During publisher Focus Home Interactive's latest gameplay walkthrough of The Surge 2, developer Deck13 Interactive revealed the upcoming Souls-like game is borrowing another feature that's prominently included in From Software's Soulsborne games. Like in Dark Souls and Bloodborne, you'll be able to leave behind messages in The Surge 2 for other players to discover in their game if they're playing online.
"Here you can see our new online feature, one of our several new online features," Deck13 head of game design Adam Hetenyi said in the video, which can be watched below. "Players can craft these graffiti messages and place them in the world using a spray can attached to their drone. You can leave messages for other players: friendly things like, 'There's loot over here,' or 'Oh no, a dangerous sniper.'"
Though the rest of the video did detail several other changes between The Surge 2 and its predecessor, such as more intelligent AI behavior and a directional parry mechanic, Hetenyi did not discuss any of the other new online features alluded to in his comment. For now, all we know for sure is that these other features are not related to co-op play. Back in June 2018, during an interview with Twinfinite, Deck13 creative director Jan Klose said, "We really do love multiplayer gaming, and right now we have planned lots of online features there. There's no synchronous co-op or multiplayer gameplay planned right now, but so far we're starting with some online features where you can influence other gamer's experience in a way."
The Surge 2 is currently scheduled to release on September 24 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Though similar to its predecessor, Deck13 has announced The Surge 2 will be more tactical when it comes to limb-targeting during combat. The fairly linear mission structure of the first game has also been ditched for a more open-ended one that allows players to fight or overcome obstacles in more than one way.
2017's The Surge is a Souls-like game that differentiates itself from Dark Souls with its dismemberment mechanic, which allows you to target and cut off specific body parts of enemies to steal the armor, tech, or weapons attached to them. In GameSpot's The Surge review, Daniel Starkey wrote, "[The Surge] is far from perfect, but none of its problems are deal breakers. They're minor bumps that come from an otherwise inventive, exciting new entry in a packed sub-genre. It bucks the trend towards creative bankruptcy, adopting some fresh ideas and layering those together with aesthetics, tone, and play to create an inspired adventure."
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is off to a fast start, and soon you'll be able to meet up with other wizards and witches in real life as part of an official event. Niantic and WB Games have announced a real-world event or Wizards Unite to take place in Indianapolis starting on August 31.
During the event, participating SOS operatives can explore the White River State Park to find magical activity spilling over into the Muggle world. You'll be able to encounter fantastic beasts, find artifacts, and cast spells out in the wide open space of the park. As the first major event, Niantic hints that it will start to unravel the mystery of the Calamity that has smashed magic into Muggle spaces.
Tickets will be available for purchase, but Niantic appears to be expecting a crowd and will be setting up a lottery system for tickets. You can check the official event site for more details and watch for your chance to enter the lottery. The event will take place August 31 through September 1.
Niantic has hosted similar events for Pokemon Go on a fairly regular basis. Those events have typically also had some element or prize that goes out to those who couldn't attend as well.
"Real-world events are part of Niantic's DNA, bringing players from all walks of life together in the name of adventure, exploration and creating lasting friendships," said Niantic live events VP Bill Kilday, in the announcement. "The incredible White River State Park is surrounded by the rich culture and history of Indianapolis and will be the perfect location for our inaugural Harry Potter: Wizards Unite event."
By the late '90s, with Street Fighter II's saturation reaching an exhaustion point and Mortal Kombat's hoary violence no longer a unique draw, the arcade--that place of social gathering, low light, and the booming sounds of attract screens--began to wither. But like most nostalgic things, arcades have made a slow return as the millennium reached its teens. 1980's nostalgia took off. Gen X and millennials grew up, as did their disposable income. It took a decade--two even--but arcade games made their comeback. Looking at the rising collector's market for vintage machines and the likes of Wal-Mart embracing machines with their shelf space, it's almost like they never left.
