The Pokemon Levi's Collection Is Here and It Looks Electric
We've known for a few days now that we'd be getting a new Pokemon Levi's collection. Today, Levi's dropped the collection onto their digital store shelves. So, if you were hoping to grab some new denim gear that's inspired by Pokemon, today is the day to do it. Of course, it's not just new denim gear. There are tons of other options available for your wearing pleasure. Check it out.
Iconic characters. Iconic denim. Recreate Misty's signature look. Shop our Levi's and Pokémon collection online and in-store. https://t.co/tV0LJtSNS9
©2021 Pokémon. TM, ® Nintendo. pic.twitter.com/U7M3vdqRwe
— Levi's® (@LEVIS) February 15, 2021
It definitely seems like the Misty tank top and shorts are going to be popular from this set. It's certainly going to make cosplaying the character much easier. There are also a few cute mini-bags that have been made to look like Psyduck and Jiggly Puff. Outside of that, it's pretty standard stuff. There are some jeans with Pikachu on them and several relatively low-key t-shirts.
Of course, there are some truly wild outfits. For instance, that Pokemon-inspired trucker jacket is incredibly garish, but I think that's the point? Then there are several pairs of jeans that have designs washed into them. Not really my bag, but I'm not a stylish 20-something anymore, so what do I know?
All in all, it's a fun collection that does well to capitalize on the current Pokemon resurgence. We've been seeing a ton of content coming out around the series as the game is enjoying some new life with everyone on the internet getting into collecting the cards again. While these aren't quite the collector's items those McDonald's cards are, it's still a fun way to join in on the fandom.
The post The Pokemon Levi's Collection Is Here and It Looks Electric by Ricky Frech appeared first on DualShockers.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox Review – Breaking From the Prison of its Past
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is arguably the most ambitious Ys title Nihon Falcom has released so far, with updated graphics and a much more in-depth (and darker) plotline. At its core, however, is still the soul of the much-beloved franchise but the changes implemented to both storytelling and gameplay make the experience a more refreshing one.
Our ever suffering hero Adol is traveling with his best friend and longtime companion Dogi to Balduq City when once again, he's swept up in disaster. It seems that his many misadventures of past games have finally caught up to him and there's a warrant for his arrest. Adol surrenders peacefully and is immediately shipped out to the city's massive prison, subjected to constant interrogations and fellow inmates itching for a fight. But in true Adol fashion he quickly breaks out, only to dive headfirst from the pan of imprisonment and into the flames of rapidly rising stakes.
A mysterious woman forcibly imbues him with an equally mysterious new power which aids his escapes but also damns him to do her bidding. Adol, along with several other hapless victims who have also been transformed into Monstrum, is forced to fight dangerous monsters and defend the city while collecting strange resources. This is how the rest of the game plays out, with you dividing your time between staying hidden as you explore the city you're now trapped in and occasionally being transported to this treacherous realm. Of course, Adol is never one to take anything lying down and delves deeper into the matter, slowly uncovering both the secrets hidden within the maze-like prison and the ones surrounding your newly given powers.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox focuses far more on storytelling than previous entries in the franchise, weaving an elaborate and darker plot that fleshes out the world and thoroughly develops the main characters. This is reflected in how they all are imprisoned in the literal sense — either within the prison itself, inside the city, and through the forced contract that transforms and binds them. And within their own pasts as well as the narrow-minded way the denizens view and treat them.
None of them are close to perfect, the Monstrum all possess their own failings which may or may not have contributed to the aggressively negative light they've been cast in. However, they are tragic and you find yourself hoping that not only Adol but the others can free themselves. Though I was worried about how such a drastic change in plot density and visuals would be executed, Nihon Falcom has managed to create a cast with engaging backstories and character arcs that tie into the overarching theme of the story.
