The official western release date for Persona 5 Royal was just announced, previously teased through a Twitter countdown from Atlus and unveiled through a new trailer. P5R is a reimagining of the original RPG that adds a plethora of new features and mechanics as well as a reworked storyline with all-new characters and cutscenes. It’s in typical series fashion to come out with a definitive version of the original game–such as Persona 3 FES and Persona 4 Golden–but Persona 5 Royal seems to be going the extra mile to distinguish itself.

Persona 5 Royal launches exclusively for PlayStation 4 on March 31, 2020 in North America and Europe–the game has been out since October 31 in Japan. We’ve been following the game since it was announced in Japan, and you can check out our P5R reveal trailer analysis or our breakdown of the several new features in the game.

Along with the announcement of the March 2020 release date, Atlus detailed the different editions that are also available for pre-order right now. Below, we show and outline all the editions of Persona 5 Royal.

Pre-order Persona 5 Royal Launch Edition (Physical) – $60

• Limited edition steelbook case
• P5R dynamic PS4 theme code

Pre-order Persona 5 Royal Phantom Thieves Edition (Physical) – $90

• The official Joker mask with a stand
• Collector’s edition box
• Persona 5 Royal artbook
• Persona 5 Royal soundtrack on CD
• Limited edition steelbook case
• P5R dynamic PS4 theme code

Pre-order Persona 5 Royal Deluxe Edition (Digital) – $70

• Kasumi Costume bundle DLC

Pre-order Persona 5 Royal Ultimate Edition (Digital) – $100

• All the DLC bundles
  • “Kasumi Costume bundle”
  • “Battle bundle”
  • “Persona bundle”
  • “DLC bundle”
• Six additional costume packs

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/persona-5-royal-pre-orders-available-launch-editio/1100-6471856/

Nihon Falcom’s JRPG series The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel has found a passionate audience in both Japan and western markets. Focusing on a band of military school cadets, the squad faces off against ever-growing threats across a wartorn land, while slowly building up their skills in combat and forming greater bonds of friendship. While Trails of Cold Steel 3 dropped for PlayStation 4 in the west last October, NIS America has revealed to GameSpot that the series will be making its debut on the Nintendo Switch next year.

Coming sometime in Spring 2020, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3 will launch on the Nintendo Switch in the U.S. and Europe ahead of the Japan release–which is something of a first for the franchise. Earlier this year, Nihon Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo stated that he hoped to get more games on the Nintendo’s portable console following the Switch release of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana. Published by NIS America, a Switch demo for Trails of Cold Steel 3 will also be available shortly around the time of the game’s launch.

We recently spent some time with the Switch port and saw how the third game had made the transition to the new platform. In comparison to its PlayStation 4 counterpart; The Switch version runs at a locked 720p resolution and 30 frames-per-second in both docked and undocked modes. Just like the PS4 release, the Switch version of Trails of Cold Steel 3 will also launch with special editions of the game. With the Extracurricular Edition, you’ll get the base game, a 20-page art book, and a reversible cover. Whereas with the Thors Academy Edition, it comes with everything in the previous collection, along with a box set including a steelbook, game soundtrack, postcards, and a Mishy plushie. All versions of the game, including the standard release, will also have all Trails of Cold Steel 3 DLC items packed in as well.

Though the west just got the third entry in the series, the final entry–Trails of Cold Steel 4–has been out in Japan for over a year. As of this time, the developers at Falcom are already looking ahead with the Legends of Heroes franchise, teasing a new storyline focusing on another group of characters. Just before the western PS4 release of Trails of Cold Steel 3, GameSpot spoke with Kondo about the JRPG series, and why it takes so long to release the games in the west.

“As creators, we would love for everybody to be able to play the game as soon as possible but the reality is, because these [games] are so story focused, we’re actually still fiddling with the text up until the very end, and we won’t let localization partners work on it until it’s complete,” said Kondo. “These games are known for their very luminous stories, and it takes a long time to translate. This one, for example, has 2.4 million Japanese characters, and it just takes time.”

For more on Trails of Cold Steel 3, including our full interview with Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo, be sure to check back with GameSpot for more on the game.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-legend-of-heroes-trails-of-cold-steel-3-is-com/1100-6471839/

A new Starship Troopers game is on the way, and it’s an RTS that will pit your human army against the bug-like aliens that franchise fans are so familiar with. A first look gameplay trailer for Starship Troopers – Terran Command has been released, with the game due at some point in 2020. It shows off a short snippet of alpha gameplay, as the human forces are overrun by Arachnid.

There’s also an announcement trailer to enjoy, which captures the pulpy feel of the game. It comes from the creators of the Order of Battle series, and has only been announced for PC.

