From the John Archives: Bandai-Namco Summer Preview: Pac-Man 2, Moto GP, and More

From the John Archives: Bandai-Namco Summer Preview: Pac-Man 2, Moto GP, and More

Originally posted on GeekNation on August 7, 2014

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the upcoming lineup we can expect from EA Games. This past week, I was invited to test drive some of Bandai-Namco’s future titles in New York City. Here are just some of the games you can expect:

Lords of the Fallen 2

Lords of the Fallen
Developed by CI Games S.A.
Coming October 28, 2014 to PS4, Xbox One, and PC

This is an RPG if there ever was one. Originally set to be released on PS3/360, it was sent to the big leagues on next gen systems, and rightfully so. You play as a “fallen” god, in search to reclaim what is his. The gameplay is pretty impressive, at least what I’ve seen of it: You fight your way through hordes of creepy demon-type entities (they seriously looked gnarled, to the point where you would think a zombie from Half-Life was a Men’s Warehouse model).

As you progress, you fight even bigger enemies, and have to figure out clever ways to kill them. At one point I engaged a rather robust monster, only to find that running was a legitimate answer, as a trap in the floor is too much for his own weight, and ends up being his undoing. Another aspect of the game is the fact that you can customize your characters with different items. Shields, staffs, even fireballs… I prefer the latter.

MotoGP 14

MotoGP14
Developed by Milestone
Coming Fall 2014 to PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox 360, and PC

If you were around during the birth of Xbox Live on the original Xbox, MotoGP was one of the original games featured as having online compatibility. The premise is rather simple: Motorcycle racing. You’ve more than likely seen what MotoGP looks like on current gen, but on next gen it looks amazingly real – real to the point where if you don’t have a good grip on the game, you will go flying, which is something I’ve experienced firsthand. Ouch.

Project CARS

Project CARS
Developed by Slightly Mad Studios
Coming November 2014 for Xbox One, PS4. Wii U and PC in 2015

Simulator racing is a competitive genre between Forza, Gran Turismo, and its contemporaries. Project CARS is no exception, as it looks to push next gen to its limits. Slightly Mad Studios is using a beefed up version of its Madness Engine (used in the Need for Speed: Shift series) to help propel Project CARS into the top tier of simulator racing games. Much like Lords of the Fallen, this title was also set to make its debut on PS3 and 360, but hit the brakes prior to next gen being released. Looks like it’ll be worth the wait.

Pac-Man 2

PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures 2
Developed by BANDAI NAMCO Studio Inc.
Coming October 14, 2014 to Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U and 3DS

The big hungry yellow ball that most of the older millennial types threw hundreds of quarters at is back! The game remains the same (and unfortunately didn’t make the jump to next gen…unless you count Wii U), but that doesn’t stop it from being awesome. Pac and his friends Cylindria and Sprial take on the evil Lord Betrayus and his army of ghosties through time and space.

You can switch from regular walking Pac-Man to legless classic Pac-Man in order to bounce around and eat everything in sight. If this game isn’t enough Pac for your cherry-flavored taste, remember…Pac-Man also appears in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. game.

Digimon Rumble

Digimon All-Star Rumble
Developed by PROPE
Coming November 11, 2014 to Xbox 360 and PS3

Circa 2000, the big trend in kids’ (and young adult) entertainment was collecting monsters. Pokemon was the big one that made the transition from Japan to the States in no time flat. Digimon came in second place to Pokemon, but still had a following, despite being dwarfed to the Nintendo juggernaut. I remember occasionally tuning in to watch the show and remember the original characters. Eventually (like practically everything else in children’s entertainment) Digimon, Power Rangers, and the rest of the Saban Production properties – including the 1990s animated X-Men and Spider-Man – were purchased by Disney, and sent from broadcast TV to ABC Family (and later Disney XD) where Digimon found a new generation of fans and began to evolve into more shows.

Now that Saban has purchased the rights back from Disney to continue growth of the franchise (with Bandai-Namco’s assistance), they’re releasing a Digimon fighting game that seems to cross Super Smash Bros. with Street Fighter. Every character of every rendition of the show is represented, however the demo I played only featured original Digimon characters like Agumon, Tentomon, Gomamon, and one or two others (which I was fine with). The demo was pretty buggy -I sort of broke it when first playing…oops – but I got the gist of how the game works. You fight with 2 – 4 players on the screen pretty much like Smash Bros. while you try to collect different power-ups in order to dispatch your competitors. When you have enough energy, you are also able to Digivolve into your character’s larger form for a short period of time. Hopefully all the bugs are Digileted before November, because this could really be a fun game.

Power Rangers Megaforce 3DS

Power Rangers Super Megaforce
Developed by 7th Chord
Coming October 2014 to 3DS

As mentioned earlier, Saban recently repurchased the rights to Power Rangers from Disney and started running Power Rangers Megaforce on Nickelodeon. Now, 3DS has you covered with a side scrolling SUPER MEGA game, where you can play as both current and past Power Rangers. (I chose classic Green and White…which were both the same character. Time paradox?) Eventually you get to load up a MegaZord and take on giant monsters on the battlefield. Again, the game is on 3DS, so younger fans of of the newer series should enjoy playing for the tie-in to the show, while older fans might enjoy it for nostalgic purposes.

And there you have it. What do you think? Any of these look like something you’d dig? Let us know what video games you’re looking forward to playing this year (these or any others) in the comments below.

About The Author

John J. Galbo

New York-based John J. is the Creator/EiC for [adult swim] central and founder of the Art Comedy Pop-Culture Network. He has hosted podcasts like The Swimcast and Pop-Culture Anonymous, among others.

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