Andy Wang

Newbie journalist and freelance writer. I cover tech and business news with some gaming news here and there. If I'm not writing, I'm reading. If I'm not reading, I'm gaming. I've been writing for about 2 years now for various publications and I'm glad to be a part of barrelrolled to share some insights and news about trending topics.

Fortnite’s Disco Domination Mode; Season 6 details

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Fortnite's Disco Domination Mode; Season 6 details 1

One of the most popular things about Fortnite is the ability to dance with a huge selection of emotes to choose from. Players can select from a variety of smooth moves based on real-life dance moves to just randomness from Epic Games.

Fortnite's Disco Domination Mode; Season 6 details 2

A new Limited time Mode will be released for the worlds most popular battle royale game and will sport these emotes as a major function in this objective-based, exclusive new Fortnite mode.

The name is called Disco Domination, and anyone can guess that its a typical domination-type game mode from many other shooters like Call of Duty and Unreal Championship. Players will fight for control points throughout the map, but players will have to dance on these points in order to score game objectives.

The idea is funny and I can already tell it’ll be hectic. Imagine running into a room with a whole team dancing around on a point and you need to take them down.

There will also be more challenges and easter eggs that utilize motes. The sixth season of Fortnite comes in an update yet to be announced. Players will be able to play across all platforms.

PlayStation Experience 2018 won’t be happening – “Not enough PS exclusives”

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PlayStation Experience 2018 won't be happening - "Not enough PS exclusives" 3

Fans have been questioning for months now on the debacle of whether or not Sony will be hosting PlayStation Experience this year- the fan-powered event that takes place every year in December. As we edge towards the holidays, Sony still hasn’t announced anything regarding when the event would take place in 2018.

Sony’s Chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios, Shawn Layden, just confirmed that the PS Experience will be canceled for 2018. This was confirmed in this week’s episode of the PlayStation Blogcast (the official PS Blog)

Layden said he knows many fans will be upset over this news. He somewhat trotted on the idea that due to 2019 wouldn’t have an expansive lineup of PlayStation exclusive others than Days Gone and Dreams, so thus, Sony wouldn’t be able to make costs meet to host the event this year. He didn’t want to disappoint fans either by not having any solid lineup of games to show off.

PlayStation Experience may return again next year. This is just due to a coincidental poor lineup of exclusives.

Sony still has other games like Ghost of Tsushima, Death Standing, and The Last of Us Part II, but none of them are worthy to talk about during the event. Sony may attend Paris Games Week again this year, and we may hear something about their first-party lineup before the new year. Let’s get an awesome lineup for next year’s PS Experience.

Designing Spider-Man is much more difficult than you think

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Designing Spider-Man is much more difficult than you think 4

The Spider-Man news just keeps coming.

Earlier yesterday, a “documentary” video featuring some developers from Marvel and Insomniac Games was released and the topic of discussion was how key people from both teams working together and approached the development of Spider-Man.

The web-slinging hero is one of the most well-known characters in fictional works through comics, TV shows, movies, books, and of course, video games. Creating him for a modern adoption is pretty difficult- much more than most people would think.

Bill Rosemann of Marvel Games says that making a Spider-Man game is a huge responsibility and uses the quote “with great power comes great responsibility.” Creating Spidey wasn’t easy as the team had to balance modern gameplay design while keeping true to the hero’s abilities. He wanted to make Spider-Man’s world accessible for new fans of the game or series and that’s something that Stan Lee tried to do when he was writing the original comic where Spider-Man was created.

Bryan Intihar from Insomniac Games says that the previous games from the Ulitmate Spider-Man series were important in game design because it proved that you could change the hero and his characters in many ways while remaining “true to what makes him special.” This is pretty cool to know how much they can toy around with the idea when they create a Spider-Man game.

If you’re not sick of hearing about Spider-Man news yet, check out the video below to see how the game was adapted to modern playstyles while keeping true to the original comic in some ways:

Capcom announces Capcom Connect; Giving away codes for Street Fighter IV

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Capcom announces Capcom Connect; Giving away codes for Street Fighter IV 5

Capcom has announced a new weekly live stream called Capcom Connect, which will take place on Capcom Fighters Twitch channel every Tuesday starting at 8 PM PT. The show’s all about Street Fighter with news, updates, matches between pros and local players, and code giveaways.

Capcom Connect will be hosted in partnership with the Esports Arena in Oakland, California. The stream will be broadcasted mainly to allow Capcom to connect with the Street Fighter community, ranging from professional esport players to casual fans who watch streams.

The show will cover news about the Capcom Pro Tour tournaments, announcements, fan art, cosplay, pro interviews, and matchups between pro and local talent all over the nation and possibly globally also.

Viewers will get a free chance to redeem codes for Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition by tweeting to Capcom FIghters by using a unique hashtag identifier before 8:15 PM PT on September 25th- the show’s premiere day. The codes are currently reserved for North American viewers.

Nintendo Switch Online goes live tonight. But, maintenance first.

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Nintendo Switch Online goes live tonight. But, maintenance first. 6

Nintendo Switch Online will finally go live tonight- the 18th of September. After many long waits and a much-overdue service, players will be able to upload their game saves to the cloud, play classic NES titles, and finally- play games online. With some exceptions, of course.

Nintendo’s official date for the launch of Nintendo Switch Online is today, however, it won’t go live until about three hours of Nintendo eShop maintenance. Just the final frontier before the service goes live to the public. A post on their support site says that the eShop maintenance will take place from 5 PM to 8 PM PST.

Afterward, players can then purchase membership plans from the eShop or Nintendo’s site. MyNintendo Gold Coins can be used to make a purchase for both the Individual and Family membership subscriptions.

You can check out a full list of features that Switch Online will offer here. One thing worth mentioning is that Nintendo cloud saves won’t be compatible with all games. This means some games will continue to be saved locally on your console.