There are now a range of home arcade games to choose from, from My Arcade's roughly six-inch plastic replicas, foot-tall Replicade collectibles, and Arcade 1Up's four-foot in-between scale machines. Both My Arcade and Arcade 1Up reached the shelves of Wal-Mart, penetrating the vaunted mainstream consumer market. We've even seen SNK release a mini-arcade machine, and Capcom has licensed its games to Koch Media, who will issue a $250, two-player arcade stick with 16 Capcom arcade games included. No more hauling machines with 300- to 400-pound frames. The arcade of 2019 can fit anywhere.
But why now? Shiloh Prychak founded Replicade based on the idea of selling foot-tall, accurate replicas of the most beloved arcade machines. He saw the market, ran a successful Kickstarter, and now sells a $99 replica of Tempest (and others) at a fraction of the real scale. "When I had the concept to shrink down the cabinets to sixth scale, there was basically only a company called Basic Fun," says Prychack. "Basic Fun made a Centipede and Q*Bert running NES ROMs. That was the only thing on the competitive landscape, plus a host of unlicensed products. The idea was, let's make the best collectible [for] these uber classic games… the idea was to build your own miniaturized arcade in your office… now you've got all sorts of people doing the same thing," said Prychack.
Replicade's 1/6 scale replica of Atari's Centipede.
Blane Humphries works in PR for My Arcade, a company who also saw the potential in revisiting arcade games, and at a smaller scale still--around eight inches. "I feel that the interest in retro-era games is different between groups of people. There are those of us who lived through the time and are going back because of nostalgia, but there is also a whole new generation of young gamers discovering these games for the first time. With the rise of gamer as an identity, and esports, kids want to be knowledgeable about the history of the culture," he writes in an email response.
It's crowded out there, though. Replicade found a niche targeting hardcore collectors with their online-only, $99 mini-machines designed as an accessory of sorts to the real thing. My Arcade produces plastic replicas that nestle comfortably in Wal-Mart's toy department for the more casual consumer. These enter a competitive market alongside cheap consoles stuffed with arcade ROMs. Why buy a machine with one or two games when another exists with 30 or more?
"My Arcade's signature Micro Players are meant to be collectibles, comparable to small-scale figurines, and are more about the entire visual and packaging. The 8-bit games on them are great and make for a fun playable collectible while maintaining a price point that encourages our customers to collect them," writes Humphries.
For Prychak, it's an entirely different market. "We're not for everybody. If what you're looking for is the Data East collection and you're okay with the games being less than perfect, you're not for us. If you want the real artwork and the real profile of the cabinet and all this attention to detail and high-quality finish, we make our cabinets out of wood, our coin doors are die-cast metal, the stickers we use the proper type of vinyl, the LED temperature is correct, not to mention you're playing Centipede with a trackball. You're playing Tempest with rotary controls. All these things add on to our value. We're just trying to give you the ultimate experience," says Prychak.
SNK also entered the mini-arcade market in 2018 with its NEOGEO Mini multi-game machine. Despite having a large library of beloved games, the technical execution left the dedicated fanbase with divided opinions.
Customer reviews for MyArcade, Replicade, and Arcade 1Up vary wildly across Amazon and Wal-Mart. It's clear these machines do not replicate the durability of the real thing, from broken trackballs on Replicade offerings to MyArcade's that fail to power on at all and Arcade 1Up's decals that fade with mild use. Others find them to be a "little masterpiece" according to one Amazon user speaking of Replicade. From the 2018 Christmas rush, it appears Arcade 1Up made for fine gift-giving. Conversely, Capcom's upcoming arcade stick has come under fire for using an open source emulator.
Arcades breaking into the mainstream doesn't mean this is all contained in the home; that just makes things accessible to a mainstream shopper who's happy enough with a facsimile of the real deal. Longtime arcade game collectors, on the other hand, started using their full-size vintage cabinets to recreate the unmistakable atmosphere of true arcades.
Take California's Megan and Shawn Livernoche. Via auction, they purchased their first arcade cabinet in 2007. In time, their one-bedroom New Jersey apartment became so crowded with actual hardware, their multi-piece sectional became a single piece. A dining room table? That went too. "Once we got to like 15 or 16 games in our one bedroom apartment, it started to not make a lot of sense," says Megan, laughing as she recalls the memory of that packed living room.