Thankfully this focus on crafting a proper narrative has not harmed the most important aspect of any Ys game, combat, in any way. In fact, it only enhances it. Basic combat is largely similar to past titles, with normal combos being your main source of damage dealing. More powerful than normal attacks are Skills, which can be unleashed any time during battle by spending Skill Points (SP). SP is recovered by attacking enemies using normal combos.
But thanks to the curse that's forced on Adol, he also receives a unique ability called the Crimson Line that works similar to the grappling hook in Persona 5 Royal. A symbol appears on a ledge that indicates when it can be used and Adol hoists himself up by creating a chain with his demonic energy. Its main purpose is to traverse through dungeons with ease, however, this move has battle applications as well. When that same symbol appears on a locked-on enemy, you can pull yourself towards it, even reaching airborne enemies instantly. This isn't infinite as each use depletes your Gift Gauge. Plus, when it hits, the skill is unusable until it completely charges again.
Initially, Adol traverses alone, but as more Monstrum join him the player is able to access other abilities during battle and in the field by switching between them on the fly. Such flexibility in dungeon exploration adds to its strategic depth, creating an even more fulfilling experience for players.
Combat itself is as strategic as ever, with a strong focus on precise movements and strikes over blindly attacking foes. But added to that is this frenetic energy that permeates every battle, and is especially noticeable during boss fights. You quickly dodge attacks and are forced to constantly stay on the move, looking for openings to rush in and pressure said boss before it recovers. Switching between party members to exploit weaknesses and create openings adds to the thrills and brings home the themes of this forced cooperation through imprisonment. As the plot evolves so does gameplay and players find that the true comradery the cast develops over time is reflected in the fluidity of move mastery that comes over time with repeated practice. It's a subtle yet effective representative of story and gameplay integration, which makes the journey that much more meaningful.
This journey is also reflected in the richer color palette and deeper hues of the characters when in their Monstrum forms and in the Grimwald Nox, versus the bright and vibrant colors of the general city and its people. It also serves as an excellent juxtaposition between the relatively normal world that Adol was a part of prior to the events of Ys IX and the much more dangerous one that he's coerced into.
Of course, the art direction isn't perfect, as the main cast's outfits themselves range from somewhat cool to bizarre, and nearly all of them suffering from the fate of cluttered and overdone. And while the graphics themselves have never looked better within the franchise, there's nothing particularly phenomenal about them compared to similar genre titles. In fact, textures can look downright muddy at times. Luckily the soundtrack is as solid as ever, with great music within and outside of battle.
Performance-wise Ys IX ran smoothly on the PS4 copy I had, though there have been issues with playing the game through the PS5's backwards compatibility. Meanwhile, on PS4 there were rarely ever any framerate dips (and even then they were barely noticeable), and combat remaining fluid and responsive. This was thanks to a patch carried over from the Japanese version, which thankfully prevented those in the West from suffering through constant framerate dips. Other movements such as general running and climbing are just as fluid.
Overall, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox's stronger focus on narrative and character arcs, combined with Ys' trademark of deep and rewarding dungeon exploration makes for one of the best entries in the franchise and marks a true step forward. With such a strong step into the next generation, I look forward to seeing where the series will bring us next. Hopefully, the experience will be even more polished.
The post Ys IX: Monstrum Nox Review – Breaking From the Prison of its Past by Allisa James appeared first on DualShockers.
FIFA 21 Future Stars Party Bag — How to Complete the SBC
FIFA 21 is in the second week of Future Stars. We've already gotten several big-name youngsters added to the mix. Today, the team at EA Sports is giving you a chance to get one for yourself via the new FIFA 21 Future Stars Party Bag SBC. Of course, this is EA Sports we're talking about. The new SBC obviously can't be good value. To that end, this Party Bag doesn't just contain Future Stars players. You also might end up with a Ones To Watch, Rulebreakers, Road to the Final, FUT Freeze, or Headliners card. So, is it worth it? And if so, how to complete it. Read on and find out.
