By Anonymous on Oct 08, 2015 12:06 am
Keeping track of time, Big Boss style.
Japanese watch company Seiko and Kojima Productions collaborated to make a '80s retro-styled watch based on the one that Big Boss wears in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. It comes equipped with a variety of different features including: a stopwatch, a timer, an alarm, dual time functionality, laps and splits functionality, and a battery life indicator. It's also water resistant up to ten bar or approximately 100 meters. Priced at 45,000 Japanese Yen (about $375 or 340 euros), the watch is available at a limited quantity of 2,500 copies. Luckily, we were able to get our hands on one so you don't have to. Check out how it looks!
The watch's packaging was designed by Metal Gear Solid artist Yoji Shinkawa. Contained inside is the watch, an optional nylon band, and an illustration of Big Boss printed on the top cover.
By Anonymous on Oct 07, 2015 11:48 pm
The sixth part of the Resident Evil movie series is currently filming in South Africa, with Milla Jovovich and director Paul W.S. Anderson returning to the zombie action franchise one last time. Now a series of on-set pictures from Resident Evil: The Final Chapter have leaked online, showing the cast and crew at work. Check them out below, via Comicbook.com:          Last month, production on the film was delayed following a serious accident involving one of its stunt crew. Olivia Jackson struck a camera crane while performing a motorcycle stunt, a collision that put the experienced performer in hospital with multiple injuries. The film sees the return of co-stars Shawn Roberts, Ali Larter, and Iain Glen, and is due for release in January 2017. The previous Resident Evil film, 2012's Retribution, grossed $240 million worldwide, and the series has to date made more than $915 million globally. Meanwhile, Capcom recently revealed Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps as the latest part of the game series. It will be released sometime in 2016 onto the PlayStation 4 and PC, and is set after the events of the Resident Evil 6.
By Anonymous on Oct 07, 2015 11:28 pm
The next Street Fighter V global beta is coming soon. Capcom announced today that the global test will run for a period of four days from October 22-25. The publisher said it plans to test "a lot of things" during the beta, the most important of which is cross-platform play between PlayStation 4 and PC. The game's first beta, which suffered from server problems so serious it had to be delayed, was held only on PS4.  In a blog post, Capcom stressed that this beta, like the last one, represents a work-in-progress version of Street Fighter V. As such, players may experience some problems. "It's these issues, however, that provide Capcom with valuable information to ensure that Street Fighter V is as optimized as possible upon final release, so we appreciate your patience and understanding during this time," it said. This is the first Street Fighter V beta for PC; check out the game's minimum and recommended specs here. The upcoming Street Fighter V beta starts first on PS4 on October 22, before coming to PC on October 24. "This is a first for us and we are very excited for players across both platforms to finally have a chance to battle one another," Capcom explained. "Make sure to bring your best strategies as the number of people that you can fight against will be that much larger this time around." Below is a list of characters for the second Street Fighter V beta, which includes some that weren't even announced when the first beta was held. Note also that characters from the previous beta, Ryu, Chun-Li, Cammy, Birdie, Nash, and M. Bison, will not be available. - Ken
- Necalli
- Vega
- R. Mika
- Rashid (starting October 23)
- Karin (starting October 24)
In addition, Capcom confirmed that the upcoming Street Fighter V beta will include ranked matchmaking, leaderboards that combine PS4 and PC players, and the ability to search for players and see their profiles. What's more, Capcom is adding new items to unlock with Fight Money currency. Everything you acquire in the beta, as well as your leaderboard status, however, will be wiped clean after the trial period ends. The only way to get into the Street Fighter V beta is to preorder the game. Street Fighter V does not currently have a confirmed release date, but Capcom has said that the game will be out during its current fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2016.
By Anonymous on Oct 07, 2015 11:20 pm
 Watch extended gameplay footage from Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash featuring the Giant Bomb crew.
By Anonymous on Oct 07, 2015 11:00 pm
Capcom on Wednesday published a pair of videos for its upcoming Resident Evil third-person shooter Umbrella Corps, including a new gameplay trailer and a live-action video. Immediately below is the gameplay trailer, which shows off how matches unfold in the upcoming tactical shooter. The game type on display here is "One Life," which is exactly what it sounds like; you have one life and one life only. Umbrella Corps was announced at the Tokyo Game Show last month. It is a competitive online shooter launching in 2016 for PS4 and PC. For lots more, check out GameSpot's in-depth interview with the game's developers, which, among other things, covers where the game fits into the Resident Evil timeline. The other new Umbrella Corps video released today is a live-action trailer that was originally shown at Tokyo Game Show. Shot at Universal Studios Japan, the video aims to capture the spirit of the game. Capcom has also confirmed that Umbrella Corps will be playable at the company's booth on the show floor at New York Comic-Con this weekend in New York City. Attendees can also play Street Fighter V, Resident Evil Zero HD, and the Mega Man Legacy Collection. If you're not interested in Umbrella Corps, Capcom is also working on HD remakes of Resident Evil Zero and Resident Evil 2. In addition, Capcom just recently told fans to "stay tuned" for Resident Evil 7. What do you make of Umbrella Corps? Let us know in the comments below.
