Arc the Lad R English Closed Beta test will commence soon

Just over two years since its original Japanese release, Arc the Lad R will be available in English via Boltrend Games – who also did Idola Phantasy Star Saga – with a closed beta commencing 19 November, according to this tweet. The test will run from 19 November 18:00 to 29 November 23:59 UTC -8. There’s an official website that’s pretty bare bones for now too. Here’s the overview of the game given on the website:

ABOUT

Arc the Lad is a big RPG series created on the PlayStation® platform. Arc the Lad, the first installment of the series, was released in 1995 and the sequel Arc the Lad II came to the market in 1996. Both games allowed players to influence a battle by strategically choosing where to launch attacks. The first two games were both critically acclaimed, with high sales volumes. 20+ years since its debut, this classic series still holds a place in fans’ memories thanks to its impressive graphics, great music, and deeply moving story.
STORY
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Once upon a time, the Hero and the Saintess saved the world with the cost of their lives. However, the worldwide devastating Great Disaster still sank half the planet’s continents under the ocean, with over 50% of the global population perished.10 years after the Disaster, a young man called Halt appeared in the Vigilante Corps of Millmana – a country that seeks to reconstruct the world. In an incident, Halt met the mysterious maiden Mizuha.The military empire Aldia has brought back the pre-Disaster civilization and is rapidly expanding its territory. Meanwhile, monsters are spotted more frequently and menacing Divine Beasts are also found. The seemingly smooth reconstruction of the world has got clouded by new threats.With great sacrifice the peace was secured, yet it is now on the verge of collapse. “…It’s so hard to protect the world you left behind.” Boy meeting girl, conspiracy against the world, encounters with past heroes, a new tale of fate has begun.
The English release of Arc the Lad R is probably not an expected one, but welcome nonetheless for fans of the series. Keep an eye out!

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Tags: Arc the LadArc the Lad RBoltrend GamesForwardWorks


Ubisoft Announces Assassin’s Creed Mirage, A New Game Set In The Middle East

Ubisoft has announced the latest game in the Assassin’s Creed franchise titled ‘Assassin’s Creed Mirage’.

The game will be set in Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate in the 9th century and stars Basim Ibn Ishaq, a character that was previously introduced in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The released key art of the game shows Basim leaping into a crowd of people in front of the Palace of the Golden Gate.

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According to Polygon, the game will reportedly see the Assassin’s Creed franchise return to its roots. Mirage will be set in the Middle East much like the first Assassin’s Creed and will once again focus on the stealth gameplay of the older titles as opposed to the Action RPG mechanics that were seen in Origins, Oddysey and Valhalla.
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Assassin’s Creed Mirage was originally intended to be DLC content for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla however it was later turned into a standalone game in order to fill out Ubisoft’s release schedule.
More details about Assassin’s Creed Mirage will be revealed in a Ubisoft Forward Live Stream Event on the 10th of September 2022 at 3:00 AM MYT.
It has not been confirmed what platforms the game will be released on however it is likely that they will at least be released on the current consoles: the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S as well as on PC.

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Tags: Assassin's CreedAssassin's Creed MirageUbisoft


Free Open Access for GUNDAM EXTREME VS MAXIBOOST ON!

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Bandai Namco has announced Open Access sessions for MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM EXTREME VS MAXIBOOST ON, which will be releasing on 30  July 2020 on the PS4. There will be six sessions, with times in GMT + 8:

20th June, 11am to 21st June, 11am
27th June, 11am to 28th June, 11am
4th July, 11am to 5th July, 11am
11th July, 11am to 12th July, 11am
18th July, 11am to 19th July, 11am
25th July, 11am to 26th July, 11am

Start and end times may change slightly.

There will be 185 playable units and 36 stages in the game. Besides that, there will be several modes for you to try:

Player Match
A mode where you get to create/search rooms by freely setting various conditions. Up to 18 players can enter and play online 2on2 matchups.

Casual Match
A mode where you can easily play one online match. Because you can start the battle immediately after selecting the unit, it is ideal when you want to enjoy a match casually.

Branch Battle
An offline mode where you choose route you want and clear all 8 stages.

Pre-ordering the digital version will allow players to play an extra 24 hours of each Open Access session for MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM EXTREME VS MAXIBOOST ON. The extra 24 hour schedule is as follows, in GMT +8:
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21st June, 11am to 22nd June, 11am
28th June, 11am to 29th June, 11am
5th July, 11am to 6th July, 11am
12th July, 11am to 13th July, 11am
19th July, 11am to 20th July, 11am
26th July, 11am to 27th July, 11am

Times may also be changed. Pre-order details for the digital version will be announced at a later time. Some Open Access data differs from the full game, and is not transferrable. The “Extra Open Access” is only obtainable during the pre-order period of the digital version. Internet connection is required, but online multiplayer is available even without Playstation Plus in Open Access.

A premium sound edition for the game will include all 33 songs that were previously only available to members of Gundam VS. Mobile in the arcade version of MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM EXTREME VS. MAXI BOOST ON.

Songs included:

Mobile Suit Gundam
Tatakai eno Kyofu
CHAR ga Kuru
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
Tachiagare! Ikariyo
Believe
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
Yoki to Hohoemi
Sakebi to Gekitetsu

PRIDE
and more

Only the downloadable version is available and content may change, as well as being at limited stock. Songs are also game size, not full size.
The Collector’s Edition will include the Standard Edition and a special Gunpla HG 1/144 Extreme Gundam & Eclipse-F Parts (EXVS. 10th ANNIVERSARY COLOR Ver.) Set that can only be obtained with this deluxe edition. It is a reproduction of the unique color Mobile Suit with metallic gloss injection.

Bonus Content

Product Code for playable unit “Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex”
PlayStation®4 Original Theme [Shining Hope]

Extra 24 hours for the 6 Open Access sessions scheduled to start on 20 June 2020. Open Access may also be changed or cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.
You should check out our interview with the producer of MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM EXTREME VS MAXIBOOST ON, Akihito Chiba, here!

Works Featured in 『MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM EXTREME VS. MAXIBOOST ON』

Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack
Mobile Suit Gundam F91
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam
Mobile Fighter G Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Endless Waltz
After War Gundam X
Turn A Gundam
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM SEED
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
Mobile Suit Gundam 00
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
Mobile Suit Gundam AGE
Gundam Reconguista in G
GUNDAM BUILD FIGHTERS A-R
GUNDAM EXA

Mobile Suit Gundam IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS
GUNDAM BUILD FIGHTERS
Mobile Suit Gundam 0080 War in the Pocket
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 Stardust Memory
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team
Mobile Suit Gundam: MS Igloo
Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt
Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story The Blue Destiny
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack
Beltorchika’s Children
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM SEED
C.E. 73 Stargazer
Gundam Sentinel
Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash
Mobile Suit Gundam MSV
Mobile Suit Gundam 00V

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Tags: BANDAI NAMCOGundamMobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS. Maxiboost ON


Follow JC Go is a Pokemon GO clone with Catholic Saints

Some of you might think we are kidding but this is not an April Fool – there is a Pokemon GO clone where you capture saints or Biblical figures and it is even supported by the Vatican! Titled Follow JC Go, the game is currently available in Spanish for both Android and iOS, while more language including English will be available soon.

Just like Pokemon GO, the game will get you outside looking for Catholic Saints instead of Pokemon. You will need to answer some religious quiz when you encounter a saint and if you answer it correctly, the saint will join your eTeam. You will also need to collect food, water and “spirituality” to survive in the game.

Moreover, the game will ask you to pray at a nearby church (a twist on Pokestops), while the in-app purchases come in a form of charity donation.
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Follow JC Go is actually made for World Youth Day in Panama early next year, but since the game is already out and will be available in English soon, you can try it out if you are a Catholic person. What do you think about the game? Tell us in the comment section below!

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Tags: AndroidCatholicFollow JC GOiOSJesusMobilePokemon GOSaint


Alliance of Champions and Empires – Gamevil’s Upcoming Title!

Alliance of Champions and Empires (ACE) is an upcoming game by Gamevil. The game is slated to be launched soon later this year and Gamevil has launched a teaser video before they enter their first Closed Beta soon. Though no further details on when the game will start its Closed Beta or even the official launch date.

Check out the teaser trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Bc0gWPoC6k

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Alliance of Champions and Empires (ACE) is built similar to one of Gamevil’s titles, Kingdom of War. The gameplay requires players to make smart moves accounting with strategic thinking to deploy the right team for the right job. While there are many games pretty similar to this, Gamevil is determined that ACE will be the next big mobile strategy game in the market.

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Tags: Alliance of Champions and EmpiresAndroidGameviliOSMobile


Honkai Impact 3rd Version Kiana Descends Herrscher of Finality and Origin

Hoyoverse has announced the arrival date for Honkai Impact 3rd Version Kiana, marking the closure to the game’s first volume.

Honkai Impact Version Kiana will begin on February 16th and along with it, Herrscher of Finality and Herrscher of Origin descends into the game.

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Herrscher of Finality is Kiana’s final form and represents her most freest self. In this form, she has attained true freedom, happiness and perfection.
She has returned to her origins and is ready to embrace the future and hope.
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Her description provided by Hoyoverse is as follow:

She’s an IMG–type Fire DMG dealer who can attack with pistols and a sword. She can also fight in midair, knocking enemies airborne or slam them onto the ground. Herrscher of Finality has many fancy attack moves that highlight her poise and freedom. For instance she is able to switch between Moon Blade stance and Time Flint stance after she performs a Combo ATK, each with unique attack effects.

