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'Soul Calibur VI' hits Steam, PS4 and Xbox One in 2018
The next, long-awaited entry in the Soul Calibur franchise is on its way. Soul Calibur VI is scheduled to land on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in 2018, Bandai Namco announced tonight during The Game Awards. The new fighting game is all about that fancy swordplay, and the debut trailer showcases some potential new mechanics, as weapons power up in different ways throughout the fight.
'Ghost In The Shell' VR arcade game is a four-on-four firefight
For everybody that's watched Ghost in the Shell and thought to themselves, "yes, I too would like to experience tearing tanks apart with my bare hands," your day has come. Well, sort of. After a four-month delay, Bandai Namco's VR Zone Shinjuku is finally ready to launch its Ghost in the Shell: Arise Stealth Hounds game with large-space full-body tracking.
Tamagotchi is heading to your smartphone in 2018
Tamagotchi is celebrating its 20th birthday this year with the release of a special anniversary edition, which was good enough to land on our holiday gift guide. But, the festivities don't end there, as the virtual pet is (at long last) making the leap to smartphones in 2018. My Tamagotchi Forever for iOS and Android gives the pixellated blob with a face a much-needed makeover. The game is set in colorful "Tamatown," home to other cutesy inhabitants that you can make friends with -- much like Nintendo's latest mobile offering, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.
'Dragon Ball FighterZ' comes to PC and consoles January 26th
If you've been anticipating the upcoming Bandai Namco anime-based game Dragon Ball FighterZ like we have, you're in luck. The gaming company just announced that the title will release on January 26th, 2018 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.
The 20th anniversary Tamagotchi is smaller but still easy to kill
It's been 20 years since the iconic virtual pet Tamagotchi hit US shores, becoming a must-have item for kids and teenagers and proving enough of a distraction that it was banned from many classrooms. Many of those youngsters now have offspring of their own, and Bandai is hoping to entice both generations by reintroducing the classic 1997 model with a special anniversary edition. But most adults and many children now carry a phone capable of doing so much more than that little plastic egg could. Why would they, or anyone, invest in a Tamagotchi? I spent the weekend with my own little simulated creature in my bag and spoiler alert: It died of neglect.
Gundam fans can bring home a lifelike Haro next year
Gundam fans will no doubt recognize this adorable Haro robot from the anime, as did I on the CEATEC show floor in Tokyo. As it turns out, Bandai, Bandai Namco, IBM and VAIO have joined forces to bring us a lifelike "Gundam Concierge Haro" aka "Gansheruju Haro" -- including a 19 cm-wide spherical body (pretty much the size featured in the original series), a variety of gentle movements (bobbing and spinning), glowing eyes and mouth, extendable arms and legs plus a pair of subtly flapping ears. Better yet, if you're fluent in Japanese, you'll be able to have Gundam-related conversations with Haro, courtesy of IBM's AI software.
'Shinobi Striker' makes 'Naruto' a serious online fighter
Naruto is in a strange place right now. The long-running manga series ended in early 2015, before its anime adaptation wrapped up in March this year. The spiky-haired ninja saved the world and achieved his dream of becoming the Hokage, or rather the leader, of the Hidden Leaf village. But now there's Boruto, a new series about his boisterous son. Both the manga and anime are relatively new and it's not clear just yet if either will replicate the success of the original series.
Fighting classic 'Tekken' debuts on mobile
Fighting game Tekken is coming to your smartphone screens, joining the likes of Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, South Park and some Sega Genesis titles in the ring. Maker Bandai Namco announced the Tekken Mobile game is open for pre-registration today via its newly launched website, and iOS users in Canada can already try out a preview.
Spider-Man and Frank West join latest ‘Marvel vs. Capcom’ roster
Like comic books, fighting games are ripe for the crossover treatment. Nintendo has done it with good success in the Super Smash Bros. series, bringing characters from disparate franchises like Street Fighter and Fire Emblem together to brawl on the Wii U and 3DS. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe mixed up heroes from video games and comic books into its arenas, as well. Really, any announcement of new playable characters in upcoming fighting games are sure to please fans across the board. Now we're seeing a couple of big-name reveals at Comic-Con for two upcoming games, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite and Dragon Ball FighterZ. Frank West of Dead Rising fame is headed to the former, along with Spider-Man, Mike Haggar (from Final Fight) and Nemesis (from Resident Evil). Dragon Ball Fighter Z fans will be able to play both Piccolo and Krillin, longstanding characters in the anime universe.
This Japanese VR arcade put me inside 'Mario Kart'
Back when Bandai Namco opened its first VR arcade in Tokyo last April, I was keen to check out its various HTC Vive-powered VR games. My first ride there would have been Gundam VR: Daiba Assault, just so I could get a taste of what it's like hitching a ride on a Gundam's hand. The problem was by the time I got to the city the following month, this pop-up store already had a three-month waiting list, and I never got around to visiting before it closed in October. Luckily, as of last Friday, VR Zone is back in new form. Not only is it now the world's largest VR arcade, but it's also moved to Shinjuku, a more accessible downtown area in Tokyo. And this time, it's staying for two years. More importantly, the arcade has added some widely anticipated games that may sound familiar to you -- namely, Mario Kart Arcade GP VR, Dragon Ball VR: Master the Kamehameha and Evangelion VR: The Soul Seat. As a bonus, Gundam VR has also been brought over from the previous site.
