Tag Archive

Japanese Phantasy Star Online 2 PS4 Beta Detailed

Posted on January 17, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Phantasy Star Online 2

During a live-stream held today for the Playstation 4 version of sci-fi MMORPG Phantasy Star Online 2 publisher/developer SEGA announced that the Japanese closed beta for PSO2 on PS4 will begin in just a few short weeks. For console users this will be their first chance to join their fellow Guardians on PC in exploring the galaxy in this latest take on the long running Phantasy Star series.

Registration for the JPN PSO2 console beta will open on January 25th and will run until Feb 25th. All potential players have to do to be selected for the beta is download a special “ticket” from the JPN PlayStation Store between those dates. 50,000 eligible accounts will be selected by SEGA and entered into the closed beta phase which will run from Feb 25th thru March 6th. According to the live-stream the closed beta won’t be live that entire time, but rather select windows of time. The floodgates for all Japanese PlayStation users open on April 20th, and best of all PSO2 won’t require PlayStation Plus to play online!

As of press time the Japanese PC version of PSO2 does not filter via geolocated IP address, meaning that North American players can play together on Japanese servers. SEGA has been oddly silent on the potential western release of PSO2, with their official social media account going dark since PAX 2012. Reportedly a contract between SEGA and their Chinese distribution partners is one of the reasons for the continued silence and lack of a western release. At this point with over 4 years between releases it seems doubtful SEGA would ever bring the game here.

Check out some screen grabs from the live-stream after the jump.Read More

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Amplitude |Review

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Kenny Keelan

15 years ago, long before the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises really took off and brought the music game genre to the gaming mainstream, when everyone thought of music games, people brought up games like Dance Dance Revolution and its ilk, such as Bust a Groove, one of my personal favorites, back then, and Parappa the Rapper. Harmonix’s Frequency gave us the same kind of game presented in a different way: you had a catalogue of American artists from across many genres, you were presented a kind of shoot-’em-up rail shooter approach to following along with music, you were given the ability to freestyle remix your song at certain points.What you saw were the foundations of what turned Guitar Hero into the hit franchise it still is, today. I was on the line with this series – with Frequency and Amplitude on the PlayStation 2 – for the unique approach and music selection. Most of the music games I went for, those days, were heavy with underground EDM and J-POP hits that I couldn’t always get into and Frequency hit a nerve with me because it had more of the kinds of artists I know I’d get into. It’s actually responsible, single-handedly, for my love for the band Fear Factory, if that gives you an idea of how much I liked the soundtrack.

Fast forward until 2014 where Harmonix starts a Kickstarter fundraiser for a new title and while it didn’t attract the attention some other Kickstarter video game projects get, these days, it still got some big name support from names like Greg Miller and others in the gaming press. Everybody, thanks to the approach of the project, who backed the project had a good idea of what to expect from the newest entry in the series, titled like the second entry: Amplitude. This game offered, more or less, the same game as others in the series but introducing some new gameplay elements, a new soundtrack, and some more straightforward approaches to the campaign. Follow the jump for more!

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New Dying Light The Following Story Trailer

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Techland, the developers behind Dying Light, have given fans another glimpse into the story for the upcoming expansion in a brand new trailer titled “A Prophecy Incarnated”. This trailer also gives viewers a brief glimpse at some of the new characters to be introduced in this expansion as well as its’ new environments.

Dying Light: The Following is a major expansion for the original 2015 game. Following the original game’s protagonist The Following drops players into a new area known as Harran’s Outback. Game-play balance is adjusted in The Following with a focus on wider open rural areas, drivable vehicles and the usage of firearms.

There are multiple ways that players can gain access to the following – it will be included in the re-release of the original game with several improvements as Dying Light: Enhanced Edition, it will be included for Season’s Pass holders or separately as ala carte DLC for $19.99 USD.

Here is the brand new trailer:

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Rock Band 4 Rings In The New Year With Six New Tracks

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

Harmonix has revealed the last batch of downloadable content heading to your living room in 2015. If you’re staying in this New Year’s Eve perhaps you should pull out the drum kit or microphone before counting down because artists like Weezer, Ellie Goulding, Cold Play, Sam Hunt & more will have new tracks available on the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network.

