Tales Of Series Celebrates 25th Anniversary With New Illustrations and Merch
As revealed on the official Tales of Twitter account, 25 new pieces of artwork featuring all the protagonists of the franchise was revealed. The illustrations celebrate the 25th anniversary of the long running series, which you can check out below:
【#テイルズ25周年】
2020年12月15日に、『テイルズ オブ』シリーズは25周年を迎えます。
本日、25名の描きおろしを公開しました。
以後6週に渡り月曜に、秋冬開催予定のコラボ＆商品情報お届けし、プレゼントCPも開催します。
記念日に向けて、ぜひ一緒にお祝いしましょう。https://t.co/Eafadimy6Z pic.twitter.com/DePjlWCqKH— テイルズチャンネル＋ (@tales_ch) October 19, 2020
In addition, Dash Store in Ikebukuro and Dash Store in Osaka Nipponbashi will sell new merchandise using half of these new illustrations from November 14th to 26th. Then each of the Animate shops in Sendai, Sapporo, Nagoya, Sannomiya, Fukuoka Parco, Hiroshima, Osaka Nipponbashi, and Yokohama Vivre will sell goods using the other half of the illustrations from December 12th to January 3rd.
The Tales of series is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary. The next console game, Tales of Arise, was scheduled to launch in 2020 but was delayed most likely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, there is hope as the title was rated in both Brazil and Australia recently, hinting at a possible earlier release date.
The most recent console release for the series, Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition which came out for every major current-gen system, is the subject of the free wallpaper above. The title launched earlier this year and, going by our very own DualShockers review, still holds up as one of the best entries in the series. You can also check out our handy guide, featuring plenty of tricks and tips to help get you started on the game. And of any of this peaks your interest, you can pick up the game for Switch, PS4, Xbox One, or PC.
Bandai Namco publicly confirmed to be working on a single Tales of game right now, Tales of Arise. The game was first announced at E3 2019 for PC, PS4, Xbox One,. While initially planned for 2020, it was indefinitely delayed. Looking at recent trademarks however, it's possible the game will come back sooner than we think in 2021.
The post Tales Of Series Celebrates 25th Anniversary With New Illustrations and Merch by Allisa James appeared first on DualShockers.
Vinland Saga Creator Pens Short Crossover Comic for Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Assassin's Creed Valhalla has a surprising yet very fitting collaboration with Makoto Yukimura's Vinland Saga, in which the manga artist created a special oneshot comic for the occasion. You can read the extra comic here:
『アサシン クリード ヴァルハラ』と『ヴィンランド・サガ』のヴァイキングコラボ始動！幸村誠氏描きおろしの番外編ショートコミックが無料配信中！コラボ漫画はこちら: https://t.co/tQrKjp2usM#LikeAViking #ヴィンランドサガ #ACヴァルハラ #ヴァイキング pic.twitter.com/nbtxcHqpOH
— UBISOFT_JAPAN (@UBISOFT_JAPAN) October 23, 2020
Both works directly tell the story of the Vikings's invasion of England but from two different perspectives within the infamous conflict in history. The comic itself flaunts some fantastic artwork from Yukimura, and just short enough to make you want more (or at least I sure do).
In the latest story trailer video for Valhalla, Ubisoft gives us a look at what looks to be some of the early game cutscenes and interactions that we'll see in the full release. The trailer centers around Eivor and his brother Sigurd as they look to find a new home in the nation of England. In the process, we're also given a look at some of the various factions and foes that Eivor will have to do battle with over the course of the game. The trailer then concludes by presenting us with a tease of a mysterious group called the Hidden Ones, who seem to play a major role in the story.
Overall, the storyline of Assassin's Creed Valhalla looks pretty straightforward from a top-down view. Then again, AC Origins and Odyssey didn't contain a whole lot of depth at first either, but the way in which those stories grew in complexity over the course of the game was quite interesting.
