Developers have been sharing New Years 2020 messages this entire week, containing teases and promises for games in 2020. The official Splatoon account did as such, wishing everyone a Happy New Year. However, it seems like there could be more to this. A SOS message is reflecting across the water and reads as “Save our Salmons.” The message is very well hidden and won’t be noticed at first glance. This has been leading fans to speculate about a possible Splatoon 3. So far, Splatoon games have released in intervals of about two years apart. Splatoon 2 received a ton of post-release support, but could a 3rd game be on the horizon? Only time will tell.
You can read more about Animal Crossing: New Horizons below.
If the hustle and bustle of modern life’s got you down, Tom Nook has a new business venture up his sleeve that he knows you’ll adore: the Nook Inc. Deserted Island Getaway Package! Sure, you’ve crossed paths with colorful characters near and far. Had a grand time as one of the city folk. May’ve even turned over a new leaf and dedicated yourself to public service! But deep down, isn’t there a part of you that longs for…freedom? Then perhaps a long walk on the beach of a deserted island, where a rich wealth of untouched nature awaits, is just what the doctor ordered!
Peaceful creativity and charm await as you roll up your sleeves and make your new life whatever you want it to be. Collect resources and craft everything from creature comforts to handy tools. Embrace your green thumb as you interact with flowers and trees in new ways. Set up a homestead where the rules of what goes indoors and out no longer apply. Make friends with new arrivals, enjoy the seasons, pole-vault across rivers as you explore, and more!
*Update* The box art for Animal Crossing : New Horizons will be the same for the west
Animal Crossing: New Horizons launches exclusively for the Nintendo Switch family of systems on March 20th, 2020.
It seems like a Fate cooking adventure game featuring Shirou Emiya and Saber is coming to Switch in Spring 2020! The game features many recipes and visual novel-like sequences. A cooking rating system is used in the game, so be sure to ace those cooking mini-games for a delicious meal. Here’s the announcement and latest trailer:
WWE 2K18 is notorious for being one of the worst Switch ports ever seen on the market. However, it seems that 2K is willing to give the series another shot on Nintendo’s portable platform. A development studio named HookBang is hiring game engineers to work on a “AAA sports game franchise on the Nintendo Switch.” The most recent job listing from HookBang explicitly states that this is for development of a title from 2K for Switch. As always, its important to take rumors like this with a grain of salt. Here’s a video explaining these recent findings, courtesy of Doctre81:
Stay tuned at Final Weapon for the latest Nintendo Switch gaming news and updates!
Sony’s Uncharted movie, based on the acclaimed PlayStation series, has lost its sixth director attached to the project. Yes, you read that right. SIX.
According to sources in an exclusive from Deadline. Travis Knight recently became the most recent director to leave the project. This was due to scheduling conflicts between him and the upcoming Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland. Knight recently directed the critically acclaimed and successful “Bumblebee”. Sony will now search for its seventh director to take on the film. The movie adaptation intends to be a prequel to the games. It stars Holland as a young Nathan Drake. Mark Wahlberg was recently cast as Victor “Sully” Sullivan. A story we reported on back in November.
According to the story, Sony still intends to get this movie made. Tom Holland has a close relationship with both Sony and Columbia Pictures. Thus, both studios have a commitment to get this film off the ground. Columbia Pictures distributed the last two Spider-Man movies starring Holland.
The Uncharted film has been infamous for its change in directors. And stuck in development hell for nearly a decade. The Uncharted film was originally slated for December 2020 release window. Sony has pushed the film back. The film’s new release date is unknown.
Untitled Goose Game has reached 1 million copies sold according to Cabel from Panic, publisher of the game. It reached the 1 million mark only 3 months after release which is very impressive for an indie game. The game has gone viral with appearances on news networks like BBC and shows like the Game Awards 2019. Congrats to House House and Panic!
It seems impossible, but last week, three months after launch, Untitled Goose Game passed one million copies sold.
From the bottom of our hearts: thank you for playing our videogame.
