SHENMUE I & II LAUNCHING FOR PLAYSTATION 4 AND XBOX ONE IN 2018

SHENMUE I & II LAUNCHING FOR PLAYSTATION 4 AND XBOX ONE IN 2018

A LEGEND IS REBORN. SHENMUE I & II LAUNCHING FOR PLAYSTATION 4 AND XBOX ONE IN 2018.

SEGA’s most requested re-release of all time finally comes to a new generation of gamers!

Sydney, Australia – 16^th April, 2018 - SEGA® Europe Ltd. is proud to announce that the pioneering epic saga Shenmue™ I & II is to be re-released for a new generation. Get ready to go on a thrilling voyage across faithful recreations of Japan and Hong Kong, China, in a timeless tale of revenge and mystery when Shenmue I & II launches on PlayStation® 4 and Xbox® One in 2018.

Since their original release, Shenmue I & II have established a passionate following and are revered as one of gaming’s greatest series of all time. These revolutionary masterpieces deliver a gripping story of retribution as Ryo Hazuki sets out to avenge his father’s death and attempts to unravel the secrets behind a mysterious artefact known as the Dragon Mirror.

Shenmue I & II comes complete with the original feature set that defined modern gaming, including enthralling jujitsu combat, investigative sleuthing, and RPG elements in addition to memorable mini-games. Shenmue I & II is set within engrossing real-time open worlds that feel truly alive thanks to day-to-night cycles and weather changes, with a population of civilians who follow their own schedules.

This is the definitive version of these all-time classics and will be the best Shenmue experience to date. The re-release will stay true to the originals with modernised features including fully scalable screen resolution, choice of modern or classic control schemes, an updated user interface and the option to enjoy either the original Japanese or English voiceovers.

Shenmue I & II will be available to pre-order from Australian retailers soon, for all the latest information head over to: https://shenmue.sega.com/

Rare reveal Sea of Thieves content roadmap

Rare reveal Sea of Thieves content roadmap

Sea of Thieves: Content Plans

New updates, new features and new challenges coming your way!

It's been just over three weeks since we launched Sea of Thieves, and a lot has happened since then! We've been listening to you all, and we know you are keen to hear how we plan to grow Sea of Thieves. As we've always said, launch is just the start, and we are going to grow and evolve the game with feedback from our community. It feels like the right time to reveal how we'll do this.
 
Sea of Thieves is a unique experience. As we look to add to the game, we will be very purposeful about the type of experience we want to create, and how we want this game to grow. At the same time, we have also been listening closely to everyone playing the game since launch and have been ensuring that this feeds into our content plans. When considering what to add to our plans, we always consider how we can make the most impact on the following:

• Bringing players together in interesting ways, encouraging different types of player encounters
• Enriching the world that players adventure in
• Giving players new ways to play
• Giving players a variety of goals and rewards
• Broadening the journey to Pirate Legend and beyond

Alongside this, what's key for us is the rhythm and cadence we want to get into with Sea of Thieves. Our focus for April is to continue addressing the top feedback points, but as we move into May, our focus will shift to new content.

Our first content update, The Hungering Deep, will release in May and bring with it a new AI threat to the world. Crews will have to work together to discover and defeat this threat as part of a unique event. We will also be introducing a number of new mechanics to assist players on this adventure, and there will be unique rewards that players can earn as part of this event. Beyond this, we will begin our weekly events programme during May, where we introduce new mechanics and give players fun new ways to play with weekly events and rewards.

In the summer months, we'll debut two more content updates with Cursed Sails, which will include a new ship type, and Forsaken Shores, which will introduce players to a perilous new part of the world to explore.

Similarly to The Hungering Deep, both of these updates will also include new gameplay mechanics for players, new AI threats to challenge and new unique rewards to claim.

As we've always said, we never wanted to do anything to separate our players, so we're pleased to confirm that all content updates will be available to all our players, at no additional cost.

For more details on our plans for the coming months, and some in-depth thinking behind them, please watch the video.

With Sea of Thieves being a game that grows and evolves, we'll be listening to you, our community, throughout. As such, we'll always be looking at whether our current plans are meeting your needs. Based on feedback since launch, we have changed the priorities for both Pets and Ship Captaincy which we had previously announced as things we would look to add in the few months after launch. These are on the back burner for now whilst we add to the game in other areas. Expect our plans to continue to be fluid, but always with the goals listed above as our guiding principles.

