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Feb 09, 10:00


Kotaku Wednesday, February 9, 2022 9:30 AM
    

It's been seven years since OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood, Roll7's 2015 skateboarding platformer. The skateboarding genre has seen some stellar releases in that time, including the highly customizable Session, Skater XL, and the remastered bundle Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2. There's also last year's minimalist…

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Kotaku Wednesday, February 9, 2022 7:30 AM
    

That's not a massage table! You are looking at the Lying Face Down Sleep Cushion Z. Pointed out by Gizmodo Japan and PC Watch, it was specifically created for you to place your head face down between the two cushions, and play video games, look at your phone or tablet, and even read books.

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Kotaku Wednesday, February 9, 2022 6:25 AM
    

Right now, entering Japan is difficult, if not impossible, due to the country's travel ban and quarantine requirements. If things change and the country's Covid-19 situation improves, do I have a vacation idea for you.

As pointed out by Mondo Mascots, Slowpoke is now the tourism character for Kagawa. Let Slowpoke,…

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PCGamesN Wednesday, February 9, 2022 9:28 AM
     Microsoft is finally updating taskbar overflow in Windows 11

In the four months since Windows 11's release, the OS has received multiple bug fixes and features. However, there's still plenty of work to be done in polishing it up to run its best, and it looks like Microsoft is due to address a long-standing issue with Windows' taskbar.

While exploring a pre-release build of Windows 11 Pro, Twitter user thebookisclosed spotted that Microsoft is changing how the taskbar handles program overflow. Currently, when more applications are open than the taskbar has room for, they are relegated to a single slot with no means of easily selecting them individually. Now, users will be able to cycle through everything in the overflow via a clickable flyout (pictured below.)

This will undoubtedly assist casual and power users alike in managing multiple apps, particularly on lower-resolution displays that leave less room for the taskbar However, we'd sooner encourage running as few programs as possible to maximise your system's performance.

RELATED LINKS: Best SSD for gaming, How to build a gaming PC, Best gaming CPU

PCGamesN Wednesday, February 9, 2022 9:28 AM
     Dark Souls PvP servers won't be back until after Elden Ring's launch

While the PvP servers for Dark Souls: Remastered, Dark Souls 2, and Dark Souls 3 have been temporarily deactivated on PC following an alleged remote code execution vulnerability issue, the launch plans for Elden Ring remain unchanged.

From Software and Bandai Namco have confirmed that Elden Ring will still release on February 25 following an investigation into the upcoming PC game, and that multiplayer for the suite of Dark Souls games on PC will remain offline until after Elden Ring's launch.

"Bandai Namco and From Software are aware of the technical difficulties players have experienced with the Dark Souls suite of games on PC," a statement on Twitter reads. "We want to thank the entire Dark Souls community and the players who have reached out to us directly to voice their concerns and offer solutions. Thanks to you, we have identified the cause and are working on fixing the issue. In addition, we have extended the investigation to Elden Ring - our upcoming title launching on February 25 - and have made sure the necessary security measures are in place for this title on all target platforms."


PCGamesN Wednesday, February 9, 2022 7:49 AM
     Grab 46% off Lexar's 1TB micro SD card ahead of Steam Deck

Steam Deck pre-orders finally start shipping this month, but if you've got a 64GB model on the way, importing your Steam library could be a struggle. While you can open up the handheld and install a larger M.2 SSD, Valve says you shouldn't, and not everyone enjoys tinkering around inside expensive tech. Thankfully, it's possible to expand your storage by simply using a microSD card, and you can currently grab Lexar's super speedy 1TB for 46% less.

Over on Amazon US, Lexar has knocked $116 off its Play 1TB microSDXC UHS-I, bringing it down from $249.99 to $133.99. Sure, you can get large capacities for less, but this particular card boasts impressive 150MBps read speeds. The Play 1TB also comes with an A2 Application Performance class rating, which should help maintain snappy load times on the Steam Deck.

Even if you've got a snazzy 512GB Steam Deck reserved, you could use it to dual boot another operating system like Windows 11. By doing so, you could also access additional storefronts like Xbox Game Pass and the Epic Game Store, and it could even transform the portable gaming PC into a desktop replacement.

