It's going to take a little longer to lift the anchor on Skull and Bones. This ship's not quite ready to sail.
As part of its fiscal year report and projected outlook, Ubisoft has delayed Skull and Bones. The stated reason was to "give itself more time to develop Skull and Bonesto offer players an even more engaging experience." It'll now release sometime during the following fiscal year, which ranges from April 1, 2019 through March 31, 2020.
This delay was probably easy enough to predict. We've heard virtually nothing about Skull and Bones since its reveal at E3 last year. Its Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag-like multiplayer pirate combat has a strong and proven core, but it might be hard-pressed to carry an entire game. It sounds as if Ubisoft is retooling things so as to make it feel less bare bones (excuse the pun). If so, that's something we'll likely be introduced to at this year's E3.
Atlus' revamped edition of their heavy-hitting adventure title Dragon's Crown is now available on PS4. A new commercial, released by the publisher, shows that true love can bloom, even on the battlefield.
It basically sees a happy-go-lucky couple explaining the ups and downs of a modern-day relationship, interspersed with their dungeon-crawling antics as Wizard and Elf (Two ranged characters? You're kidding me, right?)
It's a fun, silly couple of minutes, but does feature an awesome and creepy "Gazer," one of Dragon's Crown's more terrifying creatures, as well as confronting the relationship issues that can arise from simply having too much loot.
Dragon's Crown Pro is available now on PS4. It features new 4K visuals, a fully re-orchestrated score, and cross-play with the original PS3 and PS Vita editions, released back in 2013.
Moving it from PS2 to PC to the Xbox 360 (as the system's first MMO no less). It got its last expansion in 2015, a whopping 13 years later, and though the console edition servers were turned off the game still lives on in PC form, and will be getting a mobile port. It's now officially two years older than World of Warcraft -- let that sink in.
While reflecting on all this, Square Enix has made note of several fan requests, and they're pretty interesting. For one people have been wanting a PS4 port, as well as an offline version of the game. Final Fantasy XI's director Yoji Fujito has acknowledged those requests, but explains that his team is small and that would require a lot of "scratch" building to make it happen. They are on his radar though, and they plan to keep supporting XI with more content, both in terms of narrative and non-narrative events.
Having played XI I know how monumental this task would be, and a lot of mechanics and zones would need to be changed so they actually made sense in the context of a solo player. But still, it could be done, and if enough people want it we could eventually see a remastered edition of XI.
Idea Factory International have announced (via their shiny new website) that the currently in development action RPG Brave Neptune: World & Universe! Pay Attention!! Ultimate RPG Declaration! will be coming to the West under the name Super Neptunia RPG.
Not only that, but it appears that fans won;t have very long to wait at all for the localisation, as the game is expected to hit North American and European shores in Fall, which is in alignment with the game's previously noted Korean release date. Super Neptunia RPG will feature Japanese and English dubs, along with English and French subtitles.
Developed by Quebec's Artisan Studios, Super Neptunia RPG is an action title that blends 2D adventure with turn-based battles, as the players guide the amnesiac Nep-Nep - alongside her lifelong pals Vert, Noire and Blanc - through a series of enemy-filled labyrinths, making pals, kicking ass and eating pudding en route.
Super Neptunia RPG is scheduled to release worldwide on PS4 and Switch in late 2018.
While the main star of Black Ops 4 will undoubtedly be the "Blackout" battle royale mode, the game will also feature a more traditional multiplayer suite. Activision revealed a lot of specifics about how guns will handle and some other various tweaks they are making to the flow of combat. Most of this went completely over my head, but here is a general list of the changes you can expect in Black Ops 4.
As part of Activision's big reveal for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, it was announced that the PC version would be available exclusively on Battle.net platform.
This will be the first Call of Duty title to appear on the Blizzard platform, which also welcomed sci-fi shooter Destiny 2 to its ranks last year. A Behind-the-Scenes video, which can be seen below, also showcased the extended efforts being paid to make Black Ops 4 on PC the best PC port to date.
The video features talking heads such as Overwatch directer Jeff Kaplan talking about the intricate detailing going into the PC edition of Black Ops 4. This includes 4K graphics, HDR, fluid animations and realistic mechanics, such as the game's all new "predictive recoil" system, which allows you to adjust aiming mid-burst to correct your bullet-spraying accuracy.
If only they'd give that shit to Sombra.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches on PS4, PC and Xbox One on October 12.
If you've seen my gaming collection, you know I'm a big fan of bead art. It's a weird me thing for sure, but I find some of the most obscure characters through it that make me smile -- what can I say?
