Ghost of Tsushima is Reportedly PS4's Second Best-Selling First-Party Game in Japan

Benji-Sales has reported that Sucker Punch Productions' latest title, Ghost of Tsushima is now Sony PlayStation's 2nd best-selling game for a PlayStation first-party studio in Japan on the PS4.

Ghost of Tsushima launched on July 17 and in that short time it has ramped up the sales in Japan. Benji-Sales confirms that Marvel's Spider-Man still sits at number 1 with around 300,000 physical sales. Meanwhile, Sucker Punch Productions' title isn't far behind and may surpass that figure in the coming weeks. However, the figures haven't been revealed but were apparently sourced by Game Data Library.

Benji does go on to touch on Knack, which is said to be higher than Ghost of Tsushima, but he explains how it was bundled in with the PS4 console at launch which inflated sales. As such, he personally doesn't include that game when ranking PS4 performance for software in Japan.

It's no lie that Ghost of Tsushima has impressed a lot of players with its stunning scenery and samurai battles. You can check out our review and see what we thought. It's available exclusively on the PS4, and recently the official PlayStation account revealed some interesting player statistics shortly after launch. If you've still yet to pick the game up, you can do so through Amazon while helping to support DualShockers at the same time.

The post Ghost of Tsushima is Reportedly PS4's Second Best-Selling First-Party Game in Japan by Ben Bayliss appeared first on DualShockers.

DOOM Eternal is Coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X

Bethesda, Bethesda Softworks, doom, doom eternal, Google Stadia, id, id-software, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One

In a time where many publishers are announcing that current generation titles are set to make their way to next-gen platforms in the PS5 and Xbox Series X at some point in the future, DOOM Eternal has today joined that growing list.

Bethesda and id Software announced this morning that the first-person shooter that just launched earlier this year is indeed set to come to both the PS5 and Xbox Series X. For now, it hasn't been divulged just when DOOM Eternal will be coming to either platform. Additionally, Bethesda hasn't stated what enhancements will be added to the game on these next-gen consoles. More information is said to be provided "in the coming weeks and months", however.

The only specifics that Bethesda has provided for now is that those who currently own DOOM Eternal on PS4 and Xbox One will be able to freely upgrade to their respective PS5 and Xbox Series X iterations once they drop. Furthermore, the current-generation titles themselves are also set to be backward compatible on these forthcoming platforms as well at launch. Most importantly, Bethesda has said that all current-generation titles that it ends up bringing over to PS5 and Xbox Series X will be made available for free as well to current owners.

For those who haven't played DOOM Eternal yet or (like myself) those who are looking to play the game again, this is fantastic news to hear. With these new versions of the shooter now set to arrive in addition to the title's DLC that is currently in the works, Eternal seems like it could still have legs for quite some time.

Bethesda is set to hold its QuakeCon at Home stream beginning tomorrow, so perhaps we'll hear more about DOOM Eternal sooner than we might think.

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Horizon Zero Dawn Is Now Available for Pre-Load on PC

Horizon Zero Dawn

Those who have pre-purchased Horizon Zero Dawn on Steam can now start downloading the game almost 24 hours before its launch on August 7.

After Death Stranding's launch on PC last month, now another critically-acclaimed PS4-exclusive game is about to be available for all PC gamers around the world tomorrow. Horizon Zero Dawn, which will be getting its sequel on PS5 in an unannounced date, is surely one of the best new IPs created by Sony's first-party developers over the current-generation that gave birth to a whole new setting and idea.

While the original game was released back in 2017 on PS4, the PC version of the game will be available on August 7, and if you have already purchased it on steam, you can now start pre-loading the game. It's worth noting the pre-load option is only available in some select regions. So, if you can't get it now, you should probably wait until the game's unlock time in your region.

