Monthly Archives: August 2019

Pax Nova To Receive Massive Planetary Update Today

Pax Nova is receiving its biggest update yet today, with the “Planetary Update”. It will give players much more control over the start of the game. You can decide on galaxy/planet sizes, how many computer opponents you begin with, and which factions/biomes you want on each planet.

The planets on which you can build and fight are also much more exciting. There are new types of terrain, new trees, and natural wonders. Also, four biomes no longer look the same because of randomly generated lighting and new textures. In addition to this, the research tree has been greatly improved. You can get a peek at some of this in today’s trailer.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy Hits Switch and Steam This September

Spyro is getting ready to soar again, with the launch of the Nintendo Switch and PC (via Steam) release of Spyro Reignited Trilogy on September 3rd. This will be the first time the Spyro trilogy is available on these platforms, with all three title sin one location. To celebrate 21 years of Spyro, lead developer Toys For Bob is also inviting fans to a special livestream on Games Done Quick’s Twitch Channel at 10 a.m. PT on Sept. 3. During the stream, fans will get a dragon’s-eye view into how the studio is commemorating the launch of the game on these two platforms and how players can join in on the fun.

If that weren’t enough, Spyro and friends are coming to Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, for the Spyro & Friends Grand Prix, which goes live on August 30th, 2019. Available for no additional charge to those who own the main game, it will add plenty of new cosmetics to seek out. There will also be the new Spyro-themed track, where you collect gems, dodge firework bundles and fly by sheep.

Aladdin and The Lion King Return with Digital Remasters This Fall

Two true Disney classics are coming back this fall, with Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King. This will include fan-favorite versions of each title, with upscaled graphics, and additional enhancements to playability on current consoles. This will also include a brand-new “final cut” of Aladdin and an original Aladdin “tradeshow demo” that has not been publicly available since 1993.

Fans will be able to revisit these beloved games and take advantage of a variety of modern support options, including instant save states, a “Rewind” button to jump back up to 15 seconds, level select, invulnerability, infinite lives, and an “Interactive Game Viewer.” The Interactive Game Viewer enables players to view full game playthroughs, with the ability to skip forward, jump in, and start playing at any point. It will be available for 29.99 on October 29th for the Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC. Physical copies will be available at a variety of major retailers.

In addition, Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and the Lion King features:

  • Authentic Game Content with Modern Improvements – Fans old and new can enjoy the original game builds, upscaled graphics, customizable controls, special filters for visual enhancement and more.
  • Variety of Game Versions – The collection includes multiple playable platform versions of the games including their Sega Genesis, Game Boy, and Super Game Boy releasesas well as The Lion King Super Nintendo Entertainment System version.
  • A Helping Hand – Players who want to experience the Disney magic in true “Hakuna Matata” fashion can use the Interactive Game Viewer, Rewind feature and cheat codes to aid gameplay progression.
  • Curated, Explorable Museum – A treasure trove of behind-the-scenes development assets including interviews, an art gallery, and a music player shares the rich history behind the Aladdin and The Lion King 16-bit games.

Soulcalibur World Invitational Tournament Announced

Bandai Namco announced a new esports tournament built around Soulcalibur VI, the SOULCALIBUR World Invitational, on Smash.gg. This will begin on August 28th, 2019, at 4 pm PDT. On November 2nd, 2019, at the HyperX Esports Arena (Luxuor Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada) is where this epic showdown will take place, where the best Soulcalibur VI players from around the world will gather to crown the Soulcalibur World Champion.

Featured hosts who will be providing blow-by-blow reporting throughout the SOULCALIBUR World Invitational include fighting game community stalwarts Markman, Kitana Prime, Aliciaxlife, and Ebonic Plague. With nonstop action and excellent color commentary, the SOULCALIBUR World Invitational promises to be one of the most entertaining esports events of the year.

Motohiro Okubo, Producer of SOULCALIBUR VI at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. had this to say:

“The SOULCALIBUR franchise has been the premier weapons-based fighting game for two decades, building a fan-base which stretches generations and around the world. Now, in the age of esports, it’s an honor to finally deliver a tournament fully focused on SOULCALIBUR, where the eight best players from every corner of the globe come together to compete for prizes, honor, and the ultimate crown of being the best SOULCALIBUR VI player in the world.”