I'm definitely not the only one though, as tons of people are currently enjoying this beaded Link from Bgoodfinger, done in the style of Hyrule Warriors. Its creator notes that Link was made from exactly 8,446 beads, and that their next work involves Zelda (7,876) and Ganondorf (22,765).
What I really like about this project is that it looks distinctly different from Nintendo's design, and could be the basis for a 2D fighter sprite. If you want to make them on you own, bead artists use Perler beads in the US, hold them with peg boards, place ironing/wax paper on top, then use a device like an iron to get them to stay together (most artists I've spoken to suggest using an iron with a steamless setting).
While zombies being present in Black Ops 4 was kind of a given, Activision confirmed during today's reveal event that three different zombie maps will launch with the game. Each will feature wildly different themes and have distinct player characters as well as feature bot support for solo players. Along with that, there will be weekly challenges for zombies mode alongside a whole host of customization options. If you feel the game is getting too easy, you can customize the parameters for player health, zombie damage, zombie speed, etc.
As part of today's big Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 reveal, Activision announced what everyone was kind of expecting for some time: an all new Battle Royale mode, replacing the single-player campaign in the upcoming military shooter.
Officially titled Blackout, the mode will drop players into huge maps in typical Last Man Standing gameplay. Blackout will feature weapons and characters taken from the campaigns of the entire Black Ops series. As long as that exploding RC Car is in the mix. I'm happy.
A new trailer was released to introduce the mode, which you can check out below. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches on PS4, PC and Xbox One on October 12.
The fourth installment of Call of Duty's Black Ops franchise has abandoned single-player in favor of a multiplayer-only focus...including a battle royale mode. Yes, the series is cashing in on the last-player-standing mode made popular by Fortnite and PUBG, but it's also got more Zombies experiences and traditional multiplayer content. And like Destiny 2 before it, Activision's latest game will run online play through Blizzard's Battle.net platform. The game is slated for release on October 12th.
Fortnite fans who have been anxious to find out how they truly measure up against the competition can do so right now with the game's first attempt at ranked play in a limited-time event. Epic Games also teased an announcement on competitive play for next week, so this seems like a dry run for a more substantial ranked mode and, eventually, a formal professional scene.
The next wave of characters for Bandai Namco's Dragon Ball FighterZ should be with us before the end of May, according to scans in Japan's latest V-Jump magazine.
DLC Pack 2, according to the article, will be arriving within the next couple of weeks, bringing with it the two recently-revealed fighters: Vegito Blue and Fused Zamasu. Vegito Blue, aka Vegito Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, appeared in a trailer in which he was formed via the dick-smashing action of Goku and Vegita, leading to the creation of the almighty fighter.
Fused Zamasu is, of course, another blended character, created by the fusion of Future Zamasu and Goku Black, who himself is present-day Zamasu in Goku's stolen body... I think. Both of these characters were capable of untold destruction in their source material, but who knows whether that will translate to the tag-fighter's competitive scene.
DLC Pack 2, featuring Fused Zamasu and Vegito Blue should be available on PS4, PC and Xbox One by the end of May.
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is nearly here, and it will bring Arc System Works into the full Switch fray when it actually hits. As of right now the Switch edition is set for the same June 5 release as the PC and PS4 versions, which is a big deal when it comes to the viability of the system as it pertains to fighting games.
For now Arc is giving us a closer look at RWBY, the anime team from Rooster Teeth that's making its way in as DLC -- both paid and free. To re-iterate Blake and Yang will be available to download for free, a consolation prize of sorts for the original muddled DLC message that rocked the internet a while back, while Ruby and Weiss will remain premium DLC.
For those of you unaware, RWBY is a western anime that debuted in 2013 that features hunter heroines battling evil creatures. The reason they're in? Toshimichi Mori, creator of BlazBlue, is a huge fan of the series.
Activision is holding a reveal event for Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII today. Going live in just 15 minutes, we'll finally get to see some gameplay from the Roman numeral ignoring entry in the series. This will either confirm or deny rumors that a campaign mode has been dropped in favor of battle royale, so I'm sure Activision is going to address that immediately.
You can check out the event on the official Call of Duty website. Just to clarify, it will be going live at 1:00 pm EST.
Since Arc System Works' crossover fighter BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle launched its demo and beta, clever modders have been digging around in its data to hunt for secrets and surprises, already uncovering the game's potential DLC list.
This is really something else though. Sound files of the game's announcer shouting out character names include callouts for "Asuka" and "Yumi". While both these names are common in Japanese fiction and media, it's of note that they are also the names of two popular girls from the notorious Senran Kagura series.
