Tag: final

The Walking Dead Final Season Episode 4 Set to Release on March 26th


The end to the final season of the former Telltale Game’s the Walking Dead series is right around the corner, with a now confirmed release date of its fourth and final episode on March 26th, 2019.

As first reported by DualShockers, the episode titled “Take Us Back” now lists a specific release date of March 26th, 2019 on the game’s episode selection page. While Skybound Games, who officially took over production of the final episodes in the series following Telltale’s closure, has yet to officially announce the game themselves. Yet, it doesn’t look like fans will have to wait long to experience not only the end of the season, but the conclusion to Clementine’s overall story as well.

The original season of Telltale’s the Walking Dead first released in April 2012 to critical acclaim and commercial success, claiming multiple Game of the Year nominations and awards in the process. Many could argue that the success of Telltale’s the Walking Dead helped catapult the graphic adventure genre into mainstream popularity, with many studios following the formula after. Due to the unfortunate financial events last September, Telltale Studios was forced to suffer a major studio closure after their last investor pulled out of funding the studio. Over 250 employees were let go from the studio, with only 25 remaining to finish previous obligations including a port of Minecraft: Story Mode to Netflix.

The first three chapters of the Walking Dead’s Final Season are available now on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster Coming April 16th to Nintendo Switch

Another Final Fantasy entry is making its way to the Nintendo Switch, in the form of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster launching on April 16th, 2019.

In a tweet released by Nintendo of America’s twitter account, the company detailed the launch of one of the PlayStation 2’s most popular titles to come in the following months. First announced during a September 2018 Nintendo Direct, Final Fantasy X/X-2 joins a deep list of Final Fantasy titles that were revealed to be making their way to Nintendo’s hybrid home console.

Originally released on the PlayStation 2 in December 2001, Final Fantasy X became one of the system’s most popular titles to own, succeeding both commercially and critically currently sitting at a 92 on MetaCritic. It was the 8th best selling PlayStation 2 game, and became the first PlayStation 2 game to reach two million and four million sold copies. Final Fantasy X-2, which was released in November 2003 on the PlayStation 2, was a direct sequel to the main story line found within X. X-2 follows Yuna from its predecessor, as she seeks to resolve political conflicts in Spira before they lead to war, while also searching for her lost love Tidus from X. The game was also the first entry in the series to feature an all female cast. The original version of the game currently sits at an 85 on MetaCritic. The HD Remastered bundle of both games, which was released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PC, currently sits at an average 84 on MetaCritic between the three releases.

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Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Gets April 30th Release Date on Nintendo Switch

Nintendo has announced that Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is coming to Nintendo Switch on April 30th, 2019.

In a tweet released by Nintendo of America’s Twitter account, the company revealed the new release date for the port of the popular entry in the fan favorite series. Included in the tweet was also new artwork by the game’s character designer Akihiko Yoshida.

Originally released on the PlayStation 2 in March 2006, the 12th numbered-entry in the long-running franchise introduced a multitude of new features and aspects to the series, including an open world, a seamless battle system, a controllable camera, a customizable “gambit” system (letting players control AI characters in battle), and hinting side quests. The Zodiac Age version of the game, which was released in July 2017 on the PlayStation 4 and on PC months later, remasters the experience in high definition, along with upgraded technical performance and new music tracks. The Zodiac Age release currently sits at an 86 on MetaCritic.

For updates on Final Fantasy, and the myriad of Nintendo Switch ports coming this year, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and keep it locked in at Bonus Accessory.

Report: GameStop Registers $488.6 Million Loss in Q3

GameStop is in a weird place. With the increase in sales for digital game licenses, the company has began focusing on more pop culture and novelty items while still trying to push physical game sales. Unfortunately, it seems like redirection isn’t paying dividends, and the bottom line is boldly supporting that.

The gaming-focused retailer released its third quarter fiscal report, which showed a extensive $488.6 million is net income loss. The company saw a 13.4% decrease in pre-owned game sales, which is where the company generates a large portion of their revenue.

GameStop, which has been one of the most popular retailers for gaming needs, has began to shift its focus more towards the collectibles spectrum of gaming, by incorporating various gaming-themed items, to help drive overall business with the increased popularity and convenience of purchasing games digitally.

Chief operating officer and chief financial officer of GameStop, Rob Lloyd, did state that while the company did take a hit with their income, they did see overall growth. “We experienced solid growth in the third quarter, including double-digit growth across software, hardware, accessories and collectibles, underscoring GameStop’s leadership position in video games and our unique ability to satisfy all of our customers’ entertainment needs” Lloyd stated in during the fiscal debriefing. While pre-owned game sales took a hit, hardware sales increased 12.8%, along with a 10.9% increase in new game sales, and a 32.6% increase in accessory sales (controllers, headsets, etc). With multiple strong, AAA titles, such as Marvel’s Spider-Man and Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2, releasing during this quarter, it makes sense to see increases across the board in this fashion; especially with multiple console bundles being available for those titles.

It would be safe to assume GameStop will see an increase after Q4 is wrapped, due to large holiday sales, but the income loss of this magnitude for GameStop is one that raises many concerns for the company currently, and especially in the years to come, as consumers slowly move to a future of primarily digital game sales.

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RUMOR: Square Enix Begins Work on ‘AAA PS5 Title’

For months now, speculation from both fans and media alike has been swirling since both Microsoft and Sony have stated that they have both began development on next generation hardware for their respective platforms. While we haven’t had any concrete time frames on production, or official word on when consumers can expect to get their hands on the next generation tech, it looks like development on next generation titles has also been underway as well.

According to the LinkedIn profile of Tomohiro Tokoro, 3D Character Model Lead Artist & 3D Graphic Directer, he has listed working on a “new AAA title for PS5” as experience with Luminous Productions, a studio under the Square Enix umbrella (pictured below). The profile, which has since removed the PlayStation 5 and mobile title bullet points, also has listed experience with a “new mobile title for China” and a plethora of work on Final Fantasy 15, including the base version of the game with Square Enix, the Windows Edition, Multiplayer expansion Comrades, and the now-cancelled expansion episodes Ardyn, Aranea, Lunafrena and Noctis.

Last week, Hajime Tabata, Director of Final Fantasy 15, resigned from his role with Luminous Productions and Square Enix, which in turn sparked the cancellation of all remain Final Fantasy 15 DLC plans, both in development and future expansions. The company released a statement, in which it showed the parting seemed mutual between the two parties. “It is with regret to see the departure of such a talented member of staff who applied themselves on Final Fantasy 15 and other memorable titles. We wish him every success for the future and will continue to cheer him on”, the company stated. What sparked fans curiosity on what could be next, and could possibly play into this recent LinkedIn posting is what the company stated on its future plans. “As to the future of Luminous Productions, the studio was established with the goal to create a new IP (intellectual property), so we are continuing to develop our new title.” Comparing the two timelines give an eerie vibe of similarity, which makes you wonder: can the next generation of consoles be sooner than we think? While Square Enix and Luminous Production both specially mention this next project being a new IP, does make you think that with the radio silence surrounding the Final Fantasy 7 remake “planned” for current generation console, could play into Square’s future plans moving forward. Does that get pushed to the next generation if it’s closer than we think? Does this even possibly end up being Final Fantasy 16 in disguise? The waiting game begins…

While we don’t know when the next generation of consoles is coming, this possible tidbit does give gamers a lot to be ecstatic about, with the next technological leap coming within the next few years.

 

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