Genshin Impact Unreconciled Stars, Star of Destiny Event Guide
The Unreconciled Stars event is currently ongoing until November 30 in Genshin Impact (PC, PS4, PS5, Mobile, Switch soon). This is the second co-op event in miHoYo's online JRPG, and it's a large event, with a consequential amount of Primogems and rewards to earn. Most notably Electro + bow character Fischl. With this guide, we'll take a quick look at Star of Destiny, with some thoughts and tips on how to clear it in the few days left.
How to access Star of Destiny
First, you must have completed the main quest from Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Unreconciled Stars event. The quests are The Crisis Deepens, and What the Skies Conceal, the Water Reveals. There are several sidequests you should clear for additional rewards, but you can leave them for later too. Those quests are very straightforward as long as you read the dialogues. However, for additional help, check miHoYo's official directions.
Secondly, once you're done with these quests, you'll be able to trigger Phase 3, Star of Destiny, by speaking with Mona. You can teleport to her. After speaking to her and triggering a cutscene, You'll be able to start the Star of Destiny Fallen Star Challenge.
Genshin Impact Unreconciled Stars: Star of Destiny, Fallen Star Challenge Explained
Multiple waves of enemies will be spawning in a closed off arena. Long story short, each time you defeat monsters, you earn Celestial Energy that you must submit at specific points of the arena. Submitting energy takes time, and getting hit while you do so makes you loose energy. As such, you should only submit between waves of enemies. There's a good ten seconds between each wave to let you do so.
If you're playing with a controller, to submit energy, you first need to open the quick menu roulette with your L1/ top left trigger, and then press your Square / left position button. If you press the buttons in the reverse order, the energy submit will not trigger.
Can I Play Fallen Star Challenge in Solo Mode?
You can play the Fallen Star Challenge solo if you don't have friends just like us all. The event difficulty will be scaled to your World Level. In fact, it might be best to run the event solo if your characters are very well maintained Artifacts wise and Talents wise. if you're scared of coordination with random players being wonky, then solo is best.
However, it's important to note the game will switch to Solo Co-op mode when triggering Fallen Star Challenge. It's like if someone joined your world, except you're alone. Moreover, the game can't be paused.
Which Characters Should I Use For Fallen Star Challenge?
First, it's important to note several characters have a huge 60% damage boost during the event: Tartaglia (Childe), Mona, Fischl, Lisa, Beidou, Ningguang, Noelle, Chongyun, and Xiangling. Every player owns at least Lisa, Noelle and Xiangling as they're free characters. If you have them geared up, use them. Lastly, maybe you were very lucky, or a whale, and own multiple characters among this list. If so, pick the ones who has constellations.
Lastly, Fallen Star is the same as most battles in Genshin Impact. As long as your team has a variety of Visions and weapons, you'll be fine. Moreover, a Claymore user is vital to break the armors of Hilichurl Cheftain, Hilichurl and Mitachurl eqquiped with rock shields. Occasional Anemo Slimes can be dealt with easily with an archer character, so consider bringing one.
Heroic Starburst and Fecund Starburst Explained
Once you cross thresholds in total Celestial energy accumulated, Heroic Starburst or Fecund Starburst will trigger.
Fecund Starburst increases the speed of Celestial Energy submission. Heroic Starburst boosts your ATK. Moreover, these bonuses work like an AoE: all characters near the receiver will receive it too.
Playing Fallen Star Challenge In Co-op Mode With Other Players
If you unlocked the NRE (Menu 30), make sure to fill it up beforehand. Remember, the game doesn't pause in the menu, enemies keep moving. As such, having the NRE helps to eat faster. Here's how to unlock NRE (Menu 30) if you haven't yet.
If you can, coordinate yourselves before starting the event. I'm one of the advocates of "there's no truly stronger" character in Genshin Impact because it all comes to who you use with who. Character chemistry. And your Artifacts and their substats. So be sure to get ready before joining Co-op. Heal yourself. Eat your stat boosting food. And don't neglect elemental damage boosting potions.
Lastly, keep an eye on the random astral anomaly. In particular, when Inauspicious Star triggers, be sure to only submit energy when it's safe. Or else, you will loose everything when hit during the submit process. If you feel you're about to get hit, the best is to cancel the submit process.
The most important is to stick together to take advantage of the above-mentioned Fecund Starburst and Heroic Starburst.
