The Australian Classification Board has rated Shining Resonance Re:frain, the latest game from the long-running Shining franchise. The game has been given a classification of Mature, which is only suitable for audiences 15 or older. The application is listed under Sega of America.
Needless to say, it's a good sign that an international release may be in the works.
Following his work on Hyper Light Drifter, Teddy Dief left Heart Machine in May 2016 to take on a creative director role at Square Enix Montreal, the studio known for Hitman Go, Lara Croft Go, and Deus Ex Go. For almost two years now, he's been making an unannounced game with a team that includes Fez programmer Renaud Bédard. What's it about? Well, we'll just have to continue wondering.
Writing on his blog, Dief has revealed his decision to leave the creative director "dream role" at Square Enix Montreal and return to "full-time indie development" back in Los Angeles.
"My team were working on a game that I deeply wish we could have shared with you," he said. "But the business strategy of the studio shifted, and our project was sadly no longer compatible. Thankfully, the talented team remain employed and valued, assigned to other projects. Because of this shift and the loss of our project, I no longer feel this is the place for me to pursue the type of work I aspire to make - the avenues of storytelling in game design I've been trying to explore in my career."
"We're certainly not the first team to lose a project," he added. "I'm a thousand times more privileged than most, and grateful for every beat of this games life. I'm eager to move forward."
Just knowing who was contributing to the game, I'm bummed it won't see the light of day. That said, this change of plans could have turned out worse, and I am eager to see what Dief will get up to next.
Leaving Square Enix Montreal [Teddy Dief]
Not many people realize this, but Celeste has quite the history behind it. Starting as a small project during a game jam, creator Matt Thorson later expanded the game into the release we now know and love. Obviously there are references strewn about the experience to remind us of the original prototype, but you can also play that original version in all of its indie glory from within the new game.
Accessing it is as simple as finding the Easter Egg within the title and walking up to an old PC. From there, you can play out the entire prototype, if you so wish. I love when developers do things like this; I'm a huge proponent of preserving video game history, so this just makes me smile.
Earlier today, Bandai Namco released five minutes of footage for the upcoming New Gundam Breaker, giving us our first good look at the game itself and the localization. The footage focuses around the three-on-three mode, which is brand new to the game. You can take a look at the footage in all of its plastic model glory below.
It sure is similar and different from Gundam Breaker 3, to say the least.
Maiev, like every other Warcraft III hero that isn't currently implemented in Heroes of the Storm, was a long time coming. The warden that once bested Illidan is back, and she's bringing her famous knives and fancy footwork along with her.
Like the vast majority of combatants added since the launch of Johanna in the full release, she's worth picking up.
Earlier this week, the eagle-eyed VR Focus caught wind of two patents filed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, which look suspiciously like motion controllers. It's too early to tell whether these are our first looks at an entirely new one for PlayStation VR. But it's been eight years since the Move controllers first hit the market, so these may inform the design of the models Sony eventually develops to follow up on its aging VR wands.
Via: VR Focus
Source: IP Force patent No. 2018-735, IP Force patent No. 2018-500674
The number-one thing to know about Sea of Thieves? You can load yourself into a cannon and have your buddy fire you over islands and, presumably, onto other player-controlled ships if you're aimed well.
The number-two thing to know? You can get wasted, stumble around, and vomit on your friends. Doing so obscures their vision. Better yet, you can throw up into a bucket, save it for later, and toss the weaponized barf when the situation calls for it. In short, Sea of Thieves is a game about hijinks.
Brett, Ray, and I took a break from our usual PUBG shenanigans to form a crew in the Sea of Thieves beta. They're much better at solving riddles than me and I'm thankful to have them in my (pirate) life.
I'm a bit worried about burnout with this game, but it's sure going to be a joy while it lasts.
For the most part when I'm done creating a character, I'm pretty happy playing with it through eternity. But for a lot of people that's not the case, as some may change their look and want their avatar to keep up with the times.
If that's you, you may have to wait a bit for Monster Hunter: World to accommodate your needs. At the moment you can only slightly alter your character, but according to producer Ryozo Tsujimoto in an interview with Game Watch Impress, that could change. When asked about the feature Tsujimoto said plainly, "You can’t redo it, but when making a character you can check their expressions, so you might want to do that first while making a character. However, if there’s enough demand for it then I’ll put it under consideration."
In the meantime he recommends that you check the lightning values in the creation process, and be extra sure you want to go with that particular look.
