Today Namco Bandai has announced when fans of One Piece will be able to download One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 from the PlayStation Network in North America. The title is an enhanced sequel featuring more storyline than the original game, the review of which can be found here, and is set to be released on September 3rd for $49.99.
To commemorate the game’s release date announcement, Namco Bandai also released a handful of new screenshots and character art showing Crocodile, Mihawk and Marshall D. Teach as they take on numerous enemies in the game’s Dynasty Warriors style combat system.
Forza Motorsport 5 is set to be a huge launch title for the Xbox One, and now the deal just got sweeter with the announcement of two special editions thanks to developer Turn 10. The first is dubbed the “Day One” edition, and will come at the same average retail value as the standard, but with some nice extras to add some incentive to the deal. Hardcore fans of the franchise will be even happier to know that just $10 more gets them the Limited Edition package, with the all-new 2014 Audi RS 7 Sportback on the cover, as well as a ton of extras.
Before we get to that though, let’s take a look at the Day One edition, which is available to those who pre-order the game at their preferred retailer:
Day One Car Pack – This three-car pack features amazing cars from Lamborghini, Audi, and Ford; each with a Day One-themed livery and custom tuning package created by the experts at Turn 10. The Day One Car Pack includes the following cars*:
2010 Audi TT RS Coupe – Stuffed stem to stern with modern tech, the TT RS is the first TT model to carry Audi’s famed RS badge – a distinction that’s earned on the track from the moment you step on the gas.
2013 Ford Focus ST — Debuting with the same 250-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost engine from the much larger Ford Explorer SUV, the new Ford Focus ST packs a serious punch.
2011 Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera – Like great sculpture, the Superleggera’s chiseled form is carefully considered for maximum impact. That’s where the similarities end, however, because this work of art is best appreciated when it’s moving at top speed.
Three cars for the price of free is an excellent offering, but the Limited Edition is where the true value lies. Here are the details on that:
Limited Edition Car Pack – This five-car pack features new cars that are already destined for legendary status. Each car in the “Forza Motorsport 5” Limited Edition Car Pack will feature a Limited Edition livery and will be tuned to the top of its respective class. The cars in the “Forza Motorsport 5” Limited Edition Car Pack include*:
2011 Audi RS 3 Sportback – More than a mere grocery-getter, the RS 3 Sportback is marrying performance with practicality. The result is a 340-horsepower grin-generator that will paste your head to the back of the seat and not crack a single egg in the process.
2012 Aston Martin Vanquish – As comfortable on the track as it is on cosy country lanes, the Aston Martin Vanquish is equal parts refined style and snarling, road-taming grit.
2013 Ford M Shelby Mustang GT500 – While the GT500’s aggressive lines suggest raw power and straight-line speed to spare, the sound of that big 5.8-liter V8 simply screams, “Get out of the way!”
2013 McLaren P1™ – The successor to McLaren’s legendary F1, the McLaren P1™ is an automotive highlight reel: technological innovation, gorgeous contours, and pure, unapologetic performance. Epic, legendary, astounding – words tend to fail when describing this car’s limitless potential.
2013 SRT Viper GTS – The return of the Viper has been celebrated by automotive fans worldwide. With an 8.4-liter V10 that’s capable of pushing the GTS to a top speed north of 200 mph, the 2013 Viper GTS has once again firmly entrenched its spot near the top of the American Muscle hierarchy.
VIP Membership – “Forza Motorsport 5” VIPs enjoy exclusive benefits, including 2x player reward acceleration, access to exclusive multiplayer events, an exclusive in-game player card badge, and in-game gifts from the “Forza” community team**. VIPs will also have access to the “Forza Motorsport 5” VIP Car Pack, featuring five amazing cars only available to VIP members, including:
1965 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C — Marketed as “the fastest streetcar in the world,” the 427 S/C is the most desirable of all the Shelby Cobra variants. Out of the 100 that were planned only 53 were built. They are nothing less than a purpose-built race car converted at the last minute for street use.
1987 RUF CTR Yellowbird — Dubbed the “Yellowbird” by journalists during a test drive event, the 1987 RUF CTR Yellowbird earns its name thanks to the canary-like chirping of its twin turbo blow-off valve. Just 29 of these cherished classics were built.
1991 Mazda #55 787B – One of the most beloved race cars of all time, the 787B holds the distinction as being Japan’s only winner of a 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Featuring a brash green and orange livery and an unmistakable screaming Wankel rotary engine, the 787B continues to inspire more than 20 years after its debut.
2011 Ford F150 SVT Raptor — Say hello to your rear view mirror’s worst nightmare. The Raptor is essentially a factory-built pre-runner race truck with suspension to match its under-the-hood muscle. Slide it, jump it, whatever you like — it just begs for more.