If you're interested in finding out more of the game, read up on our preview of the title here, which Cameron Hawkins states "looks to have everything it needs to be one of the best titles in the series." We also interviewed Assassin's Creed Valhalla Producer Julien Laferriere sat down to chat about the team at Ubisoft Montreal and their strive to bring the ultimate Viking fantasy all while telling a story with compelling characters and an immersive open-world.
You can check out the new trailer in question attached down below if you're interested. Assassin's Creed Valhalla will release later this fall on November 10th for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Stadia. It will then launch in tandem with the PS5 two days later on November 12th.
The post Vinland Saga Creator Pens Short Crossover Comic for Assassin's Creed Valhalla by Allisa James appeared first on DualShockers.
Guilty Gear Lore Video Series Aims to Compile Franchise's Full Timeline
YouTuber WoolieVersus has done what many fans would (half-jokingly) consider a nigh impossible task: he has already begun to compile a full timeline of the often confusing story of Guilty Gear. In the first of a series of videos, WoolieVersus covers the start of the timeline until Guilty Gear: The Missing Link, the first game of the series:
This 30 minute video is a great introduction to the events that shaped Guilty Gear's story and characters for years. It also doesn't hurt that the video series is sponsored by Arc System Works, which means it must be pretty accurate. The release date for the latest entry in the series, Guilty Gear Strive, has been set for April 9th with those who purchase the Deluxe or Ultimate edition getting to play on the 6th.
Previously Arc System Works confirmed that the title will feature rollback netcode after much fan request. Most recently newcomer Giovanni and veteran fighter Anji Mito were revealed in the latest trailer. Leo Whitefang and Nagoriyuki were also previously announced for the title. Two other trailers revealed Ramlethal Valentine as well as Millia Rage and Zato=1. So far we know that the previously announced characters are the protagonist Sol Badguy and Ky Kiske, Axl Low and May, and Chipp Zanuff and Potemkin.
During the stage event dedicated to Guilty Gear at Tokyo Game Show 2019, Daisuke Ishiwatari and Akira Katano explained how they particularly detailed the characters' facial animations and how it's basically "3D Sakuga." You can really see that with the tons of different expressions the characters emote during their attacks and supers. At that same event, they also mentioned that the stage change mechanic has actual gameplay mechanics embedded into it. We've translated the full event here if you want to read more.
Guilty Gear -STRIVE- was first teased during EVO 2019. Daisuke Ishiwatari, the General Director, stated how the new Guilty Gear game isn't an "evolution of the series, nor a return to its roots," but instead a "complete rebuild of the franchise." Instead of adding or removing elements compared to the previous games, he described the development as completely breaking it down, picking up everything that made the series charming and unique, and rebuilding it with those components.
Ishiwatari then mentioned that this new Guilty Gear game is a "big challenge which will go head to head against the essence of fighting games." He added that going this route is a risky bet, but they're confident they can pull it off and bring out new possibilities, using all the experience and materials they've accumulated so far. He ended the message saying he believes games are bridges which can connect people, so he hopes this new Guilty Gear will reflect this idea.
The post Guilty Gear Lore Video Series Aims to Compile Franchise's Full Timeline by Allisa James appeared first on DualShockers.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Will Receive a Previously Announced Major Update in Just a Few Days
After word of an update was announced back in July, we haven't heard much on Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice until now. As a refresher, the update will be available on October 28 and all of the changes will also be available in the Game of the Year Edition.
The free update will include many new features and content. Reflection of Strength allows players to rematch with bosses that have previously been defeated. A boss rush mode will be included as well titled Gauntlets of Strength.
https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/1319820911969644545
Remnants is a new way to share your experience with other players online. Players will be able to record up to 20 seconds of gameplay and then share it along with a message to the rest of the community. Push Square noted that it might be an evolution of the messages that can be found in Bloodborne and Dark Souls.
New outfits are also coming to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. At Sculptor's Idols, players will be able to utilize some of the alternative outfits that have been unlocked by beating the game or completing achievements in the new Gauntlets of Strength mode.
