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Deception 4: Blood Ties ensnares PS3, Vita players in March
Tecmo Koei plans to resurrect its long-dormant Deception series with the upcoming Deception 4: Blood Ties, due to hit the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita in March. Released for the PSOne in 1996, Tecmo's Deception was a first-person action-RPG in which players forged a pact with Satan and tormented hapless do-gooders by constructing a trap-filled castle. It was rad. A sequel, Kagero: Deception 2, debuted in 1998, and the series' most recent entry, Trapt, hit the PlayStation 2 in 2005. Deception 4 follows in the steps of its predecessors, featuring gameplay that revolves around setting up deadly traps and springing them on pursuers. Trap types range from sadistic (spiked walls, iron maidens) to goofy (falling bathtubs, banana peels) and players can upload replay videos of particularly nasty (or darkly hilarious) trap combos online to share with friends. Deception 4 will launch in North America on March 25. A European release will follow on March 28.
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate bringing Marie Rose to consoles this spring
Springtime will see Marie Rose blossom onto the console versions of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, Team Ninja revealed. As reported by Siliconera and Shoryuken, her addition will be preceded by a February update, bringing - what else - new costumes to the brawler. To recap, Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate is the expanded re-release of the 2012 game, adding new stages, characters, modes, and the like. As for Marie Rose, Team Ninja added the Lolita madam to the arcade version of DoA5U back in November, finally filling the game's dearth of scantily-clad ladies. There's no confirmation these dates apply outside of Japan, but the good news is that DoA5 updates have traditionally been concurrent or thereabouts across the globe.
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z's classic side-scrolling mode spotted in new trailer, screens
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z will receive a special Ninja Gaiden Z mode, Team Ninja announced. The retro-inspired mode offers side-scrolling action similar to past games in the series along with 8-bit-style cut scenes and menus. In addition to the trailer and screens showing off the classic game mode, the developer issued an additional quirky parody trailer, seen after the break. What's more, Team Ninja noted that the game's main character Yaiba will receive a downloadable alternate costume thanks to a collaboration with Comcept. Players will have the ability to dress their ninja warrior up like Beck, the lead character of Keiji Inafune's Mighty No. 9. Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is slated to launch on March 4, 2014 for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
Demons must die in Toukiden: The Age of Demons intro trailer
Toukiden: The Age of Demons throws a lot of nefarious hellspawn your way - this is a Tecmo Koei game, after all - but as this new opening cinematic proves, no matter what the odds, you'll always win a battle just as long as you're carrying a ridiculously impractical weapon to match your shock of 80s-style glam rock hair.
Get Payday 2, Dead or Alive 5 Plus for a steal in Europe's PSN sale
PlayStation Europe's seasonal savings continue this week with Dead or Alive 5 Plus and Payday 2, with the Vita beat-em-up down to £15 (€20/AU$25) and the PS3 heist-em-up at £12 (€15/AU$18). PlayStation Plus members can put that subscription to further use by chopping a further 10 percent off both offers. Finally, as with all games in PlayStation's 12 Deals of Christmas Euro-promo, the offers last for 48 hours starting today.
Toukiden: The Age of Demons will start a war on February 11 on Vita
Don't you just love our eternal peace between the human race and demons? Yeah, I bet the people of Toukiden: The Age of Demons loved it too, right until their realm connected with the Otherworld and they fought a week-long battle against their extinction by the claws of the Oni. A group known as the Slayers have protected humans since that day, and you'll be able to help them reclaim their land on February 11, provided you're practiced in the art of wielding samurai swords a Vita. Toukiden follows the quest of a Slayer that's looking to thin the Oni's herd, but since characters, weapons and armor will be customizable, they'll do it while proving themselves as an individual. With six different weapon types available such as swords, bows and metal gauntlets, forming a diverse hunting group with NPCs should be simple enough. If you'd rather amplify the joy and frustration involved with teamwork, multiplayer stages will also let you team up with real life friends. You can watch details roll onto the game's website until its February launch, or you can join us in our blind fear of the Drumble, which our scientific assumption tells us is a botched cross breed of an alligator and a corgi. We will never sleep again.
Marie Rose enters the Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Arcade arena [update]
Update: Game Director Yohei Shimbori told 4Gamer (via Siliconera) that Tecmo Koei plans to add Marie Rose to all versions of DOA5 Ultimate via an update. Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Arcade, the Japan-exclusive arcade port of Team Ninja's latest brawler, is piling another character on top of its already-stacked roster. Lolita fasionista Marie Rose, along with the other 862 characters* in the game, is briefly teased in the trailer above. Japanese arcades get DOA 5 Ultimate: Arcade some time this winter. Tecmo Koei has not announced the arcade version for other territories, though a post on Facebook says that despite this being an exclusive to Japan, "we haven't forgotten about our overseas fighters" and that Tecmo Koei will provide "more information in the near future." *There aren't 862 characters in DOA 5 Ultimate: Arcade, despite the fact that it totally seems that way. In reality, there are 30 characters to choose from in DOA 5 Ultimate: Arcade.
Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate Core Fighters eclipses 500,000 downloads
Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate Core Fighters, a free-to-play adaptation of Tecmo Koei's one-on-one fighting game series for the PlayStation 3, has been downloaded more than 500,000 times since its launch in September. Released alongside the retail version of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, Core Fighters features a limited selection of characters and modes, offering a story component and other content via add-on purchases. Shortly after Core Fighters was announced, rival fighting game publisher Namco Bandai countered with the free-to-play Tekken Revolution, which has been downloaded more than two million times since June. Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate and Core Fighters are updated with new content frequently, with last month bringing the release of Halloween-themed character costumes. Developer Team Ninja continues the trend with this week's launch of downloadable Tecmo Bowl uniforms for Bass, Bayman, Leon, Rachel, Tina and Zack. Players who purchase any of the six new football costumes will also receive a free downloadable copy of the retro football revival Tecmo Bowl Throwback for the PlayStation 3.
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z pits cyborg ninja against zombies next March
Spark Unlimited, Team Ninja and Comcept collaboration Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z has been pegged for a March 4, 2014 launch in the US on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC through Steam. Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z centers around anti-hero Yaiba Kamikaze - a ninja who massacres his entire clan for perceived weakness. After dying by the hand of Ninja Gaiden series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa during a duel, Kamikaze is then resurrected as a cyborg by a mysterious corporation, which forces him to embark on a quest to quell a zombie outbreak in exchange for the power to enact his revenge on Hayabusa. Team Ninja told Joystiq back in August that the Unreal Engine 3-powered slash-em-up is its own thing - not a spin-off or sequel. Team Ninja went on to say it would love to pursue a sequel, granted Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z manages to find an audience. And if the latest trailer above is any indication, that target audience is folks who enjoy terrible, cringe-worthy euphemisms.
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z set to slash through Steam
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z will now chop, slice and dice on PC. Publisher Tecmo Koei announced this morning that the spin-off will be available on Steam, alongside the announced Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, in early 2014. Yaiba, which we haven't heard much of since Gamescom, is an action-packed bout of ninjas vs. zombies created between Spark Unlimited (Lost Planet 3), Team Ninja and Keiji Inafune's Comcept, which also has its hands full with the successful Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter.
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Arcade adds a new fighter
When Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate debuts in Japanese arcades, players will be introduced to an additional character not seen in the game's newly-released console incarnation. Who exactly this new fighter might be remains a mystery. The Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate roster includes almost every notable character found in earlier Dead or Alive entries, and with the addition of Rachel and Momiji from Tecmo Koei's Ninja Gaiden franchise, developer Team Ninja is running out of potential cameo characters. Neither Tecmo Koei nor Team Ninja have offered any hints on the fighter's identity. It was revealed in July that Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Arcade will be distributed to Japanese arcades via Sega's "ALL.Net P-ras MULTI Ver. 2," a digital platform that delivers games to online-capable arcade cabinets located in Japanese amusement centers. To date there's been no mention of a Western release for Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Arcade, nor any word on when the game might debut in Japan.
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate has online 2 vs. 2, a new ranking system and a lot of costumes
In addition to the new characters, stages, and modes, Tecmo has announced that Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate will update its Grade Point system, add a new Character Points system, an online two vs. two tag mode, and have 231 costumes to choose from when the game launches on September 3 for Xbox 360 and PS3. Character Points will let you know how good an opponent is with the fighter they've selected, as well as their world ranking. Meanwhile, the four-player online tag mode will pit two teams of two players each against each other. Both winning players in an online tag match earn Grade Points, which count towards unlocking new costumes. Sadly, we're relatively certain none of the costumes will be a thong bikini for the sexiest of DOA's fighters, Bass.
