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Bandai Namco released a new story trailer for Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream and revealed that the console release date is set for October 3, 2024, and it will appear on October 4, 2024 on Steam for PCs. The trailer showcases a variety of characters in and out of combat, with an emphasis on the original characters created for the game.

Additionally, plenty of returning characters were featured in the trailer. These include deuteragonist Asuna, Eugeo, Alice, Leafa, and ALfheim Online villain Oberon. Characters like LLENN and Fukaziroh from SAO Alternative: Gun Gale Online also appeared, and they were revealed to appear in the game back in March 2024.

The new story trailer for the game is only available in Japanese, but there are English subtitles available via the YouTube close captions. You can check out the Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream story trailer here:

In addition, Bandai Namco announced that a collaboration with the now defunct mobile game Sword Art Online Unleash Blading will appear in SAO: Fractured Daydream in the form of a Demon Lord costume set. The costume will be available for Kirito, as well as for other unspecified characters.

SAO: Fractured Daydream was originally announced during the February 2024 Nintendo Direct, and it is an online co-op action RPG that features raid team battles with up to 20 simultaneous players.

The Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream release date is October 4, 2024, and the game will come out for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam. The game will also feature cross-platform compatibility.

The post Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream Gets Release Date, New Trailer appeared first on Siliconera.

Bandai Namco went over changes that will be made to Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream following the closed beta test and, in so doing, also noted it will be a cross-platform compatible game with no loot boxes. The up-to-20-player co-op title is heading to the Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2024.

Producer Shohei Mogami brought up the cross-platform compatibility in Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream in the closed beta test report. This was noted in his portion of the statement as being a measure to allow people worldwide to play with each other. Director Shuichi Goto also noted that because of the desire for this kind of co-op, the team needed “needed to have our own servers. So, we created the servers and ran some technical tests to accommodate a large number of players. It was only after we verified that everything was working correctly, that we started working on the development of the title.” This was the purpose of the technical test.

The update also noted Bandai Namco is considering another beta test for Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream. The announcement didn’t promise anything. It only noted that another trial is being considered. 

As for changes, it went over things people can and can’t expect. There will be no paid loot boxes in Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream. It also won’t be possible to turn automatic lock-on release on and off. Goddess Statues will appear in certain situations. Also, difficulty will change in the final version based on how many players are present. Finally, offline Story Mode and online Free Mode will be available in the final game.

Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream will come to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2024 and feature cross-platform compatibility. 

The post Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream Cross-Platform Compatibility Confirmed appeared first on Siliconera.

The next season of Bandai Namco's survivor vs. raider saga is coming soon. Dragon Ball The Breakers Season 2, the next wave of content for the game, goes live tomorrow on February 16, 2023. Bandai Namco's been teasing it for a while, and the highlight of the season is the addition of a new playable Raider: Vegeta.

Check out the preview trailer for the season below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6szcwj0JpE

The addition of Vegeta as a player-controlled Raider character is brimming with references to one of Dragon Ball Z's most iconic storylines: The Vegeta Saga. The second story arc in Dragon Ball Z, the Vegeta Saga recounts the battles against Vegeta and Nappa, two elite Saiyan warriors that arrive on Earth. Goku, who died in the battle with Raditz previously, must race back to Earth to save his friends and son before they can be killed.

The trailer for Dragon Ball The Breakers Season 2 shows hints about how Vegeta will be implemented as a Raider. At the first stage of evolution, the Raider player manifests as a set of Saibamen, Vegeta's disposable alien suicide troops. The Saibamen can latch onto a Survivor and explode, killing them in the same way as Yamcha. The next stage of Raider evolution puts the raiding player in control of Nappa, a powerful but standard fighter. The third stage of evolution will see Nappa executed by Vegeta as the former Saiyan prince steps in to fight directly. Finally, Vegeta can evolve into the massive Giant Ape form, which is ten times more powerful than a normal Saiyan.

When Season 2 of Dragon Ball The Breakers launches, players will be able to purchase the Vegeta Raider via TP Tokens. Survivor skins for Chi-Chi and Yajirobe will also be available for TP Tokens, while a Survivor skin for King Furry will, like Farmer from Season 1, be unlocked by progressing the Dragon Tier system for the season.

The Dragon Ball The Breakers next season launches on February 16, 2023. The game is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Check out Siliconera's review of the game.

The post Dragon Ball The Breakers Season 2 Brings Raider Vegeta appeared first on Siliconera.

Sword Art Online is a popular franchise with a vision of the future of video games lying at its core. And as might be expected of such a thing, a fair few real video games exist to cater to its fans. But where to start? The many game adaptations of Sword Art Online exist across multiple console generations and even multiple genres. In light of the recent announcement of Sword Art Online: Last Recollection, we've come up with a quick guide to help you find out the best place to start with SAO video games.

Where can I get Sword Art Online games?