Then they moved all of this cross-country to California and opened High Scores Arcade in Alameda. Shawn saw the market explode even before the advent of things like Arcade 1Up, and a time when the collector's market for actual games was weak. "Before the prices ballooned out of control, people just wanted to get rid of [arcade games]. They were sitting in warehouses. They were no longer of contemporary value to the video game market. That kind of changed around 2010 or so," says Shawn.
"Here we are trying to re-interest people in arcade culture, bending over backwards to keep these old dinosaur machines running," says Shawn. Megan quickly replied, "And if people can just buy them at Wal-Mart, what does that say about the real thing?"
What caused that jump in collectibility? "King of Kong drew a ton of people in back into it," says Shawn, referencing a 2007 documentary that chronicled a battle for the world record score in Donkey Kong. "There was still a kind of community that existed, even though it wasn't prevalent like it is today with the barcades. The community existed," said Shawn. Also, Disney's 2012 animated film Wreck-It Ralph brought arcade characters to the forefront and used an arcade as its central story piece.
Both in their 30s, Megan and Shawn represent the expected audience for arcades--those who grew up alongside Missile Command and Defender. But then comes Steven Van Splinter, a 20-year-old who represents the demographic noted by My Arcade. Van Splinter started tinkering with older pinball machines, fascinated by their mechanics. He was only 16 when he acquired his first cabinet in 2014. Now, he's opening a museum/arcade called Gameseum in his home state of Pennsylvania. He first discovered a small collection of older machines at a campground, an example of the arcade's far-reaching impact.
"I experienced this arcade phenomenon in my own little way. Probably 10 to 20 years after the heyday, but in a way, it was the same kind of experience. It's interesting how that reflected on me, that similar, same experience," says Van Splinter.
Those who run arcades and collect original hardware see the purpose of these mainstream home machines, even if they ultimately don't see them as replacements. "Most of the purists have really negative opinions of them because they're cheap and junky compared to the real thing. But I recognize they serve a certain purpose for the regular consumer. Even those people recognize they're not the real thing and they're more of a toy but it runs the real software for the game," says Van Splinter.
No matter what lengths new companies go to in order to recreate the true arcade experience from the '80s and '90s, there's no way to authentically duplicate the distinct look of a CRT, as seen here, despite how close some HD filters can get with simulated scanlines and bloom effects.
"The reason why we're in our business, there's something about the environment of the actual cabinet. You want to be able to play with those original controls. They were designed to be enveloped with their art," says Megan.
Shawn doesn't agree. "I feel like they're a lame, cheap attempt at capturing something in the past that some people settle for if they're not experienced or exposed enough to know what a real cabinet looks like. If you look at the [replica] cabinets, they're constructed poorly, the screens look bad, they put a bunch of games into one machine where the game and control optimization doesn't exist." Shawn also noted the price of an Arcade 1Up Machine, questioning the production cost to turn a profit. Arcade 1Up machines retail between $199 and $299.
Shawn then found a way to correlate the whole thing to the gum stuck to the underside of an arcade game's control panel. "I want you to imagine any good arcade, imagine that as a bowl of fruit that has fresh kiwi, bananas, strawberries, peaches, plums. One of these [replicas] is like a piece of gum that's strawberry, kiwi fruit, watermelon flavored. You can chew it and taste the flavor of these different things, but it's not the same thing," Shawn says.
It's a trip back to a simpler time when the limits of technology forced developers to be clever and really focus on making gameplay fun and challenging. Just like a piece of music that was written 30 to 40 years ago, these games still have the power to move us,
However, they do serve a purpose. Inaccurate to their source, yes. Impure in the eyes of collectors? Certainly. "Where they serve the market well is that any old mom or dad that wander into [a store] and say how much does it cost to put one of these in my basement? And they don't care at all about how these buttons feel or even how long it's going to last. They want a novelty sitting in their basement. For their interest level, they only need it to last a year or so. They're not going to nitpick. It's as disposable as their interest," responds Megan.
