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Artist Recognition for Our Logo and Banner

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Normally it’s hard for us to do such a thing since we normally don’t have the resources. But now that we do we’d like to pay a little respect and show a bit of gratitude for our digital artists who made our new logo, emblem, and has taken time out of her day to ensure B.A.T.G.R. has what it needs to show ourselves as a serious team.

Today we would like to give a special thank you to our writer and digital artist Rebecca Anne Helseth for her hard work on our new logo and emblem. Thank you for your hard work Annie and we look forward to more of your contributions in the future!

-Dustin Murphy, President of Blast Away the Game Review

Harebrained Schemes’ Upcoming Battletech Game Has Four Days Left on Kickstarter

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

battletech_pumpkins

You may recall Harebrained Schemes as one of those companies that seems to do cRPG titles the way they are meant to be done; true to the story, true to the vision they were based upon, and perfectly executed. This is a tradition they seek to continue on with by developing Battletech.

With only four days left to go on their groundbreaking Kickstarter campaign, you don’t have to imagine that they’ve raised over $1 million USD in the first 24 hours, and now Harebrained Schemes is close to reaching the $2.5 million USD mark which will give fans the highly anticipated PvP Multiplayer game. To be honest? This will be an interesting approach for the company since they are renowned for their story driven titles such as Shadowrun: Hong Kong. Their approach to co-funding through Kickstarter shows that the fans are loyal and truly interested in their games. This tactic has also proven quite beneficial both to fans and the company alike.

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As part of its Backer Missions, co-directors Jordan, Mitch and Mike will host an ALCOHOL-INFUSED LIVESTREAM on Monday November 2nd, beginning at 6pm GMT/11am PST. Make sure to turn in with us to see the future of this title.

About the Writer:

dustin_batgr_prof

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.

Origin Gets a Haunted Invasion Sale by Their Very Own Dr. Zomboss

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Doctor_Zomboss_PvZ_Garden_Warfare

If you’ve been wanting to lurch around like a zombie on the Origin store, it’s time for all you zombies to fill up your zombie needs before Dr. Zomboss ends his spectacular sale on the Origin, with a “Zombifying” site that will be host of his “Z-Sale” in order to celebrate Halloween. Starting today until November 3rd at 10:00am PT, you can head on over to the Origin store and save up to 75% on Plans vs. Zombies Garden Warfare starting tomorrow. Wait, you thought that was all?

well eat some brains and get ready to save even more! Daily deals will be occuring for titles such as Dragon Age: Inquisition, Battlefield 4, The Walking Dead and many more titles as the sale goes on. Some of these deals will be exposed as the Daily Deals Countdown continues to tick down daily until Halloween. So get on over to the Origin store and save while you can!

To learn more about Dr. Zomboss’s diabolical plan and to gain access to his Z-Sale*, visit the Origin Store here!

About the Writer:

dustin_batgr_prof

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.

Gran Turismo Sport Crashes onto PlayStation 4 in 2016

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Gran_Turismo_Sport_Gold_Logo

If you’re a driving game enthusiast you know that a Gran Turismo game means big things. From some of the most beautiful graphics one could imagine that focuses on car models only to race forth onto the courses they are meant to be unleashed upon. Want to know how these graphics and realistic aspects are possible? Gran Turismo’s team has teamed up with FIA to bring one of the most realistic and beautiful games to date for fans to enjoy. This series means business as fans once more get to hit the tracks against each other in Gran Turismo Sport as it debuts exclusively on the PlayStation 4 in 2016. The beta is stated to land Spring 2016.

For fans who want to go online and show who’s the best, Gran Turismo Sport will have two FIA online championships that will run side by side. The first is the Nations Cup where fans will represent the country they are from while the Manufacturers cup will allow fans to race for the manufacturer they support most.

So what does the winner get? They will be awarded in the same manner as a real life Motorsports champion would – a FIA prize giving ceremoy. For the first time in games players will officially be recognized as part of the real life motoring world. Sty tuned for more information.

About the Writer:

dustin_batgr_prof

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.