Uncharted Waters Online launches its newest update, Tower of Babel
Who's ready for another round of leveling in Uncharted Waters Online? Because that's what players are going to be doing with the game's latest update, as the level cap has been raised once again from 70 to 75. All characters at level 65 or higher can take part in the quests needed to unlock the highest tier of leveling, and that means more trading, more adventuring, and more fighting to approach the new cap. Of course, new levels alone would make for a pretty anemic update, which is why the patch also features three new ships, new equipment, several new quests and discoveries, and new decorations for your dwelling. Players can also experiment with changes to several ship types and cultural contributions, both of which should freshen up the game experience. If you can't wait to dive in, the patch can be downloaded and played immediately. [Source: Netmarble press release]
Teams duke it out in Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate is preparing to enter the retail arena on September 3, with a smattering of new offline modes and costumes on top of the new characters announced previously. Team Fight is one such addition: You select a team of up to seven fighters and take on another team of scrappers, either controlled by another player or the AI. Survival mode adds item drops in Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, which should be familiar to those who've spent time with Dead or Alive 4's variant. Beginners can benefit from an expanded Tutorial mode and a Combo Challenge mode, the latter aimed at teaching players how to chain together succinct strikes and power moves. Coughing up the entry fee to the latest DOA Tournament early either through Amazon or GameStop will secure some "pop idol" costumes for the female fighters. Finally, Team Ninja confirms all costumes acquired in Dead or Alive 5 are transferable to Ultimate, because playing as a near-naked Brad Wong is clearly the only way to go.%Gallery-194481%
European Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate pre-orders get costume DLC, of course
Retailer-specific costume packs will be awarded for pre-orders of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate in Europe, Tecmo Koei has announced. GAME has "a colorful pack" of costumes for Kokoro, Lei Fang, Hitomi and Mila, while Amazon will hook it up with costumes for female ninjas Kasumi and Ayane. Other retailers will offer a six-outfit collaboration to cover Christie, Helena, Tina, Lisa and new combatants Momiji and Rachel. Tecmo Koei did not share any images of the garb in question alongside the press release, which we've tucked past the break. We've also inquired about North America details and will update this post when we hear back. Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate launches on September 3 for the Xbox 360 and PS3; a free-to-play version called Core Fighters is "planned" for simultaneous launch on PSN. Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate includes additional fighters, a variety of costume DLC from the original Dead or Alive 5 as well as content found in the PS Vita port, Dead or Alive 5 Plus.
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Arcade announced for Japan
A new arcade version of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate is headed to Japanese arcades at some point in the future, according to Shoryuken's translation of a Team Ninja press release on 4gamer. The Dead or Alive series has been absent from arcades for the last 13 or so years, since the release of Dead or Alive 2 Millenium in 2000. The game will arrive in arcades via Sega's "ALL.Net P-ras MULTI Ver. 2" digital distribution platform, which pushes games to networked arcade cabinets installed in arcades and amusement centers around Japan. The new build will be based on Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, though beyond that not much else is known about the release, particularly when it may happen. The announcement also makes no mention of a western release, which is to be expected.
Tecmo Game Pack brings Solomon's Key, Mighty Bomb Jack to Android
Tecmo Koei hits up its back catalog for this week's release of Tecmo Game Pack, a retro gaming compilation available for Android devices via Google Play. Tecmo Game Pack includes the original arcade version of Tecmo's action-puzzler Solomon's Key, along with the sadistically difficult NES platformer, Mighty Bomb Jack, and the Japan-only, Famicom sumo wrestling sim, Tsuppari Oozumou. All games feature touchscreen controls and offer unlockable bonuses such as arcade flyers and promotional artwork.
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z trailers won't cost you an arm and a leg
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z stars Yaiba Kamikaze, a ninja killed by primary series star Ryu Hayabusa during a duel. We're not sure how Yaiba came back from the dead, but at least we can see how he died.
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate free-to-play version announced, coming west
Tecmo Koei is trying its hand with a free-to-play alternative version of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, subtitled Core Fighters, in addition to the full retail game. Core Fighters is a PS3 download "planned" for September 3 in North America. As Famitsu reports (via Siliconera), Tecmo Koei is in talks with Microsoft about an Xbox 360 version. Core Fighters includes four playable characters: Ryu Hayabusa, Hayate, Kasumi, and Ayane. Opponents span the same roster as the full version, and all stages are included. Tutorial and training modes make the F2P version as well, but the story mode does not. In terms of in-game purchases, additional characters cost $4, while the story mode is $15. As for online play, it's enabled for free, and players using the F2P and retail versions of Ultimate can fight each other. However, neither version of Ultimate is compatible for online tussles against players using the original Dead or Alive 5, or Dead or Alive 5 Plus on Vita.
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate picks a fight on Sept. 3
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate will launch across Xbox 360 and PS3 on September 3 in North America, Tecmo-Koei announced today in its annual pre-E3 missive. Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate is an expanded version of Team Ninja's 2012 fighter, Dead or Alive 5. The Ultimate port has additional fighters and content, including everything found in the PS Vita port, Dead or Alive 5 Plus. Last week, Team Ninja revealed Virtua Fighter mainstay Jacky Bryant and DOA series amnesiac Ein have joined the cast. The publisher will have Team Ninja's fighter on-hand at E3 in Los Angeles next month, along with Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, Atelier Meruru Plus: The Apprentice of Arlend, Dynasty Warriors 8 and Toukiden.