SAO games are available on a variety of platforms, including the PSP, PS Vita, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, and once Last Recollection hits, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. That said, right now the most convenient way to play all of the relevant Sword Art Online games is via PC or PS4. All the officially-released single-player SAO games are available via Steam or the PSN store, so you can play them in order on a single platform, if you wish. The PC versions do have a slight advantage in that they tend to go on sale more often than on PSN, too, which will help minimize your outlay if you have to buy them.

What order should I play Sword Art Online Games in? 3uj3o

With the exception of various mobile and free-to-play entries, the game adaptations of Sword Art Online form a distinct, alternative timeline to the novels and anime series. The games have a number of original characters, and incorporate events and storylines from the source material in unique ways. The departures from "canon" don't alter the fundamental context of Sword Art Online's narrative, but they may confuse someone coming from the anime expecting things to be the same across media.

Luckily, the distinct timeline makes the task of playing the games in order pretty simple: Just play them in the order they were released (with one exception). The Sword Art Online games' narratives proceed in chronological order. While they aren't closely linked, they do reference each other occasionally. Players interested in exploring exploring the SAO games' would do best to have at least some familiarity with prior titles if they intend to jump into one of the later ones.

Now, here's a description of each Sword Art Online game, in the order they should be played.

Sword Art Online: Re: Hollow Fragment 3q1h6n

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCaIap4PEQ0

Technically speaking, 2013's Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment was the first title in this particular timeline of SAO games. However, it wasn't actually released in the west. There's also no need to play it, because Infinity Moment has been completely replaced by its quasi-sequel, 2014's Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment.

Hollow Fragment was an updated re-release brought to PS Vita that contains all of Infinity Moment's content as a base. It was further updated for PS4 (and later, PC) and titled Sword Art Online: Re: Hollow Fragment. In a way, this game lies at the root of the SAO games' alternate timeline. It asks "What if Kirito and the gang still had to clear the rest of the Aincrad tower before leaving the death game?" and uses that point as a springboard to introduce characters like Sinon, Leafa, and Yuuki to the story much earlier than they would've ed otherwise. It even adds an original character, Strea, to the mix.

Sword Art Online: Re: Hollow Fragment is available on PC via Steam and PS4.

Sword Art Online: Lost Song b4s5h

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMF0J9OH8Y4

Originally released for the PS Vita and PS3, then ported to PS4 and PC, 2015's Sword Art Online: Lost Song takes place in the fairy-themed Alfheim Online (ALO), the game Kirito, Asuna and their friends gravitate to after escaping from SAO and Aincrad. It also answers a slight continuity problem raised by Hollow Fragment by essentially skipping the whole "Fairy Dance" plotline (which couldn't have happened as originally written, anyway). Instead, the game leans in on an original adventure in a new expansion area to ALO called "Svart Alfheim".

Lost Song is notable for featuring the ALO character designs for most of the original SAO crew, as well as bringing in various ALO-based characters from the Fairy Dance arc (like Alicia Rue and Sakuya) and the Girls Ops spin-off manga. A rudimentary "original character" system is incorporated, but it really only allows you to create a templated NPC and has no effect on the narrative. That narrative features more game-original characters: Sumeragi, Seven, and Rain. Notably, the game also features an alternative, arguably happier take to the "Mother's Rosario" story arc, as well.

Sword Art Online: Lost Song is available on PC via Steam, PS Vita, and PS4.

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization 3q1k1e

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-Jzb8HiVYo

Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment and Hollow Fragment developer Aquria returned to the helm for the next SAO game adaptation, and essentially decided to make a more fully realized take on Hollow Fragment for the occasion. They even return to Sword Art Online itself - or rather, Sword Art: Origin - a new, non-lethal title that reuses assets and quests from Aincrad. The release intrigues Kirito and the crew, who decide to jump in to see what's up, only to discover the seeds of new adventure in Premiere, a strangely intelligent NPC that wasn't in the original SAO.

Hollow Realization revisits a lot of Hollow Fragment's ideas, particularly the ones involving the quasi-simulation of the meandering MMORPG game rhythm. Its NPC interaction system allows Kirito to chat up and play alongside even random NPC characters, building bonds with them beyond his stable of named s. These mechanics show up as well in in The Caligula Effect, another Aquria-developed RPG. Premiere and Genesis the roster of game-original characters, while Kizmel from the Sword Art Online Progressive series makes an appearance.

Hollow Realization is available on PC via Steam, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch, and on PS4.

Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet 6g2w6v

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgnlWy1lFvo

Of the many ways that Sword Art Online games have departed from the narratives of the original novels and anime, Fatal Bullet might be the most dramatic separation of them all. For one thing, the base game doesn't even star Kirito and his pals, but instead involves a player-created protagonist and their buddies. This player protagonist is a resident of Gun Gale Online, the gun-based VR MMORPG that serves as the setting for the "Death Gun" story arc. Being based on Gun Gale Online makes for a dramatic departure in game mechanics, too. Fatal Bullet was developed by Dimps, creators of Freedom Wars, and more than a little of that game's DNA manifests in Fatal Bullet, with its gun-based play and its use of a powerful grappling hook-like device, as well as an "assistant" NPC that you can customize.

