Demo Play Thursday - Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 On PS4

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the #PlayStation4 Demo of Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2. This game, from developers CyberConnect2, is already out across all platforms but this demo came out this week on the PSN Store.

The icon for this game is striking and really grabbed my attention. for the most part, this style continues into the game. The main screen was nearly perfect. it said this was a DEMO, it gave us links to buy the game, but it never mentioned how long the demo would be or whether our saves would be carried over into the final game. Thankfully, the PSN store page does have this information. in this video i did the first chapter and this demo has 2 more. so, in all, the first 3 chapters of the game are included in this demo and my save would be carried over to the final game if i were to play it. One further good point about the main page is the option to watch what happened in the first game. unfortunately, there's no speaking, no subtitles, so it is left to our imagination as to what happened. But at the very least i do appreciate the effort put in to including such a recap.

For the most part, i had a good time playing the game. Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 doesn't have the best tutorial as some parts are taught a little out of sequence or don't quite carry you through all of it, but it is good enough that i didn't feel overwhelmed by what was happening. What i found distracting from the experience was how the story was told. it felt like the story was jumping around time for no particular reason. it detracted from the story telling and was never really explained why it was done this way. If anything, it detracted from an actual time based mechanic introduced later in the demo.

Graphically, it only looked like the PS4 would loose out to the PS5 when it came to the 3D art used with the characters in-game. all the other art, backgrounds, 2D characters, and such, looked crisped and detailed. but in the 3D sections things looked a little soft. it was still clear who everyone was, but it was only distracting because of how much crisper and detailed the rest of the art had been up to that point.

I do think this demo has some bugs. at 3 points in the demo, it freezes on me for tens of seconds up to over a minute. i do have an old PS4 so that could be part of the issue, but when you take into account all the tiny second or less pauses that occur in this demo i can't help but think it's buggy. another possible bug is the lack of Japanese voices even tho i had toggled that option on in the options. it could be it's a style choice and the Japanese voices are only used for battle sounds, but that in itself is weird because in those moments there were no subtitles.

So, with weird story telling and bugs, this demo gives us a mixed view of Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 as there is a lot to like but clearly there are things to be concerned with.

Cloud Monday - Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot - Part 2 - Side Quests Are Weird In A Known Story

This week's Cloud Monday video is part 2 of playing Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. I streamed this game, developed by, CyberConnect2, via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service on my launch model Japanese PS4.

I was concerned last time that getting the game to work might be a one off, but i was wrong. once again, the game started for the first time when i wanted to play it. it's a welcomed surprise and i may check out some of the other games that refused to work.

A lot of what i said in part 1, https://youtu.be/_IdUPMR6gTE, are true in this part. but the thing that stuck out the most was actually doing side quests. If, like me, you're familiar with the story of Dragon Ball Z then the idea of doing side quests is strange as it's hard to imagine how they'd fit them into the game. the stuff in part 1 worked well as a tutorial and was before Dragon Ball Z started. In this part, the side quest on the island also work because the story hadn't kicked off.

But having to save Gohan or do a side quest just felt wrong. at this point in the game i was Goku and my son had been stolen by Raditz, so naturally my response is to go and save Gohan. it's what happens in Dragon Ball Z and it's the natural thing to do. but to have the map open up a bit and for there to be side quests just didn't feel right. i tried to do one but abandoned it to continue the story.

This game is a little difficult to review. on one hand it's got pretty good game design to be streamed from the cloud to my PS4. there are some story moments hard to skip, but for the most part it works as a cloud streaming game and in that respect it's better than quite a lot in this series. But on the other hand, it's a weird game in that i don't know who's it's audience. People who like and know Dragon Ball Z already know this story. if this game was just this story then i'd understand why they'd want to play it. but the addition of social connections, RPG elements, and side quests feel more like bloat than a useful addition. so perhaps this is aimed at those who want a different type of RPG or who recognise Goku but don't know the story.

Cloud Monday - Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot - Part 1 - Good Game Design For Streaming, Unsure For Playing

This week's Cloud Monday video is part 1 of playing Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. I streamed this game, developed by, CyberConnect2, via the #PlayStationPlus Cloud Streaming Service on my launch model Japanese PS4.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is a game i've been trying to stream for a while now. I try it each week, and since it came to PlayStation Plus it's never worked. Until now! I was really surprised and very unprepared for it, i've been saying for a long time that i couldn't get it to work and, at least this one time, it did.