By Anonymous on Oct 07, 2015 09:57 pm
 Mary and Erick play as Sideswipe and Optimus Prime during the beginning of Transformers: Devastation to find out if this game is pure hack n' slash nostalgic fun. (It is.)
By Anonymous on Oct 07, 2015 09:47 pm
Nintendo has released a pair of new videos for Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem, the crossover role-playing game expected for release in Japan later this year. The videos provide an overview of the game's story, which is oriented around a character called Tsubasa and follows her quest to become an Idol. Although the video is very much Shin Megami Tensei flavoured, Fire Emblem's Chrom also makes an appearance. Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem's Japanese release date has been confirmed as December 26. Release dates for western territories have not yet been specified. Although the game was originally envisioned as a being closer in gameplay style to the Fire Emblem series, this concept was abandoned in favour of an RPG more like the SMT or the Persona games. In addition to Fire Emblem characters, the crossover will feature system elements such as the the weapon triangle to maintain its connection to Nintendo's strategy series. GameSpot interviewed Fire Emblem producer and Nintendo group manager Hitoshi Yamagami, as well as Atlus producer Shinjiro Takada, at E3 2015 and discussed how this crossover came to be and it's deep connection to Japanese culture. "In Japan, similar to Greek mythology, there's the idea of the gods being connected to the arts. It's a shamanistic element that's been interpreted by Atlus. The idea is, Japanese priestesses would dance and the dancing would bring them closer to the gods," Takada said. "We wanted to spin this in an Atlus way, so all the characters in the game have some connection to the arts, and that connection and their ability to express themselves attracts the Mirages to them. People who are good at singing or dancing or acting have really strong bonds with Mirages." For more about the game, read the full interview here.
By Anonymous on Oct 07, 2015 09:34 pm
Horizon: Zero Dawn, the upcoming PlayStation 4-exclusive from Killzone developer Guerrilla Games, doesn't launch until 2016, but Sony now says it believes it represents an "incredible licensing opportunity." In a new interview, SCEE licensing manager David Evans talked about extending the game to new product categories outside of gaming, including toys, apparel, collectibles, stationary, and more.           "The epic feel of the game, its breathtaking visuals, strong character development, imaginative combat sequences, and the marketing weight of the PS4 release all combine to make this a hot property for 2016," Evans told Licensing.biz. He added: "Guerrilla Games have created a lush post-apocalyptic world that players simply won't want to leave and licensed merchandise offers consumers a way to extend that extraordinary experience into their everyday lives." Announced at E3 2015, the ambitious-sounding Horizon has a full day/night cycle and players will get to explore forests, mountains, and "atmospheric ruins of a bygone civilization." There are also robot dinosaurs. The game's female hero, Aloy, was inspired by female leads in franchises such as Terminator and Game of Thrones. Horizon launches in 2016 exclusively for PS4. It will not have a multiplayer mode, though the game will have "certain social features in there" that will be announced later.
By Anonymous on Oct 07, 2015 09:30 pm
 Spend $100 or more on PSN between now and November 3, and you'll get a $15 PSN credit. Tales From the Borderlands's first episode is free on PSN for PS4, Xbox One, and PS3. Buy an Xbox One at Best Buy this week, and you'll get a free copy of NBA 2K16 (and 50 percent off three months of Xbox Live Gold, if you so choose). This includes system bundles like the new FIFA 16, Forza 6, and Gears of War: Ultimate Edition ones. Similarly, Amazon is offering a 1 TB Xbox One bundle with Madden 16 and NBA 2K16 for $399. Target is offering 25 percent off any Xbox or PlayStation game when you reserve a game for $1. The exception is Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, though if you buy that and put $1 on Uncharted 4, you'll receive a $10 gift card. Buy a PS4 at Target and receive a $50 gift card. This includes the Destiny: The Taken King and The Last of Us Remastered bundles. Target Cartwheel has a coupon taking 15 percent off the price of an Xbox One. Save $50 when you buy two select EA Sports games at Toys R Us, including NHL 16 (PS4/Xbox One), Madden NFL 16 (PS4/Xbox One), FIFA 16 (PS4/Xbox One), Rory McIlroy PGA Tour (PS4/Xbox One), and more. With all of these games costing $60, that brings the total price down to $70 ($35 each). Below you'll find the rest of today's best deals divided by platform. PlayStation 4The 1 TB PS4 is finally coming to the US on November 6 in