Kirito and company won't be left out, of course, and the story gives players a chance to experience a Sword Art Online story that views Kirito from the outside, a relatively rare perspective, as SAO goes. The "Death Gun" story is also featured as a separate plotline, though, and does put Kirito in similar circumstances, complete with his effeminate "Kiriko" avatar. Fatal Bullet also features GGO-based incarnations of the now-familiar SAO cast. Characters like LLEN, Pitohui, Fukaziroh, and others from SAO Alternative: Gun Gale Online manga also show up.

Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is available on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One.

Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris 303k3t

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whxHYYmgesU

The most recent of the Sword Art Online games, Alicization Lycoris represents something of a break from some of the ideas put forth in other SAO titles. Just like the Alicization story arc in the anime and novels feel like an SAO-flavored take on the popular "isekai" stories of the current age, Alicization Lycoris returns to the narrative roots of Infinity Moment by building off of what should've been the canonical "end" of a key story arc in the source material. Stuck in the virtual, AI-populated "Underworld", Kirito and his new buddy Eugeo work together to defeat its tyrannical "". But things don't go the way they did in the book, and essentially leaves Kirito in a position to adventure around in Underworld's Human Empire for the rest of the game, alongside many of his friends from the real world (and other games). The secondary plot also centers around Medina, a game-original Underworld resident, adding to the increasingly large cast of the SAO games' universe. Its sequel, Last Recollection, should expand the Underworld further, bringing in more elements from the "War for Underworld" storyline that closed out the most recent series.

Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

Sword Art Online vs. Accel World: Millennium Twilight 43t5z

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QIVqY9xMwU

You'll notice that I left out this game, though chronologically it came out in 2017, between Hollow Realization and Fatal Bullet. That's because even in a series of games that made its name by diverging from the source, Sword Art Online vs. Accel World is considered "non-canonical" by many of its players. Millennium Twilight is more of a tribute to another of SAO author Reki Kawahara's works: Accel World. Set (theoretically) a few decades into the SAO universe's future, Accel World stars a gang of kids that compete for territory in an Augmented Reality (AR) game called Brain Burst. Playable only by teenagers, Brain Burst unlocks a secret time-dilation function in every youth's cybernetic internet implant, allowing them to perform nearly superhuman feats in real life by paying "Burst Points" earned in-game. The contrivances of quantum mechanics and brand synergy come together to have Kirito and his pals hang out with a bunch of kids from a generation in the future. As ripe as the premise is for fan indulgence, the game is built on the creaky skeleton of Sword Art Online: Lost Song, and it isn't referenced much in subsequent games. Though an interesting curiosity, particularly for fans of Accel World (all several dozen of us!), it's largely inessential.

Sword Art Online vs. Accel World: Millennium Twilight is available on PC via Steam, PS4 and PS Vita.

The post Where to Play Sword Art Online Games in Order appeared first on Siliconera.

The Survivors of Bandai Namco's Dragon Ball: The Breakers are in hell, or at least purgatory. They're forever trapped in a tiny plaza, just waiting to be randomly pulled into a dark portal the Time Patrol calls a "Time Seam." In doing so they're teleported to one of three godforsaken maps filled with equally luckless civilians, and then they're hunted by the most powerful villains of multiple universes. And it's never going to end, because that's the how the game works in the first place. The poor sods. Luckily, they're not real, and Bandai Namco turns their suffering into a an often hilarious, sometimes awkward adaptation of the asymmetrical survival horror formula.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers hasn't changed much since I last played during the 2021 network tests. As then, you and seven other Survivors must scramble around the map, avoiding a player-controlled Raider. The Raider is based on a powerful Dragon Ball baddie, and three are available at launch: Cell, the super-strong Bio-Android, Galactic Emperor Frieza, and the many forms of Majin Buu. More Raiders are planned, with Great Ape Vegeta being teased for the next content season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOHIJYfM9Fo

To keep things interesting, the Survivors need to accomplish objectives scattered around the map to win. Each Dragon Ball: The Breakers map is divided into several areas, and each area hides a Power Key. When all the available Keys have been found and placed at specific locations, a Super Time Machine descends in the center of the map. Activating that machine wins the game. The more keys are activated, the quicker this process can go. And Survivors will want to hurry it along, as the Raider can win by destroying the Super Time Machine before it can be turned on.