While the game requires 100 GB of free space on your device, the download size is 67 GB. Obviously, the game requires more space on PC than its PS4 version as it will feature better graphics and all the post-launch expansions. Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition is available for $49.99 on Steam. Don't forget to check out the system requirements for Horizon Zero Dawn before submitting your purchase.

The game might receive an update a few days after its launch as Guerrilla Games has recently revealed that PC gamers will face two technical issues including some locked 30 FPS animations and interruption in the performance of anisotropic filtering option. The developer is currently investigating the issues.

It's yet to be seen how Sony will treat with PC gamers when it launches the sequel to the series, Horizon Forbidden West. Usually, Sony doesn't tend to launch its first-party exclusives on PC the same time as it releases them on PlayStation consoles, though the policies might be changed for the next generation.

The post Horizon Zero Dawn Is Now Available for Pre-Load on PC by Mehrdad Khayyat appeared first on DualShockers.

Cyberpunk 2077 Fan Made Samurai Jacket Would Make You the Talk of Night City

Cyberpunk 2077 is unmistakably one of 2020s most anticipated titles and now that many of us have already flown through The Last of Us Part 2 and Ghost of Tsushima, exploring the Night City is the next big adventure on the gamer list. We've seen Cyberpunk 2077 get a few setbacks from its September launch date and is now planned to arrive on November 19, 2020, but even though this kind of news is always annoying, receiving a more polished game outweighs the disappointment every time. To make the wait a little easier, check out this incredible identical replica of the Cyberpunk 2077 protagonist's jacket in the game complete with neon lights.

The designer of this bold and beautiful jacket is Andy Valentine also known as Valentine Costumes on social media who hails from Bristol, England. Andy is also is a costume maker and international cosplay guest. To produce a jacket of this quality you can bet your bottom dollar that a ton of hours went into it; five months and 400 hours to be exact. Andy stated that the lighting for the jacket was particularly troublesome and the topstitching took a really long time but not only that, Andy had to purchase an £800 flatbed industrial sewing machine that could handle the thickness of the leather.

When asked on Reddit if he would ever make them for mass production, Andy replied "If anyone ever opts to make and sell these they're not going to be cheap. They're so much work" continuing "If I were to make them (which I won't), I'd likely streamline the process to make a few a once, and a lot of the time that was needed in the modeling of this version wouldn't need to be repeated (that's probably 25% of the time), but you'd probably run around £2k+ a time, yeah.". The jacket comes equipped with an LED-lit collar and V1 and V2 collar knobs, hand-painted Cyberpunk Oni, customized zippers and so many other bits and bobs that make this jacket stand out from the rest. If you happen to be out and about in this jacket and wonder how long the batties last, Andy states that a 3000mAh gives him about 4 hours and finds himself carrying three of them at any one point.

To check Andy out and see his other costumes, head over to Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

For those of you who love a good comic, (I know I do!) CD Projekt Red are releasing a Cyberpunk 2077 comic series that should tie you over until the game launches. The first issue seems to come in at 32 pages and is priced at $3.99 and will be made available on September 9, 2020. Cyberpunk 2077 is launching on PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 19, 2020; the game will eventually come to Google Stadia, PS5, and Xbox Series X after launch. If you haven't pre-ordered the game yet, physical versions of the game are still discounted on Amazon — you can pre-order to help support DualShockers.

The post Cyberpunk 2077 Fan Made Samurai Jacket Would Make You the Talk of Night City by Rachael Fiddis appeared first on DualShockers.

Sengoku Basara Producer Teases More Plans Coming Soon

Sengoku Basara 15th anniversary key visual

Famitsu recently published an interview for the 15th anniversary of Capcom's Sengoku Basara franchise, with Producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi, and seiyuu Masakazu Morita, who voices Maeda Keiji.

At the end of the interview, Producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi once again teased that various plans are coming so we should keep getting hyped:

Hiroyuki Kobayashi: "I want to challenge myself with new projects in the future. We're currently preparing multiple plans to celebrate the 15th anniversary, so look forward to it."