the form of a Call of Duty: Black Ops III Limited Edition bundle; it's now up for preorder on Amazon, GameStop, and Best Buy for $450. You can also still preorder the limited-edition Darth Vader-themed PS4--which comes with a custom system and controller, Star Wars Battlefront's Deluxe Edition, and four classic Star Wars games--at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and Walmart for $450. Check out all of this week's deals on the PlayStation Store here, and all of the PlayStation Plus member-only deals here. Other PS4 game deals: The free PlayStation Plus games for October are now available and include Super Meat Boy and Broken Age. Xbox OneThe Microsoft Store is throwing in free copies of Assassin's Creed Unity and Project Spark with the Madden 16 Xbox One bundle. It's unclear what value (if any) the copy of Project Spark has at this point now that the game has gone completely free. If you're a Gamers Club Unlocked member, get a $15 gift card when you purchase the Spartan Locke Xbox One controller from Best Buy's website. Amazon Prime members can get a 3.5mm jack-equipped Xbox One controller with a Play & Charge Kit for $58. Just add the bundle to your cart (make sure it's the one sold by Amazon, not a third party) and proceed to checkout to see the discount. You can get a year of Xbox Live Gold at Newegg for $35 using the promo code EMCKAAT87. EBay also has it for $35. This week's Deals With Gold are still available and include sales on WWE 2K15, Forza Horizon 2, Sniper Elite III, and more. Other Xbox One game deals: The first of October's free Games With Gold games, Valiant Hearts, is now available. You can also still get Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition for free. PCThe newest Humble Indie Bundle is a good one. It includes games like Skullgirls, Planetary Annihilation: Titans, Xenonauts, and more. You can get everything for $10, or only select games by beating the average (currently $7.23) or paying any price you want. New games were recently added. Humble Bundle last week introduced its new Humble Monthly Bundle, a LootCrate-style subscription service that delivers mystery games on the first Friday of the month for $12. If you subscribe before the first one launches in November, you'll get a free copy of Legend of Grimrock II right away. Preordering a Steam Machine, Steam Controller, or Steam Link right now will get you free copies of Rocket League and Portal 2. Buy select Nvidia GPUs (or Nvidia-equipped laptops) and get a free copy of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Other select cards come with a Heroes of the Storm bundle. If you have a free Green Man Gaming account, you can access the VIP area, where you'll find deals like Skyshine's Bedlam for $15 and Killing Floor 2 for $22.49. Stardock games are 50 percent off or more on Green Man Gaming. You can save 23 percent at Green Man Gaming using the voucher 23PERC-AUTUMN-SAVING. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is Origin's next free On the House game. Other PC game deals: - Prison Architect -- $20 (Steam) / $20 (Humble Store)
- Chroma Squad -- $10 (Steam)
- One Finger Death Punch -- $2.49 (Steam)
- Ark: Survival Evolved early access -- $20 (Steam)
- Child of Light -- $3.74 (Steam)
- Road Not Taken -- $3 (Steam)
- Retro City Rampage DX -- $4 (Steam)
- Dead Island Franchise Pack -- $6 (GMG)
- Metro Redux -- $10 (GMG)
- This War of Mine -- $8 (Steam)
- Kingdom Rush -- $2.49 (Steam)
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt -- $40 (Amazon - Prime only) / $50 (Best Buy)
- Saints Row IV -- $5 (GMG)
- Titanfall -- $5 (Best Buy)
- Diablo III -- $20 (GameStop digital) / $18 (Walmart)
- Civilization: Beyond Earth -- $20 (Best Buy)
- The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited -- $48 (Amazon) / $37.69 (Walmart)
- The Evil Within -- $11 (Amazon)
- Batman: Arkham Origins -- $10 (Amazon)
- Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel -- $24 (Best Buy)
- SimCity -- $7 (Best Buy)
- Diablo III: Reaper of Souls -- $24 (Amazon)
- StarCraft II: Battle Chest -- $19 (Amazon)
- Evolve -- $20 (Amazon)
- Watch Dogs -- $10 (Amazon) / $10 (Best Buy)
- Dragon Age: Inquisition -- $25 (Amazon) / $30 (Best Buy)
Wii UIf you don't mind buying a refurbished system, Nintendo's online store has a Wii U bundle with Nintendo Land for $200, Nintendo Land and Super Mario 3D World for $225, or The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD and Nintendo Land for $235. - Just Dance 2015 -- $20 (Amazon) / $20 (Best Buy)
- Yoshi's Woolly World -- $43 (Amazon - Prime only)
- Lego Jurassic World -- $39 (Amazon)
- Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge -- $11 (Amazon)
- The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD -- $39 (Walmart)
- Wii Fit U + Fit Meter + Balance Board -- $25 (Nintendo Store)
- The Wonderful 101 -- $30 (Nintendo Store)
- Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate -- $18 (Amazon)