RELATED LINKS: Best SSD for gaming, How to build a gaming PC, Best gaming CPU

PCGamesN Wednesday, February 9, 2022 7:16 AM
     Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 7 is coming, and it'll be

The next big patch for Baldur's Gate 3 is on the horizon. Larian Studios has shared a 'pre-patch announcement' on Steam to reveal that Patch 7 for the DnD game is "almost here", and that it'll be "...pretty cool".

"It has been a whole festive period since we've spoken," the studio says, assuring fans of the game - which is still in Steam Early Access - that the devs haven't "been resting on our yule logs, though". Phew. "Patch 7 is almost here, and we're so excited for you to play it we could explode. That isn't necessarily a hint, we're just very excited," the devs add.

Sadly, there are no details at all in the dev post, so we're going to have to wait for the studio's next Panel From Hell livestream, which Larian says it's got "coming up to properly reveal it". The studio does, however, add a mini teaser to this, saying, "let's just say it's going to be….pretty cool." Hmm.

RELATED LINKS: Baldur's Gate 3 release date, Baldur's Gate 3 races, Baldur's Gate 3 classes

PCGamesN Wednesday, February 9, 2022 7:12 AM
     PUBG is getting another anti-cheat update

Krafton is working on more anti-cheat updates for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds - technically now called PUBG: Battlegrounds, but, y'know, old habits die hard. The latest tweaks are being trialled on the test server for the battle royale game's 16.1 update, so they could be out soon enough.

The anti-cheat update targets a "commonly reported cheat software" called ESP that allows users to see other players' locations. "To prevent possible issues such as enemy movements appearing awkward from afar to severely shaking character animations to spectating from underwater from occurring, the death cam and replay features in this update's test server will be disabled," the devs explain. "Once this solution is concluded to be stable and safe to use, we will discuss implementing them to the live server."

PUBG is also getting some decent changes to weapon balancing. The devs have noticed that the Beryl M762 and the SLR have become popular, though they don't want to "stress" players out more by "nerfing well-used weapons", so they're going to buff less-used ones instead. The M416's stats are coming back up, and the Mk12 is being buffed, too.

RELATED LINKS: PUBG new map, PUBG weapons, Play PUBG

PCGamesN Wednesday, February 9, 2022 6:31 AM
     Crysis Remastered's

Crysis Remastered has just got its "most impactful patch to date", which brings many key improvements to the FPS game's visuals, performance, stability, and more. The latest patch marks the game's third on our home platform, and Crytek has announced that it'll also be the last PC update for the Crysis Remastered Trilogy.

First up, the patch brings "significant GPU and CPU performance and stability improvements" to the game, as well as improved stability more generally. The patch notes don't elaborate on what these updates do, exactly, but given it's a graphically and technically intensive game - it is Crysis, after all - improvements that help make things run all the smoother can only be an exciting thing.

Elsewhere, the update introduces "various" fixes for Nvidia DLSS - the video rendering technique that aims to help you boost fps without sacrificing too much visual quality - as well as across art and rendering. There are also multiple audio issue and main menu fixes in the mix.

RELATED LINKS: Upcoming PC games, Best FPS games on PC

PCGamesN Wednesday, February 9, 2022 6:07 AM
     EU Chips Act could solve graphics card shortage situation

The best graphics cards are still in short supply, but the European Union has announced plans to help tackle ongoing component shortages. Dubbed the EU Chips Act, the governing body's legislation aims to help Europe regain footing within the semiconductors production scene, which in turn could alleviate gaming PC woes.

In a press release, the EU says it plans to invest €11 billion (roughly 12.5 billion USD) as part of its "Chips for Europe" initiative until 2030. The post also highlights the importance of taking a "lab to the fab" approach, which will help translate research into production and infrastructure.

The European Commission also proposes investment in "Mega FABS", huge factories that could increase chip production tenfold. This could help fill supply gaps during periods of increased demand, but it could also help prevent logistical issues and shortages caused by events like a pandemic.

RELATED LINKS: RTX 2070 Super review, RTX 2060 Super review, Best graphics card

PCGamesN Wednesday, February 9, 2022 5:49 AM
     Dying Light 2 has a Cyberpunk 2077 easter egg

One of the weapons you can stumble upon during your parkour adventures in Dying Light 2 might look familiar if you've played Cyberpunk 2077. If you play your cards right, you can get a pair of special knuckle dusters called the Cyberhands 2177 that look like the cyberpunk game's Mantis Blades.

