Tag: #XboxJapan

Star Ocean The Divine Force is coming to Xbox consoles and PC (via Steam) in 2022

Star Ocean The Divine Force is coming to Xbox consoles and PC (via Steam) in 2022

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Star Ocean, the long-running Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) series under Square Enix, has a brand-new RPG coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X and PC (via Steam) sometime in 2022 titled Star Ocean The Divine Force. Take note that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Star Ocean game franchise and the new game is being made by tri-Ace.

To start with, watch this official Star Ocean The Divine Force trailer below…

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the official press release issued by Square Enix. Some parts in boldface…

Developed by tri-Ace Inc., STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE will transport players to an expansive sci-fi fantasy world and take them on an exhilarating journey with fast-paced action combat, rich exploration and an original story. With STAR OCEAN celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, THE DIVINE FORCE builds on that rich history with new features that are sure to delight for many years to come.

To watch the STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE Debut Trailer, visit: https://youtu.be/jIJe4ZUD0Gc

The Debut Trailer showcases various new and returning elements to the STAR OCEAN franchise that players can look forward to:

  • Super-high-speed action battles
  • No random encounters – players will seamlessly enter battles with enemies that populate the world
  • Players can float in the air, dive at enemies and fly around areas
  • Richer exploration – climb towering mountains, venture into dark, vast valleys and investigate the castles and towns present in the world

Showcasing a diverse cast of playable characters, STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE will tell a gripping story that seamlessly melds science fiction and fantasy elements and can be enjoyed by newcomers to the series and veterans alike. The game features dual protagonists, which offer different story perspectives and gameplay experiences: Raymond, the captain of the space trading ship, Ydas, and Laeticia, the princess-knight of a kingdom on an underdeveloped planet. Fate will bring Raymond, Laeticia, and several other ally characters together, all designed by renowned artist Akiman (STAR OCEAN: Integrity and Faithlessness, STREET FIGHTER series).

For the newcomers reading this, the very first Star Ocean video game made by tri-Ace and published by Enix was released on July 19, 1996 for the Super Famicom console in Japan. The first Star Ocean game translated into English and released outside of Japan was Star Ocean: The Second Story which I myself played on the original PlayStation console in 1999. In 2003, Enix and Square Co. merged and became Square Enix. In 2008, Square Enix announced Star Ocean: The Last Hope for Xbox 360 and its release in Japan and North America took place in February 2009.

Going back to Star Ocean The Divine Force, which is the sixth main game of the franchise, the trailer shows the ever-present fast-moving action scenes taking place in real-time during battles. As with past games of the franchise, there will be lots of slashing and fantasy inspired elements even though the game has a science fiction concept. At least tri-Ace keeps on striving with making key locations look grand.

Expect to see so much of hack and slash action in this RPG.
What a grand looking place, tri-Ace! How about showing how much exploring and fun gamers can have within it?

The artistic approach on rendering the characters in polygons within the game, however, shows a lack of willingness to evolve on the part of the developer to do better. To begin with, take a look at the character concept artworks below for the game.

Those are interesting character design concept artworks.

Now take a look at how the above two characters looked like in polygons within the game below…

She looks too cartoonish and even plastic-looking than her concept art version.
Could someone please tell me who at tri-Ace is responsible for this kind of polygonal character work?

When compared to other Japanese RPG franchises, Star Ocean’s unique approach on action, battles and the presentation of locations still stands out and that’s pretty incredible considering the 25-year history of the franchise and all those other JRPGs that came out along the way. The new game’s story and overall concept will have to live up to gamers’ impression and expectations and we will find out how the game will turn out next year. When it comes to the growing number of upcoming RPGs – from both East and West – on the Xbox ecosystem, Star Ocean The Divine Force adds variety to say the least. I believe that the tri-Ace-made game, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes and Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising will easily capture the interest of Xbox gamers who love JRPGs. Don’t forget that many other future RPGs exclusive to Xbox are coming such as Starfield, Avowed, Fable, The Elder Scrolls VI, The Outer Worlds 2 and more. Truly the Xbox ecosystem is becoming the premier place for gamers who love RPGs which is something Sony and Nintendo CANNOT stop as those two competitors don’t have their own wide range of RPGs to make. As for Square Enix and other RPG makers in Japan, they should be seriously considering releasing more games on Xbox and Windows PC because Team Xbox’s heavy investments on RPGs will eventually achieve tremendous sales in the near future.

