Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Vita
Shadow of the Tomb Raider, NBA 2K19, NHL 19, more coming to PS Store this week
A trio of sequels lead the way in this week’s PlayStation Store update…
Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics will close out Lara Croft’s “Origin Trilogy” with the launch of Shadow of the Tomb Raider for the PS4. This time, Lara will travel to South America as she attempts to stop a Mayan apocalypse.
Also available to download this week for the PS4 are a pair of brand new sports simulations. 2K Games brings 20 years of gameplay innovations (and a cover appearance by Giannis “The Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo) to NBA 2K19, while EA Sports tapped P.K. Subban to serve as NHL 19‘s cover athlete.
You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store after the break. (more…)
Casual Bit Games shares a new trailer from Battle Princess Madelyn’s Arcade Mode
Casual Bit Games delivered the “August 2018 Development Update” for Battle Princess Madelyn to Kickstarter backers over the weekend, and they also gave fans their first look at the game’s Arcade Mode:
There are seven levels in arcade mode, and 11 boss fights – two of them being end-of-the-game gauntlet fights. These levels come at you like you would expect – relentlessly but in a fair sorta way. They’re definitely not a walk in the park, but those o you who have good reflexes will find themselves right at home with this more demanding version of the gameplay.
The levels are a mash-up of the three main stages in story mode. We’ve picked our favorite levels and turned them into the levels contained within this mode. In Arcade Mode there are less hidden items and no puzzles to get around, so it’s straight up Ghouls ‘n Ghosts style action, presented in our own way.
The bosses have been tweaked to be harder, but with less hit points in order to balance out the play time in these levels. Enemies have been tuned differently to be a little more spot-on with their abilities compared to how they behave in Story Mode.
Battle Princess Madelyn doesn’t have a final release date just yet, but the game will be available for the PC, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Vita, and Xbox One.
Shovel Knight: King of Cards will be released on April 9, 2019
Yacht Club Games originally wanted to release Shovel Knight: King of Cards a few years ago, but the expansion kept getting pushed back as they dug deeper into Shovel Knight’s world. Today, the developer is finally ready to confirm that Shovel Knight: King of Cards will be released for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One on April 9, 2019.
The developer is also bundling together the original Shovel Knight and all of its expansions (including Plague of Shadows, Specter of Torment, King of Cards, and the recently-announced Shovel Knight Showdown) in a new retail release for the PS4 and Switch. This Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove will also launch on April 9.
But wait, there’s more. The Amiibo 3-Pack featuring King Knight, Specter Knight, and Plague Knight will also make its debut in stores on April 9. The figures will unlock “exclusive armor sets, new Challenge stages, and the ability to summon fairy companions to accompany players on quests” in the games for the 3DS, Switch, and Wii U.
Finally, attendees at this weekend’s PAX West show in Seattle will get the chance to try out a playable demo of Shovel Knight: King of Cards at Yacht Club’s booth.
Sega is bringing demos of Team Sonic Racing, Total War: Three Kingdoms, Valkyria Chronicles 4, and more to PAX West 2018
Like a lot of publishers, Sega’s presence at PAX West 2018 will look very similar to the slate of playable demos they brought to last week’s Gamescom show. This year, the prolific publisher is going all-in with Sonic’s latest racing adventure, two dance-heavy Persona spinoffs, and the latest entry in the Valkyria Chronicles franchise.
Here’s a sneak peek at the full lineup of games scheduled to appear in their PAX West booth (#2513):
Placing First: Team Sonic Racing
First off the blocks as always is the blue blur himself. Team Sonic Racing, developed by the award-winning studio Sumo Digital, combines the best elements of arcade and fast-paced competitive style racing experience, featuring your favorite characters from across the Sonic Universe. Visitors at PAX will have the opportunity to race on the newly revealed track Ice Mountain, and play as Team Sonic, Team Dark, Team Rose, or Team Vector.Get Ready for Total War
The latest in Creative Assembly’s legendary Total War series, Total War: Three Kingdoms is set to showcase some exciting content of its own. The hands-on demo will give players the opportunity to explore the exotic lands of ancient China in a campaign map flythrough before being thrust into the midst of a night-time ambush battle. Sun Jian’s army, led by Sun Ren and Sun Quan, face either a desperate defence against waves of incoming heroes and warriors or a gruelling fight to escape with what remains of their forces, and live to fight another day.Japanese Games Galore
As if that wasn’t enough, Sega is bringing a whopping four games to the show floor! With tactical RPG Valkyria Chronicles 4, frantic action/adventure Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise, and the hugely anticipated rhythm games Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, they will be hosting a collection of some of the hottest Japanese IP on the planet. Make sure you leave yourself enough time to play everything!Last but by no means least is Shin Megami Tensei Liberation Dx2 which after a successful initial release in Japan, has just launched worldwide in English so that all fans of the Shin Megami Tensei series from Atlus can finally play the renowned post-apocalyptic RPG on their mobile devices. Swing by the Sega booth’s presentation stage for a chance to see one of the daily appearances by Producer Norio Furuichi, who also previously worked on Virtua Tennis series and Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Force.
Sega is also inviting fans to learn about “previously untold secrets and nuanced details about how Japanese games are localized and published for the western audience” in the a panel (“A Sega Perspective: Bringing Japanese Games to the West”) scheduled for Saturday, September 1, at 4:30 (Pacific Time).