Owning an actual arcade machine, with a bit of work and additional luck, can be done for around $300, assuming this turns into a small fix-it-up hobby. Of course, issues of size and weight come into play. Grandma and Grandpa likely won't strap a real machine to their backs and drag it to their basement to get rekindle the Pac-Man affair of their youth, no matter how cheap the real thing is. Megan recounted a story of a machine falling on her leg, resulting in a broken bone.
And with Replicade, even at only a foot in height, accuracy still matters. The company sources their ROMs carefully. "We go through about 40 versions before a product is done and complete. We make sure everything is proper," says Prychack. Replicade also uses accurate controls, including trackballs, just shrunk down into a manageable scale so you can keep your couch.
All of this combined, no matter personal feelings toward Arcade 1Up or toy-like devices, it all leads to the same place: reigniting interest in a once-lost culture. The business of arcades in the home and arcades as a separate place of business survive on a co-existence. They feed one another. Wal-Mart instills the idea, the separate arcade sells the authentic nostalgia.
"These toys, the Arcade 1Ups or whatever, they're not going to affect the business. I think if anything, they're going to draw more people in. They're on that part where they're genuine enough to give the interest to people and for them to play them, but they're clearly not the real thing to nearly everyone who plays them. I would definitely say it's going to draw more people in to play the real thing. I can't see any negative effects," says Van Splinter.
"It's a trip back to a simpler time when the limits of technology forced developers to be clever and really focus on making gameplay fun and challenging. Just like a piece of music that was written 30 to -40 years ago, these games still have the power to move us," writes Humphries.
For Prychak, he sees the long- terms possibilities. This isn't just a sudden burst of those looking to recapture their youth. "The community is growing and it will continue to grow… we're just scratching the surface at this point."
The Steam Summer Sale is in full swing, and while you can currently find thousands of PC games discounted at Steam and Steam key providers like Fanatical, there's also a new free game available from the Epic Games Store. Starting June 27 and running through July 4, Last Day of June is free for Epic Store users, and once you claim the game, it's yours to keep forever. All you need is an Epic account, which is also free to create.
Last Day of June is a story-driven experience that follows Carl and June, two lovers who are relaxing at their favorite spot by the lake when a series of events leads to a tragic accident. The story takes a Groundhog Day-esque turn, and you must figure out the exact order of events and key decisions that will prevent the tragedy and save June's life.
In GameSpot's Last Day of June review, the game earned a 6 for its dreamy, watercolor-like visuals, compelling characters, and thematic approach to free will and fatalism, although critic Alex Newhouse took issue with its long loading times, unskippable cutscenes, and overall repetitiveness of the gameplay loop. "This repetitiveness is mitigated in part because of touching, relatable side characters and because Last Day of June explores the philosophical struggle between determinism and free will in a way that's fairly rare in video games," he wrote.
The main story is only a few hours long, so you might as well grab Last Day of June while it's free now--you can always come back to it later. Next week's free game is Overcooked, a fantastic co-op game with up to four players who work together in a kitchen to churn out various recipes in time, all while navigating shifting stages, kitchen fires, and other obstacles.
The ensemble in the new Ghostbusters movie, a direct sequel to Ivan Reitman's Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters 2 (1989), has gotten a little bit bigger. Ant-Man actor Paul Rudd is set to star alongside Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard in the upcoming fantasy comedy.
Rudd (Avengers: Endgame, Captain America: Civil War) made the announcement via Twitter, where he posted a video of people taking photos in front of the "magnificent" Ghostbusters Firehouse building in New York. "I can't wait to join the cast this fall for Ghostbusters," Rudd said toward the end of the video. Ghostbusters is scheduled for 2020.
Along with Rudd, Ghostbusters stars Carrie Coon (Avengers: Infinity War, Gone Girl), Finn Wolfhard (Dog Days, It), and Mckenna Grace (Captain Marvel, Fuller House).
Jason Reitman is sitting in the director role, while his father Ivan will serve as the producer. According to Jason, this new Ghostbusters movie is "the next chapter in the original franchise, not a reboot." Details are scarce, but we did get a teaser trailer back in January 2019, which you can check out above.