The Future Stars Party Bag comes with some hefty requirements. Not only are you submitting an 84-rated squad, but you'll also need two informs. Considering the garbage players that might be waiting for you in this one, it's not really worth doing unless you just have mounds of untradeable fodder you need to get rid of.
Imagine putting all of that together and ending up with an untradeable OTW Jonathan David or FUT Freeze Ricardo Rodriguez. Sure, there's a chance you might pull something absolutely massive, but those chances are incredibly slim. Essentially, you're buying a 110,000 coin lottery ticket. If you want to test your luck, use the solution below for some inspiration. Of course, try to use Inform cards from your club. That should help bring the price down a bit.
FIFA 21 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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Skyblivion Release Date – Everything We Know
If you're like me and have a hard time keeping up with the modding communities surrounding the various major releases of the past ten years or so, know that you're not alone. However, know that we are also missing out on plenty of excellent modded content for excellent games. If there's one high-profile modding community project to keep an eye out for though, it's Skyblivion. Here's everything we know so far about the Skyblivion release date.
Started all the way back in 2012, TESRenewal modding group set out to port The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion over to the Skyrim engine in its entirety. The entire map, every questline, every creature—everything. Made entirely from scratch by fans, the mod is extremely ambitious and will be entirely free to people who own both Oblivion and Skyrim according to the mod's official website.
As of right now, there is no official release date for Skyblivion. That said, in a recent official developer diary video, PR head Rebelzize said, "despite the massive scope of this project, we are finally seeing the end of the road, but there is still much to be done."
According to its website, the Skyblivion release date is still up in the air. It says that "currently there is no solid release date. With a community project such as this, progress often comes at an irregular rate and is hard to predict."
Progress on our Hammerfell border gate by ClefJ pic.twitter.com/ENvmjj7J6D
— Skyblivion (@TESRSkyblivion) February 11, 2021
The most recent update we've seen from the project is this video showing off some gameplay. The journey to the creation of the mod has been detailed through a handful of developer diaries which can be found right here.
For more on Skyblivion other Bethesda Game Studio mods, make sure to stay right here on DualShockers and check out this article on the recently released Fallout: New Vegas mod The Frontier.
The post Skyblivion Release Date – Everything We Know by Peter Hunt Szpytek appeared first on DualShockers.
Silent Hill Creator Reveals New Concept Artwork, Details On His Next Game With Bokeh Studio
Keiichiro Toyama, the main creator of Silent Hill, Siren, and Gravity Daze, revealed new details on his next game. As a reminder, Keiichiro Toyama announced the foundation of Bokeh Game Studio back in December 2020, leaving Sony Interactive Entertainment after 20 years. Now, on February 15. Bokeh Studio published a new video featuring Toyama. The video most notably reveals several concept artwork. We've included them in the gallery below.
An insightful interview with our very own Keiichiro Toyama, who describes how he came into the games industry and what we have in mind for our new project.
我らがクリエイティブディレクター、外山圭一郎にフォーカスを当ててみました。 #BokehGameStudio #BGS https://t.co/EeTeoGc81W— Bokeh Game Studio (@BokehGameStudio) February 15, 2021
In the video, Keiichiro Toyama first brought up his history with games and how he's been playing since childhood. After joining an art school, he realized he wanted to become a game creator. Now, he felt like Sony has grown larger and larger, always aiming for a wide, worldwide audience possible with its games. However, he wanted to keep creating games based on his own style.
Next, Keiichiro Toyama explained the inspirations and motivations behind his new game. He most notably said it will be darker than his recent games like Gravity Daze.
The first game by Bokeh will include several horror game elements. However, he stressed out the game won't be a complete horror game and will be an enjoyable experience.
He most notably brought up death game type of stories (Danganronpa is a good example) and how these include fun elements despite their brutality. Depicting normal people suddenly thrown out of their ordinary life into unrealistic situations.
Next, Keiichiro Toyama explained how his vision of horror rests not on showing scary elements to the player, but making them challenge and reconsider what they consider normal.