We are hugely excited to be beginning this phase of Sea of Thieves, and seeing where the adventure takes us.

Cheers,

– Joe Neate, Executive Producer

KINGDOM HEARTS Union χ[Cross] Fan Event & KHIII Classic Kingdom Video

KINGDOM HEARTS Union χ[Cross] Fan Event & KHIII Classic Kingdom Video

FIRST KINGDOM HEARTS UNION χ[CROSS]

FAN EVENT UNITES FANS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Event Celebrates 2^nd Anniversary of the Hit Mobile Game with a

Special Announcement of a KINGDOM HEARTS III Tie-In

SYDNEY, 17^th April 2018 –   This past weekend, over a thousand keyblade wielders gathered to attend the Dandelion Meeting, the first official North American community gathering for KINGDOM HEARTS Union χ[Cross]. Attendees celebrated the anniversary with various activities including new playable content and panel discussions with the development team.

During the panel, Franchise Director Tetsuya Nomura and KINGDOM HEARTS Union χ[Cross] Producer Hironori Okayama shared their insights into the inner-workings of the beloved series. Additionally, in a special video message, KINGDOM HEARTS III Co-Director Tai Yasue revealed that the new mini-games inspired by classic Disney cartoons and 1980’s LCD games that fans were able to play at the event will also be available to play in both KINGDOM HEARTS Union χ[Cross] and KINGDOM HEARTS III. 

Nomura also announced that fans will have a unique chance to become part of history in KINGDOM HEARTS III. Up to 300 players will be selected to have their KINGDOM HEARTS Union χ[Cross] usernames appear in a secret location within KINGDOM HEARTS III. For more information, visit: http://sqex.to/dHK.

Other exciting announcements for the mobile game include:

• New Player vs. Player (PvP) Mode – During the Dandelion Meeting event, players were treated to a special preview of the new asynchronous PvP mode which will launch later this year. The new PvP mode will be the first time players can battle against one another in KINGDOM HEARTS, and will require players to strategically use their best medals in turn-based combat to be victorious. The player who wins the most turns will win the battle, and be entered into a monthly PvP Leaderboard for the chance to accumulate rewards and recognition.

• 2-year Anniversary Celebration Gifts – To commemorate the game’s second anniversary, 3,000 jewels were gifted to all players on April 7, 2018. Players were also gifted two Fantasia Mickey B medals today, which can be claimed any time within the next month.

KINGDOM HEARTS Union χ[Cross] is available now as a free-to-play app (with in-app purchases) through the App Store for iPhone and on Google Play™ for Android devices.

New in GTA Online: The Vespucci Job, Three New Vehicles, Double GTA$ Bodyguard Salaries and More

New in GTA Online: The Vespucci Job, Three New Vehicles, Double GTA$ Bodyguard Salaries and More

The battle between predator and prey is one of nature’s most stirring sights: wolf chases elk, lion chases antelope, fleet of police cruisers chase diminutive vintage car. Two teams take to the streets in The Vespucci Job: either you’re the lunatic on the run in the new Issi Classic, trying to hit every checkpoint in time - or you’re a squad car right behind and looking to blow a lot more than the doors off.

As the runner, look to take advantage of narrow alleyways and tight turns to shake the heat while they coordinate with each other to plot your demise. Play The Vespucci Job between now and April 23rd and earn Double GTA$ & RP.

Succumb to your overwhelming desire to tear some fresh holes in the asphalt with the Vapid Flash GT Sports car. This highly customizable American-engineered hatchback is now available for purchase at Legendary Motorsport.

You're no show-off. You're just a slightly quirky, totally down-to-earth person looking for a way to tell everyone how slightly quirky and totally down-to-earth you are. If you've got nothing to prove to anyone, let them know with the Weeny Issi Classic, featured in The Vespucci Job Adversary Mode and now in stock at Southern San Andreas Super Autos.

And one day, you're going to find yourself in a position where you need to stage an amphibious landing in an agile miniature helicopter with optional Machine Gun and Missile upgrades. When that day arrives, you'll be glad you picked up the Sea Sparrow chopper from Elitás Travel.

In addition to Double GTA$ and RP rewards on The Vespucci Job, Bodyguards and Associates will also earn Double GTA$ Salaries from now through April 23rd.