Crunchyroll has announced Mob Psycho 100 II: The First Spirits and Such Company Trip - A Journey that Mends the Heart and Heals the Soul's international premiere will occur at Crunchyroll Expo 2019. The original video animation (OVA) is the follow-up to the second season of Mob Psycho 100, which was one of the best anime to watch during the Winter 2019 season.
The screening will premiere on Sunday, September 1. Following the viewing, Mob Psycho 100 director Yuzuru Tachikawa, character designer Yoshimichi Kameda, and voice actor Setsuo Ito will hold a panel to discuss the creation of the anime. Ito voices the titular Mob, the main protagonist of the anime. For those who can't make Crunchyroll Expo, the OVA will publicly release on September 25.
Crunchyroll describes the plot of the OVA as follows: "Mob, Reigen, Dimple, and the newest member of the Spirits and Such Consultation Office staff, Serizawa, take a trip up to a secluded hot spring called Ibogami Hot Springs in Zebra Prefecture. Reigen happened to get a request from the matron there to discover the truth behind the strange rumors going around there and save the inn. Ritsu and Teru also join in on this trip and the six of them head out on this super relaxing trip to the hot spring. But on their way there, Reigen and Serizawa start nodding off on the train and somehow get sucked into an eerie parallel world."
Made by the same folks behind the original season of One Punch Man, Mob Psycho 100 follows the hilarious yet action-packed misadventures of Mob, a middle-school boy who also happens to be one of the world's most powerful espers. Because of the uncontrollable nature of his powers, Mob needs to keep his emotions in check at all times, which can be difficult when you're juggling a part-time job as an exorcist and the everyday struggles of being a teenager. Where Season 1 was good, Mob Psycho 100 II raises the bar to tell one of the most beautifully wholesome anime stories of 2019.
Mob Psycho 100 II is available on Crunchyroll and VRV. This year, Crunchyroll Expo--the company's annual celebration of anime, gaming, and cosplay--will be held August 30 through September 1.
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2019 09:27 pm In this video we'll show off the opening cutscene, playing the first level, and some initial character interactions with Chief Toadette and Taskmaster. Super Mario Maker 2 arrives June 28th on Nintendo Switch.
The epic storytelling of the Final Fantasy series of games will soon transition into television. Sony Pictures Television and Hivemind Productions have revealed they are partnering with Square Enix to develop a live-action adaptation of Final Fantasy XIV.
The TV series will be set in Eorzea, the same setting as the 14th main installment of the video game series. The show will feature many elements that players are long familiar with, including Chocobos and the live-action debut of Cid.
Final Fantasy XIV is an MMORPG, following all the standard aspects from the franchise, such as godlike beings, impending doom, magic, airships, and protagonists trying to save the world from being blown up. Following a rough launch in 2010, FFXIV was re-released in 2013 and has since established itself among the subscription-based MMOs on the market. The news of a TV show comes just ahead of the launch of the game's next expansion, Shadowbringers.
"Final Fantasy XIV and Eorzea are the perfect gateway into Final Fantasy for longtime fans and newcomers alike," said Sony Pictures Television Co-President Chris Parnell. "This show is about embracing and embodying all of the elements that have made the mythos such an endlessly captivating phenomenon, and it's an immense honor to be bringing all of Eorzea's iconic characters, settings, and concepts – including fan-favorites like Cid and, of course, the chocobos--to life for a television audience."
Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton will write for the series and serve as executive producers alongside Jason F. Brown, Sean Daniel, and Dinesh Shamdasani of Hivemind. This isn't the only piece of TV content being produced by Hivemind at the moment. Aside from Amazon's The Expanse, the production company is also working on an adaptation of The Witcher for Netflix, which will reportedly release on the streaming service this fall. The series will star Freya Allan (Into the Badlands) as Ciri, Anya Chalotra (Wanderlust) as Yennefer, and Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. The first season is currently in production in Hungary.
