Falcom’s long-running, action-RPG series Ys is on its ninth entry with Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. While a handful of the titles in the franchise have had Western releases, including Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, the developers have no plans of porting the upcoming entry to other regions.

In an interview with DualShockers, Falcom’s president Toshihiro Kondo spoke a little bit about the development of the forthcoming action-RPG, which is scheduled to launch on September 26 in Japan for PlayStation 4. When asked if Ys IX will make its way to the West, Kondo told DualShockers that Falcom is unconcerned with other regions for the moment. “For now, a Western release for Ys IX isn’t planned, as we’re focusing on completing its development and releasing it in Japan.”

Announced back in December 2018, Ys IX is set in the sprawling Prison City, where beings with supernatural abilities called Monstrum have started to appear. Similar to the mysterious Monstrum, Prison City is riddled with secrets as you embark on a new adventure to uncover what lies within the world of Baldeux. Check out the latest gameplay trailer below.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana made its Western debut on PS4 and PS Vita in September 2017, more than a year after launching in Japan. Half a year later, Ys VIII released on PC and Nintendo Switch in April 2018 and June 2018, respectively. In our Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana review, we said, “But even when it falters, it’s hard to hate Ys VIII for long. The feel of fighting your way through a big, beautiful island of untamed wilderness to save a group of people brought together by circumstance while uncovering an ancient mystery is an absolute delight, and will compel you to keep exploring for hours on end. Whether you’re a longtime fan or a newcomer to the exploits of Adol Christin, you’ll find a lot to enjoy in the exotic world of Ys VIII.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/next-ys-game-isnt-planned-to-launch-in-the-west/1100-6469024/

Following competitor NBA Live, 2K’s professional basketball franchise is adding the WNBA. 2K Sports has announced that NBA 2K20 will feature all 12 WNBA teams, while some of the league’s standout players have been scanned into the game.

WNBA teams are available in NBA2K20 in the Play Now and Season modes. Additionally, the game features animations and play styles fans will recognize from the WNBA.

Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker said in a statement that 2K Sports is working hard to represent the women’s game authentically.

“Growing up, I always remembered watching male athletes on TV and playing as them in video games. Now, to have the WNBA be in the position we are and to have women featured prominently in NBA 2K20, we are allowing young girls and boys to have female athletes as role models,” she said. “The 2K team has done an amazing job of making sure to not just put women into the game playing men’s basketball, but I’ve seen first-hand the hard work they’re doing to make this as real and authentic as possible to women’s basketball. I’m proud to be a part of this team paving the way for the future.”

Parker, Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson, and Breanna Stewart of the Seattle Storm had their faces and signature play styles captured for NBA 2K20. You can see more from the motion-capture session in the video above.

Jeff Thomas, an executive at NBA 2K developer Visual Concepts, said in a statement of his own that adding the WNBA has been a much-requested feature for the series for a long time. He added that Visual Concepts made changes to its game engine to properly represent the WNBA. “We’re excited to roll out this new feature in NBA 2K20 because we know how important the WNBA is to the world of basketball,” he said.

According to The Boardroom, Stewart has a 95 OVR rating, which makes her one of the best players in the game.

NBA 2K20 is not the first NBA game to introduce the WNBA, as EA’s NBA Live series first added WNBA teams and players in NBA Live 18. Outside of basketball, the FIFA series added female players in FIFA 16.

NBA 2K20 launches on September 6 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nba-2k20-introduces-wnba-teams-and-players/1100-6469023/

Take a hero shooter such as Overwatch, mix it with a souped-up version of the sport of handball, and you have all of the basic ingredients required to make Steel Circus; a three-on-three multiplayer sports game that revolves around larger-than-life heroes and their diverse special abilities. Created by indie developer Iron Mountain Interactive, and publisher Oasis Games, Steel Circus is another addition to the growing list of recent future sports games, joining the likes of Rocket League and Disc Jam in their revitalization of a genre that was previously popular back in the early 90s.

Steel Circus imagines a future where our sporting heroes (called Champions) are made up of the likes of a stereotypical ginger Scotsman with a mechanical bagpipe, a robotic businessman who can bend reality, and a futuristic paladin who enjoys chucking her massive shield at people’s foreheads, among other eccentric characters. Each Champion’s objective is simple: work together in teams of three to score more points than the opposition by throwing a ball into a modestly-sized goal. When you factor in all of their special abilities, however, this becomes more difficult than it sounds.

Look at our Scottish pal as an example; he can use his robotic fist to slam down on the ground, knocking back and damaging any opposition players caught in the blast, while his bagpipes allow him to play a traditional warsong that discourages opponents, limiting their movement speed. Each Champion has two special abilities of their own, and choosing when and how to use them comprises a significant part of the strategy inherent in Steel Circus matches. Abilities are generally used in defense and in support of one of your teammates when they have the ball. When in possession of the ball yourself, the only course of action is to pass, shoot, or utilize a handy spin move to dodge out of harm’s way. This creates an environment where the person on the ball feels vulnerable, encouraging teamwork to bypass the opposition, and elevating those with a higher skill level.