How many of you Xbox fans are looking forward to Star Ocean The Divine Force?

In closing this piece, posted below are Xbox-related videos as well as a few videos related to past Star Ocean games for your viewing pleasure.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Xbox 20th Anniversary Celebration online set for November 15, 2021

Xbox 20th Anniversary Celebration online set for November 15, 2021

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The wave of positivity for Xbox and its global community of fans continues to go on. For one thing, the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X collectively sold over 100,000 units in Japan easily surpassing the Xbox One there and Team Xbox made clear it is NOT giving up on Japanese gamers and developers. The positive vibes generated by the highly successful Xbox-Bethesda E3 2021 games showcase continue to be felt as Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite are both set for global releases this November and December respectively. On Xbox Game Pass (XGP), it was announced recently that more than one hundred games support Xbox touch controls. Team Xbox also made video gaming more accessible to people with disabilities which is something that Nintendo and Sony could not even do. For the future of Xbox gaming, Team Xbox chief Phil Spencer confirmed that his team will continue to pursue acquisitions of game studios and talents.

November 15, 2021 will be a very significant date as it will mark the 20th anniversary of Xbox (note: new products for the anniversary will be released on that same day) and hot news right now is that Team Xbox announced there will be an anniversary celebration event that will be streamed on that very day! Check out the official image below…

Take note of the schedule and time zones.

To put things in perspective, posted below are selected excerpts from the Xbox.com article written by Xbox Games Studios head Matt Booty. Some parts in boldface…

We invite you to join us on Nov. 15 to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Xbox and Halo with a fun, digital broadcast for fans around the globe. While we won’t announce any new games, this anniversary broadcast will be a special look back at 20 years of Xbox. We’ll share more details soon, so stay tuned.

We’ve been hard at work to deliver three months of back-to-back game launches. And while we hope you’ll join us in celebrating 20 years of Xbox history, know that we’re hard at work on the road ahead and what’s to come in the next 20 years.

As seen in Booty’s words above, Team Xbox prepared something special for the fans to watch and enjoy. While Booty made clear that new games won’t be announced – a clear attempt to temper expectations – there will still be something enjoyable and commemorative. For one thing, Xbox and Halo go together as seen in Xbox history. Since November 15, 2001, Microsoft sold many millions of Xbox consoles worldwide, paved the way for establishing online console gaming with innovative ways, built up a huge fan base, established Xbox as a major entertainment brand, established Halo as a major pop culture phenomenon and established Xbox as a major ecosystem that link console gamers and Windows PC gamers together!

For the future – the next 20 years – that Matt Booty stated, things are very promising and exciting as there are 23 Xbox game studios (including those from Bethesda) already working on several projects each ensuring that there will be a whole lot of Xbox-exclusive games coming in the near future! On November 11, 2022, Bethesda’s major sci-fi role playing game (RPG) Starfield will be released exclusively on Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X and Windows PC. Meanwhile, RPG specialists Obsidian Entertainment is progressing with its development of the Xbox-exclusive fantasy RPG Avowed and they are also working on the Xbox-exclusive sci-fi RPG sequel The Outer Worlds 2. Bethesda’s studio Arkane Studios is hard at work on the Xbox-exclusive Redfall which will be released in the summer of 2022. Meanwhile, 3rd party studio Avalanche is developing the Xbox-exclusive game Contraband in partnership with Team Xbox. Oh, I should remind you readers and gamers that the Square Enix-controlled game studio Crystal Dynamics is working as a production partner with Xbox game studio The Initiative on the Xbox-exclusive Perfect Dark reboot.

