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What to expect at E3 2019
We're barely a week away from the start of E3 2019 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California! This year's event may be missing one of its stalwarts now that Sony has announced that it will not have a presence but there will be news aplenty from the show floor. Let's take a look at some of the anticipated high points.
Double Fine's post-apocalyptic adventure 'Rad' arrives August 20th
Rad, the latest game to come from the minds of indie game darlings Tim Schafer and Lee Petty at Double Fine Productions, officially has a release date. With the help of publisher Bandai Namco, the roleplaying adventure game will arrive on August 20th and will be available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
EU charges Valve and five publishers with geo-blocking games
Two years after the EU began investigating whether Valve uses regional pricing and geo-blocking practices in its Steam store, the European Commission has formally charged the distributor and five game publishers. The Commission released its "preliminary view" that Valve, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax prevented consumers from purchasing videogames cross-border from some Member States. That's considered geo-blocking, and it violates EU competition rules.
Double Fine's radioactive adventure 'Rad' arrives this summer
Tim Schafer and Lee Petty of Double Fine Productions made a short appearance on Nintendo's Nindies Showcase today to help introduce a new rock-flavored action game. And no, it's not Brutal Legend 2. Instead, it's a new property titled Rad, which follows a young man as he swings a baseball bat through an irradiated wasteland.
'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
'Project Cars' will finally come out on May 6th, we hope
Remember Project Cars, the beautiful sim racer from the team behind Need for Speed: Shift? Well, it's finally coming out, and relatively soon. Or at least that's what developer Slightly Mad Studios is promising, anyway. After three embarrassing delays, we've got a new release date for your calendar: May 6th. The game will be available first on PC (via Steam) in the US before a staggered international release on PS4 and Xbox One: it'll arrive in Europe and Australasia on May 7th, followed by the UK on May 8th and North America on May 12th. There's no word on the Wii U version though, which is a little worrying.
The Witcher 3 on consoles can simulate world states, can't import Witcher 2 saves
On PC, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt can import a Witcher 2 save file to "impact your playthrough" of the third entry, but on consoles CD Projekt is taking a different approach. In a roundtable interview Level Designer Miles Tost told Joystiq that The Witcher 3 will look to simulate world states based on decisions taken in an in-game conversation. "The way how it works is that the game on the consoles will ask you whether you want to simulate a specific state of the world, coming from previous games," Tost explained. "If you choose 'yes,' then you will get a special conversation at one part of the game - I don't want to spoil where it happens. It's basically a conversation with a character and the conversation is about the adventures of Geralt of Rivia. And you can basically deny or confirm whatever [the character] has heard of whatever tales of [Geralt.] It's actually kind of a cute mechanic. If you don't want to simulate the state then this conversation doesn't take place."
On track with the first three hours of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
There's an immediate intimacy to my first three or so hours with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and no, I don't mean the bare buttocks I see in one of the opening cut scenes. The third entry in CD Projekt's fantasy RPG series may offer a new open world that's umpteen times bigger than previous entries. Yet, following a story-driven tutorial, I end up losing myself to the very first landmark, the peasant village of White Orchard. It's a small riverside muddle of hovels, taverns and fields, its warm hues belying the deeper, darker stories within. There's the impulse to call my horse and gallop towards the horizon, but I find the village's multitude of side quests as welcoming as they are distracting, and certainly meaty enough to steer me away from temptation. Eventually I drag myself to the main quest and my first wild hunt of The Witcher 3, as I track and take on a huge, bloodthirsty griffin. But before all that, let's return to those buttocks...
