News by Lindsay M., Matt C., and Matt S.
Welcome to Digitally Downloaded’s regular catch-up news feature. With each issue we will bring you the best news that you may have missed. Grab the biggest mug you’ve got, fill it with your favourite brew, and catch up with us (and our favourite news anchor, Dee Dee)!
Play a high-tech Victorian game of cat-and-mouse in Murderous Pursuits
By Lindsay M., News Editor
It’s a strange, technologically-advanced alternate version of the traditional Victorian era that is the backdrop for Murderous Pursuits, a multiplayer game of cat-and-mouse. Aristocrats spend their time cruising the skies in fancy ships; it is upon one of these ships that the story takes place. Hosted by Mr. X, these partygoers are about to face one heck of a Machiavellian-styled game.
Developed by Blazing Griffin, the Scottish developer behind The Ship, Murderous Pursuits best described as a multiplayer stealth title (although it can definitely be played solo). This description would normally turn me off a game, as I have no patience for being stealth, but the entire concept and look is so appealing I am all in. Set on a ship called the Britannic, eight party-goers (either bots or humans) must plot the devious demise of others while watching their back for the one after them.
Upon the ship are special locations called vignettes that allow the characters nearby to discuss so-called “high-brow” activities such as discussing art. These vignettes help dissolve suspicion by putting others at ease. Or you could go old-school and don a disguise. It’s up to you to determine what tool to use in which situation, as no two are alike. Murderous Pursuits is coming to PC via Steam this March.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA finally has that patch to make it good (on PS4 and Vita)
By Matt S., Editor-in-Chief
What an epic story this one’s turning out to be. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA was released with a notoriously poor localisation. To the credit of publisher, NISA, rather than just tell unhappy fans to suck it up, the team has gone back to completely re-do the localisation.
The PC release of the game has been delayed (and delayed yet again) because of this, but the PlayStation 4 and Vita releases have now been patched with that improved localisation, which changes the script, item names, boss names, and the voice work has been completely re-recorded. A massive effort, to be sure, and that patch is massive in kind: on PS4 it’s 1.16GB in size. On Vita it’s 279MB
Remember: this game is also getting a release on Nintendo Switch this year, so if you want to bypass all the patching nonsense, you can wait for the Switch or PC release (if the latter ever happens).
Post-apocalyptic JRPG Metal Max Xeno is getting a global release
By Matt C., Contributor
You’ve probably never heard of Metal Max, and that’s fair enough — even though the series dates back to the NES days, only one game has ever been released outside Japan (the fourth in the series, Metal Saga, for PlayStation 2). The good news is that the forthcoming latest entry in the franchise, Metal Max Xeno, will be getting a worldwide release courtesy of Kadokawa Games.
If the name “Metal Max” calls to mind “Mad Max”, that’s probably deliberate: each game takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, often with a lot of desert areas, and tanks and other machinery feature heavily. Metal Max Xeno is no different, taking place in the year 209X in a desertified Tokyo Bay, now known as Death Tokyo.
No release date has been given for the global release, but Kadokawa did confirm localisation plans for North America, Europe, and Asia. In Japan, Metal Max Xeno comes out on April 19 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
Looks like we’re finally getting Shining Resonance in English
By Matt S., Editor-in-Chief
The Australian Classification Board is terrible for banning a whole bunch of games that don’t deserve to be banned. On the other hand, the rating process sometimes lets slip a game we never expected.
Shining Resonance Re:frain is a remaster of a JRPG from 2014 that was never released in English. The remaster features better visuals, lots of DLC packed in, and some other bits and bobs, and is a mightily impressive looking game. In Japan the launch is set for March 29. With it being rated in Australia, the Western release would not be too far behind.
A classification rating isn’t a guarantee that the game will be released here (or in other English speaking places), but the process to get a game classified is expensive, so you can generally assume that the release will go ahead at some point. For those who are wondering, the rating is M (15+ recommended, but not mandatory), which means the content will have generally low impact. The rating is for “sexualised imagery,” which, to earn a M rating, means one of the girls flashes an ankle in a cut scene or something.