Login and take advantage of the following bonuses (4/20 ONLY):

World of Warriors: PS4 Review

World of Warriors: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Developed by Saber Interactive, from Mind Candy's original game

The mobile game came out in 2014 and became a massive success, and now World of Warriors has dropped onto consoles to continue the reign of terror.

It's a simple game that requires no story - all you do is unlock warriors and unleash them on others, be it online chums or people sat on the couch next to you.

From Romans to Vikings, Samurai to Spartans, the multiplayer brawler is cartoony in its simplicity and executed with a degree of younger minds being considered.

Arena style battles are the name of the game as you fight against others, and using heavy and light attacks, you power in between characters and fights.

There's little else to World of Warriors - and to be honest, its mobile background and bitesize playability shows in the transition to console. There's little else to do except fight, power up and unlock new warriors - and while the fun comes with mates, it's not an enduring "got to pick this up right now" kind of ethos imbued within.

Bitesize playability is fine, and while more fun is to be had with friends, World of Warriors makes a bit of a case for potentially thinking twice about what should be ported across.  Cutesy art stylings are all very well, but when the gameplay is so simple you're not even thinking about what you're doing, it's time to reconsider whether this is a world to dive into.

The Stolen: DVD Review

The Stolen: DVD Review

The NZ set Western has had middling success so far.

From the enigmatic Slow West to the downright average Good For Nothing, it's a genre that clearly has some legs in.

Hoping to cash in on that, are Niall Johnson and writer Emily Corcoran, who've used the Canterbury coasts as their backdrop to the story of Alice Eve's Charlotte Lockton at the end of the 19th Century.
Relocating out to New Zealand with her husband and being trained to use weapons to survive in the wilds, Charlotte gets a rude awakening when they're robbed at midnight, her husband killed and her 3-month-old son kidnapped.

Receiving a ransom note 3 months later with a picture of her son, Charlotte sets out on a dangerous mission to rescue him.

Less Unforgiven, more unforgiveable, The Stolen's problems come from a patchy script, some wooden dialogue and some truly underwritten characters.

While the countryside looks great and Johnson makes great fist of the juxtaposition of both the rugged terrain and the contrast of Eve's porcelain English rose look.
But it's not enough to make parts of the film feel like a slog - even for a relatively short 90 minute run-time.

The tarts-with-hearts that Charlotte journeys across town with are given the most broad-brush cursory backstories with which to work and consequently, there's little to engage with when the inevitable peril sets in.

Chiefly Stan Walker feels majorly under-utilised and predominantly bookends the film with a character that suggests there could have been much more.

Richard O'Brien's Irish barkeep is another oddity in a film which mixes so many different accents in, you can be forgiven for thinking it's not set in New Zealand.

Complete with overbearing OST that blasts out any moment and drowns its emotional edges, The Stolen feels like it's punching above its weight.

Ultimately, with an improbable twist set down in the final furlong, The Stolen's whole feeling is one of something that's betrayed the promise of its mightily impressive premise.

It's disappointing as the setting and the story idea, which could have been better propelled along by revenge and a smash-the-streotype-female lead feels more like it's been squandered.

Super Lucky's Tale: Gilly's Island: DLC: XBox One Review

Super Lucky's Tale: Gilly's Island: DLC: XBox One Review

Platform: XBox One

Super Lucky's Tale: Gilly's Island is a reminder of why some loved the main game.

And also why some found the main game a little too simple.

The expansion covers three levels and a new boss, but is based very much on the mechanics of the main game. Pulled back into the world via the Book of Ages, Lucky finds himself in  the tropical paradise of Gilly's Island.

But singer Lady Meowmalade has other plans for the paradise, and it's up to Lucky to put a kaibosh on the proposals and ensure the paradise doesn't suffer any interruptions.

Super Lucky's Tale: Gilly's Island: DLC is a fairly simple, colourful blast of entertainment that will engage younger platformers rather than hit a wider more universal audience.

Its platform mechanics are simple, and there are the usual jumping frustrations which were found in the first game also, but it's not too challenging if you're willing to sink the time into it.

It also doesn't help that the camera issues which irritated the hell of players in the first game continue in here, proving that developers maybe need to keep an eye on what their users tell them - before releasing more similarly buggy content.

All in all, Super Lucky's Tale: Gilly's Island: DLC doesn't do much to trouble the gaming world, but in terms of short playable cartoony fun that's in line with the main game, it certainly falls in line.