Quantic Dream Revives Kara from being a Tech Demo to a Game Called Detroit

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Detroit_Trailer_SC01

You may remember back in 2012 when David Cage and the team at Quantic Dream previewed their tech demo for the PS3 called Kara at GDC. In this tech demo we got to see a android who was scared, human-like, pleading for her life, and even shaken when the moment her heart began to beat. When her personality began to set in we saw just what it was like to be innocent, childlike, and fearing for life. This is what captured our hearts as I watched Kara multiple times in one sitting.

In his post on the Official PlayStation Blog, David Cage states “the question we all have been wanting to know – what happens to Kara after she gets out of the facility where she was made?”

With that bit of news we learned that we finally will get to discover what happened to her in the upcoming title from Quantic Dream (Beyond Two Souls, Heavy Rain, Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy) called Detroit. In this upcoming title from one of the most renowned teams that have told three astonishing stories to date, we learn that the game will take place in a near future Detroit where Androids like Kara will look, speak, feel, and act like real humans. But what happens when they begin to feel emotion like humans? In his post, Cage explains that the team didn’t want to do another AI story since there are so many great ones out there, instead they want to take on what it means to be human, what it means to live, and to take that from an androids perspective.

Right now there is no release date for the game, but it’s safe to assume with what we’ve seen that we can expect it to be heading to PS4’s near you sometime in 2016 or early 2017. Want a refresher on the original Kara tech demo? Check out the embedded video above provided by GameSpot through their YouTube channel.

Source: PlayStation Blog

About the Writer:

dustin_batgr_prof

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.

Halo 5 Fans are In for a Rude Awakening After the Download code to Disc Exchange

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment
Halo_5_Exchange

Our photo has been blurred so as to protect our writers information.

Many of you know we’ve been following the Halo 5: Guardians Disc Exchange Program where fans could trade in their Limited Collector’s Edition or Console Code for a physical copy of Halo 5. Digging around as much as we could on the Halo Waypoint forums and even our very own exchange tracking, we received our game this morning. Having had FedEx knocking on the home door to my house/personal office, it was time to grab that.. Little black package? Wait a second, what happened to that Limited Collector’s Edition casing?

That’s a question many of you fans are probably asking. After reaching out to Xbox Support we were given a very blank statement that seems scripted to help with any outraged fans that stated the following, “We are unable to send out the Halo 5 Limited Collector’s Edition item. We are only authorized for the standard game”. To be honest? It seems to have added more fuel to the fire as you can see via the Halo Waypoint – How to trade your code for a physical copy discussion on the latest posts. Even we have commented and confirmed with the fact we’ve gotten the same thing. So did Microsoft change out the statement of players receiving the Limited Collector’s Edition content? So far I personally have received a code for all DLC, but not a Limited Edition disc as they made it seem like we would be getting.

Did you get just a regular copy or a Limited Collector’s Edition copy with the exchange? Let us know in the comments.

About the Writer:

dustin_batgr_prof

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.

B.A.T.G.R.’s Dustin and Greg Unbox the Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition Console

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

With the count down to Halo having begun on Oct. 20th, we decided to upload our unboxing of the console. We do apologize for any volume issues as well as lighting issues as our camera was dying (not the batteries) in the middle of filming this. However, overall? We’re pretty impressed with the console itself.

Halo 5: Guardians is set to launch October 27th, 2015 and is currently available for pre-downloading exclusively through the Xbox Live Marketplace. Stay tuned for our upcoming review in early November.

Cover Art Picture Credit: Microsoft | 343 Studios

About the Writer:

dustin_batgr_prof

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.

About the Writer:

Greg_F_Heisenberg

Greg F. is an RPG enthusiast whom absolutely enjoys the niche titles that come across from the East. When it comes to beat-’em-up brawlers such as Senran Kagura, Greg knows the titles just about as good as anyone else, but his passion not-so-secretly sits with his love for retro games from the NES and Sega period. In his free time Greg contributes to B.A.T.G.R. with his knowledge of such feedback.

Don’t Activate Those Halo 5 Console or Limited Collector’s Edition Game Codes Just Yet (Updated)

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Halo5_Poster

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_batgr_prof

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.

Yakuza 5’s Cast Detailed by SEGA

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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_batgr_prof

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.

Sword Art: Lost Song Gets a New Trailer Leading up to Release

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Sword_Art_Online_SC_02

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_batgr_prof

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.