Last week Square Enix ended up leaking that they were planning on releasing Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness in North America on June 28th but now the company has made it official by not only confirming that release date, but also revealing that the title will be released in Europe on July 1st and that various special editions will be available for purchase.
While those who pick up a launch copy of the game will get the previously detailed bonuses, those who opt for the Square Enix store exclusive collector’s edition that is priced at $109.99 will be given a special steelbook case, a soundtrack sample featuring sixteen tracks from famed composer Motoi Sakuraba, an eighty page hardcover art book featuring art from the series, eight exclusive art cards, six themes from the Valkyrie Profile and Star Ocean titles that can be used in battle, a Pangalactic Federation ID card, and a number of in-game items.
Seven Extra Cars Added to the Game for Both PC and Console Players
Larkspur, Calif., April 5, 2016 – Codemasters and Deep Silver today announced that the BAFTA-nominated DiRT Rally® is now available for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One. The launch trailer for the game is available to watch now at youtube.com/dirtgame.
Today, console players are welcomed into the vibrant DiRT Rally community and invited to join the hundreds of thousands of players on PC and one of the highest rated racing games of all time.
DiRT Rally is the most authentic and thrilling rally game ever made. It perfectly captures that white knuckle feeling of racing on the edge at breakneck speed, knowing that one crash could irreparably harm your stage time.
Every stage tests you differently, as you race on the edge of control across snow, ice, tarmac and dirt and tackle a variety of weather types. As the car suffers attrition and stages string together, your dedicated rally team tries to keep you competitive and each rally becomes a marathon-like test of concentration and skill.
DiRT Rally includes officially licensed FIA World Rallycross content, allowing you to experience the breathless, high-speed thrills of some of the world’s fastest off-road cars as you trade paint with other drivers at some of the series’ best-loved circuits, in both single player and high-intensity multiplayer races. DiRT Rally also features online league support and daily, weekly and monthly challenges that allow players to test themselves against the best drivers in the world and claim bragging rights as well as in-game currency.
Console and PC players can now enjoy substantial new additions to the game. New Classic Mini and Super 1600 series will introduce the thrills of rallycross racing from the start of the game and 21 advanced rally driving video guides will help gamers maximize their rallying performance. Players will be able to drive the vintage full gravel surface at Pikes Peak for the first time in the game and three of Colin McRae’s most iconic liveries will enable them to relive the exploits of a legendary rally champion.
Fans who pre-ordered will get the day one DLC unlock that sports a limited run DiRT Rally Legend Edition, which includes both the Fully Loaded MINI Pack and Fully Loaded Ford Pack, which also unlocks and fully upgrades the MINI Cooper S and Ford Escort MK2 from the start of the game, gives an exclusive livery for the cars and provides a unique team mechanic with perks.
Gamers who pre-ordered the digital edition of DiRT Rally will receive both the Fully Loaded Rallycross Pack, which unlocks the Mini Classic Rallycross and provides the same benefits as the other packs.
The DiRT team have also added seven extra cars to the game:
· Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak
· Renault 5 Turbo
· Renault Alpine A110
· Opel Corsa Super 1600
· Peugeot 207 S1600
· Renault Clio S1600
· Mini Classic Rallycross
“We’re delighted to be able to welcome PS4 and Xbox One players to the DiRT Rally community,” said Paul Coleman, chief games designer. “We’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm for the game our fans have shown us ever since we first revealed it and today marks the realization of our vision to bring the game to as many players as possible. Welcome on board and we hope you enjoy playing as much as we’ve enjoyed making it!”
DiRT Rally is now available on Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC.
KOEI TECMO TO OFFER FIRST GLIMPSE INTO THE DARK FANTASY WORLD OF NIOH WITH THE RELEASE OF AN ALPHA DEMO, EXCLUSIVELY ON PLAYSTATION®4
Available to Download and Play for a Limited Time, Players who Experience the Alpha Demo will Receive Exclusive DLC for the Final Game
Hertfordshire, 5th April 2016– KOEI TECMO announced today the upcoming release of a downloadable demo for its Samurai-centric, dark fantasy Action-RPG, Nioh. Developed exclusively for release on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Alpha Demo for Nioh will be available for download and play via the PlayStation® Store onlybetween the 26th of April and the 5th of May.
