Idea Factory International has announced exactly when fans of the Hyperdimension Neptunia girls and Sega can expect the crossover RPG to arrive in the West. The company announced that Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls will be released for the PS Vita in North America on October 18th and in Europe on October 21st where it will be available both at retail and digitally as well as supported by PlayStation TV.
To go along with this announcement Idea Factory International also released some of the first English screenshots for Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls and you can check those out below.
Three years ago when the Attack on Titan anime adaptation aired in Japan the popularity of the series exploded overnight. While many series of this type tend to lose some of their followers as the series progresses, the fanbase has remained quite adamant about seeing the series continue even after a couple of second season delays and, for a while, slow moving source material. In fact, Attack on Titan has now been given its second game and now that Koei Tecmo has released the title in the West, is it worth picking up?
Story
It is worth noting that since this game covers all of the events of the anime, including some gameplay elements that will spoil certain reveals, that if you haven’t seen or read the series up to the end of the anime then you should do so before starting the game.
Humanity has lived behind three immense walls that were constructed long before anyone can remember in an effort to keep highly dangerous manlike beings known as Titans from invading the last bastions of humanity. For well over a hundred years very few cared about what happened outside the walls until one day humanity was given a terrible reminder of the dangers existing in their world. With the appearance of a colossal Titan that could see over the walls, the outermost wall was destroyed with one kick and the rest of the Titans, ranging from 2M tall to over 15M began pouring through and eating anyone in sight.
With very little preparation and evacuation methods, hundreds of thousands of people died when the wall fell and forced humanity to retreat behind the smaller area behind the second wall. Years have passed since the outermost wall fell to the Titans and now Eren, MIkasa, and Armin have undergone the training in the 104th Cadet Corps to learn everything they can about slaying Titans with Eren’s main goal being that of revenge while the rest fight for survival and the chance of retaking back the lands they once called home.
For the most part Attack on Titan does a decent job highlighting some of the most important scenes of the game so fans will definitely appreciate these scenes being recreated but it is also worth noting that for newcomers this is a poor way to experience the story. I say this because while the “Attack Mode” that serves as the story does cover the basics and some of the OVAs that follow Levi’s group, it also glosses over many important events and story details that take place between the larger confrontations. Along those same lines the story mode comes to an abrupt end so those looking for something a bit more substantial to chew on will be out of luck outside of some extra unlockable missions compared to the source material.
Gameplay
Regardless of whether the player chooses to play the “Attack” story mode or side-mission/multiplayer “Expedition” mode they are given a chance to prepare before entering into actual combat. This preparation stage allows players to run around with their character and talk to other NPCs as well as purchase new equipment, refine their equipment, buy materials, and take on various requests from named characters.
The main tools players will have to worry about keeping upgraded come in the form of their blades, scabbards, and ODM, all of which come in different types that can be unlocked and further improved to increase various stats such as damage dealt, durability, amount of gas and acceleration rate, anchor strength and more. It is also worth noting that some stages place the character on the back of a horse so various horses can also be equipped with higher speed and stamina ratings. It is worth noting that since all equipment is carried over between Attack and Expedition modes and between characters that keeping yourself upgraded is essential.
Once you actually are in the field players will find that Omega Force has managed to truly embrace the style of combat in Attack on Titan. Every Titan comes in various forms such as small, medium, and large with certain ones being able to defend themselves or act erratically and players must use their movement gears to maneuver around them in order to slice at the nape of their necks to deal killing blows. Various tactics such as slicing off a leg or an arm are useful to slow down a target and often reward the player with a special material that can be used for crafting but some Titans do require their arms be removed before aiming for the nape or else the damage dealt will be heavily reduced.
Fast paced movement and strikes are essential to win against more difficult Titans as they can and will regenerate their limbs and even slowly recover health of moderately damaged areas. Although it can be rather difficult to get a grasp of the controls to begin with as the way the ODM controls is a bit unusual to start with, players are worked through the process of learning how to target specific body parts, swap anchors between points, boosting, and more in an effort to teach them the strengths and limitations of their equipment, such as how they cannot be used in areas where there is nothing to grapple to and how the amount of damage dealt to a Titan when attacking is based on speed and targeting.
Titans also serve as a very dangerous threat in this game as one would expect. If players aren’t careful they may find themselves whiffing on a hit only to be grabbed by a Titan and forced to mash the attack button to escape or die. In fact, simply getting smacked or struck can be enough to kill a character though in these modes it is possible to dodge out of the way through “focus time” though this meter is limited in nature and, unless healed, can leave the player facing a head on instant kill.