To be honest the other two acts featured in the last content drop for 2015 are Justin Bieber and One Direction, however I can’t advise playing either of their songs at your New Year’s gathering unless you want all of your guests to leave before the clock strikes midnight.

Here’s the full rundown of new tracks coming tomorrow, Each will be prices at $1.99 USD:

Coldplay            “Adventure of a Lifetime”
Ellie Goulding            “On My Mind”
Justin Bieber            “What Do You Mean?”
One Direction            “Drag Me Down”
Sam Hunt            “Leave The Night On”
Weezer            “Thank God for Girls”

Here is the trailer:

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Final Fantasy XV PS4 Version Slated For June Release By Amazon Japan

Posted on December 27, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

Final Fantasy XV

Amazon Japan has created an entry for Final Fantasy XV that may reveal that the game is scheduled for a June 2016 in that country.

We already know that Square Enix is planning to announce the release date of XV sometime this coming March so perhaps a early summer release in Japan and a Fall 2016 release in North America and Europe isn’t too shocking.

I also noticed while viewing this page that price is listed as 18,000 Yen or $149.99 USD – could this signal a possible collector’s edition? There’s no further information on the page and in all likelihood all of this information could purely be placeholder data.Read More

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Activision & Avenged Sevenfold Shred With New Live GHTV Content

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

Activision has partnered with probably one of my favorite bands Avenged Sevenfold to bring some exclusive live content to Guitar Hero Live’s GHTV mode.  Fans can jam along with members of the band as they introduce and talk about some of their favorite classic rock songs including tracks from bands like Pantera, Weezer, AFI, Faith No More, Deftones and more.

These one hour live shows will be available at the following times according to Activision’s press release:

  • Tuesday, Dec. 22ndat 5:30pm Pacific (World Premiere)
  • Wednesday, Dec. 23rdat 1:30am, 9:30am and 6:00pm Pacific
  • Thursday, Dec. 24that 2:00am, 10:00am and 8:30pm Pacific
  • Friday, Dec. 25that 4:30am, 12:30pm, 5:30pm and 9:30pm Pacific
  • Saturday, Dec. 26that 5:30am, 9:30am, 7:30pm and 11:00pm Pacific
  • Sunday, Dec. 27that 7:30am, 11:00am and 7:00pm Pacific
  • Monday, Dec. 28that 3:00am, 11:00am and 5:30pm Pacific
  • Tuesday, Dec. 29that 1:30am and 9:30am Pacific

If you miss your chance to catch the first ever Guitar Hero Live TV shows featuring Avenged Sevenfold three of the bands tracks – One from their most recent release Hail To The King and two from 2010s Nightmare – will be available via Guitar Hero Live’s premium content feature.

Here is the list of tracks that will be featured on Guitar Hero premium. All of these tracks come from footage during Avenged’s headlining performance at England’s Download Festival from this past June.

  • Shepheard of Fire From Hail To The King
  • Buried Alive From Nightmare
  • Nightmare the titular track form the album Nightmare

Who is ready to rock out for the holidays? \m/ You can get more information on Activisions Blog as well.

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God Eater 2: Rage Burst & God Eater: Resurrection Confirmed for NA In New Trailer

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

A brand new title in the God Eater franchise – God Eater 2: Rage Burst – alongside an enhanced remake of the original have been announced for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Windows PC to be published by the folks at Bandai Namco Games.

In a brief announcement trailer we see cuts of garbled, possibly corrupted text, interspersed with anime cut scenes that tell a quite confusing tale about some type of infection that has ravaged the world.

The God Eater franchise is an action role-playing franchise that sees the player take the role of an unemployed warrior who decides to take on larger than life creatures. Originally debuting on the PlayStation Portable in Japan in 2010 an enhanced port of the original God Eater made its way to North American PSPs in 2011.

What do you think of this announcement? Let us know in the comments or watch the reveal trailer below.

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Select PlayStation 2 Titles Are Now Available On PS4

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

Sony has brought limited backwards compatibility to PS4 owners by listing eight PlayStation 2 titles available for purchase on the PlayStation Store. Available in both North America and Europe these eight games feature three games from one franchise (Grand Theft Auto) and those looking to delve into the PS2’s vast catalogue of roleplaying games might be disappointed.