Some fans have obviously gotten quite excited at this news, could a fifth franchise be joining Persona, RWBY, BlazBlue and Guilty Gear in this battle royale? However, letting the air out of the hype is an official spokesperson for the game who, on the official Steam page, passed off these soundbites as "leftover data" from brainstorming sessions. A video featuring the soundbites has since been pulled from YouTube.
Still, it's out there on the information superhighway now, so folk are gonna run with it. I don't care too much for the Senran Kagura titles myself, but I'm all for more brands joining this punch-up party. It's a shame "Asuka" likely isn't the badass WWE superstar. The Empress of Tomorrow should be in every video game.
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle launches on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch in Japan on May 31. It will follow a few days later on June 5 in North America, with Europe to follow sometime this Summer.
Oh hey, another big Switch day! It's a port, but it's a good one.
The Switch is getting Hyrule Warriors: Defintiive Edition tomorrow, as well as Runner3 on May 22, Little Nightmares, Mega Man Legacy Collection 1+2, NeoGeo Baseball Stars Professional, Banner Saga 1, Greco's Ghostly Challenge Addition + Division + Multiplication + Subtraction, Disco Dodgeball Remix, Fairune Collection, Framed Collection, Henry the Hamster Handler, Ice Cream Surfer, Invisiballs, Johnny's Turbo Arcade: Super Burger Time, Kitten Squad, Never Stop, White Night, and Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles.
If you're lucky enough to be attending E3 this year, with hopes of laying your hands on the new Smash Bros. title for Nintendo Switch, then you better make sure you have a ticket to play it, because that's now mandatory, brothers and sisters.
Anyone registering for E3 before May 29 should receive an email with details about signing up for one e-ticket to play the game. This process is mandatory as players will not be able to just walk up and play on the day, it seems. After application, you will then be sent a QR code which will be scanned in order to give you access to the highly-anticipated fighting game.
This process only applies to Smash Bros, all other Nintendo games will be available to play on the day on a first-come, first-served basis. In related news, anyone spotted wandering around playing their Switch console may bag themselves an exclusive pin from the Nintendo representatives in attendance.
You can find full details on the Smash Bros. ticketing system right here. E3 takes place at the Los Angeles Convention Center between June 12-14.
While mobile gaming is still home to some creative and unique experiences, recent times have seen the platform become overcrowded with microtransaction-laden experiences. This has led to a lot of great titles getting lost in the void of the App and Google Play stores. To combat this, a lot of publishers and developers have been porting their games to PC and consoles to let their hard work shine for an entirely new audience. FRAMED is one such title, which released on iOS in 2014 to wide critical acclaim and is now being made available on PC and Switch.
Being based on touch controls, the game is a perfect candidate for the transition to PC and Switch due to each format’s input devices. As far as I’m concerned, nothing was lost in the transition. FRAMED and its sequel remain every bit as charming, creative and enjoyable as they were originally.
Bandai Namco have announced the next character joining the roster of upcoming sword-and-sorcery fighter Soulcalibur VI. It's non-other than Tekken veteran Yoshimitsu, making yet another appearance on the Stage of History.
The head of the mysterious Manji clan returns to the ring, sword in hand, to lay watse to the opponent with his unique, often bizarre fighting techniques. As is always the case for the demon ninja, Yoshimitsu is rocking a whole new look for this, his sixth Soulcalibur appearance, having only been absent in the original 1995 release Soul Edge.
A new trailer was uploaded (then removed almost immediately) giving fans the opportunity to see Yoshimitsu in action, as well as showcasing his abstract Super, wherein he seemingly removes the soul from his opponent, before giving it a bit of the ol' slice-and-dice action.
Outside of Geralt of Rivia, we have so far seen only the traidtional poster characters, such as Siegfried, Ivy and Taki announced, for Soulcalibur VI, here's hoping some of the latter games' lesser-known cast members also put in an appearance.
Soulcalibur VI launches on PS4, PC and Xbox One later in 2018.
We could always use more rad pixel art driven games, no matter how much a lot of people push back on them. Back in 2016 the Wizard of Legend project launched on Kickstarter to accomplish just that, and after just one month the project was fully funded and then some.
Fast-forward to 2018 and they're delivering on their campaign in just under two years on just about every platform there is, including Switch, added in November of 2017, back when the game was originally estimated to launch.
Humble, the game's distributor, informed Destructoid that the game hit number two in the Steam Global Sales Charts at launch, and was number five on the US Switch eShop. As it turn sout Dale North, Destructoid's former EIC, also worked on the soundtrack for the game, so there's your big disclaimer there!
