News by Lindsay M., Matt C., and Trent P.
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)!
Dissidia Final Fantasy coming to PS4
By Lindsay M., News Editor
Square Enix has announced that Koei Tecmo’s Dissidia Final Fantasy NT will be receiving a console-exclusive release on the PlayStation 4. First off, Square Enix and Koei Tecmo is an ideal dream team, and I would trust them with my life. Most importantly, though, is that now the arcade fighting game will finally find a home in… well, my home! Grab a napkin to mop up the saliva from your chin as you watch the announcement trailer below:
The “NT” stands for several things: “New Tale,” “New Tourament,” “New Trial.” There isn’t exactly a story mode, considering Dissidia is first and foremost a fighting game incorporating Final Fantasy characters (over 20!); there is, however, an original Final Fantasy story by writer Kazushige Nojima. The game includes the bravery combat system and three-versus-three battles. There are over ten battle arenas, legendary summons, equipable weapons, and – most importantly – moogles! Battles result in XP and gil, which can then be used to customise your characters as you see fit.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT was developed by Team Ninja, a subdivision of Koei Tecmo. The worldwide console release is tentatively set as early 2018. The PS4 version will have a story not included on the arcade version, told through event scenes, but the arcade version will always receive game updates first. Arcade and console users won’t be able to battle each other.
Save or destroy London in Dontnod’s Vampyr; a new trailer is here!
By Lindsay M., News Editor
Just prior to the beginning of E3, Dontnod released its next trailer for the upcoming Vampyr. Dontnod shouldn’t need any introduction: the developer is behind Remember Me and the smash episodic game Life Is Strange. The next game from the French developer is Vampyr, set in the streets of a flu-stricken London during 1918. This trailer is three minutes of pure, uncut gameplay footage, so trust me when I say it’s well worth your time!
You may have noticed The Ascalon Club; it is a society of the city’s richest vampires, completed obscured from mere mortals. That is not where the story lies, though: Dr. Reid is a famous war surgeon who was recently turned to a vampire against his will. The issue is clear, as doctors swear to protect human life but vampires must feed on it. To survive, Dr. Reid must chose which civilians to consume to grow stronger and manipulate the lives of those around you.
Vampyr is being published by Focus Home Interactive and has an estimated release date of this November. Pre-orders are now open on all available platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Velocity 2X, one of PlayStation’s best indies, getting physical collector’s edition
By Matt C., Contributor
If you haven’t already played Velocity 2X, you owe it to yourself to do so – this innovative indie shoot ‘em up /platformer hybrid is one of the best games you can get for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. If you need encouragement (or if you’re already a convert and just like good things), FuturLab and publisher BadLand Games have just the thing for you: Velocity 2X: Critical Mass Edition.
This is a new physical collector’s edition that will be available for both PS4 and Vita on June 30, with an RRP of $49.95 AUD / $59.95 NZD / € 24,99. It includes the game itself (on disc/cartridge) with all three DLC packs: Critical Urgency, Dual Core, and Daily Sprint. There’s also a 20-minute making-of documentary, produced by BadLand Games and Picture Book Films. The PS4 Critical Mass Edition also comes with a soundtrack CD from Joris de Man and a “Studio Booklet” focusing on the creative inspiration behind the game. Finally, there’s an art book up for grabs as a limited pre-order bonus from select retailers.
Velocity 2X first came out in 2014, as a sequel to the hit PS minis game Velocity (and its upgraded PS Vita port, Velocity Ultra). It’s a vertically-scrolling shoot ‘em up, but instead of the genre’s usual onslaughts of enemies and bullets, the focus here is on exploration. You can teleport around the screen, lay waypoints throughout the map and jump back and forth between them, find and activate switches to open new paths, and disembark your ship at certain points for platforming sections. With levels getting increasingly complex in their design as the game goes on, all these different factors come together to create a shmup experience that isn’t quite like anything else out there. Top that off with stunning presentation and a simple but surprisingly engrossing story, and you’ve got a game that hits every note spot-on – and is well deserving of this collector’s edition treatment.
Surprise rebirth of Accolade with sequel in the Bubsy franchise
By Trent P, Contributor
Bubsy was a short-lived IP from Accolade the ’90s with a promising start in the original title. The series slowly declined until 1996 with the release of Bubsy 3D, which destroyed the franchise’s popularity. The developer of Bubsy 3D then went on to make the Syphon Filter series and developed the PlayStation Vita Uncharted titles. For the most part Bubsy was a true representation of a product of the ‘90s; the humour and character design embodied what most either love or hate about the era. Reflecting in this are the completely polarising opinions on the return of the mascot.
Now Bubsy is back with his first title in 21 years with the revival of the Accolade brand by Hong Kong holding company Billionsoft. The group has purchased the majority of Accolades assets and entrusted the revival of the brand to Gina Sisters: Twisted Dreams developer Black Forest Games. Gina Sisters was generally reviewed positively by critics including our own Clark who praised it as being both a typical and innovative platformer, which will hopefully rub off on Bubsy.
Busby: The Woolies Strikes Back will put Bubsy on an adventure to exotic locations looking for his beloved Golden Fleece. Throughout this journey he will battle the gnarliest UFO bosses ever to grace a Bubsy adventure. Not only does the game feel like a typical Bubsy title modernised, it will also feature 100 new one liners for Bubsy to spit out. Excited yet? The title will release later this year on PC via Steam and the PlayStation 4.