Clearly the old belief that Xbox has no games is simply no more and really is not true anymore by today’s standards. To insist that Xbox has no games today is simply foolish to do.

Speaking of future games, Matt Booty also announced that high profile games of Xbox will be released in this crucial 4th quarter! There are a few releases apart from Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite to look forward to.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from Booty’s article. Some parts in boldface…

Now, just weeks before the Xbox 20th anniversary in November, we’re excited to kick-off three epic months of back-to-back blockbuster game launches in Game Pass:

  • The Age of Empires franchise has been a major part of Microsoft’s gaming legacy for 24 years and the Oct. 28 launch of Age of Empires IV will be our biggest yet, bringing the evolved real-time strategy game to a new generation on Steam and Game Pass for PC on day one.
  • Minecraft will join Game Pass for PC on Nov. 2, followed by new Minecraft Dungeons Seasonal Adventures in December, and Caves & Cliffs: Part II later this year.
  • On Nov. 9, gaming’s premier racing franchise returns when Forza Horizon 5’s open-world adventure in Mexico speeds into Xbox Game Pass. Our biggest Forza Horizon ever and winner of the Most Anticipated Game of E3 award, Forza Horizon 5 will launch simultaneously on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC and Steam, and Game Pass including console, PC and Cloud Gaming (beta).
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator: Game of the Year Edition launches Nov. 18 as a free update for existing players, including Game Pass members, with five new aircrafts, eight new airports, new Discovery Flights and tutorials, and highly requested community features like DX12 support. Microsoft Flight Simulator will also release the exciting Reno Air Races, which features the fastest motorsport on Earth will also be available on Nov. 18.
  • The Master Chief returns on Dec. 8 with Halo Infinite. This is the Halo we imagined 20 years ago, finally come to life in the largest Halo game we have ever made. Halo Infinite will be available in Game Pass when it launches across Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Game Pass Ultimate members will also receive monthly multiplayer bonuses as part of the Perks program.

Our teams have also been expanding on the games you love. These last few months you explored Minecraft: Caves & Cliffs Part 1, Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life, State of Decay 2: Homecoming, Grounded: Hot and Hazy, and last week’s Halo: The Master Chief Collection Season 8. We’re honored that millions of you continue to play in these worlds together.

Wow! The holiday season this year is looking great for Xbox fans and gamers who are looking for the best in console and PC gaming! This Xbox 20th anniversary celebration is indeed exciting and it is only the beginning for even more excitement coming in 2022, 2023 and further years!

In closing this piece, posted below are Xbox-related videos for your viewing pleasure.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Team Xbox’s presentation at the Tokyo Game Show 2021

Team Xbox’s presentation at the Tokyo Game Show 2021

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Recently I saw via GameSpot’s YouTube channel the Tokyo Game Show 2021 livestream presentation of Team Xbox which lasted about an hour. To say the least, it was indeed a big improvement over what Xbox presented during the 2020 edition of the TGS. There were no major announcements comparable with what were revealed during the last E3 but Team Xbox and its partners in Japan showed there were exciting things for gamers to look forward to.

From Team Xbox.

For one thing, Xbox Cloud Gaming launched in Japan as well in several other places around the world bringing together a massive community of gamers through the Xbox platforms (consoles, PC and mobile devices) who in turn will be able to play over a hundred games through the Xbox Game Pass (XGP) paid subscription service. Team Xbox is focused on reaching over a billion people in 26 countries across five continents and Japan itself is indeed essential not only as a market but also the place where several small and independent game creators have listed through the ID@Xbox program which itself has two hundred Japanese indie games. Xbox Game Pass itself has over a hundred Japanese titles and Bandai Namco’s SCARLET NEXUS is the newest addition to the service.

This video by Dealer Gaming has excerpts from the livestream.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUUuELB4M5Q
A finely made Japanese visual emphasis on Xbox Cloud Gaming and more. Play anywhere!
The newest Japanese addition to XGP!

