Namco Bandai Games Announces Blockbuster Lineup for E3 2013
Hit Franchises, Beloved Classics, and Popular Anime Titles Converge at the Annual Electronic Entertainment Expo
PARIS, FRANCE – 11th June 2013 – NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe S.A.S. today revealed its stellar product lineup for the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, CA. The company will display a total of 11 titles in rooms #304 B&C on the second level of the South Hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center. These 11 titles represent the pinnacle of game development for an assortment of platforms currently available to consumers – including the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS™ and PC. This year's NAMCO BANDAI Games E3 lineup features new installments of its most popular franchises as well as anime license-based titles, beloved classic franchise reimagined for today's gamers, and Free-to-Play titles. NAMCO BANDAI's diverse roster of products spans every genre for players of all ages and skill levels.
"Our E3 2013 lineup reaffirms NAMCO BANDAI Games' commitment to bringing a varied collection of hardcore titles, highly popular anime licenses, and original properties that achieve our goal to reach and appeal to all gamers," said Chris Gilbert, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. "As our industry continues to evolve and grow; NAMCO BANDAI Games is uniquely positioned to meet the demands of an ever changing marketplace by offering engrossing high quality titles across a wide spectrum of platforms."
Below is additional information on NAMCO BANDAI Games' E3 2013 lineup:
Armored Core®: Verdict Day
Release date: September 27, 2013
Platforms: Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
Genre: Mech Strategy and Battle
PEGI rating: 12+
From the creative minds at Japanese game developer FromSoftware comes the hardcore mech action title, Armored Core: Verdict Day. The game is set in a world that has been thrown into chaos. Important natural resources needed for basic survival are scavenged and fought for across the world with deadly Armored Core units. Players with steady trigger fingers, a strategic mind for mech customization, and strong teamwork will be all that stand between players' survival and complete annihilation.
Dark Souls® II
Release date: March 2014
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC
Genre: Adventure Role-Playing-Game
PEGI rating: 18+
Dark Souls II is the highly anticipated sequel to the 2011 break-out hit Dark Souls. Developed by famed Japanese developer FromSoftware, this new adventure features the return of the extremely challenging gameplay experience from its predecessor with enhancements in character design, animation, sound composition, lighting effects, and graphical fidelity. The combination of these upgrades creates a gaming experience that represents the pinnacle of game development on the Xbox 360. Dark Souls II is available for hands-on play in the NAMCO BANDAI meeting space located in rooms #304 B&C on the second level of the South Hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
One Piece™ Pirate Warriors® 2
Release date: August 2013
Platform: PlayStation 3 Exclusive
Genre: 3rd Person Action Brawler
PEGI rating: 12+
Castoff and set sail on grand pirate adventures with Luffy, Sanji, Zoro and the rest of the Straw Hat crew to explore and conquer islands in the New World. Playable characters from the original title along with never before seen characters will join in battle creating a frantic and challenging brawler experience. One Piece fans will enjoy seeing whole line-ups of their favorite One Piece characters springing to action, including Eneru for the first time ever on PS3.
PAC-MAN™ and the Ghostly Adventures™
Release date: Autumn 2013
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and 3DS
Genre: 3D Action Platformer
PEGI rating:
PAC is BACK! In an all-new gaming adventure for a whole new generation of Pac-Man fans. Featuring a 3D world inspired by the storyline of the upcoming PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures animated series from Marvel Studios Director and Founder Avi Arad that will begin airing on Disney XD® this summer. With zany PAC-MAN characters and classic ghost chomping gameplay, PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures will appeal to console gamers of all ages with Nintendo 3DS fans enjoying an exclusive side-scrolling version of the game when it releases this fall.
PAC-MAN CE DX Plus™
Release date: Summer 2013
Platform: PC
Genre: Arcade
PEGI rating: 3+
PAC-MAN also returns this summer with a free title update for PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system, and Windows 8. PAC-MAN CE DX Plus upgrades one of 2010's most celebrated downloadable titles with improved leaderboard functionality, in-game achievements and medals, as well as access to additional DLC mazes, music and graphics including classic DIG DUG® and RALLY-X® sprites. Players will chomp through bright neon mazes at blistering speeds in this modern update to the classic PAC-MAN gameplay.
PAC-MAN Museum™
Release date: Autumn 2013
Platforms: Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, STEAM, Nintendo eShop
Genre: Arcade
PEGI rating: 3+
Relive over 30 years of PAC-MAN, the yellow 1980's icon with a voracious appetite that has transcended generation upon generation of gamers in a nostalgia-packed collection of games with PAC-MAN Museum. Gamers will be fully immersed in the PAC-MAN universe as they play through the evolution of PAC-MAN franchise, from his 1980's beginnings though 2010's arcade smash-hit, PAC-MAN Battle Royale®.
