Square Enix finally reveals Ramza Beouvle in Dissidia Final Fantasy

As you may or may not know, one of Final Fantasy’s greatest protagonists is also one of its most unsung. Final Fantasy Tactics’ Ramza Beoulve, the honorable noble who threw his birthright in the dirt for a greater sense of justice, has never appeared in another majorFinal Fantasy title. He is never slapped into a spin-off to boost the fanboy sales numbers, and he certainly doesn’t appear in the spin-offs to his own games.

In fact, his acknowledgement in the greater gaming world runs parallel to his fate in Final Fantasy Tactics in which nobody ever learns about his selfless heroism.

Until now, of course. Square Enix promised the sky when it stated that Ramza would be appearing in its arcade fighter Dissidia Final Fantasy, and it has finally followed through with his highly-anticipated reveal. Somebody stop these goosebumps!

He doesn’t have a trailer just yet, only a series of screenshots, but this is real! It’s Ramza Beoulve… in a game outside of Final Fantasy Tactics. I never thought we’d see the day.

Ramza joins Dissidia Final Fantasy on Feb. 4. Square Enix will give him a full trailer during a live-streaming event on Feb. 3. Dissidia Final Fantasy is currently available in Japanese arcades around the country. We’re still waiting for information on the PlayStation 4 home console release.

source: technobuffalo

Dark Souls III gets more screenshots to whet your appetite

Dark Souls III is just a couple months off, so the hype train is starting to roll out to speed. This week we’re being treated to some new screens and concept art via Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu.

There’s lore that goes with these, though the screenshots and concept art both look great on their own, depicting dilapidated ruins and intimidating bosses. We get a peek at some of the armor and weapons we’ll have available as well.

The creature in the second shot, called the Ash Adjudicator, and the waxen woman in the first piece of concept art are both sufficiently spooky for the series.

Check out the source link below for some incredible art by the user who posted about the screens initially along with some rough translations of the text that accompanied the images as they appear in Famitsu.

Dark Souls III is set to hit PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in the US on April 12, 2016.

source: technobuffalo

Dark Souls 3 HD Screenshots Show New Boss, Characters, Armor Sets

Bandai Namco has released a new series of high-definition screenshots from its upcoming action role-playing game, Dark Souls III. The images showcase some new characters, armour sets, and locations players can expect to encounter in the game.

The screenshots showcased a new boss named the Iudex Gundyr (pictured above). This enemy wields a long spear-like weapon, and is shown with a dark mass exploding from its form in combat. Players will encounter this boss upon being revived in the Untended Graves as an "Unkindled".

The images also reveal the Firelink Shrine, where a Fire Keeper resides and serves players "on their long and arduous journey." The location serves as a starting area for new players in the game.

Dark Souls is scheduled to launch on April 12 outside of Japan for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC (via Steam). For those planning to pick up the game on PC, make sure to check the system requirements outlined here. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's hands-on experience with a preview build of Dark Souls III earlier last year.

source: gamespot

Homefront: The Revolution’s co-op mode revealed, closed beta on Xbox One dated

We have two bits of news today for Homefront: The Revolution.

First, the easiest of the bit. Deep Silver has announced the closed beta start date for the shooter. Homefront: The Revolution will be playable on Xbox One in closed beta form. The closed beta will run from February 11-14, and it will feature Resistance Mode.

You can register for the beta by signing up on the official Homefront site. There’s no specific beta registration page, simply creating an account will do the trick.

Now, what’s Resistance Mode? That’s the other bit of news. Resistance Mode is the four player cooperative gametype in Homefront: The Revolution seen in the trailer directly above. Here’s how it was described in the official press release.

Resistance Mode is a brand new four-player co-operative online experience. Form a Resistance Cell with your friends online and wage guerrilla warfare against the KPA military in thrilling narrative-driven missions across occupied Philadelphia. Customize your personal roster of Freedom Fighters as you and your teammates go from rookie civilians to battle hardened soldiers. Unlock new skills, earn weapon blueprints, rare equipment and combat gear to upgrade.