Allied characters in the game also regularly are killed and eaten by Titans though named characters are only displayed as defeated and will leave the field of battle for story sake. This means if the player is running low on blade or fuel refills and a character that otherwise might be able to resupply them is killed, they will be forced to either head elsewhere on the map or hope to loot something useful from a fallen comrade that occasionally appears from a Titan’s vanishing corpse. Speaking of allies, players can recruit common soldiers to join them or complete various side-missions that appear as green smoke signals to recruit named characters to their party that can then be given various orders to Focus, Guard, and Fan Out.
It is worth noting that although the game does offer an eventual ten playable characters that it is rather surprising that certain characters were left out. This means characters such as Ymir, Reiner, Annie, and a number of other named characters that appear and are still alive throughout the story told in the game and are featured as allies, are not playable in favor of Erwin, Hange, and Connie. Along those same lines players may find that, even when delving into the Expedition mode that allows them to fight online with other characters to take down Titans that the gameplay can become a bit repetitive in nature despite how fun it can be to zip around and eliminate as many Titans as possible.
Now as for a certain spoiler area, it is worth noting that after a certain period of time in the game that Eren unlocks the ability to transform into his Titan form. Unfortunately these Titan form battles are rather simplistic in nature primarily thanks to the floating feel of the melee combat. Any basic punch attacks feel like they have no weight at all to them when fighting against any type of normal Titan while fights against certain special ones rely on simple dashing affairs until the opponent is stunned enough to pull off a powerful attack leaving these battles that should feel far more intense in nature rather underwhelming overall.
Visuals & Audio
Throughout the game players will be able to witness a large number of story events that are skillfully recreated with highly detailed looking character models and Titans similar to those seen in these scenes. The cel-shaded art style fits the anime theme very well here and thanks to this fans of the anime as well as the original manga material will be quite pleased. Unfortunately the same level of detail cannot be said about most of the environments in the game and the very small amount that are actually playable. While buildings crumble with satisfaction, the amount of detail in most areas is extremely dull looking and there are many times in combat that a Titan will flounder about or even clip inside of a building.
It is worth noting that Koei Tecmo did not opt to provide an English voice track for the release of Attack on Titan but thankfully the Japanese voice actors have all reprised their roles from the anime series which is a great touch for fans. The soundtrack on the other hand does unfortunately miss out on some of the signature tracks contained in the series but does its best to mimic them and often helps deliver a solid fast paced tune to kill Titans to.
Overall
Attack on Titan manages to embrace the fast paced combat and dangerous drama of the series perfectly. While death is generally due to player error in most cases, fighting against Titans feels dangerous and pulling off perfect kills feels like a real accomplishment at times. With some situations forcing the player to carefully swing around a Titan while dodging another’s grasping arm all while trying not to lose your anchoring by colliding with the environment, the battles found in Attack on Titan are incredibly exhilarating and make the occasionally flawed experience feel well worth it.
DONTNOD released 15 minutes of gameplay footage from their upcoming action RPGVampyr. The pre-alpha footage is pulled from early in the game, where protagonist Dr. Jonathan Reid is coming to grips with his new vampiric form. There are zero spoilers in the video, but the trailer does manage to show off a little bit of everything players will expect from the game: a dark atmosphere, a deep story, and combat.
Vampyris an upcoming action RPG set in the early 1900s. Dr. Jonathan Reid is a former military doctor who is caught in the middle of the 1918 flu epidemic in London. Recently turned into a vampire, Dr. Reid must come to grips with the thirst for blood and choose to either cling to his humanity or give it all up. Vampyr is set to launch on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2017.
The most recent issues of both Weekly Famitsu and Dengeki PlayStation have revealed that Gust is working on a brand new game called Blue Reflection for the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. The title will feature character design and be supervised by Mel Kishida who handled the character designs for the Arland trilogy. The title is still fairly early in development but will apparently be an RPG that follows the story of girls growing through interactions and is a life-sized projection of youth that with between bonds as the core theme.
So far only the main character, Hinako Shirai, has been given any real detail as she is the main charater. Shirai is a young girl that is a rising star in the ballet world and a year prior to the start of the game she was aiming to compete in a major contest but ended up injuring her foot meaning she was uanble to compete. Since that time, she has been unable to dance and has sealed her heart away but still believes that her foot will one day heal. As days pass she meets two strange girls who provide her with a mysterious power that transforms her into a “Reflector” and gives her the power to fight. With the hope that her battles will eventually lead to her foot being healed, she battles on but with no idea as to who she is actually fighting, questions begin to appear in her mind.
