Caravan Stories’ open beta for PlayStation 4 is now available in Japan with English language option
The PlayStation 4 version of this cross-platform MMORPG hits it’s open beta period today.
Doraemon: Nobita’s Story of Seasons producer explains the game’s concepts; Famitsu interview summary
This game will feature familial love in place of romances and marriages. Marvelous also confirmed that they are working on another SoS game at the same time.
Vampyr Sells 1 Million Copies, As Dev Signs Deal For Ambitious New Game
Vampyr, the 2018 game starring a doctor who turns into a vampire and struggles with his new bloodthirst, is a commercial success, it seems. Developer Dontnod Entertainment announced today that the game has sold more than 1 million copies since release. The game was published by Focus Home Interactive, and the two companies are now renewing their publishing deal.
Terms of the renewal were not disclosed, but Dontnod said in a press release that the “new co-production promises to be one of the most ambitious in the history of the publisher and the studio.”
Focus Home COO John Bert said the publisher has been “delighted” to work with Dontnod, going to to tease that the developer’s new game is “intended to be among the most ambitious” in the history of both Focus Home and Dontnod.
Dontnod CEO Oskar Guilbert said in his own statement that Focus Home is an “ideal partner” for their new game thanks in part to Focus Home’s expertise in the areas of marketing, digital distribution, and other factors. “Vampyr is a great success and we are very happy to develop this partnership with this exciting new project,” Guilbert said.
Vampyr is currently available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It’s free on Xbox One for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. The game is also reportedly coming to Nintendo Switch, but a release date hasn’t been announced.
Based in France, Dontnod was founded in 2008, and its first title was 2013’s Remember Me, which was published by Capcom. The studio went on to create the Life is Strange series with Square Enix, including the spin-off The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit. In addition to Life Is Strange 2, the developer is working on another episodic game, Twin Mirror, which is going to be published by Bandai Namco. The studio is independent, which allows it to choose a publishing partner.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/vampyr-sells-1-million-copies-as-dev-signs-deal-fo/1100-6466174/
NHL 19 Is Now Free For EA Access Subscribers On Xbox One
The EA Access catalog of free games continues to grow. The newest addition, NHL 19, arrived this week, and the timing is notable given that the NHL Playoffs just began.
NHL 19 is a fantastic simulation ice hockey experience, and it stands out from previous entries with its addition of pond hockey. GameSpot’s NHL 19 review scored it an 8/10.
EA Access is only available on Xbox One right now, but it’s reportedly coming to PlayStation 4 as well. A PC edition called Origin Access is also available, but NHL 19 is not available on PC.
EA Access costs $5/month or $30/year, and for that, subscribers get access to a growing catalog of EA Games including other 2018 sports titles like NBA Live 19 and Madden 19. Outside of those, titles like Battlefield 1, Skate 3, Titanfall 2, and many others are in the Vault of freebies. Subscribers also save 10 percent on all EA digital content, while members also usually get to play upcoming EA games multiple days before their public release. There are also perks like bonuses in new EA games like Apex Legends.
During an earnings call in February, management discussed bringing EA Access to another “major” platform, so that could be a reference to PlayStation 4. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nhl-19-is-now-free-for-ea-access-subscribers-on-xb/1100-6466173/
Watch The Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order Reveal Here
Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment is developing a new Star Wars game, Jedi Fallen Order, and it’s finally set for its big reveal this week at Star Was Celebration.
The reveal is taking place this Saturday, April 13, during an event that begins at 1:30 PM local time in Chicago where Star Wars Celebration is taking place. That works out to 2:30 PM ET and 11:30 AM PT. Internationally, the stream starts at 7:30 PM GMT and 4:30 AM AEST in Australia on Sunday. Respawn boss Vince Zampella and game director Stig Asmussen will appear on a panel where they’ll talk more about Jedi Fallen Order. Presumably we’re getting a trailer, too.
Here is the official description for the Jedi Fallen Order panel:
“Join the head of Respawn Entertainment, Vince Zampella, and Game Director, Stig Asmussen, along with many special guests, to be the first to learn about this holiday’s highly anticipated action adventure game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Hear how Respawn and Lucasfilm collaborated on this original Star Wars story, following a young Padawan’s journey in the Dark Times following Order 66. And of course, we’ll have a few surprises in store.”
While Jedi Fallen Order is scheduled for release later this year, very little is known about it so far. That’s set to change during Star Wars Celebration, and we’ll have all the news here on GameSpot as it’s announced.
What we do know is that Knights of the Old Republic II writer Chris Avellone worked on the script, while Asmussen, the game director, previously worked on the God of War franchise at Sony before moving to Respawn. In terms of the story and timeline, Jedi Fallen Order tells an original story that takes place “shortly after” the events of Episode II: Revenge of the Sith.
A teaser image for Jedi Fallen Order shows a glowing hilt of a broken lightsaber. We don’t know what it means, but those answers should come in due time.
For more on Jedi Fallen Order, check out GameSpot’s story: “Everything We Want From Respawn’s Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order.”
Star Wars Celebration also promises news and reveals for Star Wars: Episode IX and lots more. Go to GameSpot sister site CNET to see a full rundown of what to expect from the show.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-the-star-wars-jedi-fallen-order-reveal-here/1100-6466171/
Warhammer: Chaosbane – Character gameplay trailers
Get acquainted with the playable cast in this Diablo-like RPG.
source /news/8403-warhammer-chaosbane-character-gameplay-trailers
Xbox One, Rage 2 News Coming During Inside Xbox Stream Next Week
The next Inside Xbox live stream is scheduled for April 16 at 2:00 PM PT / 5:00 PM ET / 10:00 PM BST. The show will cover pre-E3 news, as well as announcements for Game Pass and several upcoming Xbox One games.