Once you're done with your run, solo or co-op, you need to pay 40 Original Resin to get the rewards. The Challenge gives out Fading Star's Essence, which you can exchange in the Event Shop.
Genshin Impact Unreconciled Stars: Rewards Obtainable Through Fallen Star Challenge
I highly suggest buying all Character Talent Level Upgrade materials in priority. Most notably, you should grab the Crown of Sagehood. It's used for very high level Talent Level upgrade. It'll be important in the long run. Moreover, while the event itself ends on November 30, the shop will stay open until December 6, 2020.
Genshin Impact: How to Get Fischl In Unreconciled Stars
Besides clearing certain conditions in Phase 1 and Phase 2 of Unreconciled Stars, you also need to run the Fallen Star Challenge at least seven times. Moreover, both solo or co-op runs count.
The Genshin Impact Unreconciled Stars event ends on November 30. The first Phase of the event has a nice detail for Venti players. miHoYo is also now suing players leaking content from Version 1.2 Closed Beta Test. December 23 is the scheduled release date for Version 1.2, adding Dragonspine. miHoYo also revealed in which order future Teyvat regions will be added: Japan-themed Inazuma is the next region.
The post Genshin Impact Unreconciled Stars, Star of Destiny Event Guide by Iyane Agossah appeared first on DualShockers.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Review — The Blood Moon Rises Once Again
When it was announced back in September, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity was the Breath of the Wild prequel that nobody knew they wanted but suddenly everybody needed.
The game (kind of) takes place 100 years before the events of The Great Calamity and sees Link, Zelda, Impa, and their companions fighting for the future of Hyrule. While the events of the game may initially seem familiar to those who played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Age of Calamity takes things in a different direction. A direction that caught me a little off guard but as it played out, was more than welcome.
The group of heroes are aided on their quest by a small, time-traveling Guardian. The "little guy" has been sent from the future to warn Princess Zelda of the fate that is set to befall Hyrule and to guide her and her group on a journey to change the destiny of the land. Zelda is made aware that she needs to awaken her powers in order to seal away Calamity Ganon but she struggles to do so and the longer time goes on, the more desperate she becomes.
This is what made Age of Calamity's story feel way stronger than I had anticipated. At times the game felt incredibly bleak and I was left wondering how things could possibly resolve themselves only for a moment of heroism or a clever twist to bring everything back together with a multitude of satisfying conclusions.
As somebody who loved Breath of the Wild, Hyrule Warriors' story took me on a journey. There were constant nods to events that had taken place in the game's predecessor and as time went on in the battle-ravaged Hyrule, I could physically see the land crumbling around me, taking the shape of the world I came to love in Breath of the Wild.
Age of Calamity often felt like a love letter to the game that came before it. So much care and attention was paid to the little details but not once did it feel like it was trying to force anything. Korok's could be found hidden around the map, presenting Link with Korok seeds to spend. Chopping trees presented wood to use for crafting and Link can use his shield to surf through crowds of enemies, to name but a few of the call-backs.
Not only did returning to this world offer the opportunity for a little fan service but it also helped to build on some of the lore from Breath of the Wild. It was genuinely interesting playing through and seeing the birth of the Sheikah Towers and finding out more about the four Champions.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is set out across the familiar Breath of the Wild map. Rather than having the freedom to explore, however, after each mission you are taken to back the map screen to choose where to go and which mission to tackle next.
The map is split into the same sections as Breath of the Wild and both the main missions and side missions represent the areas in which they are based. If you choose to take a mission in the Gerudo area, for example, you will be fighting across a vast desert and will encounter specific enemies, such as the Molduga, from that region.
Although the game takes the freedom of exploration away from you, Age of Calamity does well to ensure that no area of the map is left unexplored. There is a huge, and I mean huge, array of missions to take part in, all of which are spread across the whole of Hyrule. These go alongside the main story that sees Link trek from corner to corner of the map.
These missions offer the opportunity to earn a ton of new weapons, resources, and rupees to take back and then spend on upgrading characters. You can also unlock shops and increase the power of your runes, items and weapons. This means that alongside the quest icons on the map, there are a whole load of other symbols to get used to.
Some of these include a pot icon to spend resources to unlock recipes to buff you for your next mission. There are character images to increase either the hearts or teach new combos to your characters. Lastly, there are also both shop and stable icons to open locations for purchasing extra resources.
