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Nier: Automata, Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Lego Worlds, more added to PS Store
Big guns and big worlds lead the way in this week’s PlayStation Store update…
First up is Nier: Automata, an action RPG from Square Enix that was developed by Platinum Games. Available to download now for the PS4, Nier: Automata is a sequel to 2010’s Nier, and features a squad of androids attempting to take back Earth from an alien invaders.
Also available this week is Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands, which follows the titular special forces squad into Bolivia for a fight against the Santa Blanca cartel. Giving players the option to undertake any mission at any time, the PS4 shooter will offer a huge open world to go along with a series of visually-impressive gunfights.
And speaking of open world games, WB Games and TT Games have teamed up again to bring the huge toybox of Lego Worlds to the PS4. Players will be able to create anything they desire in Lego Worlds thanks to the game’s procedurally-generated universe that’s made entirely of Lego Bricks.
Finally this week, Koei Tecmo and Gust continue the Atelier series of RPGs on the PS4 and Vita with Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey. Like many RPGs, Atelier Firis follows a pair of sisters who are in search of crystals that are both mysterious and magical.
You can learn more about all of these games (and a few other new releases) after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Vita
Tagged Lego Worlds, Nier: Automata, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Sony will bring 26 playable PS4 games to PAX East 2017
Sony has announced (via the PlayStation Blog, naturally) that they’re bringing 26 PS4 games to this year’s PAX East convention.
By giving attendees more than two dozen demo options, Sony will be able to showcase a wide variety of titles at their booth including AAA blockbusters (Gran Turismo Sport and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy), highly-anticipated indie offerings (Cosmic Star Heroine, Tooth & Tail, and What Remains of Edith Finch), and a few PlayStation VR curiosities (Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin and Farpoint).
Here’s a full look at the 26 PS4 games Sony will bring to PAX East 2017 (though a few of them are also in development for the Vita):
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The 2017 PAX East convention will open its doors this Friday, March 10, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
Atlus released a new “Sizzle Trailer” today for Persona 5
Persona 5, the first numbered entry in the series since the PlayStation 2 era, is less than a month away from its arrival on the shelves of your local game retailer. To celebrate the impending launch, Atlus released a brand new trailer for the game today.
The “Sizzle Trailer,” as Atlus is calling it, provides prospective players with a bit more insight than previous trailers have, as fans will get the chance to see additional combat, classroom scenes, cutscenes, and skill building. Those who watch the trailer will even learn a little more about Persona 5’s storyline.
From what we’re able to gather, the game’s Protagonist will be a high school transfer student with a troubled reputation. Distancing itself from the countryside setting of Persona 4, Persona 5 takes place in the vibrant and bustling city of Tokyo, where the troubled youths form a group called the Phantom Thieves in an effort to change the world. However, stepping away from previous narratives, we can conclude that the incidents unfolding throughout the game will have a greater impact on things outside of Japan. What that will be, and how it will impact the storyline, remains to be seen.
But like previous entries in the Persona franchise, we know for certain that Persona 5 centers around a group of Japanese students who unlock the powers of their Persona by removing their social masks and embracing their true “self.”
Atlus has announced that they have more promotional material slated for release ahead of Persona 5’s launch for the PS4 and PS3 on April 4th. But for now, you can enjoy the above trailer and focus on finishing up Persona 4… if you haven’t already.
The Video Game Canon: Super Mario 64
Dig deeper into the Video Game Canon with an exploration of all the ways Nintendo tried to teach the world about 3D games with Super Mario 64. Here’s a teaser…
For Mario’s first foray into “The Third Dimension,” Nintendo wanted to ensure that everything was perfect. In fact, the Nintendo 64, its unique three-pronged controller, and the controller’s analog stick designed to better simulate 3D movement were all created with the needs of Super Mario 64 in mind.
Nintendo had good reason to be worried about getting all of the details just right, as most video gamers had never even seen a 3D platformer before Super Mario 64. Aside from a few experimental titles from the late 80s and early 90s, 3D movement was only found in a handful of titles on the market at the time, the most famous of which was probably EA’s Fade To Black. Naughty Dog’s Crash Bandicoot, which included pseudo-3D movement, beat Super Mario 64 to store shelves by about five weeks, but a majority of the game took place on a 2D plane.
So Nintendo used Super Mario 64 as an opportunity to introduce players to what was, in their mind, an entirely new genre. Shigeru Miyamoto’s exacting attention to detail helped mold every part of the game. The first interaction players had with the game was the appearance of an actual cameraman (Lakitu the Cloud), and instructions on how to control the camera’s angle with the diamond-shaped set of C-Buttons on the right side of the Nintendo 64 controller.
Actually, let me back up… the very first thing most players experienced after booting up Super Mario 64 was the interactive Mario face on the Title Screen. Miyamoto saw fit to even offer players a primer on polygons as the squares, rectangles, and rhombi that made up Mario’s face could be grabbed and manipulated in dozens of different ways. In a way, “It’s-a me, Mario! Hello!” was a coded message that encouraged players to jump right into this new 3D world.
Visit VideoGameCanon.com to continue reading this article and to explore the complete Top 1000.
Posted in DS, Features, Retro, Top Story, Video Game Canon, Wii, Wii U
Tagged Super Mario 64
“12 In 1” Retro Freak console launches exclusively throughout Europe
Those of us big on retro gaming had many consoles to play with before today including the RetroN 5, the RetroDuo, the SupaBoy, and the NES Classic Edition. But now, the retro gaming community can add another console to the list, the Retro Freak.
Sold exclusively throughout Europe at FunStock, the Retro Freak is a “12 In 1” retro gaming console that allows you to play all of your favorite classic video games from the PC Engine, TurboGrafx-16, Super Grafx, NES, Famicom, SNES, Super Famicom, Sega Genesis, Sega Mega Drive, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance. This is a big step up from other competing retro consoles, which tend to offer support for just the big three (NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis).
