Update #2: Our exchange has processed completely as our status now says “shipped”. We will see you on the battlefield fellow gamers! Stay tuned for our Halo 5 review!
Update: After several chats with customer support through the “Chat With Us” option we ended up having to contact the phone line service where we were made aware that our Limited Edition game code will be deactivated. Upon deactivated we were made aware that it will take 3-5 days for our physical Limited Edition to be mailed to us. In doing so if we have any problems we are to contact customer support thanks to a gentleman by the name of Robert on their call service.
Do note that users on the official Halo Forums one stated that a Microsoft Agent stated that any codes that came with consoles will not be eligible for this exchange and the exchange will be canceled. While there are mixed bits of information, we will keep you updated on this information as the process happens. At this time? We can confirm that our code for our Console Bundle is in progress as an exchange and we look forward to seeing what Halo 5 looks like upon release next Tuesday.
Original: You probably heard earlier this year that Halo 5: Guardians is going to be a massive install, sitting just around 55GB’s, close to the 60GB’s that Game Informer brought up in an article about a week ago. Truth is? Seems that article is sticking true to its guns according to multiple sources. The game sitting at a 46GB install/download, but also a 9GB update that will require players to download it before being able to play. This means a bit of wait for those with slower internet speeds or even those who decide not to exchange their Halo 5: Guardians Console game codes for regular discs. This offer as stated by the official page is ONLY valid from October 20 through November 1, 2015. So be quick about it if you decide you want a physical copy of the game.
After having reached Microsofts Customer support several times via my own Gamertag and having had a friend reached them, it seems that Microsoft will be exchanging out discs for those who buy the LCE or the console. Do note though, that you can not redeem your code for the game or this exchange is nulled, meaning you are stuck with that 55GB download. Luckily for those who decide to stay with the digital edition of the game; you’ll be getting a nifty little steel case full of goodies. While we can’t confirm 100% at this time that Microsoft will do the exchange for the game coming with the console, it seems rather likely since we’ve been redirected to the exchange program guide for contacting them and how to do the process. IF you want to give it a shot? Go to the Halo 5: Guardians Disc Swap Support Page on Xbox.com, login and chat with customer support for this process. Note that they will only be doing this for codes that have not been redeemed.
Hunt the truth Spartans and stay tuned for our unboxing of the Halo 5: Guardians Console and the Master Chief Controller. We may even have a little surprise on there.
About the Writer:
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over onTwitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.
You’ve probably been awaiting for the latest installment of the Yakuza series. With the characters having been seemingly away for sometime, it’s time to catch up to the cast of members you are used to. So where are they now? Lets find out in preparation for the games release sometime this year, well what’s left of it, exclusively on the PlayStation 3. So lets get to the cast members as provided to us by Sega.
Kazuma Kiryu
After the events of the previous Yakuza games, Kazuma Kiryu — the Dragon of Dojima — has retired from the Yakuza to be a common-place taxi driver in Nagasugai, Fukuoka, far away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. But when his junior (and more notably, the Sixth Chairman of the Tojo Clan) disappears, he is dragged back into the seedy underworld of Japan. Kiryu will once again need to rise as the legendary dragon in order to find his friend.
Taiga Saejima
Taiga Saejima is a legendary Yakuza enforcer, sentenced to 25 years in prison for allegedly murdering 18 rival gang members. After the events in Yakuza 4, Saejima gets re-incarcerated and just wants to serve his new sentence peacefully. But in Saejima’s case, “peacefully” quickly leaves as an option. Which will require his survival skills more? The interior of the prison walls, or the harsh Hokkaido winter?
Haruka Sawamura
Years after meeting Kazuma Kiryu, 16 year old Haruka Sawamura is living in Osaka to pursue her dreams of becoming a star on TV. At the start of Yakuza 5, she’s already made it to the finals of the Princess League, a competition between rising stars, where the winner goes on to have a successful career. But even though it looks so carefree and lavish, the life of an up-and-coming idol is not without its perils. Haruka learns firsthand just how dangerous the waters of the entertainment industry can be.
Shun Akiyama
Shun Akiyama is a dubious money lender who owns his own company called Sky Finance. He has a unique test that prospective borrowers must pass in order to receive a loan — he wishes to see how each will change their own destiny with the money. Akiyama is trying to set up the Sotenbori Branch of Sky Finance, but those plans get a wrench thrown in them when he receives a call about the untimely death of a former client.
Tatsuo Shinada
Tatsuo Shinada had a promising career in the major leagues, but it was cut short when he received a lifetime ban for a baseball gambling/game fixing scandal. Now, Shinada earns a meager living as an adult entertainment writer in the Nagoya region of Kineicho. But his (mis)fortune is in for a turn when a mysterious masked man confronts Shinada and tells him to uncover the truth behind his ban.
