Soon you’ll be able to join the colorful cast of Touhou characters on an incredible journey through the Tower of Desire. Touhou Genso Wanderer Reloaded is the definitive edition of a roguelike masterpiece, filled with new dungeons to explore, new items to collect, and new faces to meet.
Newcomers and veterans of the Touhou series will love journeying through the land of Gensokyo with Reimu Hakurei, the shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine, as well as new faces such as the spunky magician Marisa Kirisame, and wind priestess Sanae Kochiya! And now, with a ton of new content, new and veteran players can experience the world of Touhou wherever they go.
The game will be a definitive experience as gamers can relive the complete journey through the Tower of Desire and embark on all-new adventures. Become an unstoppable duo as you and your partner fight against evil and cast powerful bullet-hell spells. Craft items, upgrade weapons, take a break with other Touhou girls at the cafe… Enjoy the story and solve its mysteries at your own pace.
In addition to the game, a limited edition will be released for both the Switch and PS4 and will include a copy of the game, an acrylic parade stand, a Daring Damsels button set, hardcover art book, the official soundtrack for the game, all inside a collector’s box. The collector’s edition will retail for $99.99 CAD.
The game, from NIS America, will be released on July 17th.
Fans of 2016’s Final Fantasy XV got confirmation at the Penny Arcade Expo that a season 2 of downloadable content is upcoming alongside the unexpected news that the multiplayer focused expansion, titled Comrades, will be receiving a major update this summer and a stand-alone release.
We’ve known for a while now – since the release and confirmation of March’s FFXV: Royal Edition – that brand new episodic DLC episodes could be a possibility.
Thanks to ResetERA User Reyes, who provided high quality copies of slides presented during the Final Fantasy XV: The Dawn of the Future panel that the next season of FFXV DLC will include:
Episode Ardyn: “The Conflict of the Sages”
Episode Aranea: “The Beginning of the End”
Episode Lunafreya: “The Choice of Freedom”
Episode Noctis: “The Final Strike”
All four of Season 2’s episodes will be directed by the same director as Season 1’s Episode: Ignis. An alternate ending to the game will be presented in Episode III: Notics – “The Final Strike”, Season 2 of DLC is set to begin at the end of this year and continue into the summer of 2019.
Comrades, an add-on expansion from Season 1 which allows players to create their custom avatar and take them during Chapter 13 of the story will receive multiple updates as well as a standalone version that can be played without the base game.
Here’s the full DLC schedule as presented at the panel:
I’m glad the rumoured (and honestly absurd) Final Fantasy XV: Versus episode ended up being nothing more than fan speculation. With almost two years of post-release content, now multiple Season Passes and a collection of free updates, FFXV has improved markedly from the initial release. I know fans wanted the development team to embrace Nomura’s original script and ideas – but I think expanding the characters and world of XV is a much better choice.
Spike Chunsoft has revealed their full 2018 slate of games coming out for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Windows PC. New entries in the Fire Pro Wrestling franchise, Pixeljunk Monsters series and the acclaimed visual novel 428: Shibuya scramble are all coming soon.
First up is a new entry in the Pixel Junk Monsters series:
Pixeljunk Monsters 2 Platform PlayStation 4 Release Summer 2018
Features:
Local & Online Play – Maximize the fun by playing with your friends on the couch or online!
Close Encounters – Multiply the suspense by toggling your POV from top-down to an in-your-face view!
3D Stop Motion Graphics – Immerse yourself in Gati Gati Island like never before as the animation takes full advantage of the power of the PS4™!
428: Shibuya Scramble Platform PS4 | Windows PC Release 2008 (originally), Summer 2018 (N.A / Europe localization)
Originally released in 2008 this murder mystery is finally being localized for North America & Europe. Tasking players with investigating the lives of 5 unique protagonists during a 10 hour time-frame this intriguing title boasts over 5 different endings a weird mix of live-action video, text and still image narration.
Features
A Mosaic of Mediums – Unlike traditional visual novels, the narrative is presented with a palette of different mediums, combining text, live action stills, and video sequences.
