Saints Row IV has had a decent amount of DLC already out for it, plus Volition and Deep Silver has kept a pretty steady stream of it to boot, so it comes as no real surprise that they release more DLC today. The real surprise however is in the amount of it that has come out today.
Saints Row IV gets 5 brand new DLCs today a wide variety of content from several money based abilities in the Bling Bling Pack, to FREE costumes designed by fans in the Reverse Cosplay Pack, to a new weapon called The Polarizer also designed by a fan, plus content packs with College Daze and Game On.
For a better look at what some of these DLCs will be adding, players can check out the images in the gallery below, but for more information on everything the Bling Bling Pack brings players can watch the trailer embedded below. Those interested in the DLC can download it right now for Saints Row IV on Steam and Xbox 360, while PS3 will be getting it next week.
Ubisoft have announced that the single player adventure Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry will now be available as a stand alone product on the PS3 and PS4 on February 19th and the PC on February 25th (Sorry Xbox gamers looks like you’ve been left out). Previously the game was available as DLC for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, but the purchase of that game is now no longer required to play Freedom Cry on listed platforms.
Assassin’s Creed Freedom Cry tells the story of Adewale, a man born into slavery. Once a pirate and now a trained Assassin, Adewale is shipwrecked in 18th-century Haiti, home to the most brutal slavery in the West Indies. In an effort to get back to the sea, Adewale assists the locals in exchange for a crew and a ship. The more he fights for freedom from slavery, however, the more he is drawn into the Maroon slave community, forcing him to face his vicious past. In the game, Adewale will take his new crew and set of weapons, including a machete and a blunderbuss, to assassinate enemies and free slaves, delivering merciless justice in plantations and cities alike. No stranger to the sea, Adewale will command a fearsome brig to take down slave owners in the Caribbean.
If you’d like to see that description of the game in action, check out the new announcement trailer below and let us know if you would like to see more games take the stand alone game route as opposed to being DLC.
The time has come to open the floodgates as Dogs of War Online enters its Open Beta phase. Developed by Cyanide Studio, the title offers a free-to-play strategy experience for Steam and PC users. While the game sat in closed beta for over four months, Dogs of War Online had tens of thousands of users that participated in a world of Confrontation miniatures. In hopes of further fine tuning their product, the development team released the open beta on Steam to garner more input from the public prior to full release.
For any turn-based strategy lover this is extremely tough to pass up! It’s free – no brainer. Take a look at the trailer below, and if that gets your jiblets going find the download here.
The Wolf Among Us got off to a really great start with a fantastic first episode, that interested players can read about themselves in our Episode 1 Review. After that however the experience got a little rocky, not because of lack of quality mind you, just a lack of content, as Episode 2 saw a moderate delay in release.
That changes today however as Telltale Games and Warner Bros. have announced that Episode 2 “Smoke & Mirrors” has finally released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and Mac, with the iOS version coming as an in-app purchase this week as well. Players that have sunk their teeth into the first episode can finally dive into the next chapter, along with all the choices that come with it.
Those wanting to get “Smoke & Mirrors” for themselves can download by itself for $4.99 or as part of The Wolf Among Us Season Pass for a slight discount. Though Xbox 360 players should be aware that there are some reports of the Season Pass not giving the appropriate content just yet, so anyone playing on that one might have a little while to wait still, unfortunately.
Tecmo Koei has had a long history of releasing numerous action titles ranging from one on one fighting games to one on a thousand brawlers. Many of these titles are developed with the help of Omega Force, the company known for creating the Warrior titles but the latest game from both companies, Toukiden, is a different type of beast than what fans expect. As such, with the game set to be released on February 11th in North America, we had a chance to ask Toukiden’s producer, Kenichi Ogasawara-san some questions about the game and he kindly took some time to answer them.
Omega Force is predominantly known for their work on the Dynasty Warriors series and other Warriors style games which see the player fighting against hundreds of enemies at one time. Toukiden on the other hand sees players fighting in teams against a few or one large Oni at a time. What led to the decision to focus on small scale battles and large enemies instead of the larger scale of the Warriors title?
Omega Force was originally formed as a team to challenge and create new things. In Japan, “hunting action” is a major game genre, but it was a genre that Tecmo Koei had never attempted. For this title Toukiden, Omega Force tackled it with enthusiasm with the aim to create a hunting action game that hunting action game fans would enjoy. In addition to the fun of defeating gigantic enemies, I think that the action of the “targeted destruction system,” the strategic elements of the Mitama system, and the Japanese world setting has made this a very Tecmo Koei-like hunting action game.
Considering the different nature of Toukiden, will fans of the Warriors games still feel at home with Toukiden or has the development team aimed for a completely different experience with this game?
