Shenmue III finally comes to life in 2019. August 27th, 2019. Only a few games become legendary. The Shenmue franchise is definitely one of those.
Monthly Archives: August 2018
The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan (Gamescom 2018)
Developed by Supermassive Games, The Dark Pictures – Man of Medan is the first installment in a new narrative-horror anthology series. This will challenge players to face their fears and uncover the secrets in The Dark Pictures universe, and any choice made could have irreversible consequences. It will be available in 2019 for the Playstation 4, Xbox One and Steam.
“We are incredibly excited to announce the Dark Pictures Anthology and the first game in the series – Man of Medan,” said Pete Samuels, CEO for Supermassive Games and Executive Producer for The Dark Pictures. “With each title being a standalone game, we have the opportunity to create a unique horror experience every time, with new stories, settings, characters and cast. As a studio we have a passion to deliver powerful cinematic horror, and we can’t wait for players to experience these new games across PS4, XBOX and PC. We have a great partner in BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment and we look forward to working with them to help bring these terrifying tales to gamers everywhere.”
ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN Gamescom Trailer (Gamescom 2018)
Gamescom 2018 news is good news! Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown has an official release date: January 18th, 2019 for the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. The Steam release comes a little later, February 1st, 2019. CE COMBAT 7 is set to take the franchise to new heights through enhanced graphics delivering dynamic cloud cover (which affects gameplay), detailed particle effects as planes are destroyed in the air, and exclusive PlayStation VR missions for those playing on the PlayStation 4. With all of the graphical and gameplay enhancements, combined with the deep story narrative the ACE COMBAT franchise is known for.
Soulcalibur VI’s Tira Reveal (Gamescom 2018)
Bandai Namco announced at Gamescom that there will be a new story mode in Soulcalibur VI named “Libra of Soul”, which joins Chronicle of Souls mode. Players will create their own custom fighter from scratch and journey a world to stop a new evil mastermind, who seeks the Soul Edge shards. Players will be able to create their own unique characters through thousands of different combinations, choosing from 16 races, including human, lizard, or even living skeleton, before customizing the size, facial features, hairstyle, clothes, armor, and…. weapons & fighting style! If that wasn’t enough, Tira, the Bird of Death is joining as a bonus character for those who purchase the Soulcalibur VI season pass. She will also be a stand-alone DLC character.
Jump Force Roster Updates Trailer (Gamescom 2018)
Bandai Namco revealed at Gamescom a few more characters are coming to Jump Force! Hunter X Hunter adds Gon and Hisoka, One Piece brings Sanji, Sabo, and Bleackbeard, and Dragon Ball Z invites the mighty Vegeta.
Shenmue I & II Launch Trailer
One of the most requested games to be re-released is finally back! SEGA remastered Shenmue 1 & 2 digitally for PC, and in stores as well as digital for Playstation 4 and Xbox One. A timeless tale of revenge, mystery, and Chinese Sailors awaits. The re-release also adds modernized features such as updated user interface and controls, the option to enjoy either the original Japanese or English voiceovers and on PC only, scalable screen resolution and PC graphics options. Forklift races, classic arcade games, and action all await.
“SEGA Europe has wanted to re-release the Shenmue series for such a long time and thanks to tireless work behind the scenes, it is our pleasure to bring these games back, laden with accolades as one of the greatest gaming series of all time, for gamers of all generations,” said John Clark, Executive Vice President of Publishing at SEGA Europe. “We can’t wait for gamers to jump into this piece of gaming history and experience the magic of Shenmue I & II for themselves.”
Sword Art Online: RE: Hollow Fragment Now Available on PC
Bandai Namco announced that Sword Art Online RE: Hollow Fragment is available in America on Steam for 19.99. Based on the light novel and anime, players will control Kirito and go dungeon crawling in Aincrad to break free from the virtual world.
Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark Preview
by Andrew Skelton (Outfoxed)
I might have mentioned this before, but I’m not very good at turn-based strategy games. I take too many risks and get my units caught in some pretty bad predicaments. All in all, I absolutely love the genre for making me learn from my mistakes, only to throw new elements into play to cause me to make them all over again. Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark, developed by 6 Eyes Studio and published by 1C Company, is a turn based strategy game that reminds me very strongly of classic Playstation era games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Vandal Hearts. Promising a mature storyline and challenging battles, can the game stand up to the fore-bearers that I remember fondly?
Starting the game, the first thing that struck me was the art style. Everything is so detailed! As the camera pans down to two of the main characters (Kyrie and Anadine), you see just how much care was put into the spritework of the game. Windows glow with light in the evening setting, water glistens in the street, and crow-like creatures perch wherever there’s purchase to do so. Meanwhile the character models are bright and detailed and stand out against their surroundings in good ways.

