Square Enix has launched Australian servers for Psyonix‘s MOBA Nosgoth after a successful Closed Beta in North America and Europe. Cat Karskens, Nosgoth Community Manager with Square Enix, commented on the support for the local community;
Throughout Closed Beta and following the success of the Free Weekend there has been a strong demand for access to Nosgoth from gamers in Australia and New Zealand, so it’s great that we’re able to launch dedicated servers for these passionate gamers. We’re committed to providing the best possible game experience, and the Community feedback we’ve been receiving has been invaluable in ensuring we achieve this.
Aussie gamers can sign up for access to the Closed Beta at beta.nosgoth.com, and in doing so can gain immediate access to the game through the Nosgoth Founders Program through Steam or the official Nosgothwebsite. And afterwards, before the Open Beta begins in the Winter for the U.S., the developer promises more maps, classes, abilities, weapons and other features will be added. Check out the announcement trailer embedded below!
The Japanese network test for Dragon Ball Xenoverse has come and gone but now Europe (including Australia) and the Americas are going to get their chance to try out Bandai Namco’s latest and greatest Dragon Ball game. While the process for acquiring a Europe Network Test key is very similar to the Japanese process with an online lottery, those who live in the America’s will have to rush to grab a code that can only be claimed by the first 20,000 users to claim it on the PlayStation Network for PS3. For full details on the Network Test please check out the official site, but for now if you’re just interested in grabbing the code all you need to know is it will be released on October 3rd in the PDT timezone (no time is given) through the Dragon Ball Z Games Facebook page.
While we wait for the Network Test to come around, Bandai Namco have released some more stunning screenshots of Xenoverse, this time focusing on new enemies and friends alike. Towa (the blue skinned female) is a scientist from the Dark Demon Realm who possesses a cold beauty. She seeks the destruction of history and energy called “Kili”. For those familiar with the series, Kili was also the energy Babidi seeked out to revive Majin Buu so it will be interesting to see why Towa would need that energy. Her partner Mira (blue skinned male) is an artificial life-form who has a menacing personality and holds great power. He works with Towa to bring about the destruction of history and become the strongest warrior of all time.
Not all the new characters are evil though, as The Supreme Kai of Time and Toki-Toki the bird will be aiming to help right the wrongs set by these villians. The Supreme Kai of Time may look young, but she is actually 75 millions years old. She is the one in command of Trunks. Toki-Toki possesses the ability to create time itself, however has been acting strange lately, possibly because of Towa and Mira’s actions. The Supreme Kai of Time was responsible for raising Toki-Toki. The screenshots also demonstrate how some well known events in Dragon Ball history will be drastically altered. We can see Raditz dodge Gohan’s charge and even avoid Piccolo’s Special Beam Cannon, leaving Goku the only one to die from the attack. Perhaps your created character will be the one to take him out instead?
Numerous people have spent time with the Network Test and the response has been highly positive despite some crashing issues and glitches which will most likely be ironed out before release. Players praised the combat system which has a great deal of depth with a wide array or offensive and defensive options. We now know the yellow bar seen during gameplay is for energy which is needed to pull of special and ultimate attacks and the green bar is for your defensive options which are needed to escape combos, teleport behind your opponents and to guard. When this lowers to zero you will not be able to guard until the bar regenerates.
We also know that in Toki Toki City, the MMO like hub world where online players meet, there are a number of shops which you can buy new accessories, new attacks and even forge items. You can also challenge other players to battles, communicate with them, pose in front of them or ask for their help in special co-op missions. These missions are similar to Battle of Z, where they will loosely follow the story line and the path they take can change when certain conditions are met. You can also select a mentor in Toki Toki City who will then train you to learn their techniques and even fight alongside you.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse currently has a worldwide early 2015 release date and is coming to PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC via Steam. We will be covering the game from EB Expo in Sydney a week from today so check back for our full impressions from a seasoned Dragon Ball games player.
Activision released a new trailer teasing the next addition to the venerable Call of Duty franchise. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’s lengthy trailer covers both the singleplayer and multiplayer portions of the game, with footage of the campaign featuring Kevin Spacey and Troy Baker and plenty of multiplayer combat. The big announcement hidden in the end of the trailer is the new four player co-op mode called Exo Survival.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare marks the biggest change to the series since the shift to the modern setting in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. In Advanced Warfare, players enter a new era where Private Military Corporations are the engine that delivers American foreign policy around the world. Players will have access to the new exoskeleton, a mechanical frame armed to the teeth that will turn regular soldiers into unstoppable killing machines. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will launch for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Windows on November 4th, 2014.
