevin Lisch
Damian Martin
Patrick Mills
Brock Motum
Anthony Moore, CEO of Basketball Australia said, “We are absolutely thrilled to be part of NBA 2K17, the biggest NBA game in the world. We jumped at the chance to have our Australian Boomers in the game and now Australian gamers can take on the world with Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova and Andrew Bogut together in the green and gold.”
Patty Mills, speaking ahead of his third straight Olympic appearance said, “Australian basketball continues to go from strength-to-strength and our players are leaving their mark on leagues around the world. It’s great to see 2K recognizing our nation’s growing impact on the sport with the inclusion of Team Australia in NBA 2K17.”
The NBA 2K17 Standard Edition will be available in both digital and physical formats for $99.95 on Xbox One and PlayStation®4, for $79.95 on Xbox 360, and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, and Windows PC platforms. The NBA 2K17 Kobe Bryant Legend Edition will be available in digital and physical formats for $119.95 on Xbox One and PlayStation®4.
Explosive game Train Conductor World lands on Google Play and continues 8 million player success story
Melbourne, Australia – 21st July, 2016 – The Voxel Agents, creators of the runaway success Train Conductor series have just released the highly anticipated title Train Conductor World on Google Play. Train Conductor World is a high-speed train traversal puzzler, with players learning to avoid train collisions at high speeds, and build their ultimate rail network across Europe.
The award-winning Australian team have expanded and refined the key features that made the Train Conductor series a hit with over 8 million mobile downloads and counting. With an established reputation for the best train game on mobile, The Voxel Agents incorporated extensive player feedback into Train Conductor World to craft an experience to delight both existing fans and brand new players. New gameplay features can be found in the launch trailer
Train Conductor World challenges players to adventure across new terrain and connect the wonders of the European continent. Mobile gameplay encourages fans and newcomers alike to grow the ultimate railway network across Europe, with signature Train Conductor arcade-style gameplay to keep the chaos under control. Requiring swift thinking and creative problem-solving, players will master track design, managing movement and avoiding collisions. Featuring a fully realised 3D European setting, trains will be barreling across the familiar canals of Amsterdam, zooming around the Arc De Triomphe in Paris and navigating the perilous peak of the Matterhorn.
Train Conductor World key features include:
International European landmarks lovingly created as in-game destinations
Collect unique track tile pieces and build the ultimate rail network
Brand new rail-building world mode introduces a new world for players to explore
Train customisations available for the first time
Crazy train conducting challenges based on new curving track designs
Daily objectives and a Star Medal system to challenge the top players
Dynamic weather system – all in-game weather events (eg. rain) are shared by all players
Flexible adjusting for gameplay difficulty to suit any skill level
Since it arrived on iOS in March The Voxel Agents have been constantly refining and improving the experience in preparation for the launch on Google Play. Director Simon Joslin commented: “Although Train Conductor World received rave reviews and has been our most successful title in seven years, we weren’t happy with it. We’ve spent everyday for the last four months responding to player feedback and improving the game across the board. The launch on Google Play is the culmination of many months of refinement, and we can’t wait to share Train Conductor World on the biggest platform on the planet, Google Play.”
The Voxels Agents create delightful games that unravel in surprising ways. Headquartered in Melbourne, the studio was founded in 2009 by Simon Joslin, Matthew Clark and Tom Killen to create games that kindle curiosity with a passion for highly focused gameplay.
Among their accolades the studio and its games have been awarded for “Best Mobile Game”. “Best Game Audio”, and “Best New Business 2010” among others. The Voxel Agents first established their success with the release of Train Conductor and followed with Train Conductor 2 USA and Puzzle Retreat, with over 7 million global players enjoying the Train Conductor franchise. The team is set to release the highly anticipated title Time Project (working title) in late 2016, and Train Conductor World releasing March 3rd 2016.
New F1™ 2016 Attract Trailer showcases new features
SYDNEY, 22ND July 2016 – Codemasters® have today released the latest gameplay video for F1 2016, the official videogame of the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™. The new attract video shows action both on the track and in the pit lane, recreating key moments from the year and highlighting many of the game’s key features.
To watch the F1 2016 Attract trailer
Available from 19th August for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC (Steam), F1 2016 boasts the most in-depth Career mode ever seen in the franchise which allows players to create their own legend over the course of ten seasons. The player selects an avatar and number to carry throughout their career as well as the team they want to start with. Players are able to move between teams or they can choose to develop a team into a championship contender by working with their Research and Development Engineer and Player Agent to develop their progress.
The Formation Lap will feature for the first time in the game’s history as does the brand new Virtual Safety Car which accompanies the return of the regular Safety Car, a fan favourite. The level of immersion has been further enhanced by the inclusion of manual starts and manual pit lane entry and braking – all vital to avoid losing time, penalties and track position.
With multiplayer support for up to 22 drivers, F1 2016 allows players to form a full grid of human players across the 21 circuits featured in the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, including the tight Baku street circuit, the latest addition to the calendar. In single player, gamers are able to create their own legend in the expansive Career Mode which stretches for up to ten seasons and includes drama both on and off the track.
F1 2016 Limited Edition includes the ‘CAREER BOOSTER’ DLC PACK, which will give players a head start in their career as well as exclusive Career Helmet and Laptop designs.