Herrscher of Origin is Raiden Mei’s newest form as she inherits the Authority of Origin form Elysia. She is now much freer and at ease as her strength and confidence comes from the guidance from all her friends and the Thirteen Flame-Chasers.
Her description provided by Hoyoverse:
She’s an IMG–type Lightning DMG dealer and she wields Wing Blades to decimate enemies with her unrivalled sword mastery. While in battle, she charges up her Wing Blades with Mind Body Insight, and at full charge, she can draw her sword to cast Regressive Origin when sheathing or at other certain moments. During this time, she is also able to cast an extra Sin of Killing which deals Lightning DMG over time

As Version Kiana serves to close up the first volume, Chapter 35 will begin titled “Towards a New Tomorrow”. This chapter will feature the girls’ final battle against Kevin at the Cocoon of Finality to reclaim back all that is beautiful in this world.
Moreover, new events and rewards will be given out to commemorate the finale which includes:

Limited-Time Bridge Theme [Above the Moon]
Stigmata Box for Herrscher of Origin and her character card for completing Chapter 34 and 35

To recap, Honkai Impact 3rd is a 3D action RPG by Hoyoverse available on PC. Version Kiana will be arriving in February 16th and will close up the first volume of the game.
 Download

Honkai Impact 3rdDeveloper: miHoYoRelease Date: 2016-10-14Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows
“Honkai, a mysterious force that annihilated human civilization on several occasions, has re-emerged in this once peaceful world...”
A squad of young girls burdened with the very last hopes of humanity must fight for survival in this apocalyptic world filled with zombies and Honkai beasts.
As the Captain of the Hyperion, you must lead these girls into battle against zombies and Honkai beasts in various locales around the world. Experience the girls’ unique personalities, challenge and conquer various raids and stages, and enjoy the rich storyline of the Honkai Universe! Join the Valkyries and fight for all that is beautiful in the world!

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Tags: Honkai Impact 3rdHoyoversemiHoYo


Com2uS’ Heroes War: Counterattack now available

Heroes War: Counterattack from Com2uS is now officially available in stores. 500 Diamonds will be given out as part of the pre-registration bonus, with an additional redeemable coupon for Energy x100 + Diamond x100 + Premium Draw x1 via the official Facebook post, valid until 30 December.

To recap, here’s the given overview for the game:

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Here comes a perfect combination of turn-based RPG and Action!
Get ready for war to save the world where the Z-virus wiped out and left only fear.
Recruit mercenaries, collect equipment, and upgrade skills/abilities. Find the right position, watch for the best chance to counterattack, and win the battle. Above all, stay ALIVE and become a HERO.
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? Build Your Team
– Recruit various unique Mercenaries instantly without drawing
– Customize your Mercenaries’ skills to become the hero of the Arena
– Come up with the best team and strategy to win battles
? Turn the Tide with a Counterattack
– Enjoy a real battle system where you can control the movements AND attack directions
– Counterattack your opponent with the turn-reversing ‘Rage Skill’
? Play With Your Friends
– Invite friends and team up to complete missions
– Join a guild or create your one to enjoy friendly matches
– Battle together with a guild member to get trophies
? Jump into the Epic Story
– Experience the immersive gameplay that takes sucks into the post-apocalyptic world
– Be part of the Two Last Forces clashing for survival
– Explore ongoing battles and emergence of mysterious mutants
 Download

Heroes War: CounterattackDeveloper: Com2UsRelease Date: 2020-11-19Android, iOS
Here comes a perfect combination of turn-based RPG and Action!
Get ready for war to save the world where the Z-virus wiped out and left only fear.

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Tags: Com2uSHeroes War: Counterattack


Aiden Pearce returns in Watch Dogs: Legion – Bloodline

As previously announced, Aiden Pearce returns to Watch Dogs, in the Bloodline expansion coming to Legion.

Aiden Pearce is back! Discover Bloodline, the expansion that brings Aiden and Wrench back to Watch Dogs!

Set before the events of the main game, Aiden Pearce leaves Chicago for London where he will take over a contract and reunite with Wrench and his nephew Jackson. Caught between a powerful military robotics corporation and a returning DedSec member with an opposing agenda, Aiden must rely on his grit and experience to navigate a hostile city, try to outmaneuver his enemies, and keep his family intact.
Aiden Pearce and the Bloodline expansion is available through the Season Pass, and will be available 6 July. In the meantime, the base game has also been getting seasonal updates, the latest being Legion of the Dead, featuring zombies. The mode’s in alpha and is a separate game mode if you wanna take a break from the main story ahead of the upcoming expansion.

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Watch Dogs: LegionPublisher: UbisoftDeveloper: Ubisoft TorontoRelease Date: 2020-10-29Epic Games Store, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Build a resistance from virtually anyone you see as you hack, infiltrate, and fight to take back a near-future London that is facing its downfall. Welcome to the Resistance.

Recruit and play as anyone in the city. Everyone you see has a unique backstory, personality, and skill set.

Hack armed drones, deploy spider-bots, and take down enemies using an Augmented Reality Cloak.

Explore a massive urban open world featuring London’s many iconic landmarks and fun side activities.

Take your recruits online and team up with your friends as you complete missions and challenging endgame content.

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Tags: UbisoftUbisoft ForwardUbisoft Forward 2021Watch DogsWatch Dogs Legion


GamerBraves Newsletter Vol. 90 – The PlayStation Vita Was Seriously Ahead of Its Time

You can’t help but feel bad for the PlayStation Vita. This is a system that had so much potential but was let down by a lack of support and a couple of bad hardware decisions. It’s especially a shame nowadays because so many other companies are now doing more or less what Vita’s selling feature was.

The Nintendo Switch is now the third best-selling console of all time, The Steam Deck is becoming increasingly popular and many other companies throwing their hat in the HD handheld console ring like the Ayaneo Air and the recently announced ROG Ally. There are even rumors that PlayStation is making a new handheld that will stream PS5 games.

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With this in mind, I thought it’d be interesting to look back at the Vita, the first attempt to make an HD handheld console.
For more information on the PlayStation Vita and the impact it left on gaming, subscribe to our newsletter. You can read the full article for free just by putting your email address in the box below:
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Give it a read and let us know what you think! There will be new newsletter feature articles regarding various topics surrounding video games, entertainment, and more every week.

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Tags: PlaystationPlayStation Vita


Crimson Desert, a new generation MMORPG: Interview with lead producer Jason Jung

Remember the Pearl Abyss Connect 2019 at G-STAR 2019? Pearl Abyss revealed a whole host of projects which we can look forward to in the future. We’re sure you have lots of burning questions, and we managed to ask some of them in a Q&A session with the lead producers of Crimson Desert and Shadow Arena! We have Jason Jung and Kwang Sam Kim respectively, so let’s get into it. Read about Shadow Arena here.

Jason Jung himself.
CRIMSON DESERT WITH LEAD PRODUCER JASON JUNG
Some of you might be asking about Crimson Desert‘s position in regards to Black Desert Online – is it a sequel, or a spin-off? Jung informs us it’s a prequel, covering content prior to the Black Desert era. He says it may be a bit related, but is overall developed as an independent flagship title with a whole new story.

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He can’t explain the storytelling emphasis in too much detail for now, just that there is a combination of both storytelling and character mechanics in the works. Players will be able to both party up or solo, or switch users, but Jung coyly informs that any further will be spoiler!
“Players can both party up, solo, or switch users.”
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“Solving” the end content will be completely different from Black Desert, which includes scenarios, methods and directing. He’s kept in mind about needing to do Crimson Desert differently, with how Black Desert already exists. Nevertheless, he also notes how he didn’t need to be so conscious about it. In his words, Pearl Abyss’ unique directing style and sense of hitting will not go away.
“Pearl Abyss’ unique directing style and sense of hitting will not go away.”

Mechanics can’t be revealed just yet, but he promises new and exciting information will be forthcoming. Crimson Desert is currently set for a console and PC release first. However, there are plans to cover a variety of platforms, which include mobile.
Crowd combat is mentioned to be key to the game, but he also says it won’t be the “end” of it. The game is not merely only for combat, and he’s working on the balance. Crimson Desert is meant to illustrate the growth of an aggregation, requiring you to recruit the mercenaries you want, which will involve quantitative and qualitative cultivation. To that end, these mercenaries also need end content.
“Crimson Desert is meant to illustrate the growth of an aggregation […] will involve quantitative and qualitative cultivation.”
These mercenaries won’t be just “This is my territory. I am the king of this country.”. Some will be seeing battle, others want to live their life, or even both. They’re making sure the reward system won’t be too unfair as they want to lead the game as a whole, not simply tying it to one big battle.

Crimson Desert, according to Jason Jung, is being positioned as the flagship title of Pearl Abyss. They’re hard at work to make a new, next generation MMORPG. For now, it means that content deployment and development direction will differ from existing MMORPGs. They are doing their best to make a new and exciting game, so look forward to it!

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Tags: Black DesertBlack Desert OnlineCrimson DesertJason JungPearl Abyss


Summoners War X Street Fighter Collaboration Announced

Mobile RPG Summoners War is getting a big boost of fighting spirit, as they announced a Summoners War X Street Fighter collaboration.

Developers Com2US shared a teaser image via the game’s Facebook community teasing which characters would be added to the game.

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Two of the silhouettes resemble Dhalsim and Karin, who are also in the Street Fighter V roster. The one on the far right is definitely Ryu or Ken, though the last two are a mystery.
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The Summoners War X Street Fighter event starts on August 31st. Fans can also follow the game’s Facebook page for more information.
This marks the first major brand collaboration for Summoners War, which launched in 2014. The game is available on Android and iOS.
Interested in Street Fighter V? Read our review of Street Fighter V: Champion Edition.

Summoners War: Sky ArenaPublisher: Com2UsDeveloper: Com2UsRelease Date: 2014-06-12Android, iOS
Summoners War: Sky Arena, is a mobile turn-based strategy massively multiplayer online game created by South Korean game developer, Com2uS. Summon monsters and battle against other players!

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Tags: Street Fighter V: Champion EditionSummoners War


Inhumans and X-Men come together in Marvel Future Fight

MARVEL Future Fight brings in all-new Inhumans and X-Men characters in its latest update! Both characters and uniforms are inspired by Marvel’s “Inhumans vs. X-Men” comic storyline as well as other popular Inhumans adventures. This update also brings numerous other improvements for player Agents to collect and experience.

