When Romance Of The Three Kingdoms XIII is released, players will be treated to a rather unique style of tutorial mode in order to help ease them into the many mechanics in the game. The title features a “Hero Mode” where players will play a simulation that recreates historical events from the series and teach them how to play the title by taking them through very specific events and battles.
Koei Tecmo has released a set of screenshots as well as a new trailer for Romance Of The Three Kingdoms XIII to help show off how Hero Mode will work, with the video portraying the Oath of the Peach Garden as well as the battle against Lu Bu at Hulao Pass. Romance Of The Three Kingdoms XIII is currently set to be released on the PlayStation 4 and PC in North America on July 5th and in Europe on July 8th.
The organizers for Tokyo Game Show have revealed what the main visual and the slogan for this year’s event will be. When Tokyo Game Show 2016 kicks off on September 15th and runs until the 18th at the Makuhari Messe in the Mihama-ku ward of Chiba city the slogan will be “Press Start to Play the Future” in English as well as “Entertainment Will Change. The Future Will Change” in Japanese.
It is worth noting that this is the 20th anniversary for Tokyo Game Show as well. As for the visual, you can check the full artwork down below. The artist behind the work is Ippei Gyoubu who is the man that has worked on past illustrations for the event.
The organizers even included a comment from Gyoubu where he says that “The game world is moving from monitors to headsets, and at some point gamers will probably even remove the headset. Is that world real or unreal? Games are creating the whole different concept of the world! The Tokyo Game Show has continually delivered to us the history of those revolutions, and is turning 20 this year. I can’t wait to go see a new revolution”
Kinetic new update brings new gifted character to Maple World, and much, much more!
Berlin, Germany; May 27th, 2016: Free-to-play MMORPG, MapleStory has just received its biggest update of the entire year with update v.117.
Positively bursting at the seams with energetic content and brand new challenges, v.117 adds an extraordinary new character, Kinesis, – with a mysterious quest line – to Maple World. While a new Combat Analysis System and Revamped Zakum, are guaranteed to make MapleStory even more enjoyable for fans.
Kinesis was a normal student attending the School for the Gifted in Seoul, when one day, he was mysteriously granted telekinetic powers. He wasted no time in putting his new found power to good use by helping those in need.
No sooner as Kinesis was granted his powers, he was pulled into a catastrophic sinkhole that also destroyed a large part of the city. Luckily, the magician Nero saved him and brought him to Maple World. Now Kinesis must train, heightening his powers so that he can gain enough strength to return home and save his world from ultimate destruction.
So don’t hesitate, log in to MapleStory this month to uncover the mystery behind Kinesis’ powers, and become a true hero.
About MapleStory
MapleStory is a free-to-play, 2D fantasy MMORPG first launched in South Korea in April 2003, allowing players to delve deep into an exciting online adventure to fight monsters, solve quests and join fellow gamers. Since then, MapleStory was able to delight nearly 100 million players worldwide, establishing Nexon’s fantastic journey through Maple World as one of the most successful online games. More than 2 million European players have contributed to this huge community since May 2007.
Revenge of the Horde – Showcased in epic new trailer for FINAL FANTASY XIV
LONDON (27th May 2016) – Today Square Enix Ltd are excited to reveal the official trailer for the latest content update for the BAFTA nominated MMORPG FINAL FANTASY® XIV – titled Revenge of the Horde.
Revenge of the Horde (Patch 3.3) will arrive on the 7th of June and bringing with it a whole legion of exciting and action packed updates, including the anticipated final chorus of the Dragonsong War main scenario quest, new Beast Tribe quests from the moogles and a new Raid Finder that allows players to be matched easily and take on the most challenging encounters Eorzea has to offer. But that’s not all, there is much, much more packed into this epic update.
Patch 3.3 will also introduce a higher level cap for new players checking out the free trial. Players using the free trial will now be able to experience the game up to level 35, which allows gamers the chance to make the most of more exciting features such as the different Jobs available in Eorzea.