Super Monkey Ball: Sakura Edition was an iPad exclusive installment in the long running series that originally launched in 2010. It has now joined Sega's free mobile game initiative, Sega Forever, for Android and iOS devices. Sakura Edition features over 125 levels across six worlds with four characters, including series mainstay AiAi..
While the game is ad supported, you'll have the option of paying a single $1.99 fee to remove them for good. As with other Sega Forever titles, Super Monkey Ball: Sakura Edition will support Bluetooth controllers, leaderboards and cloud saving. This game also has three different local multiplayer modes (with an exclusive fourth for tablets), so you won't be at a loss for getting a quick game going with friends.
Yet another game on an old Nintendo system is being ported to Switch.
Nintendo announced this morning, in conjunction with Namco Bandai, that Go Vacation will be arriving on the Switch on July 27. It's packed with 50 minigames and will support solo and co-op play, with concessions for using the same Switch device or linking up locally via wireless.
While Nintendo is kind of presenting it as a new game in the trailer, Go Vacation's roots were planted all the way back in 2011 by Namco Bandai. It was originally released on the Wii as a follow-up to the We Ski subseries, and saw an international launch.
The OnePlus 6 is here! Check out our impressions below, but first take a look at Microsoft's new Xbox One controller that focuses on accessibility, and find out what's going on in the battle to save Net Neutrality.
Throughout gaming's storied history, there's been some wild hardware like N-Gage, the Barcode Battler and, more recently, Nintendo Labo. But we haven't seen anything quite like the Ocelot Arcade System, a homebrew console that uses an oscilloscope as its display. Yep, an oscilloscope. The console can display 3D vector graphics in real time and deliver four-channel polyphonic sound through a built-in amplifier and speaker.
Limited mobility gamers are an underserved segment of the video game-playing populace. There are controllers out there to serve different needs but they're often highly-specific, in short supply, and/or prohibitively expensive. Xbox just took a giant step toward eliminating those concerns.
As we first learned about in a leak earlier this week, Microsoft has developed an adaptive controller that's made to suit a broad range of physical limitations. It's approximately 11-inches long and 6-inches wide, and it's lightweight so as to cause as little strain as possible when holding it. It has two large buttons that can be mapped to any buttons on a normal Xbox One controller, a d-pad, a toggle for three custom button layouts, and two USB ports (one on each side).
However, it's the back of the accessibility controller that's truly special. Back there are 19 3.5mm ports, one for each input on an Xbox One controller. This is where players can plug in their existing controllers to instantly have it mapped to the correct function. In this sense, the adaptive controller is both a controller and a switch. It's meant to immediately cater to an individual's specific needs with as little hassle as possible.
Xbox has collaborated with a lot of people to make sure this controller would be as inclusive as possible. Non-profits AbleGamers Charity, The Cerebral Palsy Foundation, Craig Hospital, SpecialEffect, and Warfighter Engaged all helped in an advisory and playtesting capacity. There are also a number of third-party peripheral manufacturers whose accessibility devices have been made compatible; PDP's One-Handed Joystick for the Xbox Adaptive Controller, Logitech's Extreme 3D Pro Joystick, and Quadstick's Game Controller were all specifically mentioned but Xbox says there are more partner devices.
The Xbox Adaptive Controller will release later this year for $100.
Let me introduce you to The Refugees. They're a hardy bunch, ten survivors who banded together in an abandoned strip mall. Every member of their post-apocalyptic community brings a little something different to the table. Oscar, or Grouch as he likes to be called, fashions himself as a lawful sheriff, quick to lend aid to other pockets of humanity and always prepared to dish out justice. Terri is a bit of a loner; a former goth teen who's knows her way around a building's plumbing system.
For two straight weeks, The Refugees pushed back against a world where walking, talking, and even breathing are significant detriments to a happy and healthy life. But now they're doing alright. Life seems manageable. Oscar and his computer-loving pal Zeke rigged solar panels to their base, and a few others have secured more than enough food and medical supplies. Sure, there are zombies everywhere, but for now, The Refugees plan to feast. They all might be dead in the morning anyway. State of Decay 2 is brutal like that.
It took a few dozen hours to build up The Refugees' resources to the point where the survivors could afford to relax. State of Decay 2 is a game where progress is measured in inches rather than miles. As a genre-bending experience that's equal parts survival game, post-apocalyptic management sim, and action romp, State of Decay 2 has a steep barrier to entry. But to a certain kind of person -- one who finds careful planning and resource management just as exciting and lopping off a few hundred zombies' heads -- this might be one of the year's most entertaining games.