Dazzler, the mutant singing superstar, and Thane, the Inhuman son of Thanos, are the two newest characters added to the game. Black Bolt gets a Marvels X uniform, Medusa an Inhumans vs. X-Men uniform, Iceman with an X-Men Blue uniform and Ms Marvel (Kamala Khan) gets an Inhumans: Attilan Rising uniform.

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With the Inhumans and X-Men in Marvel Future Fight, new content has also been added to Story: Alternate Mode, entitled ‘Story Fragment’. Collected Fragments of the acquired story can be synthesized and exchanged for other items. Additionally, players can get more pieces when they play the story with a Bonus Hero, which is updated monthly.  Normal and Ultimate difficulties have also been added to Chapters 11 and 12 of ‘The All-War’ Alternate Mode.

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Other additions to MARVEL Future Fight include:

The ‘Transcend Potential’ feature, which makes the ‘Awaken Potential’ feature even stronger

When the Awaken Potential skill reaches maximum level, players can achieve ‘Transcend Potential’
When players achieve ‘Transcend Potential’, stats of the selected Tier-3 hero levels increase to an even more powerful level

Black Bolt is now upgradable to Tier-3 and new ultimate skills have been added
The ‘Realize Potential’ feature is unlocked for Dazzler, Thane, Black Bolt, Karnak, Gorgon, Inferno and Maximus
The ‘Awaken Potential feature’ and new awakening skills for Medusa are now unlocked.

MARVEL Future Fight celebrated its fifth anniversary with over 120 million players across the world. The game is currently available worldwide in the App Store and Google Play.
 Download

MARVEL Future FightDeveloper: NetmarbleRelease Date: 2015-04-30Android, iOS
An epic blockbuster action-RPG featuring Super Heroes and Villains from the Marvel Universe!

The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Inhumans, Defenders, X-Men, Spider-Man, and more!
Over 200 characters from the Marvel Universe are available to play!

S.H.I.E.L.D.’s very own director, Nick Fury, has sent an urgent message from the future... the convergence is destroying the world as we know it! Prepare to defend your universe!
Recruit your favorite characters, complete missions, and compete with other players to be the greatest hero and save your world.

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Tags: MarvelMarvel Future FightNetmarble


Dragon Knights by Nexon Up For Pre-Registration!

Dragon Knights is a new game by Nexon which was just recently announced! The game will be for both iOS and Android devices which will be coming soon. Though no official launch date was announced, the pre-registration for the game is already launched! Players will be able to receive up to 2,500 Gems and 3* armor, weapons and accessories!

The game is a mobile RPG which is the successor to another mobile game titled, Dai Shingeki. However the game was shut down back in 2016 and now the new game being the successor shares the same universe, but with much better graphics and a reworked system.
Featuring real time battles online with teams of four, the game also offers a variety of jobs such as healer, attacker and defender. Players will also be able to cooperate with other players to make up the best team during co-op mode. The game will be out for Japan and hopefully it will be released globally in the future.
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Below are the pre-registration milestone rewards:

10,000: Gem x300
20,000: Gem x300 + ★3 Armor
40,000: Gem x300 + ★3 Weapon
60,000: Gem x300 + ★3 Accessory
80,000: Gem x300 + Gem x1000 (100 each a day)

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Tags: AndroidDragon KnightsiOSMobileNexon


My Tamagotchi Forever will launch on 15 March!

20 years ago, Tamagotchi has come to our life in the form of a digital pet when we couldn’t afford real pets. 20 years later, Bandai Namco is bringing back the legendary item in the form of a mobile game – My Tamagotchi Forever and it is going to launch on 15 March!

Developed by Paladin Studios, My Tamagotchi Forever let you raise Tamagotchi characters where you will feed, wash and clean them up to keep them happy and healthy. You can also play mini-games and explore Tamatown with your Tamagotchi characters as well as making some Tamagotchi friends. Tamagotchi characters will evolve according to how you care for them, so take care of them properly!

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The game is currently soft-launched in Canada, while for the fans in other countries, you can still pre-register on their official site to get notified when the game is officially out.
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Tags: AndroidBANDAI NAMCOiOSMobileMy Tamagotchi ForeverPaladin Studios


IGN Responds To Palestine Article Takedown By IGN Israel

IGN has issued a statement following a row with IGN Israel over an article directing readers to give aid to the people of Palestine.

In the statement, IGN reminded readers of their philantropic background, but said the reason the article was taken down was because they did not account for “All people impacted by tragic events”.

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pic.twitter.com/YnQ7OflvHA
— IGN (@IGN) May 17, 2021
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Netizens have been quick to call out the post, which has had replies turned off, as using the “All lives matter” rhetoric to back down from a serious topic by refusing to engage with the topic at hand.
However, many more have also mentioned that the company was likely made to take down the article by their parent companies, J2 Global and Ziff Davis. Neither company have taken responsibility for ordering the removal of the article.
How This All Started
It started with IGN’s main branch writing an article listing down ways readers can give money to help victims of the Israeli attack on Palestine. According to Kotaku, shortly after the story went up, IGN Israel issued statements on its own social media channels to condemn the US-based IGN’s actions.

“It is important to us that we emphasize that we condemn this action and did not take part in it or were aware of it, that is not our way”, IGN Israel said in a now-deleted Instagram post.
“We work in every way possible to remove this misleading and offensive content from the American edition which does not represent our views”, the statement adds.
Surely enough, soon after the IGN article linking to Palestinian charities was removed, although with no official word from either IGN or IGN Israel. As mentioned, IGN Israel has also removed their social media posts regarding the matter.
It is important for context that IGN’s follow-up statement was issued at 3am Eastern Daylight Time, where the US edition of IGN is located.
UPDATE: Some IGN staff members wrote an open letter to the corporate leadership, calling for the republishing of the post. You can read the letter here: ignemployees.medium.

A Note From The Editor, Re: “How Is This Related To Videogames?”
So, the easy question here is definitely “how does this relate to videogames?”. The answer is, it doesn’t. But it relates to the game industry, specifically games media.
One Games media site requested the takedown of another’s content, on the basis of, by their own admission, political views. As a news organization in a field where readers love to cry censorship, we felt it was important to call this out as an actual example of what that word means, and its effects when not limited to scantily-clad anime girls or Twitch Streamers who support hate-filled violence.

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Tags: IGN


Dragon Ball The Breakers 2nd Closed Network Test Impressions – But can Frieza beat Goku though

Published by Bandai Namco Entertainment and developed by Dimps, Dragon Ball The Breakers is an asymmetrical multiplayer game set in the Dragon Ball universe where the game pits seven Survivors which are regular civilians that are trapped in a “Temporal Seam” and they have to face off against a Raider, one of famous rivals from the Dragon Ball universe.

The goal of the Survivors are to team up with one another and work together to escape the Raider so that they are able to return to their home world in their respective timelines.

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Dragon Ball The Breakers 2nd Closed Network Test had mainly added feedback that they got during the Closed Beta Test which we had covered previously. The Closed Network Test was held on the PlayStation 4 also compatible with PS5, Xbox One which is also compatible with Xbox Series X & S), Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.
Introducing Frieza as the newest Raider
Being one of the franchise’s staple villains, Frieza is introduced in the 2nd Closed Network Test and hardcore Dragon Ball fans would be pleased to know that he is included into the game. But those who are unfamiliar with Frieza, here is a brief introduction to his role in the Dragon Ball franchise.
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Despite not appearing until the manga’s second half, Frieza is considered to be the most iconic villain from the Dragon Ball franchise. He effectively served as the catalyst of many of the events depicted in the story, due to the destruction of the Saiyan homeworld Planet Vegeta at his hands.
Frieza later appears as the primary villain in the theatrical film Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ and as a recurring character in Dragon Ball Super. However, Frieza’s revival and quest for revenge resulted in negative commentary for lacking his menacing traits and due to his inability to deal with his nemesis on his own.
Frieza as a Raider in Dragon Ball The Breakers has the ability to evolve depending on his “Rage” gauge, which will increase each time he is in a fight or every time that he gets hit. Frieza will start off in his first form and gradually reach his second and third forms and eventually reaching his final form. And with each evolution, Frieza gains more power and gets to unlock new skills to use against the Survivors.
Frieza’s Skills
Frieza has an arsenal of active and passive skills to help him out in battle, one of which is the ability to summon up Dodoria and Zarbon for an assist attack. Unlike Cell who starts off in his larva stage, Frieza flies around in his first form’s hover car along with his henchmen of Zarbon and Dodoria and he’s able to fire off all kinds of long-ranged attacks to players and the surrounding environment.
Frieza also gets access to both his second and third forms but one of Frieza’s most iconic forms is definitely his final form, which is also the most terrifying to deal with. In his final form, Frieza is able to launch energy disc blades towards the players and even cause them to explode if they already have low enough health.
“This Planet Will Die” is Frieza’s ultimate special attack and by far one of the strongest move in the game, his ultimate allows him to destroy a part of the map and reduces it to ashes, which makes him as menacing as he is in the anime.
Practice Mode & Tutorials
Starting with the Closed Network Test, a practice mode has been implemented into Dragon Ball The Breakers. In the practice mode,  players can take their time by practicing their character’s actions, skills, evasion tactics when being attacked by a Raider, and even Dragon Change without worrying about winning or losing. You’re also able to gather up to 8 players to join in to the practice in game using the regular rule sets since you’re able to access the practice mode both alone and multiplayer.
Not only does the game have practice mode but also an in-game prologue which acts as a Tutorial that explains the worldview as well as the backstory of why the Survivors are caught up in this situation. Throughout the prologue, players get to hear Trunk’s voice as he’s been added into the game and will be serving as a guide through different parts of the game.
By utilising the practice mode as well as playing through the prologue, players will get to hone their skills and gameplay style as the Survivor. While my time playing through the 2nd Closed Network Test, the practice mode and prologue are only for the Survivor roles, hopefully there will be one for the Raiders when the full game comes out.
Quality of Life Improvements
In the 2nd Closed Network Test, the UI and the button arrangements for the in-game controls have been streamlined to make it cleaner as well as easily understandable which makes the gameplay a lot more accessible for the players.
Here are some of the examples of the changes that were made between the 1st and 2nd closed network test that we could find:
UI Controls for items