How Bandai Namco is (and isn't) changing 'Duelyst'
There's something about Duelyst. Its magic might stem from the fact that it's gorgeous, with floaty, bright pixel art in a rich fantasy world -- or it might be the blend of card-based strategy and turn-based tactics. It might run even deeper than that: Counterplay Games is a 14-person, independent studio co-founded by Keith Lee, the former lead producer on Diablo III, and staffed by veterans of League of Legends, Overwatch and XCOM. Whatever makes Duelyst shine, it certainly caught the eye of Bandai Namco, one of the gaming industry's oldest and largest studios. Bandai Namco just signed on to publish Duelyst, freeing up the developers at Counterplay to focus on, well, development.
'Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom' delayed until January 2018
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch brought the unique beauty of a Studio Ghibli movie to North American PS3s in 2012. The gorgeous RPG was slated to get a sequel, Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, this coming November, but it looks as if we'll have to wait a bit longer. In a video message on publisher Bandai Namco's Twitter feed, Akihiro Hino, CEO and President of developer LEVEL-5, explained the delay and apologized deeply to fans. It's not a huge wait, though, as the new launch date is set for January 19th of next year.
'Dragonball FighterZ' looks dangerously close to the anime
There have been so many Dragonball (Z or otherwise) games that it's hard to tell most of them apart. While the latest Xenoverse titles attempted to spin out Akira Toyama's characters into alternate universes with online play, Dragonball FighterZ is an easier-to-explain premise: a 2D fighter with the anime's top-flight characters, with assistance from the same talent that made BlazBlue and Guilty Gear, both well-regarded competitive 2D fighters.
'Project Cars 2' takes simulated driving to a whole new level
With the likes of Forza and Gran Turismo getting their share of stage time at the big E3 events, it can be easy to overlook some of the other options. Bandai Namco and Slightly Mad Studios' Project Cars is one of those, and the second installment of the franchise is set to arrive September 22nd. The duo is showing off the hyper-realistic racing sim here at E3, and it didn't take long to get wrapped up in the tracks of Project Cars 2.
Action-RPG 'Code Vein' hits Xbox One, PS4 and PCs next year
Bandai Namco released the first trailer for its upcoming action-RPG game Code Vein just last month, but it couldn't exactly let E3 come and go without spilling a few more beans now, could it? We're no closer to a concrete release date, with 2018 still as definitive as it gets, but we do now know what platforms the third-person, anime-esque title will be available on. Bandai Namco previously said Code Vein would be hitting "major home consoles" next year, but it's now clarified the title is headed to Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PCs too, via Steam.
'Code Vein' blends anime vampires with 'Dark Souls' combat
Towering enemies? Check. Moody atmosphere? Check. Slow, methodical combat? Check. Bandai Namco has released the first trailer for its upcoming action RPG Code Vein, and it wears its Dark Souls influence on its bloody sleeve.
EU probing Valve and five publishers for geo-blocking games
The legislative body of the European Union is launching an antitrust investigation into regional pricing and geo-blocking practices on Valve's Steam store. In a statement, the European Commission says it's investigating "bilateral agreements" between Valve and five publishers: Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax. The investigation is focused on activation keys, whose primary function is as an anti-piracy tool. After buying a physical copy of a game, users need to submit an activation key to prove they own it and add it to their Steam library. Once done, the game is then available on any device that the user is logged into.
'Tekken 7' delayed to June 2
After saying that it would arrive in early 2017, developer Bandai Namco revealed that Tekken 7 is coming to the Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC later, on June 2nd. "We were trying our best to get the game out ... as early as possible," director Katsuhiro Harada told GameSpot. However, he didn't want players to "bash the product" over lack of content, so "we made some hard decisions and that was the result."
'Dark Souls' publisher bets on AI for smarter game foes
Bandai Namco, the games company behind Tekken, Dark Souls and a whole bunch of Dragonball games, has invested in an artificial intelligence startup. The team at Heroz have an algorithm for shogi (Japanese chess) that's bested several professional human players in public matches. Bandai Namco is hoping to tap into that know-how to improve its non-playing character behavior in future titles, although expect to see it in much simpler games long before that eventual Dark Souls successor.
'Pac-Man Championship Edition 2' looks chaotic, wonderful
A few years ago, Bandai Namco figured out the key to reviving the Pac-Man: just make the original top down dot-chomper faster, brighter and more competitive. Pac-Man Championship Edition and Championship Edition DX+ changed just enough of the classic game to make it fresh and exciting. Now, the company is going to try it one more time. Today Bandai Namco announced Pac-man Championship Edition 2, a remix that promises new rules, bigger ghosts and new direction in level design