All of this made Age of Calamity feel like a much deeper experience than I was expecting. It made everything I was doing feel worthwhile and gave me a genuine reason to go through and complete each of the side missions. There are so many resources to collect and so many different places to spend them, that I lost hours completing the optional quests.
Alongside the aforementioned areas, Age of Calamity introduces a Blacksmith. The Blacksmith will undoubtedly be one of the most visited areas within the game. After earning weapons during missions, you can return to the Blacksmith to fuse them with your main weapon to increase its strength and potentially gain permanent buffs. The weapons found across the battlefield are very much like those from Breath of the Wild and, for Link at least, include a range of spears, swords, and boomerangs.
Weapon durability was a contentious issue within Link's debut Switch adventure. While for some, it offered the opportunity to be tactical, selecting the right weapons for the right task, for others, it was just a pain. Luckily for those who fall into the second category, I have good news. Weapons don't break in Age of Calamity and, therefore, all of those rupees spent at the Blacksmith will never go to waste.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity also got rid of another one of Breath of the Wild's more polarising features: stamina. While you're likely to encounter a whole bunch of rain on your missions, it's not going to cause you to slide down a big mountain you've spent your time climbing.
For anybody who has played a Musou game before, Age of Calamity's missions will feel fairly familiar. You enter a battlefield, which consists of a range of enemies and outposts, and it's your job to battle your way through, capturing the outposts and dealing with any miscellaneous occurrences that happen along the way.
For some, this will certainly be Hyrule Warriors' biggest downfall. While Age of Calamity does a legitimately fantastic job at making each of the missions feel varied, fundamentally, you are completing the same tasks over and over. Every mission will always have a combination of defeat X amount of enemies, help an ally, defeat a certain boss, capture or defend certain outposts, and escort a character from point A to point B.
Although it could be argued that the mission structures in Age of Calamity lack variety, the same certainly can't be said for the characters. In previous footage, Nintendo and Koei Tecmo had shown off Link, Zelda, Impa, The King, and the four Champions as playable heroes, but that's far from the final roster. There are some genuine surprises within the lineup including some fan favourite characters that I never expected to get the chance to play as. I implore you to complete as many of the side missions as possible to ensure you unlock them all.
The beauty of each of the characters is that they're not simple reskins of each other either and each plays drastically different to the last. Link uses his classic sword to sweep down groups of enemies whereas Revali flies through the air, shooting the crowds with his signature bow and arrow. These differences extend to the surprise characters as well.
It's not only their attacks that differ, either. To provide one example, Mipha deals less damage but can move quicker versus Daruk who brutishly, but very slowly, destroys crowds of enemies. The differences even extend to how they use the Runes. While you'd think throwing Remote Bombs would be the same no matter who you are, Hyrule Warriors ensures that each character does it in a vastly different manner.
Not only does Age of Calamity allow you to play as a range of characters, but certain missions allow you to pilot The Divine Beasts. These four giant robot animals allow you to destroy thousands of enemies in one fell swoop. It's a genuine power trip that felt reminiscent of riding a Brumak for the first time in Gears of War 2. The Divine Beast sections are a fun addition to the game, and one that is used a perfect amount. They break up the other missions nicely, without ever feeling overused.
Going into the game, I anticipated the combat to be a combination of hacking, slashing, and button-mashing with not a lot else. It turns out that Age of Calamity is far more nuanced than that. This is in part due to the variety of the characters but also due to different systems the game incorporates.
Like Breath of the Wild, a perfectly timed dodge will allow you to unleash a flurry attack on an enemy. These attacks help weaken the enemy's defensive shield, a shield that once cracked will allow you to unleash an extremely powerful attack on your foe.
Runes are also used in an extremely clever fashion within the game. Alongside the power that each Rune grants, such as using Stasis to freeze an enemy, for example, they can also be used to stagger enemies for you to then unleash damage on them, providing you nail the quick-time event.
Sadly, the way Age of Calamity is balanced, some of the more fearsome enemies have had to be nerfed and creatures like the Lynel and the Guardians present way less of a challenge. Usually, in Breath of the Wild, a single shot from a Guardian's laser would be enough to take a huge portion, if not all, of Link's health. Due to the hectic nature of Hyrule Warriors, however, this has been reduced to maybe three or four hearts per hit. This took away a little of the excitement and fear that I would have expected to come when encountering these types of enemies.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is one of the few Switch titles that I'd definitely recommend playing with your console docked. While I generally prefer playing my Switch in handheld mode, there is so much going on in Age of Calamity that on a smaller screen it can be almost impossible to see. The drop in resolution also felt more obvious in this game when compared to others.