To get them, you'll want to take an elevator to the top of the VNC Tower once you've completed the Broadcast story mission. Once you exit the elevator on the roof, you'll want to turn left and scale the green metal structure for a better view. You should notice two mossy skyscrapers that are smaller than the VNC Tower. Use your glider to reach the closer of the two, and then glide to the next one.

Once you reach the roof of that building, you should find a man standing next to a campfire known as 'Liquidator'. He'll mention being "here and there" before telling you that he has left something for you. You should then see a cache to your left before the mysterious NPC vanishes for good. Open them to get the Cyberhands 2177 blueprint. It's worth noting, though, that it looks like the NPC disappears if you've completed the main quest. Ensure you grab the weapon after completing the Broadcast quest to avoid missing out.

RELATED LINKS: Dying Light 2 release date, Dying Light 2 factions, Dying Light 2 trailer reveal

PCGamesN Wednesday, February 9, 2022 5:41 AM
     Halo Infinite weekly challenge and reward

Want to know how to complete the Halo Infinite weekly challenges? Every week you can unlock a free cosmetic for your Spartan. To get this new look, you have to complete a list of challenges, and play a lot of matches. These challenges also give you experience points you use to level up the Halo Infinite battle pass.

Challenges can be found in the battle pass menu and it lists the current active challenges and upcoming challenges. Each challenge is colour-coded by difficulty, so bright grey challenges are the easiest, the bluish-grey challenges are of medium difficulty, and the bright blue ones are the most challenging. One of the upcoming challenges will take its place when you complete a challenge, though which challenge it is, is random.

Once you've completed each challenge, you're given one more challenge before you can claim your weekly reward. This challenge is the same for everyone. In this guide, we'll give you tips on how to complete the Halo Infinite weekly challenges in your queue, explain what the weekly ultimate challenge is, and what the weekly ultimate challenge reward is for this week.

RELATED LINKS: Halo Infinite release date, Halo Infinite system requirements, Halo Infinite ranks

PCGamesN Wednesday, February 9, 2022 5:28 AM
     League of Legends patch 12.4 notes – New champion Renata Glasc, Shockblade skins

It's that time again, League of Legends fans. Patch 12.3 has made the leap from the MOBA game's PBE to live servers, which means it's now turn for a new testing cycle to kick into gear. League of Legends patch 12.4 has now arrived for its fortnight-long round of testing and tinkering, and there's already plenty to check out.

The big news this patch is the arrival of yet another new champion. Hot on the heels of Zeri's release with League of Legends patch 12.2, Renata Glasc has now made her debut on the PBE. Known as the Chem Baroness, she's a powerful figure with "an advanced technological heritage" from Zaun, who has risen through the ranks to become the region's wealthiest chem baron - "a business magnate who built her power by tying everyone's interests to her own". Mysterious, persuasive, and with what sounds like a bit of a ruthless streak, Renata Glasc is being launched as a support champ. You can check out all of her abilities, stats, and skins in the notes below.

Elsewhere this patch, we've got some new Shockblade skins on the way for champions Kassadin, Shen, and Qiyana, and the new-and-improved Firelight Ekko - which was previously delayed - is now on the way.

RELATED LINKS: Best LoL Champions , League of Legends patch 12.4 notes, LoL tier list

PCGamesN Wednesday, February 9, 2022 5:00 AM
     Total War: Warhammer 3 Boris Ursus – the secret legendary lord

So you want to know about Total War: Warhammer 3's Tzar Boris Bokha? Also known as Boris Ursus, he is the secret tenth legendary lord that will be available in Creative Assembly's highly anticipated fantasy strategy game at launch. But who is he? And how do you unlock him?

Tzar Boris Bokha is a popular character from the Warhammer Fantasy tabletop game, one of the few named leaders of the fan favourite faction, Kislev. Kislev is one of the six launch Warhammer 3 races but their main legendary lords have already been revealed as Tzarina Katarin and Supreme Patriarch Kostaltyn. If you're versed in Warhammer Fantasy lore, you'll know that Boris is actually Katarin's father and it's his voice we hear in the original Warhammer 3 reveal trailer.