The new update will be available to download on October 28 at 10 am PDT/5 pm GMT for free.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is currently available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. There has not been any word on if the game will receive next-gen enhancement, but the game will still be backward compatible with the Xbox Series X|S and PS5. If you interested in picking the Game of the Year Edition up, make sure to check out DualShockers' review of the title right here.
The post Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Will Receive a Previously Announced Major Update in Just a Few Days by Grant Huff appeared first on DualShockers.
Muv-Luv Alternative Anime New Trailer Reveals 2021 Release
ANCHOR held a new Muv-Luv stream event on October 24, titled the Hakuryo aNCHOR Preparatory Academy Online Student Assembly, and the stream most notably revealed new details on the Alternative anime. Avex Pictures revealed Muv-Luv Alternative The Animation will start airing in 2021. Moreover, a new key visual and a new trailer for Muv-Luv Alternative The Animation were published.
The new key visual is an incredibly cool shot of the Takemikazuchi:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━#マブラヴオルタネイティヴ
2021年TVアニメ放送決定
━━━━━━━━━━━━━ティザービジュアルを
公開しました。
︎アニメHPhttps://t.co/6I7Kvzi8Ky#マブラヴ #マブラヴアニメ #muvluv pic.twitter.com/YeiYkvAmwy
— アニメ マブラヴ オルタネイティヴ 公式
Next up, here is the new teaser trailer, heavily featuring the Takemikazuchi fighting against BETA, the Shiranui, and with quotes from protagonist Takeru Shirogane, showing his resolve to protect earth and mankind:
Muv-Luv is an ADV (Adventure) series (what we call Visual Novels outside Japan) started by âge in 2003 on PC. it's a long-running franchise spanning various themes such as romance, highly developed sci-fi lore and characters, political struggles, mecha called TSFs (Tactical Surface Fighters), hope, and despair. Muv-Luv already had two of its spinoffs adapted into anime in the past, Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse, and Schwarzesmarken. Muv-Luv Alternative was first released in 2006 and marks the end of the original Muv-Luv trilogy.
The previous Muv-Luv stream was in September. It most notably revealed new artwork for TDA04. The one further before that was in July, with plenty of interesting comments from Yoshimune Kouki. Last but not least, we also covered the âge 20th anniversary event in October 2019, with comments from various personalities including Hironobu Kageyama, the announcements of Alternative's sequel Muv-Luv Integrate. and a reboot of KimiNozo.
Plenty of new details on Muv-Luv Project Mikhail, Muv-Luv Project Immortal, and TDA04 were revealed as well on the Hakuryo aNCHOR Preparatory Academy Online Student Assembly. We'll be covering all that in a separate article following shortly.
The post Muv-Luv Alternative Anime New Trailer Reveals 2021 Release by Iyane Agossah appeared first on DualShockers.
Apex Legends is Coming to Steam on November 4th
EA has slowly been releasing its games on Steam as of late and now Apex Legends is about to be the next title to do so from the publisher. Announced via a news post on Steam, Apex Legends is coming to the massive PC storefront on November 4.
The release will launch alongside the launch of Season 7. EA noted that if you have been previously playing through an EA Origin account, all of your progression and unlocks will transfer between the two platforms. So, I am not sure why someone would need to do this, but if they wanted to switch between their Origin and Steam account constantly, everything will transfer over.
On top of that, Steam players are going to get free exclusive Half-Life and Portal inspired gun charms when logging in during season 7. You can take a look at them in the image below.
As much as everyone wants to create their own competitor to Steam, PC players have been ingrained in the system for far too long. EA might have finally noticed that with many of its games coming to the platform.
Apex Legends is currently available for PC, Xbox One, and PS4. The game will also be coming to Nintendo Switch sometime this fall. There has not been an official release date announced for the Switch version, but the game was just recently rated by the ESRB for the system, so I think it will be announced sometime soon. EA hasn't announced next-gen enhancements for Apex Legends, however, the game will be backwards compatible on the Xbox Series X|S and PS5.
