Kotaku Monday, May 19, 2025 5:20 PM  SAG-AFTRA, the massive actors and media union with over 160,000 members, has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against Epic Games over its inclusion of an AI-powered Darth Vader in a recent Fortnite update. |
Kotaku Monday, May 19, 2025 4:41 PM  One of the best scenes in The Last of Us' second season came in this week's sixth episode, with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) taking a trip to an abandoned museum. It's a beautiful moment that is ripped right out of the Last of Us Part II video game, and the show does it justice. But fans who have… |
PCGamesN Monday, May 19, 2025 9:00 PM  Who's your favorite League of Legends esports pro? As someone who grew up during the G2 Esports golden era, I have a soft spot for every player on that iconic roster, even if it never did work out for them. Looking past that, I've always loved to watch Martin 'Rekkless' Larsson both on and off of Fnatic, then Henrik 'Froggen' Hansen during his time in North America, and, of course, who can forget Lee 'Faker' Sang-hyeok. But perhaps even rivaling the Unkillable Demon King himself is, of course, Jian 'Uzi' Zi-hao, who is rightfully heralded as the best bot laner to ever grace the Rift. Ahead of Riot's Hall of Legends announcement for 2025, the rumors have swirled, but it's official: Uzi is joining Faker in the LoL esports Hall of Fame. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: League of Legends ranks explained, League of Legends Mythic shop rotation, LoL tier list |
PCGamesN Monday, May 19, 2025 9:00 PM  MSI has revealed that it's moving away from its Intel-exclusive lineup of gaming handhelds and will now offer models powered by AMD chips. The MSI Claw A8 is powered by the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, but fear not, as Intel-powered Claw models are sticking around, as seen in the new Polar Tempest design. MSI is making a huge push to release the best gaming handheld possible, now hedging its bets across both AMD and Intel-powered devices. Rumors of this move came to light last week, but there was no confirmation of which CPU would feature in the new handheld. However, we now know that the Ryzen Z2 Extreme powers the Claw A8. Continue reading MSI Claw ditches Intel exclusivity, reveals new AMD gaming handheld MORE FROM PCGAMESN: MSI MPG X870E Carbon WiFi review, MSI Titan 18 HX review, Best gaming motherboard |
PCGamesN Monday, May 19, 2025 6:43 PM  Black Ops 6 already gives Call of Duty fans some pretty versatile and dynamic movement options thanks to its Omnimovement system - a far cry from the more grounded and static games of recent years. However, we may soon see CoD creep even further towards the advanced movement mechanics we saw in some of its more futuristic titles from the 2010s. Dataminers have tunneled deep into Black Ops 6 and have found that wall running is hiding in the game - and it could potentially be in preparation for CoD 2025. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Black Ops 6 guns, Black Ops 6 review, Black Ops 6 loadouts |
Siliconera Monday, May 19, 2025 8:00 PM
In an interview with Yoji Fujito, the producer and director of Final Fantasy XI, he reveals that Square Enix almost shifted the game into Maintenance Mode back in 2024 had fan reception to the game not been so positive. That meant that the team would have stopped rolling out updates and simply focused on maintaining servers. [Thanks, Dengeki Online!]
According to Fujito, Square Enix considered putting the game into Maintenance Mode and ending service in 2024 after The Voracious Resurgence. However, fans from all over the world contacted Square Enix through various methods during the 20th anniversary to talk about how much they wanted service to continue, as well as how ending the game would destroy this routine they've established since the game came out over two decades ago. Because of the fans' support, they've decided to keep the game going who replacing the older servers with newer ones.
After discussions with Akihiko Matsui, a director and producer for Final Fantasy XI, the team decided to see how the game did after The Voracious Resurgence to decide if they would continue it. Because of the game's continued popularity, Square Enix decided it wouldn't end it just yet.
Final Fantasy XI came out in 2002 for the PS2 and Windows PC. Many people, including those who started playing earlier in the game's lifetime, have since made it part of their daily routine. Despite its age, Square Enix is still adding onto it in the form of story expansions and new mechanics, such as an upcoming paid character race change service.
Final Fantasy XI is available on Windows PC.