Pricing starts at $3.99 a month, $7.99 for three months, $19.99 for a year, or $34.99 for a plan that covers between 2-7 people (Family Plan). There will also be a free trial that lasts one week for players who want to try it out before making the purchase.

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition – Release date and exclusive content

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Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition - Release date and exclusive content 7

Bandai Namco accounted the confirmed release date for the much-anticipated Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition.

The game will be launching on January 11, 2019, for the PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.

Tales of Vesperia is a JRPG that features emotional plot twists and a winding storyline. The game is known for its cast of memorable characters and real-time combat system.

The Definitive Edition will be updated with full HD graphics, new music tracks, mini-games, bosses, and unreleased costume DLC. The game was first released back on the Xbox 360 and is considered to be one of the best Tales games released by Bandai Namco- of all time. Tales of Symphonia and Tales of the Abyss are other two contenders within the community.

The Definitive Edition isn’t a remake by any means. But it’s packed full of features and characters, events, and new content that was never released outside of its Japan release. The game will also feature higher resolution to match today’s modern console outputs.

Bandai Namco also announced an new Anniversary Bundle which includes some special, exclusive collectibles including Yuri Lowell, Patty Fleur, Flynn, Scifo, and Repede for PS4, Xbox One, and PC editions. The Anniversary Bundle is only available through the official store. Details are yet to be released other than some speculative rumors.

Here’s a product description of the game:

“A BELOVED TALE RETURNS! — The tale of a young hero on a quest for justice that captivated Tales fans returns to Xbox and makes its way for the first time to PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam!

EVERYTHING IN ONE EDITION! — Dive into the Definitive version of this game with updated full HD graphics, brand-new music tracks, exciting mini-games, bosses, and a collection of unreleased costume DLC!

THE PARTY GROWS STRONGER! — Yuri sets sail on his adventure with Estelle, a young noblewoman; Karol; a boy in pursuit of a guild to call his own; Rita, an eccentric scholar; Raven, a laid-back archer; Judith, a mysterious dragoon; and Repede, a pipe-smoking dog… and now two more playable characters join the fray!

FIGHT WITH FLAIR! — Assemble your favorite team and enjoy exciting real-time battles with all new Mystic Artes and skills!”

CoD: WWII Covert Storm event is live – new weapons, challenges, and events

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CoD: WWII Covert Storm event is live - new weapons, challenges, and events 8

Earlier this week, Sledgehammer Games revealed a new in-game event for Call of Duty: WWII gamers. It’s called Covert Storm. And it’s a decent one. This event is now live for Xbox One, PC, and PS4.

Unlike the previous events, this one adds a ton of content for free, though it’s just a tad less than normal. Three new weapons have also been added:

  • AS-44 AR
  • Prot X-1 SMG
  • VMG 1927 LMG

The AS-44 can be earned by reaching the max level in the Commando Division.

Aside from weapons, newly animated camos and a community challenge are also now live in CoD. This content pack, however, has no new maps with the update. But then again, this is more likely the last event before the next Black Ops game rolls out in October.

For players who’ve already played their share of WWII, you may want to check out the trailer to see what’s new while your game is updating. It pretty much highlights everything that’s new in this update.

Grandia I and II remastered are coming to Switch as a packaged game

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Grandia I and II remastered are coming to Switch as a packaged game 9

Grandia I and II are coming to the Nintendo Switch as a remastered game. GungHo Online Entertainment America announced that the titles will be coming to the Switch fully remastered. This is the first time the game has had an easy release since 1999 when it was launched for the original PlayStation in North America. Grandia II hasn’t been available since early 2000 when it was available on the PlayStation 2 and Sega Dreamcast. But now it’ll be coming out for the holiday season in 2018.

Developed by Game Arts, who may be known for their work in Sliphead and the Lunar series, Grandia games have only seen four main releases- plus an MMO, special disc, and a spinoff game. Other than that, there hasn’t been much action for this series over here in the West. Similar to the Lunar games, the Grandia games are known for their insane combat mechanics and awesome sprite art.

It was very well-received and highly-rated overseas and at home in the US. It released around the same time that FFVII came out and both of the games were compared against each other. Gamespot said that Grandia is superior to “FF7 in all of the ways that matter.”

Grandia was released for the Japanese Sega Saturn originally, then found its home on the PlayStation shortly thereafter. Then it migrated to the PS3 in Japan on the PS Network. PC and Switch owners will now get a piece of the action later in 2018. Switch players will also get Grandia II, which aims for a more grown-up storyline compared to the original game. It tells the tale of Ryudo, a blade mercenary who’s tasked with protecting a songstress from the church which has been leading humanity to prosperity and peace for many centuries.

Steam players will get a remaster of the Dreamcast version with upgraded visuals and audio.

Grandia II was originally released on the Dreamcast to which then was ported poorly onto the PS2 and PC. Similar to the original game, it got some pretty positive reviews. The game expands on the positional-based battle mechanics and had a more difficult gameplay style.

The game will be available for demo at PAX West and also packaged for the Switch later this year.

DOOM Eternal: No SnapMap. No mods. Better multiplayer.

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DOOM Eternal: No SnapMap. No mods. Better multiplayer. 10

At QuakeCon, id Software revealed that DOOM Eternal won’t have SnapMap, which is the map editor that was used in their previous title, DOOM. Instead, it’ll have single-player DLC.

In a Q/A interview, director Marty Stratton explained their reasoning for getting rid of the previous feature. He says:

“Right now we don’t plan on bringing SnapMap back into Doom Eternal,” he said. “We’re really focusing those resources on doing some of the things that players wanted more from us post-launch.”

DOOM’s fans were pretty disappointed when the campaign mode didn’t get any DLC post-release. The SnapMap mode was basically a successor to mods made by the community. SnapMap was an editor that allowed modders to customize maps in fairly advanced ways.