Then there's the small matter of the framerate. I'm not somebody who particularly sets out to look for the best FPS and will almost always choose a "fidelity mode" over a "performance mode." However, at times, it was hard not to get a little frustrated with Age of Calamity. There were never any times when it completely bugged out, but the game certainly chugged more often than I'd like to admit.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity surprised me. I expected to be a fan due to my love of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, however, I equally expected my experience to be dampened due to the Musou formula. I was wrong to have those hang-ups.
The game tells a fascinating story that goes from incredibly dire to incredibly heart-warming with everything in between. It has more depth than I would have ever expected from a title like this and has more than enough content to keep you playing for a very long time. While there are a few small tweaks that could be made, I'm just very happy that I got to revisit this version of Hyrule, something that doesn't happen too often in the world of The Legend of Zelda.
The post Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Review — The Blood Moon Rises Once Again by Sam Woods appeared first on DualShockers.
Amazon Cuts Ties With UK Delivery Driver After PS5 Goes Missing
In the UK, the launch of the PS5 was met with a plethora of issues with deliveries. Customers waiting for their next-generation PlayStation either hadn't had their console delivered despite messages claiming it had been, while others received items that were not correct. This was even more concerning when PS5 consoles started appearing on eBay for incredibly large figures, some even going up £25,000.00.
Eurogamer reports one customer who had ordered a PS5 for her son had caught a delivery driver on CCTV handling a PS5-shaped package in the back of his van and then driving off without delivering the product. It's detailed that the customer reached out to Amazon initially, being told Amazon would be investigating the situation and then later issued a refund and offered £5 in compensation which was later increased to £50.
The customer's daughter, however, drove to the nearby Amazon depot, showed the boss the CCTV footage, who confirmed the employee was one of his and has claimed that the driver would be fired. An Amazon spokesperson issued a statement to Oxford Mail saying, "We have very high standards for our delivery service providers and how they serve customers. The delivery associate will no longer be delivering on behalf of Amazon."
Amazon had promised UK customers who had been affected that it would put things right, however as Eurogamer reported yesterday, customers have been offered refunds, gift vouchers, and has apparently so far refused to accept that the consoles were stolen, or that there was any wrongdoing on behalf of its warehouse staff or those driving Amazon-branded vehicles.
In part of an email from Amazon it reads, "As the item is unavailable for replacement, we've requested that you are refunded for the full amount of this shipment, including delivery costs. We have also applied a £10 promotional credit to your account. We will be in touch if the possibility of a replacement becomes feasible in the coming weeks."
Sony has reported that the PS5 launch has been its biggest launch ever and that more inventory is due to be available before the end of 2020. In the UK, a scalper group called CrepChiefnotify has reportedly garnered over 3,500 consoles of which it said it has "no regrets". The manager of the group, "Tom" told Business Insider that the group was "running bots", however, the Facebook page statement by the group says, "2472 consoles secured on the day, not with bots as the media is portraying, all manual".
The PS5 console may be incredibly hard to find right now, but if what Sony says is true, there may be more opportunities to nab the console whenever it becomes available. However, this situation seems to indicate that we could do with a different system for securing legit orders. Somehow.
The post Amazon Cuts Ties With UK Delivery Driver After PS5 Goes Missing by Ben Bayliss appeared first on DualShockers.
Capcom Insider Claims Resident Evil Revelations 3 Is Coming With Big Nintendo Switch Push
On the heels of a massive leak of Capcom data, more information about their upcoming titles continue to surface. Rumors are now beginning to circulate that what was previously referred to as Resident Evil Outrage in those documents may actually be Resident Evil Revelations 3 according to Capcom insider Dusk Golem. He then went even further to assert that the upcoming title will be the next major Resident Evil installment with the Nintendo Switch version being the primary focus. Although this version will not necessarily be an exclusive for Nintendo's platform.
Dusk Golem, who also previously revealed details about Resident Evil Village before its official announcement, addressed the rumors on the Resetera forums in response to remarks he tweeted. He claimed that Resident Evil Outrage is simply a code name or working title for Resident Evil Revelations 3. Dusk then went on to claim that he received "100% confirmation" that Revelations 3 will be heavily Switch-focused, but that it would not necessarily be an exclusive. Nintendo's platform will likely be the primary release for the title which could more or less mean that a Switch version would be the first release with a multi-platform release happening shortly after.