Shenmue III has been a long time coming. Fans waited nearly 17 years after completing Shenmue II to see where Ryo’s journey leads next. Years after the E3 2015 reveal, a successful Kickstarter campaign and various delays, Shenmue III is finally available on PS4 and PC. What does the current installment of the Shenmue franchise have in store? What answers and truths will Ryo receive in his journey through Guilin, China? Its time to finally take a look at the long awaited installment in the franchise!
[SPOILER WARNING] For people who haven’t played Shenmue I and II, its important to note that these games should be played in succession as the story is heavily intertwined. Spoilers for Shenmue III will be present in the review below. To avoid these spoilers, please skip The Story Continued portion.
The Story Continued
The story continues in a quarry in Guilin, China. Ryo and Shenhua encounter two giant Phoenix and Dragon Mirrors within the quarry. Shenhua translates a tale of two companions found in the quarry. The one who hails from the far east wields the strength to destroy himself or make his wishes come true and the one who guides him. This tale accurately describes Ryo and Shenhua, leading them to seek answers from Shenhua’s father, Yuan. However, Yuan is missing. Ryo arrives at Bailu Village, a walks away from Shenhua’s house. Bailu was a temporary home to Iwao, Ryo’s father who was murdered by Lan Di. Ryo discovers that Yuan and Xu were kidnapped for being stonemasons of phantom river stones. These stones are used to make the Phoenix Mirror, which Lan Di is pursuing. After fighting thugs and uncovering Bailu’s past, Ryo and Shenhua sail to Niaowu to find Yuan.
Niaowu is a thriving port city which is home to the Red Snakes, the gang of thugs that kidnapped Mr. Yuan. Ryo encounters many characters in Niaowu and engages in activities like gambling, arcades, fortune telling and more. The thugs have been harassing shop keepers across the entire town and Ryo catches word of this. He then pursues the Red Snakes and trains even further to improve his kung fu. Along the way, Ryo encounters Lin Shiling, a shrine maiden and Ren Wuying, a friend from the previous game.
Ryo finally finds the Red Snakes hideout and in an effort to retrieve Yuan, fights the leader of the Red Snakes, Ge. However, he is unsuccessful in two attempts. Ryo and Ren try to hatch a plan to finally defeat Ge. After asking around town to discover Ge’s fighting style, Ryo finally finds and buys a seriously expensive skill book which teaches the Reverse Body Check. Unfortunately, a page is missing from the book. Ryo soon meets Grandmaster Bei and with more training, he is finally able to learn the move.
Upon returning to the Red Snakes hideout, an already bad situation turns worse. Ryo and Ren find the hideout empty except for a woman, Li Feng. Feng states that Shenhua was kidnapped and taken to the old Niaowu castle by the Red Snakes. Ren assembles Shiling and Hsu while Ryo gains a boat from Bei, all setting off for the castle. Ryo finds Yuan and Xu within a cell and allows Bei to protect them while Hsu and Shilling fight off thugs. Ryo and Ren are greeted by Niao Sun, who had disguised herself as Li Feng previously. Sun demands the Phoenix Mirror in exchange for Shenhua. Ryo agrees to the terms and saves Shenhua. Sun then states that Lan Di is present at the castle. Ryo and Ren storm up the old castle in Yakuza-style, defeating the Red Snakes and Ge along the way.
Ryo finally fights Lan Di but stands no chance as Lan Di blocks every single move. At the same time, Niao Sun is lighting the whole entire Niaowu castle on fire in an attempt to usurp Lan Di and become leader of the Chi You Men. Ren saves Ryo’s life by exchanging a fake Phoenix Mirror with Lan Di, quickly throwing it while retrieving Ryo and escaping the castle. Ryo and his friends stare at the burning castle from afar, victorious in their attempt to save Shenhua.