The key characteristic of Toukiden is the action of the “targeted destruction system.” Players can intuitively slay, thrust and crush, and this allows anyone to experience the sensation and exhilaration of destroying an enormous enemy part by part. The action is different than the Warriors series, but fans should be able to get the hang of it very quickly.
Along those lines, players in Toukiden have the option to fight against the Oni with a few AI controlled allies or partner up with other players to take down these enemies. Why the focus on multiplayer?
The Oni possess massive strength, and usually are very difficult to defeat by a single Slayer. The Slayers are not multi-talented superheroes. By putting to use each player’s strengths and specialties and working together, it becomes possible to defeat enormous Oni. Enemies that you think are impossible to defeat are possible to slay by combining forces, and this sense of achievement is the biggest appeal of hunting action games.
Since multiplayer can sometimes be an issue with some titles in North America and Europe, can gamers look forward to a solid single player experience if they choose to stick with AI companions?
The main story mode of Toukiden unfolds in single player mode (playing with AI companions), so it is possible to fully enjoy the story from start to finish without being in a multiplayer environment. The game continues after the main story is cleared, and much more powerful enemies appear in larger numbers. The stronger the enemy, the more effective it becomes to topple them in multiplayer.
A refreshing aspect of Toukiden is its focus on many fighting many different Oni of various shapes and sizes, all of which appear influenced by Japanese mythology. Why choose these enemies as the threat that players will face?
Since the ancient times, “Oni” are the most famous creatures feared in Japan. By having the game set in a world based on Japanese themes, it was a natural choice to select Oni as the enemy. Also, the current form of Oni are imagined as being similar to humans, but this title emphasises the motif of a “fiend” or “demon,” so we merged more creature-like elements in our designs.
Players will be able to take on the Oni with six different weapon types. Were these weapons, especially ones such as the Chain & Sickle which has been shown as a weapon for slaying demons in other Japanese media, chosen due to Japanese lore?
The weapon types selected were based on actual weapons historically used in Japan. In Japan, the most famous weapon for slaying Oni is probably the sword. There is a legend that when an Oni appeared at a place called “Rashomon” the Oni’s arm was sliced off by a sword wielding samurai. The key art for this game, which uses the image of a Slayer using a sword to slice off the arm of the Chthonian Fiend, uses this legend as a motif.
Another customization aspect available for Toukiden players are Mitama that contain the souls of heroes from Japanese history and lore and add varying bonuses to the player’s abilities. While there are over 200 Mitama in the game, what qualifications did a notable character need to have to be included in Toukiden?
The main standard we used was selecting well-known characters that the average person growing up in Japan would have heard about in a well-known story, or from history class. And since have based this game on six historical periods, we made sure that an almost equal number of Mitama represent each period.
We’ve seen designs and artwork for a number of Oni so far, but was there any Oni that you really enjoyed having put into the game?
The Chthonian Fiend used in the key art is the Oni that represents Toukiden, and I’m quite happy with how it turned out. We hope that through the beautiful graphics of the PS Vita, players enjoy the intenseness the moment a lively and giant Oni attacks.
Following up on that, was there any Oni that you wanted to have put into the game from Japanese mythology that wasn’t added into the title?
Many kinds of demons exist in Japanese folklore, and the ones we included in this game are just a small sampling. We hope we have a chance to feature even more impressive Oni in the future.
One thing that has continued to impress me about Toukiden is how stunning the game looks on the PS Vita and how certain character art has new life to it compared to past Omega Force titles. Is this something fans can look forward to in the future or is Toukiden a special case?
In this title, we asked the illustrator Hidari to handle character designs, and we incorporated overseas designers’ ideas into the Oni designs, so we’ve tried things that we hadn’t done before. Of course, we have really talented designers internally, but I think that by incorporating some new tastes and designs, we’ve been able to expand on the visuals in this game. Moving forward, we hope to continue taking on new challenges.
When Toukiden debuted in Japan it sold amazingly well for a new IP, selling over almost half a million copies so far. Do you have any thoughts as to why this Toukiden resonated so well with fans?
It can be said that Toukiden is a game created along with our users. Very far in advance of the Japanese release, we released an “Action Demo” in Japan. We received a lot of feedback from users who tried the “Action Demo,” and we added improvements to the game based on these responses. In order to let users know of these improvements, we distributed a patch for the demo – something we have never done before. And closer to the game’s release, we released a second demo where the save data could be carried over to the full version, and as well added many updates post-launch through patches. Since this is a new IP that grew and took shape from the feedback of users, I think this is why it has been supported by many people.
While in Japan, Toukiden received a few pieces of crossover content with Sony’s Soul Sacrifice. Can gamers in the West expect to see this content as well?
It is currently under review. Please wait for further news.
