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Soulcalibur: Lost Swords issues make game unplayable, 'launch delayed'
Free-to-play fighter Soulcalibur: Lost Swords may be available in the West now, but players are complaining that the game is completely unplayable. In a sort of rehash of last year's Sim City issues, Lost Swords requires players to connect to its servers when launching and playing the game, despite being a single-player experience. Sure enough, that's the point players can't get past at the moment. Instead, the PS3 game eventually produces an error code message and then sends players back to the title screen. Player reports on Twitter, Facebook and the PlayStation Blog indicate the problem is widespread, although it does seem that some players have managed to access and play the game. We tested it out this morning, and while we managed to register a profile and create a character, we weren't able to access Lost Swords gameplay across several attempts. The only mode the game let us select was Quests, and when trying to load up the initial tutorial quest, it produced an error code for a lost connection to the server, and returned us to the title screen. Lost Swords also wouldn't let us load it without signing into PSN beforehand - it's not clear why exactly that's been implemented, although a key feature of Lost Swords is being able to download other players' characters to use as tag-in allies in battle. For its part, Bandai Namco America has acknowledged a "technical issue that has delayed the launch of the game" - for the record, Lost Swords remains available to download on the PlayStation Store, and the game itself makes no note about a delayed launch. "We have discovered that the issue requires a resolution across multiple parties and therefore our efforts to remedy the issue is taking longer than anticipated." the publisher said last night on the Soulcalibur Facebook page. "Currently we are working feverishly with a key partner to implement a solution in the shortest amount of time possible." [Thanks, JC!] [Image: Bandai Namco]
Bandai Namco bringing RPG Sword Art Online to NA Vitas this summer
Bandai Namco announced today that its PlayStation Vita action-RPG Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment will hit North American shores as a digital exclusive this summer. Launching in Japan this week, Sword Art Online merges dungeon-crawling gameplay with dating sim elements. The game offers an in-depth character creation system, and players can team up with fellow PS Vita owners and AI-controlled partners in a monster-slaying multiplayer mode. A release date for Sword Art Online was not announced. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Dark Souls 2 PC trailer collects cutscenes, foreshadows your demise
A better looking and performing version of Dark Souls 2 arrives for PC users on April 25. The latest trailer collects moments from the game's cutscenes, giving you a taste of all the areas you'll likely die in.
UK boxed copies of Dark Souls 2 PC delayed by a week
Bandai Namco UK revealed it's pushed back the PC disc version of Dark Souls 2 to May 2, but the action-RPG will remain available to download in the territory starting April 25. In a statement provided to Joystiq, the publisher made it clear the delay only affects physical copies in the UK - don't worry, PC players elsewhere, you'll get to praise all the suns you want next week. "It will be delayed unfortunately and we apologize to UK customers," a Bandai Namco rep told Joystiq. "This is due to a manufacturing issue with packaging. To confirm, this will only affect the UK boxed launch." [Image: Bandai Namco]
Dark Souls 2 players aren't dog people, 110 million 'stray hound' kills
The "Stray Hound" is the foe Dark Souls 2 players are murdering the most, as revealed by the new Enemy page on the game's Beyond the Bonfire stats site. Between them, Xbox 360 and PS3 players have to date felled just over 110 million of the vicious canines, while the various varieties of hollow and royal soldiers also rank highly on the Most Dead-ed list. If the soldiers were grouped together they'd no doubt place higher, but they're differentiated by the weapons they're wielding. The question is, who's died more: Stray Hounds or Dark Souls 2 players? It's not even a contest. Players deaths are now past the 248 million mark, just over a month after From's devilish action-RPG hit PS3 and Xbox 360. With the PC port due to arrive on April 25, the billion milestone for combined deaths can't be far away. So, who are the real stray hounds in Dark Souls 2: the dogs or the players, hmmmmmm? Well, it's the dogs. 'Cos they're dogs.
Dark Souls 2 PC: Dying often and leaving a prettier corpse
From Software's efforts to bring Dark Souls to PC in 2012 should have been met with excitement: A version of the cult hit for the "PC master race"? Praise the sun! Unfortunately, a combination of From Software's inexperience working on the platform and the game's last minute jump to PC led to an ugly port, which was devoid of even the simplest graphical customization options. It was a barebones port, which is all that Namco Bandai originally promised. For Dark Souls 2, Namco Bandai promised "increased texture resolution and an enhanced frame rate option." The details are included in the PC version, I learned after spending some time with the port this weekend. The video options don't dive as deep as PC gamers often desire, but the upcoming version of the game does offer increased stability. While textures look sharper, however, Dark Souls 2 for PC isn't a colossal graphical leap ahead of the console versions already available.