It could do a lot more than typical editors but wasn’t a full-blown code-required map editor. WIth the omission of this feature, id is not working on improving their tech to offer mod support again.

“One of the big criticisms – and even if I could go back and do it again – I think we’d do campaign DLC after launch. People really wanted that. They wanted stuff created by us. SnapMap was really cool. I loved it. But it didn’t really scratch that itch for people. But we know we can.”

Stratton was clear about DOOM Eternal mods and how they’re not guaranteed to be in the game.

“We had made some technical decisions way back that just pushed us in a different direction than mods. We have spent the last several years making technical decisions that get us back towards being able to do mods.

He went on to talk about how they’re shifting focus based on the previous title. He also talked about the multiplayer aspect of DOOM Eternal as another example of their plans for expansion after the game is released.

The multiplayer part will be developed with the same team rather than outsourced to another studio like in DOOM– where it was criticized for being sub-par compared to the campaign. The game will also have an invasion mode, where players can play as a baddie and invade other player’s campaigns to take the place of an AI.

He also briefly talks about a new-fangled PvP component, which is something completely new to the series:

“But we’re not really going deep into that. We are working on a PvP component. It is new. It’s not an extension of what we did last time. So it’s new. It is something we’re developing internally, which we didn’t do last time. I think players are gonna really enjoy it.”

Valiant Hearts: The Great War and Child of Light coming to Switch

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Valiant Hearts: The Great War and Child of Light coming to Switch 11

Child of Light and Valiant Hearts: The Great War are both coming to the Nintendo Switch this Fall. They were confirmed for the Switch in a news post on the official Ubisoft site. Child of Light will release on October 11th and Valiant Hearts will release on November 8th.

Child of Light features amazing artwork and players must save their kingdom from evil forces. The game is a turn-based RPG in a fantasy world where players must take the role of a hero named Aurora who happens to reside in the kingdom of Lemuria. The game has a skill-tree progression system for all characters and allows the freedom to tailor each character to suit different roles or playstyles.

The isn’t the first game in this series on a Nintendo console, as it was also available for the Wii U back in 2014. This game won’t have any new Switch exclusives, but a second player can join in with a Joy-Con to control Aurora’s companion Igniculus to allow players to play in co-op. However, this feature is available in other releases of the game.

Valiant Hearts: The Great War will ship with integrated touch controls just like the iOS, Android, and Windows versions. Switch owners will have Valiant Hearts: Dogs of War which is an interactive comic that was previously available on mobile platforms.

This is a point-and-click adventure game which focuses on multiple strangers during WWI. You’ll guide a character through many puzzles with a trusty dog as your companion to infiltrate enemy bases, investigate different events, and discover WWI history. Valiant Hearts for the Switch is the first time it’s ever been on a Nintendo console.

Stay tuned for more news upon release.

Swery reveals more details about his newest project: “The Missing”

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White Owls Studio is teasing its first game developed completely in-house called The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Mysteries, which is set to roll out later this year. With this year being close to over, it’ll likely surface sometime during the holiday season.

Swery was recently in the news for his The Good Life project which received decent success on Kickstarter. The game will be developed by Swery himself and staff from White Owls Studio. Arc Systems Works has been “very supportive” in giving him the opportunity to “create something entirely new” which will “blow your mind,” as Swery likes to put it. He’s known for his mind-boggling storylines and plots, and we expect nothing different from The Missing.

The game is an indie title developed by White Owls Studio and Swery. It’s an action adventure game coming to all major consoles and PC. It’s published by Arc Systems Works, which previously worked on titles that consisted of fighting games and similar genres. The announcement was filmed in their office with a humorous tone depicting cacti, stuffed monkeys, and a random White Owl. It promises a healthy dose of mystery and some speculation about the game’s release.

It was originally just known as “The Missing” and was revealed six months ago in February 2018 without any further details. The announcement trailer that was just released simply lists some details, screenshots, and the platforms the game will be released on. From what it shows, it looks like some kind of Castlevania-type action platform complete with sidescroller elements. Players will have to solve mysteries in rural settings similar to Deadly Premonition released by Swery back in 2010.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at Nintendo Direct: New characters, amiibos, and a special edition

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at Nintendo Direct: New characters, amiibos, and a special edition 12

Nintendo has announced five new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate amiibo characters and a special limited edition amiibo and GameCube controller/adapter combo.

SSBU Nintendo Direct announced the news on August 8th where the new characters were revealed for the upcoming and much-anticipated crossover fighter. The characters and their respective amiibo figures will be available for purchase “in the future” according to a Tweet by Nintendo.

The characters announced were Simon Belmont, Richter Belmont, King K. Rool, Chrom and Dark Samus. SSBU is the newest entry in Nintendo’s flagship title Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighters. The game will be released on Nintendo Switch in the holiday season. Today’s Nintendo Direct event confirmed the new characters’ addition to the game.

As for when these will ship, there’s no confirmation yet. Nintendo is still being vague about the actual launch, but it’s safe to assume that they’ll be around during the game’s launch or shortly thereafter.

Nintendo’s special limited edition version of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be released with the regular edition both on the same day, which is scheduled to be on December 7th, 2018.

T he special edition will contain a physical copy of the game, a GameCube controller themed with SSB designs, and an adapter so you can use it with the Switch. This adapter also works with any existing GameCube controllers you may already have.

Pricing for the limited edition version is still TBA, so expect more information to roll out as we approach the holidays. The GameCube controller for the limited edition isn’t exclusive by any means, as anyone can purchase the one that’s already on sale. It’ll be the same one that exists on the market today but bundled differently.

Dragon Quest XI will be a throwback to older titles in the series

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Dragon Quest XI will be a throwback to older titles in the series 13

A new trailer for the upcoming game Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age shows off the game’s gorgeous artwork and the group of companions that you’ll be playing alongside in this brand-new journey.