Both download and play of the demo will be disabled on Thursday, May 5th, giving interested fans a very narrow window of opportunity to take an early look at Team Ninja’s under-development title.
Set in a time of civil war in Japan, Nioh not only incorporates classic elements such as samurai and supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore, but also offers the exhilaration of an authentic samurai sword fight straight from Team NINJA, the team that defined brutal action games.
Kou Shibusawa, the game’s General Producer, comments: “Ten years have passed since Nioh was originally announced. During all that time gamers would always ask about it at events like E3 and Gamescom. We always felt support from gamers around the world for this title and now finally, Nioh – a game created with the entire power of Koei Tecmo – will be released in 2016. In appreciation to all the fans who have waited so long, and in order to have gamers everywhere try Nioh as soon as possible, we will release the Alpha Demo this month. We hope you enjoy overcoming the challenges in this masocore take on samurai action .”
Aiming to challenge players in a unique way that heightens their sense of accomplishment, this Alpha Demo will offer a rare chance to experience the deep and authentic samurai combat of Nioh and allow access to special rewards! All players who manage to clear a stage of the demo will be awarded ‘The Mark of the Conqueror’ DLC from the PlayStation®Store. Limited to those who play through the demo this DLC will allow players to download exclusive in-game content upon the final game’s official launch.
Additionally, KOEI TECMO GAMES and Team NINJA will launch an online survey for the Nioh Alpha Demo to encourage and welcome player feedback. To thank participants, an original wallpaper for smartphones will be available to all who answer the survey.
Capcom has released their second video in a series of interviews talking with members of the Resident Evil development staff in order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Resident Evil series. The first video happened to be with Hiroyuki Kobayashi and now this second video is with Resident Evil 0 director Koji Oda.
In the seven minute interview, that can be found below, Oda talks about the game’s setting, the concepts behind the characters, and what the team had to go through in order to remaster Resident Evil 0 for release earlier this year as well as some of the features they added in.
Koei Tecmo has announced that they will be releasing an “alpha demo” for their long awaited Nioh action title later this month. The PlayStation 4 exclusive action game that is currently being worked on by Team Ninja will have its demo placed onto the PlayStation Store where it will be available starting on April 26th and will then be removed on May 5th.
It hasn’t been stated exactly what will be available in the Nioh demo but you can check out some footage from it below. As for the game itself, the company is currently aiming to release Nioh sometime this year.
It looks like Heihachi Mishima will be sporting some new duds in Tekken 7: Fated Retribution as Bandai Namco has revealed a brand new costume for the fighter. A number of screenshots and some character art are revealing that this black-and-orange outfit that features a spiked and armored pauldron will be his default outfit when the game debuts in Japanese arcades sometime this summer.
Heihachi isn’t the only one that will be getting a special outfit when the title is released as we previously have seen Nina Williams as a bride. As for an eventual console release, Bandai Namco has yet to state exactly when gamers can expect Tekken 7: Fated Retribution to be released on any platforms outside of arcades.
Many times at various fan events or expos there is a fine line between what can be considered appropriate as Cosplay attire and depending on the age range of those allowing to attend, some who decide on dressing to risque might get in a bit of trouble. Well a certain event that will be taking place in Syndey, Australia from May 12th to the 15th is going to be one for those who like to take the sexier approach to their cosplay.
An event called SEXPO will be held during this time and they will be holding a SEXPO Cosplay Competition with some pretty nice reward money for the winners.
Overall forty different contestants will be selected to take place in the heats and those who are entered will be given a SEXPO show bag valued at $250. The winner of each heat will take away $500. For the final, the four heat winners will be invited back, with the winner receiving:
1 x return airfare from Sydney to the next Australian SEXPO
4 nights accommodation
Transfers
$1,500 spending money
Crowned the inaugural SEXPO COSPLAY Sydney winner
Total cash prize of $2,000 ($500 from heat win + $1,500 from grand final)
This, obviously 18+ event and Competitors will be judged on two criteria:
1. Most creative and sexy cosplay outfit
2. The most creative interaction the competitor has with the judges Lucie Bee and Alana Evans, and the audience
For those who are unsure of what they may want to go as, SEXPO has provided a few ideas:
Your favourite adult star from your favourite movie
A sexy version of your favourite movie or TV star
A sexy superhero or villain
Kink, latex, bondage or leather cosplay
Video game characters
Anything you can imagine – there are no restrictions on what you can dress as
Even if you don’t manage to qualify for one of the four heats, those who still submit an entry to try and join the competition online through the official websitewill be given a complimentary ticket to attend the show.