Aniplex of America has just announced that ticket sales will begin this Saturday, the 23rd of July, for the “Yuki Kajiura LIVE ~featuring SWORD ART ONLINE~” concert. Sales will begin at 12pm PDT through Ticketmaster. Tickets can be pre-ordered here from that time. The concert will be held at the world-famous Dolby Theatre on January 14, 2017. There will be VIP tickets available, which will “include an autograph session with Kajiura and some of the other performers”.
Kajiura has a unique style that fuses European and East Asian sounds, which is known around the world as the “Kajiura Sound”. She is the music producer for the vocal trio Kalafina and the composer of the anime series Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Fate/Zero. The concert will feature more than ten musicians as well as Kajiura, including Koichi Korenaga and singers Remi, Kaori, Wakana and Yuriko Kaida. They will be coming from Japan to perform songs from Sword Art Online.
Click on the image to view it in its original, full size.
A post has been uploaded to FUNimation’s blog detailing their upcoming releases of Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign. They released Part One on DVD and Blu-ray in May this year and will be releasing Part Two on September 27, 2016. The cover art of Part One focused on the humans, but FUNimation wanted to depict the conflict between the humans and the vampires using the cover art of their home video releases. They decided to collaborate with WIT Studio in order to create a piece of artwork focused on the vampires. WIT Studio handled the animation production of this series. The featured image at the top of this page shows the two pieces of artwork side-by-side. The left side of the image shows the artwork for Part One while the right side shows the artwork for Part Two.
FUNimation is also releasing a Collector’s Edition of the series on September 27, 2016.
All 24 episodes will be available on Blu-ray and DVD in the Collector’s Edition set that features a large, rigid chipboard box with soft-touch effect, embossing, and green foil accents. Within the box, you will find an 8-panel digipak featuring the commissioned art piece and other art, a 200-page hardcover artbook featuring character bios, background art, and exclusive magazine illustrations, 8 collectible art cards featuring illustrations from the Japanese Limited Edition releases, and 10 adorable chibi stickers featuring your favorite humans and vampires.
FUNimation Entertainment has just hosted their FUNimation Industry Panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2016. From this panel comes four announcements, including titles that continue FUNimation’s recent trend of branching out into live-action acquisitions.
First up is the announcement of a Blu-ray release of Ergo Proxy. This is the first time that 23-episode series will be available in North America and Canada. It is being released to celebrate 10th anniversary of the series.
Next is the announcement of the release date for the live-action Attack on Titan films. Part One will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 6, 2016, with Part Two following at a later date.
Third is the announcement of the release date for the Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign Collector’s Edition and Season One Part Two. The Collector’s Edition will contain all 24 episodes, and both releases will be available on September 27, 2016.
Finally, FUNimation Films has announced their acquisition of the rights to Shin Godzilla throughout the Americas. More information about this will be available in the near future.
Koei Tecmo has revealed some new details for their upcoming Omega Force developed Berserk title. This information comes in the form of two new characters being officially confirmed for Berserk‘s playable roster, though one was already hinted at in previous images. The company has revealed that both Schierke and Serpico will be playable in some form when the game is released on the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita later this year.
Schierke is a young girl and a disciple of the Mansion of the Spirit Tree witch Flora. She uses her magic to support her allies and while she initially distrusts humans, she matures as she continues on her journey with Guts and the rest of the company. As for Serpico, he is a thin man with an easygoing personality that has a hint of weakness to it but is extremely skilled when it comes to combat. He is a follower of Farnese de Vandimion and vows his loyalty to her so when she leaves the Holy Iron Chain Knights to follow Guts, he follows her without a second thought.
Acquire is continuing with their series of character introduction videos for Akiba’s Beat and with this third video they are introducing Yamato Hongo. Yamato is a sixteen year old high school boy who, thanks to his smaller stature, is often mistaken for a middle school student. He tries to put up a cool front and says that he doesn’t have any interest in Akihabara’s culture but when he witnesses Akihabara begin to erode by a delusion he joins the fight.
Akiba’s Beat is currently set to be released in Japan sometime this fall and XSEED Games has already announced plans to localize the title and release it in North America for the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita this winter.
After over an entire year of airing in Japan, Funimation have finally seemed to secure the rights to dub Dragon Ball Super in English for the rest of the world. Jason Douglas, voice actor for Beerus the God of Destruction posted an image on his Instagram (which has since been removed) showing an image of Beerus from the very first episode of Dragon Ball Super with the comment ‘He’s Awakened’. The image also had a time stamp on it, something that helps voice actors keep their lines in time with the animation.
So while it’s not technically confirmed, it’s confirmed. Funimation has a panel at San Diego Comic Con tonight (just a few hours by the time this article goes live). The panel was also announced rather late which could hint that Funimation tried to book it when they got the green light. If it’s not announced tonight though expect an announcement at one of the upcoming Comic Cons or a standalone confirmation from Funimation themselves.
This announcement also ties in perfectly with what Sean Schemmel teased months ago while hosting a Q&A session in the UK. Funnily enough he also predicted Xenoverse 2 would be announced which also came true a couple of months later. Most likely the new dub of the Buu Saga of Dragon Ball Kai will begin airing soon, allowing Dragon Ball Super to air as soon as that run is finished.
We will update this article with any official information that comes out of SDCC tonight but we always knew this was coming and now it definitely is. Toonami Asia will also be receiving an alternate English dub at some point as well.
