Tag Archives: Games Developer

Train2Game News Nintendo Direct September 2021

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Nintendo Switch owners are in for quite the year ahead!

In the latest Nintendo Direct video presentation, Nintendo detailed a wide variety of games coming to the system this year and into 2022 – with some games launching later today!


The video outlined something for everyone, including:

“Heading into its sixth year, Nintendo Switch and its wide variety of games continue to offer experiences for various types of players,” said Nick Chavez, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Communications.

“In this latest Nintendo Direct, we are looking ahead to a year packed with new games in well-known franchises, as well as unique and exciting titles from our development and publishing partners.”

To view the Nintendo Direct video in its entirety, visit https://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct/09-23-2021.

Train2Game News Pac-Man Birth Of An Icon

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PAC-MAN: BIRTH OF AN ICON is the first-ever history of the yellow muncher.

Deep-diving into its genesis, design, early marketing and cultural impact, the 350-page book offers surprising new insights into the “Mickey Mouse of the Eighties.”

The book was made in conjunction with BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Ltd., and gives voice to the people who were there at PAC-MAN’s birth in Japan in 1979/1980, who oversaw its design overhaul and mass production at Midway’s in Chicago, and who plotted its remarkable role as the first video game icon to be used in mass consumer marketing.

Ernest Cline, Author of Ready Player One said:

“A beautifully designed and immaculately researched visual history of the first rock star video game character!”

The book will be available worldwide to readers late October, in two editions.

Apart from the Standard Edition book, a Collector’s Edition will have a special, PAC-MAN shaped sleeve and maze-themed cassette holding the book, a special reissue vinyl of the 1980 hit success ‘PAC-MAN Fever’ by Buckner & Garcia, and a unique PAC-MAN arcade token.

For more information about the book, please visit the product page by clicking this link. 

Train2Game News Pokémon TCG Live App

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Today, The Pokémon Company International unveiled Pokémon TCG Live, a new app that allows Trainers to enjoy the Pokémon Trading Card Game in an updated digital format.

Releasing as a free-to-play game, Pokémon TCG Live also marks the first time that the Pokémon TCG will be playable on smartphones, in addition to tablets, PCs, and Macs.

  The announcement comes as The Pokémon Company International continues its yearlong celebration of the brand’s 25th anniversary by engaging fans with innovative Pokémon experiences and products.

  “As we look back on 25 wonderful years of Pokémon, we are once again reminded of how the Pokémon Trading Card Game has always been a strong pillar of the franchise and beloved by young and veteran Trainers alike,” said Barry Sams, Vice President of the Pokémon TCG at The Pokémon Company International. “Pokémon TCG Live will go hand in hand with the tabletop version that fans know and love, and welcomes a new era of digital play where Trainers around the world can play together regardless of their preferred platform.”

  Pokémon TCG Live is designed to be easy for beginners to learn how to play the game, while offering fresh challenges for existing players to improve and test their skills. Players will be able to enjoy some of their favourite Pokémon TCG activities, including building decks and battling other Trainers around the world. They will also be able to tailor their experience with customizable avatars and Pokémon TCG accessories, participate in daily quests, and more. In addition, Pokémon TCG Live will continue to be updated with new content and features following launch.

  Pokémon TCG Live will be coming soon to supported iOS and Android devices, as well as PCs and Macs via Pokemon.com. Trainers looking to preview the game prior to broad availability will be able to participate in the mobile soft launch in Canada and the global open beta for PCs and Macs later this year.

  For more information about Pokémon TCG Live, please visit Pokemon.co.uk/TCGL.

Train2Game News Sir Clive Sinclair Has Passed

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Sir Clive Sinclair unfortunately passed away on Thursday at home in London after a long illness, his family said.

He was 81.

The British entrepreneur is perhaps best known for launching the ZX range of cheap microcomputers, which helped bring computing, games, and programming into UK homes in the 1980s, at least.

This included the ZX80, said to be the UK’s first mass-market home computer for under £100, the ZX81, and the trusty ZX Spectrum. And then there was the Sinclair QL, which was Sir Clive’s big shot at business.

A whole generation grew up in Britain mastering coding on these kinds of systems in their bedrooms, and went on to build games and applications we use today.

Before all that, Sir Clive founded Sinclair Radionics, which produced amplifiers, calculators, and watches, and was a forerunner to his Spectrum-making Sinclair Research. The tech pioneer, who eventually sold his computing biz to Amstrad, was knighted during his computing heyday, in 1983. Sir Clive also took a run at electric vehicles with the C5, and I think we all know how that worked out.