2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport – Even among hypercars, the Veyron Super Sport stands alone. After all, this is the car that currently holds the Guinness record for “World’s Fastest Car” at speeds approaching 270 mph.
Yes, I think I know which of these two is the better deal, and considering that these bundles are “limited”, now would be a good time to throw down a pre-order just in case of a stock shortage. All Day One offerings will also be included in the limited bundle, which heightens its value as well. Keep in mind that the standard and Day One packages are priced for Australia at $89.95, while the Limited is set at $99.95 (or roughly $80 for the states). Forza 5 is due out in November at launch, so stay tuned and we will bring you even more coverage in the coming months. If you can’t wait until then, check out the official website here and get that motor ready.
Thanks once again for joining Xbox Live News with Pipper, and I am your host The Poid Pipper! This month we will be discussing the latest and greatest games coming to Xbox Live, and there are some decent deals for the upcoming weeks. Let’s hop to it!
Deals of the Week
Name
Discount Dates
Price
Hitman HD Pack
Aug 13 to Aug 19
40% off
Just Cause 2
40% off
Deus Ex Human Revolution
40% off
Hitman Blood Money
50% off
El Shaddai
75% off
Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker
Aug 20 to Aug 26
33% off
Metal Gear Solid 2&3
50% off
Zone of the Enders HD
50% off
Deca Sports Freedom
50% off
Otomedius Excellent
50% off
Silent Hill HD Collection
33% off
Silent Hill Homecoming
50% off
Silent Hill Downpour
50% off
SAW
50% off
Neverdead
50% off
Rumble Roses XX
33% off
New Releases
Dishonored – The Brigmore Witches
A few new inclusions for this month such as Injustice character Zatanna, Dishonored, and Halo 4 DLC.
Name
Release Date
Microsoft Points
(Games)
Charlie Murder
14-Aug
800
Flashback
21-Aug
800
(Games Add-Ons)
Injustice: Zatanna
13-Aug
400
Dishonored: The Brigmore Witches
13-Aug
800
Halo 4: Infinity Armor Pack
20-Aug
240
Halo 4: Steel Weapon Pack
20-Aug
240
Halo 4: Bullseye Pack
20-Aug
480
Halo 4: Champions Bundle
20-Aug
800
(Games on Demand)
Sniper Ghost Warrior 2
13-Aug
Metro: Last Light
13-Aug
Midway Arcade Origins
13-Aug
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
13-Aug
Sales & Specials
Your Shape Fitness 2012
In addition to the sales and new releases, Xbox Live has been the host to other sales. Check them out on your dashboard.
Name
Discount Dates
Price
Kinect Central: Your Shape 2012 Bundle Pack: Back in Shape Lose It and Keep It Off
Not too shabby with the Metal Gear Solid deals and DLC additions for this month. ‘Games with Gold’ program is still occurring with the next item Dead Rising 2 to be free to download for gold members. Download the title to your Xbox 360 HD if you cane, and continue to “Play Hard or Don’t Play At All!”
Razer, peripheral maker and sponsors of our podcast, CC Unplugged, announced their newest product today. Pictured above, the new Razer Tartarus is available immediately both worldwide and on their official website.
The Tartarus, a membrane gaming keypad with ergonomic design and plenty of customization options, is the successor to the award-winning Razer Nostromo. It features 25 programmable keys, including an eight-way thumbpad.
Product features include:
25 fully programmable keys including an
8-way directional thumb-pad
Instantaneous switching between 8 key maps
Improved ergonomic form factor
Adjustable soft-touch wrist pad for remarkable comfort
Full anti-ghosting
Unlimited macro lengths
Unlimited game profiles
Backlit keys for total control even in dark conditions
Braided fiber cable
Razer Synapse 2.0 enabled
Targeted at “serious gamers”, the Tartarus is available for $79.99 USD/$129.95 AUD/$149.95 NZ. You can check it out on the official RazerZone site here.
After declaring their support for Nintendo eShop, Ripstone and VooFoo Studio’s have announced that their free-to-play strategy title, Pure Chess, will feature cross-platform play from iOS and Android devices to Wii U and 3DS consoles, delivering the ultimate multiplayer experience.
Phil Gaskell, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Ripstone enthuses: “We’re committed to helping developers bring their games to as many digital channels as possible and this announcement demonstrates that commitment. We think Nintendo gamers are going to love spending hours exploring the world of Knytt Underground and will be blown away by the visual quality of Pure Chess, and we hope to announce more games for eShop in the future.”
Pure Chess offers players the opportunity to experience the traditional game on the advanced technology of today – showcasing stunning console-quality visuals – even on mobile devices! The award-winning game will be available for the first time on iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and Android devices sometime this month, and towards the end of 2013 and start of 2014 on Wii U and later 3DS at the Nintendo eshop.