The post Apex Legends is Coming to Steam on November 4th by Grant Huff appeared first on DualShockers.
Gears 5 Will Be Getting New Updates and Content for Next-Gen
Like a lot of current generation titles, Gears 5 is the latest game to announce they it too will be bringing new things for fans to enjoy for the Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.
#Gears5 campaign is getting a sweet update!@DaveBautista and even more coming November 10.
pic.twitter.com/tvWNLtDHir
— Gears of War (@GearsofWar) October 23, 2020
Starting on November 10, the launch date for new Xbox consoles, Gears 5 will be adding a New Game+ along with two new difficulties. Inconceivable is the new hardest difficulty for the campaign and on top of that, there is an Ironman difficulty where you play the game on inconceivable, but if you die you must restart the entire game. Skins that players have earned for Kait, Del, and JD previously will be useable in the campaign along with weapon skins. For those who play New Game+ all of the upgrades, Jack had from your previous save will carry over.
Arguably the weirdest yet coolest feature that is being brought in the next-gen update is the ability to turn Marcus Fenix into WWE Legend Bautista. The wrestler turned actor was a part of Gears 5 earlier in its life cycle in multiplayer and now The Coalition is adding him to the campaign as a skin. Bautista is known for wanting to play Marcus Fenix in a live-action Gears of War film and according to Principal Lead Producer Zoe Curnoe, this was to try and make that dream a reality the best way the development team could. Not only is he a skin, but there is also a complete voice over from Bautista in the role of Marcus Fenix. It is a little jarring to watch in the trailer, but still pretty cool to see The Coalition do.
Both the Xbox Series X and Series S will support 120 frames per second in multiplayer while cutscenes in the campaign have been upped to 60 FPS from the original 30. Lastly, and most excitingly, Gears 5 will be releasing a story DLC known as "Hivebusters" later this year in December. The DLC will seemingly feature the three members of Team Scorpio in Gears 5's escape mode, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
For those who aren't planning on upgrading to either new Xbox hardware don't fret, all the new content will be available to Xbox One owners as well. The only perks that will be absent are the FPS increases in the campaign and multiplayer.
The post Gears 5 Will Be Getting New Updates and Content for Next-Gen by Cameron Hawkins appeared first on DualShockers.
Pokemon Sword and Shield: Get All Ash Hat Pikachus For A Limited Time
Today is the launch of the second DLC for Pokemon Sword and Shield The Crown Tundra giving players new content, area, and story to look forward to but all players for a limited time will be able to grab Pikachu wearing one of the many iconic hats that Ash has worn throughout the Pokémon anime.
Until November 30th, you can obtain Pikachu wearing the original, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, and Partner caps by using different codes. Regardless if you get one or all versions of Pikachu, the Pokemon will be level 25 with the static ability, hardy nature, and the same move set. Each Pikachu will also be able to learn Volt Tackle from the Move Relearner, a move that Pikachu usually cannot learn.
Here are the following codes needed to get each Pikachu:
- Original Cap – P1KACHUGET
- Hoenn Cap – P1KAADVANCE
- Sinnoh Cap – V0LTTACKLEP1KA
- Unova Cap – P1KABESTW1SH
- Kalos Cap – KAL0SP1KA
- Alola Cap – ULTRAP1KA
- Partner Cap – 1CH00SEY0U
Each Pikachu has been releasing one at a time through September and October, but with today's release of Alolan Hat Pikachu, all of them are now available. To enter the code, go to "Mystery Gift" followed by "Get With Code/Password" and enter each code to get your very own Pikachu(s). You can only use a mystery gift code one time per game so be sure to save your game and keep them as long as you can. There's no telling when an event like this will happen again.
