February saw the epic return of PlayStation® Plus Vote to Play, giving power to the players to choose the games of their choice to join the March games roster. The players’ voices have now been heard and Broforce beat the competition to the pip for the chance to make a splash in the gaming world and win the second ever round of Vote to Play.

The manic-action 2D shooter Broforce went up against stiff competition with Assault Android Cactus by Brisbane indie-start-up Witch Beam and Action Henk! by Rage Squid. Broforce ultimately won voters over with its part-irreverent spoof and part-loving homage to what are now classic movies and classic games.

Broforce will be available to PS Plus members from March 2, letting players live the memories of ’80s action heroes and gang up in a team of four as part of the excessively overpowered yet underfunded paramilitary organisation. The job – to save the world using primary skill and excessive force!

Joining Broforce this month on the PS Plus list is Galak-Z, another 80’s style title, where players try to survive the hostile environments of deep space, battling warring factions full of unique and cunning enemies. Enjoy spaceship anime and arcade-gaming meld with ultra-modern physics and A.I. in a skill-demanding, procedurally generated rogue-lite adventure.

The full list of February PlayStation Plus games available is:

BroForce (PS4)
Galak-Z (PS4)
Super Stardust HD (PS3)
The Last Guy (PS3)
Flame Over (PS Vita)
Reality Fighters (PS Vita)

In celebration of the Broforce win, there is an extra special challenge for the community this month! Gamers will be given the opportunity to design a trailer for Broforce using the latest Sharefactory feature ‘time bender’ with prizes up for grabs. Prizes include game codes for Vote to Play runners up: Action Henk and Assault Android Cactus! More information provided here.

PlayStation Plus members can also go to What’s New or visit the PlayStation Plus section of the PlayStation Store, where they’ll find further details for Vote to Play.

If you don’t already have a PlayStation Plus account and would like to learn more about the benefits of the service, such as the monthly games, access to online multiplayer on PS4, exclusive member discounts, cloud game saves and more, click here.

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America’s acclaimed mobile collectible card game (CCG), Outcast Odyssey, adds game-changing new features including powerful new Exalted cards and a resource management system to make exalted cards more powerful. Outcast Odyssey players can access the updated features as part of a free update rolling out on Android and iOS beginning today.

To showcase these improvements, please check out the latest Outcast Odyssey video and screenshots here: https://www.yousendit.com/download/ZWJYbUpYTWNUME5FQmRVag

Exalted cards are rare, special editions of each card in the game, recognizable by their gold borders. Although these cards start with the same stats as their non-exalted counterparts, they gain better stats when enhanced and their skills become even more effective. Exalted cards require resource tokens to evolve, and can only evolve with other exalted cards. Players can earn exalted cards by fighting monsters and completing quests, or purchasing packs in the store.

Resource tokens add new layers of depth to every battle, and may appear after battling enemies in campaigns, bounties or select events. Players can even earn resources as rewards for completing new quests. Every day of the week, the resource will change and can either be a hero, weapon, armor, pet, tech, nature or magic resource token. An all-new inventory screen will show players their current resources.

With 900 beautifully crafted cards by some of the industry’s most prominent artists, Outcast Odyssey delivers a new kind of mobile card battle experience. Whether you’re exploring mysterious landscapes, battling fearsome creatures, or dominating other players in the Arena, your deck-building skills will be put to the test with limitless card combinations and strategies. Outcast Odyssey is free to play, and can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

Let us know how we can help you with your coverage of this exciting new update to the critically-acclaimed Outcast Odyssey universe!

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. Teams Up with Harebrained Schemes

Dark Souls Publisher to Bring Harebrained Schemes’ Award-Winning Indie PC Game NECROPOLIS to Consoles in Summer 2016

SANTA CLARA, Calif., (February 25, 2016) — BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. today announced that it is partnering with Harebrained Schemes to be the console publisher for their PC Indie game, NECROPOLIS; bringing the game to the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and the Xbox One. NECROPOLIS combines third-person action with roguelike dungeon delving for a game that’s fast-paced and addictive, yet diabolically hardcore. Those elements, married with the game’s striking art style, sardonic tone, and easy in-and-out co-op mode, caught the attention of BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. at PAX East last year.