Lastly, it’s a great day for FINAL FANTASY XIV fans as today also marks the start of our latest seasonal event The Make It Rain Campaign, hosted at the happiest place in Eorzea, The legendary Manderville Gold Saucer. FINAL FANTASY XIV fans won’t want to miss this special event. Find out more information here. http://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/special/2016/the_make_it_rain_campaign/
FINAL FANTASY XIV: HEAVENSWARD is available now on the PlayStation®3 system, PlayStation®4 system, Windows PC and Mac. For newcomers, an all-in-one bundle including both the award-winning FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn and FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward is also available now. A free 30-day trial is included for new accounts, with monthly subscriptions starting at £7.69 / 10.99 €. Those who have not yet had the chance to try FINAL FANTASY XIV Online can do so by downloading the 14 day free trial for PC here;http://www.ffxiv-freetrial.com/en/ or, for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 directly from the PlayStation Network.
About Square Enix Ltd.
Square Enix Ltd., a part of the Square Enix Europe business unit, develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX, EIDOS® and TAITO® branded entertainment content in Europe and other PAL territories as part of the Square Enix Group. Square Enix Ltd. also has a global network of leading development studios such as IO Interactive™, Crystal Dynamics® and Eidos Montréal. The Square Enix Group boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY, which has sold over 110 million units worldwide, DRAGON QUEST® which has sold over 66 million units worldwide and TOMB RAIDER® which has sold over 45 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix Ltd. is a London-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
More information on Square Enix Ltd. can be found at http://www.square-enix.com/eu/en/ .
Developers Ivory Tower and publisher Ubisoft are celebrating 5,000,000 players of their open world racing game The Crew and they are including each one of those players in the celebrations. If you play The Crew or The Crew: Wild Run on May 28th, regardless of country, time zone or platform, your account will be credited with 50,000 Crew Credits which normally sell as a micro-transaction for around $7 AU.
It’s not much but it’s free at least. Crew Credits can be used to buy cars, parts and visual customisation for your vehicles. The Crew launched on December 2nd, 2014 but has undergone some pretty big changes in regards to it’s gameplay, visuals and much more, especially with the Wild Run expansion which introduced Bikes, Monster Trucks, Drag Racers and The Summit monthly competitive event.
While there were a few moments of new material in between the retellings of the Battle of Gods and Resurrection ‘F’ movies, the Universe 6 arc of Dragon Ball Super is the first to contain entirely new material, with a plot outline provided by series original author Akira Toriyama. Running for 15 episodes, the ‘Universe 6’ arc pits five fighters from Universe 7 (the universe we all know and the home of the main protagonists) against its twin universe of Universe 6 in a tournament organized by both Universe’s God of Destruction. We get new characters, new transformations and if you can believe it, even more Dragon Ball World expansion.
I considered making this review spoiler free but as this is all new content and basically everything new is a spoiler this will be a pretty spoiler heavy review. If you want to come in fresh when you watch the first new Dragon Ball serialized material in about 20 years then please stop reading now, or quickly jump to the end, see the score I give and then leave.
The plot of this arc revolves around a trivial feud between Beerus and his larger twin brother Champa who like Beerus, is another great addition to the Dragon Ball world along with his female assistant Vados. Both new characters have terrific traits, with Vados witty and uncaring nature often clashing with that of the boisterous Champa who is more often than not selfish in his motivations. Champa has collected 6 of the Super Dragon Balls and is willing to wage them against Beerus in exchange for him swapping the Earth from Universe 6 for the Earth in Universe 7, which in a sneaky self-referential history fact has been destroyed by internal war. Thus, the Universe 6 vs Universe 7 tournament is created.
The great thing about having all new material is all the speculation that comes with that. Dragon Ball has been around so long that most fans have memorised the events of the series, so it is incredibly refreshing to have a plot where you don’t know what is coming next (outside of horribly spoiler filled titles). While the fights themselves range from average to spectacular, not knowing the result of each fight allows for some great tension and twists. From Goku’s surprise loss to Frost to Vegeta’s ring out being voided because he stood on some rubble that still counts as the ring made for some fun what the f**k moments.
The community discussion around Frost’s win on Goku was great, with people analyzing the scene frame by frame and coming up with all sorts of interesting theories. It may not be a comment on the show’s quality, but I think it’s a testament of any medium to get so many people discussing certain plot points.
One could easily argue that the tournament centered way too much on Goku and Vegeta, but Piccolo was really the only other fighter on that team thanks to Buu’s rather hilarious disqualification and Monaka’s complete lack of fighting experience or any hidden strength. It would have been nice to see Piccolo get at least one win for the team, but seeing him in action with some new techniques and his trademark strategy was reward enough. The mystery surrounding Monaka was great addition to have lingering in the background, even though there wasn’t much to his reveal.
Each unique character from Universe 6 and their abilities added something more to each fight as opposed to each bout going to whoever was superior in battle strength. Botamo, Frost, Magetta, Cabba and Hit all had something unique up their sleeve and while not all their personalities or techniques were equally developed or interesting, what we did see was great and bought more depth to each fight as well as forced the Z-Warriors to find new strategies instead of relying on brute force. As expected, there were also a fair few nostalgia call backs such as Goku referencing how he had never seen Frieza’s third form or all the dialogue between Saiyan’s Cabba and Vegeta.
That being said, the new arc did a good job of paving out new plot and history details without relying too much on the past. Sure Frost and Cabba were from races we had seen before but their stories were very different. The Saiyan race in Universe 6 is one that is hired to fight for good as opposed to the planet conquering Saiyans we know of Universe 7. Frost turns out to be just as conniving as Frieza but in a different way. We even get to see what the Kais from Universe 6 look like. I really enjoyed seeing both familiar themes with a new twist alongside entirely new races such as Magetta of the Metal Men (I really loved their weakness to insults as well).
The Arc also contained some great humour, mostly in the way of visual gags and one liners. From Goku and Vegeta emerging from the time chamber with beards, to Buu failing the written exam to Goku grabbing the Galactic King’s private parts by mistake, light hearted and fun moments were scattered throughout the arc and always kept it from getting to serious except for when the plot really called for it.
And when things did get serious the epicness was certainly turned up. Strong examples include Goku and Hit glaring down Champa and Champa threatening to destroy his entire team. The Goku vs Hit match is another example and probably one of the defining moments of Super so far. Goku bringing back the Kaioken was amazing as was Goku’s reason for using it. We even got an explanation as to why Goku had not used the technique in such a long time which I certainly didn’t expect after the complete lack of further explanation on similar items such as how Vegeta attained the Super Saiyan Blue transformation. The artwork, animation and choreography were at their best in this pivotal match as two of the strongest fighters portrayed in the show came to blows with one another.
At the very end of the tournament we get yet another tier of gods with the King of All, who can seemingly wipe out all 12 universes in the blink of an eye. I’m always up for expanding the mythos of a series so it will be interesting to see what relevance the King of All plays in the story. He has already proposed yet another tournament which I was a bit apprehensive about as I feel Dragon Ball relies on tournaments too much (Cell Games, Buu Saga Tournament and now these two tournaments in Super), but hopefully as the participants will be from all 12 universes there will be some unexpected twists.
We also got to see the king of all Shenrons, a giant yellow Dragon who I can’t deny reminded me of a yellow Blue Eyes White Dragon from Yu-Gi-Oh!. Seeing Super Shenron in all his gigantic scale was a site to behold and again another level to the legend of the Dragon Balls which have remained such a pivotal detail throughout the entire series run. Beerus’ wish was a nice surprise look at his softer side which expanded his character nicely and may even have some interesting ramifications down the line if Toriyama revisits that concept.
The artwork and animation varied wildly throughout the arc. We got some times where it was a shining example of what Toei can do do and then other times that were just incredibly average with lack of detail, lack of animation and just off model characters all over the place. It’s hard to give the visuals a solid rating with the wild fluctuations in quality, but I feel it was a small improvement on average over Resurrection F arc, with emphasis on the small. I did feel both the soundtrack and sound in general were used better here, except for the instance of the theme song playing over the Hit vs Goku fight which didn’t feel right to me at all.
Overall the Universe 6 vs Universe 7 arc was a roller coaster ride of fun, tension, mystery and lore expansion. While the arc was perhaps stifled slightly by the tournament format and repetitive scenery, the new characters introduced with their unique abilities and personalities kept the arc moving at a good pace. While there is definitely room for improvement in terms of visuals, audio and fight choreography, the decent plot, crazy events and strong character interaction continue to save the series from being mediocre.
I definitely had a fun time with the tournament arc but am eagerly anticipating the upcoming Future Trunks arc, which is promising to bring back a much loved character rarely used outside of video games in the last 20 years. Be sure to check back here when that arc is completed for our full review on the arc and of course keep looking with us for all your timely Dragon Ball news.
SAN MATEO, CA, May 26, 2016 – Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) today announced that PlayStation®4 (PS4™) has cumulatively sold through more than 40 million units*1 to consumers worldwide as of May 22, 2016, continuing to demonstrate the fastest-selling console in PlayStation® history. By offering users a vast array of exciting software titles from 3rd party developers and publishers as well as from SIE Worldwide Studios (SIE WWS), PS4 software sales also remain strong, with more than 270.9 million copies*2 sold in retail stores globally and through digital downloads on PlayStation®Store as of May 22, 2016.
“We are truly grateful for the enormous support from our fans and partners across the globe, which helped us achieve this significant milestone in such a short span of time,” said Andrew House, President and Global CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. “We will strive to deliver even more exciting gaming experiences to our users, further driving the momentum and accelerating the expansion of the PS4 platform and its business this fiscal year by offering an unparalleled line-up of games, bringing our virtual reality system, PlayStation VR, to market and providing ground-breaking features and network services.”
On the software front, much anticipated title, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (SIE WWS), was released on May 10, recording remarkable global sales of over 2.7 million units in just one week. PS4 software portfolio will continue to expand with highly anticipated games including Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix), Mass Effect Andromeda (Electronic Arts), Tekken 7 (Bandai Namco), Gran Turismo SPORT, Horizon Zero Dawn, and The Last Guardian (SIE WWS). The independent development community will also continue to deliver a variety of innovative new titles for PS4 including Boundless (Wonderstruck), Hellblade (Ninja Theory) and Pyre (Supergiant Games). *3
SIE will continue to expand the world of PS4 to deliver entertainment experiences that are only possible on PlayStation.
The PS4 system is currently available in 124 countries and regions*4 worldwide.
*1 Number of retail sales to consumers is estimated by SIE. Sales data in Japan collected 2/22/2014 – 5/22/2016, in North America collected 11/15/2013 – 5/21/2016, in Europe and Latin America collected 11/29/2013 – 5/21/2016, and in Asia collected 12/17/2013 – 5/22/2016.
*2 Number of retail sales to consumers is estimated by SIE. Sales data in Japan collected 2/22/2014 – 5/22/2016, in North America collected 11/15/2013 – 5/21/2016, in Europe and Latin America collected 11/29/2013 – 5/21/2016, and in Asia collected 12/17/2013 – 5/22/2016. Does not include add-on content.
*3 Title line-up differs by region.
*4 Number as of 4/19/2016.
About Sony Interactive Entertainment
Recognized as a global leader in interactive and digital entertainment, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is responsible for the PlayStation® brand and family of products and services. PlayStation has delivered innovation to the market since the launch of the original PlayStation in Japan in 1994. The PlayStation family of products and services include PlayStation®4, PlayStation®VR, PlayStation®Vita, PlayStation®3, PlayStation®Store, PlayStation®Plus, PlayStation™Video, PlayStation™Music, PlayStation™Now, PlayStation™Vue, PlayStation®Original and acclaimed PlayStation software titles from SIE Worldwide Studios. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, SIE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation and has global functions and regional headquarters in California, London and Tokyo.
Don Bradman Cricket 17 – The lifelike cricket game from Big Ant Studios and HES is back; bigger and better than ever!
Free preview of new and improved Don Bradman Cricket Academy available for fans now.
Melbourne, Australia, 26 May 2016 – In the lead up to the launch of the most lifelike cricket game ever designed, Don Bradman Cricket 17, Home Entertainment Suppliers Pty Ltd (HES) and video game developer, Big Ant Studios, have today announced that the successor to Don Bradman Cricket 14 shall be released later this year and that fans can get a taste of the action from today with the free Don Bradman Cricket Academy available now.
The Don Bradman Cricket Academy application allows gamers to build their dream cricket team and get prepped for the big competition when the full Don Bradman Cricket 17 game launches in December 2016. After downloading the Don Bradman Cricket Academy application, gamers will be able to create and customise their players with an unprecedented level of control.
Don Bradman Cricket 17 features a new lighting system that creates the most true-to-life characters yet, photo realistic skin tones, and 30 per cent more controls than in the predecessor for gamers to further refine their players. For the first time, gamers will be able to give their players tattoos enabling them to recreate their cricketing heroes and local club into the game with complete precision for the first time. Importing cricket players from the previous Don Bradman Cricket title also allows a seamless transition to the new Don Bradman Cricket 17 game for veterans making the upgrade.
Ross Symons, CEO of Big Ant Studios, said, “The first Don Bradman Cricket got us off to a great start, providing players with an authentic, exciting game of cricket that allowed them to feel like they were standing in the middle of the oval, right on the pitch. Now, we’re taking that realism further with the advanced new engine we have developed this year. The impending release of the Don Bradman Cricket Academy will give players a taste of just how far things have come.”
The Academy will also give gamers a sense of what the final Don Bradman Cricket 17 will look and feel like with its new engine, as Big Ant Studios will continue to update the application in the lead up to the big release, including the addition of playable content.
“Cricket is a sport that is loved across the globe and works so well as a video game. We are absolutely committed to growing the game and giving players the best possible cricket experience possible,” Symons said.
The release of Don Bradman Cricket 17 in December on PlayStation4, Xbox One and PC will allow cricket fans to get stuck right into their sport right in the heat of the season. “Home Entertainment Suppliers is proud to be publishing the most authentic and realistic cricket game that we have ever seen,” Sebastian Giompaolo, Managing Director for HES, said. “This game is bigger and better than the previous release in every way, and we look forward to sharing more details about innovations to the cricket genre in the lead up to its release.
About HES
Home Entertainment Suppliers Pty Ltd (HES) are a Sydney-based firm specialising in the distribution of video game consoles, games and accessories throughout the Australian market. Established in 1984, HES are the exclusive distributors of Mad Catz and Tru Blu games in Australia, including 2003’s record breaking NRL Rugby League for PS2, XBOX and PC. HES also has a video game publishing arm, Tru Blu Entertainment.
About Big Ant Studios
Big Ant Studios is an Australian game development studio founded in 2001 by CEO Ross Symons. Developers of the critically acclaimed Don Bradman Cricket, the Rugby League Live series, and Casey Powell Lacrosse, Big Ant Studios develop premium sports and racing content for all major platforms including PlayStation4, Microsoft Xbox One, and PC. For more information about Big Ant Studios visit www.bigant.com
THE ARK: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES ARE COMING
Studio Wildcard, the developer that brought gamers the definitive online dinosaur survival experience ARK: Survival Evolved, wants to you to jump in your dino saddle and prepare for the biggest fight of your life. The ARK: Survival of the Fittest(ARK: SoTF) May Survivor League Championship matches take place from 11 am EST to 2 pm EST on Saturday, June 4, with a bounty of more than $65,000 in prizes to that day’s winners. We invite all ARK fans, and the newly curious, to come watch the epic battles then at www.twitch.tv/survivetheark.
Shoutcasted by streaming personality BikeMan, the May Survivor League Championship matches will be invite-only — based on the top-ranked players for May 2016. Check Survivetheark.com to see where you stand: If you rank there by 11:59 pm EST on Tuesday, May 31, you will receive an invite via Steam to the Championship. May fortune smile upon you, brave Survivors!
ARK: Survival of the Fittest is a multiplayer online survival arena (M.O.S.A.) game that pits as many as 72 combatants against one another in spontaneous Hunger Games-style competitions within a closed battlefield, where a continually shrinking “ring of death” will push survivors into an epic final showdown with only one “Tribe” making it out alive.
Survivors can form one- to six-person tribes with the option to choose Unofficial (PC-hosted) and Official (Ranked) servers, and a variety of game-lengths and sizes in which to play. Players will start in the base forest environment introduced in the original ARK: Survival Evolved, with new environments and creatures introduced regularly as the game evolves. Dedicated eSport ranking, matchmaking, and tournament features make ARK: SotF readily accessible to all players. Each month 10 ranked players in each “Survivor League” will be awarded a cash prize corresponding to their ranked placement. Rankings for these elite titles will be visible in real time onSurviveTheArk.com.
To join in the battle, follow us onTwitter, like us onFacebook, subscribe to us onYouTube, visit the website atwww.playark.com and watch us tame and train leviathan dinosaurs onTwitch.TV.
Eden Prairie, Minnesota – May 26, 2016 – Octopus Tree, a new publisher focused on bringing exceptional indie titles to gamers worldwide, announced today that Robot Arena III is available now as part of Steam’s Early Access program for $15.99 (20% discount). Robot Arena III puts players back in the arena for combat, featuring numerous ways to create, design and build robots. Robot Arena III launches today with one versus one competitive multiplayer, with four-player multiplayer coming in June.
“There is nothing quite like creating a robot and then taking it into battle,” said Jeremy Zoss, Marketing Manager for Octopus Tree Games. “Robot Arena III delivers deep customization and visceral combat to fans of the series and a new generation of players.”
In Robot Arena III players will design and build robots with an extremely intricate and realistic bot creation system. Players can then enter their robot creations into arena combat to see which bot rules the day. Robot Arena III features updated physics and graphics that make it the most realistic and advanced robot combat simulation game.
Robot Arena III Key Features:
Design, Build and Customize: Create your own unique robotic creation in the Bot Lab. Every aspect of your robot can be customized, Including chassis shape, armor type, power sources, locomotion, a huge variety of weapons and much more!
Get Into the Arena: Test your creations and head into the arena for one-on-one or group robot battles.
Multiplayer Gameplay: Go up against other robots in the Arena! Play cooperatively or competitively with other machines with online multiplayer.
Steam Workshop Support: Upload and share your robotic creations to the Robot Arena III community via Steam Workshop!
New Physics and Graphics: New physics and graphics make Robot Arena III the most realistic and advanced robot combat simulation title.
Robot Arena III is available now as part of Steam’s early access program, for $15.99 (20% discount).
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ABOUT OCTOPUS TREE
Established in 2016, Octopus Tree is a video game publisher focused on individualized attention to independent core game development partners. Octopus Tree offers a variety of funding, publishing, development, marketing, quality assurance and sales services to game developers based on the unique needs of their projects. Octopus Tree publishes games for a variety of channels and platforms. Based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Octopus Tree is a subsidiary of Encore Publishing Group. For more information, visit octopustreegames.com.
ABOUT ENCORE PUBLISHING GROUP Encore Publishing Group offers a wide variety of best-selling print, productivity, home design, entertainment and educational titles through its portfolio of interactive digital brands. Encore Publishing Group brands include Broderbund’s The Print Shop and PrintMaster, Punch! Software, HOYLE and Octopus Tree. Encore Publishing Group develops and publishes software for a variety of platforms and channels, including North American retail and worldwide digital distribution. Encore Publishing Group also sells direct to consumers through its managed sites: broderbund.com, encore.com, hoylegaming.com, punchsoftware.com and punchcad.com.