Non-linear Storytelling – Five Protagonists. 10 Hours. Decisions made in one character’s story can affect the story of another character in unforeseen ways, culminating in a total of up to 50 different endings!
Famitsu Fresh – One of the very few titles to ever receive a perfect score (40/40) from Japanese video game magazine Famitsu Weekly!
Fire Pro Wrestling World Platform PlayStation 4 Release Summer 2018
Last on our tour of Spike Chunsoft’s 2018 line-up is another entry in the decades old Fire Pro Wrestling series of games. Fire Pro Wrestling World is set to feature a story mode that will allow players to customize every facet of their matches. Different sets of rules will also be available ranging from deathmatch, to steel cage matches to even a set based upon the popular MMA style of fighting.
Features:
Play Online – Organize exhibition matches, tournaments, leagues, championship bouts and battle royals with players from around the world.
Mix Up the Rules – Modes include Deathmatch (steel cage, barbed wire or landmines), MMA rules and no-holds barred Gruesome Fighting.
Unlimited Customization – Create your dream wrestler from over a thousand devastating moves and even more body parts to battle for custom championship belts. Personalize the ring, mat logos and even the referee!
Realistic Simulation – Give your creations personalities with a robust CPU logic system that defines their every action. Does your wrestler play to the crowd, or play dirty? You provide actors for the ringside drama.
Bonus Level Entertainment’s retro 16-bit inspired platformer Fox n’ Forest will be hitting Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC this bring. To help drum up some hype for the release of this beautiful pixel creation publisher Eurovideo sent out a press release today highlighting a brand new in-game video – featuring level 1:2 titled “Gorgeous George”.
In Fox n’ Forest players take on the role of anthropomorphic fox who will utilize a magic crossbow and the ability to change the seasons at will to navigate the stunning worlds of this title. When the seasons change the world around Rick also changes – for example when changing the season to Fall, leaves might become platforms that open up alternate routes to harder enemies, epic loot and brand new puzzles.
Speaking about their approach to level design the game’s director Rupert Ochsner had this to say:
“Level design is one of the most important tasks in game development, All elements need to come together in an entertaining way and it can make or break the game.”
Based in Munich, Germany Bonus Level Entertainment successfully KickStarted 100,000+ Euros to bring their vision for Fox n’ Forest to life during the summer of 2016. Their mission is to reinvent the 16-bit style of gameplay by preserving what made the SNES era so magical while introducing new gameplay mechanics and systems from a more modern perspective.
Tekken 7 patch version 1.12 is now available on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as well as on Windows PC. General improvements to be found in this latest patch include better stability for online matches, across all platforms and automatic capture of Shadowplay highlights for Windows PC using Geforce graphics cards when certain conditions are met.
FFXV Noctis Lucis Caelum Pack includes the playable Noctis fighter, a fighting arena based upon the Hammerhead Station from Chapter 1, 5 unique costumes for Noctis to wear and the “Apocalypsis Noctis Remix” BGM track.
Check out a video of all of Noctis’ moves and combos which I’ve embedded below.
Psyonix’s fast paced rocketed powered soccer title Rocket League will be getting a little more heroic this March with the release of the official DC Super Heroes add-on. This pack includes two new Battle Cars for your sporting enjoyment – the Tumbler from The Dark Night Rises and the ’89 Batmobile from the 1989 Tim Burton Batman film. While no other cars are included in this upcoming pack but Green Latern, The Flash, Green Arrow, Wonder Womand and Superman all have their own Player Banners and car Decals. A brand new boost effect is also included in the DC Super Heroes pack based upon The Flash – which was previously bundled alongside the Rocket League Collector’s Edition.
