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Mar 09, 10:00


Kotaku Wednesday, March 9, 2022 9:40 AM
    

So that just happened.

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Kotaku Wednesday, March 9, 2022 6:00 AM
    

For the first time in about twenty years, Pokémon bread has gone back on sale in South Korea. And the snacks are flying off the shelves.

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PCGamesN Wednesday, March 9, 2022 9:47 AM
     Elden Ring Smithing Stone locations

Searching for Elden Ring smithing stones to upgrade your armaments? At the beginning of your adventure, the easiest way to improve your damage output without leveling up is to upgrade your weapons. The majority of weapons and shields can be upgraded to +25, allowing you to hold on to your favourite items over the course of the RPG game.

To upgrade your Elden Ring weapons you need plenty of Smithing Stones, a rare upgrade material which can be difficult to find in the early game. If you're using a unique weapon, you need to find Somber Smithing Stones which are just as difficult to acquire. Fortunately, once you manage to defeat some of the main Elden Ring bosses, there are plenty of areas which have an abundance of these rare upgrade materials.

By upgrading your armaments and combining them with specific Ashes of War, can drastically alter your weapons' stats to allow you to breeze through the game. Here's everything you need to upgrade your armaments in Elden Ring, including which blacksmiths to use, the best smithing stones locations, and more.

RELATED LINKS: Elden Ring system requirements, Elden Ring bosses guide, The best Elden Ring classes

PCGamesN Wednesday, March 9, 2022 9:31 AM
     Nearly one in five Steam users run Windows 11 over Windows 10

Windows 11 has been around for just under six months now, and the amount of gaming PCs running Microsoft's newest operating system continues to grow. Despite many opting to stay with Windows 10, the February 2022 Steam Hardware Survey indicates that nearly more than one in five users have jumped ship to the latest version of the OS.

A decline of 2.13% puts Windows 10's market share at 75.69%, with nearly all of those users seemingly upgrading to Windows 11. Microsoft's new OS enjoyed a small boost of 2.03%, and is now installed on 15.59% of all rigs and gaming laptops running Steam. However, this also marks a slight decline in the rate at which Windows 11 is spreading, compared to last month's growth of 3.41%.

While Windows 11 isn't enjoying the same kind of success that its ever-popular predecessor Windows 7 did, we'll likely see it overtake Windows 10 as we get closer to 2025, when Microsoft will officially end support for the operating system. Its TPM system requirement is also likely stifling growth, but this should be resolved as users upgrade to their gaming CPUs and adopt newer motherboards.

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

PCGamesN Wednesday, March 9, 2022 8:02 AM
     FFXIV update breaks the MMORPG on Steam Deck

Valve's Steam Deck is finally out, and apparently Gabe Newell loves to play Final Fantasy XIV on the system. Well, Valve's big boss won't be able to do so right now, because the latest 6.08 update for one of the best MMOs on PC renders Final Fantasy XIV unable to launch on the portable gaming PC.

As reported by user Dreamboum on ResetEra and verified by PCGamesN, you currently can't launch Final Fantasy XIV on the Steam Deck - it simply hangs on the game's logo with no way to progress further. This seems to be something to do with Square Enix making Steam account linking mandatory, as we reported last month.

In order to "further enhance account security and bolster fraud prevention measures", Final Fantasy XIV now links the player's Square Enix account with their Steam account. This update forces players on Steam to have Valve's client running alongside Final Fantasy XIV - which is causing enough problems on its own - but the new launcher doesn't appear to be compatible with the Steam Deck at all.

RELATED LINKS: The best MMOs on PC, FFXIV Reaper job guide, FFXIV Sage job guide

PCGamesN Wednesday, March 9, 2022 7:20 AM
     Flexispot BS10 review – a good office and gaming chair

If you're after a chair for your office that's ostensibly for gaming, but you're not into flashy-looking 'gamer gear', you may find yourself wandering into the world of office chairs in order to find your poison. That's an altogether more crowded space and it's not always easy to work out what you're investing in, yet there's a sweet spot between the two worlds with the Flexispot BackSupport BS10 - otherwise confusingly named the OC13 in the US.