The game is set in the universe of the Starship Troopers films, which started with Paul Verhoeven’s 1997 satirical sci-fi action movie that spawned multiple sequels. In the game, you’ll fight over different planetary campaigns, and the story and missions you take on will change depending on your choices. Since the Arachnid enemies greatly outnumber you, you’ll need to account for this in your tactics, and use the numerous different units and abilities at your disposal to fight them.

The game is available to wishlist on Steam, where some additional key features are listed:

• Dynamically generated campaigns for virtually limitless replayability.
• Dozens of unique unit types, each with their own special abilities.
• Terrain elevation, True Line of Sight & True Line of Fire provide deep tactical gameplay.
• An extensive technology tree to develop and customize your forces.
• Persistent leaders can be attached to units and upgraded throughout the campaign.
• Heroics, explosions, gore, and Bugs. Lots of Bugs.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/starship-troopers-terran-command-an-rts-due-in-202/1100-6471850/

Microsoft’s been relatively soft compared to Sony when it comes to exclusive games, but they’ve managed to cook up an incredible weapon for the ongoing console wars: Xbox Game Pass. The service is basically Netflix for games, since it lets you play over 100 games (including first-party releases from Microsoft, as well as select games like The Outer Worlds, as soon as they launch). Add Xbox Live into the mix, and you have a pair of subscription services that greatly improve your gaming experience.

For Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2019, Microsoft and a few retailers are offering a few deals that make the service even cheaper, so if you were thinking of getting started with Game Pass, now’s the time to start. You especially want to invest in the service if you’re thinking of buying an Xbox One S All-Digital Edition console while it’s only $149.

For those unfamiliar with the Xbox One’s subscription services, you can find more details on Game Pass for Xbox One and PC, Xbox Live Gold, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at the bottom of this article. As a reminder, these subscriptions stack, so even if you’re already a member and don’t need to renew quite yet, you can save yourself some money in the long-term by buying these subscriptions while they’re cheap.

Plus, catch up on more of Cyber Monday 2019’s best Xbox One deals so far, including great discounts on games as well as console bundles and accessories.

More Cyber Monday 2019 deals

• Best Cyber Monday 2019 Gaming Deals
• Nintendo Switch Cyber Monday 2019 Deals
• PS4 Cyber Monday 2019 Deals
• Xbox One Cyber Monday 2019 Deals
• Best PlayStation Plus Deals
• Amazon Cyber Monday 2019 Deals
• Walmart Cyber Monday 2019 Deals
• Steam Cyber Monday 2019 Deals
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Deals
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Deals

Best Cyber Monday deals on Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold

3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for new members – $1

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: Get 3 months for $1 (new subscribers only)

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate normally costs $15 a month, which adds up to $45 over three months, but this offer gets you a full three for only $1. This is the best deal we’ve seen for new subscribers to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate so far, and it’s available right now for a limited time.

3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – $2

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: 3-month membership | $24 ($45)

Newegg currently has three-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions for $24 each with promo code EMCUUVB33. If you happen to miss out on the “buy three months, get three months free” deal at Walmart, then this is the next best thing–buy two, and you’ll have a six-month subscription for $48 (only $3 more).

Best Buy and Walmart both have Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on sale for just a few dollars more. You can grab a three-month subscription for $27 at either retailer.

Xbox Live Gold 3-month membership — $13

Xbox Live Gold: 3-month membership | $13 ($25)

Newegg has 3-month Xbox Live Gold memberships on sale for $13 when you use promo code EMCUUVB32.

If the Newegg deal sells out, Walmart is selling 3-month memberships for $15.

What is Xbox Game Pass?

Xbox Game Pass for Console

Xbox Game Pass for Console provides access to over 200 Xbox One games. New games are added to the service every month, and users get special discounts on the ones that are leaving just in case players want to keep them. In addition to all this, first-party Xbox One games always launch on Game Pass day one–this has included games like Gears 5, The Outer Worlds, and Forza Horizon 4. It costs $10 a month to join Game Pass for Xbox One.

Xbox Game Pass for PC

Xbox Game Pass for PC provides access to over 150 PC games through the Xbox app on Windows 10. Like the console version, new games are added every month, and special discounts are available in case you want to keep any games on their way out. First-party Xbox One games launch on PC the same day as console, so you gain access to them as well. You can join Game Pass for PC at $1 for the first month, after which the price goes up to $5 a month.

What is Xbox Live Gold?

Xbox Live Gold provides access to online multiplayer, exclusive discounts, and free monthly games. You can subscribe to Xbox Live Gold for $10 a month, $25 for 3 months, or $60 for a year.

What is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate?

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate packages the benefits of Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One and PC with Xbox Live Gold. You can join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $1 for your first month, after which the price goes up to $15 a month.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-game-pass-cyber-monday-deals-2019-best-deals-/1100-6471291/