It's Revelations 3, not Outbreak 3. I won't say more than that for now though. https://t.co/Yl6peklnbX
— AestheticGamer aka Dusk Golem (@AestheticGamer1) November 23, 2020
Resident Evil Revelations was initially released on the Nintendo 3DS in 2012 with PC and console ports coming shortly after. It followed Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield as they investigated a biological outbreak at sea and was set in between Resident Evil 4 and 5. It's sequel, Revelations 2, followed in 2015 and took an episodic approach releasing weekly between February and March of that year. It marked the return of both Claire Redfield and Barry Burton as they find themselves stranded on a deserted island before the events of Resident Evil 6. Both of which have since been released on the Nintendo Switch. Where this new installment falls into the canon remains to be seen.
Rumors such as these should naturally be taken with a grain of salt until an official statement can be released. As of yet, Capcom has not spoken about Resident Evil Revelation 3 to confirm or deny its existence.
The post Capcom Insider Claims Resident Evil Revelations 3 Is Coming With Big Nintendo Switch Push by Camilo Olmedo appeared first on DualShockers.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Player Creates Cozy Thanksgiving Scenery
With the holiday season in full swing, Thanksgiving of course is next in line as families all over the US prepare for a feast. Of course, Thanksgiving in 2020 will look a little different this year in light of the pandemic, and if you're looking for other ways to celebrate the holiday, one designer in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is helping to make the holiday season come alive through the wildly popular Switch game.
Over on Twitter, Animal Crossing player HeiHei shared her designs for an AC-themed Thanksgiving, complete with several villagers gathered at the table for the traditional Thanksgiving feast. You can take a look at her work below:
Thanksgiving
#acnh #ACNHDesign #ACNHDesigns pic.twitter.com/OyqApR0EmN
— HeiHei (@heiheicrossing) November 22, 2020
Alongside the cozy scenes of Thanksgiving, you can also check out a bunch of other holiday-themed creations from HeiHei, including clothing that you can download in the game for more autumnal attire:
Clothing for late Autumn
#acnh #ACNHDesign #ACNHDesigns #acnhclothing pic.twitter.com/GWg1YXFvSJ
— HeiHei (@heiheicrossing) November 21, 2020
— HeiHei (@heiheicrossing) November 21, 2020
Of course, with Christmas around the corner, HeiHei also has a few other more festive creations that you can find to get you into the holiday spirit:
Christmas Clothing
#acnh #ACNHDesign #ACNHDesigns pic.twitter.com/2zzghE2AB3
— HeiHei (@heiheicrossing) November 24, 2020
my 2/F becomes Winter bedroom
Thanks for my ACNH friends giving me the new event items! (I dont have the DIY card yet so I cannot help making the items
)#acnh #ACNHDesigns #acnhdesign pic.twitter.com/a10GKHQXJw
— HeiHei (@heiheicrossing) November 23, 2020
Over the course of the year we've seen plenty of incredible fan creations coming out of New Horizons, and HeiHei's designs especially show how the game is well-suited to creativity and fun at any time of the year. For more of her designs and work, you can check out HeiHei's Twitter and Instagram.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now exclusively on Nintendo Switch.
The post Animal Crossing: New Horizons Player Creates Cozy Thanksgiving Scenery by Ryan Meitzler appeared first on DualShockers.
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory Review — Speeding Past Memory Lane
The Kingdom Hearts franchise is famous for its fantastic music and narrative — if you're willing to devote yourself to it. While Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory has very little new in terms of story for returning fans, it is a perfect nostalgia trip–sending you back to most of the whimsical worlds that veterans of the series experienced throughout its 18-year life span. It gives new players a small taste of what can be expected when playing a proper Kingdom Hearts title and, despite having the DNA that fans can expect from any entry, it does not give first-timers the proper recap that they need to understand the narrative moving forward.
Taking place after the events of Kingdom Hearts III, Kairi dives into her memories to find a clue regarding Sora's location following his disappearance. By traveling through several worlds, you are shown keystone story events that will make series veterans feel like it was just yesterday when they first played those titles, but this is not how people who are new to the franchise should experience the long-running Kingdom Hearts story. Each world is based on a location from a respective game, and after completing certain worlds, there will be a little bit of a lore dump, but it isn't remotely as impactful as playing through the actual games.
