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Lords of the Fallen review: Fallin' in and out of love with you
PC, Xbox One, PS4 There is a brand of player that sees impossible odds, sees fiery, poisonous, roaring death from all directions, and greets it all with an insane grin – and then turns up the difficulty. For everyone else, there's Lords of the Fallen. This is not a necessarily an insult. There is no shame whatsoever in Lords of the Fallen being what many will immediately identify as a brazen riff on the special niche From Software has built for themselves with the Dark Souls series, especially when it's in the interest of a much more accessible game. Accessible is a good thing. Inferior, however, is not. There's plenty of both to be found here.
Report: Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy Plus flies to 3DS
In the latest issue of Famitsu (courtesy Gematsu translation), publisher Bandai Namco reveals that an updated version of its 2012 dogfighting action game Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy is currently in development for the Nintendo 3DS handheld. Dubbed Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy Plus, this enhanced reissue boasts improved controls, support for the improved 3D functionality of the upcoming Nintendo 3DS models and new planes modeled after famous Nintendo icons. Famitsu claims Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy Plus will reach Japanese retail shelves on January 29, 2015. It will feature a price point of 4,740 yen (about $42). There's currently no word on a Western release for Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy Plus, but series history suggests we'll see the game in North America shortly after its Japanese debut. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Praise the sun: Dark Souls PC moving from GFWL to Steam next month
The Windows PC version of Dark Souls will transition from the moribund Games for Windows Live platform to Steam next month, publisher Bandai Namco Games announced this week. Starting in November, players who purchase Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition will be able to redeem their Games for Windows Live Tokens on Steam. Existing save data and achievements will also transfer over to user Steam accounts during a brief migration period next month, though Games for Windows Live Rankings will not survive the trip. Bandai Namco notes that Dark Souls' transition will kick off "sometime in November 2014 with more specific dates to come." [Image: Bandai Namco]
Pokken Tournament's arcade debut meant to gauge whether it's captivating
Pokken Tournament is choosing Japanese arcades first to more quickly gauge the reaction from intensive fighting game fans, according to Siliconera's translation of 4Gamer's interview with developer Bandai Namco's Katsuhiro Harada. Since Pokken Tournament is meant to be a complex, competitive game, Harada said it's important to watch the game's reception in a harsh community, where a round of play is typically 100 yen (~93 cents). Harada added that boring or unengaging games are quickly abandoned in the arcade scene, and that having Pokken Tournament survive in the environment would be something the team could be proud of. Harada is co-leading Pokken Tournament's development with SoulCalibur series producer Masaaki Hoshino, with the left-field fighter due to try capturing an arcade audience in 2015. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Dark Souls 'Crown of the Ivory King' review: Burning bright
PC, Xbox 360, PS3 It sounds strange, but one of the best environments in the latest downloadable chapter of Dark Souls 2 DLC is hardly an environment at all. It's called the Frigid Outskirts, and it's a vast, nearly empty expanse – a long, curving valley only occasionally dotted with small, dilapidated stone structures. Like much of Dark Souls 2, however, this area of "The Crown of the Ivory King" DLC differentiates itself from the rest of the game with a few outstanding features. Specifically: a constant, unrelenting blizzard. What should be a simple jaunt from one end to the other becomes considerably more difficult, as near whiteout conditions make it impossible to see more than a few feet in front of you, only clearing once every thirty seconds or so. It's a smart mechanic that not only imparts a sense of fear, but also elevates what would otherwise be a boring, linear quest. And then there are the lightning-spewing horse bastards that accost you at regular intervals, but we'll get to those later.
