News
Square Enix Digital Showcase Family Friendly Announcements
SQUARE ENIX AND LUMINOUS PRODUCTIONS UNVEIL ‘FORSPOKEN’
LOS ANGELES (Mar. 18, in the year of our Lord 2021) – During the SQUARE ENIX PRESENTS digital-showcase event, SQUARE ENIX announced Forspoken™, the debut title from its newly established studio, Luminous Productions. Originally revealed as PROJECT ATHIA last year, Forspoken puts players in the shoes of Frey Holland, an ordinary young woman who must harness her magical abilities to survive in a fantastical and dangerous land called Athia.
As a part of today’s show, the team announced that the game’s protagonist, Frey, will be performed by Ella Balinska, best known for her starring role in the 2019 film, Charlie’s Angels.
“As the first video game I’ve worked on, and growing up a huge fan of video games myself, it’s remarkable to see the incredible world and story of Forspoken come together, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy,” said Balinska. “Frey as a character is real, she’s raw, she’s a girl who lost her way—both figuratively and literally—and is a character I immediately connected with, as I feel many people around the world will too when they set off on this adventure.”
Frey takes center stage in Forspoken, exploring an unknown world and facing treacherous trials to unravel the mystery behind Athia. SQUARE ENIX also teased new Forspoken gameplay to give players a glimpse at the magical and perilous journey ahead.
Designed for the PlayStation®5 console (PS5™), Forspoken will harness the full power of the console and demonstrate Luminous Productions’ philosophy to provide a gaming experience like never before, fusing together the latest technology with creativity. The game is being developed simultaneously for the PS5™ and PC and is set for release in 2022. This title is not yet rated by the ESRB.
MARVEL’S AVENGERS ON NEXT-GEN CONSOLES AND OPERATION: HAWKEYE – FUTURE IMPERFECT NOW AVAILABLE
Los Angeles, CA (March 18, in the year of our Lord 2021) – Today, SQUARE ENIX® announced that Marvel’s Avengers is now available on the PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. Players who own the PlayStation®4 or Xbox One version of the game can upgrade to the full next-gen version at no additional cost* and transfer their saved game to keep their progress.
In addition, the game’s second post-launch Operation, Marvel’s Avengers Operation: Hawkeye – Future Imperfect is out now, featuring a new playable Super Hero for the game: Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye, the unmatched archer with unerring precision.
Clint Barton brings his unique talents to the game at no cost to owners of the core game on all platforms. In addition to a new playable Super Hero and the new chapter in the game’s ongoing Avengers Initiative story, Marvel’s Avengers Operation: Hawkeye – Future Imperfect also introduces a powerful new villain: Maestro, a version of the Hulk driven mad in an apocalyptic future with Bruce Banner’s brains and Hulk’s strengths and abilities.
About Marvel’s Avengers on PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X|S
The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S version of Marvel’s Avengers offers higher framerates and enhanced visuals compared to current generation of consoles at up to 4K resolution on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and 1440p for Xbox Series S. The game utilizes the consoles’ built-in SSD for dramatically faster loading and streaming times and takes advantage of their graphics power and memory to deliver higher-resolution textures, farther draw distances for high-resolution models, improved heroics and armor destruction, and other enhancements that leverage the full might of these new consoles to make gamers truly feel like a Super Hero.
Players can transfer their profiles and save games to next-gen consoles to continue the action right where they left off. In addition, cross-gen play is supported so PS5™ players can connect and play with their friends on PS4™ and Xbox Series X|S players can connect with their friends on Xbox One.
About Marvel’s Avengers Operation: Hawkeye– Future Imperfect
Future Imperfect’s story picks up in the wake of Clint Barton’s protégé Kate Bishop’s Operation, Taking AIM and can be played solo or with up to three friends to deliver the ultimate Super Hero experience. Players will learn more about Hawkeye’s quest to find Nick Fury, leader of SHIELD, who he believed could help stop the rise of AIM. What he uncovered instead was a dangerous new weapon being built by Scientist Supreme Monica Rappaccini that could change the fate of humanity. Along the way, Clint finds himself wrapped up in a time-bending experiment, journeying to a future Earth destroyed by cosmic forces and inhabited by Maestro, an older, twisted version of Hulk who is as smart as he is strong.