My thinking behind trying this game is that it's slower pace might make it more suitable for it being streamed. i had hoped that, as a RPG, we'd be able to save more frequently. And it looks like we can. the game also has a decent auto save feature that seemed to be fairly active. so in comparison to Scarlet Nexus, i was more confident that i could either manually save, hit an auto save, or get to a save point in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot than Scarlet Nexus.

A welcome bonus is how big and simple the characters are on screen. they look very much like their anime counterparts, so when there was some macroblocking i was still able to work out what was happening and wasn't really hampered. this is a great looking game and it feels like you're playing in the anime. so when there is macroblocking or stream tearing, it takes you out of the experience, more than anything else, because it looks so much like what it's based on.

But, whilst there are many positives about the game design and how suitable it is for being streamed from the cloud i can't ignore how other parts of it weren't great for actually playing. In, nearly, every section of this first part there was something that i found annoying or something that made the game less accessible. 

The way it introduces anything new with tutorial cards of screen is simply lazy and something i'll always complain about. it's something that's not that accessible to new players. i'd expect the cards if i was looking for a reminder on how to do something. They have Goku and Gohan at the start, Goku could simply be telling Gohan the basics of fighting and that could've been out introduction. The way they introduce the social aspect of this game is also baffling and a part of the game i didn't know about.

The controls were often slightly worse than i expected, for example the dash is super fast and difficult to use or when you're on Nimbus and there are collectable orbs but you have to seemingly touch them to collect them but that's difficult because Nimbus is slightly more difficult to control than expected. Also, why  can i collect items from afar but not these orbs?

Maybe in part 2 there'll be more context for everything and with more practice things will improve. but as it's been near impossible to play this game just once i'm not sure if/when Part 2 may be.

Namco Bandai Announce They Are Bringing JoJo's Bizarre Adventure To Europe And Australasia On PS3 In 2014

Namco Bandai have announced they are bringing CyberConnect2's PS3 game JoJo's Bizarre Adventure out across the EU and Australasia in 2014. the game is based off the 70 Million copy seller Manga that has been on sale since 1987. the game will feature fighters from all of the 8 chapters.

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Press Release

Namco Bandai Announce Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3: Full Burst Comes Out 25th October

Namco Bandai have announced CyberConnect2's Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3: Full Burst comes out across Europe on 25th October. Full Burst will come out as DLC for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game whilst the game will get its debut PC release as Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3: Full Burst, digitally and at retail.

Press Release

CyberConnect2 Have Released A Video Of Hiroshi Matsuyama Answering User Submitted Questions

CyberConnect2 have released an 8 minute video of their CEO and President Hiroshi Matsuyama answering user submitted user submitted questions. this was done at WonderCon 2013 and features Hiroshi Matsuyama cosplaying as Naruto. in it, he answers such questions like his thoughts on WonderCon, how he showed the characters aging/growing in Naurto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 and how the game is more than just battles, there's story and much more. he's not saying if there'll be a forth game in the series but does say that there'll be lots of DLC for Naurto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3.

CyberConnect2 Have Released New Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Game Play Videos For Tobi And Madara

Namco Bandai and CyberConnect2 have released 2 new game play videos for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3. the first video shows Tobi in action and the second video shows Madara Uchiha in action.

CyberConnect2 Have Released New Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Game Play Videos Featuring Fuu And Killer Bee

Namco Bandai and CyberConnect2 have released 2 new Game Play videos for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3. these videos feature Killer Bee and Fuu, who are Jinchūriki.

CryberConnect2 Have Released New Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Gameplay Videos Featuring Han And Utakata

Namco Bandai And CryberConnect2 have released 2 new game play videos for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3. the first video is for Han and the second video is for Utakata. both characters are Jinchūriki.

CyberConnect2 Have Released A New Trailer For Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Featuring Madara

CyberConnect2 and Namco Bandai have released a new trailer for Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3. the trailer starts with a message from the Manga Author, Masashi Kishimoto, saying how excited he is for the game before moving on to a game trailer that shoes many fighters and features of the game. the trailer ends with the reveal of Madara and the epic battles you have with him. the trailer may have some spoilers for those watching the Anime.

CyberConnect2 Have Released 8 Game Play Videos For Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3

CyberConnect2 and Namco Bandai have released 8 game play videos for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3. these videos show Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, Nagato, Gaara, Yugito, Roshi and Yagura fighting.