Here’s the full list of games available as of current:

  • Dark Cloud — $14.99
  • Grand Theft Auto III — $14.99
  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City — $14.99
  • Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas — $14.99
  • Rogue Galaxy — $14.99
  • The Mark of Kri — $14.99
  • Twisted Metal: Black — $9.99
  • War of the Monsters — $9.99

As you can see they are priced between $9.99 USD and $14.99 USD depending on the game. To be honest I feel like this is a little too much for older titles – even with the added upscaling, remote play and trophy support.

Sony’s largest competitor, Microsoft, unveiled their backwards compatible solution at this past June’s E3. With the latest dashboard update Microsoft made over 100 games from the previous generation playable simply by inserting the game disc and downloading a free version of your favorite game, as long as the disc is in the tray your game will play.

Sony also offers PlayStation Now, a cloud based streaming service that enables players to stream older titles to their televisions, PS Vitas, PlayStation TVs and PlayStation 4. Those looking to utilize their collection of physical PlayStation 2 software appear to be out of luck for the time being.

How do you feel about Sony’s decision to charge upwards of $15 USD for older titles?

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[Source]

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Extended FF7 Remake Trailer Shows Game’s Revamped Combat System

Posted on December 6, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

At the opening press conference from the PlayStation Experience Square Enix gave fans another taste of the still undated Final Fantasy 7 remake for the PlayStation 4.

In this brand new gameplay trailer we get a brief look at the game’s combat system, which from the small glimpse we’ve been given looks to borrow a lot from Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts. Gone is the overhead “world map” and transition screens that launch players into battle. In their place is a more streamlined action-RPG approach with real-time combat, abilities mapped to single buttons on the controller, and enemies appearing within the world.

Considering both of the above mentioned games are currently in development it wouldn’t be much of stretch to assume that the different development teams at Square Enix are sharing technologies to expedite progress.

Some fans have expected that Square Enix may release the Final Fantasy 7 remake sometime in 2017 to line-up with the original PlayStation game’s 20th anniversary.

What do you think of the trailer? Check it out below.

[youtube id=”QLYyWAqTTAo”]

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Zombie Vikings: update and coming to Steam!

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Erika

Previously released on the Playstation 4 in September, indie game Zombie Vikings from Swedish developer Zoink Games is being released on Monday, December 7th for Steam. For those not familiar with the game it’s an entertaining adventure of up to four undead Vikings on a quest though Norse soil to retrieve Odin’s lost eye. With the Steam release coming around the corner, also comes a major update for the game, which will also be available for the PS4 later in the month. Among the updates are-

  • A unicorn pig named Oink for Single Player, which not only will accompany your viking, but also has the ability to carry items on it’s back and eventually strap a cannon onto it!
  • New Enemies
  • A weapon progression system where the player can unlock weapons by completing levels
  • Weapon improvements across the board, including special abilities for every weapon and stats in the store
  • Combat improvements including target hints, better damage stat tracking, mini health bars for enemies, and directly rolling

In addition to that, the Steam release will be including Steam Cloud Saving, and Steam Trading Cards.

The Steam version releases on December 7th at 7:00AM PST and includes the update for $19.99USD with a 20% launch discount for the first week, so if you’ve been wanting to get it, now’s the chance! In addition to that, a bundle containing DLC characters Frostbjörn and Raybjörn along with the game’s soundtrack will be available for $24.99USD.

Zombie Vikings will be available for purchase on Steam and is currently out for the Playstation 4

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Kenny’s Fallout 4 Log – Day 7

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Kenny Keelan

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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

November 18th, 2015

So, here we are: I’ve had this game for a full week and even the acquisition of NHL 16 hasn’t slowed progress any… that’s saying a lot because I’m a humongous hockey fan. It’s been a long time and the path through the Commonwealth has been fraught with small victories and huge losses and while Fallout 4‘s improvements made themselves apparent right away, a lot of the franchise staples have made themselves apparent as I, finally, start to embrace the main quest line that the game has set out in front of me.