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut -- $14.50 (Amazon)
- Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two -- $11 (Amazon)
- Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition -- $17 (Amazon)
- Watch Dogs -- $18 (Amazon) / $12 (Best Buy)
- Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed -- $23 (Amazon)
- Scribblenauts Unlimited -- $16 (Amazon)
- Transformers Prime: The Game -- $14.50 (Amazon)
3DSNintendo's online store is offering refurbished 2DSes for $60. - Mario Party: Island Tour -- $26 (Amazon) / $20 (Walmart)
- Super Smash Bros. for 3DS -- $33 (Amazon)
- Code Name: Steam -- $20 (Amazon)
- Animal Crossing: New Leaf -- $21 (Walmart)
- Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth -- $30 (Amazon)
- Angry Birds Star Wars -- $5 (Best Buy)
- Etrian Mystery Dungeon -- $22.61 (Amazon)
- Disney Infinity Starter Pack -- $15 (Amazon)
- Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance -- $20 (Walmart)
- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 - Record Breaker -- $37.40 (Amazon)
- Steel Diver -- $5 (Best Buy)
- Tetris Ultimate -- $12 (Amazon)
- Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate -- $11 (Walmart)
- Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion -- $12.47 (Amazon) / $5.36 (Walmart)
- Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars -- $22 (Amazon)
- Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed -- $19 (Amazon)
- Hometown Story -- $11 (Amazon)
PlayStation Vita- Metal Gear Solid HD Collection -- $20.39 (Amazon)
- LittleBigPlanet -- $15 (Amazon)
- Persona 4: Golden -- $19.49 (Amazon)
- Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz -- $14 (Amazon)
- PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale -- $12 (Amazon)
- Gravity Rush -- $23 (Amazon)
- The Wolf Among Us -- $14 (Amazon) / $7 (Best Buy)
- The Walking Dead: Season Two -- $7 (Best Buy)
- Mind Zero -- $26 (Amazon)
- Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed -- $18 (Amazon)
- Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd -- $19.49 (Amazon)
- Xblaze Code: Embryo -- $30 (Amazon)
- Arcana Heart 3: Love Max -- $29.50 (Amazon)
- Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars -- $22 (Amazon)
- 16GB Memory Card -- $38 (Amazon)
- 32GB Memory Card -- $67 (Amazon)
The free PlayStation Plus games for October are now available and include Super Meat Boy and Broken Age. Hardware- Xbox One Limited Edition Halo 5 Spartan Locke Controller -- $60 (Amazon - Prime only)
- PDP Xbox One Kinect Mount -- $8 (Walmart)
- PlayStation 4 Camera -- $45 (Walmart)
- Wireless Xbox 360 Controller for Windows -- $42 (Amazon)
- Wired Xbox 360 Controller for Windows -- $35 (Amazon)
- DualShock 4 PlayStation 4 Wireless Controller -- black $52 (Amazon - Prime only) / blue $50 (Amazon)
- Xbox One Wireless Controller -- $53 (Amazon)
- PlayStation Silver Wired Stereo Headset -- $22 (Amazon)
Amazon prices are accurate as of publishing, but can fluctuate occasionally throughout the day. GameSpot's gaming deals posts always highlight the best deals we can find regardless of retailer. We also occasionally use retailer affiliate links, which means that purchasing goods through those links helps support all the great content (including the deals posts) you find for free here on the site.
By Anonymous on Oct 07, 2015 09:27 pm
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is filled with amazing superheroes, but when it comes to villains, Thor's brother and nemesis Loki remains the most fascinating. He was notably absence from this year's Avengers: Age of Ultron, and now star Tom Hiddleston has revealed that he was originally intended to appear in the film.  "I was part of the dream sequence for the character of Thor," he told Digital Spy. "I shot for a day and enjoyed it very much, and then I received a phone call from [producer] Kevin Feige who said that in test screenings, audiences had overemphasized Loki's role. "They thought that because I was in it, I was controlling Ultron, and it was actually imbalancing people's expectations, So Joss [Whedon, the film's director] and Kevin were like, 'Let's cut it because it's confusing people.' It made sense to me when I saw that film." It's no secret that Avengers: Age of Ultron arrived in cinemas after some disagreement between Whedon and the movie's producers. The director has spoken about the fights he had with Marvel executives over certain parts of the film, describing the process to the Empire Film Podcast as "really unpleasant." Last month, one of the deleted scenes from the film was released, showing a key sequence as it was originally intended. Avengers: Age of Ultron has made $1.4 billion at the box office since its release in May, and now stands as the sixth most successful film of all time. The next Avengers film, Avengers: Infinity War Part I, is scheduled for release on May 4, 2018.