First-person platformer Deadcore is a sci-fi speedrun
First-person platformer Deadcore is now available on PC, Mac and Linux. Developed by the five-person French studio 5 Bits Games, the game costs $10 on Steam and Desura. Set in a mysterious sci-fi world, Deadcore has players climbing to the top of a labyrinthine tower, shooting at mechanical enemies and triggers in the twisted tower's security system to open new pathways. Deadcore features a Speedrun mode with online leaderboards, allowing players to challenge their friends' best times in the fast-paced levels. Bandai Namco handled the distribution of the independent platformer, as announced back in April. Head past the break to check out the game's launch trailer, which shows off Deadcore's jumping abilities. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Project Cars delayed to March 2015
The launch of Project Cars has been delayed to March 2015, Bandai Namco announced today. It will now arrive on March 17 in North America and March 20 in Europe and Australasian regions. The delay affects the game's Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC versions, which were previously scheduled for November 18 and November 21 in North America and Europe, respectively. The decision "positions the title away from the competitive holiday scene dominated by household names while affording the team at Slightly Mad Studios additional time to extend and polish" the game, according to the publisher. Slightly Mad Studios also has a Wii U version of Project Cars on the way, though it was already planned for 2015. It's currently unknown if the Wii U edition will align with the others in March 2015; we've asked Bandai Namco as much and will update as we learn more. The Wii U version was announced in January 2012 prior to Xbox 360 and PS3 versions being cut from the developer's plans in November 2013. Update: Bandai Namco says "the announced date is still 2015" for Project Cars on Wii U. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Tales of Hearts R nets day-one edition, pre-order bonuses in Europe
PS Vita-ported JRPG Tales of Hearts R will arrive in Europe next month with a collection of in-game bonuses for pre-order customers, publisher Bandai Namco announced this week. Players who pre-order Tales of Hearts R in Europe will receive three exclusive DLC costumes inspired by previous series entries Tales of the Tempest, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, and Tales of Graces F. Pre-order the day-one Soma Link Edition and you'll also get a trio of costumes ripped from 2008's Tales of Vesperia. Bandai Namco has yet to announce pre-order incentives for the game's North American release. Tales of Hearts R premieres digitally and at retail in North America on November 11, and a European release is set for November 14. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Action-RPG Sword Art Online: Lost Song hits PS3, Vita in 2015
Publisher Bandai Namco has revealed that Sword Art Online: Lost Song, the latest adaptation of the popular Sword Art Online manga and anime series, will reach both the PlayStation 3 and Vita at some nebulous point in 2015. As its name suggests, Sword Art Online centers on a fictional massively multiplayer online roleplaying game dubbed "ALfheim Online." Despite its faux-MMO roots, Lost Song is described as an action-RPG that borrows the series' familiar characters for an offline adventure. Not much is known of Lost Song at the moment, but Siliconera reports that it will feature a wholly new plot created specifically for the game. There's currently no word on whether Sword Art Online: Lost Song will be released outside of Japan, or if the game will remain exclusive to its native country. Given the anime's burgeoning international popularity, it's quite possible it could be localized for Western audiences, but nothing is certain until Bandai Namco unveils official launch plans. [Image: ASCII media works]
The Pac-Man family fights breast cancer during October
Bandai Namco is teaming up with the National Breast Cancer Foundation this month by offering special pink mazes for its mobile Pac-Man games. The mazes will cost $1 each, with 100 percent of proceeds going to the NBCF. Bandai Namco is calling the initiative, which will last until the end of the month, the "Ms. Pac-Man Pink Ribbon Campaign." If you have an iOS device, the list of compatible games is as follows: Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man Lite, Ms. Pac-Man Lite, Ms. Pac-Man for iPad and Ms. Pac-Man for iPad Lite. If you're rocking an Android device, your options are limited to Ms. Pac-Man and Pac-Man + Tournaments. "We are very excited about our new partnership with BANDAI NAMCO and the Ms. PAC-MAN Pink Ribbon Campaign," NBCF founder and CEO Janelle Hail said in a related press release. "By encouraging their gamers to Join the Pac, we can reach more women than ever with our message of hope. The funds they raise will allow us to provide early detection services for women in need in all 50 states." [Image: Bandai Namco]
PSA: Dark Souls 2's 'Lost Crowns' DLC trilogy now complete