Dark Souls 2 prepares for expansion with free update
To prepare existing copies of Dark Souls 2 for the additions coming to the dark fantasy game in the Scholar of the First Sin expanded re-release, From Software will issue a free update on February 5. The list of changes included in the update is immense, but highlights include improved loading times on the PlayStation 3, longer-lived white phantoms, more consistently useful rewards during multiplayer combat, new item flavor text and the addition of the titular Scholar of the First Sin character. For a comprehensive list, see Bandai Namco's Tumblr. Since there are so many changes included in this update, the Dark Souls 2 servers will be brought down for maintenance on February 4 at 9AM EST. Barring any technical problems, the servers should be back up and running by 12PM EST. Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin is scheduled to launch on April 7. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Tekken 7 may allow two characters to fight from the same side
In a recent tweet, Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada revealed a new feature being tested for Bandai Namco's upcoming 3D fighter Tekken 7. "BETA TESTING NOW> New Rendering Camera System "Both players can play on LEFT SIDE (or RIGHT SIDE) for TEKKEN7," Harada tweeted. Initially this idea seems confusing, but the image Harada included - which can be seen, in part, above - makes the new feature clear. Harada's team has linked two Tekken 7 arcade cabinets and programmed the game to rendered mirrored images centering on the two fighters for each display. The effect is that both players are fighting from the same side in the same, real-time match with data being shared between the two cabinets, hopefully with very little lag. However, the utility of this feature is questionable, especially for anyone outside of Japan. Players who prefer to fight from one side or the other may embrace the option (assuming it makes its way successfully through beta testing), but as the system requires an elaborate grafting of two undoubtedly pricey Tekken 7 arcade machines it will only appear in larger, well-funded arcades. Given the collapse of the arcade market in the West, this effectively renders the mirrored system exclusive to Japan and a few locations scattered throughout North America that might buy the system purely for its novelty. [Image: @Harada_Tekken]
Tekken 7 director reveals new fighter, tries to clear up Lucky Chloe confusion
A Saudi Arabian fighter by the name of Shaheen will be joining the Tekken 7 roster, according to a tweet made earlier this week by game director Katsuhiro Harada. There's little other information to go on, but Harada also notes that Shaheen's design and name were "inspired by foreign student[s] from Arabic counties and [the] Saudi embassy." If you're worried that negative reaction will keep Shaheen out of the West in the same way that the character Lucky Chloe was driven away, don't be; it turns out Harada was joking about that. Er, maybe. In response to Harada saying Lucky Chloe would be exclusive to EU and Asia regions and that he would make a musclebound skinhead for US players, an angry Twitter user turned out some harsh stereotypes of the Japanese. Harada responded with the following: "Many spammers/haters attacking us (That was an extreme prejudice and tons of dirty words. Of course I hate this happen), then I said just counter 'sarcasm/joke.'" It's hard to tell if Harada means that he was only joking about American stereotypes or if the joke he's referring to is Lucky Chloe's supposed region exclusivity (the language barrier doesn't help). When another Twitter user called him a "silly goose" and thanked him for releasing Lucky Chloe, Harada tweeted a winking smiley face with its tongue sticking out. So ... yes? [Image: Bandai Namco]
'Lords of the Fallen 2' in early stages of development
It looks like Bandai Namco's other brutally punishing action RPG, Lords of the Fallen, is getting a sequel. The news comes by way of developer CI Games executive producer Tomasz Gop, who confirmed on Facebook (and also to Eurogamer) that development on the sequel's "vision and concepts" has begun. Gop refers to the game simply as "Lords of the Fallen 2," though we fully expect a grim subtitle to be tacked on at some point. Lords of the Fallen 2: Dim Spirits, perhaps. Our own review of Lords of the Fallen praised the game's departures from the Dark Souls series, with which it shares a great deal, but ultimately found that "there comes a point at which it has no more tricks up its sleeve." [Image: Bandai Namco]
Praise the Sun: Dark Souls Steamworks update now available
Following a short delay, developer From Software has issued an update for the PC's Dark Souls Prepare to Die Edition that replaces its native Games for Windows Live functionality with a full suite of Steamworks components. Additionally, from now until February 16, 2015, players will be able to transfer and update their original Dark Souls saves and achievements from Games for Windows Live to the new Steamworks version of the game. A full walkthrough on how to transfer your existing data is available on Steam. After February 16, the Steamworks version of Dark Souls Prepare to Die Edition will become the default version of the game and save transfers will no longer be possible. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Naruto whips up Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 on PS4, Xbox One, PC
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is heading West next year for Xbox One, PS4 and Steam. Bandai Namco Europe described the coming Storm as a "final massive strike" from the cel-shaded brawler series, following last year's two million-selling entry. "The Storm series continues to be one of our most popular franchises and its leap to the new generation of hardware ensures that it won't stop now," said VP of IP Strategy Herve Hoerdt.
