Etherium released

Etherium, the new, futuristic real-time strategy game developed by Tindalos Interactive, was released by publisher Focus Home Interactive last week for the Windows PC.

For more on Etherium, see the following gameplay trailer or my earlier post.

Pillars of Eternity released to critical acclaim

Pillars of Eternity, a fantasy role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Paradox Interactive, was released last week for Microsoft Windows, OS X and Linux.

In Pillars of Eternity, the player controls a hero who can be chosen from one of six races and eleven classes. The player may team up with up to five other characters. Combat is real-time and can be paused.

Pillars of Eternity has been well-received by game critics. The following is a video review by IGN.

Bloodborne released

Bloodborne, an action role-playing game developed by From Software and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, was released on 24 March.

For more on Bloodborne, see also my earlier post.

The game has been well-received. For example, see the following video review by GameSpot.

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD released

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD was released worldwide last week.

The following trailer gives more details on the story.

Reviews of the game were generally favourable. The following are the video reviews from IGN and GameSpot respectively.

For more information on Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, see also my earlier post as well as this post on the combat system.

Mario Party 10 released

Mario Party 10, a party video game developed by Nd Cube and published by Nintendo, will be released for the Wii U in North America and Europe today. The game was released in Japan on 12 March.

Mario Party 10 is the first game in the Mario Party series to be released for the Wii U.

In the game, four players, controlled by either humans or the computer, compete against each other on a game board by participating in various minigames. In addition, Mario Party 10 introduces two new modes to the series called Bowser Party and Amiibo Party. In Bowser Party, the fifth player controls Bowser using the Wii U GamePad. In Amiibo Party, up to four Amiibo characters can be played on boards designed for those characters.

World of Warships in closed beta

World of Warships, a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game produced by Wargaming, began closed beta test on 12 March.

In World of Warships, the player controls a naval fleet consisting of ships, including destroyers, cruisers, battleships and aircraft carriers, based on historical vessels from the first half of the 20th century. Fleets engage in battles on maps that are set in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans.

ArcheAge: Secrets of Ayanad launched

Trion Worlds announced on 10 March that the Secrets of Ayanad update for the free-to-play fantasy-sandbox MMORPG ArcheAge has gone live.

The Secrets of Ayanad update raises the character level cap to 55. It allows the player to explore the new Diamond Shores zone and wield new abilities and Obsidian Weapons while uncovering the secrets of the ancient, multi-dimensional Ayanad Library.

For more information on ArcheAge, see my earlier post.

Cities: Skylines released

Publisher Paradox Interactive and developer Colossal Order announced on 10 March that Cities: Skylines, the city simulation game for Windows PC, Mac and Linux, has arrived at digital retail outlets worldwide.

See also my earlier post on the game.

Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward to be released on 23 June

Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, the first expansion for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, will be released on 23 June 23, with early access set to begin on 19 June.

The following video provides a tour of Ishgard, the main location of the story, Dravania, a new domain being added in the expansion, and beyond.

Infinite Crisis to be launched on 26 March

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment announced last week that Infinite Crisis, a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena video game developed by Turbine, will be officially launched on Steam on 26 March.

In Infinite Crisis, two squads of DC heroes and villains compete in combative trials across multiple destructive battlefields set in DC Comics’ legendary Multiverse.

Konami announces release date for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Konami Digital Entertainment has announced that Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will be released on 1 September for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. The game will be released for the Windows PC on Steam on 15 September.

Metal Gear Online, the game’s dedicated competitive multiplayer mode, will go live at the launch of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

For more on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Metal Gear Online, see also my earlier post.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate free DLC

Capcom has announced that it will release a free DLC for Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate on the first Friday of every month.

For March, the DLC pack includes all-new quests, equipment and access to the Legend of Zelda collaboration gear.

For more on Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, see my earlier post.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

Bethesda has announced that Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, a first-person shooter, will be released on 5 May on the Windows PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood will be the prequel to Wolfenstein: The New Order. It takes the protagonist BJ Blazkowicz back to the year 1946 in an adventure that spans eight chapters and two interconnected stories that will lead into the events of The New Order.

Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines released in the West

Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines, a Japanese role-playing game developed by Alfa System and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, was released for the PlayStation Vita on 3 March in North America and 4 March in Europe. It had been released in Japan on 17 July 2014.

Oreshika is set in Japan. The player takes control of a clan to explore labyrinths, defeat demons and find treasures in a watercolour world filled with creatures based on Japanese mythology.

However, the clan has been struck by two curses: The Curse of Ephemerality, which causes clan members to have a maximum lifespan of around 2 years, and the Curse of Broken Lineage, which stops clan members from procreating. Facing death, the player has to defeat enemies to accumulate points, which will allow him to marry deities and create children with them, thus progressing through several generations.

Dragon Quest Heroes released in Asia

Dragon Quest Heroes, an action game based on the Dragon Quest series developed by Omega Force and published by Square Enix, was released in Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan on 26 February for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.

Dragon Quest Heroes will be coming out in Europe and North America later in 2015 but only for the PlayStation 4.