DC Super Heros Pack add-on for Rocket League will be priced at $3.99 USD (or regional equivalent) and will be available on your console’s digital storefront on March 5th. It is expected to released for the Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, Xbox One and PS4 versions of the game,
Below you’ll find a breakdown of everything included in the pack as well as some screenshots provided by Psyonix PR:
Premium Batman Battle-Cars
The Dark Knight Rises Tumbler from Warner Bros. Pictures’ The Dark Knight Rises
The ’89 Batmobile from Warner Bros. Pictures’ Batman
DC Super Hero Themed Items
Aquaman – Breakout Decal and Player Banner
Batman – Paladin Decal and Player Banner
Cyborg – Roadhog Decal and Player Banner
DC – Player Banner (previously released in Collector’s Edition)
Flash – Wheels, Venom Decal, Player Banner, and Speed Force Boost (Wheels and Player Banner previously released in Collector’s Edition)
Green Arrow – Hotshot Decal and Player Banner
Green Lantern – Merc Decal and Player Banner
Superman – Octane Decal and Player Banner
Wonder Woman – Wheels, X-Devil Decal, and Player Banner
For the first time in North America and Europe, Suda 51’s The Silver Case: The 25th Ward is coming to home console. On March 13th “The 25th Ward” will be released in North America on PlayStation 4 and globally on Steam with a European release to follow on March 16th.
Set 5 years after the events of The Silver Case, a woman is found murdered in the Bay Side Tower Land” apartment complex under mysterious circumstances. Now multiple protagonists, including Tokio Morishima from the first Silver Case game, must connect seemingly random events together to solver this woman’s murder.
Get ready to re-enter the “Kill The Universe” world created by Suda 51, as The 25th Ward offers up similar circumstances from three different perspectives in this unique sounding sequel.
Nippon Ichi Software USA announced today that each of the playable characters in their upcoming fighting title SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy will have three alternate costumes that players will be able to unlock. By using an in-game only currency players will be able to unlock either the Heroines Costume, the Classic Costume or the Alternate costume for their favorite fighter. A range of additional accessories and customization options can also be unlocked to further personalize the in-game characters.
SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy is a 2 vs 2 fighting game with a roster of female characters from SNK’s various fighting franchises. Matches don’t end once your opponent’s health reaches zero, instead a winning point must be sealed by performing a special Dream Finish attack.
You’ll be able to get your hands on SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 sometime this summer. It will be available physically in both standard and limited editions, with the standard edition being available on your console’s respective digital store front. SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy will offer Japanese audio only with text options in English, Japanese, Mexican Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese.
Below are 10 brand new screenshots from NIS America and a new trailer.
A preview of the upcoming issue of Dengeki Magazine spotted by the folks at Siliconera reveaks that Compile Heart’s remake of the 2009 Hyperdimension Neptunia will be coming to the PS4 with enhanced features under the moniker of “Hyperdimension Neptunia Re:Birth Plus”.
No word yet on exactly what these enhancements will be – most notably the game might get some graphical upgrades, such as available on the PC version. This is especially truely when compared to the original PS Vita release of Re:Birth which ran at 540p – the PlayStation 4 could probably run Re:Birth 1 at 1080p without breaking a sweat.
I reviewed Hyperdimension Neptunia Re:Birth 1 way back in September 2014. Here’s a snippit of that review:
“If you’ve beaten all three of the console releases Rebirth1 is still strongly recommended due to the changed story, guild system and remaster options that extend the amount of gameplay. Don’t expect to beat Neptunia on your ride to work, this is definitely a game that requires a substantial time investment.”
Today Bungie outlined exactly how they’ll be improving Destiny 2 over the next couple of months. In a brand new roadmap and feature breakdown the Destiny 2 outlined plans for update 1.1.3 (Feb), 1.1.4 (March) and 1.2.0 (May). Some additions are small but should have been present from the launch in my opinion – namely PC Public Chat, tweaks to the shader system and Heroic Strike Modifiers. Others like unique Nightfall Rewards, Quit penalties in the crucible and Iron Banner 6 v 6 will have a larger impact on Destiny 2’s playability.
Perhaps the largest of all of these planned changes (and the most complex from a player standpoint) is the “sandbox” changes. This might just sound like adjustments to the large open PVE sandbox that Bungie spent so many years creating but in reality it is a bunch of smaller adjustments to weapon damage, player movement, player health, respawn time and other factors that will provide players with more “hero moments”, especially in Crucible matches.