Again, Korea steps up to the cinematic plate. Remember how I said they make the best films after America? They continue to prove it. The Berlin File, a 2013 release, is making its way onto Blu-ray, DVD and Digital in Australia thanks to Icon Home Entertainment.
A high-octane romp reminiscent of films such as the Bourne franchise and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spyin tone, The Berlin Filecomes from director Ryoo Seung-Wan (The Crying Fist, The Unjust) and follows “a North Korean undercover agent (Ha Jung-Woo),who finds himself in the cross-hairs of an international manhunt after an illegal arms deal in Germany goes horribly wrong.” That’s right, Korea does Germany. The New York Times lauded the film for its “exhilarating action”.
If you love tight, action-packed movies, check out The Berlin File on home media from November 19.
Ubisoft has launched an interactive experience called ‘Project Widow’, which utilises Google Maps’ Street View technology to create a view of modern Paris, but with informative tidbits painting a picture of how it was in the 18th century during the French Revolution. Online visitors can walk through the streets, accessing exclusive media and content, all the while guided along by Andy Serkis! The Andy Serkis!
Discover all the hotspots rich in history, uncovering hidden Assassin’s Creed Unity art, secrets, video clips, music tracks as you go. You can even win prizes and exclusives for use in-game come release. But look closely… “hidden” means hidden! Visit ‘Project Widow’ here if only for the experience of having the bloody time period described to you by the fantastic narration of Andy Serkis. I don’t know what it is about him, but I don’t trust his voice…he sounds shady. Hmmm… And for anyone wondering about the origins of the name, it’s actually a callback to the guillotine’s nickname in that era.
Assassin’s Creed: Unity comes out on November 11, 2014 in North America and November 13 in Australia. Check out the game’s Season Pass offerings.
EA Sports FIFA 15 may be out tomorrow, but Konami want you to give Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 a go! The demo for EA’s only real competition is available to download right now for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.
Winning ‘Best Sports Game’ among many other awards at Gamescom 2014 last month in Germany, Pro Evolution Soccer seems to be back on the horse as a competitive series this year, with many lauded improvements and additions in the 2015 edition. Check out the gallery of screenshots below and the newest trailer embedded further down. PES 2015 releases for the platforms mentioned above on November 13.
With Persona 4 Arena Ultimax set to be released in North America next week, Atlus USA has released a new set of English characters trailers for the game, this time highlighting Mitsuru, Elizabeth, and Teddie. These videos not only give us a glimpse of their special Ultimax moves and combos but also a look at some of each character’s storyline as well.
You can check out all three trailers below and be sure to keep an eye out for the game when it is released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on September 30th in North America.
Rob Maher serves as a artist, animator, programmer, and game designer with Castle Pixel. The team is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter to finish their latest project, Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King.
What sort of games inspired you to get into game development?
Pretty much everything I grew up with, including NES games like Zelda of course. I also spent a lot of time playing Newgrounds games and Final Fantasy VII over the years. Canabalt, though, is one of the first few indie games that made realize I didn’t have to work at a big game dev studio or need a huge budget to make games.
What sort of mechanics did you see when playing 8 and 16-bit action RPGs that made you think “I can improve on that”?
It’s probably just the nostalgia talking but the classic 16-bit action-RPGs I always played seemed perfect to me! One thing that we do want to improve on is the fact that once you’ve figured out a dungeon or puzzle, you’ll probably remember how to do it again the next time. We want to add some unpredictability during both the first playthrough and the next by having dungeons and areas with randomly-generated areas, which I feel will result in a fresh, challenging experience.
For the most part, the early screenshots of Blossom Tales is pretty bright and colourful, then suddenly some really dark and brooding parts! Where did you draw inspiration for the visual design?
I can’t say I drew inspiration from a specific source. Rather, I just wanted it to be a colorful adventure where the visuals helped make each zone be memorable and feel new. This way players will get excited when they’ve spent an hour or two in a dark undead-filled area before wandering into a snowy zone with yeti monsters and viking people.
How far along are you on development right now?
Pretty early but we’ve got enough to hit the ground running as soon as we have the funds. There’s plenty of art assets already, though most of them we’ll be touching up and improving, so we’re confident we can make Blossom Tales by December of next year.
How will the randomly generated dungeons be implemented into the game? Have you settled on a ratio of randomly generated dungeons to the handmade ones?
We haven’t settled on anything yet and most of our ideas are still on the drawing board. Our current plan is to have dungeons that have a mix of both pre-designed rooms and randomly-generated areas, but we can definitely have completely pre-designed or randomly-generated dungeons as well.