Masakazu Morita also added as a fan he'd definitely like to see a PS5 Sengoku Basara game. Needless to say, Morita is a seiyuu, not a developer at Capcom, and he looked at Kobayashi while saying this, as a fan. His words doesn't mean a Sengoku Basara PS5 game will get announced soon. However it's definitely a possibility seeing Capcom is on a roll lately.

No new game was announced during the Sengoku Basara 15th anniversary stream we covered, though multiple other smaller projects were revealed. The stream in itself was really fun too, and it's not every day you get to see Takanori Nishikawa, Kazuya Nakai and Souichiro Hoshi having fun together.

Note that Famitsu published this interview online on August 6, and the interview was first included in the Famitsu magazine issue released on July 22, after the above-mentioned stream. Meaning what Producer Kobayashi is teasing isn't any of the 15th anniversary projects which were already revealed on that stream.

For now, you could always import the brand new anniversary edition of Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi on PS4.

Sengoku Basara is incredibly popular in Japan as on of the biggest "media mix" franchises. Its stage plays in particular are incredibly popular.

In related news, Capcom recently revealed its new plans for Street Fighter 5 and how it'll most notably add Akira from Justice Gakuen (Rival Schools). The Japanese company is also working on a brand new IP called Pragmata.

The post Sengoku Basara Producer Teases More Plans Coming Soon by Iyane Agossah appeared first on DualShockers.

PGA Tour 2K21 Is Ready To Bring Back Major Golf Games

Golf games have been in a lull this generation, and the creative leads at HB Studios made no bones about it during a media presentation for PGA Tour 2K21 held earlier this week.

After releasing Rory McIlroy's PGA Tour in the summer of 2014, in an effort to rework and put a new face to what used to be the long-running Tiger Woods franchise, EA called it quits on creating pro golf titles.

But opposite of that was HB Studios, which independently put out its own unlicensed sim, The Golf Club, that same year. From there, the series steadily grew. The Golf Club franchise gained a dedicated community of fans, and the Nova Scotia-based studio's work eventually attracted a publishing deal with 2K and a new partnership with the PGA that allowed for a handful of real-world courses to be included, all culminating in the release of The Golf Club 2019 two years ago.

Now, after a name change and a bevy of new resources that have opened up, that once small indie sim is on the cusp of bringing a major golf game back to the market when PGA Tour 2K21 launches in a few weeks on August 21.

PGA Tour 2K21 is built on two core concepts.

The first, which the game's creative director Josh Muise emphasised at the start of this week's presentation, is the idea that golf can be for everyone. HB Studios wants to create a game that offers enough depth and customization that can reach anyone regardless of their experience with the sport. And the second concept focuses on capturing the adrenaline rush and drama of live PGA Tour events, working to recreate all the sights and sounds that go into those moments.

These ideals are behind the game's entire feature set, all of which are returning from The Golf Club 2019 along with some new additions and improvements. But they're most prominent throughout PGA Tour 2K21's revamped career mode.

It all starts with your MyPlayer, who, like in The Golf Club 2019, can be customized from head to toe or built off a wide list of presets. And now he/she can outfitted with apparel from a number of major brands among the likes of Adidas, Callaway, and Bridgestone.

The high level of customization also extends to your golf bag. Again, like with The Golf Club 2019, PGA Tour 2K21's attributes aren't tied to the golfers, but instead their equipment. You fill out a bag of 14 clubs, selecting from licensed brands and models that, save for putters, each carry varying levels of distance, forgiveness, and control.

Senior producer Shaun West said the clubs have been balanced so that for every positive there's an equal negative, with skill level, play style, and the given course also factoring into how players will want to construct their bags.

"So if you want to hit the longest club in the shop, you're gonna sacrifice forgiveness and accuracy," West said. "It's gonna be harder to hit that club."