Their blog post does note that not all of these changes may make their way in to the final 1.1.4 Patch at the end of March but overall when combined these changes should make crucible and P.V.E a lot more interesting.
Some of the individual changes that compose the “Sandbox” adjustments include:
– Faster attack animations.
– Increased Super ability re-charge time.
– Higher overall maximum speed cap.
– Buffs to underutilized weapon types like Shotguns, Fusion Rifles, Hand Canons and Sniper Rifles.
– Major changes to the Arcstrider.
More of the changes involved in the Sandbox adjustments are available in the blog post. Alongside this three month roadmap Bungie also revealed that virtually no new P.V.E content will be making its way into the game until the new Raid tier drops with 1.2.0 at the end of May. Below you will find the full roadmap as posted on the Bungie blog.
Version Tested: PlayStation 4 (Played On a Launch PS4)
Team ICO’s titles have taken on almost a mythical status among PlayStation Exclusives. While The Last Guardian my stand as the example of a “once in a generation release” for a much anticipated title to be resurrected – Shadow of the Colossus wowed both players and critics back in 2005 with its larger than life beasts, minimalist design and sweeping soundtrack. Almost a decade and a half later – does BluePoint’s remake on the PlayStation 4 wow us yet again with technical feats of grand scale or crush us under the weight of SOTC’s long legacy?
Players take on the role of a young male protagonist known as Wander who has brings his significant other to an ancient temple within The Forbidden Lands in the hopes of resurrecting her. It is here that he is informed by the deity Dormin that resurrecting a human soul is difficult, if not impossible and highly frowned upon by society. By making a pact with this shadowy god, Wander is tasked with taking down 16 towering colossi before his request will be granted. SOTC’s story has never been the main draw for players, but it at least sets up the protagonist’s motivations in motion well enough. Returning players should take note that this remastered version does not include any additional narrative or lore and presents Wander’s struggle exactly the way you remember it from the PS2 release.
Shadow of the Colossus is a puzzle game hiding under the guise of an action adventure title. While Wander can sprint large distances, attack with his sword and leap across chasms, these aren’t player’s primary tool when dealing with the colossi. Having a keen eye, observing your surrounding and in some cases the structure of the colossi themselves can be the key to overcoming the obstacles in front of Wander. One encounter has you charging forward at full speed and hopping off of Wander’s horse to gain ground on the colossi and another has Wander hanging on for dear life as a serpent-like colossi emerges under the waves as he makes his way to the glowing weak points. Each colossi fight has its own unique presentation but most encounters can be boiled down to the formula of “find way onto to the colossi, expose the various weak points and then slash with your sword until dead”.
Controlling Wander’s movements while playing SOTC is simple and uncomplicated but there are situations where it can be unclear when you’ll regain control of your character again. This is particularly apparent when Wander is hanging off of the fur of a colossus and is shaken around like a ragdoll. Simple and responsive are unfortunately not words to describe the unpleasant experience of riding Agro the horse. While Agro can reach speeds that Wander could never dream of achieving, Agro will lose all of its momentum as soon as it collides with any object larger than a pebble. More modern games would have Agro simply side-step over small obstacles and continue at a brisk pace but time has not been pleasant to poor Agro and riding the pony express has more “stop start” than downtown at rush hour. This is made all the more agonizing with the realization that more than one colossus was designed specifically with the use of the horse in mind. While it is possible to complete this encounter without Aggro (we did during our review playthrough) – it is painfully slow and removes any tension or urgency from the battle.
Visually Shadow of the colossus can be breathtaking and jaw droppingly beautiful at times. BluePoint Games have successfully recreated Shadow of the Colossus‘ unique visual style and vibrant palate while both simultaneously staying true to Team Ico’s vision from the 2005 and updating model / asset fidelity for the HD era. Running across SOTC‘s vast green fields while stating at mountain ranges far off into the distance with waterfalls below you truly has to be seen in motion to be believed, static screenshots do not do BluePoint’s work on SOTC‘s revitalized visuals justice. If you’re looking for a title that will show friends who might not own a PlayStation 4 that capability of Sony’s latest system – Shadow of the Colossus is THAT title.