By Anonymous on Oct 07, 2015 08:59 pm
According to Naughty Dog's own research, around 80 percent of PlayStation 4 owners have never played an Uncharted game. That's part of the reason why the developer says in a new interview that it believes the upcoming PS4 compilation pack Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection can be successful. "It's pretty massive," Naughty Dog's Eric Monacelli said in an interview with MCV about the pool of PS4 owners who have never played any game in the action-adventure series. "We did a lot of research and discovered that about 80 percent of the people that own a PS4 have never played Uncharted, period. That was one of the reasons why we thought remastering it would be a good idea." Sony said previously that almost 50 percent of PS4 owners never purchased a PS3. To accommodate those owners who are new to the PlayStation ecosystem, executive Andrew House previously said that Sony was looking to remaster back-catalog games for the PS4. Sony has already released remastered versions of PS3 games God of War 3 and The Last of Us. Looking ahead, the company recently said it would consider a Killzone HD compilation, while other franchises are also being considered. Overall, Monacelli said Naughty Dog's expectations for The Nathan Drake Collection "are high." Sony is putting some heavy marketing weight behind it, too, as the company has created a TV ad for the game using Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion." The ad plays regularly during primetime programming in the US. The Nathan Drake Collection, which includes 1080p/60fps versions of the PS3 games Drake's Fortune, Among Thieves, and Drake's Deception (but not PS Vita title Golden Abyss), was developed by Bluepoint Games, not Naughty Dog. It launches on October 9 and also comes with access to the Uncharted 4: A Thief's End multiplayer beta, which begins in December. For more on The Nathan Drake Collection, check out GameSpot's review and what other critics are saying.
By Anonymous on Oct 07, 2015 08:33 pm
The Rock Band and Guitar Hero franchises go head-to-head once more this month with Rock Band 4 and Guitar Hero Live. Now, Harmonix creative director and co-founder Alex Rigopulos has spoken out to talk about the competition between the rival games. In a new interview, Rigopulos says he doesn't expect Rock Band 4 will outsell Guitar Hero Live and explained why that's OK. "There's not ambition or expectation that we will outsell Guitar Hero, that we're going up against Activision," he told GamesIndustry International. "But we don't need to. We can actually have a very healthy business serving a much more modest core, a small fraction of the people who played the game previously, and I think we're perfectly content to do that." Part of the appeal of Rock Band 4, released October 6, is that works with many of the existing plastic guitars you may already have in your closet or under your bed. This is particularly advantageous for Harmonix, Rigopulos said, in part because it "frees us from the need to manufacture seven million units of peripherals." This is a marked change from the last time Rock Band was popular. During the heyday of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, publishers MTV and Activision were engaged in a "slug-fest" to dominate the market, which included "trying to build as much inventory as possible to command the channel." Rigopulos added: "That led to an oversupply situation that was kind of a financial nightmare at the end of the day for both parties. Thinking about that, I still have PTSD from that." For Rock Band 4, Harmonix is working with peripheral company Mad Catz to make new plastic instruments. Competitor Guitar Hero Live launches on October 20. Unlike Rock Band 4, Activision's game, developed by FreeStyle Games, does not support existing plastic guitars. GameSpot's Rock Band 4 review scored the game a 7/10. "Rock Band 4 recaptures the unadulterated gratification that made the series such a hit half a decade ago, but mainly because it's a relatively unchanged, repackaged Rock Band 2," editor Scott Butterworth said. "A lack of content and general stagnation hold this particular iteration of Rock Band back, but new ideas like Freestyle Solos genuinely enhance the core experience, which remains a sincere and joyful celebration of music." For more on Rock Band 4's critical reception, check out this roundup of other scores and opinions.
By Anonymous on Oct 07, 2015 08:30 pm
 Scott Butterworth talks about his time playing Rock Band 4. What he loved, what he missed, and why he decided to give it a 7 out of 10.
By Anonymous on Oct 07, 2015 08:30 pm
A Peek Behind the Curtain
In 2009, Swedish developer Grin closed in doors. Months later, former employees revealed through online art portfolios and Linked In profiles that the company had been working on a Final Fantasy XII spin-off, codenamed Fortress. The following gallery includes never-before-released artwork, sketches, and gameplay design documents from the canceled project.
Costume designs for Queen Ashe. Her headpiece was designed to look like that of her father, King Raminas, who was killed in the beginning of Final Fantasy XII. In addition to her royal garb, Ashe would wear a more functional suit for combat, including armor designed to invoke the outfit of Rasler, Ashe's husband who was also killed in Final Fantasy XII.
Designs for armor and a more casual, everyday suit for main character Basch. The armor on the left is close to the Judge armor used in Final Fantasy XII and Revenant Wings, while the outfit on the right more closely mirrors the clothing Basch wore in Final Fantasy XII.
A sketch of what soldiers would look like while mounted on Chocobos.
Sketches of what group combat would look like in Fortress. The bottom sketch shows an option for lighting effects.