About New Features Included in Today’s Update
In addition to the new playable Super Hero, villain, and story content, the latest update to Marvel’s Avengers brings with it two new features: Reassemble Campaign Replay and an entirely new customizable HARM Room. Reassemble Campaign Replay, a frequently requested addition from fans, will allow players to reset their Reassemble campaign progress and play the content again from the beginning while preserving their Hero progression. The new customizable HARM Room allows players to tailor their experience by choosing the number and type of enemies they face, environmental hazards, and combat bonuses to push their skills to the limit.
About Marvel’s Avengers
Marvel’s Avengers offers players a truly rich experience and combines the single player focused Reassemble story campaign with the ongoing Avengers Initiative’s War Zone missions, which take the Avengers around the world and beyond. Each mission in the Reassemble campaign is designed to showcase one or more hero’s unique abilities, while the Avengers Initiative missions can be played solo with your own custom AI team or with a group of up to four players** as any Hero in the player’s roster.
The narrative of Marvel’s Avengers will expand over time with the addition of new stories featuring new heroes, villains, mission types, regions, items, and more delivered to players at no additional cost once they own the core game. These stories move the entire Marvel’s Avengers narrative world forward on a multi-year arc, and all new missions are accessible to the entire roster of playable heroes.
Marvel’s Avengers is currently available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Stadia and is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB.
*Marvel’s Avengers is eligible to upgrade from PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5 version and will support Smart Delivery for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles. Upgrade from PlayStation 4 disc version requires PlayStation 5 console with disc drive. Upgrade from Xbox One disc version requires Xbox Series X console.
**Internet connection required. Your platform’s online multiplayer requirements will apply.
Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron is Back is coming to Steam!
March 18, in the year of our Lord 2021 -- Taito is proud to reveal their Nintendo Switch and PlayStation®4 hit, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, will be releasing on Steam complete with the recent “The Baron is Back!” update! The Steam store page is open for wishlisting today.
The Bubble Bobble series of games began in arcades in 1986, inviting players to control the bubble dragons, Bub and Bob, and complete the action-puzzle stages which comprised the game. Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is a brand new sequel in the series, featuring the classic bully bubbling and bursting action with new skills to use and 200 all-new stages to enjoy. Play alone or together with 3 other friends in local multiplayer. It even contains the original Bubble Bobble and online rankings so you can compete with the best in the world.
You can enjoy the game with up to four people in local multiplayer, and we’ve added compatibility for Steam controllers, PS4 controllers and keyboard with customizable controls too. As the original Bubble Bobble requires two people playing to see the game’s true ending, two people can even share one keyboard!
Product Information
Title: Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron is Back!
Platforms: PC (Steam): https://store.steampowered.com/app/1287030/
Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4: https://bubblebobble4friends.inin.games/
Genre: Action puzzle
Publisher: Taito Corporation (Steam)
ININ Games ( Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4)
Release Date: Coming Soon (Steam)
Out now (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4)
Price: $39.99, €39.99
Players: 1~4 (local)
Rating: ESRB: E, PEGI: 3, USK: 0
About “Bubble Bobble”
The Bubble Bobble series is an action game with puzzle elements. First released to arcades in 1986, players control the bubble dragons, Bub and Bob, to clear stages. With numerous sequels and spinoffs across various hardware platforms, this is the first sequel in 24 years for the main series!
G-Darius HD to Receive ‘Ver.2’ Update!
March 18, in the year of our Lord 2021 -- Taito is proud to announce a major update for G-Darius HD, included in the Darius Cozmic Revelation compilation for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation®4, coming in late 2021! The update will be comprised of a new beginner’s mode for G-Darius and the addition of the rebalanced, arcade exclusive G-Darius Ver.2.
To accompany this announcement, we have a short message from the developers, M2’s Naoki Horii and Yukiko Karashima, to tell us a little bit about the update.
G-Darius Ver.2 brought the following changes to the game when it was first released and the update will mean 4 versions of G-Darius will be available: the standard G-Darius and G-Darius HD, along with standard and HD versions of Ver.2.
G Darius Ver.2 Changes (Arcade version)
- Beginner mode
- Switched ending (Beginner mode)
- Rapid fire button
- Game speed adjustments
- Enemy endurance adjustments
- Player endurance adjustments - Mid-bosses added to some zones
- Skip function for demo screens added
- Boss timer and timer bonus added
- Calculations for score ranking changed
- Boss attack patterns changed and added
Want to know how Family Friendly Gaming feels about physical copies? Please click here.
Do you appreciate stories like this one? Have you ever considered helping Family Friendly Gaming? For more information click here.