Weekend Headlines Jan 27-29th Part 1: Announcements

By Rebecca Smith,

From Friday through to Sunday, PAX South took place in San Antonio, Texas. Many developers took the time to release information about the titles that gamers could play while they were there; this included announcements, upcoming content and plenty of screenshots. So much news appeared this weekend that we've split the article into two parts. This first part rounds up all of the new titles to be announced over those three days.

Accel World vs. Sword Art Online

The mind of Reki Kawahara has brought players two individual franchises: Accel World and Sword Art Online. At least, they were individual until this week. Accel World vs. Sword Art Online is an Action RPG title where the worlds of the two franchises have begun to merge. Yui is missing and Kirito must challenge the Seven Kings of pure color from the Accelerated World if he is to find her. Players can build a three-person team with characters from both franchises, each with their own unique special abilities, to create the ultimate team to stop the Personna Babel. Up to four players can also join forces to battle other players in a separate online mode. The game will be heading to western regions this summer for PS4 and Vita.

Akash: Path of the Five

This visual novel is told in the otome style. Players assume the role of Aurora who is a member of the elementals, a fantasy race. The number of elemental girls has been steadily dwindling for nearly a millenium, forcing the elementals to breed with humans to save their race. Aurora is the first elemental girl to be born in Akash for over 200 years, but while she prepares for her Coming of Age Ceremony, tensions between Akash and a neighbouring human village are boiling over. Players must romance on of Aurora's five classmates and deal with the growing conflict when the game arrives on Playstation 4.

ArmaGallant: Decks of Destiny (Asia)

Developer Rock Nano Global has teamed up with Maximum Games to publish their title exclusively on Playstation 4. Described as a "deckbuilding game blending elements of RTS and MOBA gameplay", the game retains the core mechanics of traditional collectible card games while players need to make quick decisions and react swiftly to the game's combat. Players will defend their monoliths and capture enemy points in real time by using armies consisting of a variety of creatures and spells. There is the option to engage in head to head battles or to team up with a friend in 2v2 online play. The game will be released on April 4th in America and April 7th in Europe.

Embers of Mirrim

In this "adventure-platformer" players assume the role of a creature called Mirrim. He has a unique ability — he can split himself into two entities known as Embers, light and dark, each of which is controlled by a different joystick. These Embers allow him to jump, split, collect and reconnect to evade obstacles and solve puzzles. The aim is to save the world from an alien threat that is corrupting and infecting Mirrim's planet.

Ghost Blade HD

Next month, players will be able to push their reflexes to the limit in this "intense bullet-hell shoot 'em up game" that has been inspired by shmups of the 1990s. Blending old memories with modern techniques, the game has a modern graphic style and special effects but comes with 2-player co-op, an old-school soundtrack and TATE mode. The Earth Defense Force fleet has defended Mars from an evil AI known as Shira, but it has escaped. Now taking refuge at an abandoned space station on the outskirts of the solar system, you are tasked with finally destroying Shira once and for all.

HeroCade

HeroCade is a collection of 9 titles that have been developed for Playstation VR. Across the titles, players will have to "race on the mean streets of LA, pilot through exotic alien worlds, hunt prehistoric beasts, defend against alien invaders, solve whimsical puzzles, save civilians from zombie hoards, survive a paranormal experience, escape from a treacherous labyrinth, train for the turkey apocalypse, and solve the mystery of your past as Player One". Take a look:

Category I Shisenjou no Survivormmortal Redneck

There are several things that do not go together in the same sentence. Two of those would be "Ancient Egypt" and "Redneck", yet here we are. The titular redneck is on holiday in Egypt when he suffers an accident. When he wakes up, he has been mummified in a sarcophagus and transported back in time to Ancient Egypt. He needs to discover what's happening by dealing with the whole incident in typical redneck style — break into the three huge and danger filled pyramids of Giza and shoot everything in sight. Blending old-school FPS mechanics with roguelike elements, the layout of the pyramids will be procedurally generated so that no two playthroughs are the same. You'll be able to play the ultimate mashup when the game is released on PlayStation 4 later this year.