CyberConnect2 Have Released A New Game Trailer For Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3

CyberConnect2 and Namco Bandai have released a new game trailer for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3. this trailer shows many of the games features including its huge roster, new story lines to play through like the Kyūbi attack on Konoha. other features include the ability to choose which story-line to play through and the ability to influence the forth great Ninja War

CyberConnect2 Have Released A New Trailer For Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3

Namco Bandai and CyberConnect2 have released a new trailer for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3. this is similar to previous trailers but it is the first trailer to reveal Naruto in his Tailed Beast Mode. the trailer ends by showing the day 1 DLC for the game, Naruto in a Dragon Ball Z Costume.

Namco Bandai Reveal Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Pre-Order Costumes

Namco Bandai have revealed some new Pre-Order incentives for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3. these costumes will be available at participating retailers, i think ShopTo in the UK, and will be a free download. CyberConnect2's Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 comes to the EU from 8th March.

Pre-Order Costumes


The DLC Costumes Are:
- Naruto will be playable in Samurai armor.
- The fifth Hokage from the hidden village of the Leaf, Tsunade, will be playable in a swimsuit costume.
- The Uchiha survivor will slash his way with a top notch Japanese Kimono.
- Sakura will be playable in a typical Japanese school uniform.
- A special costume will let you play Itachi dressed in his ANBU outfit.

Press Release

Namco Bandai Announce Naruto Powerful Shippuden For The 3DS, Out 8th March

Namco Bandai have announced Naruto Powerful Shippuden for the 3DS. the game was developed by Inti Creates with support from Naruto Shippuden Ninja Storm devs CyberConnect2. the game is based of the Naruto Shippuden Japanese Anime Spin-off Rock Lee And His Ninja Pals and features an art style similar/inspired by that Anime.

The game features story lines from the Naruto Shippuden and Rock Lee And His Ninja Pals Anime. the game lets you play missions as either Naruto or Rock. there is also an Endless Battle Mode which lets you fight ninja's. other features include the ability to earn experience and level up your characters special attacks. the game also features appearances from Kakashi, Sakura, Gaara and more.



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Press Release

CyberConnect2 Announce Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Comes To The USA On 5th March, EU On 8th March

CyberConnect2 have announced Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 comes out across the USA on 5th March and across the EU on 8th March. the game is coming out on both the PS3 and Xbox 360. those who get a first run copy of the game will get a code to download an exclusive Dragon Ball Z Goku costume for Naruto and collectible trading card.

CyberConnect2 have also released a new trailer for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3. this trailer uses in-game action to show each of the Jinchūriki.



Press Releases

CyberConnect2 Have Released New York ComicCon Screenshots And Trailer For Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3

CyberConnect2 have released new screenshots and a trailer for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3. the trailer may start like a previously released trailer, but it has more towards the end. the screenshots mainly show Kakashi, Sakura, Lee and Guy fighting White Zetsu.



Screenshots

CyberConnect2 Have Released A TGS Trailer And Screenshots For Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3

Namco Bandai and CyberConnect2 have released a new Tokyo Game Show trailer and screenshots for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3. these focus on Naruto and Sasuke and show them in action from a couple of points in the fairly recent Naruto Shippuden Story Line.


Watch Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 - TGS Trailer in Tech & Gaming  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Screenshots

CyberConnect2 Have Released 3 New Gameplay Videos For Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3

CyberConnect2 have released 3 new gameplay videos and screenshots for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3. the videos are fights, with the first video featuring Mifune vs Sasuke, the second video is Darui vs Sasuke, and the final video is Hanzo(Reanimation) vs Mifune.


Watch Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 - Mifune vs Sasuke (FiveKageSummit) in Tech & Gaming | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com


Watch Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 - Darui vs Sasuke (FiveKageSummit) in Tech & Gaming | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com


Watch Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 - Hanzo(Reanimation) vs Mifune in Tech & Gaming | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

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CyberConnect2 Announce Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 For The PS3 And Xbox 360, Coming 2013

CyberConnect2 have announced Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. coming in 2013, This will be the first Naruto game on consoles to offer 3D support. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 will feature the largest roster of any game in the series as well as new battles. the trailer shows you taking on Nine Tails as the third Hokage in a battle that takes place across Konoha and features various other Ninja's taking part.


Watch Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 - Announcement Trailer in Tech & Gaming  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

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Press Release