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Phil Spencer Teases Microsoft TV Streaming Sticks With xCloud Support
With Microsoft pushing its new streaming service, it is possible to hop into the Xbox ecosystem without ever owning an Xbox or a PC by using xCloud. It sounds like Phil Spencer wants to make that step even easier by introducing Microsoft streaming sticks that can plug into a TV.
In an interview with Stratechery, Phil Spencer hinted at the idea of a streaming stick similar to a Roku device or Amazon Firestick. He stated: "I think you're going to see lower-priced hardware as part of our ecosystem when you think about streaming sticks and other things that somebody might want to just go plug into their TV and go play via xCloud. You could imagine us even having something that we just included in the Game Pass subscription that gave you an ability to stream xCloud games to your television and buying the controller."
On top of the streaming stick, he also teased a top tier Xbox Game Pass membership that would guarantee access to new Xbox hardware. Microsoft has already played around with bundling subscriptions and hardware together. Xbox All Access includes access to Xbox Game Pass and an Xbox Series X or S.
Per The Verge, A streaming device like the one described above wouldn't be a first for the company. It did toy around with a lightweight Xbox streaming device all the way back in 2016, but the hardware was canceled.
With Microsoft wanting to put Xbox games on every device, this doesn't come across as a very surprising thing to me. I wouldn't be surprised if they took it a bit further and released apps on Rokus or other similar streaming devices. Phil Spencer has made it crystal clear that as long as people are buying into the Xbox Game Pass ecosystem, Microsoft will be very happy.
The post Phil Spencer Teases Microsoft TV Streaming Sticks With xCloud Support by Grant Huff appeared first on DualShockers.
FIFA 21 Goes Outside the Box With New Rulebreakers Promo
In recent years, FIFA 21 has used the Halloween season to run their Halloween scream promo in Ultimate Team. However, this year the team at EA is changing things up in big ways with their new Rulebreakers promo. This year, the team has implemented a new stat upgrading system, which lets them play around with players in fun new ways. They've fully taken advantage of that system with Rulebreakers. Some of the game's best players have been transformed and will allow you to fill new holes in your squad. Check out the first team below.
https://twitter.com/EASPORTSFIFA/status/1319685196510334976
As we've come to expect in FIFA 21, the top tier players from Rulebreakers mostly come from the Premier League. However, while that's a little less exciting, it's awesome to finally get a meta, Harry Kane. He's one of the best strikers in the world but has always been lost in the FIFA meta due to his lower-end pace. Now, he's a devastating player that will make England proud.
Sticking with the EPL, fans can also pick up an 88-rated Aymeric Laporte. Like Kane, Laporte has received a massive pace increase while taking a slight decrease to his defending. Fortunately for those of us who don't run a Prem team, every other player in the squad comes from another league.
The other three big-ticket players are Douglas Costa from the Bundesliga and Dries Mertens and Radja Nainggolan from the Italian Serie A. Costa gets a massive boost to his shooting, which is a year too late to stop the memes. Mertens, on the other hand, lost a bit of his dribbling, while getting his shooting boosted. And Nainggolan is yet another player with a new injection of pace at the expense of most of his defending.
Manuel Lazzari rounds out the Serie A piece of the squad. His shooting has gone up by a whopping 21 points, which is just unreal. Meanwhile, La Liga fans can look to pick up either Lucas Ocampos or Marcos Llorente. Llorente, in particular, is probably going to be pretty popular.
Rounding out the squad are the Eredivisie's Denzel Dumfries and Ligue 1's Benjamin Andre and Hassane Kamara. But the fun's not over. In objectives, players can earn an absolutely disgusting version of the Bundesliga's Nordi Mukiele. Expect to see him in a French hybrid squad near you very soon.
However, the most interesting player in the whole promo so far is Inaki Williams. He's in SBCs, but it's a little different than usual. Your reward for completing is a player pick between two different versions of Williams. One boosts his dribbling, while the other sees his shooting jump up. It's a very interesting addition that I hope EA continues to explore throughout the year.
FIFA 21 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The Rulebreakers team one is in packs now.
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