Terraria’s Nintendo Switch Port Launches Today

Terraria Switch Retail

505 Games teamed up with Re-Logic and Pipeworks Studio to bring the 2D action-adventure title Terraria to retail stores around North America and Germany for the Nintendo Switch. Priced at 29.99, it will debut with content from the previous 1.3 PC/console update and is enhanced for the Nintendo Switch console. This 1.3 update also hits mobile devices today. Every pixel of the game has been reimagined and handcrafted for the best possible mobile experience. Brand new controls and User Interface provide a level of polish and capability previously not available. Multiplayer is also now playable with up to 7 friends via local wifi or online, and new world sizes –the same sizes as on Terraria for PC. This includes several features:

  • Touch-screen support to quickly navigate inventory/add more finesse in building/digging/combat (two Joy-Cons required per player
  • Up to 8-player online play (Nintendo Online subscription required)
  • Over 300 Enemies to battle
  • Over 20 BOsses and Events to tackle
  • Endgame Celestial Invasion Event and Moonlord Final Boss encounter await
  • Over 20 Biomes/Mini-Biomes to explore
  • New Expert Mode to bring new challenges for even seasoned veterans.
  • Updated crafting
  • Over 20 NPCs to discover
  • Over 800 new items to find
  • In-depth building options that are easy to learn

Green Hell Celebrates The Journey So Far with New Trailer

Green Hell began Early Access in August 2018, and Creepy Jar is preparing to launch 1.0 for Green Hell on September 5th, 2019. With that in mind, they take a look back at the updates they’ve released so far, and a brief teaser on what’s in store for the Story Mode, in today’s trailer. Four massive updates have hit the game so far, with the Story Update soon to come. They have a bit of insight on what each update entailed, in case you missed them.

Green Hell Updates:

  • ANIMAL UPDATE – OCT. 10, 2018 – New animals, plants and herbs, camp constructions, and modular shelters highlighted the first big update on the Green Hell road map.
  • WATER UPDATE – DEC. 6, 2018 – Green Hell invited players to go swimming with the fishes in the second update which not only saw the addition of even more animals, traps, and gameplay mechanics but also saw the game’s first entirely new map area.
  • COMBAT UPDATE – FEB. 6, 2019 – The most dangerous update on the road map saw new human enemies join the fray, but Creepy Jar wasn’t about to leave players defenseless. Also added to the game in this update were new weapons, an armor crafting system, and even more ways to trap your enemies.
  • MUD UPDATE – APR 1, 2019 – The final update before the push to 1.0 saw the addition of mud-based structures to the game. Players were now able to fit their camp with a number of useful constructions and also saw new weapons, armor, and even a hygiene system.
  • STORY MODE – SEPT 5, 2019 – Saving the best for last, the 1.0 release adds the much-hyped Story Mode to the game. Players will be pushed to the brink of their own sanity as they take on a dangerous rescue mission in an effort to find their lost love, Mia. Also coming in this update are another huge map expansion, more new animals and plants including the psychosis-inducing Psychotria Viridis, and new graphics and difficulty options.

Niffelheim Reveals Launch Date for Consoles

Niffelheim is an upcoming 2D Action-RPG, that’s heading to Playstation 4, Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch, this fall. The actual release date isn’t far away though – September 20th is the big day. Players will be able to dive deep into a Norse-themed world, creating tools and weapons they’ll need to survive above ground, and in the underworld. Their ultimate goal is to earn entry into Valhalla. Valhalla has a dark storybook style of artwork, and is definitely compelling to behold. Success in this world requires skill, courage, and a little bit of luck.

Andrey Arutyunyan, Co-Founder of Ellada Games had this to say about Niffelheim:

“With the upcoming launch of Niffelheim on consoles, we are thrilled to invite would-be warriors to join the quest to enter Valhalla. Niffelheim will bring a whole new survival-adventure experience to consoles, one featuring elements that fans of survival, crafting, adventure, and action genres can find something to enjoy!”

Ragachak’s Favorite Overlooked RPG Hits – Part II

by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

FINAL FANTASY X _ X-2 - Launch Trailer - Nintendo Switch

(Miss Part I? Read it here!)

I figured today would be a good day to come back and take a look at some classic RPG tunes that may or may not have been overlooked. Of course, for people close to me, a few of these may not be all that overlooked, but I mean more in a general sense. So, as is standard on this list, only one Final Fantasy piece, because I could just flood this list with tracks that I enjoy that might get overlooked in that franchise. I picked a doozy this time. It might not be agreed upon, but I really feel like it set the tone for the whole of the game, and stood out from its contemporaries/counterparts. I’m always curious to know what songs you loved in games that maybe don’t get their just deserts. So, with that in mind, feel free to drop a comment with your thoughts/favorites!

