Arc System Works America revealed the next three fighters joining the BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle roster in the Cross Tag Character Pack 3.
Cross Tag Character Pack 3 will feature three new additions to the Cross Tag Battle line up: The leader of the Six Heroes, Hakumen (BlazBlue), the Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane (Persona), and the ancient living weapon, Vatista (Under Night In-Birth).
Cross Tag Character Pack 3 will be available individually for $4.99 USD or as part of the Cross Tag Character Collection for $19.99 USD (collecting all 6 Character Packs).
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battlewill br released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Steam on June 5th.
Canadian indie games studio Bishop Games today announced that its visually captivating 2D platformer Light Fall will release on April 26th on Steam and Nintendo Switch. The game was originally announced for the Nintendo eShop during Nintendo’s Nindies Direct last month.
Set in the forgotten world of Numbra, the award-winning Light Fall utilizes the innovative Shadow Core, a versatile, player-controllable platform to deliver a truly unique gameplay experience. Light Fall’s unique game mechanic, coupled with its compelling storyline and gorgeous art style make it unlike any other platformer.
Light Fall follows the story of a young boy and his quest through Numbra, a mysterious universe where darkness prevails over light, to be reunited with his dearest friend who vanished in the night. With the aid of the magical Shadow Core and his companion Stryx the old and grumpy owl, follow his courageous journey across an entire continent, braving many challenges and foes standing in the way, led only by a glimmer of hope.
THQ Nordic has a really interesting game on the way. This Is the Police 2 is the second strategy/adventure game in the series which is planned for 2018 on Steam, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Just like the first game, This Is the Police 2 is a mixture of adventure and management genres, and this time will enjoys further mechanics that will strengthen both the strategic and tactical parts of the game. It won’t be enough just managing the equipment of your policemen and keeping in mind their individual skills.
You’ll have to interpret the law and run the sheriff’s department, manage your cops, investigate, interrogate, incarcerate, make tough decisions – and try to keep out of prison yourself! – in this story-driven mixture of adventure and strategy, set in a cold border town riven with violence.
Every challenge requires the player’s direct participation on a tactical combat scene, and the outcomes will depend on every decision you make. Now your subordinates aren’t just some resource; they are living people with their own strengths, weaknesses, fears and prejudices, and you’ll have to reckon with all these things in order to survive.
This Is the Police 2 will be released later this year on PC/Mac, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. Check out the trailer below.
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. today announced MY HERO ONE’S JUSTICE, a new 3D arena-based fighting game based on the popular manga and anime franchise from Weekly Shonen Jump. This new title will be coming to North America for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PCs via STEAM, and Nintendo Switch in 2018.
MY HERO ONE’S JUSTICE takes place in a world where most of the population has superpowers known as Quirks, and where heroes and villains are commonplace. One day, Izuku Midoriya, a bullied middle school student without a Quirk attempts to save his childhood bully Katsuki from a villain. In recognition of his good deed, the world’s greatest superhero, All Might, bestows upon Izuku his own Quirk known as “One For All”.
Pick your side and choose between hero or villain in the fight for justice. With fan favorite characters, players will be able to choose up to two sidekicks to create the ultimate team. The two sidekick characters will provide crucial combo opportunities with their specialized moves, providing dynamic fights full of hard-hitting action. The explosive powers each character wields will wreak havoc on their opponents and the environment around them. The best players will use the environment to help defeat the opposition.
“MY HERO ONE’S JUSTICE is an electric combination of stellar graphics, intense gameplay, and a collection of popular characters,” said Randy Le, Associate Brand Manager at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. “All based around the hottest new anime and manga franchise coming out of Japan that fans have been craving.”
MY HERO ONE’S JUSTICE will be available in the Americas on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PCs via STEAM, and Nintendo Switch in 2018.
Arc System Works unveiled new details about the release of the collector’s edition of the team anime fighting game, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle for the Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam). The game and collector’s edition will hit stores on June 5th, 2018.
The collector’s edition can only be pre-ordered as a limited edition on the official Arc System Works Gear store (which is currently under development) starting on May 4th.
The BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Collector’s Edition will include the BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle game (PS4 or Switch), a full color, 52 page art book, 15 song soundtrack, and will be in a special BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle steel game case. It will also include 4 acrylic figures featuring BlazBlue‘s Ragna, Persona‘s Yu, Under Night In-Birth‘s Hyde, and RWBY‘s Ruby.
The Collector’s Edition will retail for $99.99 USD.
If you pre-order the standard edition at retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop, you’ll also receive a special mini soundtrack featuring 7 select tracks from BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle.
Finally Arc System Works also unveilled a brand new English language character trailer. Check that out below.
Andrew Groen’s Empires of EVE: A History of the Great Wars of EVE Online – a compendium that chronicles the ever changing alliances, wars and political intrigue as told by the players involved throughout the game’s 15 year history – will be receiving a second volume in May 2019.
Empires of EVE: Volume II is a non-fiction book that covers the player run corporations and alliances that govern the volatile Null Sec region of New Eden. By interviewing the people behind the in-game capulseers, Groen is able to paint a complete as possible picture of the major battles, betrayals and shifting ownership of Null Sec region that the game has become known for. Volume I covered the events up until the end of 2008, with the alliance Band of Brothers finally collapsing. Volume II picks up at the end of Volume I and covers the events from 2009 through 2016.
Volume II is intended to be a standalone edition, meaning readers won’t have to read the first volume to understand the nuance and gravity of the events depicted. It will include a “full and concise crash course” of EVE Online’s gameplay mechanics and broad history so that non-players can dive in and enjoy the modern era of EVE Online intrigue.
Empires of Eve Volume II comes in a few different tiers as available on the KickStarter page:
$10 USD provides a digital e-book copy (PDF, e-pub etc)
$25 USD provides a soft cover physical copy and digital e-book.
$50 USD provides a hardcover physical copy and digital e-book.
$80 UD provides hardcover copies of both Volume I and Volume II as well as e-book versions of both.
Having personally read through Volume I with my wife, I can attest that Empires of EVE is a fascinating and captivating look into one of the most complex and intricate long running MMORPGs. Full Disclosure: I immediately backed the $50 USD tier on KickStarter because there was no way I was going to pass up the chance at a hardcover copy of Volume II.
The new indie game Masters of Anima from Passtech Games, the makers of Space Run, is available today on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Follow Otto in his quest against the forces of evil in strategic, action-packed battles, where your ability to make tactical decisions quickly is vital. Summon and control large armies of up to 100 Guardians, who obey your commands with intuitive and innovative gameplay made from the ground up for controller play, as well as keyboard and mouse!
You play as Otto, an apprentice of Anima, able to wield incredible powers that are the source of all life in the world of Spark. You covet the rank of Master so you can finally marry your fiancée Ana – who is now a captive of the terrible Zahr and his fearsome Golems!
Use the powers of Anima to summon an army of magical Guardians in your quest to defeat Zahr’s dreaded Golems. Learn to control new types of Guardians on your adventure, each with their own unique talents and abilities useful to explore the vast world of Spark and reveal its secrets, as well as to take down the formidable bosses that stand in your way. As your victories rack up, acquire new powers and abilities for both yourself and your Guardians, ultimately becoming a true Master of Anima.
Bethesda and Sabre Interactive has released a brief tease about future content coming to Quake Champions. Future patches will that bring forward a classic Quake enemy – the baddies of Quake II, The Strogg – as a playable champion. Also introduced in this latest patch is a brand new map called Awoken – this ruinous labyrinth is sure to be home to many bloodbaths when it is finally released.
Here is the official description of the upcoming champion the Strogg and its drone companion, Peeker:
Half metal, half decaying flesh, and 100% ready to rage, the primary enemy of Quake II and Quake 4 is back as Strogg fights to be freed from the Dreamlands and reestablish contact with his ruthless warlord, Makron.