After a brief exposition, you’re immediately thrown into a tutorial battle against a noble and his bodyguard. It’s a relatively simple encounter designed to teach you how to move and attack and use abilities. That’s not to say it’s completely easy, however; enemies can single out one of your deployed units if they choose and it becomes a struggle to keep them alive versus dealing damage to the opponents (hint: use the healer!). Post battle, and some story later, you’re off to deliver a man to the justice of your organization: the Arbiters. Of course, there are some problems with that, but to reveal more would spoil a good portion of the game.
Once you’ve reached the world map, you can go right back to town to the Arbiter’s guild to play around with the game’s character creation. Let me tell you, this is far more robust than I’d experienced in similar games, that’s for sure. Whereas most SRPGs of this nature allow the basics such as gender and class to pump out a generic unit, Fell Seal lets you customize each individual unit to your liking. You’ll have the option of skin tone, eye color, hairstyles, outfit choices, and more. It was quite a nice change of pace to me, especially making a rogue-style character dressed in full, noble-looking attire. While still limited compared to some games out there, this definitely goes above and beyond what is necessary in a strategy RPG.

Trust me, too, you’ll want these additional units, because the game doesn’t mess around when it comes to difficulty, at least early on. The second battle you fight has your six units facing off against superior numbers. Not only that, you’re introduced to another mechanic that’s not often utilized: map triggers. In this case, the enemy has reinforcements hiding in a cellar, ready to burst forth after a few turns to really put the hurt against your group. The crafty player will have a unit stand on the doors to prevent that, but in doing so you risk said unit being surrounded by enemies. These tactical decisions can severely affect battles, so it’s nice to see a level of thinking beyond, “Move slowly, crush enemies.”
As you complete battles, you’re rewarded with ability points. You gain these points in the main class each character is, but you’ll also receive some additional points from other classes that participated in battle with you. Don’t worry, you’re not locked into any class, and can change as you see fit. In fact, as you gain levels in each class, advanced classes will become available, further broadening your options. This has been a staple of the genre for a while, and I’m glad it was included here — it would feel missing otherwise. One thing I do need to note is that while it seems ability trees are branching, they’re not. You can freely learn both abilities on each route. Being forced to choose one or another might make for some interesting gameplay options, though. Unlike other games in the genre, there are also classes specifically locked to created characters versus story ones, so it’s worth it to field a variety of classes.

Also in town, browse the shops for weapons and armor. Each piece of equipment has its own attack and defense values, and some offer resistances to elements. Not sure what class can equip what item? There’s a handy chart on the bottom that shows you (complete with question marks if you haven’t unlocked that class yet; no spoilers here!). Keep in mind, some classes can equip multiple types of weapons, so if you’re suffering from a lack of ranged attacks, you might want to see if you can equip one to your party. There’s also a try-and-buy function available, which will compare your equipment to what you’re trying to purchase, making it much easier to make a decision on what will work best with each character.
There’s also a crafting system to the game, which I found unique in many ways. By collecting components, you can upgrade your usable items such as potions to grow stronger or have more uses in combat (or both!), and you can craft equipment pieces that seem to be stronger than what you can purchase at the time. This is where I found the scoundrel class really useful, as they can steal said components from enemies, giving you more and more materials as the game goes on. While I feel it’s rudimentary at best, it’s still a nice addition to have to the turn-based strategy genre.
Like I mentioned before: I’m not the greatest at these types of games despite my love for them. Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark is a loving homage to the heyday of the genre with some modern cuts that really make it stand out. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how the game grows and develops going forward from early access. From what I’ve seen and played thus far, they’re going to gather a lot of interest from fans just like me, and that’s great news.
Note: A game key was provided for review purposes.
Child’s Play Is The Official Charity of PAX
Child’s Play Charity is an organization dedicated to improving the lives of young people receiving medical care or in domestic abuse shelters through the power of video games. They have recently been named the first official charity of PAX, the largest and most popular games convention in North America. Child’s Play has already given away more than $3 million to hospitals and youth facilities in 2018 alone. In addition to allowing these facilities to buy games and other equipment, they have also funded Gaming & Technology Specialist positions around the country.
This helps hospitals provide the skilled personnel they need to have access to the latest developments in the field. Child’s Play Charity was also awarded the 2018 Impact Donor Of The Year award by Child Life Disaster Relief for the money they provided to provide relief during Hurricane Harvey. More information on the charity can be found here.
Remnant: From the Ashes Reveals New Gameplay
Remnant: From the Ashes is a third-person survival game set in a post-apocalyptic world with terrifying mythical creatures running over it. Up to four people can team up to survive this harsh, unforgiving world. Character progression, equipment crafting, and dynamically-generated levels will offer new ways to explore and do battle with every playthrough. A remnant of mankind is left to fight these creatures off and save our planet, now that we have been hunting to near-extinction.