Once you're ready to hit the links, you'll compete through more than 30 events across 15 licensed courses, including the six returning TPC courses from The Golf Club 2019. These courses have all been recreated 1:1 thanks to the gathering of 4K photography, video and 3D mapping of every hole of every course from Terra Imaging, and the work from HB Studios' artists to transfer and apply it all into the game.

You'll start in qualifying school, then make your way through the Korn Ferry Tour in the hopes of earning your pro card to bring you up to the PGA Tour. Once there, another one of the game's major additions will show up.

You'll play through the PGA Tour schedule, competing for the FedEx Cup against a roster of 12 pros highlighted by cover star Justin Thomas, who coincidentally just became the No. 1 golfer in the world after winning the St. Jude Invitational last weekend. Every completed match will earn you experience points that can be put toward new gear and apparel, but you can also develop rivalries against the game's featured pros, where outperforming them in events can earn you more experience and even special gear rewards.

Unfortunately, it looks like you won't be able to play as anyone from the pro roster this go around. Muise said the focus for this iteration was to bring the pros in as rivals to compete against. HB Studios went to the Players Championship last March and set up full head scans for each pro, but Muise said they haven't done motion capture to implement pro specific nuances like their unique swings.

Likewise, sponsorship opportunities can provide their own shots at more experience and gear. As your reputation grows, you'll unlock contract offers from licensed brands that will provide unique sets of challenges. Completing these challenges levels up your relationship with your sponsor, which in turn also rewards more experience points and brand specific rewards (just note that you can only be signed to one sponsor at a time).

Your performance, the rivalries you build, and the sponsorships you choose and develop all go into shaping your career, and it's all complimented by a broadcast presentation that will build your story. Veteran play-by-play man Luke Elvy will call the action from the game's virtual booth, and 2002 PGA Champion Rich Beem will provide color commentary. And for returning fans, John McCarthy, HB Studios' senior audio designer who provided commentary for the previous games, will be returning as PGA Tour 2K21's "third man on the ground," Muise said.

"We will never not have John," he happily emphasised.

Elsewhere in the game, the fan-favorite and extremely robust course designer is returning with more than 1,000 streamable assets that are no longer tied to a specific theme.

"This means if you decide to start with a Swiss theme, you still have access to anything you would have had for a tropical or desert theme," West said.

The goal, both Muise and West made a point of, was to open everything up and let players run wild with their creativity, with Muise recalling that in the previous games he saw someone use the course designer create a Star Destroyer (just so you can get an idea of how flexible the editor is). In addition, published courses, once uploaded, will be available to players across all platforms.

The staggering level of customization also extends to gameplay and difficulty. PGA Tour 2K21 has six levels of difficulty that go from beginner up to legendary, and a number of audio and visual aids have been added to provide extensive feedback on your shots. Pro Vision, for example, will give you the projected flight of the ball before you swing, and shot suggestion will always give you the safest route to the green (it's on you and your skill in how much you want to risk and deviate from that path).

The HUD has been tweaked to better communicate the results of your swing, adding displays such as a power meter to let you get an exact gauge on how much you're putting into your swings when you pull back the stick. You can, however, turn it off if you want to rely solely on haptic feedback. There's also a new training system that can provide reactive tips as you play, which can range from reminders on how to read a green or a quick refresher on the game's shot shaping mechanics.

With all that said, PGA Tour 2K21 will let you create your own custom difficulty, allowing you to mix and match all of its settings to provide a challenge that best suits you.

One more thing to note: PGA Tour 2K21 will have Virtual Currency, a 2K Sports staple that has been a touchy subject for anyone that's played an NBA 2K game in the past several years.

The option to purchase VC for use toward in-game apparel and clubs will be there. However, West stressed that the outfits are strictly cosmetic and that the clubs, again, have a con for every pro.

West also said the gear only unlocked through career mode will stay that way.

"There is an option to purchase VC as well if you decide to," West said. "But we tried to balance it in a way that playing through rounds and increasing your golfer level feels good, so you don't have to take that road if you don't want to."