Kingdom Hearts is a franchise more than most where what grabs you are the characters and their relationships with one another. Melody of Memory does not give those connections when summarizing the story. Additionally, for a franchise being consistently criticized for it's "convoluted" narrative, I will admit that there is a lot when it comes to it, and someone new to the franchise will not get all the information they need as with the conclusion of the Xehanort saga and the beginning of a new arc.
Melody of Memory immediately jumps you into the main course; the world tour where you travel from world to world and game by game. This is the structure that most Kingdom Hearts titles are known for, but the problem with it this time around is that parts of it are optional based on the game's star system. Each song has three challenges that reward you a star once completed. Players must earn a required number of stars to unlock paths, but the world tour doesn't take you down one direct route.
There are forks in the road taking you to other games at certain points, so you can technically skip certain parts — losing the important narrative points that can be told. Even as a series veteran, I ended up passing sections by accident. It upholds the notion that Melody of Memory does not adequately give the introduction it needs to prepare players for the inevitable upcoming entries.
Completing tracks will also reward you with materials to craft (similar to previous entries in the franchise) including items, collectibles, and songs that can be played in track selection. Melody of Memory has a whopping 150 songs, so there is plenty of replayability for day one Kingdom Hearts fans. But it also thankfully has a music player where you can listen to every track down the line. It may not be as attractive for those playing on PlayStation and Xbox, but for the Switch being able to take Kingdom Hearts music on the go is something worthwhile.
In traditional Kingdom Hearts form, players hack and slash their way through various enemies from the series, but this time in rhythm with original tracks from the series and iconic Disney songs. What kind of stage you will be playing is determined by each track. Field battles are the most common and traditional form where enemies will come in waves where you must attack them on-beat to the track, but it isn't that cut and dry.
Implementing abilities from the series, players can use magic against aerial adversaries and glide across the screen to pick up musical notes. Boss battles bring new tricks into play, as hitting the correct notes causes your team to dodge big attacks. Despite that, these moments don't feel as challenging as any other part of the game. Memory Dive stages focus more on a specific moment or character in the series using similar mechanics as boss battles, but requiring a focus on hitting notes at the right time; it is hard to appreciate what is going on in the background.
For those that love Kingdom Hearts but struggle with rhythm games, there are healing items and experience boosts that will help your odds along with the ability to summon Mickey as the fourth member of your team who heals in tight spots and gives extra points to your score when he hops into the fray. Melody of Memory has the well-known beginner, standard, and proud difficulties, but there are additional styles to make the experience more accessible and engaging. Using one-button mode, all commands are dedicated to a single button for those who want to focus on getting the rhythm right. On the other hand, performer mode adds more buttons into the mix for those aiming to master the game.
Outside of the world tour, players can challenge both computers and players online in tracks. Computer battles have a ranking system having you start from the bottom and the easiest difficulty to later get harder as you progress. Battles use a trick system that gives a random status effect to the opponent. Battles are won by someone's health falling to zero or having the highest score at the end of the song. Players can also team up with a friend in a dedicated co-op mode passing the baton to one another throughout the song and having each other's back by healing. It is disappointing that this is only for local play and not online when having so many friends into the franchise.
Overall, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is great for looking at the past and reminiscing at the whimsical times with all the impactful music that came along with it. It's a solid rhythm game that blends the gameplay that fans of the series know and love. However, for those new to the franchise, it would be better to play through the games and get maybe too much information that you might be wanting than not getting enough. Kingdom Hearts has a great story, but it is the characters that define it and have made early fans stick around for this long. Melody of Memory only has one piece of what makes the series special, and it isn't what it needs to be for newcomers to feel that same love for the series moving forward.
The post Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory Review — Speeding Past Memory Lane by Cameron Hawkins appeared first on DualShockers.
Insta-Forum: What Games Will You Play Over Thanksgiving Weekend?
Thanksgiving is finally here, and while this year's celebration will likely look a bit different compared to years' past, what hasn't changed is that a huge feast in store; not just with turkey, but also for gaming.
With the launch of the next-gen consoles and a huge slate of games out now, there is plenty to go around for anyone looking to get in some quality gaming time over Thanksgiving weekend. Whether you're diving into next-gen launch titles like Demon's Souls or Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, or catching up with friends in Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War, there are plenty of games to play and to make the holiday weekend even better.