All of the work that originally went into the unique designs of the 16 colossi back in 2005 is preserved in the 2018 remake. If you get a chance while battling one of these towering stone monsters, stop and observe their movements. It shows that the original developers paid extra attention to how way each colossi would shift their body weight and position their limbs during movement. Whether Wander is facing off against the large stone serpent, the small boar-like creature or the bipedal first colossus – each one moves slowly, deliberately and uniquely. All of this attention to detail was unthinkable back in 2005 and 13 years later it still holds up as some of the best intricate creature design. Just don’t get Wander squashed as you marvel at the slow finesse of the colossi.
There was nothing quite like Shadow of the Colossus when it debuted on the PS2 and two generations later it still shines as one of the most unique PlayStation exclusives. BluePoint games did a tremendous job bringing Team ICO’s original game forward in time to 2018. SOTC on PS4 looks gorgeous, sounds great and at times feels just as epic as the original. Returning players may be disappointed to learn that this remake offers no additional content over either the PS2 release or the updated PS3 remaster. After completing the campaign players unlock New Game+, Mirror World Mode and Time Attack – just as they did in previous releases. If you haven’t played SOTC before and can stomach some minor control issues (especially with the horse) this is the definitive version to experience the 2005 classic. Returning players can expect a gorgeous trip down memory lane that plays exactly how they remember it – except in 4K and beyond.
Sony Interactive Entertainment Canada provided BrokenJoysticks with a digital pre-release copy of Shadow of the Colossus on PlayStation 4 for review. The game was reviewed in 1080p on a launch PlayStation 4 unit – although the game does provide PlayStation Pro specific enhancements that we could not test. Shadow of the Colossus is expected to retail for $49.99 CDN.
Visually stunning, action focused M.O.B.A Paragon will cease operations on April 26th developer Epic Games announced in a statement to the remaining players within the Paragon Community yesterday.
The Paragon Team thanked all of the players who have stuck with the game and, in what is probably the most honest / direct statement I’ve seen from a AAA developer in a long time, admitted that their vision for Paragon wasn’t sustainable. Despite their best effort the Paragon Team ‘failed’ their player base and were sorry to see Paragon shut down.
Refunds for the Paragon Game (originally priced at $19.99 USD for Early Access) and any in-game purchases can be requested directly from Epic Games themselves. Often when it comes time for the online portion of a particular title to be sunsetted, developers and publishers rarely offer any form of refund at all. This is not only a welcome change of pace from what we’ve become accustomed too from AAA publishers but should also foster some goodwill within the Paragon community, despite the bad news.
Below is the full statement announcing Paragon’s closing. Epic Game’s other Unreal 4 engine title, Fortnite, has been hugely popular – drawing in more than 40 million players thanks to its free Battle Royale mode.
“Hey Everyone,
It’s with heavy hearts we’ve decided to close down Paragon.
We truly appreciate everything you’ve put into Paragon. We received many passionate ideas for where to take the game; the outpouring of thoughtful suggestions is another testament to this incredible community.
After careful consideration, and many difficult internal debates, we feel there isn’t a clear path for us to grow Paragon into a MOBA that retains enough players to be sustainable.
We didn’t execute well enough to deliver on the promise of Paragon. We have failed you — despite the team’s incredibly hard work — and we’re sorry.
To try to make this right, Epic is offering a full refund to every Paragon player for every purchase on any platform. This refund will come directly from Epic rather than your platform provider.
If you play on PC, or have already linked your Epic account, you can request your refund here.
We’ll continue operating Paragon servers until April 26, 2018. As the player population continues to decrease, matchmaking times and quality will further degrade.
Thank you for joining us on this journey and for your dedication to Paragon.”