Passing and shooting are both handled with manual aiming, so Steel Circus displays a useful reticle beneath your chosen Champion to give you a good idea of where the ball will go once it’s left your hands. On the defensive side, beyond using your abilities to disrupt the opposition, you can also get close to other players and tackle them to win the ball back. There’s also the option to sprint, but this pulls from a stamina meter so you will have to decide when the best time to use it is. Character selection factors into this, too, as each Champion has different attributes for power, speed, and sprint. As the meta evolves and more characters are introduced, there are sure to be those who emerge as specialists in particular roles, even if no such thing is defined by the game itself. You might, for instance, prefer to stay back and protect your own goal with a Champion like Cap-X02, a small robot who can deploy a barrier to block the ball and other players, or focus on using Ellika’s shield toss to damage and eventually knock out opposition players.

Health is something you do have to take into consideration. Sustain enough damage and you’ll be KO’d for a short time, giving the other team an advantage, much like a power play does in hockey. Although there’s no accounting for the unpredictability Steel Circus sometimes showcases. The ball physics are terrific, and pinball bumpers in each arena are designed to create chaos. There’s definitely a tangible skill level, though, which should separate the best from the rest. Learning how to play Steel Circus is relatively straightforward, but even in these early stages particular players can stand out due to their capacity to think outside the box and use their Champion’s abilities in innovative ways.

Steel Circus’ early stages are promising so far. Now available in Early Access on Steam.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/steel-circus-everything-you-need-to-know/1100-6468981/

Popular streamer Ninja, whose real name is Tyler Blevins, has said he is “disgusted and so sorry” after Twitch promoted a pornographic stream on his now-dormant channel.

The streaming star recently left Twitch to sign an exclusive deal with rival streaming platform Mixer. If you visited his old Twitch page on August 11th, however, rather than finding his old broadcasts, you were presented with a list of popular live channels instead. One of the most-watched streams during this time was a channel showing porn, which appeared on the list of recommendations on Ninja’s channel before Twitch eventually shut down the illicit stream.

Ninja posted on Twitter shortly after, apologizing to anybody that saw the recommendation and expressing his disgust that something like this happened.

“I have no say in any of this stuff,” he said. “This is the line, this is the straw. I’ve been trying to get the whole channel taken down to begin with, or at least not promote other streamers and other channels on my brand, on my friggin profile. So for anyone who saw that, I apologize and I’m sorry.”

The streamer’s Twitch channel has since reverted back to showing his past broadcasts, though this may only be a temporary change.

Emmett Shear, the CEO of Twitch, has apologized to Ninja and explained why these recommendations appeared in the first place.

“Our community comes to Twitch looking for live content,” he said in a post on Twitter. “To help ensure they find great, live channels, we’ve been experimenting with showing recommended content across Twitch, including on streamer’s pages that are offline.” This refutes Ninja’s claim that Twitch doesn’t do this with any other dormant channels, “Just me.”

Shear goes on to say, “This helps all streamers as it creates new community connections. However, the lewd content that appeared on Ninja’s offline channel page grossly violates our terms of service, and we’ve permanently suspended the account in question. We have also suspended these recommendations while we investigate how this content came to be promoted.” He concludes with an apology to Ninja, “It wasn’t our intent, but it should not have happened. No excuses.”

Ninja’s move to Mixer has been smooth otherwise. He’s already amassed over 1 million subscribers.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ninja-left-disgusted-after-twitch-accidentally-pro/1100-6469016/

GRID 2, the 2013 sequel to Race Driver: GRID, is no longer available on digital storefronts across PC, PS3 or Xbox 360.

The game has been removed from sale, and while the reasons for this aren’t clear, odds are that rights to cars, tracks, or music may have expired. Race Driver: GRID was similarly delisted in January 2017.

If you visit the game’s Steam page, you’re greeted with the following message: “at the request of the publisher, GRID 2 is no longer available for sale on Steam.” The game is also no longer available to purchase digitally on either Xbox 360 or PS3, although no reason is listed on either store.

It’s a shame, because GRID 2 was a great racer. As Shaun McInnis said in his 8.5/10 review back in 2013, “this is a game that wants you to experience the thrill of breakneck street racing, and gives you all the tools necessary to do just that.”

If you’ve purchased GRID 2 at an earlier point, it remains available to download onto your account and play.

GRID is being rebooted later this year with a new series entry, which will release on PC, PS4 and Xbox One on October 11. The third game in the series, GRID Autosport, is also getting ported to Switch.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/grid-2-has-been-delisted-from-digital-storefronts/1100-6469014/