Following a recent, unexpected delay, Dark Souls 2 fans can now download the final entry in the dark fantasy game's DLC trilogy, dubbed Crown of the Ivory King. Like its predecessors, Crown of the Sunken King and Crown of the Old Iron King, Crown of the Ivory King is designed to test those Dark Souls 2 players who have bested the game's core challenges and are now ready for something even more difficult. "[O]nly the most hardcore, determined, and unrelenting fans will survive the onslaught of new enemies, traps, and bosses that have been devised to stop players from completing their quests in Crown of the Ivory King," reads the DLC's official description. Like the other Dark Souls 2 DLC releases, Crown of the Ivory King can be purchased for $10 from the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Marketplace or Steam. Those who would prefer to buy all three DLC packs at once and are playing Dark Souls 2 on a PC can grab the game's Season Pass from Steam for $25. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Project Cars targets 1080p on Xbox One, PS4
Visual fidelity has always been important to players, especially when the resolution between two versions of a game doesn't match. A class-action lawsuit was even filed over a multiplayer game that failed to live up to its promised resolution. With that in mind, racing fans will be happy to know that Project Cars is aiming for 1080p and 60 frames per second on PS4 and Xbox One. Slightly Mad Studios' Andy Tudor told Eurogamer that while recent Xbox One demos of the racer were "not quite 1080p at the moment," the developer is "still aiming to get there." "Towards the end of the game you're always optimizing, and during development it's a rollercoaster. Sometimes you look at the game and think oh god, that's not working, that's not working. But other days you hit 60 fps, and it's awesome," Tudor said. He explained that the "physics underneath runs at 600 times a second," and that the developer calculates "the input you're doing on the controller 250 times per second." The racing sim will launch on the next-gen systems as well as PC on November 18, arriving in 2015 on SteamOS and Wii U. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Dragon Ball Xenoverse casts you as a super saiyan savior
Anime icon Goku may be the hero of the Dragon Ball universe, but in Dragon Ball Xenoverse, that responsibility falls to you. Developer Dimps and publisher Bandai Namco are crafting a new storyline that allows players to insert themselves into Dragon Ball Z history by creating a custom character that travels through time to help the many spiky-haired warriors. Goku and crew won't just be cowering in a corner and waiting for you to save them, though. By becoming an apprentice to one of the Z Warriors, you'll be able to learn their moves, as well as unlock their costumes. Of course, if you want the authentic experience, you'll also be able to take control of the original characters in other modes. Our scouters have revealed a trailer showcasing the title's features, which you can check out after the break:
Metareview: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
We handed Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS four and half stars, calling it "the most feature-complete, compelling Super Smash Bros. entry to date," and setting it right alongside Fire Emblem: Awakening and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds as a game that every 3DS owner should play. Critics around the web seem to agree that Super Smash Bros.' first outing on 3DS is worthy of high praise, though experiences with online play seem to vary across the board. Our own experience was fairly positive, depending largely on the geographical proximity of opponents. One critic notes lag issues in local multiplayer, especially in 4-player matches. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS launches in North America on October 3.
Super Smash Bros. 3DS review: Only the strong
It may not be the undisputed industry leader these days, and Nintendo currently faces stronger competition than it ever has, but one thing you can't take away from the Japanese gaming giant is its wealth of iconic, beloved characters. From Mario to Link to Donkey Kong (and on through another few dozen familiar names), Nintendo is responsible for the majority of gaming's most famous faces. In hindsight, the idea to combine them all into one massive fighting game nostalgia bomb was sublime genius, and the Super Smash Bros. games have been among Nintendo's most popular releases on each console they've reached. It doesn't hurt that the games have all been solidly constructed from a combination of unique fighting game mechanics and spot-on controls, but let's be frank, people are buying these games because they're the best way to punch Pikachu in his cute, smug little face. That all might change with the latest entry in the series, however. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (that's the full title) is as much a trip down Nintendo's memory lane as any of its predecessors, but there's more meat here than in prior games. More to see, more to do, and all of it is built on the most solid fundamentals the series has yet seen. But is all of that enough to survive the franchise's first jump to a portable system? And what of the new online components, which have been a key failing of prior Super Smash Bros. games? Nintendo, along with development partners Namco and Sora, seems pretty confident, and the more time I spend with Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, the more I see why.