I’ve had a bit of a non-committal history with Capcom’s Street Fighter V. Despite owning the game for nearly two years, I’ve found very little reason to pick up the controller and play beyond some basic exploration of characters and training, that is until recently. The Character specific prologue stories – while welcomed – didn’t really do it for me and getting absolutely DESTROYED online isn’t my cup of tea, so I’ve shied away from the game. With the beginning of Street Fighter V: Season 3, Capcom has added someone that I feel was sorely missing from the roster – my favorite fighter, Sakura.
Sporting 2 brand new outfits and one retro throwback as part of her complete character package, Sakura brings her Ryu inspired move-set to Capcom’s latest with a lot of flash. Her upbeat attitude and optimism remain in-tact in her SFV incarnation along with a little bit of maturity that comes with growing up. Sakura is no longer the highschool girl lusting after Ryu, and has instead moved on to college (complete with a part-time job). Her new costumes reflect this change in character – Her college outfit is complete with the requisite varsity jacket. Perhaps my favorite of the 3 options is her part time job outfit, which is modeled after the get-up that Capcom Staffers wear while occupying the pop-up Capcom Stores at major convention. It’s a little wink to fans, and it works well!
I’ve been excited about her return to the franchise and even saved up 90,000 fight money (thanks easy mode Character Stories) so I could buy her right away. She is available as part of the Season 3 character pack ($39.99 CDN), part of the SFV + S3 Character Bundle ($53.99 CDN) or can be purchased individually for $6.99 CDN. Buying Sakura for cash does not provide her 2 alternate costumes (Capcom Store Worker and Classic). Those are purchased separately or as part of the above packs.
Warm up your PlayStation hard drives and your prep your reflexes because upcoming fighting title DISSIDIA: Final FantasyNT has an open beta taking place across the next week. Featuring characters, stages, summons and costumes from the mainline Final Fantasy titles, the latest DISSIDIA title offers players both online and offline challenges, even in the open beta.
There are three broad windows over the next seven days where PlayStation 4 owners can try out DISSIDIA Final Fantasy:
From Friday, January 12 @ 6:00 AM PST to Monday, January 15 @ 1:00 PM PST
From Monday, January 15 @ 2:00 PM PST to Thursday, January 18 @ 1:00 PM PST
From Thursday, January 18 @ 2:00 PM PST to Sunday, January 21 @ 1:00 PM PST
Characters will be rotated in and out throughout the three test periods, so if you don’t find a character that you are particuarly fond of (or in my case probably good with >___>), there’s always a chance your favorite FF heroine or hero will show up during the next window.
Personally I am hoping to try out both Lightening and Y’Shtola – FFXIV being one of the games I’ve played habitually since 2014. I’ll also try my hand at Pretty Boy Combat ™ if Noctis, Cloud or Sephiroth are playable during any of the Open Beta windows.
Oh and as a final note, the download size of the DISSIDIA: Final Fantasy NT Open Beta is quite large – clocking in at just over 25GB.
Zenimax Online’s subscription service ESO Plus for The Elder Scrolls Online is free until next Monday for everyone. Non-subscribed players can once again enjoy access to all of the existing DLC (minus Morrowind but it does include the recently released Clockwork City) for free for the next 72+ hours. As well as double the bank space and a global 10% experience bonus for all characters.
Existing subscribers get a bonus goodies during the events – one free Flame Atronach Crown Crate for each day that they login from the 9th until the event ends on the 15th. Each individual “day” resets at 9:59AM each morning and players have to log-out completely – all the way to the main menu, not just to the character select screen – to qualify for the free crates.
Here’s a breakdown of all of the benefits of the ESO Plus trial weekend:
Access to Clockwork City DLC
Access to Dark Brotherhood DLC
Access to Imperial City DLC
Access to Thieves Guild DLC
Unlimited “crafting bag” storage that persists after the trial ends (just new items can’t be deposited into it)
Double personal inventory space
Double bank space
Access to dye stations
10% global EXP bonus
Personally, I use these ESO+ free weekends to load up as many crafting items as I can to sell in my Trade Guilds. I used to subscribe to ESO+ until I had enough Crowns to buy all of the existing DLC (BTW Clockwork is excellent). Last time a free trial weekend rolled around I had enough crafting items stored to fuel my sales for almost an entire month!