“Simply put, we were impressed and excited when we discovered NECROPOLIS at PAX East”, said Eric Hartness, Vice President of Marketing at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. “Blending a skill-based 3D action game with a roguelike means it’s never the same experience twice. NECROPOLIS’ off-kilter humor and unique visuals add perfectly to the mix, making it the perfect companion game for Dark Souls fans and a great addition to our game portfolio.”

Jordan Weisman, Harebrained Schemes’ Chief Creative Officer said, “We couldn’t think of a better partner to help us bring our team’s vision for NECROPOLIS to consoles. BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. is a terrific publisher and truly understands how to collaborate with an independent studio like ours.”

In order to focus on delivering a consistent, quality NECROPOLIS experience for all platforms, Harebrained Schemes has decided to move the game’s original PC-only release date of March 17. Instead, NECROPOLIS will now simultaneously ship for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One this summer, with an exact date to be announced in the near-future. “While we really hate to slip a release date, we know from experience that doing a console release right adds a significant amount of development work,” said Harebrained Schemes’ President Mitch Gitelman. “So we believe this is absolutely the right decision, and that the additional time will make for an even better NECROPOLIS for consoles AND for PC.” Harebrained Schemes will still self-publish the title on Steam, while BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. will release NECROPOLIS on Xbox One and PlayStation®4.

In NECROPOLIS, you play as a nameless adventurer attempting to escape a living, magical dungeon that reconstructs itself each time you play, with only one way out – down. Craft, equip, explore, and fight to stay alive as you delve deeper and face ever-greater threats in the twisting halls and endless chasms of the NECROPOLIS. Have no doubt; you’re going to die – often! – but you’ll improve your combat skills, available upgrades, and dungeon know-how with every playthrough, bringing you one step closer to the exit. (Warning: “Just one more time” mindset can be addicting.)

IN NECROPOLIS, DEATH IS…

• …PERMANENT. Game Over? Jump right back in with a new adventurer and try again!
• …DIFFERENT EVERY TIME. A new procedurally generated dungeon with every death.
• …BETTER WITH FRIENDS. Drop-in / dropout co-op multiplayer for up to 4 players!
• …MONSTROUS. Gemeaters, Changelings, Hoardmen, and more – they exist to kill you.
• …NOT WITHOUT PERKS. Each new dungeon is littered with powerful weapons, armor, and upgrades to wield against your foes. (And there’s crafting, too!)
• …UNAVOIDABLE. But don’t worry; this NEXT playthrough is totally the one. We’ve got a good feeling about it.

Resources:

• NECROPOLIS on Steam
• NECROPOLIS web site
• NECROPOLIS Tumblr
• NECROPOLIS Twitter
• NECROPOLIS Facebook
• Bandai Namco Entertainment

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About BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc.

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc., part of BANDAI NAMCO Holdings  Inc., is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive content — including all major video game consoles, iOS, mobile and online.  The company is known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises, including PAC-MAN^®, TEKKEN^®, SOULCALIBUR^®, NARUTO™, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN™, Dragon Ball^®, GALAGA^®, RIDGE RACER^® and ACE COMBAT^®.  More information about the company and its products can be found at http://www.bandainamcoent.com or www.facebook.com/BandaiNamcoUS

About Harebrained Schemes

Harebrained Schemes is an independent game studio led by Jordan Weisman, the creator of Shadowrun, Crimson Skies, BattleTech/MechWarrior, and many other acclaimed settings. Founded in 2011 by Weisman and his partner-in-crime Mitch Gitelman, the Seattle-based studio is centered on deep collaboration between seasoned veterans and fresh talent who share a passion for crafting game worlds and delighting their audience. Titles include Crimson: Steam Pirates (iOS, Chrome, 2011), Strikefleet Omega (iOS, Android, 2012), Shadowrun Returns (Steam and mobile, 2013), Shadowrun: Dragonfall (Steam, 2014); Golem Arcana (Retail,2014); Shadowrun Dragonfall -Directors Cut (Steam and mobile, 2014); and Shadowrun: Hong Kong (Steam, 2015). After NECROPOLIS, the company’s next game is BATTLETECH, due out in early 2017.

©BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.

Press Release © 2015 BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc.