Becoming a pro gamer was like a double-edged sword. He loved the perks, but hated the fame. Now in the world's first VRMMORPG, Sword Art Online, Kirito is sought out by fans once more. Now trapped inside the game with death looming over there shoulders, players need his skills more than ever. There is only one problem though. 2nd Trailer is up! MEDIA Search titles only; Posted by Member: Separate names with a comma. Lux and Seven will join Sword Art Online: Lost Song for PlayStation 3 and PS Vita as playable characters via a major update on the way, this week’s Dengeki PlayStation reveals.
PS4 Review - 'Sword Art Online: Lost Song'
To get Seven: Do all of Rain's side quests (You know you'll be done when you get a trophy) Go to the Weapon Shop, Seven will be there Do all of her quests The final quest unlocks the Lost Song multiplayer/extra mission, and once you kill the lv 1000 boss, Seven is usable. To get Lux: Put Leefa, Lisabeth, and/or Silica on your team. Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet has been released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam worldwide. A season pass that lets you obtain all three DLC batches above is also available. You can also.
SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization -A New Chapter Begins- Coming October 2018 ©2017 REKI KAWAHARA/PUBLISHED BY KADOKAWA CORPORATION ASCII MEDIA WORKS/SAO-A Project ©2016 REKI KAWAHARA/PUBLISHED BY KADOKAWA CORPORATION ASCII MEDIA WORKS/SAO MOVIE Project.
by Chris 'Atom' DeAngelus on Jan. 8, 2016 @ 3:00 a.m. PST
Sword Art Online: Lost Song is an RPG based on the novel, manga and anime, Sword Art Online.
Sword Art Online: Lost Song is something of a sequel to the Vita title, Hollow Fragment, which told the tale of protagonist Kirito, who was trapped with some friends within a virtual reality MMO where death in-game meant death in reality. With Lost Song, we rejoin Kirito as he starts playing a new MMO, but he is quickly swept up in drama involving Seven, a mysterious singer who is fighting to change the game.
Sword Art Online enjoys the deviations from the anime and what they mean for the characters. Without understanding those deviations, many of the character decisions seem incoherent. Kirito delights in hopping back into a video game after enduring a traumatic experience. It's mostly an excuse to get Kirito into the game, but it's enough to make it difficult for casual players to grasp things. The plot is mostly an excuse for characters past and present to hang out together in an MMO that isn't trying to murder them. The translation, mercifully, is also a tremendous step up from the Vita release of Hollow Fragment and just a tad dry.
You can attack with strong and weak combos, dodge, and perform special attacks that use up a regenerating magic bar. While you begin the game as protagonist Kirito you can actually play as a wide variety of characters, most of whom have their own unique selection of weapons and abilities. Kirito is probably the most well-balanced character but Sword Art Online fans are likely to be glad to have the chance to play as other characters. There are RPG mechanics but the game absolutely rewards good action skills more than good RPG play. You'll probably quickly find a few reliable skills and focus on those more than worrying about elemental strengths and weaknesses or anything of the sort.
The big feature in AFO is the ability to fly. From the moment you hop into the game, you're able to fly. There are a few limitations; some areas lock down your ability to fly, and you have an altitude limit for a good chunk of the game. The free flight still is the coolest and most enjoyable element of the title. You have three modes: fly, hover and walk. Flying is fast but less effective for straight combat. Hovering is for combat and allows you to move and fight as easily as you do on the ground. Dashing or flying quickly drains your stamina, but stamina refills so quickly that you have to really be pushing it to run out.
The camera doesn't play so well with the flight mechanic at times, and it's occasionally difficult to judge the distance to enemies, so locking on to foes is a must. Flight is fun, but it doesn't feel like it changes things, and there isn't much distinction between air and ground combat. Perhaps it would've felt more significant if it had been introduced later in the game, but there seems to be no reason to not fly unless the game demands it. This works well for the enjoyment factor but takes away some of the 'wow' of flying.
