Author: Trafficblast

Some more Super Smash Bros. Ultimate news is on the way very soon. Before the Super Smash Bros. Melee Grand Finals kicked off at EVO 2018, Nintendo announced it is going to broadcast a special Nintendo Direct presentation all about the upcoming Smash game for Switch this Wednesday, August 8.

The Direct will begin at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET / 3 PM BST. Nintendo hasn’t revealed how long the presentation is scheduled to last, nor has it divulged any further details on what will be shown off, only confirming that the Direct will be delivered by series director Masahiro Sakurai and will feature “new game information.” You’ll be able to stream the presentation on Nintendo’s website and right here on GameSpot.

This marks the first new information Nintendo is sharing about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate since the game was formally unveiled at E3 this past June. During the company’s E3 presentation, we learned that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will feature the largest roster in the series to date, with every single character from previous games returning for the Switch entry. Nintendo also confirmed that Ultimate is a new game built for Switch, not a port.

Perhaps most notably, we got our first look two brand-new additions to the roster at E3: Samus’s much-requested nemesis, Ridley, and Princess Daisy. Both characters will receive their own Amiibo figures, as will returning fighters such as Wolf and Ice Climbers. Nintendo confirmed all existing Super Smash Bros. Amiibo will be compatible with Ultimate, and reprints of many previous figures will be made available later this year.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches for Switch on December 7. You can read more about the highly anticipated fighter in our roundup of everything we know about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Bandai Namco has announced two new characters for SoulCalibur VI: Astaroth and Seong Mi-na. The announcement was made during EVO 2018, an annual fighting game tournament held in Las Vegas. During the show producer Motohiro Okubo appeared on stage to reveal the characters and show off a trailer for both characters.

For longtime SoulCalibur players Astaroth and Seong Mi-na will be welcome additions, as they have both been mainstays in previous titles. As with his previous incarnations, Astaroth towers above most of his enemies, and makes good on his imposing presence by wielding a giant axe. He’s a powerhouse, using his incredible strength to deal huge damage and, thanks to his axe, also has pretty good range.

Seong Mi-na also has great range thanks to her longsword. She also looks to have very oppressive strings and is capable of mixing up high and low attacks very quickly. She’ll no doubt be putting defenses to the test with her aggressive, speedy style of fighting. You can see both characters in action in the video above.

In late July, Voldo was also announced as a returning character, which didn’t come as a huge surprise as he’s one of the five characters that has appeared in every entry in the series series, making his debut in 1995’s Soul Edge.

SoulCalibur VI’s release date has been confirmed as October 19. Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher series has been confirmed as a guest character and will even be featured on the game’s cover. Witcher developer CD Projekt Red says it is working closely with Bandai to assure Geralt looks and feels authentic in the game.

The tail end of summer is here and autumn is on its way, and that can only mean football is back. Likewise, video game football is back, as EA’s annual addition to the Madden franchise helps kick off both the football season and the busy release season for new games. Madden NFL 19 is coming next week, and reviews are already rolling in.

The consensus is that this year’s Madden is an iterative improvement on last year’s installment. Reviews run the gamut from the strongest franchise entry in years to a solid but unspectacular sequel, but all seem to agree it’s dependable for some gridiron action. Our Madden NFL 19 review in progress praised the wealth of Ultimate Team activities and more precise control, but found that some changes to Longshot and Franchise XP may irk longtime fans. Read on for a variety of critical responses, and check out GameSpot’s sister site Metacritic for even more reviews.

• Game: Madden NFL 19
• Developer / Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
• Release date: August 10
• Price: US $60 / £60 / AU $69

GameSpot (Review in Progress) — 8/10

“Madden 19 is an excellent football game that improves on last year’s entry in almost every way. There are problems, but there has never been a football game that more authentically represents the NFL than this in terms of presentation, controls, and depth. Madden 19 servers go live on August 10, and GameSpot’s final review will be published after we’ve thoroughly tested their stability.” — Eddie Makuch [Full review]