3D concept art of an inner courtyard within the fortress. The structure was primarily designed after Western-style castles, and featured no elaborate ornamentation. The only large structures, such as gates and landing docks, were designed primarily for function and less for aesthetic purposes.
3D concept art of battlements within the fortress. In addition to looking ancient and dark, designers wanted the structure to feel ancient. The design of wide open courtyards, like the spaces shown here, were influenced by designs used by Square Enix in Final Fantasy XII. For example, one point of reference was the castle and city streets shown in the game's opening cutscene.
3D concept art of bridges and stairs in the inner parts of the fortress.
3D concept art of battlements within the fortress, including a look at the frozen sea and mountains beyond. The fortress gate would point north, with all other environments placed in the lower slopes or high snowy peaks to the south.
3D concept art of the outer courtyard of the fortress.
3D concept art of the upper level of the fortress, with a look at the courtyard below and sea beyond. In this high area of the fortress, there would be a small memorial garden in which players could learn more about the structure's history.
3D concept art looking out over the fortress' inner and outer courtyards.
3D concept art of the gate to the inner part of the fortress.
3D concept art of an inner courtyard entrance in the fortress.
3D concept art of battlements and hallways within the fortress.
3D concept art of an inner chamber within the fortress.
3D concept art of an aerial view of the full fortress. According to design documents, the overall look of the fortress was to be "dark and very serious" in nature and feel inaccessible on first glance.
3D concept art of an aerial view of the fortress and the sea from the building's highest level.
3D concept art of the fortress as viewed from the sea.
3D concept art of the fortress as viewed from the cliffs surrounding the structure.
Concept art of an encampment outside the fortress on the land side. Here players would be able to interact with troops, accept foraging quests, and so on.
A detailed look at possible aging for Basch, including more haggard and graying hair, wrinkles and worry lines.
Concept art of the villain Loemund in his final boss form, a giant electric squid, facing off against Basch.
Concept art of the fortress under attack from enemy forces. In this picture, enemy troops are using siege weaponry and seem to be standing on the frozen ocean.
Another piece of concept art looking at the fortress in color. Here, the ocean is still liquid and there is no attack. The floating core can be seen in the upper right corner, while each level of the fortress is visible.
Art depicting a moment in the story when the sea levels rises and waves crash against the fortress, flooded the first courtyard and slamming against the inner wall.
Color artwork of a boss fight featuring massive centipede-like creatures coming over the top of the fortress wall.
A look at the day/night cycle for Fortress. The top artwork shows the fortress at night, while the middle shows sunrise/sunset and the final picture shows the structure in full daylight.
Concept art of the desert environment near the fortress. This piece shows the entrance to a tomb built into a rocky cliffside. In this environment, players would be able to explore and hunt for resources to take back to the fortress. The idea with Fortress was to let the world transform around the player in order to offer varied environments, rather than picking the player up and transporting them to more and more new areas.
Concept art of a centipede enemy. These enemies would curl up into balls and be flung over the sides of the fortress using catapults. Once inside, they would uncurl and attack.
Concept art of enemy soldiers with helmets designed to resembled sea creatures, such as squid and angler fish. Enemy soldiers were designed to look "brutish" and "primitive," according to design documents. Their weapons would be primarily made of wood--driftwood--and iron.
An enemy tentatively called "manymen" that chants as it attacks. When attacked, manymen's limbs would split off to form more bodies, resulting in a smattering of smaller enemies rather than one bigger one. Within the body of a manymen, fire burned.
A layout of story chapters and where their events would occur inside the fortress.
Concept art of the entrance to a forest in the mountains, with a chocobo waiting outside.
The depths of a forest with wooden walkways lit by crystals leading over a lake to a massive tree in the middle.
Concept art of Basch standing before a tower of enemies frozen into ice.
Concept art of a pathway between frozen glaciers. The end of this icy sheet is likely up against the edge of the fortress, where Basch rushes out onto the ice to meet Loemund in battle.
Another look at the spaces between the frozen glaciers.
The full map of the Fortress game world.
A mock screenshot of what appears to be Laegd--the demigod aiding Basch and his army--meeting enemy soldiers on the battlements of the fortress. Here you can see enemies climbing and falling off ladders and other siege weapons in the background.
More concept art of the desert environment in Fortress, complete with the wooden ruins of a small town.
Concept art of murky plains with a Stonehedge-like rock structure in the foreground. This would be another environment in which players could hunt for materials to use in the fortress. A figure--likely Basch--stands in a swampy puddle in the bottom right.
Another look at the wetland plains, with Basch standing on a small hill.
Designs for the sea dragon boss fight.
Coloring concepts for the fortress battlements in three different weather conditions: sun, rain, and snow.
Color testing for combat on the fortress battlements in three different lightning schemes.