It sounds like the narrative in the cooperative mode is different than what you’ll get in the single player mode.

Homefront: The Revolution will release for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC platforms on May 17, 2016.

source: technobuffalo

Sony’s PlayStation and network divisions to combine into single unit during company restructure

Sony announced early this morning a major internal shuffling that will combine some divisions in hopes of bringing their core customer base a better experience.

While Sony used to dominate the hardware landscape from end to end, from creating and publishing music, movies, and more and giving customers the hardware to play and watch it on, the PlayStation segment of their business has become increasingly dominant. Come April 1, that’ll be much more official. Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment are being combined into Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Sony Computer Entertainment has handled the hardware and software previously, while Sony Network Entertainment handled things like PlayStation Network and the PlayStation store. The two will now function as a single unit. This should make for better communication between the two, and should eventually make for a better experience for gamers.

The timing of this fits in perfectly with what Sony has going on. The company is riding high on the success of the PlayStation 4, and this shows just how dominant the system has become both inside and outside of Sony. It also happens to be just before the expected release of PlayStation VR, which is expected to hit this summer. PlayStation VR is a big risk for the company, and it seems likely that this is them preparing a unified front to tackle potential hardware and software issues that come alongside its release. Part of the group’s new set of goals will indeed be to “develop pioneering services and products,” and PlayStation VR is a big part of that.

There’s no word on whether jobs will be affected, but it seems like much of the corporate structure is staying intact, with CEO Andrew House staying at the top of the pyramid. Shawn Layden will be heading Worldwide Studios. This was previously done by Shuhei Yoshida. Yoshida confirmed on Twitter that he’ll be reporting to Layden, and also that he’ll be retaining his title – President of Sony’s Worldwide Studios. That’s a little confusing, but I’m hoping Layden’s title is “Super President” or something.

It’s good to see that there isn’t much change going on. This suggests that this is a plan to improve strength, not one made to brace for loss.

“By integrating the strengths of PlayStation’s hardware, software, content, and network operations, SIE will become an even stronger entity, with a clear objective to further accelerate the growth of the PlayStation business,” said House in a prepared statement.

The new unit’s headquarters will be in San Mateo, California, where the PlayStation group is currently stationed, though they’ll retain locations in Tokyo and London as well.

source: technobuffalo

Treasury, Daily Bonus & Loot Cart Tips

The January Update is just over and you’ll notice some changes in the interface. There are a lot of numbers and interface enhancements, and I want to show you in this post what you need to know and to do in the future.

Here’s the full Update Release Note:

Treasury Insights

The Treasury is a Storage inside your Clan Castle that holds loot depending on your Town Hall and Clan Perk Level. It’s not added to your total Storage capacity because you need to take the loot out to use it for upgrades etc.

The Treasury, however, is the safest place for loot so just keep all your loot in there until you need it!

How to fill the Treasury?

The Treasury can only be filled by earning the Daily Star Bonus or War Bonus. You’re not able to transfer loot there manually. The Daily Star Bonus will reward you, depending on the League you’re in, an extra loot if you earn 5 Stars within the day.

The Star Bonus depends, as mentioned, in which League you’re in. I’ve an overview for all Bonus scales here:

The Loot Cart

Do you know how Cashback works? It’s pretty much the same with the Loot Cart. Every time someone attacks your base, the Loot Cart will give you 20% of what the attacker took back. Directly into your Storages (not the Treasury!).

Be aware that you can only have 1 Loot Cart so always collect the loot when you see it! Other the next attack will replace it, if that attacker took more loot than the previous one, or just disappear. You will see that this really adds up. When I take look at my Defense Log of the past ten days, I would have gotten back about 4.2 million Gold and Elixir each!

Simply collect it like a Tombstone.