It is believed that he vanished while fighting the forces of Chaos, but Creative Assembly recently announced on Twitter that he had been "freed from hibernation" and that he was coming to Warhammer 3 as a new legendary lord. This means that, at the time of writing, Kislev is the only faction with three legendary lords at launch. Boris isn't available straight away, however - you will need to unlock him first in order to play his campaign.

RELATED LINKS: Total War: Warhammer 3 release date, Total War: Warhammer 3 races, The best strategy games on PC

PCGamesN Wednesday, February 9, 2022 9:42 AM
     Destiny 2: what is the Nightfall weapon this week?

Want to know what this week's Destiny 2 Nightfall weapon is? Each week you've got a chance at a different weapon for completing Nightfall Strikes, and as of Season of the Lost, you can now get fan-favourite legacy weapons from the original Destiny. Two more of these weapons arrived in Season of the Lost, so it's more important than ever to know in advance the Nightfall weapon schedule.

In case all these words are new to you, Nightfall: The Ordeal is a playlist available in the Vanguard menu, alongside the basic Strike playlist. Each week, a different Strike is chosen as the Nightfall, and offered in five escalating difficulties, with harder enemies, challenging modifiers, and enemy power levels cranking up.

The coveted Nightfall weapons have a chance to drop from any Nightfall Strike difficulty, but it's far more likely at higher levels. Your best bet for farming each week's Nightfall weapon is to set the Strike to Master difficulty, according to YouTuber Aztecross. You should also note that there's no automatic matchmaking above Hero difficulty, however, so you'll need to get a squad together.

RELATED LINKS: Destiny 2: Beyond Light review, Destiny 2 exotics, Play Destiny 2

Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, February 9, 2022 8:29 AM
    

The Lunar New Year celebrations in Genshin Impact have become a little more generous than planned, with the free-to-play action-RPG offering all players a double of one of the gifts. A glitch with the game's mail system meant some players received a duplicate of one of the daily Lantern Rite gifts, a bundle including one of the precious Intertwined Fate doodads which can unlock event characters and weapons. To make this right, developers Mihoyo are now offering everyone a duplicate.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, February 9, 2022 5:00 AM
    

The RPS video chamber has been a little quiet since Colm left us at the end of last year, but this week I'm pleased to announce that strange noises have once again been heard from deep within our Treehouse recording booth. Indeed, our search for a new vid bud is finally over, so please say hello and welcome to Liam Richardson.

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Siliconera Wednesday, February 9, 2022 9:30 AM
    

NieR Automata 5th Anniversary

The 5th anniversary of NieR: Automata will fall on February 23, 2022. Square Enix will mark this milestone by holding a special livestream at 18:00 JST (4 AM ET). The stream will be available in Japanese on Niconico Live.

The series creator Yoko Taro, producer Yosuke Saito, composer Keiichi Okabe, and PlatinumGames' Takahisa Taura will attend the celebration stream. The key staff members of NieR: Automata will hold a casual talk show reminiscing on the past five years. In the stream description, Square Enix also teased that there may be announcements of new information.

Like most other livestreams for Japanese games, the NieR: Automata 5th Anniversary stream will have giveaways of presents for residents of Japan. It will also have an extra talk show segment available exclusively to Niconico Premium paid accounts. The extra segment will include a Q&A session where users can send questions to the key staff members mentioned above. Square Enix and Niconico are accepting question submissions until February 20, 2022.

NieR: Automata came out first for PlayStation 4 in Japan on February 23, 2017. Square Enix later released it worldwide, with PC and Xbox One as additional platforms. The game's global cumulative sales on all platforms surpassed 5.5 million units as of its fourth anniversary on February 23, 2021.

The post NieR Automata 5th Anniversary Stream New Announcements Teased appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, February 9, 2022 9:01 AM
    

Egglia Rebirth

Egglia Rebirth is a surprisingly dense game. The more I played, the more things began to fall into place. What I initially felt was just a mobile title ported to the Nintendo Switch quickly became a more in-depth and interesting turn-based RPG. While there are some of the signature marks of a game originally released for mobile devices, the quality of the gameplay genuinely surprised me. Gacha mechanics are present, but mostly in the form of recruiting Spirits. (These are the helpful creatures that can assist you in battle.) There are, of course, features that require a bit of patience as well.