Final Fantasy was previously adapted for the animated movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Released in 2001, it was widely panned and performed poorly at the box office. In 2017, there was also the live-action TV mini-series Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light, following a father and son connecting through the MMORPG.
The first trailer for Charlie's Angels is here. The latest movie version of the iconic female crime-fighters stars Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska, and hits theaters in November.
The trailer introduces the new Angels--Stewart plays highly-trained agent Sabina Wilson, Balinska is former MI6 operative Jane Kano, while Scott is scientist and computer whiz Elena Houghlin. The trio are brought into Charlie Townsend's crime-fighting agency, which is now a global spy network, by Bosley, played by director Elizabeth Banks. Patrick Stewart and Dimjou Hounsou also appear--as other spy bosses using the Bosley alias--and it looks like a great mix of action, intrigue, and wise-cracking comedy. Check it out above.
Charlie's Angels is Banks' second directing credit after 2015's Pitch Perfect 2. The movie isn't actually a remake of either the original '70s TV show or the two movies from the 2000s, but a continuation of the same story. It releases on November 15.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Banks spoke about how she approached this latest version of Charlie's Angels. "It was important to me to make a movie about women working together and supporting each other, and not make a movie about their romantic entanglements or their mother they don't call enough," she said. "When I'm at work, I don't talk about those things. I get on with my job. It felt important to do that for the Angels, to treat them with the respect their skill set demands."
WWE television is making a few changes, and that includes creating two new roles working directly under CEO Vince McMahon. Paul Heyman will become executive director of Raw and Eric Bischoff will serve in that same position on Smackdown Live.
In these newly-created positions, the two men will be a part of creative development, overseeing it across WWE's platforms. A press release stated that this position will allow WWE to progress as a "global brand" while giving each of the company's flagship shows a "distinct creative process."
Heyman and Bischoff should be familiar names for anyone who follows wrestling and WWE's brand of sports entertainment. Paul Heyman currently appears on a regular basis on WWE programming as the manager/advocate for superstar Brock Lesnar. However, Heyman's legacy in the industry comes from the time he was president of ECW from 1993-2001. ECW's brand of wrestling filled a void many wrestling fans felt they couldn't get from WWE or WCW at the time, and in a sense, this show was the spark for what would become the Monday Night Wars between WWE and WCW.
As for Bischoff, he's worked on and off with WWE in the past, but he's most known for being the president of WCW, helping create iconic storylines--like the NWO--and was a major part of securing WCW's TV deals: Monday Nitro on TNT and WCW Thunder on TBS. Bischoff was the face of WCW for years, as he inserted himself into storylines, becoming a major part of the NWO, alongside Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash.
Looking forward, it's apparent Vince McMahon will be taking a step back--but not completely away--from weekly programming as we move closer to the relaunch of the XFL, in 2020. Hopefully, having two different directors for both Raw and Smackdown will help give each show a distinct look and feel, since the newly created Wild Card Rule--where superstars from each show can crossover to the opposite--has made the brand split feel pointless.
Fortnite's Week 8 challenges for Season 9 are now available, and among them is one that will require a little extra effort. It's in the free section, so it's available to all Fortnite players, and it directs everyone to visit three different clocks in exchange for five Battle Stars. If you know the Fortnite island like the back of your hand you may immediately know exactly where to go, but if you need a helping hand, take a look below. Here's a complete guide to the clock locations; you can also check out our video guide above.
The clocks you need are located in Junk Junction, Happy Hamlet, and Neo Tilted. All you've got to do is find and approach them; once you're close enough, a pop-up update to the challenge will be triggered to indicate that you've made progress.
The clock in Junk Junction has seen better days but can be found on the bottom left of the area at the foot of the broken tower--somehow it still works. Head to Neo Tilted and, once again, at the southwest of the location you'll see the large tower with the time digitally projected around the top. Finally, at Happy Hamlet, there's a nice, rustic clock tower in its center. You can also watch the video above to see us complete the challenge.