The April Inside Xbox live stream is scheduled to be an hour long, and “will explore some exciting Xbox Game Pass news,” Xbox Wire editor-in-chief Will Tuttle wrote in a blog post. The show will also provide further details for the upcoming anniversary update for Sea of Thieves and footage of the beta for Warhammer: Chaosbane. An exclusive look at Rage 2 will also occur during the live stream, followed by “several surprises” for other games.
Rage 2 seems to be the focus of the live stream, as watching the show on Mixer while logged into your Microsoft account will unlock a Rage 2-themed avatar item. So far, most of the gameplay trailer for Rage 2 have focused on the game’s fast-paced combat–which incorporates destructive powers to make you feel like an unstoppable superhero. However, there haven’t been too many examples of the game’s driving components–which is surprising given developer Avalanche Studios’ work on Mad Max.
April 2019 sees another six titles join Xbox Game Pass, following three that were added earlier in the month. If you’re paying the $10 USD a month subscription fee to be a part of Game Pass, this month you gain access to Prey, Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 5, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier, Life is Strange 2: Episode 2, and The Golf Club 2. We’ve given several of those games fairly high review scores, and listed Monster Hunter World as one of our game of the year finalists for 2018.
Prey and The Golf Club 2 arrive on Game Pass on April 11, Monster Hunter World and The Walking Dead: A New Frontier on April 18, Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 on April 24, and Resident Evil 5 on April 25. Earlier this month, Michonne, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, and Minecraft joined Xbox Game Pass.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-rage-2-news-coming-during-inside-xbox-str/1100-6466165/
Overwatch Teases First New Storm Rising Skin
Overwatch‘s next big event, Storm Rising, is coming on April 16. In the meantime, Blizzard is teasing some of the new cosmetics you can earn, and we got our first look at a brand-new skin. This one features the newest character, Baptiste, but it’s far from a heroic makeover.
The Legendary skin is called “Talon Baptiste” and features the soldier of fortune in his obviously evil red and black ensemble. Fans of Overwatch lore may recall that Baptiste was a Talon operative before having a crisis of conscience and abandoning the organization.
You can’t run from the past.
Terminate your enemies as TALON BAPTISTE (Legendary)!
Chase the truth: April 16 pic.twitter.com/139OzDnzJs— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) April 10, 2019
As it happens, the Storm Rising event revolves around another Talon operative, an Omnic named Maximilien. The Overwatch team of Tracer, Genji, Winston, and Mercy are dispatched to bring him in as a storm threatens to obscure his movements while he slips away again.
This is the latest in the Overwatch Archives series of events, which have featured PvE co-op missions that establish story material. Past events have had younger incarnations of the Overwatch heroes, along with different looks like Talon Widowmaker. The past Archives missions, Uprising and Retribution, will be playable as well.
Storm Rising will run from April 16-May 6. Blizzard is likely to keep dropping more early looks at cosmetics leading up to the event.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/overwatch-teases-first-new-storm-rising-skin/1100-6466164/
You Can Reserve Your Pokemon Go Name In Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Right Now
Niantic and Warner Bros.’ joint Harry Potter game, Wizards Unite, launches on iOS and Android later this year. While the title still doesn’t have a firm release date, the companies recently opened pre-registration for it on Android, and now those who’ve played one of Niantic’s previous games can reserve their same usernames for it.
From now until 11:59 PM PT on April 30, Ingress Prime and Pokemon Go players can reserve their in-game names to use in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. To do so, you’ll first need to go to Niantic’s website, then select the option to use either your Ingress Agent name or Pokemon Go Trainer nickname. Follow the prompts and your Harry Potter: Wizards Unite username will be set.
Niantic notes that there may be some instances where you can’t use your same username, specifically if it overlaps with one in a different Niantic title. If that happens to be the case, the developer says that reservations will be handled on a first come, first served basis.
Wizards Unite casts players as a member of Statute of Secrecy Task Force, and it’s your mission to explore the real world, locate Foundables (important people and items in the wizarding world), and dispel the Confoundable magic that’s trapping them. While the basic premise of the game is similar to Pokemon Go, it also bears many similarities to a traditional RPG, with a stronger emphasis on story and RPG elements like skill trees and potion brewing.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was originally scheduled to launch in 2018 before being delayed into this year. You can read more about the title in our hands-on impressions, and Android users can pre-register for it on Google Play.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/you-can-reserve-your-pokemon-go-name-in-harry-pott/1100-6466160/
Apex Legends Adds Quit Penalty By Accident
Seeing an opponent leave an Apex Legends match early is one of the more irritating facets of the game, but fortunately developer Respawn has a fix in the works to penalize anyone who does go MIA. Unfortunately, the company accidentally set the feature live before it was ready, before quickly disabling it once again.
In an update on the Apex Legends subreddit, community manager Jay Frechette said the studio has been working on the feature, but “it wasn’t our intention or plan to have it go live with the [April 4] update.” He says the penalty turned on early due to a piece of missing script, and the studio has since fixed it to disable the penalty. He states he doesn’t have an ETA for “if or when” it will be released.
The 1.1 update included some quality-of-life changes, like allowing you to invite a member of your last squad into your party, and the addition of squad invites to the Friends menu. You can also mute from the Leegends select screen, so altogether it seemed aimed at making the game easier to connect with good teammates and ignore bad ones.
Still, the quit early penalty has been one of the most requested features among the community, since revolving around three-person squads means that a single premature exit can be a crippling blow to your team composition. The admission that the team doesn’t know if the feature will be implemented at all suggests that it is still weighing the idea, possibly against other ways to deal with team composition issues.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/apex-legends-adds-quit-penalty-by-accident/1100-6466098/