Developing PGA Tour 2K21 has opened up a lot of doors for HB Studios, and represents a big step forward.

"It's no secret that more people answer our emails when there are 2K emails in the address next to it, when we're knocking on the doors of an Adidas or knocking on the doors of some of these major brands," Muise said. "It's been wonderful."

"Our relationship with 2K was really born out of building the product (The Golf Club) the right way to come to the table with something that was strong on its own merit. And our partnership with 2K grew organically where they saw something that had potential, and we really needed to look to grow our product and move it to that next level."

That next level comes to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on August 21.

The post PGA Tour 2K21 Is Ready To Bring Back Major Golf Games by Nick Tricome appeared first on DualShockers.

Cyberpunk 2077 Gets Another Night City Wire Stream on August 10

Cyberpunk 2077

The second episode of CD Projekt Red's Night City Wire stream will be going live on August 10, revealing new details about the gameplay of Cyberpunk 2077 including lifepaths and different weapons available in the game.

In a most recent tweet from Cyberpunk 2077 official account, it was announced that we are just four days away from the next episode of Night City Wire, which will share more details about the different lifepaths available in the game while digging into various weapons and guns available in the game. Moreover, there would probably be an interview with Refused, the Swedish hardcore punk band that will feature some exclusive tracks in Cyberpunk 2077 as a band rebranded as SAMURAI in the game.

With the COVID-19 pandemic interrupting most of the video game expos around the world, many developers and publishers around the world try to use online streams or pre-recorded videos to announce their new projects. The same policy goes for CD Projekt RED, the team behind one of the most anticipated titles of this year that will finally be launched in November if there would be no other delays.

Announcing Night City Wire as a new Cyberpunk-focused online stream, the first episode of the series went live later in June, revealing a new gameplay trailer of the game, along with a new in-game feature called Braindance, which seemed pretty cool for me. Besides, CDPR officially revealed a new anime series based on the world of Cyberpunk 2077 which will be premiered on Netflix.

Cyberpunk 2077 is set to be released on November 19 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The next-gen version of the game will arrive at a later date, but it will support Smart Delivery on Xbox consoles. A multiplayer section and two story-driven expansions at least will be developed as the post-launch content for Cyberpunk 2077.

The post Cyberpunk 2077 Gets Another Night City Wire Stream on August 10 by Mehrdad Khayyat appeared first on DualShockers.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla Will Let You Pet So Many Cats

I don't care how uninteresting you may find this news, or if you even deem it worthy as news. But I'm covering it because yes, in Ubisoft's upcoming Assassin's Creed Valhalla you can pet cats with your Viking hands.

When Assassin's Creed Valhalla was announced, and the weeks following that, players noticed one particular screenshot that showed off a Viking settlement near some water. And sure enough, there was a cat in that image. This led to speculation that perhaps players could pet the cat, or maybe they could adopt pets to follow them around the settlement.

Ubisoft confirmed that players can indeed pet the cat. The confirmation came over on Twitter with the official account sharing a video —see above— of Eivor, the protagonist, holding a kitty cat and giving it a good stroke. There are also two other cats wandering around by Eivor's feet which raises the question, exactly how many cats can we have!?

Petting animals isn't entirely new to the Assassin's Creed games. In Origins you were able to pet the Egyptian kitties, but only by crouching and not moving and waiting for the animation. However, this system seems to have been removed in Odyssey. This time around, it looks as if players get to actually activate the petting procedure. It's unclear if other creature can be petted, but just knowing you can pet a cat is enough.

You'll be able to pick up Assassin's Creed Valhalla later this year when it launches on November 17 on Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Google Stadia. It'll also be heading to the Xbox Series X and PS5. If you want to find out what DualShockers thought, we were able to preview the game earlier this year. This also means that this game and Cyberpunk 2077 will be launching later this year with the ability to pet animals. What a time to be in the gaming world.