Meanwhile, the Raider's job is to eliminate the Survivors, or destroy the time machine. Though Raiders are tough fighters even at their most vulnerable, they're not invincible. They'll need to evolve, usually by killing off Survivors or some of the civilians hiding around the map. Each Raider is unique and has four stages of evolution, as well as a different approach to leveling up. Cell is quite vulnerable at Level 1, being little more than a fast bug looking for nearby civilians, but he evolves out of this form pretty quickly. Frieza can fight quite well even at the start, with plenty of attacks to bully Survivors, but he needs to be proactive about chasing Survivors down, since he only evolves quickly when in the heat of a fight. Lastly, Majin Buu doesn't even appear on the map at first, with the Raider player controlling the minor villains Spopovich and Yamu. The pair are relatively weak on their own, but still need to hunt down civilians and Survivors to gather energy, then book it back to Majin Buu's egg to fill it up and summon Buu himself. The usual play is to evolve a bit and harass the Survivors, and then take advantage of the Super Time Machine's descent to gather them all in one place for a showdown.

While a Raider is a tough foe at any time, and practically invincible when fully evolved, Survivors still have many tools to even the odds. They can call on an array of active and ive skills, like jumping pads, zip lines, grappling hooks, and even classic Saiyan Pods to search the map or temporarily disable a pursuing Raider. And when a fight is on, every Survivor can use an equipped Transphere, which channels the spirit of a Dragon Ball hero like Goku, Vegeta, or Yamcha. Transpheres allow Survivors to go toe-to-toe with Raiders, using classic moves like Vegeta's Galick Gun or the Kamehameha. They're charged up by acquiring Change Energy throughout the map, but even when maxed out they don't last very long. Survivors will want to use their changes judiciously, taking advantage of numbers to set up a beatdown.

And then there are the Dragon Balls themselves. All seven are scattered on the map, and when gathered, can be used to summon Shenron to grant a wish. A Survivor can wish to sur their limits, temporarily granting them enough power to beat a maxed-out Raider, or even distribute extra change power to all the living Survivors and make whole team stronger.

In other words, despite the power imbalance inherent in Dragon Ball: The Breakers, the Survivors and Raiders have surprisingly even odds of coming out on top in the end. A coordinated group of Survivors can summon their time machine before a Raider's been able to get strong enough to become unbeatable, while a tenacious Raider can spoil the Survivors' efforts, crushing them while they scramble around the map. And all of this is against the bright, cheery, and frankly absurd tone of Dragon Ball proper. Where similar games in this genre replicate horror titles and slasher movies, being hunted by a Raider or scrambling to escape feels more like the time a giant dinosaur tried to eat Gohan.

Of course, with three maps and three Raiders, repetition can set in. Bandai Namco adds variety by mixing up the available active skills players can use. Survivors can also use skins of characters like Bulma, Oolong, and the Farmer, which often have bespoke skills that can be equipped. For example, Bulma can summon a fast unicycle, while Oolong can transform into a missile. Transpheres also add more skills. Vegeta unlocks the Saiyan Pod, which can teleport to any point on the map, while Goku unlocks the Kaioken Rush, a rapid maneuver that can knock a Raider flying for a short while.

These skills are added by Dragon Ball: The Breakers' monetization. Though the game isn't free-to-play, it bears all the hallmarks of a modern microtransaction-based service title. There's a "Dragon Tier" battle that progressively unlocks rewards, as well as an item shop with cosmetics for sale. Some can be purchased with coins earned in-game, but others use currency. You can also buy emotes, clothing for Survivors, entrance and victory poses (including Tao Pai Pai's famous pillar), and even a few extra active skills. There's also a "Spirit Siphon" gacha system, where you roll for new Transpheres. Transpheres unlock new characters to transform into as a Survivor, or add extra cosmetics and super moves to existing ones. For example, getting Goku might unlock the character, but if you get him again, it'll add the Kaioken Assault super move that you can choose instead of his Kamehameha.

It sounds like the monetization could be open to "pay-to-win" shenanigans, considering that new super moves and active skills can and do constitute a gameplay effect. That's true in principle, which is enough of a concern, but at least as far as I've seen, what you can pay for in Dragon Ball: The Breakers doesn't make a big difference in outcomes. For example, rolling the gacha for a powerful Transphere might get you a strong fighter, but the time limit on it is just as strict for Goku as it is for Yamcha. Nor will having a powerful super move matter if you can only get off one or two blasts before a fight has to end. Having an exotic Active Skill might be more of a game-changer, but many skills have equivalents, and long skill cooldowns means it's still ing finding the right place and time to deploy a skill. All the same, that specter does hang over the game, and clouds what would otherwise be a jolly contest.

All the same, despite iffy monetization choices and the general feeling that the game might not last long enough to become a permanent part of your rotation, Dragon Ball: The Breakers is a frantic and fast-paced interpretation of a genre otherwise saturated in horror movie tropes. Steeped in fun Dragon Ball in-jokes and goofy humor, there's there's a lot of slapstick joy to be found in the game, so much so that it wouldn't be out of place if the Benny Hill theme kicked in every so often.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers is available on PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. This review is based on a PC version of the game purchased by the reviewer.