Overview The Samurai Warriors series may not be as prominent as the Dynasty Warriors franchise, as it only has half the number of games as that series and a few of the iterations haven’t even been released in the West. As such, Samurai Warriors 4: Empires marks the first time in nine years that this series’ Empires iteration has been released in the West. After taking a long break and bringing over the combat mechanics found in the core game, is Samurai Warriors 4: Empires worth your time?
Story Similar to past Empires games, Samurai Warriors 4: Empires strips the title of most of its core storyline and presents players with the option of either selecting from pre-set scenarios that cover certain parts of the Warring States Era with the player being able to join a clan and work to complete that scenario’s objective, or “Genesis Mode” where players can create their own history by placing their created characters or whoever they wish in charge of a specific province, selecting an ambition to complete ranging from uniting all of Japan under your Clan’s banner to simply annihilating another Clan from the history books.
The Genesis Mode is likely where players will find the most enjoyment since players are free to customize who they start with or simply randomize the entire map and aim for victory. Interestingly enough, the title also features numerous story snippets that help establish relationships between the various warriors that are in the game. Fight enough battles against a certain general? They might become your sworn nemesis. Battle alongside allies or spend time outside of combat “fraternizing” and you may end up married or gaining a loyal retainer.
These types of systems add a lot of personality to the game and often bring about various cut-scenes that help bring some life to your forces and help add to the whole “what-if” style of storytelling the Empires games are known for. In an interesting fashion, players can also unlock various historical moments if they have certain characters in their group and complete various tasks.
Gameplay Those familiar with the Empires titles will already know roughly what they are in for here as players will find the game broken into two separate sections. The one section is your standard battle system where players will invade or defend a land using the generals they have on hand, capturing bases in order to connect a chain of bases to the main enemy camp to eliminate their leader or protecting your main camp from being taken over.
Samurai Warriors 4: Empires thankfully has the improved combat system that made the core games the most fast and fluid feeling Warriors games in memory thanks to the fact that they have slightly altered the combat scheme. While each character still has a standard set of normal attacks that can be chained into special hard hitting heavy attacks, they can also make use of hyper attacks. These hyper attacks are fast paced and see the fighter ripping through enemy ranks and making mincemeat out of standard enemies. Of course, enemies that are set up in a charge or named officers will shrug off these blows and send your fighter reeling meaning it is back to the standard tactics against them.
Combat against officers feels as familiar as ever though players will find that if they time proper dodges then they will be able to unleash a damaging counter attack that often will stun your opponent. Along those same lines, using such a move on an officer with low health will instantly finish them and make them retreat from battle. Of course, unless you get lucky and capture the foe or are really trouncing your opponent, there is still the chance that they will eventually make their way back onto the field.
There is a bit more to combat than simply slaying enemies however, as certain elements of strategy come into play as well. Players will obtain various formations and tactics that can be used at any time in a fight, with troop formations often providing boosts to your army in the way of increased attack or movement speed, and tactics allowing bases to be taken easier since riflemen or ninjas can be sent in to damage them or increase the damage of various methods of attack.
These tactics and formations are earned in the other side of Samurai Warriors 4: Empires, the Castle menu. Between battles and often for a fairly long period of time if you choose not to attack someone, players will find themselves placed in a castle with their various officers. From your officer pool you can select a strategist and advisors for various aspects such as diplomacy, development, and troop training. Each officer has various aptitudes as well as other characters they work well with, meaning players will need to fiddle a bit to make sure they are getting the most out of their seasonal growth periods as every turn, which counts as a season, will provide your Clan with gold, supplies, troops, fame, etc., and all of this is required to succeed for obvious reasons as invasions require gold, supplies, and troops while fame dictates how many actions you can take during a season.
