Yearly Archives: 2018

YIIK: PAX West 2018 Impressions

by Andrew Skelton (Outfoxed)

There are a lot of Earthbound fans out there, I’ve heard.  Yes, I’m looking at you in particular here, Ragachak. The surreal imagery, the modern, urban setting, the quirky characters, and the sheer randomness the series offers provided many people a measure of joy when it was released.  It also confused a lot of people used to more fantasy or science fiction based RPGs. There’s been very little like it since. Ysbryd Games is looking to fill that void with YIIK, a Postmodern RPG. Right off the bat, let me just say this game was every bit as strange as Earthbound, and I definitely mean that positively.

YIIK Surburbia

You play as Alex Eggleston.  Strange things have been happening to Alex, ever since someone he was in an elevator with mysteriously vanished.  Now on a quest for answers, he was summoned to a strange place by someone claiming to have the key to these mysteries. Once there, I was treated to one of the strangest experiences I’ve encountered in gaming in a long, long time.  Again, I really mean that in a positive light, I promise.

YIIK Your Cat

All of the characters on this island had their own odd little quirks.  There was the club that worshipped fire, and the police who treated them as the arsonists they probably were.  There were the children of the woman we were searching for running around, complaining they hadn’t been fed or taken care of in a couple of days.  Oh, and there was the mermaid with her, ahem, baby-faced features. Seriously, passers-by would stop, stare, and try and figure out exactly what was going on with her every time I interacted with said NPC.  It was great.

YIIK Taking Sammy

Combat also has plenty of quirkiness to it.  Alex attacks with records, you see: LP records, to be precise.  His attacks require you to hit the mark on a turntable to deal attacks on the enemies.  His special ability had you playing Galaga, trying to hit a fast moving enemy on the screen with LP shots.  The other character (it’s kind of a spoiler, sorry) used an umbrella like a katana in iaijutsu style, and his special attack prompted you to match the commands on the screen to unleash a powerful attack.

YIIK Combat

The enemies were all surreal too.  Just imagine fighting against hopping smiley faces, or trading blows with the previously mentioned baby-mammaried mermaid for an idea.  There was a fight against the punk girl proprietor of the fire club who throws a mean right hook. I’m promised there are even more oddities to be found in the full game, too.  So if surrealist imagery and strange happenings are your jam, you might want to give a look into YIIK.

Door Kickers: Action Squad Release Trailer

When it was in Early Access, Door Kickers: Action Squad has a 92% positive rating on Steam with its single-player, couch and online co-op multiplayer, and four classes. Each has three unique weapons, three gear items, and there are eight enemy types, two mission types, and twenty-four levels. That’s not the end though. Killhouse Games are proud to announce that this side-scrolling action game is leaving Early Access and heading to full launch today. This launch also has a new update to go with it, offering more tools and tactics to tackle these missions. A new chapter enters the game in this update, with twelve more levels and four new enemies, RPG-style character progression and a new passive perk system. There will also be a full stats rebalance for player characters and enemies, 60 total levels and online leaderboards.

As part of a SWAT team, players must infiltrate buildings, breach doors and eliminate the bad guys as part of their justice serving mission. Featuring retro graphics and design sensibilities, the game takes the familiar side scrolling-action genre and infuses it with a layer of tactical puzzles that has no set solution and allows seat of the pants improvisation and out of the box thinking.

“We’re so excited to finally get the full version of Door Kickers: Action Squad out to the fans and the eager public. The game has been very well received in its Early Access state, so we took on board player feedback and live-tested the game with hundreds of players at PAX East and Gamescom. We’ve added a load more content and features for players in its final release,” said Dan Dimitrescu of KillHouse Games. “We hope players have fun blasting through the game solo or with their friends and appreciate the amount of depth we have added to the experience. We have even more content planned post-release as well as workshop support and releasing the in-game level editor for the general public, and we can’t wait to see what our players come up with!”

Tales of Vesperia – Definitive Edition Launches in January 2019

Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition

Bandai Namco announced today that Tales of Vesperia – Definitive Edition will go live in January 2019. On the Playstation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Steam will all receive the game on the same date – January 11th, 2019. It will feature upscaled resolution as well as characters, events, and content that never made it outside of Japan. 

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. is also announcing the TALES OF VESPERIA: Definitive Edition Anniversary Bundle with exclusive collectibles featuring Yuri Lowell, Patty Fleur, Flynn Scifo, and Repede for the PlayStation 4 system, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. This bundle will be available exclusively online through the BANDAI NAMCO Official Store.

 

Dead or Alive 6 Hits Stores February 2019

Koei Tecmo announced that the next Dead or Alive title, Dead or Alive 6 will officially hit stores on February 15th, 2019. In addition to the release date news, Team NINJA also revealed the Dead or Alive 6 digital pre-order bonuses. PlayStation 4 owners who take advantage of pre-order sales will score a unique DOA6 theme as well as obtaining “The Female Tengu” Nyotengu as a playable character. Xbox One gamers who pre-order the title will also be able to download Nyotengu to their roster on top of receiving a pre-order bonus costume for the legendary Ryu Hayabusa.

A special Early Purchase Bonus program for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners were also announced, as gamers who digitally purchase DOA6 by March 14, 2019, will receive a bonus costume for one of the game’s most popular characters, Kasumi. Those who purchase it early on Steam will collect the Kasumi costume as well as the Nyotengu downloadable character. In addition, Team NINJA unveiled a Digital Deluxe edition of the game for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam that will include a set of 25 extra costumes, three bonus musical tracks, a DDX exclusive Kasumi costume, and an exceptional character added to the lineup, the formidable Kasumi clone, Phase 4. More information can be found at this link.

LEFT ALIVE – The Invasion of Novo Slava

Left Alive is a new survival action shooter on the way to Playstation 4 in 2019. This trailer shows the three protagonists, each with their own stories, missions, and path to survival in this gritty, unforgiving world. This trailer is set in the invasion of the war-torn Novo Slava, and the game tells a human story of survival.