Will you be joining the characters in order to find out what happens to them as time passes? We know we will be.
About the Writer:
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over onTwitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.
At New York Comic Con, Bandai Namco Entertainment America, Inc., released the newest trailer for the upcoming entry in the Sword Art universe by the name of “Lost Song”.
Sword Art: Lost Song will be available in the Americas on November 17, 2015 for the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®Vita. You can pre-order today at a local retailer to obtain your copy of the game. Also, stay tuned for our review!
About the Writer:
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over onTwitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.
Pros: +Colourful cast members some of the most renowned anime’s around +Franchises such as Sword Art Online and Shana no Shakugan collaborate wonderfully +Special moves, stages, and character animations are on point
Cons: –Mechanics are not unique, inspired or seemingly original from other 2D fighting titles –Neglects those unfamiliar with the anime franchises –Heavy online lag prior and post release (tested on multiple ISPs) –Credits can not be skipped in story mode
When coming from playing franchises that helped start the 2D genre like King of Fighters, MArvel vs Capcom, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Beast Wrestler, and many, many more – it’s hard to state that I’m a stranger to fighting games when the truth is I’m not. Though I am drawn to titles such as this that bring such an unusual collaboration between anime cast members such as the ones drawn into this SEGA title. As a fan of the franchises it was hard not to have some form of nostalgia when seeing Shana, Kirito, Asuna, and a select few others step up to duke it out. The unfortunate part? Having had a friend of mine try it who was not accustomed to any of these characters, he was confused and felt disconnected from a game that should be welcoming fans and non-fans to the title. The focal point of this game is not the newcomers, but instead the fans who will be overcome with nostalgia for the selected cast of characters.
You’d think when it comes to 2D fighters that have just released that there would be something spectacular and mind blowingly unique to each one, but unlike other fights this game does not attempt to be unique, creative or different from them. Instead the game’s formula is very simple compared to any other fighting titles I’ve played to date. With that being said fighting moves are quite simple and are tied into the formula many fighters will be used to that have played games such as Blazblue, Persona 4 Arena/Ultimax, and Street Fighter. It does match up to these in the fact it follows traditional fighting game approaches, which outlines a minimalistic story, a lot of fighting, and a bit of fanfare; all something that this game does very well for that matter.
As a Vita game this title does house quite a bit of versatility in game modes such as story, arcade, time attack, online competitive, and a couple of others that are truly not worth mentioning. These are all something that are a baseline for most fighting games for those of you whom aren’t accustomed to such titles. The most commonly that will be played, assuming you like to test your skills against others, is the Online Mode, which will allow you to take your fighting skills online in order to test them out against other players. Regardless of your skill level, the game does tend to not care if you are a beginner, an expert, or a moderately experienced fighter; you will get matched unfairly unless you play with friends. But this is only one of the games true issues, which can be seen as a downfall since most fighting games focus just on that – fighting online against others.
When looking at such a game, you’d think that the game would be beautiful, graphically promising, but instead we get a game that isn’t just graphically flawed bad enough it would pass as a SNES game, but we also get a game that seems inconsistent when it comes to high animation filled scenes. Let alone was the expectation high for Japanese flamboyancy and animations, the game suffers tragically from what appears to be dumbed down graphics and animation on the PlayStation Vita, which has demonstrated graphical prowess on games before this one such as Dead or Alive, Injustice Gods among Us, and even Blazblue; all of them having looked much better than this game itself. With that said? It’s simple to say that there is nothing here to see, move on. I state this simply because stages are beautifully illustrated, vibrant, and alive; character specials are much the same until the characters are drowned out and their rather poorly designed animations are shown. While it would have been nice to see a bit more crispness to the graphics, it seemed that corners were cut in order to ensure that the game launched on the Vita in a timely manner.
Much like any fighting game; Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax does attempt to appeal to the crowd of fans who are still in that phase of transitioning away from the less serious anime’s and light novels to those who are full blown into them, and unfortunately their targeting these crowds works as many of these fans will find themselves in trouble when it comes to the online multiplayer. It wasn’t uncommon that when choosing Asuna that I would find myself quickly booted from the lobby and returned to the main menu where I would once more have to queue up, find a match, and choose a character I wasn’t accustomed to when it came to online fighting. While I admit it is funny to see Asuna getting the ever-living-shit kicked out of her by Kirito or even Shana, I did find myself a bit let down as I was growing used to watching the opposing player teleport across the screen momentarily or the game stutter as it caught up with their connection. While the lag didn’t seem to appear as harshly on the PlayStation 3 as it did PlayStation Vita, it’s still a bit dumfounding as to why the latency is apparent on the PS Vita while the PS3 doesn’t suffer as much.
Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax (PS Vita [Reviewed], PS3 [reviewed]) Developer: French Bread, Ecole Software, Sega Publisher: Sega Cost: PS Vita: $29.99 USD |PS3: $39.99 USD Release Date: Now Available
While I am familiar with previous titles by French Bread, Sega, and new to anything by Ecole Software, it’s hard to understand why this game feels as if it has fallen flat on its face, and struggles to take it seriously so that the game could stand up in both graphical prowess and even underlying mechanical strength. With a subtly weak netcode, small array of characters to choose from, and a selection of support characters that pales the previous in comparison, it’s hard to understand what went wrong with this game and why the companies couldn’t take it as seriously as it should have been.
Even with the few flaws aside, Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax does try to appeal to fans by its small, but fun list of characters ranging from animes such as Durarara, Accel World, A Certain Magical Index, Sword Art Online, and many more, the company does have the appeal of a stripped down fighter that can welcome fans into it as long as they do not feel let down or even neglected due to their lack of knowledge about the light novel or even anime franchises. While the game will introduce them to some they may not know, the developers should have spent a bit more time on the story elements, and even exactly as to what the Hell is going on with the games campaign. However, with that aside? This game can be enjoyable to those who do know the animes and love fighting games, but take heed that this is not a game for die hard fighting players, but instead for those that want a game that is a pick-up-and-go title that will not be taking itself seriously like many of the other fighting games out there. With that being said? Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax does have a long ways to go and could easily be improved upon with a few add-on contents as well as story add-ons to improve what has already been put into the game.
Our review is based upon the final version that was given to us by the games publisher. For information about our ethics policy please clickhere.
Final Score: 5 out of 10
About the Writer:
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over onTwitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.
You may remember earlier this year I wrote passionately about a game that spoke volumes to me called Ashen Rift. Unfortunately when I wrote about it back then the game didn’t get the funding needs it required, which to me whispered a silent and deadly fate of the game. After all that is what happens to most seemingly failed Kickstarters.
After reaching out to Pyroclastic Entertainment, Inc. on a whim. We learned that the game is still very much alive, and recently passed its goals to head to PAX East where the game will debut at a rather large event. With this news has come hope to see an adventure about a man and his dog surviving a deadly world is still going to come true. With no idea of a solid release yet, one thing is for certain, the game will be one to look forwards to when it launches on PC. To find out more about this game head on over to the official website hereto find out more about Ashen Rift.
Our Take:
It’s rare that I’ll take the time outside of an article in order to do an our take regarding upcoming titles or what is in the works. With the news of Ashen Rift, it isn’t odd to say that I am doing one of these. Ashen Rift has been a game that has seemingly gone quiet for weeks to months on end after its Kickstarter didn’t pass by its expectations and funding requirements, but all that silence has proven one thing: Ashen Rift lives on and we can’t wait to see if it’s still in development for PS4, PC, and Linux.
About the Writer:
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over onTwitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.
Update:Paperbounds upcoming update will be launching on both Steam and PSN on 10/21/2015! Prepare to enjoy the fresh breath of new content and stay tuned for our re-review!
Original: Paperbound is a game that is highly enjoyable for families that want to entertain up to four people in a brawler like experience. That experience, however, is about to change in the upcoming days. Recently submitted to Sony Europe and Sony of America; Paperbound’s newest update will feature a campaign that will allow for 1-2 players to take on a series of challenges across the games eighteen arenas. The campaign features to specific modes known as Stalwart and Gatekeeper.
The games Gatekeeper mode will easily be seen as a tower defense like experience where players will attempt to to take out any enemies before they can exit the arena. This means fighting them the best players can before they exit. Spawns for them are randomly placed around the map. The upcoming mode Stalwart is similar, which will require each enemy to eliminate the player character before opening a personal exit portal.
The new update will also feature things such as new mutators that allow for infinite ink bombs, vampire mode, and even weapon picks up. This also includes a bunch of other new edits that will allow players to have new stories to tell in their Paperbound experience. We’ll let Dan from Paperbound tell you more about the upcoming changes!
More Information:
*Added a secret team game mode that Rocket League fans will enjoy
*Improvements to AI navigation and behavior, including difficulty levels
*Some visual changes to add clarity, such as larger glows for exit points and an option to decrease background color saturation (some players experienced a bit of difficulty tracking the fast-paced action, so this should help them out).
*Mouse input support in the PC version
If you haven’t tried out Paperbound on PlayStation 4 or PC you can check out our review for the game.
About the Writer:
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over onTwitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.
If you’re wanting in on the closed beta for the upcoming Gearbox title Battleborn’s closed technical tests, pay some attention. As we know, the first test will take place on the 29th of October. Those that participate in the closed beta will be under an NDA, which means no floods of streams, no chatter, or even very little about what the game itself featured.