Monster Hunter: World [Game Watch Impress via Siliconera]
If you love cat ladies and are a fan of visual novels, Nekopara is basically your heaven. The game is an H-Game from Japan where you take in some catgirls and then have sex with them. It is certainly a thing that exists in this world and we're all the better for it. The only problem is that the games have been relegated to PC, meaning you can't experience them out in public for the world to see...until now!!!
As announced by the official Nekoworks Twitter account, Nekopara will be heading to PS4 and Switch this year. They are currently only planned for the Japanese market, but seeing as how the games are currently available on Steam in the US, I'm almost certain we'll be seeing these titles in the West.
This new port will include a new theme song, some additional CG renders and even a brand new episode! I'm mostly surprised that Nintendo is allowing a hentai game on its console, but maybe it will be heavily censored like the current Steam release.
Hearthstone has gone through a lot of changes in the past (nearly) four years it's been out. I'm not just talking about balance and card alterations, but multiple fundamental shakeups, including the introduction of the popular season collectible card game (CCG) format that occasionally relegates your old cards to the unofficial "wild" format.
While that mostly impacts the competitive side, Blizzard has also been steadily producing single-player content, which kicked off in earnest with the first adventure pack -- Curse of Naxxramas, released four months after the base game in 2014.
I sat down with lead missions designer Dave Kosak to get a sense of where Blizzard has been, and where they're going with adventures.
SNK is reviving The King of Fighter 97 with online support. Dubbed Global Match, the only details we know are that the game is coming in the Spring and will be available on PS4, PS Vita and PC. I suppose we also know it has online, but that kind of goes without saying.
I'm mostly surprised that 97 is the one making the jump to current-gen consoles. I've always been under the impression that 98 was considered the best of the series, but I suppose fans have their preference for whichever year of the game. There are so many King of Fighters games that are similar that they kind of bleed together in my mind.
SNK Reveals The King Of Fighters ‘97 Global Match At EVO Japan 2018 [Siliconera]
When it comes to Splatfest themes in Japan, they tend to be a little more esoteric than in the Western world. Many times they have been sponsored by franchises, or have featured some cross-promotion, and this recently announced contest is no different.
In Japan, Splatoon has its own manga adaptation, which appears in popular publication CoroCoro magazine. The new Splatfest is related to the manga's fight between two factions: an established, upmarket team of expert players and their rag-tag, misfit opponents.
Whilst multiple outlets have translated this Splatfest differently -- Champions vs Challengers, Royals vs Rebels etc -- essentially this comes down to "Do you back the established, untouchable champions or the plucky, brave underdogs?"
It isn't quite as painfully one-sided as Marvel's Civil War event, but it's still kinda weighted. I can only assume most people would back underdogs over the established order. To be honest, it's not a particularly fun topic. Regardless, we'll find out who takes the gong when the new Splatfest goes live in Japan, February 3 at 15:00 JST.
Splatoon 2 is available now on Nintendo Switch.
I first got into Lord of the Rings Online by way of a giveaway (which I won at Destructoid when I was a reader!) that granted me a copy of it. I loved it, but didn't stick with it. Turbine, and now Standing Stone Games, did.
Staggeringly the MMO went through five different publishers on its journey to the Mordor expansion late last year, a whole 11 years after it initially launched. After multiple requests from my colleagues and fellow Tolkien fans to jump back into the realm of Middle-earth, I decided to catch up with all of the fellowships that were still enjoying it.
Over the weekend, French online retailers Micromania posted a pre-order listing for a Nintendo Switch release of the adorably grim Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony.
The murderous visual novel, which released on PS4, PS Vita and PC last year, received plaudits from critics and fans alike for its blackly-comic storytelling, great visuals and magnetic cast of characters, even ending up on multiple Best of the Year nominee lists.
The Micromania listing included a mock-up of the supposed packaging, featuring the alternate cover for the console releases, and even a release date of July 20. The listing was then removed, but not before think-fast shoppers took a screen grab, which can be seen below.
It's worth noting that publishers NIS America have a press conference scheduled for the start of February, so perhaps this mystery will be solved, or debunked entirely, at that event.
Danganronpa V3 for Switch appears on Micromania [NintendoSoup]
Back in 1982, Activision verified the fastest time on its Dragster video game on the Atari 2600. The record belonged to Todd Rogers, with a time of 5.51 minutes. According to Twin Galaxies, the current holders of the applicable video game records, this score was also acknowledged by Guinness World Records. In 2017, however, Twin Galaxies member Dick Moreland officially disputed Rogers' time, citing analysis by Eric Koziel that showed such a time was mathematically impossible. Twin Galaxies has now decided to remove all of Rogers' score and ban him from future participation in any of its competitive leaderboards.