A design of the face of a war Chocobo. The idea with Fortress' creatures was to take beloved Final Fantasy monsters and make them gritty, or "dirtier." Basch and his soldiers would ride these Chocobos into battle.
Colored concept art of the fortress' inner wall. According to design documents, stairs were placed on the outside of these structures rather than inside to keep players engaged visually, and to make it simpler to navigate in and out of the different layers of the fortress.
A detailed sketch of the inner workings of the fortress gates. The player character would open and close these gates by activating pulley mechanisms on either side.
Concept art of another environment, a foggy tundra with large rock structures scattered throughout. According to documents, this was referred to as the "rock forest."
Colored sketches showing the detail on the fortress walls and part of the outer courtyard.
Another concept art for the rock forest, this time in a grassy environment.
A gameplay diagram for how players could take down and avoid attacks from larger enemies, specifically trolls.
Gameplay diagrams of what would result from players shield-bashing enemies. The top illustration shows the player character shield-bashing three enemies at once, while the bottom illustrates what happens when the player character bashes an enemy holding an explosive.
Another look at the creepy "manymen" enemy. This illustration shows how the manymen would break off into smaller manymen.
Another look at one of the game's big boss fights against a massive Malboro. In this event, players would have to run up onto his head and drop bombs into holes in his skull in order to defeat him.
A closer looking at the coloring on the fortress walls. The ornamentation was designed to invoke the sea and ships, since the fortress stands against the ocean.
Gameplay design of a large enemy appearing from out of the ground.
Gameplay design of the floor crumbling and enemies falling into it.
Gameplay design of the effects of the player character executing a wind spell.
By Anonymous on Oct 07, 2015 06:30 pm
No video game character conveys endearment and sadism in a single expression as well as the Blue Slimes. In Dragon Quest Heroes: The World's Tree Woe and the Blight Below, these iconic teardrop-shaped blobs have never looked more adorable and homicidal, which is what makes killing them en masse one of this game's greatest pleasures. It's one of many delights aptly delivered by a collaboration that is one part Dynasty Warriors, one part Dragon Quest. As a hack-and-slasher with countless enemy encounters, character growth, and a shopping list of quests, it was joy to be reminded how much both series have in common. As a contrast to all the dimension hopping that made up much of last year's Hyrule Warriors (a Dynasty Warriors take on The Legend of Zelda universe), this Dragon Quest spin-off takes the reverse approach. Instead of protagonists jumping to various worlds in older Dragon Quest games, adventurers from those games come into the new world established in Dragon Quest Heroes. No performance issues in sight despite the battles' high headcount.Welcoming these otherworldly guests is a new foursome comprising of two co-protagonists whose default names are Aurora and Luceus, the boisterous King Doric, and an skilled inventor named Isla. I have always admired the mainline series for defying traditional fantasy RPG party formations and archetypes and this new team could easily carry a mainline Dragon Quest installment. That's a bold statement especially when Aurora and Luceus are two sides of the same coin. Their complementary personalities are best showcased during the cutscenes where your see Luceus' analytical side and Aurora's impatience to jump into battle. Aside from a momentary interlude where you're forced to use one of the guest adventurers, you can have a wholly enjoyable time relying solely on these new characters while ignoring the rest of the roster. It's a varied cast where each warrior easily proves their worth over the course of a single battle. The only thing better than seeing 3D models of characters like Dragon Quest IV's Alena and Kiryl is hearing them speak for the first time. Just as it was momentous to have voice acting in a Final Fantasy game in 2001 with Final Fantasy X, so too was the introduction of dialogue in Dragon Quest VIII ten years ago. Hearing much of the cast speak in English accents in Journey of the Cursed King created a rare connection to the Tolkienian roots of JRPGs. Having Yungus' cockney accent reprised in Dragon Quest Heroes--by the original voice actor no less--only makes this reunion all the more special. This mingling of heroes from other worlds helps distract from the story's laughably generic premise of light versus dark. Even the two co-leaders are named Children of the Light. The story starts off on an uncommonly cheerful note, even by Dragon Quest standards, where humans and monsters are happily co-existing. Due to a spell by a dark wizard named Velasco, the monsters are suddenly reminded that they're supposed to hate humans. The ensuing chaos and unrest gives the game's heroes more than enough to deal with, let alone reason to investigate why their non-human friends suddenly turned on them. It's a good thing the story has its share of twists and guest character interactions to compensate for this otherwise plain narrative. The bread and butter of the Dynasty Warriors franchise and many of its spin-offs has been the map-wide territorial tug-of-war where you and your armies race against the opposing military in conquering land one patch at a time. It essentially amounts to a game of which side can kill the other teams' generals faster. If you're ineffective with your time or get distracted my hordes of grunts, the resulting lack of shifting tides can make from some painfully prolonged battles. The great news is