The UI design for the items have been changed to make it much cleaner where instead of previously having the words to explain what each buttons do, it’s been changed into icons that shows what each button does, making the UI much cleaner without losing and important information.
Button Input for Dragon Change

The button input for Dragon Change has been made simpler where previously you had to combine both “RB” and “X” in order to activate it. While this change isn’t entirely necessary, it’s still a nice little quality of life improvement.
Display UI
The display has also been changed in the 2nd Closed Network Test in order to make the area visible from above the map.
Survivor Buffs
Playing as a Survivor now is much more enjoyable now that you wont get defeated as easily as before. One of the new additions to the Survivor is having access to “Senzu Bean” which makes reviving a lot easier now. The Senzu Bean is a battle item that lets players revive immediately after being downed. Players can also use it on themselves right before the Raider gives the finishing blow.
Another thing that is changed is that now even if the Survivors stop in the middle of reviving, the gauge’s progress will still be maintained so that reviving teammates isn’t as difficult as it was back then when the gauge kept resetting when you stop in the middle of reviving a teammate.
Another feature that was changed to give the Survivors a fairer chance is the condition to call out the Time Machine beacon, where the beacon will now appear when there are 3 or less remaining Survivors.

3 Survivors remaining – 1 beacon will appear
2 Survivors remaining – 2 beacons will appear
1 Survivors remaining – 3 beacons will appear

Depending on the situation, the Survivors can choose between the “Continue Searching for the Power Key” option with less teammates, making it a high risk high reward scenario or the “Escape by Time Machine” which allows the Survivors to play it safe.

Graphic Improvements
Before
After
Last but not least to the list of Quality of Life improvements is the refinement to graphics in both the texture quality as well as the environments. Previously, Dragon Ball The Breakers used to look pretty barren but they’ve improved it by adding in more details to the overall environment especially in the outdoor locations such as in the mountains, water area and the housing areas. Although, smaller objects like trees still look similar but nevertheless it’s still nice to see the improvements.
Opinions
While there isn’t much to say in the 2nd Closed Network Test for Dragon Ball The Breakers, it’s still nice to see the overall improvements especially to the Survivors. In the previous Closed Network Test, it was really difficult to outrun a Raider, especially when they reach their Final Forms; so the changes made to the Revive System is such a blessing.
As for the Raiders, I personally think Frieza is generally a lot stronger than Cell is. His overall skill set along with his long range attacks makes him such an annoying threat to be in the shoes of the Survivors.
Overall, this 2nd Network Test is so much better than the 1st one and I’m really glad that Bandai Namco Entertainment had added in the fixes that the fans had addressed. But while the game is still not up on par yet compared to other asymmetrical games out there due to the lack of content so far, we just have to wait until the official launch of the game.

For fans who are interested in Dragon Ball The Breakers, do check out the game’s official website here for more information and future updates.

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Tags: Bandai Namco EntertainmentClosed Network TestDimpsDragon Ball: The BreakersFirst Impressions


Hololive Rakugaki Kingdom Collaboration Announced

Hololive continues its campaign through gaming with the newly announced Rakugaki Kingdom collaboration, bringing several iconic Vtubers into the game.

The collaboration starts 9th March, and will feature fully-voiced 3D models of various Hololive characters as well as enemies in the game designed by them. Hololive member Hoshou Marine will even be streaming the game via her YouTube channel today.

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Here’s all the Hololive Members that will be added to the game, as well as be available via the game’s Gacha system:
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Inugami Korone
Nekomata Okayu
Shirakami Fubuki
Hoshou Marine
Murasaki Shion

It should be noted that while Fubuki, Marine and Shion will be playable in the game and are classified as “Tresters”, it looks like Korone and Okayu will only be 3D models. They will also feature “Cultivation scenarios”, which include voicelines recorded specifically for the game by the talents themselves.

Completing the Hololive event in Rakugaki Kingdom will get you “Like Medals”, allowing you to exchange them for various rewards such as an SSR Murasaki Shion, or a 3D model of “Kurokami Fubuki”, the palette swapped version of Fubuki, now in all black.
Collecting both Like Medals and Event points will also allow you to gain extra in-game rewards, such as special titles and SSR-confirmed gacha tickets, so you’ll definitely want to jump in and give it a go.
(Source: 4Games. Names used are directly translated via Google Translate, so apologies for any discrepancies)
 Download

Rakugaki KingdomPublisher: Taito CorporationDeveloper: TaitoRelease Date: 2020-01-28Android, iOS
The latest work in the "Rakugaki Kingdom" series is now available in
smartphone games!
Your picture becomes three-dimensional and begins to move!
The protagonist of this game is the Rakugaki you draw! !!

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Tags: HololiveRakugaki KingdomTaito


Zenimax Workers Form Largest Video Game Union, Recognized By Microsoft

Quality Assurance workers at Zenimax, the Microsoft subsidiary that owns Bethesda, Id Software, and other studios have announced that they will be forming a union.

Over 3000 QA workers have voted to unionize, and join the Communications Workers of America (CWA). This currently makes them the largest video game development union in the USA.

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The union has also been voluntarily recognized by Microsoft who have responded positively to the formation. This will make the Zenimax workers the first union among Microsoft employees.

Happy New Year! We won our union!
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— ZeniMax Workers United – CWA (@ZeniMaxWorkers) January 3, 2023

“We’re thrilled to kick off 2023 in a workplace that’s stronger and more equitable than it was last year,” said Skylar Hinnant, Senior QA Tester II, Rockville. “This is an empowering victory that allows us to protect ourselves and each other in a way we never could without a union. Our hope and belief are that this is the year in which game workers across the country exercise their power and reshape the industry as a whole.”
“Before us is an opportunity to make big changes and bring equity to the video game industry. We want to put an end to sudden periods of crunch, unfair pay, and lack of growth opportunities within the company. Our union will push for truly competitive pay, better communication between management and workers, a clear path for those that want to progress their career, and more,” said Victoria Banos, Senior QA Audio Tester, Hunt Valley.
Microsoft’s Response

Additionally, while larger parent corporations like Amazon, Apple, and Activision-Blizzard have been accused of using illegal methods to prevent workers from uniting, Zenimax’s parent company Microsoft has seemingly welcomed the movement. In response to PC Gamer, a spokesperson for Microsoft has made the following statement:
“In light of the results of the recent unionization vote, we recognize the Communications Workers of America (CWA) as the bargaining representative for the Quality Assurance employees at ZeniMax. We look forward to engaging in good faith negotiations as we work towards a collective bargaining agreement.”
CWA President Chris Shelton praised Microsoft’s approval of the Zenimax union and states that it will serve as a model for the industry:
“Microsoft has lived up to its commitment to its workers and let them decide for themselves whether they want a union. Other video game and tech giants have made a conscious choice to attack, undermine, and demoralize their own employees when they join together to form a union. Microsoft is charting a different course which will strengthen its corporate culture and ability to serve its customers and should serve as a model for the industry and as a blueprint for regulators.”
It’s great to see a more positive response to unionization and as Microsoft says, we hope this will lead to better negotiations that benefit both parties.
Zenimax is currently working on several highly anticipated video games which include Bethesda’s Starfield, Elder Scrolls VI, and a new Indiana Jones game, as well as Arkane Studios’ Redfall.

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Tags: BethesdaCommunications Workers of Americaid SoftwareMicrosoftZenimax


Shurado celebrates 1st anniversary with giveaway

Action mobile game Shurado is now celebrating their 1st anniversary. In conjunction with the occasion, GANBARION Co. Ltd will distribute free items to players for 10 days starting on Christmas Day.

Shurado is a strategic duel action game. Players take control of a man who fell into the “Shurado”. Aiming for the top, players need to defeat enemies while collecting stronger weapons and equipment to challenge stronger enemies. The game features high quality visuals and tense 1 vs 1 battles.

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In commemoration with the 1st anniversary, players will receive items for 10 days. The giveaway starts on 25th December and will last until the 3rd of January. The release schedule of the items will follow the Japanese Standard Time. Furthermore, this is a great time for new players to join the game. These free items will help new players get a head start into the game.
Interested new players need to take note of phone specifications needed for the game. iOS users need to have a device with iOS 10.0 at least. On the other hand, Android users need a device with a minimum of Android 7.0.

Platform
iOS
Android

Supported OS
iOS10.0 or later recommended.
Android OS7.0 or later recommended.

Supported Models
s iPhone 6s / 6s Plus / SE / 7 / 7 Plus / 8 / 8 Plus / X / XR / XS / XS Max iPad(5th generation) / iPad Air 2 / iPad mini 4 / iPad Pro
Snapdragon 820 or later recommended. *There are some machines incompatible.

For more information on Shurado, you can visit the official website and Facebook page.

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Tags: AndroidiOSShurado


You Can Download Malaysian Horror Game ‘Paper Ghost Stories: 7PM’ For Free Until the Start of June

Paper Ghost Stories 7PM, a Malaysia horror game based on local ghost stories is available on Steam for free. The game will be available for free until the 2nd of June meaning you have just over a week to pick it up.

Paper Ghost Stories: 7PM (originally named Short Creepy Tales: 7PM) was developed by local Malaysian studio Cellar Vault Games. The game takes clear inspiration from the many urban myths and ghost stories that many Malaysians were told as a child for an interactive horror title, all with the striking papercraft art style. You can check out a trailer for the game below:

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“Play through the day’s experience as each of the three children living there and their attempts to invite a young mysterious new neighbor to play with them. However, what was supposed to be an offer of friendship quickly takes a dark turn as each of the children experience horrific visitations. Further so, not everyone or everything is as it seems in this apartment block, and dark secrets lurk everywhere if you can see them.”