'Awkward' is kind of the name of the game in Sword Art Online. Everything works, but some things feel weird to do. Blocking, locking on and using special moves are slightly uncomfortable and don't feel natural. Casting a spell requires putting away your swords first, which is difficult in the heat of combat. The R1 button is way overused, and while the game is complex, it isn't complex enough to merit some of the button combinations. On the other hand, there are nice but undocumented shortcuts, like holding the dash button to take off into flight. This is a perfectly acceptable but unexceptional action game that could've used some polish.
Lost Song suffers from trying to be an MMO. The gameplay is fun for a while, but it soon becomes clear you're repeating the same places, fighting extremely similar monsters, and doing the same things. It's an accurate depiction of MMO-style gameplay, but it lacks the sense of progression that makes a good MMO work. After a while, it all blends together. If you enjoy tearing through monsters and finding loot for the sake of doing so, there's enjoyment to be had here on that visceral level. I never felt more advanced in Lost Song than when I started, despite getting a few cool abilities and skills along the way. Swapping characters helps a little, but the RPG mechanics are pretty shallow and it's easy to get bored.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the online features are one of Lost Song's stronger elements. You can create a simplified custom character and take him or her online to compete in cooperative or competitive play against other gamers. While the core gameplay is pretty basic, the simplicity actually works on its favor when you're playing alongside other people. This isn't an MMO but is akin to small snippets of multiplayer with up to four players (or 4v4 multiplayer combat). With a human behind the wheel, the combat mechanics become a lot more fast and intense. Taking down powerful foes or having a PvP battle emphasizes the game's strengths. It's not going to be a long-lasting online game mode, but it's the most fun to be had in Lost Song.
Visually, the title is a mixed bag. The characters are vivid and bright, and the art style works very well to present a picture-perfect version of the anime. Combat animations are cool, and there are neat touches like glowing damage marks appearing on enemies in the location of their injuries. Some other animations look awkward, such as Kirito's running animation. The cut scenes are mostly presented in a visual novel style, which feels a little weak compared to the occasional well-animated cut scene. The soundtrack is good, if unmemorable. The voice acting is entirely in Japanese, which is probably a plus for fans of the anime. There's a ton of dialogue, and the Japanese voice actors are a competent lot.
Sword Art Online: Lost Song is a game for fans of the anime. It relies heavily on players recognizing the story twists and turns and grasping how the anime mechanics translate into gameplay. Without that familiarity with the franchise, the game is a combination of fun, simple combat with the more tedious aspects of an MMO. The online play adds some extra spice to the game but won't keep players coming back unless they're big fans of the show. If you're interested in seeing a different side of Kirito and his pals, there's a fair bit of content here and you'll get the chance to play as some of the lesser-known characters.
Score: 7.0/10
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Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Aquria |
Publisher(s) | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
Series | Sword Art Online |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch |
Release | PlayStation 4, PlayStation VitaMicrosoft Windows
|
Genre(s) | Role-playing |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization (ソードアート・オンライン -ホロウ・リアリゼーション-, Sōdo Āto Onrain - Horō Riarizēshon -) is a video game developed by Aquria and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Windows PC, based on the Japanese light novel series, Sword Art Online. It is the fourth video game in the series and the successor to Sword Art Online: Lost Song. Hollow Realization was released on October 27, 2016 in Japan,[1] and on November 8, 2016 for North American and European territories.[2][3] A Nintendo Switch version of the game was announced, with a release date due for Q3 2019[4]
Gameplay[edit]
Unlike in Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment and Lost Song, a party in Hollow Realization consists of four characters including the player, instead of three.[5][6] While HF is played like a role-playing game and LS like an action role-playing game, HR is based on HF's style, but with action elements integrated.[7] Characters can be customized through in-game character creation, with gender, height, figure, weapons, and physical appearance changeable.[8] Additionally, over 300 non-player characters appear in the game, with all of them being recruitable to join the player's party. Players can create special bonds with these characters by giving equipment to them. Strengthening the bond also increases the character's strength.[9]