Bandai Namco on board with amiibo, One Piece gets Nintendo-themed costumes
Bandai Namco has signed on as the first third-party publisher to offer amiibo support with its recently launched Nintendo 3DS action game One Piece: Super Grand Battle X. Nintendo Everything (via a Shonen Jump magazine magazine scan captured at Arlong Park Forums) reveals that Nintendo's figurines will unlock exclusive costumes within Bandai Namco's manga-based brawler as part of a forthcoming update. Series protagonist Luffy will wear Mario and Luigi costumes after players scan matching amiibo, while Sanji boasts an optional Fox McCloud outfit and Zoro can dress up as Link. Amiibo support is enabled in 3DS games via the NFC-compatible New 3DS hardware revision or a standalone peripheral. North American releases for the New 3DS and One Piece: Super Grand Battle X have not been announced. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Blame the Internet: Tekken 7's cat girl won't visit America
Apparently a human woman dressed in pink cat accessories is too outre for fans of a fighting franchise that stars both a cybernetic Robin Hood and a kangaroo wearing boxing gloves, as the developers behind Tekken 7 have responded to Internet outrage at the game's latest fighter by claiming that she won't appear in American versions of the game. The character, named "Lucky Chloe," was revealed during a recent livestream celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Tekken franchise. Shortly after, series producer Katsuhiro Harada was alerted to a thread on NeoGAF where a number of commenters slam the character design. "God I hate her already," reads a typical comment. Frustrated by the backlash, Harada tweeted, "Are you 'Western' only one bulletin board? Hello small world. I'll make muscular & skinhead character for you," in reference to the stereotypical American love for overtly muscular beefcake male characters. He then stated that American fans don't need to be so upset because Chloe is only one of the game's many characters, and she wasn't included to appeal to Western sensibilities anyway. He then noted that Chloe will be "exclusive" to Europe and East Asian territories. Tweets are not guarantees of future plans, though, especially when made in the heat of the moment. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Dark Souls' Steam migration delayed, prepare to die next month
Dark Souls PC owners can throw another log on the bonfire, because they have to wait until December for the game to transition over to Steam. Namco Bandai says it's finalizing the nuts and bolts of moving the action-RPG from Games for Windows Live to Steam, and more testing means the company's targeting the transition for next month rather than this one. In its original announcement, Namco said owners will be able to redeem Dark Souls on Steam by using their GFWL tokens at no extra cost. Saves and achievements can survive the journey during a short migration period, but GFWL rankings will be flattened by a figurative cannonball rolling down a metaphorical staircase.
Watch every Final Smash in Smash Bros for Wii U
Smash Bros fans are familiar with two very different games. The first game is, of course, Smash Bros. The second game is waiting for the new Smash Bros to finally come out. Super Smash Bros for Wii U is still over a week away, so we decided to make the wait a little easier by throwing together a video of every single Final Smash attack featured in the game. Enjoy.
Bandai Namco income, sales up in first half of fiscal 2015
Bandai Namco's first half of fiscal year 2015 – April 1, 2014, to September 30, 2014 – is on the up and up: Net income hit 21.3 million yen ($184,000), an increase of 8.5 percent year over year, and net sales hit 259.3 million yen ($2.2 million), an increase of 13.5 percent. Operating income is up 20.8 percent to 31.9 million yen ($276,000), and recurring income increased 16.9 percent to 33.4 million yen ($289,000). So far in the fiscal year, Bandai Namco has shipped 50 games in Japan with 2.6 million unit sales, and 18 games in the US with 2.8 million unit sales. So far in Bandai Namco's 2015, it's sold 65,000 copies of Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution in Japan, the US and Europe; 50,000 copies of One Piece Unlimited World Red; 40,000 copies of Sword Art Online Hollow Fragment; and 40,000 copies of Super Robot Wars Z 3 (Japan only). The company switched its name from Namco Bandai to Bandai Namco on April 1, 2014. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Metareview: Lords of the Fallen
It appears reviewers do not take the same masochistic pleasure from Lords of the Fallen as they did from similar games like Demon's Souls and Dark Souls. Critical reception to the game veered mostly toward the lower end of the acceptable spectrum, with reviews noting Lords of the Fallen was a little close to its source material and didn't move the self-flagellation genre forward. Our own review said that "when Lords of the Fallen stops providing the challenge, its other objective flaws are highlighted."