The game is supposed to be somewhat of a throwback to older, retro Dragon Quest games with each character in the party reflecting some older designs and personalities. Yuji Horii, developer, and creator of the series had an interview with Siliconera about each of the members of the party in greater detail.

Each character which accompanies the nameless hero, which is Dragon Quest tradition, on their journey to defeat the evil that’s wreaking havoc on their land. Horri went over how each character’s design and personality reflects an older Dragon Quest entity:

Erik is the down-to-Earth character. He’s fully governed and is a young thief who’s the first character to join the Limnitary.

Veronica and Serena are the pair of female girls similar to previous female duo Maya and Meena in Dragon Quest IV. They’re opposites in terms of personality and function for the party. Veronica is a mage and Serena is a healer. Their personalities offer plenty of content for the game’s moments with a dynamic opposing personality setup.

Sylvando is a guy who’s loud and annoying, probably because he’s an entertainer. He’s flamboyant, chivalrous, and somewhat buff. He has acrobatic skills.

Jade is a martial artist who acts as a sister to the hero.

Rab is an older character who’s somewhat of a troublemaker.

The game is the 11th title in the long-running series, which was first released back in 1986. It’ll feature many elements from the entire series due to it being somewhat of an homage to past titles, including the turn-based combat and classic designs created by Akira Toriyama and crew.

The game has already been released in Japan on the PS4 and Nintendo 3DS last year, with total sales around 3M copies. Worldwide release is scheduled on September 4th, 2018 for PS4 and Windows with a Switch version planned for release later on.

Only 2% Amazon Alexa users actually buy something

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Only 2% Amazon Alexa users actually buy something 14

A new report claims that only a very small percentage of their customers that own Alexa devices shop with voice commands. Analysts have been optimistic in their predictions about consumer shopping via virtual assistants.

Most customers who do actually place an order only do it once or stick to a very limited scope of products. Two people who were briefed on Amazon’s figures said that only around 2% of people who own Alexa-equipped devices have ever bought something with said device. And of that 2%, 90% tried it only once. That’s a very small percentage of people who buy using Alexa and isn’t really “optimistic” at all.

An Amazon spokesperson told ArsTechnica that they “do not agree with the numbers represented in the article” that was published. The full statement reads:

We do not agree with the numbers represented in the article. Millions of customers use Alexa to shop because it is the most convenient way to capture needs in the moment. It’s as simple as saying, “Alexa, order dish detergent” while you are doing the dishes or “Alexa, order copier paper” as you reach for the last one. We want to enable customers to shop in whatever way is easiest for them.

Purchasing with Alexa usually involves low-cost products out of impulse or minor repurchase decisions. Things like toilet paper or toothpaste are purchased because of consumer familiarity. This is what composes regular shoppers with Alexa. You can simply tell it to “order some more toothpaste” and that’s it. you don’t have to consider your decision because you already know what you want. And you don’t really care because you’re familiar with it and it’s cheap. Alexa will likely buy “Amazon’s Choice” products to fulfill your order.

But in the case of expensive items like electronics or appliances, consumers don’t really opt for virtual assistant purchases. Making decisions like this requires reading reviews, specs, and even finding cheaper retailers before buying.

However, Amazon is well-aware of this and has tried to incentivize Alexa buy offering special discounts for using it. Some third-party analysis reports confirm that Alexa usage is actually much higher than what the report from earlier states. Alexa sales continue to do well in sales numbers and has a growing user base. Even with just 2% of people making purchases, that 2% will continue to encompass a growing number of users as Amazon continues to develop the user base of Alexa-powered devices.

Source: ArsTechnica

Image via Amazon.

Surviving Mars Da Vinci update live on PC; What’s new?

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Surviving Mars Da Vinci update live on PC; What's new? 15

Surviving Mars released a new update this week according to a news post on their Steam Community page.

Surviving Mars is exactly what it sounds like. You need to establish a colony on the planet with just a cargo rocket and some drones and basic resources to start with and you need to expand your colony, build shelter, and explore the planet. The game doesn’t just put you alone on the planet though, you can breed humans to help perform tasks on your base in the harsh environment. You can actually expand beyond a thousand humans if you play well enough.

The game’s newest content patch is called the Da Vinci update. It allows a bunch of new features and balance adjustments to take place in the game. The main feature is Creative Mode, which allows players to basically have a large amount of capital and disable all the nasty diameters in the game in order to build creatively. It’s like RollerCoaster Tycoon on Mars with unlimited cash. It’s basically your typical freedom custom mode. Of course, achievements will be disabled if you’re playing in Creative.

Resource management has also been revamped to make it easier to harvest and utilize materials. Players can set a minimum desired amount of resources on a per-depot basis which allows adequate stockpiles of materiasl in various sections of your colony. The UI has also been improved and simplified. And power producers/consumers will now automatically connect to nearby buildings rather than requiring a tile power cable to be built.

Balance has also been addressed with some tweaks like building power consumption increases or maintenance parts changed. The Electronics Factory now uses machine parts for maintenance. Genius colonists will now grant research if you keep their Sanity high enough and Celebrity colonists will provide funding if their Comfort levels are kept well.

There’s also a Tourist trait for colonists now. Colonists will generate $10M upon arrival and stay for a few days, then leave. When they go back, they’ll bring back two new Tourist applicants. This is pretty cool because players can now establish a vacation destination on Mars and also get some additional income from it!

The Da Vinci update is already live on PC and console launches coming shortly. Another update called the Sagan Update will come next month in September with plenty of challenges along with it.

Octopath Traveler sells 1M copies; Thanks fans with banner art

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Octopath Traveler sells 1M copies; Thanks fans with banner art 16

Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler for Nintendo Switch has now shipped over 1M copies globally.