Bee Here Now! AMBI.ent Debuts with HiveFall for iOS and Android
New indie dev AMBI Entertainment launches its first game, HiveFall – starring Austing Flowers, International Bee of Mystery – for iOS and Android devices. “Oh, beehive!”
26th August, 2016, London… Adorable super-bee Austing Flowers is creating a buzz inHiveFall, a cool collect-‘em-up for iOS and Android devices that launches today.
Dr Weevil and his NECTAR goons are raiding the Queen Bee’s garden – and only Austing Flowers has the mojo to stop them!
Players guide Austing from flower to flower to grab the juicy globules of nectar before the goons, then return them to the hive – the more nectar dropped off each visit, the more points scored!
But there’s no time to dawdle: if the day ends before Austing completes the Queen’s orders, it’s Game Over!
Easy to pick-up-and-play but devilishly difficult to truly master, HiveFall features a beautifully intuitive control mechanism where sharp reflexes and speeding around each sun-soaked screen reap huge rewards – well, nectar!
Game features:
Unique One-Touch Interface – Control the action with just your thumb!
No two games the same – Each level is procedurally generated!
Unlock bonus game modes – Can you handle the Turbo and Hyper game modes?
Tackle multiple enemy types – Beware Dr Weevil’s henchbugs, especially the lethal Hunter!
Turn tables on the enemies – Catch the elusive Super Nectar to bash the baddies!
About AMBI Entertainment: AMBI.ent is a new indie developer formed by games industry veteran David Upchurch and renowned graphic artist Robin Rossigneux, aided by audio whizz Paul Weir (who recently performed audio director duties on the massive PS4/PC hit No Man’s Sky). HiveFall is the dev’s first release.
Over the past couple of months Capcom has been re-releasing the most recent Resident Evil titles onto the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and now the company has reached the end of the line of what they previously announced. That is of course the re-release of Resident Evil 4 for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 which is set to occur next week on August 30th.
Since this is the last title, and also the title that has appeared on the most systems so far, the company has released a pair of gameplay videos showing off the game which will include all of the bonus content from the original game as well as all of the content that was added in later releases.
This week’s issue of Dengeki PlayStation has revealed that Koei Tecmo is working on a sequel to Nights of Azure. The game, Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon, will be released for the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita and early details describe the story as being one that connects the emotions of three girls, with one who is chosen as being a sacrifice and yet another possessing the abilities of a half-demon, who are featured in the early images of the game.
It is currently unknown whether characters from the first game will make an appearance in this title but it appears that while certain aspects such as Servans will be featured in the game though the gameplay is described as having a significantly different feel.
NIS America has announced that they are planning on releasing Disgaea 2 on PC, through Steam, on January 30th and while no price for the digital version of the game has been announced the company did reveal that they will be selling a physical versionof the PC game for $80 and with it comes a collector’s art book, five art prints, a desk mat,mouse pad, and a premium soundtrack from Disgaea: Hour Of Darkness.
Disgaea 2‘s PC release will include all of the content from the original PlayStation 2 release as well as the enhanced PSP release of the game. You can check out the announcement trailer as well as screenshots for the PC version of the game below.
Paramount Pictures today has released a reveal trailer for a new instalment in the Ring horror franchise titled; Rings. The original film in this series, The Ring, was an adaption of a Japanese horror film named Ring which drew heavily upon elements from Japanese folklore and traditions. The Ring was directed by Gore Verbinski and has earned its place in the cultural zeitgeist as one of the more successful examples of Hollywood adapting Japanese cinema which subsequently paved the way for others to follow. The sequel The Ring Two was not nearly as successful even though it was directed by Hideo Nakata, who had directed the original Japanese Ring.
The new instalment seeks to get the series back on track and will be directed by Javier Gutiérrez. The film stars Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe, and Johnny Galecki and looks set to return the vengeful spirit of Samara to the silver screen. You can find the trailer below and feel free to tell us what you think of how it looks.
The film is slated to be released 24th November, 2016. For a less-horrifying film from Paramount Pictures, check out their trailer for Allied.
The Fastest Way to Learn Guitar* Is Better Than Ever With a Customizable Learning Curve, Expanded Practice Tools and Over 800 Tracks to Master
Ubisoft® has announced that an updated and improved version of Rocksmith 2014 Edition will be available to purchase for new users and as a free downloadable patch for current owners this spring. Nearly four million people have learned to play guitar and bass through the award-winning Rocksmith method, now even more players will join their ranks when Rocksmith 2014 Edition – Remastered comes out on Xbox One, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Windows PC and Mac on October 4.