With the release of the next generation of consoles, an Omega Force title already in the works for one, and the apparent success of Toukiden in Japan, could we possibly see Toukiden appear on these new consoles sometime in the future?
I think it is possible.
We would like to say thank you to both Kenichi Ogasawara-san and to Tecmo Koei for giving us the opportunity to ask him these questions. Currently Toukiden is set to be released in North America on February 11th and in Europe on February 14th exclusively for the PlayStation Vita and a demo is currently available for download from the PSN. A number of new screenshots and a gameplay trailer for the game can also be found below.
ShinyLoot has grown dramatically since their public launch on August 26th, 2013. The store’s library of available titles is about to round the big 500. ShinyLoot specializes in indie titles, like Anodyne, for Linux, Mac, and Windows. All titles are available as DRM-free downloads, with many coming with free Steam and Desura keys. The store boasts a powerful search engine that will allow players to search by genre, title, or specific traits related to the game.
Users can earn in store credit by submitting quality user reviews. Australians and Europeans will rejoice at the fact ShinyLoot sells games for the same price, no matter where the buyer lives. Check out the ShinyLoot store here.
Today, Artifex Mundi announced that their critically acclaimed adventure title Nightmares From The Deep: The Cursed Heart has debuted on Steam! The title, developed by the Polish developers, is available on the PC, Mac and Linux, and will feature Steam achievements and trading cards.
The title was originally greenlit on Steam Greenlight about a month ago. In the game, you follow Sarah Black, the owner of a museum whose daughter gets kidnapped by an undead pirate. Gradually, Sarah finds her way to Skull Island, where the pirate’s stronghold can only be revealed with the light of the full moon. With this release will come 15 achievements, 6 different trading cards, profile backgrounds, emoticons, and cloud saves that are compatible between the three different platforms. The game is also available in 11 different languages, such as English, Polish, German, Japanese, and Chinese.
The game is currently available with a 25% discount off the base prices of $6.99, £4.99, and €5.99 on their Steam page. Make sure you check it out!
The official site for the anime adaptation of Noragami, has revealed that a character not present in the manga will join the cast. Designed by Adachitoka himself (the creator of the manga), the character will be known as Rabo and is set to be voiced by Takahiro Sakurai (Ace of Diamond’s Miyuki, Log Horizon’s Crusty). Set to appear in the second half of the series, this god of misfortune shares a mysterious past with everybody’s favourite jersey clad wanderer Yato.
So how will this mysterious new god affect the world of Noragami? How is he connected to Yato? What’s with the overly literal interpretation of eyepatch? I’m sure all these questions will be answered at some point. In the meantime, make sure you keep up to date with the story of Yato, it’ll leave quite the anime impression on you. Your wish… has been heard loud and clear!
They’re bringing the Bancho back, baby! If you’ve read my past articles than I’m sure you’re aware of how much of a Bancho fan I am, and you’re probably also aware of how much I happen to love the “Crow Zero” movie series originally directed by Takashi Miike. Late last year we were blessed with a teaser trailer for the brand-new film in the line of “Crows Zero” and, although no longer directed Takashi Miike, it has made a lot of people incredibly excited.
“Crows Explode” is the name of the new movie and it is the third instalment to the movie franchise, it will focus on another new Suzuran High transfer student years after the cast of the original two movies have graduated.
With the previous students having hung up their school jackets and given up the life of juvenile delinquency, this new movie will be focusing on a brand-new cast with some awesome new characters though, as you can probably see from the trailer, some familiar faces do return. It’s going to be another action-packed film with plenty of hand-to-hand combat as well as a level of “badassitude” that will blow your minds. The full trailer for “Crows Explode” can be seen below so head down there now to check it out!
That’s right folks, Final Fantasy XIIIs stoic heroine Lightning has received yet another costume to aid her in her fight against the apocalypse. This time, Square Enix has decided to draw upon its other licensed titles and give Lightning access to the clothing of Lara Croft. The costume itself will be based upon the reboot of Tomb Raider, netting Lightning an outfit that has seen better days, a Survivor’s Axe and a Riot Shield.
This treasure hunter garb will join the veritable wardrobe of outfits that Lightning may don to bring a little style to the end of days. North American and European pre-orders allow the pink haired defier of fate to get a little angsty and wield their favourite Buster Sword, complete with SOLDIER uniform. There’s also a Yuna costume, samurai threads and outfits based on the three city-states of FF XIV: Limsa Lominsa, Gridania and Ul’dah.
Well it’s not long now. Lightning Returns to North America on February 11th and Europe on February 14th, for the PS3 and XBox 360. Check out the trailer below and see what happens when you combine two badass heroines together. Don’t mess with Lightning Croft.