Enemy Front assaults Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in June
Alongside the above trailer, developer CI Games has announced that its upcoming World War 2 shooter Enemy Front will reach retail shelves in the US on June 10, with Europe following suit on June 13. [Image: CI Games]
Titanfall helps the Xbox One almost double weekly sales in the UK
The Xbox One saw UK week-on-week sales jump by 96 percent alongside the arrival of Titanfall, with the game's bundle accounting for 70 percent of the hardware shifted. It's no surprise, then, that EA's multiplayer shooter went top of the country's sales charts, despite a valiant effort from Dark Souls 2. Namco brought Demon's Souls to Europe almost a year after Atlus released it North America, and it debuted sixth in the UK charts back in June 2010. A year later, Dark Souls landed in third, and its sequel went one better with a 20 percent rise in UK sales over its predecessor. Not a bad performance for the action-RPG series, especially since at one stage it looked uncertain to even reach Europe. Looking down the UK charts, a month that's been packed with new releases meant there wasn't enough space in the top ten for Yoshi's New Island. The 3DS game placed 12th. [Image: EA]
'Stiq Tips: A Dark Souls II guide
The Dark Souls franchise can be a very unwelcoming host. Although all of the tools are there for success, not everyone has the patience to truck through all of the horrors that await, or cope with bundles of lost experience points. But fear not -- you can make it with some help. [Warning: this guide contains light, non-story related spoilers regarding some of the early events in the game.] In addition to the spoiler warning, I really have to start with this caveat: I strongly encourage you to play as much as possible without the use of any reference materials, as part of the allure of these games is to discover and conquer everything on your own. That said, I'd rather bring people into the game than push them away by leaving them to their own frustration, so here are some strategies to help take some of the edge off your frustration.
Dark Souls 2 review: Death becomes you
While others punish mistakes with a wagged finger, the Souls games punch you in the ribs, rob you of your clothes and scamper cackling into the darkness. Making progress only to have it snatched from you, dying over and over, and a world teeming with despair and hopelessness – these are the things that define From Software's action-RPGs. While they combine into a fine form of sadomasochism, it's far from a simple one. There's more to Demon's and Dark Souls than tough enemies and a bleak landscape, and it's these subtle but sturdy foundations that make overcoming the games so satisfying. Dark Souls 2 underlines this, but not for all the right reasons. It tries harder than any Souls game before it to be inviting to new players while still appealing to veterans, and the end result is an adventure that's demanding, thrilling, and all-consuming, but always a shade short of special. The disappointment in Dark Souls 2 is relative, though, and there's enough here to satisfy players returning to die, if not truly satiate them.
Dark Souls 2 brings suffering to PC on April 25
Dark Souls 2 players – of the PC persuasion – can find pleasure in the pain on April 25. Bandai Namco announced this morning the PC and Steam version of the unapologetically difficult RPG sequel will arrive around six weeks after the PS3 and Xbox 360 console launch on March 11. We'll have a review next week if we can get the reviewer to stop crying for five minutes. Geez! The announcement was made on the game's Facebook page, where it's said developer "From Software have been working to perfectly adapt the game for a mouse and keyboard combo."
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle tours Europe, Australasia in April
The manga-adapted ostentation of Jojo Bizarre's Adventure: All Star Battle is coming to PS3s in Europe and the Australasian region on April 25, but North America has to wait on a "spring" release window for now. The flamboyant fighter, developed by Asura's Wrath studio CyberConnect2 (of course it is), is a PSN release in Europe and Australia, while North America is getting an additional limited run of physical copies. The most important news, however, is that of the pre-order bonus DLC for Europe and Australasia, if only for the descriptions Namco Bandai Europe provided in this week's press release. We quote: · Yoshikage Kira (Chapter 4 - Diamond is Unbreakable): Originally a salesman who is aspiring for a quiet life, Kira is full of contradictions and madness. Why a man seeking discretion would be wearing a purple suit? Why a man seeking discretion would be a serial-killer for years? Lot of questions remains unanswered around this scary man and his terrifying stand: Killer Queen... · Shigekiyo Yangu (Chapter 4 - Diamond is Unbreakable): Nicknamed "Shigechi", like a lot of characters in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, he appears to be full of paradoxes. People thought that being naïve can't be associated with being a smart fighter? Ask Shigechi about it! His encounter with the frightening Kira remains one of the most important twists in the 4th Chapter... "Why a man seeking discretion would be wearing a purple suit?" Truly, we don't know. [Image: Namco Bandai]
Watch Dark Souls 2 as a radical refugee from the 80s cartoon lineup
Between the faux VHS tracking, fetishistic synthesizer use and art style that's equal parts lazy anime and Trapper Keeper doodles, this amateur reimagining of Dark Souls 2 as a cartoon from the Reagan era would fit seamlessly between Saturday morning episodes of MASK and Jem And The Holograms. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Rise from your demise in this Dark Souls 2 trailer
The indomitable human spirit is the subject of this latest Dark Souls 2 trailer, which shows the punishing series isn't defined by how often you die, but what you learn from your demise each time.