The post Review: Dragon Ball: The Breakers is Frantic and Goofy appeared first on Siliconera.

Sweets lovers, ready your Scouter, as Majin Buu and the Farmer will make their appearances in Dragon Ball: The Breakers. Buu will appear as a Raider while the Farmer is a Survivor. As well, Bandai Namco will be holding an open beta for Dragon Ball: The Breakers from September 21 to September 25, 2022. Eligible platforms are the PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Windows PC (through Steam).

While the notice says that more information on the open beta is on the website for Dragon Ball: The Breakers, it is not there as of the time of writing. However, since it is an open beta, there will likely not be any strict requirements in order to participate. It will run from September 21 (6:00 PM) to September 25, 2022 (1:00 AM) PST.

You can watch the trailer for Majin Buu and the Farmer as they will appear in Dragon Ball: The Breakers here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B6Pbb3CMmw

Buu can transform through his different forms, with each form likely having different skills or specs. It is a bit more unclear what the Farmer can do. But in the trailer, you can see him plow the Earth with other Survivors, and he is holding onto a shotgun.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers will be a departure from most other Dragon Ball games as an asymmetric online co-op game in the vein of Dead by Daylight or Identity V. The story follows citizens in a Temporal Seam, along with a Raider from another timeline. They must use the Super Time Machine to escape the Temporal Seam while avoiding the Raider, who can grow stronger as time es.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers will come out on October 14, 2022 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC.

The post Majin Buu and Farmer to Appear in Dragon Ball: The Breakers appeared first on Siliconera.

As Bandai Namco likes to say in its DLC trailers, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 keeps expanding. The company teased the next addition to the game on Friday, and it's based on the latest movie, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. In fact, Bandai Namco is adding an entire Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero DLC Pack set to the game. The set consists of two Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Super Hero DLC packs. The first pack releases in Fall 2022, and adds three characters.

So far only one character from the Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Super Hero DLC has been revealed, and it's Gamma 2, one of the Red Ribbon Army's "Super Heroes". Check out his trailer below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aytm2r8EYpk

Gamma 2 is the second Red Ribbon Army fighter created by Dr. Hedo. He's voiced by Mamoru Miyano in Japanese. Miyano also plays Bedivere in Fate/Grand Order and Rin in Free!. In the trailer, Gamma 2 confronts Piccolo, using his physical attacks and Gamma Blaster to inflict damage. He also strikes a flamboyant pose to activate his Android Barrier, creating an opportunity for Gamma 2 to counter an incoming strike. Though the other character offerings in the packs are unconfirmed, the trailer makes it pretty clear that Gamma 1 will the roster, too. The end of the trailer teases his arrival. Gamma 1 is voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya. Kamiya also played Trafalgar Law in One Piece, and Levi in Attack on Titan.

The first  Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Super Hero DLC pack launches in Fall 2022 with Gamma 2 and two other characters. The second pack does not have a release window as yet. Xenoverse 2 is available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch, and Google Stadia.

The post Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Super Hero DLC Pack Adds Gamma 2 appeared first on Siliconera.

It's time for some hell with Cell (and Frieza). Dragon Ball: The Breakers has a release date, and it's launching soon. A Tweet from the official confirmed that Bandai Namco's open-map Saiyan survival simulator launches on October 14, 2022.

The announcement also confirmed the presence of universal ruler Lord Frieza as one of the playable villains via a trailer.

https://twitter.com/DBTB_EN/status/1550118401992888320

The trailer takes place on the planet Namek, where a player character attempts to save a trapped Namekian child. Seen through the telltale projection of a Scouter, the player briefly channels Son Goku's power to deliver a blow. It doesn't work, and Frieza in his first form emerges from the smoke. Gameplay footage reveals that Frieza will transition through his first four forms over the course of a Dragon Ball: The Breakers match, with the more slender Super Frieza being effectively invincible.

The trailer also promoted a pair of limited physical releases of Dragon Ball: The Breakers. The base game is digital-only, through pre-orders unlock the Android 18 Transphere (enabling transformation into Android 18) and Scouter (Blue) cosmetic accessory. The Special Edition comes with the game on disc or cartridge (or digital code for PC), as well as a costume, victory pose, and a Yellow Dragon vehicle skin. The Limited Edition pack comes with all of the Special Edition and pre-order content, and adds a steelbook case, a set of stickers featuring the Raiders, a green Potara accessory, and a physical Cell Shell figure.

On its release date Dragon Ball: The Breakers will treat series fans to some "asymmetrical survival" gameplay. The game pits a team of low-powered Survivors against a single superpowered Raider. The playable Raiders are Cell, Frieza, and Majin Buu. The Survivors use gadgets and skills to try to find keys scattered throughout the map while avoiding the Raider. The Raider must find ways to power up (for example, by feeding on civilians or Surviors) and evolve their form to better hunt down Survivors. Survivors can charge up their Change Power to briefly transform into a Dragon Ball hero like Goku or Vegeta to take on a Raider in direct combat.