Category I Shisenjou no Survivorndivisible

This title was successfully funded on IndieGoGo in 2015. Made by the same team behind Skullgirls, Indivisible is a side-scrolling Action RPG that draws inspiration from titles like Valkyrie Profile and the Metroid series. Protagonist Ajna is a tomboy whose father trained her in martial arts to be able to defend her home. When her town is attacked by warlords, Ajna discovers that she has the power to absorb individuals into her being. Not only do these individuals grant new weapons and abilities, she can also summon them into battle. Will she be able to stop the warlords?

Kona (PS4)

Developer Parabole and publisher Ravenscourt have joined forces to bring the "survival-adventure horror title" to consoles. It is 1970. The village of Atamipek Lake in Northern Canada is being ravaged by a strange blizzard. You are detective Carl Faubert, who must explore the village, take on the elements and investigate all of the surreal events that are taking place during the storm. Everything seems eerily quiet... too quiet.

Mages of Mystralia

Mages of Mystralia is a game set in a world where magic is a rarity. Because of this, it is also illegal. Players take on the role of Zia, a young girl who discovers that she has the power to wield magic but hasn't got a clue how to use it. Throughout the game she will find runes that will teach her create her own spells. The runes can be combined in "potentially millions" of ways to create an arsenal that is unique to the player. Once you've created that arsenal, you'll need to solve puzzles and defeat a variety of enemies on your quest. The game will be coming to Playstation 4 this spring.

Malicious Fallen

Malicious Fallen is the definitive Malicious title. Having remastered every stage from PS3 title Malicious and Vita title Malicious Rebirth, this Playstation 4 title will also add new chapters, new stages and new gameplay elements. For those who have never played either of the previous titles, the game is a "3D action combat" title that features "frenetic, boss battle-centric gameplay". Players inhabit a Spirit Vessel and control the Mantle of Cinders to defeat the Malicious, which is hell bent on bringing disaster to the world.

Mervils: A VR Adventure

This "open-world RPG platformer" has been developed specifically for Playstation VR. The peaceful and picturesque Mervil Kingdom is made up of five Mervil Worlds, each of which is protected by a magical force field that is bound by the Great Mervil Book. Over the years, the power of the Book has been decreased to the point where it is very weak. It is at this point that the Kingdom's greatest enemy, Balazar the Evil, has returned to destroy the land and its residents. Only you, the nameless hero, can collect the book's lost pages and rebind them into a power that can defeat Balazar. The game will arrive on February 21st.

MXGP3 – The Official Motocross Videogame

Milestone's motocross racing simulation franchise returns for its third iteration, arriving this spring. Having moved onto the Unreal Engine 4, the game offers better graphics and gameplay techniques. Based on the 2016 season, players will have to race through unpredictable and dynamic weather conditions and deforming terrain as they conquer the career mode and a variety of offline and online modes. All official MXGP and MX2 2016 riders, and the official tracks, including the MXoN, will be available in-game.

Tale of Ronin

Unlike all of the other titles above, Tale of Ronin has not been specifically confirmed for PlayStation 4. Coming to "consoles", the title is developed by the same studio that is behind Shadow Blade: Reload, meaning that there is a decent chance of it coming to our favourite console. The RPG title tells a tale of "camaraderie and betrayal", "war and peace, and above all honor". You'll assume the role of a ronin whose choices determine your success in a world that is full of turmoil and violence.

Warhammer 40,000: Deathwatch

Warhammer seems to be making use of an increase in popularity as it brings another title to the Playstation 4. Deathwatch is a turn-based strategy title that focuses on the Deathwatch, an elite secret order of the Space Marines. Set in the Astolat sector on the edge of Imperial space, the player's Kill Team must stop the Great Devourer from consuming the sector by engaging the Tyranids in a series of tactical battles. As players progress, their Kill Team will increase in strength and skill, while over 200 weapons and wargear relics will be available for players to customise their team. The game will be released on February 24th.

Stay tuned for part 2 where we go through all of the upcoming game updates, new screenshots and more!

Written by Rebecca Smith

Rebecca is the Newshound Manager at TrueGaming Network. She has been contributing articles since 2010, especially those that involve intimidatingly long lists. When not writing news, she works in an independent game shop so that she can spend all day talking about games too. She'll occasionally go outside.