For example, players can collect rare materials to level up or evolve their Spirits through plant and rock cultivation. However, obtaining these items takes time. Quite literally. You will need to wait for a certain amount of real-world time to pass after planting your rocks and various root vegetables. Sometimes it can take upwards of two hours to yield a harvest, which is mostly fine.

Egglia Rebirth is a game that encourages you to pick it up and play at your leisure. It was hard to accept that, especially since the kinds of mobile games I've played in the past don't reward players for putting the game down for extended periods of time. After accepting that, I could just walk away from the game for a bit and come back to it later. Which meant I felt a lot better about Egglia Rebirth. Speed-up items are available, but I never felt inclined to use them for this reason.

Egglia Rebirth

It reminded me that productivity doesn't always mean that you have to be active. Which is something I generally don't expect from video games. Especially when you have something that was originally intended for mobile devices suddenly appear on a console. At worst, I expected Egglia Rebirth to have some sort of baked-in monetization. But considering the game was purchase-to-play on Android and iOS devices, I was pleasantly surprised it didn't. Instead, players are tasked with grinding out materials to summon Spirits, expand their village, or to fulfill villager requests.

All of these tasks seem simple enough, but are fairly layered. By expanding your village, or rather improving the quality of life for your residence, the player character becomes more powerful. Players can do this by accepting quests from the individual villagers you will recruit through story progression. Sometimes they'll be looking for an item you can obtain through specific maps, or maybe they want you to upgrade their house. In some cases, they will also ask for furniture. This gives players a lot to do, as grinding out materials to fulfill these requests can sometimes take longer than expected. That is largely due to the randomness of acquiring materials in vast quantities.

However, players can increase their chances of receiving certain types of materials by taking certain villagers onto the field with them. They more or less play a passive role as you explore, harvest, and take down enemies through the various maps. For example, taking Brown will yield a chance to receive more than a handful of different types of materials. Bringing a villager like the ore-eating Paru increases the chance to receive various ores during an excursion. Players will also need to keep in mind how much energy each of these guest characters expend. Don't worry though. The characters will definitely let you know when they're tired, as they will almost always be talking during a mission. And while players will have access to a shop that will unlock through story progression, gathering materials yourself is a better method.

Egglia Rebirth

Gameplay is relegated divided between fulfilling villager requests, and taking to the field and clearing out areas. What surprised me most about Egglia Rebirth was its combat system. Players navigate maps through a grid-based system. Movement is reliant on dice rolls. While it adds a certain level of randomness to it and makes Egglia Rebirth feel somewhat unique, this system can be a chore. If you are stuck with small dice rolls, sometimes completing a map can take longer than necessary. And maps must be completed within a certain amount of turns. This means that you will sometimes need to revisit areas to gain all completion rewards. That said, harder versions of these maps become available once you finish them. The difficulty really ramps up in these harder maps.

I found myself needing to grind before taking on a harder version of an earlier map. Which felt somewhat frustrating, since I would need to allocate time elsewhere to actually gain the stats to progress and harvest materials I needed to complete villager requests. It wasn't something that ultimately stopped me from progressing, but it definitely had me put the game down quite a few times. Which ultimately wasn't a detriment, since the passive mechanics in the game rewarded me for coming back when I felt like continuing.

The visuals and music in Egglia Rebirth are also quite nice. The character designs are interesting and provide a kind of flavor that I haven't seen in most modern JRPGs in quite some time. They're not afraid to be bold and sometimes ugly. Which I really appreciate, as it creates an interesting kind of variety. The music, while fairly limited in terms of selection, is also very pleasant. The only song I ended up growing tired of was the main hub theme. As it would start a new loop after every cutscene or when entering and leaving certain areas.

Egglia Rebirth

However, one thing I felt Egglia Rebirth lacked were general quality of life features. While players can look at items they need for crafting materials or requests, these are sometimes buried deep in menus. Not to mention the game lacks a proper skip function. This means players cannot skip cutscenes, which I felt was somewhat irksome.

Ultimately, Egglia Rebirth is a really fun game. It feels more like an indie JRPG than it does a mobile tile, which works in the Switch version's favor. Players who spend a lot of time with it will potentially feel rewarded by its systems. Though, if you're someone who wants to make the most out of their time, you might feel frustrated with how slow the game can be sometimes. That said, it's an interesting title that feels standout in comparison to most modern releases. Overall, Egglia Rebirth is a game that rewards players with patience, and will surprise some with its layered mechanics.

