Final Fantasy Explorers Gets Western Release Date
Square Enix has announced Final Fantasy Explorers will arrive in North America on January 26 and in Europe on January 29.
The action-RPG, which has been described as Crystal Chronicles meets Monster Hunter, originally launched in Japan back in December 2014.
The game tasks players with searching for crystals while fighting Summons, the magical creatures that have appeared in Final Fantasy titles since FF III. Like many other entries in the FF universe, Explorers will allow players to choose from and level up a variety of jobs including Black Mage, White Mage, Knight and Monk. You'll be able to play the game alone, or with up to three friends.
Koei Tecmo Announces Arslan: The Warriors of Legend
Koei Tecmo has announced Arslan: The Warriors of Legend, a tactical action game based on The Heroic Legend of Arslan novellas.
For those who don’t know, The Heroic Legend of Arslan is a Japanese fantasy series written by Yoshiki Tanaka. The first entry into the now 14 novel series was released back in 1986. Since its initial release Arslan has been adapted into anime numerous times, the most well-known of which being the 2013 manga series by Hiromu Arakawa in Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine.
As the story goes, a young prince by the name Arslan is forced out of his kingdom after his father suffers a betrayal, and is soon after defeated. It’s then up to Arslan, and a group of companions, to reforge an army in the hopes of regaining his father’s lost throne.
Here’s When Tropico 5 Is Coming to Xbox One
Tropico 5 is coming to Xbox One in early 2016.
The Tropico 5 Xbox One Edition contains the full version of the game, plus the Waterborne expansion pack and the Bayo del Ofato, Big Cheese, Mad World, Generalissimo and Joint Venture add-ons.
You'll also receive "exclusive Xbox One sandbox maps", a new "controller-optimised" user interface, and Xbox Live Achievements.
We gave Tropico 5 a solid 7.2 score in our review, saying: "there is a lot that I like about Tropico 5, and it will probably hold my interest far longer than Tropico 4 did.
Total War: Warhammer Gameplay Revealed
Creative Assembly has released the first gameplay footage for Total War: Warhammer.
The video, which you can see below, is a developer walkthrough of a set-piece battle called The Battle of Black Fire Pass. It's apparently a Quest Battle - "available specifically to Karl Franz, it represents one of many bespoke, optional encounters players will unlock as they progress through a campaign with their chosen Legendary Lord."
It's safe to say the battle between the Greenskins and the Empire is suitably impressive, from heaps of custom characters and animations to breathtaking spell effects. Be warned - there's also giant spiders.
So check it out below, and remember a cinematic in-engine version of the battle is already available. This is also the demo we saw at E3 2015, so be sure to check out our thoughts.
We Watched a Virtual Reality Movie on Oculus
While the Oculus Rift VR headset is certainly an exciting prospect for video games, its creators are also out to prove it can do some special stuff for movies. An animated short film titled Henry had me inside the brightly decorated home of a hedgehog celebrating his birthday. But there are no guests, you see, because Henry’s spiky body stabs anyone he hugs. This short isn’t about wonder or horror like the Oculus Story Studio’s previous effort, Lost, but instead generating emotions in the viewer.
“I started developing Henry with the idea of exploring empathy in VR. How you feel for a character in a VR space,” director Ramiro Lopez Dau, a former animator at Pixar, said. “I think it’s one of the most basic questions of storytelling -- How do you connect with the character? Is it possible? How is it going to feel? -- because you are in the same space as the characters.”
Comic Book Reviews for July 29, 2015
DC Comics tossed a bunch of annuals our way, giving Lobo, Batgirl, Deathstroke, The Flash, and Gotham By Midnight the oversized story treatment. There were also big chapters for Batgirl and Superman, the latter of whose mysterious changes are still, well, a mystery.
Marvel kept Secret Wars going strong while ending Black Widow and delivering the penultimate chapter of Daredevil. And of course we have to mention Ben Kenobi striking back in a standalone Star Wars chapter.
The other publishers were out in full force, delivering issues for The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Casanova, Red Sonja, and more.
Check out all of our reviews then, as always, let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Jump: The First-Person VR Game From Ex-Destiny Developers
Endeavor One is a new studio formed from and ex-Destiny and Halo developers at Bungie, as well as former Valve folks; after 10 months of development the team has released their first VR game for PC, Jump, a $10 first-person platformer set in real cities. Studio Co-Founder Thomas Doyle told IGN that Jump is one of several VR projects the team is working on, and that it’s designed with an "App Store VR" approach.
"In contrast to a big $60 AAA game,
is this really awesome 5-10 minute experience," Doyle said. "It’s a small, succinct product that provides a pretty awesome experience."
It was created in less than a year, and before a commercial VR headset is even available on the market, but Jump represents a specific focus for Endeavor One. Doyle’s team is exploring non-VR titles as well, but Doyle said the team is excited to "turn things on their ear" with "new story and gameplay experiences we want to bring to bear in VR."
Smash Bros Creator Speaks About Iwata Funeral
Masahiro Sakurai has spoken about his time at Satoru Iwata's funeral earlier this month.
"The smiling face of Mr. Iwata surrounded by flowers was a very nice picture," Sakurai wrote in his Famitsu column.
Sakurai was given one of the guest seats at Iwata's funeral, which took place along with the wake on July 16 and 17.
According to Kotaku, Sakurai was unable to look away from the casket. "Inside there was the still body of Mr. Iwata... He was probably dressed in traditional white funeral garb, his glasses removed, and his nose stuffed
Top Gear’s Clarkson, Hammond and May Sign Amazon Deal
Former Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have signed up with Amazon to create a new motoring show.
The new program is planned to rival the BBC's Top Gear and will be broadcast on Amazon's on-demand TV service after the trio opted not to partner with either ITV or Netflix. Former executive producer Andy Wilman will also be joining the trio for the deal.
The new show doesn't have a name yet, but the deal is apparently for three series with the first to be shot later this year and released in 2016. It'll be available exclusively to Amazon Prime subscribers.
Jeremy Clarkson was dumped from Top Gear in March following a physical attack on a producer. The outspoken TV star was originally suspended by the BBC following a “fracas” with a co-worker, before it was determined he couldn't remain on the show. Hammond and May chose to leave alongside him.
Five Nights at Freddy’s Dev Responds to His Fans and Haters
Fight Nights at Freddy’s developer Scott Cawthon has penned a heartfelt response to the game’s community, thanking players for their support while also reprimanding his haters.
“First of all, I wanted to thank the community in general for the huge outpouring of support through emails and in the forums,” writes Cawthon. “I know a lot of you are concerned about me or think that I’m stressed out.
“It’s true that I’m stressed a little; but it’s ok because the result was good. I’ve worked very hard this year, almost non-stop, to produce good games for this series. Even though there may be some debate as to how ‘good’ the games are, I did my best to provide some good scares and a good story. All I can do is judge from the Steam reviews that I’ve been mostly successful; so I’m very happy about that.”