Got the Thanksgiving feast already planned out: pic.twitter.com/AyHeENh9S6
— okay we're DualShockers again (@DualShockers) November 24, 2020
With that being said, we're turning to the DualShockers community to ask: What games are you planning to play over Thanksgiving weekend? Anything you're planning to play with family or friends? What are you looking to start playing? Let us know in the comments below.
This Thanksgiving weekend, I'll probably put some more time into Demon's Souls on PS5, because I can't help myself to pain. Along with that though, I'll also hopefully put some more time into other things I've been plugging away at like Destiny 2: Beyond Light and Amnesia: Rebirth, so I'm excited to spend a few days of playing some great games, hang out with friends, and have several days of Thanksgiving leftovers to enjoy.
From all of us here at DualShockers, we wish all of our readers a Happy Thanksgiving, and happy and (especially this year) healthy holiday season.
The post Insta-Forum: What Games Will You Play Over Thanksgiving Weekend? by Ryan Meitzler appeared first on DualShockers.
This $749 Assassin's Creed Valhalla Statue Looks Fierce
Assassin's Creed Valhalla has been out for a little while now, and the game has seen a few updates, the most recent one alleviating screen tearing on the Xbox Series X. But what if you want to pick up some merchandise? Well, Ubisoft has a range of new products for fans who may be looking for a Christmas gift, or maybe something to populate their shelves.
In a video, that you can view below, Ubisoft's Youseff Maguid shares a range of items, old and new, from the Assassin's Creed games, Watch Dogs Legion, Rainbow Six Siege, and more. While there's a lot of different items listed, I'll try and stick with the newest items, and the video description contains links to the different product pages.
The first featured item is a ¼ scale Eivor statue from Pure Arts and joins its Animus Collection and licensed by Ubisoft. It's priced at $749 and finds the Assassin's Creed Valhalla protagonist standing in front of a totem of the god Odin. It comes with 2 heads, one being for the male version of Eivor, the other being the female head. It comes with Eivor repping the hidden blade and axes as they stand on the sculpt which uses 3 AA batteries to power the LED Animus effects behind. It's limited to 2,500 units, only available in North and South America, and is due to be delivered sometime in Q1 2021.
It's also detailed that pre-orders will also receive an exclusive Animus Dice set. Just look at the details on the statue below.
A cheaper variation of the above is available for $199 and features a 10-inch statue of the male version of Eivor standing on a chest of silver. There's also a life-sized, wearable hidden blade with a spring-loaded blade and locking mechanism. It's not a real blade though, let's just put that out there. The bundle also includes 6 wooden Valhalla dice that are only available with this bundle, a set of in-game tattoos, and a print of some longships sailing at sea. This is also only slated to launch for those in North and South America.
There's also a range of Valhalla merch on the official Ubisoft website, which includes a hoody, art prints, ugly Christmas clothes, and more. SteelSeries has some speaker plates for the Arctis Pro headset and a mousepad. There are also some Valhalla Gunnar gaming glasses for $80. If you're after some fancy shirts, Jinx has some official Valhalla-themed ones available. Graph Gaming also has some Assassin's Creed Valhalla clothing.
There's some more stuff detailed in the video itself, with some previously released items making their way into the gift guide, but the standout items are certainly the Valhalla statues. If you're looking on picking the game up, it's available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S, Stadia, and Luna.
The post This $749 Assassin's Creed Valhalla Statue Looks Fierce by Ben Bayliss appeared first on DualShockers.
Nintendo Game boy Proves Its Resilience by Surviving a Bombing During the Gulf War
The Nintendo Game Boy has been around in one way or another throughout many gamer's lives. Whether it was the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, or the Game Boy Micro, this handheld wonder transformed how games were played forever. Even though the Game Boy wasn't the first handheld console, the earliest handheld game console with interchangeable cartridges was the Milton Bradley Microvision in 1979, Nintendo married the elements of the Game & Watch device and the Famicom console resulting in what we know today as the Nintendo Game Boy. The old saying "They don't make them like they used to" couldn't be more correct when talking about the Game Boy, even more so when it survives a barracks bombing during the Gulf War.