Egglia Rebirth will release in North America and Europe for Nintendo Switch on February 10, 2022. It is immediately available in Japan.

The post Review: Egglia Rebirth Rewards Patience With a Layered Experience appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, February 9, 2022 8:00 AM
    

Astro Boy Japan NFT game cards

Astro Boy is another Japanese IP that is set to enter the NFT and Metaverse trend. Tezuka Productions will work with J&J and NOBORDER.z to create NFT game cards featuring the eponymous hero and other characters from the franchise. The virtual cards will be usable in the NFT Duel game and tradeable on the Xanalia marketplace. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

The Astro Boy NFT cards will also contain images of landmarks in Japan. The first batch will feature landmarks in Tottori Prefecture, such as Tottori Dune and Koiyamagata Station. In the press release, the companies stated that they are working together with Japanese prefectures to help recover the regions' economy and tourism market that was affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The companies will also use the cards to help promote the country in the Metaverse.

NOBORDER.z is the company that develops the NFT Duel game, the Xanalia marketplace, and the Xana NFT metaverse. Earlier in 2022, the same company opened pre-orders for NFT Duel cards containing characters from the Ultraman Netflix anime. It will sell a limited number of premium cards purchasable with Ethereum, cryptocurrency and credit card until March 2022. It will then sell regular Ultraman NFT cards starting from April 2022.

Many Japanese companies have shown interest in entering the NFT scene in recent months. Konami and Square Enix are the two companies most interested in joining the market. In January 2022, Konami held NFT auctions of Castlevania music, art, and gameplay videos.

The post Astro Boy NFT Game Cards Will Bring Japan Into Metaverse appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, February 9, 2022 7:00 AM
    

Nioh 2 Sales

Koei Tecmo announced sales for Nioh 2 have surpassed 2.5 million units worldwide. This number accounts for digital and physical sales of the title. The announcement was made to coincide with the 5th anniversary of the Nioh series, and Koei Tecmo thanked consumers for their support and expressed its wish for fans to continue to enjoying Team Ninja titles.

Nioh 2 originally released in March 2020. However, Koei Tecmo subsequently released Nioh 2: The Complete Edition a little less than a year later in February 2021. The Complete Edition includes all post-release DLC for the original launch of Nioh 2, such as the Tengu's Disciple, Darkness in the Capital, and The First Samurai expansion content. Sales for the title have continued to rise since Koei Tecmo announced the title reached 2 million units worldwide in April 2021.

Additionally, the first Nioh title also performed well. In April 2021, Koei Tecmo revealed the first Nioh game had reached 5 million units worldwide in digital and physical sales. The title surpassed the 3 million mark in sales in February 2020. While Head of Team Ninja Fumihiko Yasuda spoke about potential features the team would like to bring into a future Nioh game, he also confirmed development on the Nioh series had paused.

Nioh 2 is immediately available on the PlayStation 4 worldwide. Nioh 2: The Complete Edition is available for PlayStation 5 and PC.

The post Nioh 2 Sales Surpass 2.5 Million Units Worldwide appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, February 9, 2022 6:00 AM
    

KOF XV Animated Short

A KOF XV special animated short is now available to watch on YouTube, courtesy of SNK. SNK commissioned popular anime director Masami Obari to direct the short ahead of the game's official release. Once the game releases, the full short will also be available to watch via the game's gallery mode.

Director Masami Obari is a notable figure within the King of Fighters and Fatal Fury franchises. Notably, Obari directed the 1994 animated feature film Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture. He also worked on two other Fatal Fury OVAs as a character designer. He later formed his own animation studio, Studio G-1, and directed anime such as Super Robot Wars Original Generation: The Inspector and Gundam Build Fighters, among many others.

Last year, SNK announced that Obari would direct the special animated short alongside the official reveal of KOF XV. Later, the official SNK Twitter account teased a short clip of the animation with some parts cut to avoid spoiling characters that were unannounced at the time. Obari himself has since commented on the special animated short via Twitter and thanked SNK for giving him the opportunity.

You can check out the KOF XV animated short in its entirety below:

https://youtu.be/_3rzUgD53h4

KOF XV will appear on February 17, 2022 on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.