Via: Polygon
Source: Twin Galaxies
"PC, PS4, Xbox One and...Nintendo Switch?" As I've said many times before I've typed out the three systems more times than I can count, typically leaving out "Wii U" and "Switch" for many years. But nearly every week another publisher steps in and says enough, and either pledges to support a Nintendo system, or toys with the idea.
Epic Games is the culprit this time, as Donald Mustard, worldwide creative director for the company, answered a fan inquiry regarding the Switch. When asked, Mustard stated that Epic is interested on bringing the game to the system, stating "hopefully we do that at some point!" It's not a confirmation that it's even in the works, but this is how talks with Nintendo start if Epic thinks it could be a profitable endeavor and their team is up to the task. Hey, many studios have outright said "our project isn't possible on the Switch, period," so this isn't a shutdown.
The only holdup would be cross-play. Currently Sony is still holding out, even going so far as the only major publisher not participating in Minecraft's massive cross-play initiative that involves Apple (iOS) and Google (Android). If someone, one day can convince them, gaming would enter a bright new era where nearly anyone on any platform could theoretically play with each other.
Donald Mustard [Twitter]
Every year, game publishers put out Game of the Year editions, typically chock full of all the downloadable content that's come out since the initial release along with new packaging to proclaim its "of the year" status. Some titles even get new content to entice customers into buying an older game.
But what, exactly, does it mean to be a Game of the Year? And according to who exactly? Is there a regulating body that protects consumers from games that were not, in fact, that good? You might think of the "Game of the Year" term as an implication of quality, right? It turns out that — like most marketing — it's largely meaningless. And countless gaming outlets name their own "Games of the Year," further confusing things.
We reported last week on how card-thrower Oswald would be making his return to the ring in King of Fighters XIV. Well, it appears he's not alone, as SNK confirmed at EVO Japan that, in April, three more DLC characters will be joining the team-fighting title.
Similar to the game's last batch of DLC characters -- which included Whip, Vanessa and Yamazaki -- a strange hybrid silhouette has been unveiled, with the previously confirmed Oswald already filled in. It is also worth noting that KoF XIV is still to receive its Saudi-Arabian character, Najd, a fan-created fighter who won a contest held in 2017.
When the previous DLC silhouette was shown, I pretty much nailed everyone in it. But this new one has me kind of stumped. You can see Najd's feathered clothing, but that's about the only other figure I can make out. I wonder if the often requested Adelheid will make his return? Or hell... maybe it'll just be the entire USA Sports team.
I completely forgot about this one, but Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition is coming very, very soon. As in, February 9 soon. As a reminder (and if the "pocket" moniker didn't give it away), it's slated to arrive on Android and iOS devices as a sort of miniature take on XV proper.
It'll be spread across 10 chapters, the first two of which are free. The App Store description calls the chibi art "cute and cool," but I'd be more inclined to just say they're uniquely weird. Allegedly this edition will tell the entire story of XV, which goes to some dark places at times -- so I wonder how they'll handle the whole chibi thing.
This whole affair is still so bizarre, as this feels like the millionth spinoff or side project relating to XV.
Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition [Apple Store]
I don't know if any of you are aware of this, but Monster Hunter World is pretty god damn amazing. It's my first big dive into the series and in between carving up Jargas I started to really enjoy watching those Palico Chefs prepare my monstrous meals.
Looking back cooking has always played an important role in Monster Hunter, but with a game this visually impressive it looks like Capcom decided to go the extra mile and make it as over the top as possible. That Palico chef makes a mean grilled Rathalos, and with cooking of this caliber, there's only one logical next step. We need a Monster Hunter cooking game.
All of the work that Capcom has put into Monster Hunter: World for the past four years seems to have paid off. As announced this morning after the worldwide release of World last Friday, the single iteration has now shipped five million units worldwide, a number that includes digital sales. This is for PS4 and Xbox One, the latter of which Capcom specifies is only available in North America and Europe (Capcom also reminds us that the PC version is due this fall).
According to the publisher this is the biggest three day series debut in its history, which to date has sold "more than 45 million units" if you include the five from World. Capcom has really been on the up and up the past few years, re-salvaging the Resident Evil series with 7 to high critical reception and great sales figures, and finally succeeding in pushing Monster Hunter in the west on a massive scale.