If it sounds a bit complicated then you are right as Omega Force often provides very little detail into certain aspects of the Castle system, meaning that players may easily get caught off guard in the early going and have to start over if they make poor decisions because they aren’t familiar with all of the mechanics in play. Especially since you may find a region of yours being attacked that might only have two officers defending, leaving your four thousand men to be outnumbered three to one, resulting in an incredibly difficult defense.
Thanks to the fact that every officer used in a fight to invade a region will immediately travel to the taken region, which may leave your launching point completely empty, this is an easy mistake to fall into, especially since, rather than allowing unassigned officers to stay on as back-up soldiers, unassigned officers are dismissed from the Clan meaning that you will often need to constantly build up your ranks or end up being unprepared.
Visuals & Audio Although Samurai Warriors 4: Empires isn’t spectacular looking by any means I must give the title a lot of credit for being able to put up with a lot of action without any hint of slowdown. Players will often find themselves facing down well over a hundred enemies at a time and when zipping through their ranks using hyper attacks or unleashing your musou attacks in these swarms the title remains consistent no matter how hectic things become.
As far as the soundtrack is concerned, the title features a nice mix of music that makes up your standard fair for a Warrior game with plenty of rock tunes and other themes mixed in and easily changeable before a battle to allow players to fight to whatever song they feel like. As one would expect, Koei Tecmo has opted to release this game featuring only the Japanese voice track but fans of the series should be well aware of that and familiar with the cast at this point.
Overall Samurai Warriors 4: Empires may only offer two game modes that, for the most part play the exact same, but this is still the most in-depth Empires came that fans have probably seen from the series. Of course this does mean that players will need to go through some trial and error while learning how to play the title properly while managing their own forces and what formations best other formations, but with the enhanced combat system of Samurai Warriors 4 making the combat better than before and plenty of ways to tackle scenarios, including the ability to build your own, it is well worth the effort. Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Free! – Eternal Summer (Season 2 & OVA) – Standard Edition DVD and Blu-ray and Limited Edition Combo Pack.
Gundam Reconguista in G Part 2 – DVD only. It features episodes 14-26 with Japanese audio and English subtitles only.
Lord Marksman and Vanadis Complete Series – DVD and Blu-ray.
Love Live! School Idol Project Season 2 – Standard Edition DVD and Limited Edition Blu-ray.
Naruto Shippuden Collection 25 – DVD only. It contains episodes 310-322.
One Piece Collection 36 – DVD only. It contains episodes episodes 434-445.
Samurai Pizza Cats Complete Series – DVD only.
Sword Art Online II Part 4 – Standard Edition DVD and Blu-ray and Limited Edition DVD and Blu-ray.
Tokyo ESP Complete Series – DVD and Blu-ray.
All of the limited edition releases come with physical extras. The limited edition Bleach Bankai boxes each come with a collector’s booklet. The limited edition release of Free! Eternal Summer comes with a character booklet and an Iwatobi and a Samezuka sticker sheet. This, and the DVDs and Blu-rays, will all be housed in collector’s packaging. The limited edition Blu-ray release of Love Live! School Idol Project Season 2 will come with a character guide booklet. The limited edition Blu-ray releaes of Sword Art Online II Part 4 will come with an artbook and postcards.
Madman Entertainment has two Cartoon Network titles coming out in stores across Australia tomorrow. These are the details of those releases.
Adventure Time: Stakes – DVD only. This set features the eight episodes of the miniseries. Animatics, song demos and an art gallery are included as on-disc extras. This release has a suggested retail price of $14.95.
Over the Garden Wall – Limited Edition Blu-ray only. The film is featured with the English audio track and Closed Captions. On-disc extras include: “Behind Over the Garden Wall”, Original Pilot: “Tome of the Unknown”, alternate title cards, deleted animatics, commentaries and the Composer’s Cut. This edition has a suggested retail price of $34.95.
All prices listed above are in Australian dollars. For those unfamiliar with Adventure Time, a review of the first five seasons can be found here.