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Throughout the game, you’ll take control of one of the three children and explore a dark, cramped, apartment complex in an adventure game format. You’ll have to talk to other residents, complete small puzzles and mini-games, and try and figure out what is going on in your home.
The developers say that they intend Paper Ghost Stories to be the first in an anthology series of horror games.

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Tags: Celler Vault GamesPaper Ghost Stories: 7PMShort Creepy Tales: 7pm


Fall Guys Mobile revealed exclusively for China

Mediatonic, the developer behind Fall Guys, clarified a few days ago that the game currently only on PC and PlayStation 4, in an attempt to squash all rumours that it is coming out for mobile.

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Fast forward to today and the official Fall Guys Weibo account announced via a new post that Fall Guys is in fact getting the mobile treatment and that it will be the publisher for it in China. The game is open for pre-registration by following the link here.
Seeing as how the game has become essentially an overnight success, it would seem obvious that the developer would want to have it available on more platforms. Still it is rather peculiar that it would initially shoot down the idea of a mobile version only to have the publisher for it make the announcement.
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Regardless, this is good news for fans of the game who need to get their fix, well assuming, you are from China. We are not exactly sure why a mobile version would be exclusive to one region, but having the game on the smartphones make a lot of sense. As it is, there are clones of the game if you look for it hard enough. Needless to say, they are either scams or just lousy knockoffs. One can only assume that the developer realised this and decided to make that mobile version a reality.

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Tags: bilbiliFall Guys MobileMediatronic


Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds Animated PV Released

Level-5 and Netmarble have released a new trailer for the upcoming mobile MMO Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds. The game comes out in Japan later this year. It will release on iOS and Android devices.

The trailer shows us the basic premise for the game, in which the player character is drawn into a fantasy world. It’s a pretty great elevator pitch for the game, since it shows a lot of the game’s main features.

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Rather than being thrown into the fantasy world via traumatic accident, the main character is pulled in by beta testing an upcoming game. The game is called Soul Divers, and has the player in some matrix-esque pod.
It also shows several of the game’s monsters, all animated with that Ghibli-tier whimsy that fans have come to expect.
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The trailer implies some sort of romance between the Swordsman and Witch characters, who meet in the real world as well as the fantasy world.
We probably won’t know more about the game until they show more of it at Tokyo Games Show this weekend. The Level-5 stream is 2pm Malaysian time on September 26th, so make sure to mark your calendars.

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Tags: Level-5NetmarbleNi no Kuni Cross Worlds


God Eater: Resonant Ops Confirmed Release This Year!

God Eater: Resonant Ops (ゴッドイーター レゾナントオプス), the game by Bandai Namco, has finally confirmed its launch which will be happening between March and June 2018! Since it was announced back in October 2017 with the start of their pre-registrations, the game has garnered more than 150,000 pre-registers; breaking through their milestone event! The rewards were then updated up to 200,000 pre-registers which will reward players with more Strengthening God Arc (Strengthening material).

If you’ve been updated by us, you might already know that God Eater: Resonant Ops is set after the end of God Eater 2: Rage Burst for the PSV, PS4 and PC. Instead of the usual running around hacking-and-slashing your way through, the mobile version will be the first God Eater to adopt a turn-based battle system. Players will play either a girl (CV: Hiro Shimono) or a boy (CV: Naomi Ohzora) as a newbie in the Fenrir headquarters.

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There will also be familiar faces like Alisa and Soma which will be included in the game. As the game progresses, new characters will be introduced as well. Currently, pre-registrations are still up which Bandai has updated their pre-registration milestone up to 200,000 pre-registers as seen below:
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10,000 pre-registrations – One G Gem (one round of gacha) + Strengthening God Arc (Strengthening Material)
30,000 pre-registrations – One G Gem (one round of gacha) + God Arc Strengthening Materials Set
50,000 pre-registrations – One G Gem (one round of gacha) + 10,000 FC (in-game currency)
70,000 pre-registrations – Two G Gems (two rounds of gacha) + 4-Star God Arc Brilliance (Erina)
100,000 pre-registrations – Five G Gems (five rounds of gacha) + 4-Star Branch Leader Alisa (Diva Eater Ver.)
150,000 pre-registrations – Five G Gems (five rounds of gacha)

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Tags: AndroidBANDAI NAMCOGod EaterGod Eater 2: Rage BurstGod Eater: Resonants OpsiOSMobilePre-registration


Tsukumo Hololive EN Plushies Announced

Tsukumo has announced pre orders for a set of Hololive EN plushies, bringing the first generation HoloMyth into chibi plushie form.

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According to a press release pre orders for the Tsukumo Hololive EN plushies will start April 1st, and will run until April 15th with the plushies expected to ship some time in August of this year.
The plushies will be available from the Tsukumo shop for Japanese users, as well as the Tsukumo Booth and Buyee for International users with each plushie costing 4800 Yen ( RM164.68).
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Alongside the plushies, you’ll also be able to get the acrylic stands and mini badges of your favorite Holomyth Vtubers from thje site as well.
Unlike the last run of Tsukumo Hololive plushies, these will be made-to-order and available all at once- meaning you won’t have to wait for your favorite oshi’s bespoke pre order period.
Due to the nature of the plushies being made to order though, you can also expect some delays depending on how many people ordered a particular plushie.
This adds to the growing list of HoloMyth merchandise- previously, plushies of each Vtuber’s mascot were sold, and fans are currently waiting on more news about the upcoming Pop Up Parade figures.

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Tags: HololiveHololive EN


Knights Chronicle Announces End Of Service In July

Knights Chronicle is about to end its long service starting on July 4th 2023 after having its Japanese version release in 2016 and its English Version release back in 2018.

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The service will end in waves starting with the Payment Block which is scheduled to start on 4/4 after completion of maintenance (UTC+9).
The service will then end with the Server Closure and Download Block which begins at the following dates:
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– 7/4 12:00 (UTC+9)
– 7/3 20:00 (PDT)
– 7/3 23:00 (EDT)
Lastly, the Official Forum will follow suit which is scheduled to be closed at the following dates:
– 7/31 12:00 (UTC+9)
– 7/30 20:00 (PDT)
– 7/30 23:00 (EDT)
Via AppMagic, Knights Chronicle had garnered a lifetime revenue of over 26 million USD across 60 different countries, with Japan being its largest contributor, amassing over 7,000,000 USD. The game peaked during its first opening years but slowly sees a steady decline shortly after 2018 moving into 2019.

The game is a free-to-play mobile RPG developed by Netmarble Games and is described as:
“Knights Chronicle: Console-quality Animated RPG, An awesome adventure spanning time and space!
Embark on a journey to the planet Garniel and meet over 160 unique heroes.”
The game is available on iOS and Android, and for those who still wish to try the game you may do so before the Download Block.
You may find further details in regards to Knights Chronicle end of service at their official website.

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Tags: Knights ChronicleNetmarble


Black Clover M: Rise Of The Wizard King Global Pre-registrations Open Now

Pre-registrations for the Global version of Black Clover M: Rise Of The Wizard King is now officially open and players can head on over to their preferred app-store and register their interest for the game.

Black Clover M: Rise Of The Wizard King is a 3D Role Playing game that features characters from the Black Clover franchise and their original voice actors such as Kana Yuuki as Noelle and Murase Ayumu as Luck.

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Image Credit: Pearl Abyss
While players may register their interest through either the Play Store or App Store, the Global pre-registration event that features milestone rewards will start on June 1st instead.
The game will feature various type of modes such as:
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Quest – Story mode that recreates the anime storyline
Raid – For advanced challenges
Memory Hall – Compete against bosses
Arena – PvP experience

Players can also form guilds to participate in the Squad Battle mode with other members which offers multiple challenge modes. The combat is presented in a tactical turn-based style which allows players to form Link-Moves by synergizing with the right squad members and create their own unique combat style.
Additionally, players can also explore the world and perform activities such as gathering ingredients for cooking and fishing which helps break away the monotony of single task missions.
The game just had its pre-registrations open for its Japan server earlier this year. For further information regarding Black Clover M: Rise Of The Wizard King and the pre-registrations for the Global server you may visit the official Facebook page.

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Tags: Black Clover: Rise of the Wizard KingGarena


iCandy acquires games studio Storms from Singtel, AIS, SK Telecom

iCandy Interactive Limited has entered a Share Purchase Agreement to acquire 51% of Digital Games International, or “Storms“, a Southeast Asia-based games development, publishing and licensing company. Current shareholders have the option to sell the remaining 49% to iCandy within an agreed period of time.

Storms was founded in March 2020 by Singtel, Advanced Info Service (AIS) and SK Telecom, the largest mobile network operators in Singapore, Thailand, and South Korea respectively. Storms has developed and published casual and hyper-casual mobile games besides its business-to-business model leveraging Super Apps and Telcos product offerings. It also develops its own instant gaming and gamification features.

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Storms’ ended 31 December 2021 with approximate revenues of SGD 4.1 million (AUD 4.3 million), a 14x surge from FY 2020 reported revenues. Likewise, it has a healthy balance sheet position with approximately SGD 7.2 million (AUD 7.6 million) of cash and cash equivalents. This acquisition will allow iCandy to leverage its distribution network to target more APAC markets.
“We are looking forward to partnering with iCandy Interactive as iCandy develops its Metaverse gaming ambition. This will further our collective strategy to better serve our respective customers with unique and engaging content.”
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Lim Cheng Cheng, Singtel’s Group Chief Corporate Officer and Chairman of Storms’ Board
iCandy is already well positioned to make AAA games for the Metaverse, having previously acquired Lemon Sky Studios. iCandy is set to extend the reach of its projects by leveraging Storms’ publishing network in the fastest growing market for gaming experiences.