Developed by Square and studio Acquire, the Switch exclusive title’s success was relayed through an announcement from the official Octopath PR Twitter account stating that download numbers and shipments worldwide have netted over a million copies. They also drew a “1M thanks” banner using characters from the game for their fans with “1,000,000 Travelers! 1,000,000 Thanks” in text.

Octopath Traveler has become very successful for Square Enix. Over 90% of its initial stock in Japan was sold in July with over 100K units sold in less than 14 days. The game also has several sold-out locations of the physical disc all over the world, but mainly in Japan, to which at one point sold hundreds of copies in just a few hours after a new batch was released tot he public. Square then apologized for the shortage of physical copies and encouraged a digital download on the Nintendo E-shop if possible.

The game is obviously more popular overseas but has garnered a sizable audience in the West as shown by the sales figures.

Traveler is a retro take on the classic RPGs for an older console with 8 different characters each unique with abilities and personalities. There are also 8 stories in total. Some modern revamps include an improved turn-based system for battles and the use of animated sprites in an HD texture environment which was called an HD-2D effect by the developers.

The characters and positioning of the banner alluded to the official artwork of Bravery Default, which was released for the Nintendo 3DS which the producers of Octopath Traveler worked on also. Tomoya Asano and Masashi Takahashi both worked on both titles to create a consistent universe and their style shows in the fan art created for the community.

Battle For Azeroth Pre-Patch; What’s new?

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Battle For Azeroth Pre-Patch; What's new? 17

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth’s pre-patch will be released tomorrow, July 17th. After much speculation, Blizzard has revealed the survival guide for the pre-patch. It’s been a longstanding practice by Blizzard, dating all the way back to The Burning Crusade, which was the very first expansion ever made for WoW. Each time an expansion rolls out, they’ve gotten more creative and involved.

The version 8.0 pre-patch includes quests that set the scene for the whole faction war between the Alliance and the Horde. For players who want to do these quests, be sure to complete them before the official patch comes out because they won’t be accessible afterward. Artifact weapons will also be swept away with their effects integrated into class talents/abilities instead. This also means class changes. Classes will be revamped with new buffs and nerfs, but it shouldn’t be the level of Legion. The goal is to create more uniqueness between the classes:

“While we believe some specializations will need substantial iteration to achieve these goals, others will not, and our target is greater stability across the board.”

Other notable changes in 8.0:

 

  • A new open world PvP system – War Mode for PvP, off for PvE. No need to rerolls for wrong servers. Keeping it on will reward you with extra experience and rewards when questing
  • PvP talents and progression
  • Each profession will now have crafting categories separated by expansion
  • First Aid will be removed with bandages moved to Tailoring
  • A huge stat condensing, lowering numbers across the board to make them more readable
  • Sword swings will no longer produce six-digit numbers
  • Several abilities that were previously off the global cooldown are included

The full patch notes will be available before the pre-patch release. The Battle for Azeroth patch will roll out on August 14th.

 

Surface Go announced – Get pricing, specs, and details

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Surface Go announced - Get pricing, specs, and details 18

Microsoft announced the newest member of the Surface line of computers- the Surface Go.

After many weeks of rumors, speculation, and leaks, it’s about time that the tech giant went ahead and confirm the news. The latest attempt before the Surface Go was the Surface 3, which was a budget tablet but didn’t really take off. The Surface Go is likely what the Surface 4 would’ve been if the same branding was used.

Let’s talk specs.

The Surface Go features a smaller screen compared to the Surface Pro. It has a 10” 1800 x 1200 display and an Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y (two core, four thread Kaby Lake CPU). It also has only 64GB of storage via eMMC. It’s pretty much a weaker version of the Pro. It’s even got a reduced battery runtime at 9 hours.

But all this makes it a lot more affordable- it’s priced at $399 for the base model versus $799 for the base Surface Pro.

Besides the specs, it still has all the same Surface design elements. It’s got the variable kickstand, 8MP rear 5MP front cameras, Windows Hellow facial recognition, Surface Connect magnetic charging dock and port, 10-finger multitouch display with Surfcae Pen support. It even still has the microSDXC card reader and 3.5mm headset jack with a USB 3.1 gen 1 Type-C port. Because it has a samll size, it’ll accompany new smaller Type Covers and won’t work with the Surface Pro fittings. A new Surfaece Mobile Mouse will be launched for it if you need an external pointer.

The target demograhpic remains the same- professionals ans students. With a more affordable model of hte Surface line, it can compete with mid-priced laptops and gain more exposure for the Surface products.

Preorders for the Go will offer two hardware variants at four price points available in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Taiwan, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Malaysia, and Thailand.

At $399, you get the base model which has 4GB RAM/64GB eMMC storage and Windows 10 Home. For an extra $50, you get Windows 10 Pro. For $150 etra, you get 8GB RAM/ 128GB SSD.

The Surface Go Type Covers are also available at $99 or $129 for the fabric-covered Alcantara materials. The pointer is $24.99. Hardware is due on August 2, 2018.

Later on, the Surface Go will include LTE and 256GB SSDs. It seems like Microsoft is trying to expand to the educational market with the lower price point- making it easier for students to afford the device and utilize its capabilities to the fullest. It’d be a shame to let it go to waste at this price point.

Image via Microsoft.

Source: ArsTechnica.

Tesla partners with California utility company PG&E to build another facility

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Tesla partners with California utility company PG&E to build another facility 19

California’s utility company Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) requested that the state approve four lithium-ion battery storage initiatives last week. One would be built by Tesla and owned by PG&E while the others would be operated by a third-party. Tesla and PG&E project is a huge battery storage facility that would deliver 730MWh of power.