Lastly, Toyama also brought up how his games often focus on a particular setting, like a city or a village. So he's currently inspiring himself looking at maps and such.
Bokeh Game Studio Focus – Keiichiro Toyama
Other founders of Bokeh Game Studio. alongside Toyama, are Kazunobu Sato, who worked on Siren and The Last Guardian, and Junya Okura, who also worked on the Siren series, and was a lead game designer on both Gravity Rush games.
Akira Yamaoka recently teased a new project which might be Silent Hill related.
Bokeh Game Studio previously announced the game is coming to PC in 2023.
Keep in mind these are concept arts. It's entirely possible some of these won't even show up in the final game.
The post Silent Hill Creator Reveals New Concept Artwork, Details On His Next Game With Bokeh Studio by Iyane Agossah appeared first on DualShockers.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Gets a Stunning Makeover in Fan Art Poster and Drawings
There's no doubt about it, The Legend of Zelda franchise has been a huge hit for Nintendo. After making its debut in Japan back in 1986 on the Famicom Disk System, The Legend of Zelda continues to delight fans to this current day on the Nintendo Switch with the highly successful Breath of the Wild. At the start of the month, we even heard rumors that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 might have a release window at some point in the very near future. But until we hear for sure from an official source, how about some Breath of the Wild fan art?
Malin, an illustrator and creator of the comic book series "Nordlys", has designed some utterly beautiful art pieces that honor The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wind in such a wonderful way. Thankfully, there's plenty of Malin's art to choose from that includes a stunning Breath of the Wild poster showcasing Link and Zelda with a backdrop of Hyrule Castle. Of course, Calamity Ganon makes an appearance as they cloak the castle with their presence.
Malin – inprnt.com
Some other pieces of Malin's work display a somber illustration of Zelda holding Link as he dies. Malin has said that this particular image is a recreation of one of their favorite paintings "Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan" by Ilya Repin. It certainly gives a whole new feeling to the Zelda fan art creations we have seen in the past. Another gorgeous piece is of Zelda and Link as they get some treats from a vending machine and another atmospheric image of Zelda and Link walking in the rain down an alleyway as they share an umbrella.
If you'd like to pick these Zelda art pieces up for yourself, make sure to check out Malin's Inprnt store where all of these drawings can be bought for a really reasonable price given the quality of the work. You can also keep up to date with Malin on Twitter to see what art pieces they are coming out with next.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is currently available on the Nintendo Switch and if you'd like to read our review of the game, you can do so right here.
The post The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Gets a Stunning Makeover in Fan Art Poster and Drawings by Rachael Fiddis appeared first on DualShockers.
Once Again The Internet is Asking – Why Did Clix Get Banned From Twitch in February 2021?
Professional Fortnite player Clix has taken to Twitter to announce that Twitch has officially banned him. The ban took place in the early hours of February 15, 2021. Unfortunately for Clix, it may be three strikes and you're out, as Twitch looks to have permanently banned him this time. The streaming platform had already given Clix temporary suspensions twice before. Clix's first Twitch ban came in November of 2019 when he was streaming with 'Zayn', another popular streamer who was also banned from the platform. The second ban came in November of 2020 after Clix was part of the mass DMCA ban wave.
Fortnite star Cody 'Clix' Conrod has been banned from Twitch for the third time
A message from Twitch explained, "Your suspension will not be automatically lifted. Access to our services may only be restored upon successful appeal".
perm ban… on everything i love
— Clix (@ClixHimself) February 15, 2021
Who is Cody 'Clix' Conrod?
Cody 'Clix' Conrod is a 16-year-old American Twitch Streamer, YouTuber, and professional Fortnite player. The E-Sports star began gaining traction after qualifying for Fortnite's first annual World Cup in 2019. Clix has now gone on to amass more than 3.5 million followers on Twitch. He is also one of the youngest professional Fortnite players currently competing.