“iCandy with its game studios and development expertise makes a great complementary addition to Storms, which is a mobile game publisher and has expansive distribution advantages via strategic Telcos and other partnerships in the region. Together, they will be well positioned to create and publish games for the Metaverse and Web 3.0, as well as to bring Korean games into the Southeast Asian market.”
Jae Shin Lee, Vice President and Head of Global Business Development of SK Telecom
“We recognise many synergies between Storms and iCandy, with Storms making a great complementary addition to iCandy’s horizontally-integrated gaming business model. At he same time, this acquisition strengthens Storms’ ability to be a trailblazer in delivering more fun to the gaming community through efficient game development time and at scale.”
David Yin, CEO at Storms
No projects have been announced at this juncture following the iCandy and Storms acquisition, so stay tuned for those.

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Tags: Digital Game InternationaliCandy InteractiveStorms


FFXIV Starter Edition free on PS4! [ Final Fantasy XIV ]

If you’ve been always curious about the world of Eorzea, FFXIV / Final Fantasy XIV – that’s 14 to you – has its starter edition currently available for free on the Playstation 4! The offer will be available until 26 May via the Playstation Store. The game is normally priced at $19.99 / 2420 yen.

The game still requires a subscription fee, but the FFXIV Starter Edition does come with a free 30 day trial. Final Fantasy XIV Starter Edition contains Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, but does not include the other expansions which are Heavensward, Stormblood and the latest Shadowbringers. The deal officially begins on 22 May, so certain regions may not have it yet depending on their timezones.

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The deal can be found at the following stores:

Australia
France
Germany
Italy
Japan
New Zealand
Spain
United Kingdom
and more where applicable

Malaysians are likely to have to change regions in order to play the game. Don’t let that stop you from trying it out though. The starter edition would be able to give you access to more of the game instead of the currently available free trial which has quite a number of limitations, including capping your level to 10 and not being able to create an Au’ra, and so will be a more comprehensive experience before you decide to commit.
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Hearthstone Mercenaries Q&A with Ben Lee, Joseph Killion, and Ates Bayraktaroglu: welcome to the hub!

Alongside the playtest session of Hearthstone Mercenaries – impressions of which you can find here – a casual Q&A session happened simultaneously, alongside any interesting developer insight regarding the design of this game mode. Present for the session were:

Ben Lee, Game Director
Joseph Killion, Game Designer
Ates Bayraktaroglu, Associate Game Designer

Do peruse our early access review here, and check here for further context! Q&A and commentary has been edited for clarity.

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GAMEPLAY INTERFACE
Mercenaries as a game mode is meant to be welcoming to all players, gradually easing you into all its systems.
The Ability Tray.
Joseph Killion: This is what we call the Ability Tray. It shows the skills of your mercs, and any treasures you’ve gotten. The tutorial fights are there to basically show you how things work, combos, and the like.
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Speed is one of the most important mechanics in this game mode. Things happen in order from lowest Speed to highest Speed, like how a 1 Speed ability would go before an 8. What’s interesting is that any Speed ties, where you and the opponent use a 4 Speed ability, will be decided at random. On your side, if all abilities have the same Speed, it depends on the order you select them in.
Q: SOME ABILITIES HAVE THIS HOURGLASS ICON THAT DOESN’T HAVE A TOOLTIP. WHAT IS THAT?
Ates Bayraktaroglu: That’s the cooldown of the ability, the amount of turns it takes to let you use it.
Joseph Killion: Abilities start on cooldown, and when you use it, it’ll go back on cooldown. Mercs that are on your bench also tick down their cooldown, so if you have a merc like Ragnaros with a long cooldown, you can put them in later and immediately use your big, flashy ability to turn the tide.
Q: IS THERE GOING TO BE A COLOURBLIND MODE?
Ben Lee: In terms of accessibility options, it’s something we always want to try deliver the best we can. We do try to make sure the hues can be discerned, that things are readable in different colour spectrums.

Ates Bayraktaroglu: Additionally, it’s not just colour. The baubles have different designs attached to the values so we also use visual representation to help differentiate them.
Ben Lee: There is a visual effect that may be more obvious to see when you’re playing to see if you’re dealing effective damage. We’ve found that it works well for our playtesters, but if players think we need to work more on it, then we will.

Ben Lee: The tutorial is fully voiced. We wanted to give it that cool narrative experience. Valeera here is taking you through the motions.
Q: IN OTHER ROGUELITE / ROGUELIKE GAMES, YOU CAN USE NUMBERS ON THE KEYBOARD LIKE HOTKEYS. WILL THERE BE SUCH OPTIONS FOR MERCENARIES?
Ben Lee: This isn’t really something we can do in Hearthstone. We’re a mouse controlled game, and also on phone, so we prioritize those controls. Not saying we never will, but for now, we’re not looking into it.
Joseph Killion: It’s like you’re in the world of Hearthstone as you’re playing it. You’re dragging out the physical cards and all that, and we really wanted the gameplay of Mercenaries to have that similar feel to it, seeing that ability trail… we really wanted to keep that “playing in a box” kind of feel.

Q: ASIDE FROM KNOWLEDGE OF WORLD OF WARCRAFT AND THE CHARACTERS, IS THERE A QUICK AND EASY WAY TO IDENTIFY HORDE AND ALLIANCE?
Joseph Killion: At launch, we don’t currently have a way to show that off, but that is something we’re planning to add a tooltip for to show what races are in Alliance or Horde, like a keyword.
Q: WILL THERE BE A FILTER SYSTEM AS MORE MERCS GET INTRODUCED TO MAKE IT EASIER TO SORT AND FIND SYNERGIES?
Ben Lee: You can actually just use the search, like by typing in “demon” or “legendary”. It’s a pretty efficient way keyword wise, but we don’t have other filters at this time. In the potential future, when there are 300 mercs, maybe. For now, I think we’re pretty happy with where it’s at.
Q: WOULD THERE BE EMOTES?
Ben Lee: There aren’t emotes, but characters will talk when kills happen, or other conditions. The characters emote themselves, and that’s something we wanted to build in the game itself. You’re controlling what the mercs do, they have their own combat lines… it’s something we’ll keep an eye out for in the future, but it kinda works out with the mercs themselves emoting and talking.
Ates Bayraktaroglu: It’s currently only Diamond mercs that have emotes with speech bubbles to differentiate them from non-Diamond or cosmetic mercs. There’s no power tied to their appearance, so it’s a way to make them feel special.

GAME DESIGN

Ben Lee: Cariel and Xyrella were some of the first heroes we designed abilities for. I feel they’re some of the best, remaining viable throughout the game mode. Cariel can Taunt and heal, while Xyrella can reduce an enemy’s attack, and heal.

Joseph Killion: I also like Grommash (Hellscream). As we were exploring Mercenaries, we started thinking about, “what does Hearthstone have that we can tie in to [ with this mode ]”? Standard Hearthstone doesn’t have the “orc” or “human” tags, but since the mercs are the biggest heart of this mode, we really wanted to show off who a character is. Grommash being an orc is key to his character.
When we first started setting up the different tribes, we had to figure out what makes the orcs stand out from others. They’re super aggressive, all about buffing attack, smashing into your opponents… so they came out as a really good, synergistic team that players can just jump into and start attacking each other.
Q: WERE THERE ANY SPECIFIC INSPIRATIONS FOR THE NEW MECHANICS IN MERCENARIES?
Ben Lee: In terms of inspiration and mechanics, there’s actually a lot of parallels to traditional JRPGs in Mercenaries, and history with old-school Final Fantasy and Pokemon. There’s those hero collector games out there and we have some similarities, but our combat is more involved and you can’t auto-battle things out.
We’re trying to keep combat short, snappy and fun without being too complex. We really wanted to make a good starter set that players can come to grips with, with some things that are still awesome. For mercs coming beyond launch, we’re definitely gonna push the boundaries of abilities doing more explosive and complex things.
From Pokemon Sword / Pokemon Shield.
Ates Bayraktaroglu: Just to add on to that, we also looked towards Hearthstone itself for inspiration. A lot of motifs in this more are reminiscent of Dungeon Run, or Duels, where you’re obtaining treasures and powering up your deck along the way.
Ben Lee: There’s a lot of progression in the game, with your characters levelling up, gaining stats, new abilities… we tried to make the bosses like puzzles to some degree, and there’s a lot of tools at your disposal. We want players to feel great about their characters advancing. Everything in Mercenaries rewards you, whether you play PVP, bounties… just playing the game also feeds into the Rewards Track.
In this case, Fire skills would be a bad choice, while Frost will be excellent.
Ben Lee: We don’t make them too hard in the beginning as we don’t want to overwhelm the player, but if you’re planning on Heroic, or the later levels, you’ll really need to see the ecology and find out the best way to solve the combat.
It’s kinda how we balance things in PVP. It’s pretty hard for a character to get out of line because the reality is, if it’s gonna take double damage from something, it’s gonna be really hard for it to become something outside of the norm as you can’t really negate this.
Ates Bayraktaroglu: In Mercenaries, we introduced this concept called “Ecology” fights. These fights on the way to the boss will have creatures you find in World of Warcraft, so if our Bounty is in the Barrens, then maybe we’ll see Kobolds, Centaurs, or Elementals.
Q: IS THERE A LIMIT ON HOW MANY TREASURES A MERC CAN HAVE / EQUIP?
Ben Lee: Only one, but sometimes you might get offered two if your merc is the only one left alive to give you more options.
Joseph Killion: Same goes for equipment, where you can only equip one piece. We designed each piece to augment your merc, adding more damage or effects to skills.
Ben Lee: We try to get players to build these cool teams for explosive combos that are really fun.
Q: ARE YOU ABLE TO SWITCH MERCS FROM THE BENCH INTO BATTLE WHEN YOU LIKE OR ONLY WHEN SOMEONE DIES?
Ben Lee: Some abilities and treasures will allow this.
Q: DO MATCHES HAVE FATIGUE AFTER SEVERAL ROUNDS, LIKE IN A CONTROL MATCHUP?
Joseph Killion: We don’t have a fatigue system in for launch, but it’s definitely something we want to keep an eye on, get player feedback and see if we need it. We want the games to be real quick and snappy; jump in, get PVP rewards, and maybe come back later for more.
Ben Lee: Generally, when you’re using mercs with melee abilities for example, they sorta defeat themselves over time. If you’re playing a team with all healing, especially when there’s double damage, it’s pretty hard to outheal everything. We don’t expect that to be an issue, but if there is one, we’ll address it.
From the Hearthstone Fandom Wiki.
Q: IS THERE A MAXIMUM BOARD SIZE?
Ben Lee: It’s 6. In terms of summoning minions, we try to shy away from it. In some cases, where mechanics make sense, like Murlocs, it’s really fun to like swarm the board. But we also want the focus to be on the mercs themselves. We try to be quite sparing with it and only use it when it seems awesome rather than just have everything summon something.
Q: WHAT’S THE COMBO FEATURE DO? IS THAT ALONGSIDE ANOTHER MERC ABILITY, OR CONSECUTIVE TURNS?
Joseph Killion: We have a few actually. There’s the normal Combo keyword, then the Spellschool Combos (e.g. Fire, Frost Combo). The way Combo works in Mercenaries is basically when anyone on your team has cast an ability or an ability of that Spellschool before them. So you’ll have one casting a 2 Speed skill before a 4 Speed Combo ability.
Q: WHAT WAS THE IDEA IN DETERMINING THE FINAL ATTACK / DEFENSE NUMBERS OF EACH MERC, OR HOW THEY LEVEL?
Ben Lee: In terms of numbers, there’s a whole bunch of factors that go into it. Melee characters who use their attacks tats get a higher number there, or if a character has a synergistic skill that allows their attack to grow, we give them a lower number. It depends on type / alignment or who they are as a character.
Millhouse Manastorm is probably not gonna have high attack since he’s a Gnome spellcaster, so it’s partly lore as well. We try to make each character as fun, different, or unique. Some will have more HP and low ATK if they’re a beefy tank, low HP high ATK for a glass cannon… it’s a lot of playtesting, formula and theory to align where we want the numbers.
UNLOCKS AND REWARD STRUCTURE