Players will also be able to take control and fight as Strogg’s drone sidekick, Peeker, who can fly around the battlefield, shoot at enemies and deal damage with its explosive self-destruct attack. Enemy kills are turned into a nutritional paste called Stroyent that provides 25HP, but players need to act fast – other Strogg players can steal your Stroyent!
New Weapon: The Plasma Cannon
Quake III’s face melting Plasma Cannon will finally find its way into Quake Champions in a future update. For many Q3A Veterans the lack of a proper Plasma Canon has made the available arsenal feel a bit bare.
Here’s the official description:
A blast from the past, the Plasma Gun from Quake III Arena finds its new home in Quake Champions! This high-powered cannon melts unwitting foes with bursts of pure energy and is sure to shake things up when it joins the Quake Champions arsenal later this month!
Last month’s March Update also brought a number of new modes and enhancements to Quake Champions, which unfortunately I did not have time to write about at the time of release. That patch saw the implementation of the much requested insta-gib mode where players are killed in a single hit as well as a brand new 2 Vs. 2 Ranked Mode.
Here’s the official description from those two features from last month’s patch:
NEW GAMEPLAY – Everyone, meet Instagib – The fast-moving, gib-tastic classic will finally make its way to Quake Champions, introducing a fun, fast and casual game where every shot is a one-hit kill. Players will start each match with the only weapons available – the Rail Gun and the Gauntlet – and there will not be weapon, health, armor, or power-up pickups. Champions will still be able to use active and passive abilities, and cool-down hourglasses will spawn on the map.
NEW RANKS – Introducing 2v2 TDM Ranked Mode – In addition to the head-to-head intensity of Duel mode, players will be able to grab a buddy and face off against teams from around the world in deadly 2v2 showdowns. Finding the right Champion and ability combinations will make the difference in the fight for the top spot on the leaderboard.
One of the games highlighted in Nintendo’s Nindies presentation looks like it’s going to be a blast. No pun intended.
The game in question is Bomb Chicken from Nitrome. And who wouldn’t want to play a good old-fashioned chicken platformer?
Bomb Chicken is a fast-paced game that combines action, puzzles and arcade gameplay. You’ll lay bombs to escape tricky situations and discover secret areas when Bomb Chicken launches first on Nintendo Switch this summer. It will be released later on Steam.
Story wise, after a freak accident, a seemingly ordinary chicken becomes a bomb laying free range hero. Explore the versatile mechanic of laying bombs in this explosive exploration platformer.
In the game you can lay stacks of explosives to reach impossibly high places, kick bombs to take out staff and deadly native wildlife, as well as bounce your bombs through impassable areas and even around corners. You can also use your bombs as a handy weight, create a barricade and shield enemy attacks, dig and destroy to uncover secret areas, and set things on fire and watch them burn.
The game is said to feature super simple controls anyone can play. Bomb Chicken has some gorgeous pixel art, which is always a draw for me, from the award-winning studio at Nitrome Ltd.
No firm release date for the game other than this summer.
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.
The arena FPS genre hasn’t exactly been a hotbed of activity – especially with games like Battleborn and Unreal Tournament 4 seeming to cease development. Bethesda’s Quake Champions might be the last true arena deathmatch FPS game in production, not counting the AFPS indie offspring like DUSK and TOKIK.
Previously access to Quake Champions was divided between the previous closed beta test players who are able to play the game in “free to play mode” through the Bethesda Launcher or by purchasing the $29.99 USD “Champions Pack” which provides access to the Quake Champions client and all of the released / future champions.
Now players on Steam have the chance to get access to the base game for $4.99 USD which includes unlocks for two champions – Ranger and Scalebearer. Ranger will be unlocked for all players by default whether they’re playing in F2P mode or this newly released $5 pack. Scalebearer is an interesting choice to provide at a low cost – he’s a giant hulking tank class champion who has a plentiful health pool and is able to obliterate enemies in his way with his charge ultimate. Truth be told Scalebearer is probably my favorite champion in the game with the versatility that his kit can provide.
