Author: Austyn "Lazybones2020" Roney

There’s a lot to see, but there’s not much time to build more hype!

Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe has released an English-subtitled version of the Tokyo Game Show trailer for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2. The trailer focuses on the game’s story mode, complete with cutscenes both animated and in-game. Players enlist in the Time Patrol, a league of space explorers tasked with protected the ever changing Dragon Ball timeline.

While most of the footage from the trailer is new, it does not necessarily answer any questions that were not addressed before. The trailer primarily expands upon previously announced aspects of the game. That being said, this sequel hopes to take everything about the original title and polish it to become a truly current-gen experience. The speed and spectacle have certainly improved over the original game.

There will be two beta sessions for the game available for PlayStation 4 users. The closed beta begins on October 8 and closes on October 10. The open beta will start on October 14 and end on October 17. These beta tests will give players a good idea of what the final product will look like since the release is only a few days later.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 releases on October 25 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One with a PC release following later on October 28.

Source: Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe

Bandai Namco announced via Twitter that the Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Closed Beta will begin on October 8, and will run until October 10 on the PlayStation 4. Bandai Namco is also hosting an open beta that will be made available on October 14 through the 17 for all PlayStation Network users on the PS4.

Players that participate in the open beta will gain access to a special item, that will be made available in the full version of the game. Those looking to compete during the beta period can enter a special tournament that will be open to all players.

Unfortunately, folks hoping to join a beta on Xbox One or PC will be unable to do so: according to Bandai Namco, this is a Sony-exclusive event. That being said, those players will only have to wait a little while longer to get their hands on the full version of the game.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 releases on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 25, with the PC version following shortly after on October 28.

Sources: Bandai Namco (Twitter); Attack of the Fanboy

Fans of Dragon Ball Z and One Piece will be able to play out their dream match ups, thanks to a compatibility update for Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden and One Piece: Great Pirate Colosseum on Nintendo 3DS. This November, players will be able to take the fight locally or online on either title.

For years, fans have clamored for a Dragon Ball game with more depth than the average anime fighter. Bandai Namco answered that plea last year with Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden for Nintendo 3DS. Don’t let its handheld home fool you, it was developed by Arc System Works, the folks behind the 2D fighting series of Guilty Gear and Blazblue. Extreme Butoden features a robust cast, multi-tiered stages, and fast paced unadulterated gameplay.

The hit anime and manga series, One Piece, is currently getting the Arc System Works treatment with One Piece: Great Pirate Colosseum, which will release in Japan on September 21. The game will feature 23 playable characters alongside 80 assist characters, all from throughout the series’ 9 year history. It will also feature a competitive online “Bounty” system that allows players to rise up the ranks to become the “King of the Pirates.”

There is currently no word of an international release, but the console fighter One Piece: Burning Blood found its way west this passed May, so there is still hope! Bandai Namco will reveal further information at a later date.

Feel free to check out One Piece: Great Pirate Colosseum’s character overview trailer below!

Source: Gematsu

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is receiving a brand new expansion pack titled Road to Boruto. This expansion is based on the series’ newest generation of ninja and will be hitting digital shelves in North America and Europe on February 3 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

The expansion will include new characters, story missions, and locations to explore. While the original Naruto manga ended nearly two years ago, there’s plenty more ninja action to experience with the Road to Boruto expansion.

Owners of the main game will only need to pay $19.99 to receive the additional content. Those who don’t currently own the game are in luck! A packaged edition was also announced that includes the base game alongside the expansion.

The packaged edition is currently only confirmed for Japan, but there’s plenty of time for Bandai Namco to announce a western physical release.

Those who pre-ordered Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 received early access to Naruto’s son, Boruto and Sasuke’s daughter, Sarada. Here’s a gameplay trailer showing off the new characters as they battle the original duo.

Source: Gematsu

According to Warner Bros., Mortal Kombat XL and all of its content will soon find its home on PCs starting on October 4. This news has been a long time coming, after NetherRealm Studios seemingly abandoned the idea of a PC release and then later surprised folks with an update and beta.