“He was a rather amazing person,” his daughter, Belinda Sinclair, 57, told The Guardian this evening. “Of course, he was so clever and he was always interested in everything. My daughter and her husband are engineers so he’d be chatting engineering with them.”

Dominik Diamond, who in the 1990s presented video games program GamesMaster on Brit telly, was among those who paid tribute to Sir Clive today. “Wouldn’t have had a career without this guy,” said Diamond.

“All your UK video game companies today were built on the shoulders of giants who made games for the ZX Spectrum. You cannot exaggerate Sir Clive Sinclair’s influence on the world.”

Sir Clive is survived by Belinda; his sons, Crispin and Bartholomew, aged 55 and 52 respectively; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Source: https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/16/sir_clive_sinclair/

Train2Game News Tales Of Monsterland

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Bitmap Soft and Joel Jarman have teamed up, this time to serve an adventurous course of fun as you must save a village besieged by monsters…

Tales of Monsterland!


Key Features:

  • · Presented in glorious green scale
  • · Four magical forms to unlock
  • · Find the hidden world!
  • · Suitable for all ages
  • · Featuring battery-less saving! No more lost saves or soldering irons.

TALES OF MONSTERLAND is a brand-new title that hearkens back to the golden age of platforming adventures. Explore an open world, discovering hidden items and areas.

Two versions of the game are being released, a standard edition and a Dark Edition.

For Gameboy, Gameboy Colour, Gameboy Advance

Sales link https://www.talesofmonsterland.com/

To keep up to date with all the information on Tales of Monsterland and Bitmap Soft please like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter

Train2Game News Pokémon 25 The Album Release Date

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On October 15, Pokémon 25: The Album will be released by Capitol Records as part of a massive, yearlong music campaign from The Pokémon Company International in partnership with Universal Music Group.

See below for the full album tracklist, which was revealed today as the preorder launched.

Preorder Pokémon 25: The Album here.

The 25th anniversary celebration kicked off with Post Malone’s “Only Wanna Be with You (Pokémon 25 Version)” surprise cover of the Hootie and the Blowfish smash ’90s hit, performed during Pokémon’s P25 Music virtual concert in February 2021. Pop icon Katy Perry unveiled her anthemic, original, lead single for the album, “Electric,” in May. New songs by Vince Staples (“Got ’Em”), Cyn (“Wonderful”), and Mabel (“Take It Home”)—collected on The Red EP—followed in August, along with Louane’s “Game Girl.” Individuals who preorder the digital album will instantly receive each of these six songs. The compilation will also feature new tracks by J Balvin, Lil Yachty, Jax Jones with Sinead Harnett, Yaffle (Japanese artist/producer based in Tokyo), and Tierra Whack, plus ZHU’s alternate versions of the songs of The Red EP, which were featured on The Blue EP, released last month.

Speaking about working with Pokémon and being one of the final artists to announce a track on this anticipated album, Lil Yachty says, “I’ve always been a huge Pokémon fan, and I jumped at the opportunity to be on the album. I love the record I did for it, called ‘Believing,’ and I hope it inspires my fans to chase their dreams.”

 “P25 Music has been an incredible journey in which we’ve been able to collaborate with so many amazing musicians to help us celebrate 25 years of Pokémon,” said Colin Palmer, Vice President of Marketing at The Pokémon Company International. “As we count down to the launch of Pokémon 25: The Album and the culmination of this yearlong adventure, we’re looking forward to Lil Yachty, Tierra Whack, and Jax Jones joining the party and adding their own unique sounds and fresh takes on Pokémon-inspired songs to this celebratory compilation.”

Fans can keep up with the latest news for P25 Music and more celebrations across the franchise on Pokémon’s 25th anniversary website at Pokemon.com/25.

Pokémon and music fans are invited to join the conversation online with @Pokemon and #Pokemon25.