The loot IS NOT DEDUCTED from the loot the attacker takes. If you attack a base you won’t lose 20% of what you earned – the defending base is simply getting a compensation out of nowhere.

Conclusion

The 1 Gem Resource Boost is over, and this update is meant to fix the loot situation. You will still have to attack frequently to make a resource profit, but now you will have a safe place to store some loot and collect it once you need it. When you are saving resources for an expensive upgrade, you always notice that you have to play more when you reach the limit. The more you have, the more can be taken from you. The Treasury will help you saving some loot.

The Loot Cart, however, will bring extra resources into the game. Imagine that there will be 20% more resources generated every day, and I think this will boost the resources in the economy roundabout for what the 1 Gem Resource Boost did the last weeks. The Boost added 50%, but not everybody boosted. We’ll see in the next weeks how it develops, but it looks like a reasonable approach to me.

Also the Daily Star Bonus will also add extra loot to the game. Most frequent attackers will get it, because 5 Stars aren’t a lot, even if you make only 3-4 attack every day.

source: allclash

Halo 5's First Forge Playlist Goes Live

Looking for something new to play in Halo 5: Guardians this weekend? 343 Industries has launched the first Forge playlist. Called Community Breakout, the playlist features Breakout maps made by fans using Halo 5's map-making Forge tools. According to 343, Community Breakout is the first of many Forge playlists.

"Since the launch of Forge, we've kept an eye on your incredible community creations, and today we're introducing the first (of many) batches of community maps into matchmaking," 343 said on Halo Waypoint. "We know you're excited about playing on Forge favorites, ranging from competitive 4v4 to Big Team Battle to wacky mini-games and Action Sack, and more. Let’s kick things off!"

Featured in the Community Breakout playlist are the "top" 10 community-made maps. Additionally, starting next week, 343 will let you vote on your favorites; the winners (and the Breakout maps that shipped with Halo 5) will then be featured in a February 2016 Breakout playlist.

You can click through the gallery above to see all the Community Breakout maps, while this Halo Waypoint post contains the names of the map makers.

In other Halo 5 news, 343 this week announced January 2016's free Halo 5 update, Infinity's Armory. It includes new maps, as well as more weapons and armor.

source: gamespot

SEGA teases English Valkyria Chronicles Remaster announcement for next week

Fans have been drooling over Valkyria Chronicles Remaster for the PlayStation 4, wondering if it will be given another chance in the English speaking world. Well, the PC version made SEGA much happier than it expected, and I don’t think it’s going to hold out too much longer on us. In fact, the company is already teasing an announcement for the release next week!

During its PC Gamer Weekender 2016 podcast, Sega’s Dan Sheridan commented on the possibility of the game coming West, stating:

“A trailer for Valkyria Chronicles Remaster on PlayStation 4 was recently released. But what does this mean for us? Will we see it in the west? Tune in next week to find out more. Ha ha ha!”

Start your tank engine, Valkyria fans! We’re going back to war! The big question now is if we get the same Valkyria: Azure Revolution demo that the Japanese gamers are getting. If SEGA confirms a release next week, we’ll most likely be hearing about that as well.

Valkyria Chronicles Remaster launches for the PlayStation 4 in Japan on Feb. 10. Stay tuned for more on the English version.

source: GEMATSU

Unbox, a game inspired by Katamari and Marble Blast, announced for PC, PS4, XBO

Unbox looks absolutely ridiculous, and it’s just been announced for consoles. The game that features platforming box action has already been Greenlit for Steam, and now it’s bound for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

The new console announcement trailer above brings the news alongside the zany gameplay.

What is Unbox, you ask? Well, developer Prospect Games took to the Unreal Engine forums back in September of 2015 to talk specifically about that.

Unbox is a physics based platformer about rolling cardboard boxes; take part in an epic single player adventure and grab your friends for explosive local multiplayer races and battles!