The game is ed by a gacha system to unlock new change characters and currency. Prior to its release date, Dragon Ball: The Breakers will receive another Closed Network Test. Interested players can at this page.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers is bound for PS4, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on October 14, 2022. Check out Siliconera's preview from the previous Network Test period.

The post Dragon Ball The Breakers Release Date Trailer Teases Frieza appeared first on Siliconera.

Japan-based publisher 3Goo announced that it will release The Rumble Fish fighting game series globally for home consoles in Winter 2022. This includes The Rumble Fish and its sequel, The Rumble Fish 2. Notably, this is the first time 2005's arcade release of The Rumble Fish 2 will receive a home console port. Alongside the announcement, 3Goo also ed the story trailer for the game via YouTube. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

The Rumble Fish is a 2D arcade fighting game that originally debuted in 2004. Known for its sleek character models that utilized Smooth Model Animation, the series has never been released outside of Japan. While Sega later ported the first game to the PlayStation 2 in 2005, the series hasn't seen much activity since. Dimps, the game's developer, acquired the rights to the game back in 2012.

It's still unclear which platforms The Rumble Fish will be available on, as well as whether it will appear on PCs. As of writing, 3Goo has not stated whether there will be updates to the game's net code or if it will have online multiplayer . However, 3Goo has ed a 3-minute-long story trailer featuring the game's protagonist Zen, Greed, and other characters.

You can check out The Rumble Fish story trailer below:

https://youtu.be/JeB-HMEpUNk

Developer Dimps is also known for developing other fighting games such as Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 and Soul Calibur VI. Its latest release was Dragon Ball: The Breakers in 2020.

The Rumble Fish and The Rumble Fish 2 will release for home consoles worldwide sometime in Winter 2022. There is no confirmed platform, price, or release date. The Rumble Fish series is available to play in arcades in Japan, and The Rumble Fish is also available on PlayStation 2.

The post The Rumble Fish Series Home Console Release Slated for Winter 2022 appeared first on Siliconera.

In an interview with 4Gamer, Dragon Ball: The Breakers Producer Ryosuke Hara spoke in detail about several balances changes that will appear in the full release of the title. Additionally, Hara revealed that reception to the asymmetrical title was more positive than the team initially anticipated. Hara also addressed concerns about general game balance in Dragon Ball: The Breakers, and how the team is planning to make sure that players will be able to enjoy the game at its fullest without having to purchase currency. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

On the subject of skills being distributed through a gacha system, Hara stated that the team does not want victory linked to acquiring specific skills. However, the team will continue working to create skills that create a greater sense of varied gameplay. They will be adjusting skills to allow for this and for the game to feel more fair for the "Survivors."

Hara also mentioned that the team has taken note that a majority of victories during the closed beta testing period were from the "Raider" side of things. However, he said that this is potentially due to a lack of proper mechanic explanations. They will adjust this, along with general gameplay balance, before the full release of the game.

Dragon Ball The Breakers will release for PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch in 2022.

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In Dragon Ball games, people are likely used to playing as Saiyans. They'll face the series' larger-than-life enemies as someone capable of going toe-to-toe with them. The asymmetrical seven-versus-one game Dragon Ball: The Breakers switches that up. People are Survivors attempting to deal with an iconic Raider. To help better understand its development so far, Siliconera spoke with Producer Ryosuke Hara about what people can expect. Among the thing is that Dragon Ball: The Breakers cross-platform play and cross-save functionality isn't being considered "at the moment."

Jenni Lada: When did work begin on Dragon Ball: The Breakers?

Ryosuke Hara: Including the conceptual period, I would say that the game has been in development for around 3 years.

How will Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2’s story, assets, and gameplay feature in and influence Dragon Ball: The Breakers?

Hara: Dragon Ball: The Breakers and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 shares the same universe, so many may realize that there are links between these two titles in of background story and assets. We cannot inform in detail at the moment but there will be save data link among these two titles so please wait for more details in the future.

What kind of do you expect to offer for Dragon Ball: The Breakers and how do you expect the roap for it might like look? How often could people see new characters?

Hara: It’s a little early to talk about the plans at the moment. Please stay tuned for more updates!

What were some of the biggest influences when developing Dragon Ball: The Breakers, both in of Dragon Ball and other asymmetrical games?

Hara: Although the game does take the form of an asymmetrical game, the main focus for Dragon Ball: The Breakers was to express the overwhelming power difference between characters with Superpower and normal human beings in a very Dragon Ball-like way.

So, I have to say that the biggest influences were the scenes in the Dragon Ball universe that represented this concept. Such as the scene where Bulma was hiding from the enemies on Planet Namek, or where the civilians were absorbed by Cell in Ginger Town.