A new battle system also features in Hollow Realization, where the four-person team of players fight monsters using sword skills in a similar fashion to the original Sword Art Online game. Players can also direct and receive guidance from party members in collaborating to perform team strategies and attacks.[2] Players perform chain attacks with party members using a 'Switch' system for greater damage output against powerful monsters, including charged attacks and aerial combos.[2][10] This includes 'Named Monsters', which are monsters with significant strength that appear without warning.[8] Set in a 'wider world', Hollow Realization features monsters new to the series.[9] A healing system in the game allows defeated characters to rejoin the battle as long as teammates are still fighting.[10] The game features online multiplayer.[7]
Hollow Realization is approximately 30 to 40 hours in length; however, completely finishing the game such as leveling up to the highest level and completing all the quests will take the player approximately 70 to 100 hours.[11] The game will eventually feature downloadable content. For example, the free expansion packFighters of the Blue Sky, to be released in 2016, will feature Sword Art Online: Lost Song characters Rain and Seven, a new PvP feature, and an additional story.[12] The paid expansion pack Shrine Maiden of the Abyss, to be released in 2017, will add an additional three chapters into the game.[12]
Synopsis[edit]
[...] You’ve always had to start at not-level 1 in all of the previous games—you know how Kirito would be level 100 at the start of the previous games, because he’s already that level? I wanted to create a Sword Art Online game where players can start from level 1. That’s the gameplay experience I would like to provide players. [...] Now, the player can experience how Kirito adventures through the world of Sword Art: Origin from the base level.
Sword Art Online Lost Souls
Yosuke Futami, producer[11]
Hollow Realization takes place in Sword Art: Origin, a restoration of Aincrad titled Ainground,[11] with intentions of research and development[13] in the year 2026, three years after the original Sword Art Online event.[14] However, unlike in Sword Art Online, Ainground is one large floor, instead of multiple, while the castle itself was renamed to Aincrad,[7] where several monsters can be battled.[2]
The main character of the game is a 14-year old AI, known as Premiere,[15] that travels with Kirito.[6] Although she is part of the game's initial release, a later patch would tweak her 'vocabulary and personality' in-game to a 'specific character', based on keywords in Twitter tweets as part of a promotional campaign featuring the character.[16] These conversations with Twitter users would dictate her personality over time and ultimately decide if she would become a 'good girl' or 'bad girl' in-game.[17]
Other prominent characters from the franchise such as Asuna, Leafa, Sinon, Lisbeth and Silica also feature.[2]
Development[edit]
The game was teased at Tokyo Game Show 2015 in September[13] with the working title of SAO IV.[18] It was officially announced at Dengeki Bunko Fall Fest by Bandai Namco on October 3.[19] According to Bandai Namco Games producer Yosuke Futami, the game was devised with the idea of Kirito starting the game at level one.[6] A Western release date was later announced, with Hollow Realization releasing in Japan on October 27 and internationally on November 8.[20] The North American Vita release is digital-only.[12]
Players who pre-ordered Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization via the PlayStation Store in Japan gain a one-week early access into part of the game's main story.[12] The game will feature Japanese voices coupled with English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish subtitles.[21] The opening theme is 'Windia' by Luna Haruna.[22] The ending theme is 'Two of Us' by Haruka Tomatsu. An advertising campaign for the game, titled 'Sword Art On-Nyaine', featured cats playing with toys but with Hollow Realization sounds dubbed over them.[23]
A DLC called Chapter 1: Explorer of Illusory Mists became available starting on May 16, 2017.[24] On July 21, 2017 the second expansion[25] was released with the title Chapter II: Tuner of Causality. The last post-release content was released on September 26, 2017 closing the Abyss of the Shrine Maiden saga and it was titled Chapter III: The One Who Opposes God released on September 26, 2017.[26][27]
Reception[edit]
Reception | ||||||||||||||||||
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Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization received 'mixed or average' reviews, according to video game review aggregatorMetacritic.[28][29] Both PlayStation 4 and Vita versions received final scores of 32/40 by Famitsu, being awarded 9, 8, 7 and 8 by four individual reviewers.[31]
References[edit]
- ^てけおん (April 25, 2016). '『SAO ホロウ・リアリゼーション』の発売日が10月27日に決定!'. Dengeki Online. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ abcdePaolo Togonon, Miguel. ''Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization' PS4 release date set on 2016 in North America; Bandai Namco stream new gameplay trailer, crossover with '.hack' anime'. Yibada. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ^Romano, Sal. 'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization coming west in 2016'. Gematsu. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ^'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization and Fatal Bullet for Switch launch in spring and summer 2019'. Gematsu. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
