When it was released for the PlayStation 3 in 2008, Valkyria Chronicles received very positive reviews from numerous sources. Its artwork, storyline, and “BliTZ” tactical strategy were particularly praised. Despite its high marks from reviewers and players alike, however, Valkyria Chronicles did not sell well in the U.S., though it did fare better with a high-def PC release in late 2014. Last year, an upcoming PlayStation 4 release was announced, and we now have an official story trailer.
As with its PC release, Valkyria Chronicles’ HD “canvas” engine returns, and will now run on 1080p and 60 fps on the PS4. All the available downloadable content will be built in, including the side story campaigns Edy’s Mission: “Enter the Edy Detachment” and Selvaria’s Mission: “Behind Her Blue Flame” as well as the six-mission Challenge Edy Detachment. There will be an additional expert difficulty mode for skirmishes. The PS4 version of the game also adds trophy support.
Players control a diverse group of characters who defend against an invading imperial army in 30 different battlefronts. A ragtag group of peaceful, neutral citizens forms a militia to fight for their homeland. Each character has an individual backstory and personality, and you can choose the ones you wish to take along to each battle. Characters are divided by classes such as scout, engineer, and sniper. Soldiers within each class have similar abilities and stats, but each also has a unique modifier called a potential.
The turn-based gameplay uses action and command points to charge, retreat, relocate, and find cover. Characters can be on offense or defense according to your strategy. As you progress, you earn experience points to upgrade your character classes. New abilities are unlocked and your soldiers can go further and perform more actions.
The game’s official site shows a May 17, 2016 release date. You can pre-order the game on Amazon and for a limited time and receive it in a limited edition metal (“armored”) case.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.