The post Square Enix Almost Axed Final Fantasy XI appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, May 19, 2025 7:00 PM
Valve announced that the Otome Games Celebration, which highlights primarily visual novels from the genre for the PC, is now live on Steam. It is available until May 26, 2025. Both paid and free-to-play titles are highlighted.
A number of the PC games discounted on Steam for the Otome Games Celebration are from major publishers and developers. Here's a list of those available now:
Many more indie otome PC games are discounted on Steam as part of the sale. Here are some of the more notable ones, in addition to titles we reviewed on Siliconera.
While this is a sale, it also serves to highlight upcoming games as well. This means a number that aren't available or only have demos available appear. Among those are Alaris, Bustafellows Season 2, Diffraction, Fate's Masquerade, and Talents.
The latest visual novel and dating sim game event is live on Steam until May 26, 2025.
The post Otome Games Celebration PC Sale Starts on Steam appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, May 19, 2025 6:00 PM
Prime 1 Studio announced the release details for the Darkstalkers Masterline figure of Lilith. It will debut sometime between August and November 2026. Pre-orders will remain open while supplies last after they open on May 20, 2025, as only 400 will be made. It will cost $1,099/¥186,890.
Lilith will be a rather large figure. She'll stand at over 20 inches tall (52cm), and it is almost 20 inches (50cm) long. She wears her traditional costume from the fighting game and her wings are unfurled. She's sitting atop a stone pillar circled by a snake. Bats also appear nearby, as do decorative candles.
Here's a closer look at it:
This isn't the only Darkstalkers Masterline figure, as Prime 1 Studio revealed the Morrigan one before Lilith's debut. Pre-orders for it opened in April 2025. Just like Lilith, only 400 of it will be available. Also, a bonus version with a bonus nameplate part also appeared. That will debut between July and October 2026.
Here's an image Prime 1 Studio shared of the two together:
Pre-orders open for the Darkstalkers Lilith Prime 1 Studio Masterline figure on May 20, 2025, and the item will debut between August and November 2026.
The post Darkstalkers Lilith Prime 1 Studio Masterline Figure Arrives in 2026 appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, May 19, 2025 5:00 PM
Good Smile Company announced it opened standard pre-orders for the 100th Hatsune Miku Nendoroid, known as the 100th Adventure version figure, ahead of its October 2025 debut in Japan. It will cost ￥8,000 (~$55). This comes after the early-bird purchase option in March 2025. As a reminder, orders for it aren't available on the US site due to the Trump tariffs.
As usual, this is a Nendoroid with three face plates. The standard one features her smiling. An excited one features a more enthusiastic smile and blush on her cheeks. The third leaves her looking concerned, with her eyes entirely black. She comes with a bag she can carry, removable hat, map she can hold, and small gold Miku statue as a treasure.
Here's a closer look at how this Nendoroid will look and some possible poses:
There's also a promotional trailer on YouTube that shows how the official Tsuki no Usagi art inspired the design for the Hatsune Miku figure, highlighted some details, and showed her "finding" a golden Miku treasure.
The Hatsune Miku 100th Adventure Nendoroid will debut in Japan in October 2025, with a worldwide release following eventually. Pre-orders are open until July 2, 2025.
The post 100th Hatsune Miku Nendoroid Officially Debuts in October appeared first on Siliconera. |
Destructoid Monday, May 19, 2025 6:42 PM
I really wish there was any bit of good news or a general positive vibe around Bungie's upcoming shooter Marathon, but it's just about all terrible right now.
After an utterly lackluster alpha test, Marathon and Bungie have been thrust into even more negative limelight following yet another plagiarism incident at the studio, and it may serve to be the proverbial nail in the coffin for the game over four months before it even launches.
Forbes reporter Paul Tassi echoed what many in the industry (and those who have played it) have been feeling since the alpha, and it's that Marathon isn't going to succeed. It's just not. And as if it couldn't get any worse, the game's impending failure could have a cascading impact on Bungie's other game, Destiny 2, which seemingly does have a future and some good vibes going within its community.
"This will hurt Bungie and its actual healthy child, Destiny," Tassi said of Marathon's assumed flop. "There will be layoffs. There will be Sony takeover of leadership as they bail out with millions in vested cash."