Tesla’s contrast with PG&E hints that it could be increased to 1.1GWh. It’s expected to discharge 182.5MW over a span of 4 hours, but it could be increased up to 6 hours with just 1.1GWh of storage owned by PG&E. Tesla is the current pioneer in electric power. Last year, Tesla built the largest lithium-ion battery in the world. It’s located in S. Austrailia and has a 100MW of battery storage.

This kind of storage allows more renewable energy because it’s independent of wind speed fluctuations or weather conditions such as a cloud cover. The battery would delivery necessary power during those fluctuations. The project will be located in California near Monterey Bay at the Moss Landing. PG*E expects it to be finished by 2019 with the approval of the California Public Utilities Commission.

One other project is being built by energy company Vistra. They want to build the world’s first grid-scale lithium-ion battery installation that can store more than a GWh of energy. The company hasn’t chosen a provider for its batteries yet, but it plans to use existing points at Moss Landing just like the PG&E/Telsa project.

All of these projects depend on the CPUC’s approval. A response is usually expected within 90 days following the project proposal. If approved, the project should be relatively quick given that it’ll be completed within a year from now.

Nyko’s PixelQuest Kit turns your Switch into an arcade cabinet

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Nyko's PixelQuest Kit turns your Switch into an arcade cabinet 20

Nyko has announced new plans to release a new arcade kit for the Nintendo Switch. It’s specifically called the PixelQuest Arcade Kit, which consists of unassembled cardboard that can be used to create a small arcade cabinet from the retro era. Similar to other Nintendo Labo kits, this will allow players to easily slide their Switch display right into the cardboard and has built-in cutouts for ventilation and access to the Switch’s ports.

Although it’s a first-party Labo kit, Nyko has a good history of developing licensed third-party products for Nintendo products. The kit will contain 8 pieces of perforated cardboard, 2 stick tops, 2 Joy-Con inserts for the shoulder bumpers, and plenty of assorted arcade stickers to design your own cabinet the way you want it to look. So far, it seems like a good choice for old-school or retro Nintendo gamers that like a blast from the past.

Nyko has the honors of producing one of the few independent Labo kits. There are currently just a few third-party kits you can buy, but they’re mainly in Japan where Labo has been a huge success. In the West, it’s one of the first third-party kits you can buy right now.

The PixelQuest Arcade Kit will retail for $19.99 on November 27th, 2018. Stay tuned for updates.

Nioh 2 will feature character creation and will be more “ideal” to the series

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Koei Tecmo revealed some info about their Nioh 2 game during the PS Live coverage at E3. It looks like it’ll improve upon its previous game with some nice RPG elements and also a character creation mode.

Game director Fumihiko Yasuda outlined the overall goal for the game stating that creating a “proper, natural evolution” from the first game was a necessary step in development. The outcome didn’t result in huge changes but rather improved upon weak areas in the original game. The team was happy over the lukewarm success of Nioh, but this time, they want to fix all the original problems and make this game a more solid version of what they had originally planned.

Team Ninja is well-known for their reaction games but Nioh was more of an RPG. It was a change of pace from what they’re good at making so the game wasn’t perfected the first time around.

The latest addition to the series will have a story that ties in the with the previous game and made in a way where new players will still be able to understand it without playing the original. A character creation option will be available as it was most requested from fans of the game. Players will now be able to modify the race, gender, and looks of their awesome ninja. The experience Team Ninja gained through Nioh will allow them to make an even better game this time around- perhaps to what they had originally planned and we’ll get to experience the world of Nioh in all its glory.

From the trailer, we can’t really see any major differences other than some eye-candy for the time being. We’ll just have to sit tight and take their word for it.

There’s no release date as of now. It’s likely to be initially released on PS4 just like the original game.

Yoshi game delayed until 2019 but “making great progress”

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Yoshi game delayed until 2019 but "making great progress" 21

The anticipated Yoshi game coming on the Nintendo Switch has been delayed until 2019 based on official word from Nintendo themselves.

It was absent from Nintendo’s E3 presentation and the reason is none other than the delay. Now we know why- it’s because of the delay. Nintendo updated its US and UK sites with the game’s new release date marked as 2019. It was originally announced for the Nintendo Switch back at last year’s E3 and it was due to release in 2018. It even had a playable demo on the floor. A specific date wasn’t announced, by the rumors were that it’d be out in 2018.

Yoshi is a 2D puzzle platformer game that has the guys from Good-Feel developing it. If you’ve never heard of them, they made Yoshi’s Wooly Wolrd and Kirby’s Epic Yarn, so they know their way around creating a cute platformer.

Bill Trinen, Nintendo of America’s product marketing director, stated that the game wasn’t at E3, but development is still progressing and that they’ll “have updates later this year” and that the game is “making great progress.”

Yoshi is the working title of the game since the beginning and will likely change as we shift into 2019. If you’ve been waiting for this game, don’t worry, the mini dinosaur will be coming soon. You can still catch Yoshi in other titles like Super Mario Party, Mario Tennis Aces, and of course, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

RAGE 2 will run at 60FPS on PS4 Pro, PC, and Xbox One X; More details revealed

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RAGE 2 will run at 60FPS on PS4 Pro, PC, and Xbox One X; More details revealed 22

id Software and Avalanche’s upcoming FPS game RAGE 2 has some more juicy details announced.

Firstly, the game will be only single-player. If you’ve played the original game, it had two online modes- Road Rage which was a destruction derby FFA and Wasteland Legends which was a series of co-op missions that was available locally and online. RAGE 2 won’t have any of that.

Designer Magnus Nedfors said that the teams were only “focused on the best open-world single-player game” that they can make and that’s what they’re focused on.

Secondly, RAGE 2 will be running at 60FPS on PC, PS4 Pro, and Xbox One X with the Apex Engine which is also used in games like Mad Max, Just Cause 4, and other titles. For owners of PS4 and Xbox One base consoles, they won’t be able to achieve the 60FPS. While this is the first game that doesn’t use the id Tech engine, it does have a similar engine to their other titles with Apex.