Why Did Clix Get Banned From Twitch in 2021?
Twitch has not officially announced the reasoning behind banning Fortnite superstar, Clix. However, eagle-eyed viewers noticed that during Clix's most recent livestream, he accidentally displayed a window on his PC showing an explicit picture titled "Rons a**". The ban hammer was almost immediate, as the livestream was ended there and the VOD deleted. Clix had just competed in the first week of the Fortnite Championship Series for 2021 and had one of his best Twitch streams to date. The Fortnite superstar had peaked at 108,000 viewers during his tournament livestream.
When Will Clix Return To Twitch?
It's unclear right now if and when Clix will be able to start streaming on Twitch again. However, moments after the ban, RNG CEO Andy Miller claimed he was "on it!".
We on it!
— Andy Miller (@amiller) February 15, 2021
Even with the CEO of RNG appealing the ban, the process of getting Clix back online could take some time due to it being his third ban on the platform. #FreeClix was also trending at number 1 in the US with over 25,000 fans making their voices heard regarding the ban.
The post Once Again The Internet is Asking – Why Did Clix Get Banned From Twitch in February 2021? by Kyle Knight appeared first on DualShockers.
Cyberpunk 2077 Fan-Made Keyboard is as Breathtaking as Night City
Despite all the challenges CD Projekt RED developers faced after Cyberpunk 2077's rough launch back in December last year, the game still has a huge community who love playing it and spending time in Night City. Recently, a big fan of the game has shared some pictures from his very-own Cyberpunk 2077 keyboard and once you see it, you can't stop loving it.
Using a mixture of black, yellow, and light blue colors for the keys instantly reminds you of the Cyberpunk 2077 box art and its yellow background. The creator's precise sense of colors in using the exact match of yellow that had been appeared in Cyberpunk 2077's marketing media is absolutely admirable. Aside from the excellent colors, you can spot the aggressive sharp font of the letters on each key which will remind you of Cyberpunk 2077's own font and some of the other fonts used in the game such as The Moxes font.
Probably the best part is the space key. Giving off dark Night City vibes, the space bar shows off the creator's incredible talent in depicting a combination of Night City's neons and the game's opening screen. Each time I look at the space bar it reminds me of Cyberpunk 2077's very first cinematic trailer.
StudioDango's lovely vision in crafting this Cyberpunk 2077 keyboard will make it hard to resist your excitement to create your own version of the keyboard based on your beloved game. But please make sure to learn how to customize your keyboard and review your steps as there will be no way back once you're in the middle of the action.
Cyberpunk 2077 is now available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The game's first big patch launched later last month. Another patch is supposed to hit the game this month, which is supposed to fix most of the problems on the last-gen consoles.
The post Cyberpunk 2077 Fan-Made Keyboard is as Breathtaking as Night City by Mehrdad Khayyat appeared first on DualShockers.
Resident Evil Village's Daniela Dimitrescu Cosplay Places Us Under Her Spell
Even though the initial excitement and all-around horniness for Resident Evil Village's Lady Dimitrescu has taken a back seat, for now, it certainly doesn't mean that we don't want to see some amazing Witchery cosplay still. It was only a few weeks ago when the gaming nation was on high alert after seeing the 9ft 6in frame of a woman stroll onto their screens during Capcom's Resident Evil Showcase and since then, we have never been the same. To try and keep the momentum alive, take a look at this chilling Daniela Dimitrescu cosplay that will be sure to haunt your dreams.
Angel Kaoru is a professional cosplayer, makeup artist and photographer who has a wealth of talents across the industry since 2007. She previously cosplayed as Elizabeth Harmon from The Queen's Gambit as well as Mikasa Ackerman from Attack on Titan. Not wanting to miss out on the hype that is surrounding Resident Evil Village, Angel slips into the skin and clothes of Daniela Dimitrescu.