Final Fantasy X-2: Real Emotion (English Version): As an aside, the Japanese version is excellent too. But my exposure was to the ENG version first, since I bought FFX-2 and its Strategy Guide on its first day it was available here in the United States. I was already a die-hard FFX fan and loved the world of Spira. It was such a dark, dismal place, struggling to find some kind of light and hope, but what happens now that Sin is defeated? Does Yuna keep on being a Priestess for a dead god? Of course not. She becomes a pop idol! Real Emotion is the opening track for the game, with a fun, upbeat, synth feel. It feels like a pretty box-standard romance/love song, which fits Yuna well enough. She never really forgets about Tidus after all. It made me feel like the game’s opening was inspired by Charlie’s Angels and that’s not a bad thing. I may have my complaints about the overarching story of the game, but the OST, the Dresssphere System, and much of the actual mechanics were brilliant. The lyrics felt right, and the song really gets the ol toes tappin’.  Track: Real Emotion

The 7th Saga: Frozen Depths of the Earth: The 7th Saga honestly just had an incredible OST overall. Every song felt different from every other RPG I had played up till that point, and beyond. “Frozen in the Depths of the Earth” is the deep cave/dungeon music for The 7th Saga. Most of these caves do look icy, or at least have white-blue rock that looks frozen, so the title and the theme fit together. The synthesized drums feel amazing here, and the track, in general, has a pretty haunting sound. It feels like they combined a march with dungeon exploration. You want to get through quick after all because danger is afoot. The drums combined with a violin really offer an eerie quality, and can certainly make a player uneasy for their first time in an unknown dungeon. You really don’t know what you’re going to get in 7th Saga. So many of the monsters don’t appear in any other game. So it’s just another unknown-unknown. Track: Frozen Depths of the Earth

Romance of The Three Kingdoms IV: Governor: This is probably the theme I heard the most in RTK IV, other than the opening ballad, which is another absolute banger of a track. “Governor” is a theme you hear during the planning phase of a month, typically when you’re around the Governor rank. You have a few cities at least, under your command, and the world is your oyster. The music soars and feels triumphant, with awesome brass/keyboard sounds, and a light tapping drum backing it up. Despite this being a time of war, violence, and death, you still have some hope to unite the land at this point. It’s a really nice choice, and Jun Nagao/Kunio Kubota really nailed the music for Part IV: Wall of Fire. It’s probably my favorite OST in the RTK series, even if some of the tracks manage to sound a little Stereotypical Chinese. This one does not and really stands out as one of my favorites. It’s up there with again, the main title theme, and one of the duelist tracks. Track: Governor

SaGa Frontier 2: Rosenkranz (Rosary): I haven’t even thought about SaGa Frontier 2 in ages, but it had a really memorable soundtrack just overall. It was really hard to pick something, so I went with a track that feels different from the rest of the list. I think that’s this week’s theme. None of these songs really stand together on any real principle, other than setting the tone of an area excellently. Rosenkranz feels right at home in an academy or perhaps a church. It’s a peaceful, upbeat tempo piano track, but is accompanied neatly by a  violin in the background. The violin is quiet and doesn’t take away from the speed and sound of the piano. It’s another track that seems to imply hope or good tidings, but in SaGa, those are never too far away from disaster. It’s very peaceful and soothing, and just what I needed at this particular moment. Track: Rosenkranz

Lufia and the Fortress of Doom: World Map: Estpolis/Lufia for whatever reason, didn’t really pick up speed in America, and it’s a goddamn shame. These games have so much charm, and such compelling stories that they deserve to be seen. Lufia 1′s World Map might be one of my favorites of all time. It’s definitely top three. It’s suitably majestic, full of bombast. It fits a lone knight setting out on his own to put the world right. Our hero has the blood of legends in his veins, and fearlessly, he sets into the world to battle ultimately, gods. Perhaps today’s theme is “Excellent use of synthesized drums” because this is another shining example of them. It makes you want to sit up straight in your chair, gaze off sternly into the distance, and get ready for battle. Lufia 1′s World Map offers hope and energy, and though there’s a sinister counterpoint, it’s paired with a flute that trills lightly to bring something light. There’s always hope, after all. It has to be heard to be truly understood and appreciated. Track: World Map