GamesRadar — 9/10

“Despite a few niggling issues, Madden 19 is going to be a game you’ll be playing well into the Super Bowl and beyond. It effortlessly makes its way onto the series’ Mount Rushmore; every swaggering step and ankle-breaking shimmy all the more reason to want to return and replay a game at the peak of its powers on the pitch. Madden has never been better in terms of cleats-on-the-ground nitty-gritty gameplay. Its periphery content, such as Longshot: Homecoming, shouldn’t be overlooked, either. Care and attention has been poured into the game from opening coin toss to final whistle–and you’re going to love every minute of it.” — Bradley Russell [Full review]

IGN — 8.9/10

“Madden 19 returns the primary focus where it belongs: that moment-to-moment gameplay between the end zones. It’s only true stumbling point is the lackluster story mode that fails to recapture the magic of the first, but that’s entirely offset by the new player handling that once again leverages the power of the Frostbite engine. Most importantly, Madden 19 has finally cracked that slightly repetitive feel that can make it tough to go on, game after game. With Real Player Motion delivering a fluid on-the-field experience, and Franchise mode customization offering another level of realism, Madden is in a great place.” — Dustin Toms [Full review]

Digital Trends — 8/10

“Madden NFL 19 offers an accessible Ultimate Team mode, a welcome player progression change, and minor gameplay tweaks that make the game ever so slightly more realistic. Longshot: Homecoming, however, is an unmitigated disaster.” — Steven Petite [Full review]

Game Informer — 8/10

“Madden 19 doesn’t have earth-shattering features that draw me in. Some new features don’t shake out how I hoped they might, and other problems haven’t been fixed. But I’m still going to spend hours with this title for the way it captures the sport and puts me in the center of it with some fantastic gameplay moments. Like when the real life team you root for loses in the playoffs, you rue the mistakes but smile at the victories that got them there. Being a video game sports fan and a fan of real-life sports is no different. Sometimes things don’t always go the way you think they might, but if you can’t find joy in being a part of it all, then perhaps you need to find something else to invest your time into.” — Matthew Kato [Full review]

USGamer — 3.5/5

“Madden 19 is a solid, if occasionally ragged, follow-up to last year’s big transition to Frostbite. The improvements to the animation and franchise mode stand out, but Longshot: Homecoming feels like a step back from last year’s ambitious introduction. The multitude of interesting but mostly subtle updates ultimately make this an entry that is primarily geared toward hardcore fans of the series.” — Kat Bailey [Full review]

The next RPG in the Persona franchise, titled Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, just received a new Japanese trailer (see below) that revealed plenty of new details. Casts from the past three mainline games are brought together in what appears to be a charming, yet mysterious adventure with cinema as the central motif. Cinematics and gameplay were shown off, as well as adorable chibi versions of Persona 5‘s Phantom Thieves to fit the Persona Q aesthetic.

Like the first Q spin-off game–with Rei and Zen–new characters are thrown into the mix. The currently unnamed character is shown standing in front of a theater screen and later falling from a building; there’s also shadow-like figure standing in a film room. During the brief gameplay clips in the trailer, you can see a party made up of the three main protagonists, Makoto Niijima, and Yukari Takeba. Afterward, you can see the Persona 3 protagonist casting a spell with a Persona 5-style graphical cut-in for effective attacks. A dialogue sequence also shows Ann Takamaki talking with Teddie and Yu Narukami, Caroline and Justine tripping over themselves, and Ann with Goro Akechi investigating the theater.

It seems there’s a misunderstanding as the Persona 4 and 5 main characters; they’re seen fighting each other hand-to-hand. Lastly, a wonderful surprise comes at the end of the trailer which shows the optional female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable.

The long-running franchise is known for its stellar character development and dynamic turn-based combat. As spin-offs of Shin Megami Tensei, Persona 3, 4, and 5 in particular merged elements of social simulation genre and traditional RPGs to create unique and powerful experiences. Persona Q adopts the dungeon-crawling exploration and modified turn-based combat style seen in the Etrian Odyssey franchise while staying true to the spirit of the core Persona games.

Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth launches in Japan on November 29, 2018 for Nintendo 3DS. Details on a localized version for the West has not yet been revealed. More information on the game will be given on August 6.

We consider Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth one of the best 3DS games available; it unites the Investigation Team and SEES for a challenging and charming RPG. We also awarded second place to Persona 5 in our best games of 2017 list. This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Persona 4, be sure to read our retrospective feature in celebration of the game’s impact and legacy.

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