If you’ve thought that the best reason to own a Vita is to carry around numerous JRPGs such as Atelier Totori Plus The Adventurer Of Arland or Persona 4 Golden in your pocket and play a hell of a lot of ports, then you’re sorely mistaken. Today Sony has revealed that they are entering the next level of gaming which has already been entered by Microsoft with Kinetimals and Nintendo with Nintendogs.
Today the company has announced that Spiral House is working on a game called PlayStation Vita Pets which will feature dogs that are meant to have “their own personality, sense of humor, and character traits” as they talk and go on adventures with you. Check out the gameplay below and keep an eye out for this thing to hit stores sometime in 2014.
Today 2K Sports revealed that they have selected the alternate cover art that will be packaged with WWE 2K14 when it is released later this year on October 29th in North America and November 1st everywhere else.
As you can see above, both covers feature the hottest star in the WWE today, Daniel Bryan. The cover on the left will be used in the North American release of the game and is by Mike Rodriguez of Corona, CA while the one on the left will be used in the PAL regions and is created by Alexis Zankowitch of Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux, France. This cover art will be on the reverse side of the main cover art, which features Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
New studio Blackpowder Games is keen to make a name for themselves with their new heavily stylised game Betrayer and have released the game to the public as a Steam Early Access title. Game designer Craig Hubbard expresses that the team wanted “to get feedback while there’s still time to react to it and make the game better.”
Betrayer is an eerie first person action adventure game that takes you to the New World at the turn of the 17th century. The game focuses on exploring, unraveling mysteries, collecting loot to spend on better weaponry, and engaging in brutal combat against deadly enemies. The studio wanted to make a game that didn’t spell everything out to you, leaving room for the player to figure things out for themselves depending on the clues they find. They are hoping the early access release will allow the community to help fine tune the balance between providing too much or too little information.
If you’re interested in checking out Betrayer early, you can get it on PC through Steam Early Access here.
Earlier today Sentai Filmworks announced who will be voicing who in AKB0048 when it is released next month on September 3rd on Blu-ray and DVD. The English casting list for the main characters can be found below:
Character
Voice Actor
Nagisa Motomiya
Luci Christian
Chieri Sono
Emily Neves
Orine Aida
Brittney Karbowski
Yuka Ichijo
Monica Rial
Sonata Shinonome
Juliet Simmons
Makoto Yokomizo
Molly Searcy
Minami Takahashi the 5th
Cynthia Martinez
Yuko Oshima the 9th
Tiffany Terrell
Yuki Kashiwagi the 6th
Margaret McDonald
Mayu Watanabe Type 3
Hayley Adams
Haruna Kojima the 8th
Nancy Novotny
Tomomi Itano the 11th
Allison Sumrall
Sae Miyazawa the 10th
Shannon Emerick
Sayaka Akimoto the 10th
Beth Lazarou
Kirara
Tiffany Grant
Mamoru
Greg Ayres
Nagisa’s Father
Christopher Ayres
Nagisa’s Mother
Nancy Novotny
Teacher
Mark X Laskowski
Additional voice work for the series will be provided by Hayley Adams, Meaghan Avocato, Christopher Ayres, Greg Ayres, Kalin Coates, Tiffany Grant, Josh Grelle, Mark X Laskowski, Margaret McDonald, Brent Marshall, Nancy Navotny, Tiffany Terrell, and David Wald.
The company also provided the below story synopsis for the series:
The year is 0048, and in the wake of the great wars, all forms of entertainment have been banned by the dystopian and iron-gloved rule of the anti-music DES. To combat this threat to intergalactic harmony, a group of bold young women have resurrected the legendary J-Pop band AKB48 and formed an all new Band of Sisters – AKB0048! But these rocking rebels aren’t simply singers! Trained in combat as well as choreography, these striking strike team members are equally at home in concert halls and in the trenches. Under the leadership of the mysterious Sensei Sensei, they’re ready to lay down their lives in order to make the universe a safe place for getting your groove on! And as a fresh new team of singer-soldiers join the cause and enter basic training, the batons and battle gear are about to be passed to a new generation of daring divas! Get ready to polish your dancing boots and dive into danger with the latest hard hitting hits as the new recruits take the staging ground and the veterans provide the musical soundtrack to their own action epic in AKB0048!
Bill Tiller, an artist who has worked on LucasArts titles such as The Dig, The Curse of Monkey Island, and Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, is working with Swiss game developers IF Games and animation studio boutiq to create a new adventure game entitled Perils of Man. The game will come in two three hour episodes.
Ana Eberling is the star of the series, a 16 year old girl who is plunged into a time travelling adventure. This coming of age tale explores themes of choice, destiny, and predictability in life. The first episode of Perils of Man will be released for iPad in October 2013.