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THE PARK by FUNCOM TO LAUNCH ON PLAYSTATION 4 AND XBOX ONE

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Fionna Schweit

Funcom, from Oslo Norway, is excited to announce today that ‘The Park‘, the company’s brand new single-player psychological horror experience, will be unleashing its scares on PlayStation® 4 and on Xbox One consoles via the ID@Xbox self-publishing program in Q1 2016. After a successful launch for Windows PC during Halloween this year, Funcom is looking forward to once again opening the gates to its horror theme park in what will be the company’s first console release in almost ten years.

Take a look at the launch trailer on their  YouTube

“Encouraged by the positive reactions we have received on the Windows PC version, we are very excited about bringing it to consoles,” says Funcom CEO Rui Casais. “Exploring a dark, sinister and frankly terrifying location from the comfort of your sofa, with the lights turned off and controller in hand, is sure to be a very rewarding experience.”Read More

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The Division To Allow Some Realtime Swapping

Posted on November 14, 2015 by Kenny Keelan

The Division

In a pretty awesome Q&A video with the developers of The Division, some pretty neat details about the game are revealed: first and foremost, the ability to hotswap abilities and gun customizations while in the open world and in combat situations. It’s said that you can have two active abilities at any one time, however, you can swap those abilities out for any of the abilities you’ve earned to that point and the same goes for the appearance and utility of your weapons. It is insinuated, though, that you have to do so through the menu interface so while you’re able to swap during combat situations it’s not recommended that you do so unless you can do so very quickly.

It’s also touched on that you can have four characters maximum attached to an account; this is handy for those who want to experiment with different play styles or loadouts. However, there’s some light insinuation that level difference between characters will be considered when matching them so keeping the level of your characters varied may be a good thing to keep in mind.

Also, for some crazy reason, there’s been an outcry for a couple types of hats… and that’s just… well, it was addressed. Just gonna leave that one at that.

If you want to watch the video, follow the link.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 review: Here we go again all over again.

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Erika

Black Ops III

Please note that this review covers the PS4 version, and some features are not available for the PS3/Xbox 360 versions

Treyarch does an amazing job once more with another installment in the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops 3. The series has come a long way from the World War II era setting of World at War, to Cold War settings of Black Ops 1, and the more recent near future settings of Black Ops 2 and now 3.  Just like Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games, Treyarch tries to keep the Call of Duty fresh and engaging for it’s fans, and I feel that it has succeeded with those objectives.

Upon starting up the game and getting the necessary content downloaded to be able to play single player, I brought up the menu and happened upon the Identity section and was immediately taken aback when I explored further into it. I was taken aback due to the fact of the sheer level of customization that can be done with individual weapon setups. A new feature in the franchise is the ability to customize optics, attachments, camos, and paint jobs. In addition to that, the player can save multiple variants of individual weapon setups and use them across Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies, provided that the weapons and attachments are unlocked though each mode. One thing to note is that similar to the emblems, paint jobs add an individual flair if one wants to take the time to make use of a whopping 64 layers for the left and right sides, and the top of the gun. All of that can be done within Gunsmith or Paintshop sub-menus. Also making returns are unlockable calling cards and customizable emblems, franchise staples introduced in Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops 1, respectively. Expanding upon those two features you are now the abilities to unlock calling cards via Campaign, Zombies, and from Supply Drops found in Multiplayer.

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Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition Review

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Kenny Keelan

This review was written using a digital copy of the game for PlayStation 4.

There was a long time where I was an avid Dungeons and Dragons player – up until around the time Edition 3.5 came about – and there was a string of video games and novels that I followed as a result: the Forgotten Realms. These were games and novels that tied directly into the lore and the world that Dungeons and Dragons were apparently supposed to take place in.  Black Isle Studios created some of the best Forgotten Realms games ever, starting with titles like Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale. When I was first pointed towards Divinity, it looked like it had the same feel and, honestly, as a result, I had a little apprehension: while those games are incredibly deep and full of life, they also brought back memories of frustration and how much time was drained into those games. However, most of that time was spent completely immersed in the worlds presented by the games and that made the choice pretty easy… it was time to give Divinity a shot and, well, here we are…

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