Retro redux Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ now $5 on Steam
Steam's Daily Deal has just knocked 50 percent from the price of Namco Bandai's hit Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+, granting the revived incarnation of the pellet-chomping arcade classic a $5 price tag. If you've ever played Pac-Man you're already familiar with the basics of Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+. Navigate a maze, avoid ghosts, eat pellets - you know the drill. Where the new game differentiates itself is in its novel tweaks to the classic formula. Players are given all manner of options to change the core Pac-Man experience, from slowing down time when you run too close to a dangerous ghost, to changing the stage to resemble something out of Dig Dug. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ is less a modern Pac-Man sequel and more a remix of its central concepts mated with the technology of today. To take advantage of this discount, simply visit the Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ page on Steam and purchase the game before Friday, February 14 at 10AM. After that time, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ returns to its standard $10 price point. [Image: Namco Bandai]
Dark Souls 2 pre-orders now include early access to useful weapons
As if guaranteed defeat and crushing frustration weren't enough to tempt players into pre-ordering Dark Souls 2, Namco Bandai has sweetened the pot by offering early weapon access to those who pre-order the game's Black Armor or Collector's Edition incarnations. Far from a game-breaking boon, this bonus offers players a choice between five weapons and their complementary shields that would otherwise not be available until a few hours into Dark Souls 2. None of the armaments on offer appear to provide any spectacular bonuses, but they are a drastic improvement over the arguably functional weapons players would otherwise start their quest carrying. You'll find a full list of these readily available killing implements past the break. As mentioned above, earning these weapons early will require players to pre-order either the Black Armor or Collector's Edition versions of Dark Souls 2. We covered the contents of the $120 Collector's Edition in September, but the Black Armor Edition includes a special metal case and a soundtrack disc alongside the game for $60. Neither the Black Armor Edition nor the Collector's Edition have yet been announced for the PC iteration of Dark Souls 2, though that's to be expected given that the game's release date is still in question. [Image: Namco Bandai]
It's an encouraging start, but the real Dark Souls 2 lies ahead
Speaking as a seasoned loser of Souls, playing the first two hours of Dark Souls 2 doesn't provide the culture shock of the previous two games. Demon's Souls bellows its cruelty by killing you mercilessly within minutes of starting, while Dark Souls literally sends you round in a circle like some kind of sick joke, but there isn't something in the opening of From's latest action-RPG that screams out "I am what Dark Souls 2 is!" Not that this is a bad thing. If there is something that defines the opening beyond its genetics, it's a new attention to accessibility. Yet that DNA of slow, torturous exploration remains encouragingly unscathed.
SoulCalibur: Lost Swords heading to Europe, Australasia this spring
SoulCalibur: Lost Swords will launch this spring on PSN, Namco Bandai (soon to be Bandai Namco) announced today. The launch window for the free-to-play fighting game is for Europe and Australasian regions; no word on a North American release date as of yet. It was originally expected in winter 2013. Meanwhile, Japanese players should be able to check out the game today. SoulCalibur: Lost Swords is exclusive to PS3, and features weapon forging and discovery as well as elemental combat. According to the trailer that accompanied the announcement, players will "gather allies from around the world" by using friends' characters for support in their battles. Other than that, it is entirely a single-player experience.
Namco Bandai turns into Bandai Namco on April 1
Namco Bandai officially announced plans to change its name to Bandai Namco. The change, which spans the company's many regional subsidiaries, will go into effect on April 1. Yes, that's April Fool's Day. No, we're pretty sure Namco Ban – sorry, Bandai Namco is serious here. The publisher was the result of a merger between Namco and Bandai in September 2005. The umbrella company's logo, seen above, will be used for all of the publisher's products going forward. Up until this point, Namco Bandai used its traditional, individual Namco and Bandai logos on some of its games. For instance, Tales of Xillia sported a Namco logo, while Dark Souls featured the Namco Bandai one. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Amazon lists Dark Souls 2 for PC release date as May 31
Amazon has listed Dark Souls 2 PC Steam keys for pre-order, with a tentative release date of May 31, 2014. Only a digital, standard version of the game is currently listed, with the Collector's Edition and Black Armor Edition nary to be seen. We already knew the console version of Bandai Namco's upcoming RPG would be coming to crush our dreams - and bones - on March 11, but were merely told we'd have to wait "shortly thereafter" for a PC version. Before you get too excited, be aware that there are some eyebrow-raising qualities about this listing: for one, the date is at the very end of the month, which is often retail-speak for "does not actually come out this day, but probably sometime around it." Second, May 31, 2014 is a Saturday - not exactly the most popular day of the week for a game to release, even if it is a game that will likely suck up most of your weekend time. Those grains of salt firmly taken into your hand, feel free to do with this information what you will. [Thanks, Justin!] [Image: Amazon]