Pokémon 25: The Album Tracklist

  1. Katy Perry—Electric
  2. Jax Jones—Phases (with Sinead Harnett)
  3. Mabel—Take It Home
  4. Lil Yachty—Believing
  5. J Balvin—Ten Cuidado
  6. Cyn—Wonderful
  7. Vince Staples—Got ’Em
  8. Louane—Game Girl
  9. Tierra Whack—Art Show
  10. Post Malone—Only Wanna Be With You (Pokémon 25 Version) 
  11. Yaffle – Reconnect (feat. Daichi Yamamoto & AAAMYYY)*
  12. Mabel—Take It Home (ZHU Remix)*
  13. Cyn—Wonderful (ZHU Remix)*
  14. Vince Staples—Got ’Em (ZHU Remix)*

Train2Game News The Switch Collector

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Hagen’s Alley Entertainment today announced a reprint of The Switch Collector: Volume One, a full-color, comprehensive guide to every game physically released in the first year of the Nintendo Switch™ console.

The initial Kickstarter campaign for The Switch Collector: Volume One was funded within hours of launch and only 500 additional copies will be made available to pre-order on today at 11:00 AM EST at https://premiumeditiongames.com/products/the-switch-collector-volume-one?variant=34303995543685.

Additionally, there will be a surprise with this printing along with a free upgrade feature for all Volume Two copies.

Created by noted video game historian and writer Jeffrey Wittenhagen, the unlicensed and unofficial The Switch Collector is a comprehensive “Switchopedia” Collector book series that will cover all the physical releases for the Nintendo Switch™ along with the must play digital-only releases we would like to see come out physically. 

This initial volume, titled “Volume One” is the first of its kind about the system and covers the first year of the Nintendo Switch™ from the launch all the way to its first year anniversary. From Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey to indie favorites like Retro City Rampage and Azure Striker Gunvolt, there is a ton of ground to cover in the first year alone!

The Switch Collector: Volume One is a perfect 8.5″ x 11″ size that matches every other hardcover release by Hagen’s Alley and is an industry standard, using high quality binding and glossy page stock to create a stunning book. This ensures that each and every full color page will be of the highest quality. Each book comes with two bookmark ribbons, blue and red, which matches the original release joy-con colors. The hardcover book also mimics a Nintendo Switch™ box release with a red spine and white text so it can be displayed with your collection flawlessly!

You can view the original campaign for book specifics at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thesubcon3/the-switch-collector-year-one.

“In addition to the wealth of information compiled in these books, my favorite part is the Contributor Switch Stories,” said Wittenhagen. “Sharing personal stories with other gamers is the heart of this hobby, so we wanted to make sure to include them in our Switch Collector editions and respect the historical impact of this console.”

Jonathan Polan, founder of JP’S SWITCHMANIA and co-founder of Premium Edition Games, has contributed his expertise to this volume, exploring variant packaging, collector’s editions and more. 

With anticipated shipping in time for the 2021 Holidays, this is the ideal gift for any passionate Nintendo fans on your list. WIth only 500 copies available, be sure to pre-order now!

Train2Game News Square Enix Tokyo Game Show 2021

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SQUARE ENIX® today announced that a special Square Enix Presents Tokyo Game Show edition will air on October 1 at 3:00AM PDT.

The official stream with English subtitles can be found at https://youtu.be/d-pJiL_wm1M.

The program will focus on both new and previously released information on upcoming Square Enix titles.

In addition to the Square Enix Presents Tokyo Game Show edition, several game-specific stream programs will air throughout the weekend, including the following that will offer English subtitles or dubbing: 

  • Forspoken™ – Friday October 1 at 6:00AM PDT
  • STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN™ – Saturday, October 2 at 5:00AM PDT
  • FINAL FANTASY® VII THE FIRST SOLDIER – Sunday, October 3 at 1:30AM PDT

Check the official website for more details on these and other streaming programs throughout Tokyo Game Show 2021: https://www.jp.square-enix.com/tgs21/eu_na/

Also during Tokyo Game Show, new merchandise and event limited music products will be revealed for pre-order on the North American and European SQUARE ENIX STORE.

Check the official TGS website for more details: https://www.jp.square-enix.com/tgs21/eu_na/merchandise/

Train2Game News KOTOR Returns!

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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake is the legendary tale remade on PlayStation 5

A pinnacle of Star Wars Legends storytelling, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is set over 4,000 years before the events of the original trilogy and introduced a new story of new heroes and villains in an epic struggle for the fate of the galaxy.

The team at Aspyr and Sony Interactive Entertainment have joined forces with Lucasfilm Games to bring you a remake of this classic Star Wars adventure. We’re rebuilding one of the greatest RPGs of all time for a new generation with modern tech, features, visuals and more, while maintaining the integrity of the story and characters that we’ve come to cherish.