The impact of Marathon flopping, a game that likely has tremendous internal expectations at both Sony and Bungie, will undoubtedly affect the rest of the company, and this could mean delays, cancelations, or just plain chaos spreading within the studio and having an adverse effect on Destiny 2 as well. And that just sucks.
Tassi expanded on Marathon's big expectations and very low chance of reaching them in a YouTube video, stating he heard from sources within Bungie that the game needs to be a top-five title in 2025 to be considering a success. That just isn't happening, and that likely wasn't happening even before the alpha and plagiarism fiasco. That sort of forecast likely was never possible, regardless of the game's potential, and is just the latest example of unrealistic expectations for games when it comes to profitability.
Destiny 2, meanwhile, has hype behind it. Bungie recently announced a whole year of content in the game, including The Edge of Fate DLC in July and Renegades in December, along with two more expansions coming in 2026. It's even gotten the Lucasfilm stamp of approval for Renegades, a Star Wars-inspired story, and the game got some shiny new skins to prove it.
It would really, truly suck to see Destiny 2 take the brunt of Marathon's failure, especially considering how exciting the game's new expansion and direction seems to be looking, and that's without even getting into the unfortunate truth that jobs and lives at the studio will be affected ten-fold.
Marathon's collapse would be a low-point for Bungie, which could mean a low-point for Destiny, of which the franchise has already had several. And after that, I really don't know what happens at the studio next, but it won't be good.
The post Marathon might flop so hard it could affect the future of Destiny 2, and that's a brutal truth appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Monday, May 19, 2025 4:26 PM
The Elder Scrolls VI is coming. Slowly, but it is. We all dearly miss this series that's already way older than many of the people playing it nowadays, so we should perhaps look to the past for some great TES moments that we might have missed.
What better time than now, or the four years that we'll have to wait in line, to read about the best and worst games in the series to get you ready for TES VI? Note that this is about the single-player RPGs, so The Elder Scrolls Online is not part of our rankings here.
12. The Elder Scrolls: Arena
I know I'm a big meanie for putting the oldest game in the franchise in the lowest rank, but this is actually a great achievement for the series. How many franchises can boast that every single sequel in their catalog has managed to outdo the original?
Arena, even with the help of some neat fan-made mods, looks and plays very dated nowadays. Still, it was a revolutionary thing back in the day—and one that you can still enjoy for some of its merits and archeological value.
11. The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall
Daggerfall greatly improved upon its predecessor in terms of graphics, scope, and size. Though ancient, Daggerfall remains one of the games with the largest play area in gaming history, although you'll probably get bored before seeing one-tenth of the whole thing. I'd call Daggerfall too dated to play nowadays if you're not a game history buff, but you can experience a much prettier version if you get the Unity remaster, which I totally recommend.
10. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion - Knights of the Nine
Oblivion's first expansion begins with some dumb and repetitive design choices that might end up causing a bunch of players to give up on it, but those who brave through the great filter are in for one hell of a treat.
Knights of the Nine invites players to go through the trials and tribulations of knighthood, and it turns out it's actually a pretty fun ordeal. Also, one of the things that always bothered me about Oblivion was the lack of a direct confrontation against a villain. Yeah, sitting back while a dragon goes on a kaiju fight against the Devil isn't that awesome, Oblivion. Luckily, KON more than solves that problem.
9. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion - Shivering Isles
Remember when I talked about a confrontation with a cool villain in the entry above? Well, Shivering Isles is all about going after a mad god in an equally mad world. This one is filled with memorable moments worthy of Morrowind, but the star of the show is the main quest. One of the quarrels one can have with Oblivion is the lack of open-endedness, but you won't find that here, as your decisions will finally impact the story.
8. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - Dawnguard
You can never do wrong with vampires and werewolves. Both had been staples of the series for a while, but now they take center stage in the main plotline. The main story is fun, but even more fun are the Werewolf and Vampire skill trees that you can now unlock and explore to quench your thirst.
7. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - Dragonborn
Before there was Bloodborne, there was Skyrim's Dragonborn. It teased a great confrontation with someone capable of rivaling the Dovahkiin, and we got that, but the star of the show, in my opinion, was the Lovecraftian elements. Skyrim is gorgeous, but I find the environments a bit repetitive. Dragonborn solves that in spades by taking us to a new area filled with eldritch horrors that will likely stay in your mind, as you slowly lose it to madness.
6. The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind - Tribunal
Tribunal, the first expansion for Morrowind does away with the massive and beautiful areas of the main game. It makes up for that, however, by inviting players to solve an engrossing conspiracy whose setting is based on classic TES concepts. It's a short but sweet experience that you should totally get into if you like the original Morrowind, as it raises the overall difficulty and expands upon its challenges.
Important note: Do not install Tribunal as soon as you begin your adventure in the original game. This will create a high chance of powerful ninjas showing up to kill your character whenever they go to sleep. This is not a joke.
5. The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind - Bloodmoon
A hero arrives at a snow-covered island to go on a werewolf-hunting adventure. Bloodmoon isn't Skyrim, but only because it doesn't take place in Skyrim. Morrowind's second expansion more than sows the seeds for what would become Skyrim by sending players on a darker adventure in a Norse mythology-inspired land. If you love Skyrim and want to experience a "demake" of sorts, this is the one for you.
4. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
They finally did it. There was speculation, there were rumors, but when the Oblivion remaster shadow dropped on one sleepy day, the internet was damn near set on fire. It was a fun time, sure, but still just a remaster.
That's why it ends up in the fourth spot on this list, two whole places behind the original. The OG was the one that showed us all what games could really do with its living world and roaming NPCs. The remaster is a fantastic homage to what is undoubtedly an Elder Scrolls classic.
3. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Well, there's not much left to say about this one. I mean, there are a lot of people talking crap about it on the Internet, but they write their negative reviews while on their coffee breaks from their 500+ hour-long playthroughs, so do those even count?
Skyrim is a massive success, a game that has remained popular for over a decade, and one that so many claim is the strongest entry in the series. I disagree, as I'm not a fan of how it hand-holds us throughout the main quest, but who am I to say that this is not the ultimate TES experience for you?
2. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
Even though Skyrim blew its numbers out of the water a few years later, Oblivion was the breakthrough game for this series. Oblivion made not just the series, but RPGs in general, the hot new mainstream thing.
Back when it came out, Oblivion looked better and brighter, thanks, absurd HDR, than any other game on the market. Oblivion looked like an impossible feat for a console, but it was the real deal. Moreover, it featured a more console-friendly approach to its combat and overall gameplay than its predecessor, which sacrificed some depth but allowed Oblivion to put the Xbox 360 on the map as a serious threat to the PlayStation 3.
1. The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
Even though many might contest my decision, I must rub salt in the dissidents' wounds by stating that this wasn't even a close one. Though old enough to drink in the US, Morrowind remains not just one of the best RPGs of all time, but one of the best exploration games ever — an achievement it simply did not owe us.
If you ever feel like taking a break from the main quest, you can just walk in a direction — any direction. It's ok, as you'll surely stumble upon some underground area where you'll have an unforgettable adventure and likely get a cool new item. Morrowind doesn't take players by the hand and never fails to reward the adventurer inside you. The combat might be a bit dated by today's standards, but it also features the deepest gameplay in the series, making it a perfect marriage between clunky and fun. We may never ever get anything quite like Morrowind, and the world is a sadder place for that.
The post Every mainline Elder Scrolls game and DLC, ranked appeared first on Destructoid. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Monday, May 19, 2025 5:53 PM A remake of the 2002 game. The post Syberia Remastered Announced For PC and Consoles appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Monday, May 19, 2025 5:31 PM Announced on Twitter. The post Fate/hollow ataraxia REMASTERED Release Window Announced appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Monday, May 19, 2025 5:19 PM Shows the game on Max settings. The post Wuchang: Fallen Feathers Gets New DLSS 4 Gameplay Trailer appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Monday, May 19, 2025 5:04 PM Shows new emotes. The post Overwatch 2 x Street Fighter 6 Gets New Gameplay Trailer appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
iDev Games Feed Monday, May 19, 2025 7:22 PM Catch Zombies and cure them to fight off the hoard!... |