The post KOF XV Special Animated Short Released appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, February 9, 2022 5:15 AM
    

Bandai Namco Metaverse

Bandai Namco Group posted its mid-year report on February 8, 2022, and one significant point in its new three-year plan is the "Metaverse."

As the corporate buzzword of choice over the last couple of years, "metaverse" can mean many different things. The most common concept raised in connection to the term is a virtual social space where people can interact, work, and play together. Visions of fiction like Ready Player One and an evolved Second Life are brought up when tech executives discuss the idea.

To Bandai Namco, a metaverse is a key element in its "new framework for connecting with fans." To that end, the company pledged to "develop a metaverse for each IP", anticipating "virtual spaces" and using the company's ability to "fuse physical products and venues with digital elements." Through this "IP Metaverse," Bandai Namco plans to establish connections with and between fans in communities that can last over long periods and thus "maximize IP value over the medium to long term."

The company did not cite any specific projects or properties that it would begin its Bandai Namco metaverse experiments on. That said, it is allocating 15 billion Yen (about $130 million USD) to laying the groundwork for a "data foundation" to create content for it over the next three years. It'll also commit 25 billion Yen (about $217 million USD) to "New IP creation" and related projects.

Notably, though mentions of the metaverse were rife, Bandai Namco did not mention any specific connections to blockchain games, cryptocurrency, or NFTs in its report. Bandai Namco executives have mentioned these things previously, and the company has partnered with NFT producers to sell NFTs based on Pac-Man, but how and whether such trends would play a role in this plan remains to be seen.

Bandai Namco owns and publishes a large catalog of IP, including the upcoming Elden Ring, and the Ridge Racer, Soul Calibur, Tekken, and Mobile Suit Gundam franchises. The company also announced an organizational change that will see the trade name of legendary anime studio Sunrise changed to Bandai Namco Filmworks.

The post Bandai Namco Hints at Metaverse Plans for Each of Its IPs appeared first on Siliconera.


Destructoid Wednesday, February 9, 2022 5:00 AM
    

Request permission to retreat The Battlefield community is not happy. Following the beleaguered launch of the million-dollar shooter's latest installment,...

The post Over 50,000 players signed a Battlefield 2042 refund petition appeared first on Destructoid.


PC Invasion - FeedDDD Wednesday, February 9, 2022 9:30 AM
     Evil Dead pre-orderIt has been a good past few months for horror fans. Scream 5 was a worthy successor to the franchise, the new Leatherface series looks promising, and there's even a Texas Chainsaw Massacre game coming soon. Heading all this off is the upcoming Evil Dead: The Game, which recently got delayed to May. Despite that, a new trailer dropped today. It was brief, but shows off the game in action, some bonuses, and confirms that Evil Dead: The Game is an Epic Games Store exclusive.   The trailer kicks off with an appropriately cheesy voice over to really key in the drive-in theater, B-horror vibes of the series. We finally get to see Cheryl Williams, Ash's sister, in motion, as well as our first look at the Dark Ones from the series Ash vs Evil Dead. After the title card, we see young Ash from Evil Dead 2 from just the back, about to take on a group of Deadites. We then get to see two of the pre-order bonuses for Evil Dead: The Game. Both are costumes from Army of Darkness. The first is ...

Gamer Empire Wednesday, February 9, 2022 9:44 AM
    

This article was stolen from https://gamerempire.net/ from the Lost Ark Guides category: https://gamerempire.net/category/lost-ark/. It was written by Tim Stadel Clausen. The original URL of this post is https://gamerempire.net/lost-ark-can-you-choose-the-gender-of-your-character/. Creating your character is the first step in starting your adventure in Lost Ark. Being an MMORPG, Lost Ark features a vast character customization system that allows you to tune the look […]

The post Lost Ark – Can You Choose the Gender of Your Character? appeared first on Gamer Empire. It was written by Tim Stadel Clausen.


Gamer Empire Wednesday, February 9, 2022 8:08 AM
    

This article was stolen from https://gamerempire.net/ from the Lost Ark Guides category: https://gamerempire.net/category/lost-ark/. It was written by Tim Stadel Clausen. The original URL of this post is https://gamerempire.net/lost-ark-can-you-change-the-name-of-your-character-later/. Choosing a name for your character is not always an easy task, especially if your go-to name is taken. Sometimes, you do also end up disliking the name that you gave your […]

The post Lost Ark – Can You Change the Name of Your Character Later? appeared first on Gamer Empire. It was written by Tim Stadel Clausen.