that there is much less of this in Dragon Quest Heroes. It's not a tug-of-war so much as it is an exercise in permanently putting out fires, namely enemy spawn points called maws. Once you defeat a given maw's Mawkeeper, that portal is gone, although most story missions will spawn multiple maws over the course of a battle. It's a veritable rush to run from maw to maw while weaving past the opposition, leaving the minions to the rest of your team. Even with a cast of heroes this large, there's enough combat flourish to go around.As a spin-off among a growing library of Warriors spin-offs, Dragon Quest Heroes sticks to the series' hack-and-slash gameplay, which means that it benefits from a battle system that has taken 15 prolific years to mature. It's come a long way from the outdated and stiff controls of Dynasty Warriors 2. From deft mid-air attacks to deadly four-hit combos, every hero's repertoire is more than adequate. You might wish for the depth and exactness of Devil May Cry but when time is of the essence and a single sword swing can take out half a dozen skeletons, you don't need precision. You certainly don't need it when your blade can summon a screen-clearing tornado. As much of a draw it is to reunite with characters from various mainline Dragon Quests over a single game, what truly sets Dragon Quest Heroes apart from other Warriors games is its Monster Minion feature. A given kill has the potential to drop a medal version of that respective monster. With the medal, you can summon that monster as an ally. Aside from the palpable drama of turning the tide, these minions create two minigames. The first is knowing how to best take advantage of a given monster's strengths. Given that they don't follow you throughout the battlefield, summoning a monster the moment you get its medal isn't necessarily the best move. Sometimes it's better to save them in anticipation of harder enemies at the latter half of a mission. The second game that is born out of the Monster Minions relates to the spawn points. The need for wise and strategic placement of monsters along a crowded path of enemies creates countless opportunities for--you guessed it--tower defense gameplay. These opportunities are brief, assuming you're smart and efficient in focusing on maws yourself, but it's nonetheless satisfying to have a squad of self-sufficient teammates, human or otherwise, who can limit the flow of Gargoyles, Goodybags, and Hackasauruses. Aside from some of the bosses, the entire bestiary is fair game. Your only limits are the monsters in a given map and the amount of medals you can carry at a given time. It's a blessing to the rest of the opposing army that you can't keep your newly recruited monsters for future battles. Using an army of Stone Golems mission after mission would surely nerf much of your playthrough. King Slime, you're adorable. Prepare to die.In missions where you have to protect an object, it's often the best strategy to leave a few friendly mid-boss type monsters on guard duty surrounding said object. You'd be surprised how gratifying it is check on them later on to find that they have everything under their control against equally large foes. And even if you have more pressing matters to attend to, no one would blame you for briefly jumping into this orgy of destruction, if only to see how many you can take down in a single coup de grace attack. It's sheer bedlam when you can get these larger creatures to fill up your screen. Then it becomes a game of whether or not you can create slowdown or reduce the framerate by having too much going on at once. The action was never not fluid during my playthrough. As with every Warriors game, there's every opportunity to manage your heroes and enhance their skills in between missions. You start off in a standard issue basecamp, and by the time you're used to your amenities, you're upgraded to an airship. Both are as well-organized as any small town you can find in a JRPG: you have your church, alchemist, bar, and blacksmith. This is a Dragon Quest game, so naturally the weapons dealer is the burly gentleman sporting the horned helmet. Your base is also where you take on optional quests, which yields rewards like expanded inventory slots and Monster Medal capacity. It's a good idea to periodically grind by coming back to older areas in the map; quests add more purpose and incentives to these non-story skirmishes. It's diversions like these that provide a thoughtful connection to JRPG designs. Oftentimes, it feels like the only difference in Dragon Quest Heroes is the accelerated body count. Yes, there are slippery Liquid Metal Slimes who yield tons of XP.Seeing Akira Toriyama's many creations in Dragon Quest Heroes never get old, even after defeating over a thousand Skeletons. The treasure traps known as Mimics have never looked so lively, right down to the perpetually dangling tongue. Same goes for the Great Sabrecats, whose expressive cartoony faces wouldn't feel out of place in the Sunday comics section. As much as I long for a new mainline Dragon Quest (not to mention the leisure time to play more JRPGs), Dragon Quest Heroes: The World's Tree Woe and the Blight Below affords every lover of the franchise the rare opportunity to cause genocidal destruction with the kind of efficiency you cannot find in a turn-based RPG. To flank a monster is to also admire it from angles you seldom see up close in other Dragon Quests. These tens of thousands of encounters plus the appearances by the series' many other heroes makes for an essential experience for any Dragon Quest fan, even if you haven't played a hack-and-slasher in ages. These characters are so fully realized that, assuming you're not a stickler for official canon, it wouldn't be unreasonable to consider Dragon Quest Heroes as a companion piece alongside the main series.
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