Ryo, Ren and Shenhua finally depart Niaowu with Yuan. Yuan speaks with Ryo, stating that Iwao was entrusted the Mirrors by Lan Di’s father, Zhao Sunming. Sunming died under mysterious circumstances and Yuan points them in the direction of the Cliff Temple which holds more answers that Ryo seeks. The temple is under control of the Chi You Men and Lan Di is said to be heading there next. The game finally ends with Ryo, Ren and Shenhua journeying together toward the old temple. The story goes on…
Improvements and Features
Shenmue I is dated for its features and design elements but Shenmue II brought Quality of Life improvements for a better experience. Shenmue III continues with improvements across the board considering it’s a current gen title. Players are treated to a rich environment in Bailu Village with load times being heavily reduced as it is one huge seamless area. The same goes for Niaowu although a few load times and pop-in issues are apparent. Niaowu is a giant area and one of the biggest areas in the entire series so far. Luckily for fans and Ryo in the game, the old notebook is back and better than ever! It will make travelling through these towns a bit easier as the notebook keeps track of side-quests, current objects, activities and more.
Fighting in Shenmue III is similar to the previous games but a bit more streamlined with combos. Instead of directional inputs in moves, the fighting style is based around the standard face buttons now(Triangle, Circle, X and Square for example). The fighting system is improved with a slight input buffer similar to fighting games in the current market. An endurance and food system is present for Ryo’s stamina throughout the day, which for some may be annoying to keep track of. Attack and Endurance are stats which feed into an overall Kung Fu level. Training and sparring increase these stats to level up.
Skill books and collecting capsule toys are back from the previous games. Along with this, mini-games, gambling and part-time fork-lifting are back in full swing. For JRPG fans, fishing is available as a time sink to gain money. Herb collecting is a new feature where Ryo may raise money by selling picked herbs or trading herbs for items. Ryo may trade in sets of prizes, capsules and herbs for money, items or skill books. Ryo can finally change his clothing in Shenmue III, so feel free to take off that jacket for once. Another new and engaging feature is the hotel telephone, which allows Ryo to call characters from the previous games like Goro, Nozomi and Joy to name a few.
Flaws
Shenmue III has its fair share of shortcomings, which are present throughout the series. Voice acting for Ryo is as faithful as it can get and heartwarming for fans, but may be jarring to newcomers. Newcomers should try Shenmue I to gauge if the game is right for them along with the story. The fighting system is frustrating at times since it’s not as fluid as current action games. Couple this with the constantly decreasing stamina system and it may be annoying to keep up with. However, leveling up through training helps Ryo becomes faster and stronger. Higher endurance allows for higher stamina and more engaging fights. Like previous entries, QTE sequences are slightly unforgiving so don’t expect first try successes. Mundane tasks are back like raising money for an important item to progress the story. These are obstacles that may be off-putting for players wanting to focus on story.
The Overall Experience
Shenmue III takes roughly 35 to 40 hours to complete depending on how much a player may focus on side quests and activities. Leveling up Ryo and using his skills to progress the game is more satisfying than ever. Completing side quests, playing mini-games and activities add more to the full package. Shenmue III was developed first and foremost to continue the story fans desired for nearly two decades. There’s more in the game to experience while pursuing the truth.
From start to finish, Shenmue fans will most likely love this entry as it’s more Shenmue but better. For newcomers, it may not be a worthwhile experience at all. Shenmue III relies on knowledge of the first two games, as it should for a sequel. Any newcomer wanting to get into Shenmue should give the HD Collection a shot. Overall, Shenmue III brings the past and present together for a compelling experience. Ryo’s journey is revived for past and newer fans to engage in.
[Disclaimer] This product was purchased by the reviewer and not given as a review copy by YS NET or Deep Silver.
Let me start this off saying that I am one of Street Fighter V’s biggest critics. The five years that Street Fighter V has been out, I have been there criticizing every move Capcom makes. I wanted the best for the game, but with the initial launch it was hard to be positive. There were so many problems at the very beginning that I couldn’t look past. Even today the game still has problems with the online, characters looking awful and many clipping issues on the characters. Thankfully the game has solved many of the problems it has had over the years.
Abi-Abi-Abi-Abi-Abigail Punch!