Gamer Empire Wednesday, February 9, 2022 7:26 AM
    

This article was stolen from https://gamerempire.net/ from the Lost Ark Guides category: https://gamerempire.net/category/lost-ark/. It was written by Tim Stadel Clausen. The original URL of this post is https://gamerempire.net/lost-ark-can-you-change-server/. One of the first tasks you're faced with in Lost Ark is choosing the server on which you wish to create your character. Not all content in Lost Ark can be played […]

The post Lost Ark – Can You Change Server & Transfer Characters? appeared first on Gamer Empire. It was written by Tim Stadel Clausen.


Gamer Empire Wednesday, February 9, 2022 5:32 AM
    

This article was stolen from https://gamerempire.net/ from the Lost Ark Guides category: https://gamerempire.net/category/lost-ark/. It was written by Tim Stadel Clausen. The original URL of this post is https://gamerempire.net/lost-ark-can-you-change-the-appearance-of-characters-later/. Lost Ark features one of the most in-depth character customizations systems seen in any recent MMORPG. New players can easily be overwhelmed by the sheer number of features you can customize when […]

The post Lost Ark – Can You Change the Appearance of Characters Later? appeared first on Gamer Empire. It was written by Tim Stadel Clausen.


Gamer Empire Wednesday, February 9, 2022 4:41 AM
    

This article was stolen from https://gamerempire.net/ from the Lost Ark Guides category: https://gamerempire.net/category/lost-ark/. It was written by Tim Stadel Clausen. The original URL of this post is https://gamerempire.net/lost-ark-does-what-server-you-choose-matter/. The first thing you'll see when you start playing Lost Ark is a long list of servers on different regions. Naturally, one wonders whether or not what server and region you choose […]

The post Lost Ark – Does What Server You Choose Matter? appeared first on Gamer Empire. It was written by Tim Stadel Clausen.


Tabletop Gaming News Wednesday, February 9, 2022 9:00 AM
    

Player Assist | Game Guides & Walkthroughs Wednesday, February 9, 2022 9:49 AM
     The Battleship was once the pride of many superpowers back in the early 1900s. Among other types of warships, the Battleship-class were the largest and often housed the most robust armaments in naval war history. However, these behemoths often saw little to no action on the battlefield, as the operating cost of deploying even a […]

Player Assist | Game Guides & Walkthroughs Wednesday, February 9, 2022 8:39 AM
     This quest is one of the series of missions you need to complete to unlock and access a special region hidden underneath Watatsumi Island called Enkanomiya. Before starting this quest, you need to complete a prerequisite named "The Moon-Bathed Deep." After completing The Moon-Bathed Deep quest, you will have in your possession an item called […]

Player Assist | Game Guides & Walkthroughs Wednesday, February 9, 2022 5:25 AM
     Well, this is certainly a surprise. We know that the big game studios have opted to have their own "E3" like events on their own, and Nintendo has just announced their next Nintendo Direct event for tomorrow. Here's the post: The event is expected to last for about 40 minutes, and will be available to […]

Player Assist | Game Guides & Walkthroughs Wednesday, February 9, 2022 5:02 AM
     Horizon Forbidden West is set to release next week, and what's fun is, Guerrilla Games has done some cross-promotion with another PlayStation exclusive, Ghost of Tsushima. In the latest update (specifically Patch 2.15) for Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut, there is a special skin that can be unlocked on the Forbidden Shrine on Iki Island. […]

Player Assist | Game Guides & Walkthroughs Wednesday, February 9, 2022 4:41 AM
     Movies and video games have always come hand-in-hand, so it's no mystery that some games would be based on popular films. Bruce Campbell's Ash is going to be coming to Evil Dead: The Game, and pre-orders have just launched with a  tease of some exclusive goods. Check this out: Though we know that Ash has […]

Pivotal Gamers Wednesday, February 9, 2022 3:11 AM
     Hello fellow gamers. We have another great offer from Giveaway Of The Day for Arkan Tower. Their message follows. Arkan Tower is available as a Giveaway of the day!You have limited time to download, install and register it. A few words about Arkan Tower "Arkan Tower" is a casual tower defense game with many different enemies and different types of upgradable towers. Show your courage and...