Sign-ups are still open on Gearbox’s website. Those that participate will be under NDA, so there won’t be a flood of streams or chatter about what’s on display.
You’re fine with that? Cool! Then here’s what you need to do. Head over to the Gearbox Website and sign up for the beta if you already have an account. If you do not have a Shift Account? You will need to head over onto the Shift Account page to setup and get ready for the Beta. This beta includes tests for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One; this also includes what you’ll need if you plan on testing this rather colorful first-person multiplayer title that is set to play much like a rather colorful MOBA. So what exactly is this test for? To test the 25 playable characters for balancing, the servers, as well as to help polish the game before its launch on February 9th, 2016. So lets get down to what you’ll need to have in order to get rolling.
Video Card: AMD HD 7700/ NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 or better, PhysX support
Sound: DirectX 11 Compliant
For consoles? The email that we received stated that the game will require between 4 to 8 GBs free of Hard Disk Space. This doesn’t surprise us since the console game will probably be lacking in a PhysX like engine, which we assume Battleborn will use.
So will we be writing at all about our experience with the Battleborn beta? The answer is quite frankly no. Due to the way the NDA’s work we won’t be able to discuss it, take pictures or even show you anything in regards to it outside of what we get or do not get in press kits. If you would like to get in on the beta? We highly suggest it and if you are in the test and will be frequenting the closed beta forums for feedback.
About the Writer:
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over onTwitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.
It’s no surprise that EA had a lot to worry about when it comes to their developer DICE’s upcoming title Star Wars Battlefront. With the title being well received by critics from all sides of the game, it’s no surprise that it was enjoyed by quite a few people, like 9 million users as that quite a few.
“‘Impressive. Most Impressive.’ Yesterday, the Star Wars™ Battlefront™ beta surpassed a major milestone: more than nine million players logged in and played. That makes this the single largest beta in the history of EA. We could not be happier that so many of you wanted to come in to get a small taste of what our passionate team has been working on,” stated Sigurlina Ingvarsdottir, Senior Producer of Star Wars Battlefront.
Recently the Star Wars Battlefront team over at EA announced the games Ultimate Edition priced at $119.99 USD as well as the games Season Pass for $49.99 USD. Information regarding the season pass can be found here. The game is set to launch on November 17, 2015 in North America, and November 19, 2015 in Europe.
About the Writer:
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over onTwitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.
If you’re one of those that have been eagerly awaiting Blizzard’s twist on the MOBA genre you have some good news coming your way. As of today, Blizzard announced on the official Overwatch website that the beta will begin October 27th in a Closed Beta format. What does this mean? First of all, you’ll need the Blizzard App on your computer, you’ll need to head over to the official Overwatch website and apply for it.
This group of testers will have access to the beta at any given time, Blizzard will also be monitoring the game for bugs, errors, etc during this period. During the larger test weekends, we are sure that the company will be bringing in larger groups in order to see how well the servers hold up with larger crowds having access to the game to test server quality.The stress tests on the servers will be by invitation only and will require fans to be invited if they aren’t already in the Beta. These streamlined tests will include limited maps, characters, and even game modes.
For those of you who want to run it, you will need to run Windows and have the Battle.net app on your computer. As we stated, you’ll need to register for the beta and read the fine print to ensure that you follow their required guidelines – you can do that over at the Overwatch website.
About the Writer:
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over onTwitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.
You’ve no doubt been wondering when that closed alpha test for DOOM would happen after we discussed it after our visit to Bethesda Zenimax’s renowned event QuakeCon 2015. If you are a owner of Wolfenstein: The New Order? You’re in luck, you’ve been guaranteed access to the games Closed Alpha/Beta.
If you haven’t registered the code in your game case? You should be heading over to the official DOOM website and register those codes by putting it in and entering your registration information.
In our hands-on from QuakeCon you’ll get to experience the same exact map we did in a 6v6 experience. Just like in our time with it you will get to hunt down the Demon Rune, which will transform a member of your team into the Revenant. Outside of marching around the map as a Revenant and tearing enemies to shreds, you’ll be able to use the Gauss Cannon in order to see enemies through walls in order to take them out instantly.
Just like our time with the game at QuakeCon 2015, players will be able to choose a loadout that includes the vortex rifle, super shotgun, repeater, rocket launcher, static cannon and the plasma rifle. This also includes the games two pieces of equipment that was utilized such as the personal teleporter and the frag grenade.
While dates have not been confirmed yet for the alpha, we can assume it’s coming up soon after having listened to the publisher and developer both state that it would come out shortly before the titles spring release on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Stay tuned as we’ll keep you up-to-date for the launch of the alpha.
About the Writer:
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over onTwitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.
