Operation Backlog Completion 2026

Let’s Talk about Jedi: Fallen Order

 Video games  2 Responses »  Tagged with:
Apr 152019
 

It was a big weekend for Star Wars news, including the official reveal of Respawn’s upcoming game Jedi: Fallen Order.

Set shortly after Revenge of the Sith, Jedi: Fallen Order follows Cal Kestis, a Padawan trying to survive in the aftermath of Order 66.

Cal is forced to go on the run, while being pursued by the Second Sister (an Inquisitor in the Empire) and the Purge Troopers. It’s an action adventure game that will include lightsaber combat and Force abilities.

More importantly, it’s a single-player, story-driven game. I’m not sure what made EA change their minds after shutting down Visceral, but they officially stated that Jedi: Fallen Order won’t have microtransactions or loot boxes.

Respawn’s Vince Zampella also confirmed that there won’t be multiplayer. It’s completely a story-focused experience.

That all sounds great. I’ll need to see more of the game, but right now they have my attention. The reveal trailer basically just sets up the premise for the story.

One of its writers is also Chris Avellone, who previously worked on Knights of the Old Republic 2 as well as several other RPGs, so that’s also a good sign.

(Speaking of whom, he recently told VG247 about Obsidian’s hopes for the never-made KotOR 3. If story-driven Star Wars games are in again, can we finally get more KotOR?)

Jedi: Fallen Order will be out on November 15 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. There is a Deluxe Edition that includes some bonus content and cosmetic items, as well as cosmetic pre-order bonuses, but here’s hoping their “no microtransactions” promise is legitimate.

After my disappointment with Visceral’s closure and the reworking of their Star Wars game, I’ve been hoping for a story-driven Star Wars game and I want to believe Jedi: Fallen Order is it. What do you think from what has been revealed so far?

Tabata’s Next Game is a Fantasy Paralympics RPG

 Video games  2 Responses »  Tagged with:
Apr 122019
 

When Hajime Tabata left Square Enix and established his own studio, we wondered what he would work on next… and the answer is something no one expected.

Tabata’s new studio JP Games officially announced The Pegasus Dream Tour, an upcoming RPG they are making together with the International Paralympic Committee.

The game is intended to promote the Paralympics, especially with the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics coming up. The Paralympics is organized alongside the Olympics and is a competitive sports event for athletes with a wide range of disabilities.

So what is The Pegasus Dream Tour?

It is a sports RPG set in a fantasy city called Pegasus City. Players will compete in an alternate Paralympics where they awaken special abilities known as Xtra Power. Tabata said it will “represent fully the wonders that are unique to Paralympic sports.”

This definitely isn’t what I expected Tabata to make next, especially since he seems to favor darker stories, but he’s doing it for a good cause and the idea has the potential to be pretty cool. A sports RPG involving special powers makes me think of Inazuma Eleven (which, yes, I probably should give another chance).

It’s also just interesting to me that he didn’t immediately try to develop something that mirrors his past games, which is what a lot of developers seem to do when they start their own studios, but instead went in a different direction while staying within the RPG genre.

The Pegasus Dream Tour is planned for a worldwide launch in 2020, and it will be released for “various platforms, including smartphones.”

Aside from my recent love for Golf Story, I’ve never been much of one for sports games, but I’m interested in seeing where it goes. What do you think of The Pegasus Dream Tour?

The Phoenix Wright Trilogy is Now Out on All Major Platforms

 Video games  2 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Apr 102019
 

If you’ve been interested in the Ace Attorney series but didn’t have a platform to play it on, you’re in luck!

The Phoenix Wright Trilogy, which includes the first three games in the series, is now available on pretty much everything (except Vita).

That’s right, it was just released for the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 4, the Xbox One, and Steam.

This means a new audience can now enjoy the Ace Attorney series for the first time!

Will it end with the first trilogy? Hopefully not. The old rumors about the Ace Attorney Switch games seem completely unreliable when you consider the time frame, but a second collection containing Apollo Justice, Dual Destinies, and Spirit of Justice would be a great way for all of these new fans to catch up on the series in time for the next game.

Speaking of which, where is the next game? We’ve been waiting for Ace Attorney 7 news for a while now. Soon we’ll be coming up on three years since the release of Spirit of Justice.

Meanwhile, I’m still hoping that the theoretical future compilations include an Investigations Duology that will finally give an official localization to Gyakuten Kenji 2, and I still hope we’ll see localization of the Dai Gyakuten Saiban games eventually… maybe in 2023 when the final Sherlock Holmes stories enter the public domain.

Are you planning to pick up the Phoenix Wright Trilogy on one of the new platforms? Do you think another Ace Attorney collection will follow? When will Ace Attorney 7 be announced? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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