Fortnite Clock Locations (Season 9, Week 8)
Junk Junction: At the foot of the destroyed clock tower
Neo Tilted: Top of the tower with the time projection
Happy Hamlet: Clock tower in the middle of the location
With that challenge done, the rest should be breezy work. However, there's also the ongoing 14 Days of Summer event, which includes unique challenges and, of course, more rewards. The latest challenge asks players to bounce a giant beach ball in different matches, which is easier said than done. We also have a guide to finding the beach parties you need to visit for another challenge.
If you still have outstanding challenges from previous weeks, head over to our complete Fortnite Season 9 challenge guide, which keeps track of every week and compiles all our handy guides in one place. If there's a challenge giving you trouble this season, we'll have a guide for it there.
As promised, The Pokemon Company shared more details about its brand-new Pokemon smartphone game, Pokemon Masters, during its livestream on June 27. The game is being developed in collaboration with DeNA, the studio behind Mario Kart Tour and other Nintendo mobile titles, and now we've learned a bit more about its story and how its gameplay will work.
Pokemon Masters is set on a new island region called Pasio, where famous trainers from all around the Poke-world are gathering to take part in the Pokemon Masters League tournament. This time around, however, each trainer travels with only one partner Pokemon (known collectively as a Sync Pair). As you make your way around the Pasio region, you'll be able to team up with other Sync Pairs, then control the entire team in three-on-three battles against AI opponents and collect Gym badges.
In contrast to the mainline Pokemon games, battles in Masters unfold in real time. Your move gauge features two attacks and will gradually fill up over time; once full, you'll tap on an attack to unleash it. You can also unleash powerful and flashy Sync Moves for more damage. Pokemon aren't the only ones able to use moves during battle, either. Trainers can also use support moves to heal Pokemon or raise their stats.
Nearly every major character, Gym Leader, and rival from throughout the series appears to be in the game. The Pokemon Company says there will be 65 Sync Pairs at launch--including Cynthia and Garchomp, Iris and Haxorus, and Brendan and Treecko, among many others--with more to come post-release.
Of course, Pokemon Masters isn't the only new Pokemon game coming this year. Pokemon Sword and Shield are also launching for Nintendo Switch on November 15. The upcoming Gen 8 titles take players to the brand-new Galar region, where they'll battle and raise a variety of new and returning Pokemon. Also new in Sword and Shield is Dynamax, a new battle mechanic that can supersize Pokemon for a limited time during battles. The games will be compatible with the upcoming Pokemon Home service, allowing you to bring over your old Pokemon from previous titles; however, you won't be able to transfer every old Pokemon.
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2019 07:02 pm Charlie's Angels is back with an all-new line-up. Starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska, with a screenplay by Elizabeth Banks.
Pokemon Sword and Shield might be launching for Nintendo Switch in November, but there'll be another new Pokemon game coming before then. Pokemon Masters, which was announced just ahead of E3, is a new title coming to iOS and Android, and we now know it will launch in "Summer 2019." You can watch a new trailer below.
The Pokemon Company shared more details about the upcoming game in a recent livestream, which you can re-watch below; it's just over eight minutes long. The game appears to be a battle-focused, story-driven title in which your Pokemon are pitted against famous trainers from previous games in the series. It will be "free-to-start with purchasable items," though which items will be purchasable was not elaborated on.
The game takes place in a new region, an island named Pasio. You'll embark on an adventure in a similar vein to those seen in mainline games, traveling the region to collect gym badges. However, rather than controlling one trainer, you'll take charge of three, each with their own Pokemon partner. You'll control these "sync pairs," as they're called, in three-on-three battles against AI opponents throughout the story.
Contrary to the turn-based mainline games, Masters' three-on-three battle system works in real-time using a move gauge that fills up over the course of the battle and is depleted when you fight. In another Pokemon first, trainers also have moves in Masters: "Trainers provide support in battle by using moves that heal Pokemon or raise their stats," said the game's producer, Yu Sasaki.
Masters is being developed DeNA, which previously made Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Super Mario Run, Fire Emblem Heroes, and Miitomo. The Pokemon Company will publish the title, which will come to the App Store and Google Play this summer.
Recent Articles:
You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website.