For example the game is about to reach 40 characters after it launched with only 16. While 16 characters isn’t terrible, it is just weird that they would cut so many when most of SFIVs roster would return. Either way SFVs roster has grown into something great, offering fan favorites and new characters as well. There is one new character named Abigail that I have a love and hate relationship with. My initial reaction to him was super critical, and I thought he was the ugliest character in the game. I wasn’t the only one that thought this either. Just take a look at the reaction to his reveal trailer here. Even though he’s still ugly as sin, I believe they nailed him in every other way possible. Even though Sagat was added later on in Season 3 (my favorite SF character) I could never leave Abigail alone.
The Gameplay
One reason to get into Street Fighter V right now is that they almost changed how each character plays by adding in new V-Skills to every character. V-Skills are a exclusive free to use action that each character has. Before this most recent update, Abigail never had a projectile he could use, but with his V-Skill II he can call in a tire that he can hit towards the opponent. It is the little things like this that can change the game and bring new life into it. When I saw they were adding in new V-Skills I shrugged it off not knowing how much it would change certain characters. These new skills really are amazing and got me playing like crazy recently trying each new V-Skill out.
Abigail’s V-Trigger IIAbigail’s V-Trigger I
Every character also has the ability to use their own exclusive V-Trigger. A V-Trigger can be many different things, but they are usually power-ups or the ability to gain a different move. The game originally debuted with just one V-Trigger for each character, but as time went on each character received another one. V-Trigger II like V-Skill II opened the way to changing how the characters played. For example Abigail’s V-Trigger I was the ability to charge heavy moves that could break the opponents block. V-Trigger II however was another charge attack, but this time it was a literal charge. If you press the buttons Abigail would rush forward and damage the other fighter.
Single Player
Street Fighter V launched with next to no single player modes. The only modes it offered were Character Stories that ended super quickly and a Survival mode that was unfairly balanced on the higher difficulties. However over time they added in a Cinematic Story, a true Arcade Mode, Dojos which is a stage that you can design yourself, Team Battles, Fighting Chance, and Extra Battle Challenges. The above-mentioned would have been amazing from the start, but I give them props that they committed and kept adding more to try to make people happy. Each mode grants you different rewards, let that be a title or a new color for a character.
A sample of costumes from upcoming character Seth!
Street Fighter V also loves to add many different themed costumes for each character. There is a clear favorite here, that being Chun Li with what seems to be over 20 different costumes. Over the years you would need to either earn Fight Money in game (earned by just playing the game) or by purchasing with real money. Thankfully if you buy the new edition, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition. You can gain access to almost every costume they have ever added into the game. Same with almost every stage (Capcom Pro Tour Stages are excluded from this)!
“I wish you good luck”
Street Fighter V has made up for most of its sins that it used to have. It got over having little to no content and now has the amount it should have had from the beginning, and much more. Street Fighter 5 was like Gill and Resurrected itself from what seemed like death. Capcom believed in it and kept adding to it no matter what people were saying. I love parts of Street Fighter V, but I still think parts to need work. I won’t sit here and say that they deserve a pass now and that they fixed every problem the game has. Personally, I wish they would fix the online, and Ken’s clipping hair that has been there since 2016.
In the end though, I truly believe that Street Fighter V has grown and it’s the perfect time to start playing when Champion Edition launches February 14th, 2020. You gain access to 40 characters new and old, over 200 costumes, and 34 stages. This edition might mean that SFV is coming to a close, so it’s no better time to grab the game up and become a World Warrior!
PlatinumGames head and director of Bayonetta 3 Hideki Kamiya has recently stated on Twitter that the development of Bayonetta 3 is “going really well”.
Bayonetta 3 was first originally revealed at The Game Awards 2017 with a stylish cinematic trailer. The game is being developed by PlatinumGames and published by Nintendo. Bayonetta 3 is a Nintendo Switch exclusive, and no exact release date has been given as of the time of writing.
For more Japanese Gaming news, keep it here at Final Weapon!
Intelligent Systems Director Toshiyuki Kusakihara has stated that the development team are currently working on the story expansion for Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The statement from Kusakihara was part of 4Gamer’s 2020 developer messages article. Kusakihara states that “we aim for it to live up to expectations, so please wait for it.”
Lastly, Fire Emblem Three Houses and the Expansion Pass are available now. Stay tuned at Final Weapon for the latest Japanese gaming news!