“We are very proud the success Rocksmith has had in teaching nearly four million people how to play the guitar and bass,” said Nao Higo, Executive Producer, Ubisoft San Francisco. “The Ubisoft San Francisco development team continues to add new songs to the extensive Rocksmith catalog, now more than 800 deep, and support the game with new updates for Rocksmith’s loyal fans. With Rocksmith 2014 Edition – Remastered, we’ve improved the Rocksmith method, providing more powerful tools for players to tailor their own learning experience, making it easier than ever to learn how to play.”
The fastest way to learn guitar* is better than ever with a customizable learning curve, expanded practice tools, stat tracking, improved menus and more. Rocksmith 2014 Edition – Remastered includes more than 50 tracks and over 800 additional songs are available for purchase with new content added every week. New players who purchase Rocksmith 2014 Edition – Remastered will also get six new bonus downloadable songs from a wide variety of genres. These six songs will be available for purchase separately for existing owners that download the free patch.
Bob Marley & The Wailers “Three Little Birds”
Elvis Presley “Suspicious Minds”
“Some Nights”
Jackson 5 “I Want You Back”
Outkast “Hey Ya!”
Train “Drops of Jupiter”
For more information on Rocksmith 2014 Edition Remastered, please visit rocksmith.com.
For the latest on all of Ubisoft’s games, please visit ubiblog.com.
*Research Strategy Group Inc. – March 2013 – US nationwide in-home placement study
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Watch_Dogs, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman and Far Cry. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2015-16 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,394 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.
Windows, the Windows Start button, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies, and “Games for Windows” and the Windows Start button logo are used under license from Microsoft.
The “PS” Family logo is a registered trademark and “PS4” is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Humanity has lived behind three immense walls that were constructed long before anyone can remember in an effort to keep highly dangerous manlike beings known as Titans from invading the last bastions of humanity. For well over a hundred years very few cared about what happened outside the walls until one day humanity was given a terrible reminder of the dangers existing in their world. With the appearance of a colossal Titan that could see over the walls, the outermost wall was destroyed with one kick and the rest of the Titans, ranging from 2M tall to over 15M began pouring through and eating anyone in sight.
For the most part Attack on Titan does a decent job highlighting some of the most important scenes of the game so fans will definitely appreciate these scenes being recreated but it is also worth noting that for newcomers this is a poor way to experience the story. I say this because while the “Attack Mode” that serves as the story does cover the basics and some of the OVAs that follow Levi’s group, it also glosses over many important events and story details that take place between the larger confrontations. Along those same lines the story mode comes to an abrupt end so those looking for something a bit more substantial to chew on will be out of luck outside of some extra unlockable missions compared to the source material.
The main tools players will have to worry about keeping upgraded come in the form of their blades, scabbards, and ODM, all of which come in different types that can be unlocked and further improved to increase various stats such as damage dealt, durability, amount of gas and acceleration rate, anchor strength and more. It is also worth noting that some stages place the character on the back of a horse so various horses can also be equipped with higher speed and stamina ratings. It is worth noting that since all equipment is carried over between Attack and Expedition modes and between characters that keeping yourself upgraded is essential.
Fast paced movement and strikes are essential to win against more difficult Titans as they can and will regenerate their limbs and even slowly recover health of moderately damaged areas. Although it can be rather difficult to get a grasp of the controls to begin with as the way the ODM controls is a bit unusual to start with, players are worked through the process of learning how to target specific body parts, swap anchors between points, boosting, and more in an effort to teach them the strengths and limitations of their equipment, such as how they cannot be used in areas where there is nothing to grapple to and how the amount of damage dealt to a Titan when attacking is based on speed and targeting.
Allied characters in the game also regularly are killed and eaten by Titans though named characters are only displayed as defeated and will leave the field of battle for story sake. This means if the player is running low on blade or fuel refills and a character that otherwise might be able to resupply them is killed, they will be forced to either head elsewhere on the map or hope to loot something useful from a fallen comrade that occasionally appears from a Titan’s vanishing corpse. Speaking of allies, players can recruit common soldiers to join them or complete various side-missions that appear as green smoke signals to recruit named characters to their party that can then be given various orders to Focus, Guard, and Fan Out.
It is worth noting that Koei Tecmo did not opt to provide an English voice track for the release of Attack on Titan but thankfully the Japanese voice actors have all reprised their roles from the anime series which is a great touch for fans. The soundtrack on the other hand does unfortunately miss out on some of the signature tracks contained in the series but does its best to mimic them and often helps deliver a solid fast paced tune to kill Titans to.