The devastating Gulf War was in full swing from 1990 to 1991 in the Middle East, and at some point throughout that conflict, a Nintendo Game Boy had been stored inside a barracks and played on between duties by U.S. Army medic Stephan Scoggins. Unfortunately, a bomb hit the barracks causing a massive fire, destroying everything in sight including Stephan's Nintendo Game Boy — or so he thought. Scoggins wrote to Nintendo to repair or hopefully at least replace his beloved console, writing, "Fortunately, this Game Boy, several Game Paks, and sundry other personal items were the only casualties claimed by a fire." Nintendo techs deemed the Game Boy to be a lost cause as it looked totally destroyed from the outside with melted control pad and A and B buttons but thought they would try, for the fun if it, to insert a Tetris cartridge in any way. Low and behold the Game Boy booted straight up and played the game.
Even though the outer casing is badly burnt and the motherboard can be seen due to warping, the buttons don't actually work but it powers on just fine and the start and select buttons still work. Thankfully, Nintendo did send Scoggins a replacement Game Boy to play on but the 'Gulf War Game Boy' is sitting proudly to this day in a glass display unit on the second floor of the Nintendo NY in Rockefeller Center with a plaque reading, "This Game Boy was damaged when barracks were bombed during the 1990-1991 Gulf War. It still works!" It just goes to show how durable Nintendo products are, at least the Game Boy, as my very own OG Game Boy took quite a few tumblings down the stairs and falls from my school bag.
In April this year, we celebrated the Nintendo Game Boy's 30th birthday. The boxy and simple handheld system first launched in Japan in 1989 and since then, this little pocket-rocket went on to sell well over 100 million units, allowing gamers all over the world the freedom to play their favorite games – including Tetris, Super Mario, and Pokémon. Having this new-found freedom meant that Game Boy owners could play whenever and wherever they wanted which completely revolutionized the video-game era. We also have seen an artist take a very different approach to the Game Boy by starting her own business called 'Gameboy Planter' where she lovingly fills old Game Boys with plants and adorable Pokemons and also saw the New York City Department of Corrections going out and buying 5500 handheld gaming consoles to occupy the city's prisoners so they don't go stir-crazy throughout COVID-19.
You can check out our Nintendo Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. review right here for a little bit of nostalgia.
The post Nintendo Game boy Proves Its Resilience by Surviving a Bombing During the Gulf War by Rachael Fiddis appeared first on DualShockers.
SNK May Have Been Aquired by The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
In surprisingly odd news, it's been reported that SNK has been purchased by the Saudi-based Electronic Gaming Development Company that shortens down to 'EGDC', with the agreement being 100% funded by the Saudi Crown Prince. The news comes from the Korean site, Bloter, and EDaily, which have been shared through ResetERA (Thanks, Nintendo Life), and reports that the Saudi Crown Prince is to acquire SNK. However, this has not been confirmed.
SNK is a video game developer known for titles such as Metal Slug, Samurai Shodown, The King of Fighters, the Neo Geo, and more. The original SNK went bankrupt and was bought over by Playmore in 2001, who shifted its focus away from console games. Later on, Chinese investors in 2015 bought the company. Since then, the company has been going back to its classics, releasing new games for many series. In particular, SNK, earlier this year confirmed that it was working on a new Metal Slug game for consoles as well as a mobile game. KOF XV was announced as well, but never revealed.
The article from Bloter reveals that on November 26, 2020, SNK "announced" it had signed a stock transfer agreement with Saudi Arabia's game company, EGDC. Bloter reports "The Daebuho, who signed a contract of 200 billion won, was found to be the crown prince of Saudi Arabia's Mohamed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. He is the largest shareholder of EGDC, owning 100% of his Mohamed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud Foundation. However, SNK apparently details that "if the contract proceeds, the largest shareholder will change on January 12 next year."
The Crown Prince has been accused of having a hand in the assassination of The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi back in 2018, and also for detained rights activists being tortured whilst they were in jail. In 2016, he introduced Vision 2030 which plans "to reform Saudi's economy towards a more diversified and privatized structure" with "goals and measures in various fields, from developing non-oil revenues and privatization of the economy to e-government and sustainable development" so this agreement could very well fall into this program.
This whole agreement seems to be odd and SNK doesn't seem to have issued a public statement about it as of yet. DualShockers has reached out for comment and will update this article should we hear back, or further confirmation comes to light.
The post SNK May Have Been Aquired by The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia by Ben Bayliss appeared first on DualShockers.