And it’s a console exclusive on PlayStation 5 at launch.

If you’re not familiar with “KOTOR” — as you’ll see fans lovingly refer to it — then you’re in for a treat. The original Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was a truly groundbreaking achievement: an award-winning RPG of incredible scope, immersion, and ambition with an epic narrative to match. A diverse cast of characters to meet, multiple planets to discover, challenging battles to fight, and cinematic storytelling that responds to the choices you make — it’s no wonder that to this day KOTOR remains one of the most celebrated video games ever made.

Why remake Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic? Well, nearly 20 years after it first debuted, the original KOTOR is still one of the most beloved games of all time. And even as Star Wars travels to new horizons, we know the community is as eager as ever to return to this iconic era of storytelling and action. 

With Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake, our hope is to give both series newcomers and long-term fans an experience that can live alongside the very best modern releases. We’re rebuilding it from the ground up with the latest tech to match the groundbreaking standard of innovation established by the original, all while staying true to its revered story.

 Aspyr has assembled the very best talent from across the industry to create Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake – industry veterans who have worked on great RPGs, as well as some members of the original Knights of the Old Republic development team. Their knowledge and passion for these characters, this story, and this world is unmatched. And just who is Aspyr? You probably know us as the studio responsible for bringing multiple Star Wars games to modern systems, including Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, Star Wars: Episode I – Racer, Star Wars: Republic Commando, and, yes, the original Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic! 

We’ve been working closely with Lucasfilm Games on classic Star Wars games for years, and that experience has instilled in our team a deep love and respect for these timeless titles, as well as a unique perspective on how to carry them forward into the modern age. We’re proud to be collaborating with Sony Interactive Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games to bring this dream to life. 

So, what’s next? Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake is a tremendous undertaking, encompassing almost every aspect of the original game. We’re still early in development, but we’re happy to finally have announced the remake and hear the PlayStation community’s thoughts on what you’re excited to see. 

Whether you’re new to KOTOR or one of the millions of fans who already know and love it, there’s a great adventure ahead of us. We can’t wait to show you more!

Source: Aspyr blog

Train2Game News Final Fantasy IV Now Available On Steam And Mobile

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SQUARE ENIX® today announced that the critically acclaimed RPG FINAL FANTASY® IV is now available worldwide for Steam® and mobile platforms.

Fans will relive FINAL FANTASY IV’s timeless story of love and betrayal, alongside dynamic characters and battles, with upgraded pixel graphics and audio as a faithful recreation in the 2D pixel remaster series.

The story follows Cecil, a dark knight and captain of the Red Wings, who decides to fight against the tyrannical Kingdom of Baron with his trusted friend and his paramour at his side, and later join forces with Kain the dragoon, Rosa the white mage, Rydia the summoner, and many more skilled allies. FINAL FANTASY IV set the standard for role-playing games with its diverse cast of characters, deep plot and real-time Active Time Battle (ATB) system, where time moves even during battle, giving the players an exciting sense of urgency. This latest version of FINAL FANTASY IV, brings the original release to life with improvements and updates, including:

  • Universally updated 2D pixel graphics redrawn for modern hardware, featuring iconic FINAL FANTASY character pixel designs created by the original artist and current collaborator, Kazuko Shibuya
  • Beautifully rearranged soundtracks, overseen by the original composer, Nobuo Uematsu
  • Improved gameplay, including updated controller and touch controls, modernized UI, auto-battle options and more
  • Quality-of-life improvements including supplemental extras like the bestiary, illustration gallery, music player and the ability to save at any time

Those who purchase FINAL FANTASY IV on Steam® by September 23 will receive early purchase bonuses, including three specially rearranged music tracks, two wallpapers, and a 20% discount. These special tracks transition from the iconic original versions to the new arrangements and include:

  • The Red Wings (Timelapse Remix)
  • Main Theme of FINAL FANTASY IV (Timelapse Remix)
  • Battle 2 (Timelapse Remix)

FINAL FANTASY IV is rated Everyone 10+ (E10+) and is now available on Steam® and mobile platforms. All six games within the pixel remaster series are available for purchase as part of the FINAL FANTASY I-VI Bundle for a further discount. More information on the bundle is available on Steam at: https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/21478.

Long-time fans and newcomers can look forward to additional details and the launch of FINAL FANTASY V and VI at a later date. Visit the official FINAL FANTASY pixel remaster series website for more information at: https://ffpixelremaster.com/