Will Dragon Ball: The Breakers cross-platform play and cross-save? If not, is that a feature you might consider in the future?

Hara: There is no plan to cross-platform and cross-save at the moment.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers will come to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2022.

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I don't know much about Dragon Ball. I've learned a fair amount through osmosis, of course. You can't really be interested in anime or Japanese games without brushing up against Dragon Ball in one way or another. And yet, most of my experiences with it are second-hand. Thankfully, the closed beta test of Dragon Ball The Breakers taught me that wanting to be utterly annihilated by Cell is the kind of motivation that crosses time, space, and cultural ignorance.

As revealed in its surprising launch teaser, Dragon Ball The Breakers adapts the now-familiar structure of the "escape the killer" multiplayer game to the world and characters of Dragon Ball Z. These types of games typically pit a group of weaker players against a single, much more powerful player, tasking the group with escape. The Breakers is no different in that regard. Players are separated into a team of "Survivors" against a single "Raider." The difference, of course, is in that superpowered Dragon Ball flavor.

The context is as permissive as the famously absurd Dragon Ball universe allows. The player is one of many people being randomly pulled across the multiverse by time rifts. Dragon Ball Xenoverse's Time Patrol rescues your character and deposits them in a special space to await the next rift in relative safety. What's in those rifts are other Survivors and the Raiders. These are Dragon Ball villains pulled from across time and space to finish the job of destroying humanity. Each match pits up to seven Survivors against a single Raider. For the closed beta (and all the promo art thus far), the Raider is legendary baddie Cell. Though there's clearly space to implement new Raiders with different mechanics based on other characters.

At this point, the style of Dragon Ball The Breakers will seem familiar to a player who knows what goes on in a game like Dead By Daylight. The Survivors must use their greater numbers and coordination to complete a series of tasks while being hunted down by the Raider. In this case, the task is to first find a series of "power keys" hidden in random treasure boxes scattered about the map. Each map is massive and subdivided into multiple areas that each have their own key to find and activate. Once activated, all the keys summon a "Super Time Machine" that takes a while to charge up. Survivors must then defend the time machine from the Raider, who has to destroy it. A successful Super Time Machine charge results in a Survivor win. Failing this triggers an escape sequence, where the remaining survivors need to retreat to "Escape Time Machines" and prevent the Raider from achieving a total victory.

The Raider, on the other hand, is basically invincible, but has limited situational awareness and can't be everywhere at once. Instead, they have to power up by evolving. According to the tutorial, different Raiders may have different methods of evolving, but for the beta, Cell was the only option. In his case, evolving required consuming random civilian NPCs hiding on the map. (Survivors can rescue these to deny Cell a food source.) Cell can also kill Survivors to evolve. Cell begins in his four-legged "Larval" stage. Here he can't even fly around or do much of anything besides attack weakly. He can still beat a Survivor one-on-one though, and ambushing one is a good way of getting a head start on evolution. Evolving Cell gradually transitions him through his different forms, unlocking new abilities like one that highlights any Survivors nearby. By the time Cell gets up to a Level 4 Evolution, he's taken the "Perfect Cell" form and is basically unbeatable.

Survivors have little chance of harming a Raider, but they do have a number of uniquely Dragon Ball-flavored tools to fall back on. Players can customize their loadout of skills, but even the default setup is pretty versatile. They can use a grappling hook to traverse vertically, activate camouflage to disguise themselves as a random object, and even summon a Saiyan Pod to quickly shuttle to a different part of the map. Other skills are activated by equipping acquired Dragon Ball heroes (more on that in a bit) or using special character kits. During the closed beta I could choose from my default customizable character or use Oolong, Bulma's shapeshifting pig buddy. Oolong can turn into a rocket to move quickly or even knock a Raider around a bit.

The most powerful tool Survivors have, though, is Change Power. Change Power can be gathered up from around the map and levels up a meter similar to the Raider's Evolution gauge. When used, Change Power temporarily transforms a Survivor into a Dragon Ball hero like Goku, Piccolo, or Vegeta. The heroes, who can fly, throw energy blasts, and use super attacks, can go toe-to-toe with the Raider for a brief period. It's a very brief period, though, lasting maybe half a minute at most. Plus, the level of Change Power (it goes up to Level 3) determines if a transformed Survivor can actually do meaningful damage. Throw a Level 1 Piccolo at a Level 2 or 3 Cell, and you'll quickly notice Cell just knocking you away with little chance to connect. Thus timing a transformation is key. A couple of transformed players at the same or higher Change Level than the Raider can even win outright, depleting the Raider's health and ending the match instantly.