Grandpa’s stories have unlimited potential. Is there any plan to turn Blossom Tales into a long term series?
If Blossom Tales gets made and is received well, sure! It’d be neat to whip up another adventure that follows the same grandfather-to-granddaughter storytelling that we want to provide throughout the game.
What has been the toughest challenge so far in Blossom Tales’ development?
Getting our Kickstarter up and going! We’ve faced some challenges while developing what we have so far with the game but our greatest hurdle is getting funded. It’s really a full-time job sending out press releases, posting on social media, requesting cross-promotions, etc but we’re confident it will pay off and we’ll receive what we need to make the game!
The Steam Greenlight process has really come a long way since it was launched. Everyone in the industry, from consumer to developer seems to have an opinion! Based on your previous experience with Rex Rocket and your current experience with Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King, is there anything you would like to see changed?
I’d love to see Greenlight pull in more of the crowdfunding features that you can find on Kickstarter. Steam has taken steps towards this with things like early access, but I have my fingers crossed that they will continue to build out this functionality. It’d also be cool to see a ‘Top’ games section, or incorporate more features that allow for greater discoverability of the awesome games that are on Greenlight. Once a game falls a couple pages deep, the only traffic a game will receive past that is the traffic sent to it by the
developer / fans.
What sort of planning and preparation goes into running a crowdfunding campaign?
Like I mentioned before, a TON of planning and preparation. Making the video alone took plenty of time and effort, as did the actual Kickstarter page since you have to come up with pledge rewards, write all the copy, and images, etc. It’s exciting
but also tough since you’re always worried about forgetting that special ingredient that could have made all the difference in gathering interest!
Kickstarter can be an anxiety-inducing experience for backers, it must be even worse for project creators! What have you learned from Rex Rocket’s project that you’re applying to Blossom Tales? Any lessons you wish to pass onto future project creators?
Hah, just breath! I suppose my best nugget of advice for anyone looking to crowdfund their game is to scope your project well. Know every little bit of what your project will take to happen before launching so that you’re more likely to get the funds you need.
Thanks to Rob Maher for taking the time to participate in the interview. Be sure to back Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King, a retro-styled action-RPG with a modern day flair, on Kickstarter and vote for the game on Steam Greenlight.
Sleeping Dogs was one of the greatest sleeper hits of the last generation and although it had to suffer the almost mandatory comparison to Grand Theft Auto, it did more than enough to set itself apart and prove itself in its own right with fantastic combat, a great story and fantastic world to explore. United Front Games have heard fans request for a sequel and are now coming good on that… sort of. The new title is called Triad Wars, and while United have outright stated this is not a sequel to Sleeping Dogs, it will be taking place in the same universe with the same Honk Kong setting.
Triad Wars is being described as an ‘online open world action-adventure title’ that is the flip side of Sleeping Dogs. Where in that title you controlled Wei Shen, an undercover cop who infiltrated the Triads to tear them apart from the inside; in Triad Wars you will become a Triad gangster, aiming become the kingpin of the criminal underworld as you rise through the ranks. Players set up different racquets (such as cock fighting or gambling) to earn money and try to take over as much of Hong Kong as possible. Players will have to become proficient in combat, driving, gun play and street smarts to earn Face and become a reputable member of the criminal underworld.
So it seems like the mechanics and world from Sleeping Dogs is being carried into this sequel, however the story seems to be left behind in favour of a more free ‘create your own story’ idea. Hopefully Wei Shen at least makes some sort of appearance in the new game.
In an interesting move, the game is currently only planned for a PC release through the Triad Wars website (no Steam release), leaving players who only played Sleeping Dogs on consoles in the dark. You can register for the Beta today by heading to the official Triad Wars website and also check out the first official trailer of the game which is available below. A remaster of Sleeping Dogs for the PS4 and Xbox One is also in the works and is due to come out next month.
Deep Silver Volition’s Jim Boone, the Senior Producer on the Saints Row: Gat out of Hell team, sat down with a copy of the game to give gamers a preview of New Hades. Boone shows off some weapons, features, and diversions that are new to Gat out of Hell. Johnny Gat’s new flight abilities take centre stage for most of the video, along with the PAX 2014 favourite, the Armchair-a-geddon.
Saints Row: Gat out of Hell is a stand-alone expansion pack for Saints Row IV. It will be released on January 27th, 2015 on its own for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC. It will also be bundled in the Saints Row IV: Re-Electedpackage being released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One at the same time.