Quake Champions exited closed beta last August and has been available in Early Access ever since. It does make use of micro-transactions and blind RNG boxes (both provided for “free” and paid with in-game currency for real money). We’ve covered in the past why RNG boxes in AAA games can set a bad precident and be harmful to players in general but also those with addictive tendencies.
Daybreak Studios announced this morning that their once highly popular battle royale title, H1Z1: Battle Royale would no longer have an entry fee. As of today H1Z1: Battle Royale will be free to play on Steam.
For players who purchased the game for $19.99 USD between the games’ split from H1Z1: Just Survive in January 2016 and today’s free to play launch will receive a special “H1Z1 Appreciation Pack” which includes the following:
Gasrunner Hoodie
Bloom Survivor T-Shirt
Splinter Camo ARV
10 Victory Crates
10,000 Skulls
Editor’s Note: H1Z1 does use the much maligned and manipulative “loot box” mechanic which ties to drops with RNG (random number generated) aspects. Meaning you’ll pay cash up front and recieve pretty much anything in the box. Loot boxes are specifically designed to manipulate the customer into buying “just one more” and it’s a topic I’ve covered extensively.
In terms of the number of concurrent players actually waiting it out in the post apocalyptic world of H1Z1: Just Survive – according to stat tracking service Steam Charts the most popular month for the game was July 2017 when an average of 86,807 players would be trying to survive at any given moment. The player count steadily declined over the next six months with the past 30 days (prior to F2P) with an average of just 7,261 players at any given time. With just a few hours in, the playerbase has already more than doubled with 21,000 players online as of press time.
Also announced today was a partnership with Facebook for the H1Z1: Pro League which will feature 15 teams during its inaugural season.
Kakao Games announced that they are making the 2nd anniversary of the launch of Black Desert Online in North America with a special “apreciation gift” for all players on March 7th. This free gift will enable players to claim a free boss level weapon and accessory – so there’s some sought after loot being given out to mark the occasion. Subscribers, Buy to Play and even Trial Account players are eligible for the appreciation gift, so if you want to get it on this freebie make sure to sign up for Black Desert Online before Wednesday.
The March 7th game update also includes a brand new UI and Mini-map (which honestly was one of my biggest complaints when I tried it out back in January 2017). New skills will also be added for all playable classes with this next patch in addition to the Spanish localization going live.
In the past 24 months over 3 million people have purchased Black Desert Online and actively play the game. With its focus on swift action based combat, eschewing the traditional character leveling system for one based off of the gear your character equips and the often talked about flexible character creator – BDO has certainly found a niche for itself among the other MMO offerings out there.
Alongside the trailer you can see embedded above and all of the news surrounding the free anniversary gifts, the dev team also released a series of info-graphics that depict some interesting facts about the EU and NA region. While North America has a larger population than Europe, North Americans spend significantly more time in BDO when expressed as total playtime in years across the region. While NA has the lead in playtime, EU has the lead in mounts with significantly more horses than the actual player population. In North America there are literally tens of thousands of characters who haven’t collected their first mount.
The Jurassic World: Evolution park keeps growing bigger and bigger as Frontier Developments has added another dinosaur to the stable: the long-necked Brachiosaurs. Previously we’ve seen the Ankylosaurus and Stegosaurus, as well as the Triceratops and Ceratosaurus. We’ve seen a lot of herbivores, maybe soon they’ll get into the carnivores!
Jurassic World: Evolution is expected to release sometime this summer on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
Arc System Works America announced today the three new fighters joining the BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle line up in the DLC Character Pack 1.
The characters joining in the battle are Platinum the Trinity (BlazBlue), Kanji Tatsumi (Persona 4 Arena), and Orie (Under Night In-Birth).
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle features a dream-team roster of characters that have never before been gathered in a single 2D fighting game. Featuring fighters pulled from the BlazBlue, Persona 4 Ultimate Arena, UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH EXE: LATE, and the RWBY universes, Cross Tag Battle‘s 2v2 tag based combat is perfect for fans of the genre. BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle will be released on June 5th, 2018 on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam (PC).