Even in this relatively limited test, Dragon Ball The Breakers appears to have set a strong foundation for a uniquely Dragon Ball-flavored take on a popular genre. There's a lot that stands out even against the leading games in the field. That being said, some work is still needed, particularly with regard to balance, progression, and monetization. Of the twenty or so matches I entered during the beta weekend, Survivors only actually won outright twice. A few more times they managed to escape, but once the game shifts to having to defend a fixed point against a Raider, things turn real bad for the Survivors. Change power is hard to charge up, and by default Survivors are equipped with a skill that triggers a Change as soon as a Raider breaks their shield, which often results in a wasted charge. That usually means Survivors don't have their trump cards ready when the time comes to actually make a stand against the Raider, so the Raider just kills them when they get near the Time Machine.

Another concern is the gacha. Dragon Ball The Breakers has a random draw system in place, and players can spend currency to unlock new Change characters of varying rarities. The exact pricing of the currency wasn't available, but it's clear that this is one way to expand your available pool of skills and super moves, a valuable asset for Survivors. Further, the rate at which players can earn currency to buy cosmetic items or other things seems pretty low. Bandai Namco furnished the beta s with enough to do a few rolls and buy some items out of the shop, but even after a weekend playing, I hadn't earned enough to have bought much from scratch, or even level up my into the double digits. Hopefully Bandai Namco will tune the rewards to make the system more appealing and easier to keep up with without paying extra.

Dragon Ball The Breakers is due to come to the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch sometime in 2022.

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The latest issue of Jump magazine includes coverage for Bandai Namco's recently revealed 7vs1 asymmetrical action game. The magazine breaks down some of the gameplay elements coming to Dragon Ball: The Breakers. [Thanks, Ryokutya.]

While Bandai Namco described the Survivors as ordinary people with a power level of 5, the magazine shows that they can perform many activities in the game. They can launch the Solar Flare technique to blind the enemy and use items like the Dragon Radar and Saiyan Pod. They can also use a certain ball item to temporarily unleash super powers.

In Dragon Ball: The Breakers, players acting as the Survivors can also apply skins based on existing Dragon Ball characters. Each skin also has its own special ability. The reveal trailer showed Oolong's transformation into a pot as an example of these skin abilities.

The Survivors have the primary task of placing a key to activate the Super Time Machine and defend the activation system from enemy attacks. When successful, all players will be able to escape with the Super Time Machine. Otherwise, they will have to find and use ordinary Time Machines instead.

On the other side, the Raider can grow stronger and eventually evolve to their final form by fulfilling certain requirements. The reveal trailer showed Cell, one of the available Raider characters, evolve by absorbing a Survivor.

On the game's official Twitter , producer Ryosuke Hara explained that Dragon Ball: The Breakers will take place in the same world as Xenoverse 2. He also teased that there will be a save data linkage between both games.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers will be available worldwide for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC in 2022. Bandai Namco will hold a closed beta test of the game on PC.

The post Gameplay Details Revealed for Dragon Ball the Breakers appeared first on Siliconera.

Bandai Namco unveiled a new Dragon Ball asymmetrical title coming to consoles and PC in 2022. Similar to Dead by Daylight, Dragon Ball: The Breakers will feature seven non-superpowered survivor players completing objectives to escape one villain from the Dragon Ball universe. Frieza, Buu, and Cell are the first three mentioned. Each of whom is also controlled by a player. The game will be set in the same universe as 2016's Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, and players will be able to link their save data.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers Producer Ryosuke Hara addressed some additional points regarding the title in a new video.

https://twitter.com/DBTB_EN/status/1460623700076621828

According to Hara, a closed beta test for Dragon Ball: The Breakers is planned for PCs in the near future. There is no mention of a beta coming to other platforms. While no price has been announced for the game so far, Hara claims that the title will be launched "at an accessible pricing." Players will be able to customize their survivor character using familiar Dragon Ball character skins and other pieces of cosmetic equipment. These cosmetics can be earned in the game or can be obtained via in-game purchases.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers will be released on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam in 2022. A closed beta test is coming soon for PC.

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Bandai Namco revealed a new Dragon Ball asymmetrical action game along the lines of Dead by Daylight called Dragon Ball: The Breakers. The game will involve seven ordinary citizens of the world as "survivors" and one familiar sort of foe as a "raider." It will launch in 2022 on consoles and PCs. However, a closed beta test will appear on PCs before that.

Here's the first Dragon Ball: The Breakers trailer. First, it sets up the games' atmosphere. We see an abandoned and attacked city. Imperfect Cell is searching for people. After checking out and seeing it seems empty, he leaves. That's when we see that Oolong is one of the survivors. He shapeshifts into his normal form and runs away.

After that, it shows off gameplay. First, we see Imperfect Cell as a Raider. Then, we see a handful of Survivors. (A version of Bulma is among them.) Once they're introduced, we watch as the two groups face each other. While the classic Dragon Ball villain could potentially rely on their abilities in this new asymmetrical action game, the Survivors can use things like tools to escape or even fight back against them.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers will come to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2022. A closed beta test is on the way for PCs.

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