If you can’t make it to Seattle for this year’s PAX West, you can view the full panel at home through Twitch.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night’s launch pushed back to 2019; Vita version canceled
In a new Kickstarter update, Koji “IGA” Igarashi announced that Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night‘s PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One launch has been pushed back to 2019. Within that same update, Igarashi also confirmed the game is no longer in development for the Vita.
According to the developer, the delay is to “raise the quality level” of the game:
Our first announcement is that the game will now launch in 2019. The most important reason for this is to raise the quality level, especially after all the very valuable feedback from the Beta Backer Demo.
He went on to say that the Vita version of Bloodstained was canceled due to Sony’s plans to discontinue the handheld:
The second announcement is that the game will no longer launch on PlayStation Vita. This decision is largely due to Sony’s plans to discontinue the Vita console, ending production of physical copies and stopping certain online store support features.
It is extremely unfortunate, but as a result, we won’t be releasing the game on Vita. For the backers who have ordered the PS Vita version of the game, you will be able to choose another platform or request a refund.
You can see “IGA” deliver this message personally in the video embedded above.
Madden NFL 19, Dead Cells, Overcooked 2, more coming to PS Store this week
Are you ready for some football?
EA Sports intercepts another PlayStation Store update with this week’s launch of Madden NFL 19 for the PS4. This time around, the football simulation will feature an expanded Story Mode and a new animation engine known as Real Player Motion. Also available to download this week for the PS4 is Dead Cells, a MetroidVania that also includes the “constant adrenaline-pumping threat of permadeath.”
Equally nerve-wracking is the kitchens found in Overcooked 2, a multiplayer cooking simulation for the PS4 from Ghost Town Games. And after you cook up some grub, you can settle in for a game of “basketbrawl” from Bread Machine Games and try to impress the Giant Blue Man of Slam Land.
Finally this week, Compulsion Games will bring their wild tale of an alternate 1960s England to the PS4 in We Happy Few. Players will explore a retrofuturistic city in three intertwined storylines as they try to survive among the drugged-out populace.
You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Vita
Tagged Dead Cells, Madden NFL 19, Overcooked 2, Slam Land, We Happy Few
Sega’s Gamescom 2018 lineup includes Team Sonic Racing, Valkyria Chronicles 4, Persona 3: Dancing, Persona 5: Dancing, and more
Sega has big plans for this year’s Gamescom show, and the publisher will give attendees the chance to try out six playable demos, as well as give gamers their first look at the soccer-centric skills needed for Football Manager 2019.
Strategic planning is at the center of several of Sega’s Gamescom offerings, including “epic strategy RPG” Valkyria Chronicles 4 and team-based racer Team Sonic Racing. But if you want to kick off your shoes and dance, the publisher will also have kiosks available for Persona 3: Dancing in the Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in the Starlight.
Here’s a look at their complete Gamescom 2018 lineup:
Team Sonic Racing, developed by award-winning studio Sumo Digital, is the ultimate arcade and fast-paced competitive style racing experience, featuring your favourite characters from across the Sonic Universe. Visitors to the stand will have the opportunity to race on an all new track, Ice Mountain, and experience two brand new playable teams.
Creative Assembly’s Total War: Three Kingdoms will also showcase never-seen-before content and consumers will get the chance to go hands-on with the game for the very first time. Players will witness an exclusive look at the exotic lands of ancient China in a campaign map flythrough before being thrust into the midst of a night-time ambush battle. Sun Jian’s army, led by Sun Ren and Sun Quan, must defend against waves of incoming heroes and warriors or choose to make a break for freedom.
As if that wasn’t enough, epic strategy RPG Valkyria Chronicles 4, frantic action/adventure Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise, and the hugely anticipated rhythm games Persona 3: Dancing in the Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in the Starlight will feature on the stand in a collection of some of the hottest unreleased Japanese IP on the planet. Make sure you leave yourself enough time to play everything!
Football Manager 2019 will make its Gamescom debut this year as an official partner of the Bundesliga, with an activation that will put football fans in the firing line for questioning from renowned ESPN Football Journalist, Raphael Honigstein. After they’ve been grilled, they’ll get to line-up in front of a Football Manager themed step and repeat for an authentic Football Manager photo and leave with a Football Manager notebook. A must have for would-be managers! The game itself will not be playable.
Gamescom 2018 will take place, as always, in Cologne, Germany. This year’s show will open its doors beginning on Tuesday, August 21.
Chasm, 1979 Revolution, Pixel Ripped 1989, more coming to PS Store this week
Step back into history with this week’s PlayStation Store update…
First up, PS4 and PS Vita owners will finally get the chance to download Chasm, a medieval MetroidVania designed and developed by Bit Kid. In development for more than five years, the procedurally-generated adventure asks players to explore a dungeon teeming with monsters and mayhem.
Also available to download for the PS4 this week is 1979 Revolution: Black Friday, an interactive adventure that takes place during the Iranian Revolution.
Finally this week, Pixel Ripped 1989 is a PSVR-powered trip back to the earliest days of gaming, and players will need to travel inside the games themselves to save the real world in this “wacky multi-dimensional homage.”
You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store after the break. (more…)