View this post on Instagram
If you're not too familiar with who Daniela Dimitrescu is, here's a quick summary: Daniela Dimitrescu is one of the witches who patrol Castle Dimitrescu and is either born or infected by some kind of viral disease leaving her with mutant abilities. As we've seen in the trailer, Daniela loves the taste of "Man Blood" and when going in for the kill, flies appear around her that also attack the player. As with all the residents of Castle Dimitrescu, looks can be deceiving so your best bet is to always keep your distance.
In Angel's cosplay of the vampire-like "daughter", she has mimicked the blood that's smeared around Daniela's mouth from her last kill and has also got those deadly yellow eyes down to a tee. Just like the mutant woman, Angel has incorporated her rose tattoo on her forehead and long, blonde locks that are covered by a sleek black cloak. Even though Halloween is months away, I'm very excited to see even more of these Resident Evil Village cosplays slide out of the woodwork and terrify unsuspecting folk across the country.
You can follow Angel Kaoru on Instagram and Twitter for more of her cosplays but do be warned, many are NSFW.
Resident Evil Village is set for release on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S|X on May 7, this year.
The post Resident Evil Village's Daniela Dimitrescu Cosplay Places Us Under Her Spell by Rachael Fiddis appeared first on DualShockers.
Apex Legends Japanese Community Bands Together Against Cheaters
Apex Legends has a worldwide cheater problem, and the game's Japanese community is trying to fix it. Since early JST on February 15, multiple players, streamers and VTubers of the Apex Legends Japanese community have been sharing gameplay clips of cheaters. Asking EA and Respawn to do something about it. The words "チーター" チーター 多すぎ" and "チーターApex" have been trending as well all day on Twitter. Respectively "cheaters", "too many cheaters", and "cheaters Apex".
これがプレマス帯の現状です
プレデターのチーターが暴れてます。どうにかしてくださいEAさん pic.twitter.com/daAVOjAdV5— ShunMi
【Flora】S6JP#1 (@ShunMy_) February 15, 2021
Most notably, pro player Ras announced on Twitter they won't be playing rank games in Apex Legends anymore.
Ras will stop playing Rank match for a while because of cheaters. Ras also mentioned sometimes spotting up to five cheating parties in a single match.
当分の間ランクはしません チーターがとても多くて一試合に 5パーティーまで見ました。
I won't play rank games for a while. There are too many users who use fraudulent programs to play games.
— Ras_99 (@Ras9915) February 15, 2021
Ras is a pro Apex Legends player for CrazyRaccoon, one of the best players in the world, and regularly streams Apex and Valorant on Mildom. If you've never heard of Mildom, it's a Japanese streaming site which is far from rivaling with Twitch but is steadily rising. Several popular figures of the fighting games community like Daigo are streaming on Mildom too alongside Twitch. Hikakin, one of the most popular Japanese YouTubers, is also on Mildom.
VTuber Qualia Qu also tweeted about the cheater issue in Apex: "There's way too many cheaters on Apex so someone invited me to play Tarkov instead. What happened while I took a break from the game?! (laughs)"
APEXチーター多すぎてタルコフやろうって誘われました 私がいない間に何かあったの！！？
— 久檻夜くぅ
(@Qu_Qualia) February 15, 2021
Apex Legends is one of the most streamed games by VTubers. Qualia Qu in particular has a strong following among English and Thailand VTuber fans.
Needless to say, this cheater problem isn't limited to the Japanese community as well. This has been a growing problem since the launch of Season 8. However, even if it was a Japan-only thing, we'd be hearing about it seeing many English speaking fans follow VTubers playing Apex Legends.
Apex Legends is currently one of the most popular online competitive games in Japan together with games such as Dead by Daylight and Identity V. It's possible this could strongly affect Apex' popularity in Japan if nothing is done.
Apex Legends is free-to-play on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, It's also coming to Switch on March 9.
The post Apex Legends Japanese Community Bands Together Against Cheaters by Iyane Agossah appeared first on DualShockers.