- ^James, Thomas (October 4, 2014). 'First Sword Art Online: Lost Song gameplay details'. Gematsu. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ abcRomano, Sal (October 6, 2015). 'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization first details'. Gematsu. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ^ abcRomano, Sal (October 14, 2015). 'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is set in Ainground'. Gematsu. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
- ^ abRomano, Sal (March 22, 2016). 'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization introduces character customization, marshland area, and Named Monsters'. Gematsu. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- ^ abAguda, Patrick (June 9, 2016). 'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, More Characters and Details'. Operation Rainfall. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- ^ abMartinez, Phillip (April 8, 2016). ''Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization' Gameplay Footage Shows Monster Fighting And Combos'. iDigitalTimes. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- ^ abcRomano, Sal. 'Interview: Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization producer Yosuke Futami at NYCC 2016'. Gematsu. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ^ abcdRomano, Sal. 'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization details Japanese early access version, first PS Vita gameplay'. Gematsu. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ^ abRomano, Sal (October 4, 2015). 'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization announced for PS4, PS Vita'. Gematsu. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
- ^Halestorm, Bradly (March 14, 2016). 'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Headed West This Year, Gameplay Shown'. Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ^'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Game's English-Subtitled Trailer Now Lists 2016 Date'. Anime News Network. March 14, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
- ^D'Anastasio, Cecilia. 'Latest Sword Art Online Game Lets Twitter 'Raise' A Character'. Kotaku. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ^Dennison, Kara. 'Help Train the Newest 'Sword Art Online' NPC'. Crunchyroll News. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ^てけおん (October 4, 2015). 'ゲーム『SAO』第4弾は'ホロウ'の後継作! MMOらしさとアクション性を両立させた作品に' (in Japanese). Dengeki Online. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
- ^Storm, Bradly (October 3, 2015). 'New Sword Art Online Game Scheduled for Release Next Year'. Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
- ^MacGregor, Kyle (April 23, 2016). 'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization coming west this fall'. Destructoid. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- ^'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Videos Showcase Battle Actions, Boss Battle'. Anime News Network. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ^'Sword Art Online Hollow Realization PS4/PS Vita Game's 3rd Trailer Previews Luna Haruna's Theme Song (Update)'. Anime News Network. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
- ^Dennison, Kara. ''Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization' Shares Cat Videos on YouTube'. Crunchyroll News. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ^'BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America – More fun for everyone!'. www.bandainamcoent.com. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
- ^'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization DLC 'Chapter II: Tuner of Causality' launches July 21 in the west - Gematsu'. Gematsu. 2017-07-20. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
- ^'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization's Third And Last DLC Chapter Releases Today - Siliconera'. Siliconera. 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
- ^'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization's Third Chapter DLC Gets New Trailer and Details'. DualShockers. 2017-06-26. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
- ^ ab'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization for PlayStation 4 Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ^ ab'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization for PlayStation Vita Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
- ^Tolentino, Josh (December 7, 2016). 'Review: Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization'. Destructoid. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ abRomano, Sal (October 18, 2016). 'Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1455'. Gematsu. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
- ^Hawkins, Janine (December 12, 2016). 'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Review'. GameSpot. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^Ingenito, Vince (November 16, 2016). 'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Review'. IGN. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
External links[edit]
- Official website(in Japanese)
- Official website(in English)
- Game's Manual - PS4(in English)
Sword Art Online Lost Song Walkthrough
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