The post Assassin's Creed Valhalla Will Let You Pet So Many Cats by Ben Bayliss appeared first on DualShockers.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Analyzing the New Trailer and What We Know So Far

Shin Megami Tensei, Atlus, Megaten, Nintendo, Sega, Shin Megami Tensei V, Shin Megami Tensei V 2021, SMT 5, SMT5, SMTV, Switch

Earlier this week, thirsty Shin Megami Tensei fans were finally blessed with a glistening oasis. During the Monday Nintendo Mini Direct, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster was revealed for Nintendo Switch (and PS4) and a brand new trailer for Shin Megami Tensei V was dropped. You can imagine how excited I was, considering that I wrote an entire piece last year begging Atlus to show us a new trailer. But just like in the 2017 trailer, this one is also filled to the brim with juicy details and easter eggs that will have you dreaming up new theories for months.

The theory that I've been dreaming up is that Shin Megami Tensei V will be a Law-centric game, meaning that the true route will either be the Law route or (at the very least) Law-aligned deities such as YHVH (the true name of the Abrahamic god and the main antagonist of the SMT franchise) must be reinstated to restore order and peace in the world. From what we've seen so far, there's plenty of evidence conveyed in the trailer that strongly points in that direction.

So let's dive in, shall we?

The very first scene we see is of a ton of (what looks like) angels gathered. Looking closely, one can make out two types in particular: angels and archangels:

While the latter is its design from Devil Summoner and beyond, the former is the design from Shin Megami Tensei II. An interesting detail to note is that the angels in the SMTV trailer have black wings instead of the white wings they have in the official concept art:

Next is a shot of a multitude of demons, specifically these types, in which we can infer that they are both Chaos-aligned and are opposing the angels shown previously:

Atlus, Megaten, Nintendo, Sega, Shin Megami Tensei V, Shin Megami Tensei V 2021, SMT 5, SMT5, SMTV, Switch

They look somewhat similar to the original Imp demons, so most likely we're looking at a redesign. Below is the normal Imp demon:

Next we have Lucifer descend among the demons, declaring most likely to the opposing angels that "the God you worship is dead." This could either be referencing the defeat of YHVH in Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse or to currently unknown events that took place prior to this game.

The Lucifer shown here is the "demon" version from SMTII. In SMTII, there are two versions of him: his prefallen "angel" form and the fallen "demon" version.

Atlus, Megaten, Nintendo, Sega, Shin Megami Tensei V, Shin Megami Tensei V 2021, SMT 5, SMT5, SMTV, Switch

Interestingly enough, once Lucifer makes his appearance, the trailer shifts to a crowded train station. The presumed protagonist snaps shut a novel, which is the Japanese translated Paradise Lost (shoutout to Larrue on Twitter for the find and shot of the real-life novel):

Paradise Lost is an epic poem that details the fall of Adam and Eve from grace and the resulting damnation of humanity. It's also what first introduced and popularized the idea of Lucifer being a beautiful angel before falling from grace and turning into a demon.

The next scene shows the protagonist frantically running through that same barren wasteland shown in the beginning of the trailer. They're about to be killed by the "Imp," but then a column of light shoots down from the sky in front of him:

This light reveals a mysterious being whose face is obscured by the blinding light shining behind them:

Atlus, Megaten, Nintendo, Sega, Shin Megami Tensei V, Shin Megami Tensei V 2021, SMT 5, SMT5, SMTV, Switch

But I want to focus your attention on the mysterious figure's chest, which bears an interesting symbol:

Some have pointed out that it looks similar to the symbol adorning Dadga's (SMTIV: Apocalypse) forehead:

Interestingly enough, just as in Apocalypse, the main character in the SMTV trailer seems to form some kind of contract with this being. Despite the parallels and similarity in these symbols, I'm more inclined to side with another group of fans: that it's a "9" instead. 9 is a number that holds significance in Christianity; it first can represent the nine fruits or qualities of God's Holy Spirit, which are Faithfulness, Gentleness, Goodness, Joy, Kindness, Long suffering, Love, Peace, and Self-control.