Series creator Ed Boon has been teasing folks after running a poll to see what players wanted most between additional character balances, an ESL Tournament Season 4, or a PC port. After running the results, the PC port held a close lead.

What news do you want to see most on Mortal Kombat X ?

— Ed Boon (@noobde) July 30, 2016

Less than a month later, Boon left a “Kryptic” message for PC users that inspired hope among the community.

Maybe we should Karry eXtra Long People who Care? pic.twitter.com/rvq6spBojz

— Ed Boon (@noobde) August 22, 2016

All of the balances that went along with the most recent beta test will be available to all owners of Mortal Kombat X on PC on October 4 as well.

It is nice to see the PC version being brought up to speed. According to GameSpot, the reason behind Mortal Kombat X’s troubled PC support stemmed from how the game is installed. NetherRealm decided to implement a new installation system that would allow the game to be played without requiring every file to be on the hard drive; this lead to many issues for the title and for a time, patches hurt the game more than they helped. At least the game will at last be comparable in content to its console cousins.

With Injustice 2, NetherRealm Studio’s most recent project–currently only announced for consoles–one can hope that it will see an eventual PC release after having more time to give the title their full attention.

Source: GameSpot

Bandai Namco Europe has released a new trailer for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 at this year’s Gamescom. The trailer focuses on a new system mechanic that allows players to fight with up to five other characters to take on massive threats like the Oozaru. This feature will be enabled in the game’s new “Expert Mission” challenges. In the original entry, players could engage in 1-v-1, 2-v-2, and 3-v-3 battles. This addition to the game’s battle structure should allow for some truly epic battles, as seen in the gameplay video.

The trailer also announces the return of Majin Vegeta as a playable character. It won’t be long until Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 arrives in stores as it releases on October 25 in North America for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game will launch in Europe on October 28, along with the international release of the PC version.

Sources: Bandai Namco Europe; DualShockers

Killer Instinct showed off its upcoming mode at Gamescom 2016 in Cologne, Germany. According to the official website, “Shadow Lords is part ladder, part arcade mode, part story mode, and part roguelike, all rolled up into one unique experience.” Shadow Lords was first announced back in March of this year after leaking prior to an official announcement. The additional mode will be released by the end of Killer Instinct’s third season of content.

Microsoft is releasing Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition on September 20, 2016 for Xbox One and Windows 10. The title will include all 26 characters from the game’s three seasons along with other bonus content such as an exclusive “Gold Gargos” character skin.

The folks over at IGN have gotten their hands on the most recent build of the new mode and have uploaded a video showing off how the system works. Folks interested in how the story is handled can skip ahead to about 6:50 to view the mode’s cutscenes.

Sources: Gematsu; Ultra-Combo; IGN

Cross-platform play has been a hot topic of discussion as of late, particularly after Microsoft stated that they are more than open to the idea of Xbox One/PlayStation 4 connectivity. With Tekken 7: Fated Retribution still in development, some fans are asking Bandai Namco directly if there are any plans of implementing interaction between the destination platforms.

Twitter user @IPT_eL recently asked Tekken 7 game designer Michael Murray if the upcoming fighting game would include a more inclusive online network:

@IPT_eL please ask Sony. MS already publicly said they're interested in cross platform

— Michael Murray (@mykeryu) August 5, 2016

Sony is no stranger to cross-play however: the company has supported play between PlayStation 4 consoles and PC for quite some time. Titles like Street Fighter V and Final Fantasy XIV already have this kind of connectivity. The real question is if Sony is willing to cooperate with their competitor to have one unified playing space.

With neither side making any promises, it’s tough to tell if cross-platform play will be a feature shipping with Tekken 7, but there is always hope for a compatibility patch down the road if all parties come to an agreement.

Tekken 7: Fated Retribution will be releasing on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in early 2017.

Sources: Michael Murray (Twitter); GameRant; Push Square