While that list doesn’t quite include all of the consoles from the 80s and 90s, it does account for the major players and a few of the lesser known, but equally fun, ones.
Adding to the Retro Freak’s cool factor is the ability to play emulated games stored on an SD card. So if you don’t have a physical version of the game, you can still play it so long as the (often less-than-legally-obtained) file is present on an SD card. With that same SD card, you can save your game’s progress, and pick up where you left off later.
The Retro Freak comes with a SNES style controller, a three pin UK plug and an EU two pin plug. The Retro Freak also features an HDMI output with HD upscaling capability, advanced emulation options such as cheats and multiple save states, and upgradeable firmware.
Sleeping Dogs lives on with a film adaptation starring Donnie Yen
Remember Sleeping Dogs? Sure you do… it’s that game that spent years in development hell. You know, the one that initially started off as the third installment in the short-lived True Crime franchise. It was that game that eventually got picked up by Square Enix and turned out to be one of the most amazing games of 2012. Well, apparently I’m not the only one who loved Sleeping Dogs, because Neil Mortiz of Fast and the Furious fame has opted to produce a movie based on the game.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, or have simply, for whatever reason, chosen to avoid playing Sleeping Dogs, here’s the rundown. Sleeping Dogs was a game released in August 2012 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows PC. And it was later ported to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as one of the first Definitive Editions for the current generation of consoles.
The game centers around protagonist Wei Shen (played by Will Yun Lee), a Chinese-American cop who goes undercover for the Hong Kong Police Department to take down the local Triad organization. Shen finds his loyalties tested as he’s reunited with old friends and finds himself deeper drawn into the Triad underworld.
A free-to-play spinoff known as Triad Wars was scheduled to be release in 2015, however, it was canceled by developer United Front Games, which has since closed down. Square Enix retains the rights to Sleeping Dogs, but as far as the future of the franchise is concerned, the publisher has kept silent since the release of the Definitive Edition.
According to Deadline, the Sleeping Dogs movie will star Donnie Yen, a rather famous actor and martial artist in his native China. If you’re not familiar with Yen’s name, you certainly know some of his recent roles. The actor began to break into Hollywood features this year, and had memorable appearances in both Rogue One: Star Wars Story and XXX: The Return of Xander Cage.
Yen is an excellent choice for the lead, especially given the heavy use of hand-to-hand and martial arts combat featured throughout the game. And here’s hoping that an international interest in the upcoming Sleeping Dogs movie will generate a renewed enthusiasm for the game, perhaps compelling Square Enix to start working on a much-desired sequel.
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero update will add Hard Core Mode, PS TV support, more on March 6
XSEED Games has announced that Shante: Half-Genie Hero will be receiving its first update on March 6, 2017. Update 1.01 focuses mostly on fixing bugs and adding PlayStation TV support for the PlayStation Vita version of the game.
But Update 1.01 also offers a host of other changes, most notably among them being Hard Core Mode. Hard Core Mode offers harder hitting enemies, faster scroll speeds, faster enemy patterns, rebalanced magic items, remixed enemy locations, additional enemy locations, new boss stats and patterns, and limited use of healing items.
Matt Bozon, the Creative Director at WayForward and Creator of the Shantae series, wants everyone to play nice with Half-Genie Hero’s first big update:
“Thank you for your ongoing support, and for waiting patiently while we continue production of Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. And also thanks to everyone on Twitch, YouTube, and other social media for helping us make the game even better with this update. We hope you’ll enjoy Hard Core Mode while you wait for the bigger DLC packs to arrive. Remember, no throwing controllers, and please keep your hair-whipping in the game where it belongs!”
WayForward has been collecting a list of Half-Genie Hero’s “known issues” on their official forums, so hopefully that means the developer has found solutions for some of the peskier bugs, such as audio corruption and save file issues.
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is rated T For Teen and is currently available on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, PC, Wii U, and Xbox One.
Nintendo Download: Zelda Breath of the Wild, Shovel Knight, Super Bomberman R, more
The Nintendo Switch is here!
Nintendo’s next gaming machine, a hybrid console/handheld, will go on sale in just a little over three hours. That’s also when Nintendo will swing the doors open on the Switch’s eShop and give early adopters the chance to purchase nearly a dozen different launch titles.
The biggest name in the Switch’s launch lineup, by far, is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Also available to download on the Wii U, Breath of the Wild will offer a wide-open world for Link to explore and new puzzles to solve.
However, if you’re looking to celebrate the system’s launch with a big party, you’ll have several options. There’s 1-2-Switch, a wild minigame collection where players are encouraged to look at each other instead of the screen. There’s also Snipperclips: Cut It Out Together!, a co-op puzzle adventure starring two pieces of paper. And Ubisoft will bring the popular Just Dance series to the Switch with Just Dance 2017.
Prospective Switch players who want to be on the move might want to look into FAST RMX, a new futuristic racer from Shin’en Multimedia.
Finally, retro gaming fans will have plenty of options on the Switch’s first day including Yacht Club’s new platformer, Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment, as well as the Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, which includes Specter of Torment and the first two campaigns. Konami’s Super Bomberman R brings the lovable Bombers back for the first time in almost a decade. And I Am Setsuna, from Square Enix, is an original RPG inspired by Chrono Trigger.
If you’re taking a wait and see approach to the Switch, never fear, 3DS owners will still have something new to play this week. Marvelous Entertainment’s Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is the latest entry in the popular farming simulation series and, as you might have guessed, players will be able to visit three towns this time around.
You can learn more about all of these games after the break. (more…)