The number was also used 49 times in Scripture, and it generally symbolizes divine completeness or conveys the meaning of finality. Christ died at the 9th hour of the day to make the way of salvation open to everyone. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is the only one of God's annual Feast days of worship that requires believers to fast for one day. Considered by many Jews to be the holiest of the year, it begins at sunset on the 9th day of the seventh Hebrew month.

Finally, when the protagonist shakes hands with the mysterious being (presumably making a deal), white ribbons unravel from the pair:

White has many meanings in religions around the world including innocence, sacrifice, restoring bonds between God and his followers, purity, morality, purification, etc. Throughout the trailer phrases like "a world without its creator" and "the God you worship is dead" pepper it. This all further establishes that the central theme of this game is the restoration of the world order through God.

If you still need a bit more convincing, the very first trailer for SMTV–the one that debuted over two years ago–made quite a few references to this necessary holy revolution as well:

First, the words "Shekinah Glory"–which translates to "Miracle of God"–are prominently featured over the corpses of Chaos-aligned demons. The term "Da'at" is flashed briefly later on, which is a part of Jewish mysticism known as "Kabbalah" that refers to the image of God as well as the sharing of Divine Light:

Atlus, Megaten, Nintendo, Sega, Shin Megami Tensei V, Shin Megami Tensei V 2021, SMT 5, SMT5, SMTV, Switch

Atlus, Megaten, Nintendo, Sega, Shin Megami Tensei V, Shin Megami Tensei V 2021, SMT 5, SMT5, SMTV, Switch

This is then followed by the scene of the protagonist and an unknown female character being killed by those same Imp type demons shown recently. The protagonist reaches their arm out to the heavens as they're killed:

Before and after this grizzly scene are these phrases, which match the phrases repeated in the recent trailer:

It seems pretty clear that this is a world in need of a messiah, a god, to help guide it back to the stability that it once possessed before becoming overrun by demons. And most likely it won't just be the hero, but also any surviving citizens who will be clamoring for a return to the old world order. What's interesting is that considering how YHVH and the Law demons are normally presented, they are bound to capitalize on this wish.

How? Because as established in SMT canon, gods receive their power from the worship and belief of humans. Without that strong belief, they slowly lose their powers and becoming conquerable. It's entirely possible that the strong wish for a god to come and save the world will strengthen that god's power and reassert their dominance over humans again.

It'll be interesting to see exactly how these themes of Law and Chaos will tie into Shin Megami Tensei V. But one thing's for certain: I'm looking forward to another foray into my favorite blasphemous series.

Shin Megami Tensei V is in development exclusively for Nintendo Switch and expected to release in 2021.

The post Shin Megami Tensei V: Analyzing the New Trailer and What We Know So Far by Allisa James appeared first on DualShockers.

Atelier Ryza 2: Preorder Bonuses, Screenshots Introduce New Character Seri, Confirm Tao Isn't a Shota Anymore, Ryza's Clothes Actually Get Wet

Atelier Ryza 2 release date japan feature

Koei Tecmo announced Atelier Ryza 2 will be out in Japan on December 3, PS4 and Switch. The Steam version will launch in January 2021, and that's highly likely when the western version on all platforms will launch as well.

We have new details and screenshots on the exploration. New characters were revealed as well, reintroducing Tao, who isn't a shota anymore, Bos, and a new character named Seri Grols, who isn't human but the same race as Lila from the first game. The game's shop specific preorder bonuses in Japan were revealed as well.

The English site didn't add these new details and screenshots yet so we translated everything below.