RAGE 2 will focus on Walker, who is one of the last Rangers in the wasteland. He wants to take vengeance against the Authority for taking his homeland. Many elements will return like vehicular combat, Wingstick projectile, and enemies. It was announced in May and released with more details during the E3 conference with Bethesda.

Far Cry 3 Classic Edition release date announced

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Far Cry 3 will be released on June 26th for consoles.

Ubisoft has confirmed the release date of Far Cry 3 Classic Edition in a forum post.

The news states that the game will be released on consoles on June 26th, 2018. For players who have the Far Cry 5 Season Pass, they’ll be able to get it on May 29th instead- a whole month earlier.

Far Cry 3 is probably their most successful game in the entire series. It utilizes mechanics of the previous games in the lineup and that’s probably why it was chosen to be the game to get the honor of being remastered. Far Cry 5 seems to be a whopping success, so Ubisoft continues the celebration with Far Cry 3 Classic Edition for raving fans and new players to the series. It’s probably my favorite of the bunch, but I can’t make that statement yet as I have yet to complete Far Cry 5.

Far Cry 5‘s Season Pass not only includes access to early grabs on Far Cry 3 Classic Edition, but also tons of DLC content like Hours of Darkness, Dead Living Zombies, and Lost on Mars. These add-ons are an integral part of the game as they show off the chaos of the game.

The Classic Edition is basically a remastered edition of the game. It’s a mashup of the game’s original content with newer graphics that can be compared to “high” settings on the PC edition. The multiplayer and co-op content won’t be included, however.

Players rave Far Cry 3 because it connects all the game’s mechanics with freedom of exploration and diverse gameplay. The character building and storyline is also superb. If you just got into Far Cry and missed out on this game, you need to play it. If you have the Season Pass already, then good job. You’re in for a treat.

Image via Ubisoft forums.

System Shock remake by Nightdive Studios is back in action

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System Shock is getting a remake by Nightdive Studios.

System Shock was undergoing a remake when they went on a hiatus for quite some time.

Nightdive Studios, the dev team behind the remake, has reported that they’re back in action and continuing the game. The remake has been dormant after a successful funding on Kickstarter because they needed to figure out how to best develop the game with the limited resources they garnered.

Now, they’ve figured it out and the game is ready to continue development. The remake’s hiatus was mainly due to the team looking for ways to improve the game over such a long timespan- feature creep, as some like to call it. Planning this out took many days and ate up a lot of cash raised during the campaign. Thus, days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Development was then stagnant and people had to be laid off to manage the leftover funds. This required some major planning on a ticking budget.

Hopefully, the game will still be a success even on limited funds. We’ll have to see how it plays out.

CEO Stephen Kick of Nightdive Studios states:

“Our intention is to ship exactly the game that was promised, with as much of the features that were promised as we can, in a timeframe that will get it out as fast as we can.”

So far, the game looks like it’ll be released in about two years from now in 2020. The game has been pushed back and may not be good news for backers, but at least the game will be completed the right way and not rushed. Nightdive has also been collecting income from other projects, so a new campaign won’t be needed as well. A teaser version of the game will be released next month to calm the waves of backers who are eager to get some System Shock action.

The original System Shock was released back in 1994 and was a huge success at the time. It’s widely regarded as a classic game where you play as a hacker who fights a computer AI dubbed “SHODAN.” System Shock 2 was later released in 1999.

Sonic Mania Plus, Sonic shoes, Sonic racing, and Sonic Adventures all confirmed

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Sonic Mania Plus will have an art book, holographic color, and new features for the game.

Sega announced that they’ll be releasing Sonic Mania Plus at a Sonic panel at SXSW Gaming.

The game is a physical edition of the original Sonic Mania, but it’s a lot more than just a remake. For starters, you get the actual disc. Collectors and Sonic fans will appreciate this for sure. You also get to play as Ray and Mighty- two new characters not available in the original Sonic Mania. There’s also a new Encore Mode, four-player mode, and a very nice holographic game package to wrap it all up in. It also includes a 32-page art book and a SEGA Genesis reversible cover as well. It’s a lot of Sonic.

Sonic Mania Plus, Sonic shoes, Sonic racing, and Sonic Adventures all confirmed 23

The whole package will be available for the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in Summer 2018. It’ll retail for $29.99.

Strangely enough, there was even more Sonic in places you’d have never guessed.

Sega has partnered with Puma to release Sonic shoes. That’s right. Sonic shoes. It’ll be called the PUMA x SEGA RS-0 SONIC and will be available in June 2018. Gotta go fast!

The panel also revealed that there’s a new Sonic racing game coming out in a short teaser trailer. It shows distorted frames of different vehicles before showing a silhouette Sonic Racing logo. The previous game was released in 2012 and featured Sonic with other Sega characters like Gilius Thunderhead and Alex Kidd in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. The game has been confirmed to not be a sequel to any other game and will be its own new series.

Here’s the trailer for the Sonic racing game:

And for even more Sonic, there’s a new run of Sonic Adventures to be released this year as well. It’s a five-episode run that was released on Sonic’s Twitter account where he must stop Doctor Eggman from kidnapping animals in nature. Weird.

 

The Witcher’s Geralt of Rivia (White Wolf) joins the roster in Soulcalibur VI

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Soulcalibur VI will have Geralt from The Witcher.

Rumors surfaced last week that Geralt from The Witcher series would make an appearance in an unknown game’s roster.

Geralt is the protagonist of The Witcher games where he takes on many different monsters. He’s been genetically engineered to fulfill his quest in each of the 3 games that have been released.

Now, it’s been confirmed that the White Wolf of Rivia would be a playable character in the next Soulcaliber VI. The Witcher’s Twitter account confirmed the news that he would be “joining the playable characters roster of Bandai Namco’s Soulcalibur VI, with Kaer Morhen as a new stage!”