Dark Souls 2 DLC officially delayed in North America
Yesterday we brought you word that the Crown of the Ivory King DLC for Dark Souls 2 had been delayed in Europe. At the time there was no word on the status of its North American counterpart, though now we know that it, too, has been pushed back. "The sheer scope of Crown of the Ivory King facilitated the need for a bit more time to deliver a level of polish that the previous two chapters of The Lost Crown trilogy embodied," stated developer From Software via publisher Bandai Namco. "It is From Software's intent to only release Crown of the Ivory King with the highest level of quality possible." Those who read our earlier article will note that this is the same statement we received from Bandai Namco Europe when we looked into the European delay. On a positive note, the delay is not a lengthy one. Bandai Namco now plans to launch the Crown of the Ivory King DLC on September 30. While you're waiting, you can pass the time by reading our reviews of the first two DLC packs released for Dark Souls 2, Crown of the Sunken King and Crown of the Old Iron King. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Dark Souls 2's 'Crown of the Ivory King' pushed back [update: NA too]
Update 2: Bandai Namco has confirmed that Crown of the Ivory King has been delayed in North America. Like its European and Japanese counterparts it will now debut on September 30. Update: We've yet to hear back from Bandai Namco America, and the game's US homepage is still advertising the DLC for tomorrow, September 24. Once we confirm if the delay includes North America or not, we'll update this story. Bandai Namco Europe announced a week's delay for 'Crown of the Ivory King,' the third and final chapter in the coronation trilogy of Dark Souls 2 DLC. The add-on content was due on September 24, but according to Bandai Namco's European branch launch it's due now on September 30 for Xbox 360 and Steam, and October 1 for PS3. Also, Famitsu reported a delay to September 30 in Japan. We've reached out to Bandai Namco America for stateside info. When approached, Bandai Namco Europe provided Joystiq with From Software's statement on the delay: "The [sheer] scope of Crown of the Ivory King facilitated the need for a bit more time to deliver to level of polish that the previous two chapters of The Lost Crown trilogy embodied. It is From Software's intent to only release Crown of the Ivory King with the highest level of quality possible."
Bandai Namco TGS pics? Yeah, when Dark Souls 2 freezes over
The third and final round of Dark Souls 2 DLC, Crown of the Ivory King, is a blustery romp through a frozen kingdom, complete with snow and giant ice beasts. Bandai Namco has dumped a lineup of screenshots from Tokyo Game Show on us, including images for Tales of Hearts R, Tales of Zestiria, Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 and those Dark Souls 2 shots. See them all in the galleries below. Also check out our reviews of Dark Souls 2 and its first bit of DLC, Crown of the Sunken King.
Tales of Zestiria out in North America, Europe by summer 2015
The next PlayStation 3 entry in the long-running "Tales of" JRPG series is due to hit store shelves in North America and Europe by next summer, a Bandai Namco representative told IGN this week. The representative stated that Tales of Zestiria will debut in North America and Europe "no more than six months after its Japanese launch," pegging it for a spring or summer release. Tales of Zestiria hits Japan on January 22, 2015, and if Bandai Namco's worldwide release schedule pans out, its localization will be the quickest the series has seen to date. Bandai Namco revealed the sequel late last year, and showed off its protagonist and lush scenery in the weeks afterward. Zestiria follows up on Tales of Xillia 2, which launched digitally and at retail last month for the PlayStation 3. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX going free-to-play on iOS
An iOS version of Bandai Namco's high-octane Pac-Man remake Pac-Man Championship Edition DX has soft-launched in New Zealand, suggesting that a worldwide App Store release is imminent. Released as a downloadable title for consoles in 2010, Championship Edition DX retrofits Pac-Man's classic gameplay with chain-based scoring mechanics and mazes that continually evolve throughout each play session. The iOS edition is free-to-play, and introduces an energy-refilling mechanic that limits the number of available lives and bombs before requiring players to either wait or pay to recharge. A worldwide release date for the iOS version of Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is not yet known. [Image: Bandai Namco]