Ben Lee: For completing each Bounty map, even the tutorial, you get rewards. There’s no limit to the amount of rewards you can earn per day, whether it be 10 hours, or 30 minutes. You earn these merc coins to upgrade your characters.
Q: SINCE WE CAN PLAY AN UNLIMITED AMOUNT OF BOUNTIES PER DAY, THE ONLY BOTTLENECK FOR FREE TO PLAY (F2P) PLAYERS SEEMS TO BE THE UNLOCKING OF NEW HEROES, WHICH REQUIRES PACK OPENING?

Ben Lee: In terms of how the economy works, we try to frontload it so that players can upgrade their abilities to level 3 really quick. I can’t remember the specifics, but the power can double, or more. Then, there’s the 4th and 5th rank, where we make really small increments. We want the power to be accessible to more people as possible. Then, if you’re really invested in the mode, you’ll be able to access these minimal upgrades geared for the hardcore, end-game player. We’re trying to be fair to everybody.
Unlocking heroes isn’t actually a bottleneck. You don’t need new heroes unless you want to, completing the entire campaign with the basic six characters. We want players to explore different options, level up other mercs, play PVE / PVP, or power-levelling… you also get a bunch of free packs from playing Mercenaries, and gold from the Rewards Track, or craft them from the coins you get from Tasks, and so on. We really tried to make Mercenaries as F2P as possible.
Q: ARE YOU GUARANTEED AT LEAST ONE MERCENARY FROM A PACK?
Ben Lee: There are some specifics to that. Within a specific rarity, like Rare mercs, you’ll be guaranteed a rare merc. It works a little differently for Epics or Legendaries, but there’s still the no duplicates rule like with standard. I can’t remember the specifics off the top of my head, but there’s quite a lot. We’ll continually release Rare mercs as well, and as content comes along, you’ll be able to get most of them just from playing.
The thing with the power level is that Legendary mercs aren’t necessarily the best. We try to make them interesting, different, and exciting, so things are about the options, and what you unlock. Unlocking mercs is something meant to be really easy. You’ll be able to check what Coins you can get from a level to craft a hero you want with a bit of randomness thrown in there, getting coins for a character you don’t have yet. You can get them from Tasks, and maybe you’ll be lucky to get legendary coins.
It’s a complex formula. Again, we’re trying to make things as fair as we can.
Ed. note: There is a blog post regarding the drop rates that you can read here.

PROGRESSION
Q: DO ALL UPGRADES YOU GET FROM PVE USABLE IN PVP? IF SO, YOU’D GENERALLY NEED TO LEVEL UP YOUR MERCS’ ABILITIES BEFORE PLAYING PVP.
Joseph Killion: Yes, all progress you make on your mercs carry across PVE / PVE. We try to make matches equal to your own power level, but same thing; you get rewards from PVP to use in PVE. We mentioned before that everything you do in Mercenaries will tie back in to your mercs. There are daily rewards for you, and you can get EXP, Coins etc. in PVP.
We have an extensive algorithm, looking at a bunch of different factors like:

The levels of your mercs
The levels of your skills, euqipment
How synergistic is your team?

We try to create a game that is fun for you. We also have a system that if we can’t match you, we’ll put you against a PVP AI. It creates this great experience where players can always find an opponent to fight.

Ben Lee: The seasonal rewards are different from traditional Hearthstone. You get them when you achieve the rating bracket / promotion, a similar system to Battlegrounds. You play games and gain rating points depending on how difficult the fight was, and you get the rewards straight away when you hit the rating breakpoint. In Mercenaries, you really want those rewards right now to upgrade those characters, so we give you them. Then, you can continue to rank up and get rewards. With seasons being every month, we want players to be dipping in and out of PVP to see if they enjoy it.
Joseph Killion: One key thing to note in PVP compared to PVE is that you can’t see the abilities your opponent is gonna use. In PVP, it’s all about the mind games, prevent them from using their combos. You’ll be playing against these mercs in PVE, so you’ll be able to learn their abilities as you play.
Q: HOW DO THE REWARDS SCALE WHEN MOVING UP TO HEROIC?
Ben Lee: There’s some complex numbers, but generally you get more rewards when doing Heroic to reward the time you spent. We don’t want to make it like there’s a “right” way to play. We want the players to challenge content that is the right difficulty for them.

Q: HOW LONG WILL IT NORMALLY TAKE TO LEVEL A MERC FROM 1 TO 30 ( MAX )?
Ates Bayraktaroglu: It’s really hard to tell how long it takes. There’s quite a bit of content in Mercenaries, and if you play linearly through the bounties, you get pretty close to the end to see one get to 30.
Joseph Killion: Yeah, it’s definitely not months of work to get to level 30. We want players to get their power level up, play with max level mercs and equipment. We balanced it to be a rewarding experience to go through the entire progression of a merc, but still have players have fun so it’s not super quick.
Ben Lee: If you want to blast through the content within the first week, you can. If you wanna take months with the campaign, that’s okay too. There’s no pressure to complete it now, no limited rewards or anything like that. You can really engage with Mercenaries however you want, and we think that’s really healthy. We just hope that players have fun doing so.
Ed. note: We also had access to accounts with all maxed out mercs, skills and equipment. This is meant to roughly simulate around 20 hours of play. Ben Lee acknowledges that it can be hard to playtest, saying, “Many of these things can take hours to understand. You can’t just throw someone into the high level immediately and ask if this feels right.”
Q: HOW MANY MERC COINS TO CRAFT A HERO?
Ben Lee: It differs from heroes depending on rarity: Rare > Epic > Legendary, increasing in cost. Crafting is kinda there as a last resort. We just wanna make sure there’s every avenue to get heroes. The best way to get mercs is realy just play the game, open packs, use the Rewards Track gold to buy them and such. You’d really wanna use those coins to upgrade abilities and such. It’s interesting to see how players will min-max this, so we’re looking forward to those guides and Youtube videos.
Q: REGARDING CONTENT, IF SOMEONE WANTS TO FOCUS ON PVE, WILL THEY HAVE ENOUGH CONTENT GOING FORWARD TO STAY IN THAT LANE OR WILL THEY NEED TO DIP INTO PVP?
Ben Lee: You can just keep playing PVE, there’s lots of rewards to get. PVP is just another avenue for players to try if they want to, it’s not mandatory. The rewards are more or less the same if you play 3 hours of PVE or 2 hrs PVE / 1 hr PVP. We want the players to play what they’re happy with, what they find comfortable and reward them for doing so. I’m not sure if at launch we have the ability to challenge friends, but it’s something we’re working on. If it isn’t, then it’ll be in pretty quickly after ship.