As we already know, Ryza now got a grappling hook like Lupin III. It's named the Emerald Band.

atelier ryza 2 new screenshots 6

Ryza can breath underwater thanks to special candy called Air Drops. That's how she'll get to those underwater materials and dungeons.

atelier ryza 2 new screenshots 8

Koei Tecmo also revealed Ryza's clothes have a wet clothes effect when she gets out of the water.

atelier ryza 2 new screenshots 10 atelier ryza 2 new screenshots 12 atelier ryza 2 new screenshots 13

We got to see new screenshots of the royal capital too: Asura Am Bart. Remember that I'm not the official localization team of the game who's probably getting underpaid and under-credited, so all these names could be different in English. The royal capital is divided into multiple sections, each with its own atmosphere.

atelier ryza 2 new screenshots 14 atelier ryza 2 new screenshots 15

Tao and Bos are currently studying at the royal capital, and that's how they'll reunite with Ryza. This is also where Ryza will meet new character Seri Glose.

Here are the character profiles:

Atelier Ryza 2 Tao Mongarten screenshots 3 battle Atelier Ryza 2 Tao Mongarten 3d model Atelier Ryza 2 Tao Mongarten artwork

Tao Mongarten (Voiced by Junta Terashima)

Tao is much taller than before, and you wouldn't imagine he used to be bullied. He's studying every day to become a scholar. He still likes to shut himself in reading books, but the royal capital has so many places to learn he spends much more time outside than back at Kurken island.

Note that in the first Atelier Ryza, Tao was voiced by Yui Kondo. Young and adolescent boys like this are always voiced by female seiyuu in Japanese media, and get changed to a male seiyuu if they grow up, so it's not surprising. Junta Terashima most notably voices Shin Ichijou, the protagonist of the King of Prism movies, part of the Pretty Series and Pretty Rhythm franchises. He's a pretty popular idol seiyuu.

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Seri Grols (Voiced by Yukiyo Fujii)

Like Lila Decyrus from the first game, Seri is part of the Whitefang clan of the Oren. In order to accomplish a certain objective, she's currently traveling, gathering materials, going to the same ruins as Ryza. She has a gentle personality and acts friendly with everyone, but tends to be distant towards Ryza for some reason.

Yukiyo Fujii is most notably the new seiyuu of Tomoe Hotaru / Sailor Saturn since Sailor Moon Crystal. She also voices Megumi Tokoro in the Idolmaster franchise.

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Bos Brunnen (Voiced by Yohei Azakami)

Unlike the first game, Bos is friends with Ryza and especially Tao now. He's studying hard to be a worthy successor of the Brunnen family.

While I consider him a relatively new seiyuu, Yohei Azakami is extremely talented and already got multiple protagonist roles. He most notably voiced Kamiyama Seijuro in Shin Sakura Taisen. He already voiced Bos in the first game.

Now that Tao was properly revealed, new visuals for the Japanese Limited Editions were shared. There's still one mysterious character though, probably Lent:

Atelier Ryza 2 Japanese Limited Edition Premium Box Atelier Ryza 2 Japanese Limited Edition Special Collection Box Atelier Ryza 2 Japanese Limited Edition Gust Online Shop Galaxy Combo Set

Lastly, most samples for the shop specific preorder bonus in Japan were revealed. A gallery with the goods using new original artwork is included below. Keep in mind before scrolling down that as usual these bonuses are on the sexual fanservice side, so you shouldn't look if it could bring misunderstandings at your workplace or home. The full list of preorder bonuses including artwork which aren't new can be found on the Japanese official site. I'd definitely translate and detail everything if time permitted. But I'm sure you can get by by yourself in the first place if you're planning to import.

Producer Junzo Hosoi recently explained Ryza was always supposed to be the protagonist for two games.You can catch the previous details here too.

You can preorder Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy on Amazon to support us.

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The post Atelier Ryza 2: Preorder Bonuses, Screenshots Introduce New Character Seri, Confirm Tao Isn't a Shota Anymore, Ryza's Clothes Actually Get Wet by Iyane Agossah appeared first on DualShockers.