This is pretty awesome for Witcher fans being able to play as the badass himself and will be able to take on the classic roster with his trademark attacks and moves.

Namco also showed off a teaser trailer that shows him using his dual-wielded swords in action. One is used for humans and the other is for monsters. He also uses some of his Witcher abilities like Igni, Axii, and Aard. The trailer makes it seem like he’ll be a major factor since it’s spotlighting his cameo in the roster and the fact that he takes the game’s cover art as well. Soulcalibur has been doing this for a while with other legends like Link and Heihachi Mishima and even Darth Vader in Soulcaliber IV.

Guest fighters have always been a thing for the series. And fans dig it. They’re used in the plot and pay homage to their respective series. They’re not just for show (but they are a way to make money and get exposure- of course). Luring fans of other series into Soulcaliber. isn’t anything new.

Soulcaliber VI. rolls out some time in 2018. Details have yet to be released on the exact date.

Image via Namco.

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII to release October 12, 2018

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Black Ops IIII is set for release.

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII has been announced and is set for release October 12th, 2018.

Publisher Activision has stated that the game is in development and has been confirmed for the rumored release date. The announcement was made after the game was teased by James Harden, pro basketball player. He was at a recent game dressed in full camo and a cap as well. The cap had an “IIII” logostylizedd in the Black Ops fashion with Roman numbers and font.

Developer Treyarch will be taking the reigns this time round after Sledgehammer Games on Call of Duty: WWII. This game will be the first CoD title to be released since CoD 2 which was released back in 2005 in the same month.

It’s unsure why these two companies used “IIII” instead of “IV” instead. But it was shown that the Birtish Museum revealed that both IV and IIII were both used during Roman times. It’s just that “IV” came into popularity in modern times as reported by Eurogamer.

Additional info will be relased on May 17th during a Community Reveal Event for fans. So far, the only information revealed is to “foget what you know” as stated on the CoD site. That’s pretty much it.

Black Ops III is still receving updates such as the Infected game mode and the Redwood Snow map also. Updates should keep hardcore fans busy until IIII rolls out.

Image via the official site.

New Quicksilver Slimes are crazy fast- Mochi’s Megabucks coming March 13 (get the deets)

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Slime Rancher update.

Monomi’s Park hit title, Slime Rancher, is getting another awesome slime-filled area for ranchers to explore!

The Mochi’s Megabucks update is rolling out on March 13 and will add lots of goodies to new and familiar players alike. The theme of the update is “speed,” as the area is named Nimble Valley (appropriately). It’s an area that’s dense with trees and mountains and owned by none other than Mochi Miles. There will also be a new slime dubbed the Quicksilver Slimes, which are known for their quickness and ability to zip around ranchers at lightning-fast speeds.  They can match and beat your own movement speed- with ease!

Miles will give you some nice new vac-tech features to help you catch up and vacuum Quicksilver Slimes, such as the ability to launch sticky adhesive bubbles from your gun. If you do manage to hunt down a few and capture them, they eat electricity.

The Mochi Megabucks update also includes a new mode called Rush Mode. It’s basically a contest where you collect as many Newbucks as you possibly can within 5 days. If you play efficiently, you can extend it pretty far. If you play well, you’ll also have a few incentives given to you as rewards to explore the area. There will also be leaderboards to show your Rush Mode scores against other players.

The devs also plant o work on 2 other confirmed updates that are based on science. One is called the Automatic Update (1.3.0) and the other is Viktor’s Experimental Update (1.4.0) which will bring drones and VR to the game. There will also be another mode called Iron Rancher Mode which takes place in 1.4.0 which gives players to paly the game on a harder difficulty with new rules, challenges, quets, and even vamrpirc chickens.

You can check out their post on Steam here.

There’s a lot coming for Slime Rancher. Get happy and get some Golds.

Image via Steam.

R6S Outbreak update introduces new maps, items, and “Pandemic” difficulty

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R6S will be getting some new goodies in the Outbreak update.

In March, Rainbow Six Siege will be getting a nice special, limited time co-op event.

It’s called Outbreak and it’s part of the Operation Chimera content pack. This pack marks the beginning of RS6’s third year of content seasons. Ubisoft has listed a breakdown of how the event will function and even a nice teaser trailer that shows off the new alien threat in Outbreak.

Only a few Operators will be playable in Outbreak. It’s a PvE game mode so only select Operators can be used. Chimera introduces Lion and Finka, but players will be able to choose from Ying, Buck, Kapkan, Ash, Doc, Tachanka, Glaz, Recruit, and Smoke. After your Operator is chosen, you’ll be forced into the town of Truth or Consequences in New Mexico where you’ll take on some aliens called Apex. They’ve transformed all the local people into horrifying monsters.

Outbreak introduces 3 different maps- each taking place in a different part of town. Ubisoft states that the maps will be a lot bigger than the traditional R6S map, but they’ll be more linear as well. Player’s won’t get confused and always know where to go. They’ll also have destructible environments (as expected) and players will be able to create a new path by destroying elements in the environment. Outbreak also introduces a Pandemic difficult which is even harder- friendly fire is on and monsters are a lot more difficult.

Some new cosmetic will also be implemented and some loot boxes called Outbreak Packs. A total of 50 items will be yours to purchase. The Packs will also not award duplicated items as well. If you manage to get all 50, you’ll get all 50. Every player will get 4 for free. All you need to do is log in to Outbreak.

If you’re a beta tester, you’re already eligible to try out Outbreak starting on 2/20. Ubisoft states they’ll release another update for Chimera and Outbreak during the e-sports event on 2/18-2/19. The official launch date for the update is March 6 and will last about a month, so players will be able to play for just a short period.

Lastly, Ubisoft has decided to keep the game at $39.99 instead of $59.99 due to fan backlash. Good on them.