THE COMMUNITY, THE FUTURE, AND OTHER THINGS
Q: DO YOU ENVISION MERCENARIES TO BE A HIGH-LEVEL ESPORT LIKE THE MAIN GAME?
Ben Lee: I’m a huge believer in grassroots esports, personally. If our community thinks that Mercenaries is an amazing way to play competitively, then we could consider. We don’t have goals for that, we just wanna make something fun and engaging for our players. Our focus is on the PVE, with a pretty long single-player campaign, awesome bosses, different puzzles and fights… well, we’ll see.
Q: AS HEARTHSTONE EXPANDS BEYOND A CCG INTO A PLATFORM, ARE THERE PLANS TO RELEASE ON OTHER PLATFORMS BESIDES PC / MOBILE? WOULD YOU STILL CALL IT A “CARD GAME”?
Ben Lee: In terms of Hearthstone “being a platform”, we don’t have plans to release on any other platform at this time. You never know what the future holds, but that’s what we’re comfortable with, and that’s where most of our players are.
We could call Hearthstone a collection of card games, strategy games… a lot of people worry about what it is or isn’t, but the reality is that we just want to have fun. Play what you want, have a good time. It’s easy to get caught up on definitions.
Q: BEYOND DIABLO, WILL WE SEE OTHER BLIZZARD CHARACTERS, LIKE FROM OVERWATCH?
Ben Lee: Not super likely, I don’t think? Who knows what the future holds… I could see characters from the other fantasy games, more Diablo characters would be likely. There’s a suspension of disbelief at the end of the day. Diablo is basically a demon, he fits in the theme. Even if you’re not sure who Diablo is, he could still be just a Warcraft demon and that’d be okay. It’d be harder to put Jim Raynor, or Tracer, as it doesn’t fit in the same way.
Hell, it’s about… not… time?
Q: DO YOU HAVE A ROUGH IDEA ON HOW FREQUENTLY YOU’LL UPDATE THIS MODE?
Ben Lee: In terms of dating, probably every month? We tend to do major patches once a month in Hearthstone, and during each of those major beats / expansions, we would like to introduce new mercs, new levels… levels are completely free. There’s no cost to content in Mercenaries, so we’d want to introduce a new boss zone, maybe 6 new bosses, for players to engage with their puzzles, and such. We want players to go through those and have fun, and we’ll use those to evolve the story in Mercenaries as well. As for the mercs themselves, I don’t want to confirm numbers, but there’s gonna be a handful in a patch with different rarities and cool visions for the game to provide content, and so forth.
The mailbox is where we’ll send players news. We’ve been doing that in Hearthstone through the pop-ups. We’re trying it out to see if the other modes should have their own mini system for notifications.

And with that, that’s all the time we had for the packed play session. We hope you enjoy the new mode, and be sure to send in your feedback to the team!
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HearthstonePublisher: Blizzard EntertainmentDeveloper: Blizzard EntertainmentRelease Date: 2014-03-11Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows
The hit digital collectible card game from Blizzard Entertainment! All the colourful characters from the Warcraft universe show off their prowess in card form!

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Tags: Ates BayraktarogluBen LeeBlizzard EntertainmentHearthstoneHearthstone MercenariesJoseph Killion


Final Fantasy XVI Is Dripping In Everything That Makes Character Action Good, Including A Training Mode

Final Fantasy XVI might be the most aggressively action-based RPG yet. While the Final Fantasy series has a history of flirting with action game mechanics, it’s always kept this one-foot-in-JRPG feeling of restraint.

That’s not so much the case with Final Fantasy XVI, as I’d learned when Square Enix let me try a special build of the game just for the media. While game producer Naoki Yoshida has confirmed the existence of JRPG staples like subquests and the like, the heart of Final Fantasy XVI is very much an action game- and Square Enix is doubling down on this by making sure it’s a good one, too.

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After the demo I’d even gotten to chat with the game’s combat designer, Ryota Suzuki, who provided additional insights on the game’s combat, so I’ll be peppering in his input as they come up.
DISCLAIMER:This is a special version made for media to experience, and contents may differ from the final version. Additionally, images shown are from a special version made for media to experience, and contents may differ from the final version.
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Smokin Sexy Style
Final Fantasy XVI has a lot in common with the Devil May Cry series, which isn’t surprising when you remember Suzuki also worked on Devil May Cry V. That’s not a bad thing, either- a lot of Devil May Cry’s success lies in the fact that the series knows how to make action feel involved and cool.
Left: Final Fantasy XVI Producer Naoki YoshidaRight: Final Fantasy XVI Combat Director Ryota Suzuki
You see it most in the main character Clive’s ability to switch between Eikons. These function a lot like Styles in your typical Devil May Cry game, with each of the Eikons having a unique “Eikonic Ability” even bound to the same button. In the demo we got a taste of Phoenix, Garuda and Titan, representing a pretty diverse move pool: Phoenix’s abilities are very mobility based, with a forward lunge that can be cancelled into melee or magic attacks. Garuda is much lighter, with abilities that reward fast strikes and the ability to pull people in a la Snatch. Meanwhile Titan’s kit is akin to a bruiser, with high power hits and a Royal Guard-esque parry, complete with follow-ups.
We were allowed to play the demo multiple times- and I made a total fool of myself in front of Square Enix looking like I didn’t know how to dodge because I was trying to perfect parry a very specific boss attack
Now, we don’t know if every single one of the game’s Eikons is going to have a style associated with it- but the selection we got in the demo was a good sampler of the game’s combat, letting you switch Eikons mid combo like a true stylebeast to use various equipped special abilities. I really like that these cooldown-based skills are all part of their Eikon’s archetype- Titan has an armor-based rush punch, letting Clive absorb an incoming hit and then getting a rush punch worthy of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure out for it, while Garuda has a Fade Slash- letting you dodge an attack before lunging in with a vicious counterattack as well as a whirlwind of slashes, strengthened by mashing.
You aren’t entirely limited in these skills either. While each Eikon only has two equippable slots, you can buy additional moves to swap them out at any time via the main menu, or even upgrade your equipped moves.
While your average guard might not necessitate the use of Clive’s whole arsenal, it always feels like something will. Phoenix’s kit was the most underwhelming to me, yet the presence of guarded enemies made it so you’d always want to have it’s moves ready to break it. Similarly, Garuda’s Deadly Embrace gains an extra ability against gargantuan bosses- a Nero-style Buster attack.
Really Getting Into The Weeds
I’d teased it a little earlier, but we really need to talk about how skills actually work in Final Fantasy XVI. Basically, you can spend points earned in combat to buy new abilities for Clive or his different Eikon abilities. Clive’s own movepool is fairly interesting- while you can buy additional attacks like a Stinger or Helm Splitter (they’re the same move, just performed in the air or grounded), the lack of new combos is notably missing.
According to Ryota Suzuki, this was intentional. While Clive can’t do delay combos like a Devil May Cry character, the complexity of XVI instead comes from rotating out the massive array of tools Clive has at his disposal. One of these is Torgal, his trusty dog companion- he’s the only member of the party to always be at Clive’s side, and also the only one you can directly command. One of these three commands is called Maul, which can keep enemies in the air- letting you set up your next big offensive without having to drop your combo.
You have a lot of your standard character action moves, such as a helm splitter to rain down on unsuspecting enemies
Speaking of the air, Clive has one very noticeable skill in his skill tree. Called Stomp, Devil Hunters might better know this skill as Enemy Step- it lets you cancel any move with a jump, letting you juggle your enemies. You’re only allowed one jump cancel per combo, but just having the option at all (alongside Torgal’s juggling capabilities) already opens up the door massively for combo expression.
Aside from that, he also has several other skills he can use too. As a First Knight he can charge up his sword with Phoenix’s blessing, making it much better at breaking guards and having a neat fire effect. He can also charge his magic attacks- turning peashooter-like flames into more explosive blasts.
But what players need to most take heed of is the mastery abilities. These are additional effects you get for maxing out any skill in Clive’s retinue. Stomp, for example, gets a whole additional jump- in my own tests two loops was more than enough to deal with most enemies. Eikon skills have an even more impressive mastery- paying out the points to max them out will free them of their Eikonic shackles, letting you equip their skills on to other Eikons. While Phoenix’s kit may seem less impressive at first, imagine what happens when you remove the uppercut with something more damaging- like one of Titan’s explosive punches.
It’s great because so many of these skills definitely feel like they were intended for styling on your enemies. In fact, Suzuki even explained to me that the game’s Stagger mechanic was a vehicle for exactly this- by breaking your opponent’s stagger meter, you get free reign to wail on them, with a big number to tell you just how much damage you did at the end of it.

That being said, it does feel like you’d have to work extra hard to get any kind of air combo going. Moves that look like they’d launch you often times don’t, such as a winged uppercut courtesy of Phoenix. It’s not massively disheartening, but would make the combos in the game feel that much more wild. Right now air combo afficionados only option is jumping up and pulling a poor soul with them via Garuda’s Deadly Embrace. Not terrible, just a little inelegant compared to how many action games have some kind of built in launcher.
Skill Issues

Of course, no one’s born a combo beast. While we didn’t get to try it out in the demo, Suzuki told us that the full version of Final Fantasy XVI will also include a training mode- letting you practice your combos on any enemy type in the game. Considering how many times I ran out of enemies to kill while trying to experiment in the demo, this is gonna be a huge chunk of Final Fantasy XVI’s popularity online- people posting Combo MADs of Clive rocking out and denying poor guardsmen the ground.
Both Suzuki and Yoshida also confirmed other additional modes as well- like a score attack mode for players who are really looking for a challenge. They didn’t go into specifics on what this mode would entail, but it’s my personal hope that “Score attack” is a colloquialism for “Boss rush”, or at least some mode akin to Bloody Palace in Devil May Cry.
If the path of “do combo” isn’t for you, don’t fret- you don’t have to engage in the system if you don’t want to. The game also includes multiple equippable rings, which automate various parts of the gameplay like healing, commanding Torgal and even slowing down time to help you dodge or parry better. It’s not a bad idea- not every Final Fantasy fan dreams of doing air combos, and it lets these players still enjoy the high-stakes melodrama of kingdoms with supersoldiers who turn into kaiju.
Shall Never Surrender

With Final Fantasy XVI due out this June, our look at the game was a great way to hook in more people that might have been turned away by the Final Fantasy series’ JRPG roots. It’s a character action game first and foremost, and anyone driven by an insatiable thirst for combos is sure to enjoy what the game has to offer.
Even if you like big spectacle- the game’s Eikon fights promise to be something new, as producer Yoshida confirmed that each of the titanic fights would be built around the two Eikons fighting, rather than one static combat system for each bout.
One thing’s for certain though: I’m going to be busting up my hands in that training mode as soon as it’s made available to me.

Preview content for Final Fantasy XVI was from a build specially made for the media, and contents represented a game still in development

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Tags: Final Fantasy XVISquare Enix