If Mega Man 11 does well I think a lot of people are going to change their perception of the company.
Monster Hunter: World Ships 5 Million Units! [Capcom]
Final Fantasy XV is full of surprises, and one of those was easily the out of nowhere Assassin's Creed event. While Creed is no stranger to crossing over into other Japanese franchises (even if it's for a little gag), this time it was a full-on festival, with loot, quests, and a town remodel.
Sadly, Square Enix has confirmed that the festival is ending on January 31, so if you want to get in on the action, you should boot up your game soon-ish. The timing is a little unfortunate as the PC version is set to release in just a month, possibly without this fun event.
While a lot of fans are writing into Square Enix noting that they assumed the DLC was going to be perpetually available, I kind of assumed that due to rights issues, it was always a limited time thing. It could, however, return at some point.
Final Fantasy XV [Twitter]
As predicted, this week sees a shake-up in the UK Charts, with some long-termers dropping out of the Top Ten to make way for some of the biggest new releases of 2018 so far.
Both Capcom's Monster Hunter: World and Bandai Namco's Dragon Ball FighterZ saw amazing success, debuting at numbers one and two respectively. The new games leap-frogged Activision's Call of Duty: WWII and EA's FIFA 18, which have both held an impressive monopoly on the top spots since release.
This week also sees Star Wars Battlefront II and Assassin's Creed: Origins drop out of the Top Ten, while debuts are made by Rocket League's physical edition and Sony's creepy VR horror title, The Inpatient. Pokemon Crystal Version also put in a strong showing at number twelve. Further down the charts, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition appeared at number thirty, showing that the revamp of the controversial title has scored some new customers.
Ubisoft games, for better or worse (in the case of Assassin's Creed Origins' engaging world, better), are packed with open world content. Sometimes it's pin on the map busywork sometimes there's a concerted amount of effort put into it, but I've generally been enjoying most of the things Origins throws at me.
That's why I'm not super hard-pressed for a New Game+ mode at the moment, but according to community manager Dominik Voigt, it is coming. Speaking to fans on reddit who were asking about the mode, Voigt stated, New Game + is coming. We’ll have more information to share soon.”
This is in addition to the rad looking museum mode that's coming for free, all the other free content updates, and the rest of the season pass. Origins has knocked it out of the park after a few polarizing Creed releases, and I hope Ubisoft takes their time on the next one so they don't erase all this good will.
New Game + [Reddit]
We've just seen off 2018's first big gaming weekend, with the release of two major titles that have had people frothing at the mouth for months and months. Capcom finally unleashed its epic adventure Monster Hunter: World, while Bandai Namco launched a ball of fury in the shape of Dragon Ball FighterZ.
Thus, the Destructoid community was pretty quiet Friday through Sunday, save for people jumping in the Qposts to show off their custom hunter designs. Someone must've bought the damn thing as Capcom have been boasting of five million sales already.
I myself was too poor for either game (yeah, you better get that violin out) so instead I tried my hand at Rainbow Six: Siege, whereupon I was filled with more lead than a pencil factory. Age has severely tempered my trigger finger.
But, how about the rest of you? Did you succumb to the first "big release" weekend of the new year? Share with us your experience so far, whether you picked up Monster Hunter: World, Dragon Ball FighterZ, both, or all three.
I don't have to write about Jumanji this week!
Ever since Hunger Games tore through the box office every studio out there has been trying to make their own dystopian film series based off a young adult novel, and mostly the failed. Half of them never got sequels, and those that did petered out pretty spectacularly. And the last horse has finally crossed the finish line.
With The Maze Runner: The Death Cure claiming the number one spot this weekend it can claim a decent opening box office, but this trilogy has fallen pretty hard with the third film bringing in 25 percent less than its predecessor. That's not disappointing for the studio since it was expected, but hopefully it means we'll get a little break on the YA adaption films as studios actually look to see if a franchise has enough legs and quality to pull it through an entire trilogy.
Oh no, wait. We're getting a The Darkest Minds adaptation this year.
Also, A Wrinkle in Time doesn't count because it was written before YA was even a thing... and it's awesome.
It looks like Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition, the mobile version of the console and PC game, is just around the corner. According to an App Store listing, it will hit iOS on February 9th for players who have an iPhone 6s or later, late model iPad or iPad Pro. The game also appeared on Google Play back in August last year, and while the release date isn't mentioned there, you can pre-register to find out when it arrives.
Via: MCVUK
Source: Apple Store