Power Rangers Megaforce™
Release date: Autumn 2013
Platform: Nintendo 3DS Exclusive
Genre: Side-scrolling Action
PEGI rating: 7 + (Provisional)
In this new chapter of the popular Power Rangers video game series, fans play as their favorite Megaforce Ranger while the supporting Power Rangers provide valuable advice and encouragement to players as they battle their way through challenge after challenge. The Rangers' dynamic vocal and physical support will prove valuable as challenging situations and conditions arise in an attempt to foil players$B!G(B advancement in the game. To enhance the players' experience, Power Rangers MEGAFORCE will allow fans to scan official Power Rangers MEGAFORCE Morpher Cards to unlock special power-ups within the game. Players will also be able to utilize the Nintendo 3DS camera to take a picture and watch themselves actively morph into their favorite Megaforce Ranger and fend off enemy encounters with their own hands.
Project X Zone™
Release date: July 5, 2013
Platform: Nintendo 3DS Exclusive
Genre: Strategy Role-Playing-Game
PEGI rating: 12+
Project X Zone brings together the fiercest and most popular legacy characters from NAMCO BANDAI, SEGA®, and Capcom's most beloved franchises to create a Strategy-RPG experience that can only be described as the ultimate cross-over title. Featuring over 50 playable characters from 29 historic game franchises, Project X Zone takes players into a world surrounded by a hidden chaos with shadows and evil lurking beneath the peaceful cover of everyday life.
Tales of Xillia®
Release date: August 9, 2013
Platform: PlayStation 3 Exclusive
Genre: Japanese-Role-Playing-Game (JRPG)
PEGI rating: 16+
Tales of Xillia follows Jude Mathis, a clever medical student attending school in the capital city, and Milla Maxwell, a mysterious woman accompanied by four unseen beings. Players will be able to choose either Milla or Jude at the outset of their adventure through the world of Rieze Maxia, where humans and spirits live together in harmony. Over the course of the game Jude and Milla's lives will intersect with a vast ensemble of characters that will teach them the strength of unwavering conviction.
Players will engage enemies with the critically acclaimed "Linear Motion Battle System" allowing for real-time movement and attacks. Players will experience a more tactile role in the midst of fights. The battle system in Tales of Xillia has been upgraded to "Double Raid Linear Motion Battle System" allowing two characters to combine their attacks and form devastating dual-character attacks adding an extra layer of strategy for fans use in forming the best party setup for their style of play.
TEKKEN REVOLUTION™
Release date: June 12, 2013
Free-to-Play
Platform: PlayStation Network Exclusive
Genre: Arcade Fighting
PEGI rating: 12+ / USK 16
Developed by NAMCO BANDAI Games$B!G(B internal TEKKEN development team, TEKKEN REVOLUTION takes the storied fighting game franchise into the Free-2-Play arena. Players will choose from an initial cast of eight iconic TEKKEN characters to train for battle against AI opponents in Arcade Mode and fearsome human opponents spanning the globe through online Ranked and Player Matches. Simplified combo commands allow new players to execute bone-crushing special moves and advanced players to employ new strategies. For the first time in TEKKEN history, players will be able to level-up their characters, increasing three key attributes; Strength, Endurance and Vigor, to create a combatant tuned to individual play styles.
RIDGE RACER® Driftopia
Release date: 2013
Free-to-Play
Platforms: PlayStation Network and PC Steam
Genre: Arcade Racing
PEGI rating: 7+ / USK 12
RIDGE RACER Driftopia puts the series' irresistible signature drifting action right at the heart of the free-to-play gaming experience. Customizable cars, challenging tracks, and car crunching action await racing game fans in this newest incarnation of one of NAMCO BANDAI's most popular franchises.
About NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe:
NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe S.A.S., is a leading interactive entertainment software publisher based in Cergy-Pontoise, France. The company is a part of the NAMCO BANDAI group of companies known for creating and publishing many of the industry's top video game franchises including the RidgeRacer™, Tekken™, SOULCALIBUR™, Tamagotchi™, Digimon™, Dragonball® and Naruto™ brands.
About SEGA, Inc.
SEGA is a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
About TEKKEN®
Created and published worldwide by NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc., the TEKKEN® fighting game series is among the world's most popular and well-known gaming brands with franchise sales of more than 40 million units to date. Originally a 1994 arcade game, subsequent titles have been released for almost all gaming platforms. The series is renowned for the visual style of its many characters including Heihachi Mishima, Jin Kazama, Anna Williams and Emilie De Rochefort (Lili), and for its martial arts-based combat set in the universe of the King of Iron Fist Tournament. For more information go to www.tekken.com