Unbox was created during the December UE4 Game Jam and inspired by the games we played and loved while growing up. From the competitive and frenetic action of Goldeneye to the expansive exploration of Super Mario 64, there are threads of old school design woven throughout Unbox. Add in some contemporary influences from titles such as Katamari Damacy, Marble Blast Ultra, Noby Noby Boy and you get a game like nothing else…

You had me at Katamari Damacy, friends.

Unbox is set to hit the PC in May of 2016. The console versions don’t have a release date yet.

source: technobuffalo

Meet Valkyria: Azure Revolutions’ villain – Demo details inside

Two big reveals regarding SEGA and Media Vision’s upcoming JRPG Valkyria: Azure Revolution came today.

First up, we get our first look at our villain, Maxim. We know he’s a villain because he has silver hair, a JRPG standard. Captain America also might have a bit to say about his skintight blue leather getup, not to mention his back story. The two share a very similar origin as the result of a super soldier experiment.

He was born in Empire territory, but was selected as a military officer by Emperor Claudius and became a young soldier. Ragnite was placed inside his body as a human experiment, so he is able to use Magic Arts of overwhelming power and is thus a Magic Arts soldier.

SEGA also dropped some play tips for the upcoming demo. Those who buy the first wave of Valkyria Chronicles Remastered for the PlayStation 4 will get an exclusive look at what’s going to come. So far, the deal has only been confirmed for Japan.

1. Mission Start – There are two playable missions in the demo: “Morda Practice Fight” and “Morda Suppression Fight.”

2. Battlefield Movement and Long-Distance Attacks – Players control characters through direct movement. You can fire at enemy symbols and use sub-weapons for long distance attacks. During movement, you can press the Circle button to hide behind nearby sandbags and cover. You can fire with R1, or use your sub-weapon for a long-distance attack with L1 and Square. If your attack is successful, you’ll be in a better state when you get to close combat.

3. Close Combat – In close combat, you’ll attack enemies through four buttons assigned to your weapons and Magic Arts. During battle, the reactions of allies and enemies change based on specific situations and have a big influence on the battle’s development. If you surprise an enemy with a long-distance attack, or something along those lines, their reactions could change, giving you an advantage.

If a party member’s HP reaches zero in battle, he or she will be in a near-death state, and a countdown timer to death will begin. You’ll need to get to your ally and heal them before their countdown timer reaches zero for them to survive. Otherwise they’ll die. You can’t revive an ally who’s died.

The background music will seamlessly change between fields and battle.

Sounds like permadeath to me. Yikes! Valkyria Chronicles Remastered launches on Feb. 10 in Japan for the PlayStation 4.

source: technobuffalo

Horror game Layers of Fear will toy with your sanity this February

While the now 15-year-old Silent Hill 2 might always be my favorite horror game, there’s no doubt that we’re in a golden age of horror with games like Amnesia and Outlast and even P.T., the Silent Hills demo. A small studio called Bloober Team, located in Poland, has been working on a game called Layers of Fear. The game’s been in Early Access for some time, but now the team is ready to get the game out into the world as a finished title. Better yet, it’s heading to consoles as well.

Layers of Fear is a game about a struggling artist losing his grip on reality. As you wander your Victorian house (they’re always Victorian, aren’t they?), you move through your own past, and the house twists around you. Walls melt, gravity shifts, reality ebbs and flows. The game is lavishly detailed and beautifully lit, and that makes it that much more stunning when it begins to fall apart. The game’s presence on Early Access means it’s pretty easy to find extended gameplay sequences from the title, so you’ll know what you’re getting.

This is easily one of the best looking horror games out there, and it has atmosphere to spare. The focus on sanity and such suggests that there probably isn’t a monster lurking around, aside from yourself, leaving the creators to play with scares that don’t involve someone chasing you down and looking for you.

The game is set to release officially for PC as well as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on February 16.

source: technobuffalo