As expected, Forza Horizon 5 was part of the TGS Xbox livestream and it would be interesting to see how the game, along with the Xbox Series consoles, will perform commercially and critically among the gamers in Japan this December. Don’t forget Japan’s video game legacy of producing many racing games. What surprised me was the inclusion of the upcoming Xbox-exclusive, Arkane-developed game Redfall which is set for a 2022 release. Check out the Xbox Japan YouTube videos below…

More on Japan-made games, the long-running King of Fighter series is back with a new installment coming to Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X and Windows 10 on February 2022…The King of Fighters XV (stylized as KOF XV) and below is the trailer. You can also order the game now.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising from Rabbit & Bear Studios also made an appearance during the livestream. Some gameplay footage was shown from the upcoming action RPG which you can see below…

Bethesda’s Todd Howard presented the upcoming Xbox-exclusive sci-fi RPG Starfield which will not only be released globally on November 11, 2022, it will be fully localized for the Japanese. Pay close attention in the next video…

The Xbox-exclusive sci-fi RPG Starfield!

Team Xbox chief Phil Spencer, who delivered his opening remarks and reaffirmed their commitment on Japan, its gamers, game creators and business partners, had a nice on-screen talk with the legendary game creator Shinji Mikami (famous for the Resident Evil game franchise) who is the founder and one of the top officials of Japan-based Tango Gameworks. Watch the video below…

The head of Xbox and the legendary Shinji Mikami.

Overall, the TGS 2021 Xbox livestream was fun, surprising and exciting even though there were no major game announcements. I should say I find it baffling that no firm release date for CrossFireX was revealed even though it was announced before that the game will come out on Xbox this year. Apart from the Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming announcements and the emphasis on a global audience through Xbox platforms, a lot of games were shown and the independently made video games made by Japanese and Korean creators like Craftopia, The Good Life, RPG Time, Mighty Goose, Lapin, Unsouled and Eternal Return had their own moments of showcase during the livestream. To say that Xbox has no games is a blatant lie and the current leadership of Team Xbox is totally different compared to what was during the unfortunate Xbox One era.

Japan is the fastest growing market for Team Xbox in the world. The growth of Japanese gaming market as claimed by Spencer is indeed real even though the PlayStation-biased members of the media consistently ignore it. Apart from realizing the Japanese growth, Team Xbox is committed to help bring those games around the world for gamers to enjoy. For the full recap of the livestream, click here.

Spencer and his team have been working hard with global gaming in mind. Just before they started their TGS 2021 livestream, they announced that Dolby Vision Gaming has been made available on Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X.

For the newcomers reading this read the excerpt below…

Dolby Vision takes gaming to the next level through incredible brightness, color, contrast, and detail.  Games in Dolby Vision automatically map to any display that supports Dolby Vision, delivering players the benefit of seeing the best possible picture available. Dolby Vision is also compatible with next-generation features available on Xbox Series X|S such as DirectX Raytracing, automatic low-latency mode (ALLM), Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and up to 120FPS depending on the capabilities of your TV.

On the Xbox platform, an updated version of the Edge browser was released and it is capable of playing Stadia games and even access Discord. The said browser is unsurprisingly available on Xbox One and the two Xbox Series consoles. With regards to the ongoing supply problem, Phil Spencer confirmed that getting a new Xbox console will still be challenging going into 2022. How much components Team Xbox and its console manufacturers can receive from the suppliers right now is a mystery but there certainly is an ongoing chip shortage that not only affect game consoles but all other devices and even cars. Finally, Team Xbox hired Crystal Dynamics as a co-production partner with their own studio The Initiative to make the Perfect Dark reboot.

With the TGS 2021 Xbox livestream over, the excitement for gaming will truly begin within this fourth quarter. November will see the release of Forza Horizon 5 while December will not only have the highly anticipated exclusive Halo Infinite but also The Gunk (another exclusive game) and the flashy space shooter Chorus.

In ending this piece, here are some Xbox-related videos for your enjoyment.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com