It arrived at the office in a box that wasn't particularly easy to shift due to the lack of grips on the side; I was glad that I didn't have too far to drag it. Still, once I had it where I wanted, it was fairly straightforward to put together thanks to reasonably clear and concise instructions, and because the more complicated components come pre-assembled. It probably took around 20-25 minutes to build and everything needed was packed into the box.

Right off the bat, it's clear the Flexispot BS10 is made of quality materials. The cushions are coated in a tightly woven dark grey fabric, the armrest covers are made of hard foam that has just the right amount of give, the frame is sturdy and elegantly designed with an elegant walnut finish on the back of the lumbar support, and the mesh on the back of the chair is pleasingly tactile. Hell, even the wheels look great thanks to their distinctive black and white design (although they don't lock). The grey colour scheme is somewhat muted, which will likely divide opinion, but if you're after something understated and that won't look out of place during work-from-home video calls, you won't be disappointed.

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

PCGamesN Wednesday, March 9, 2022 6:41 AM
     There's a free Ghostwire: Tokyo visual novel, and it's out now

Ghostwire: Tokyo is the latest horror game from the creators of The Evil Within series, and the release date is coming up later this month. Anyone looking forward to Ghostwire can now play a short, free prologue to introduce them to the game's world - just don't expect it to be a demo. It's a visual novel.

It's been a long wait since the mysterious Ghostwire: Tokyo was announced by Bethesda at E3 2019, and after three years, we only found out what the game was actually about last month - it's basically an FPS game where you shoot ghosts with spiritual energy.

The story is surreal and involves a ghost hunter named KK and the disappearance of the population of Tokyo, but don't take our word for it - you can play the free Ghostwire: Tokyo - Prelude for yourself on Steam or Epic Games Store to get a taste of that story. Not the gameplay, though, as it's a visual novel rather than an FPS.


PCGamesN Wednesday, March 9, 2022 6:42 AM
     Over 1,000 Steam Deck games are now 'Verified' or 'Playable'

With the Steam Deck finally in the hands of customers around the world, Valve continues to busy itself with testing the compatibility of all 50,000+ Steam games. Now, the company shares that it's hit a new milestone in the amount of videogames it's certified for the handheld gaming PC.

In a Steam Community post, Valve celebrates that "over a thousand games are now Verified or Playable on Deck" and discusses what exactly this means for the present and future of its portable powerhouse. The company emphasises that any compatibility rating is subject to change, meaning that many videogames could soon shift from 'playable' or 'unsupported' to and gain that coveted 'verified' status with a bit of work from developers.

For example, Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment was able to quickly move the game from 'unsupported' all the way up to 'verified', likely after updating the game's implementation of Easy Anti-Cheat. However, this kind of fix may not be so simple for other developers and games like Warhammer: Vermintide 2.

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

PCGamesN Wednesday, March 9, 2022 5:29 AM
     Elden Ring bosses guide

Want to know how to beat the Elden Ring bosses? The most defining moments in any of the best Soulslike games are the tough boss fights. They can be tricky for several reasons: some are hard to hit consistently, others can squash you with just one attack. Elden Ring is also an open-world game, so as you'd expect, there are plenty of formidable foes with big health bars waiting to be discovered.

So far, we've managed to find out which bosses are in several regions. Since any region can have up to 19 bosses, keeping track of which ones you've beaten can be tough.

In this guide, you'll find a list of all of the Elden Ring bosses we know of so far, where you can find them, which ones are mandatory, and what items they drop when you beat them. It's worth noting that, generally speaking, as you hunt them down, dungeon bosses are not as hard to kill as the major bosses. However, there are exceptions, so upgrading the Flash of Wondrous Physick with Elden Ring crystal tears can make all the difference.

RELATED LINKS: Elden Ring system requirements, Elden Ring bosses guide, The best Elden Ring classes

PCGamesN Wednesday, March 9, 2022 6:58 AM
     Upcoming PC games 2022 and beyond

What are the best upcoming games to keep an eye on this year and the next? Hope, anticipation, agony, and elation - it's the endless cycle of emotions we go through during the annual PC release schedule.

Year in, year out, games - via Steam and otherwise - are produced in such varying degrees of quality that not a single one of them is destined for certain success. Masterpieces are released alongside utter disasters, series are born while others dwindle and, occasionally, a game actually lives up to our expectations.

So how can we possibly navigate the dizzying number of announcements, trailers, and teases to find which of the upcoming PC games we should devote our finite supply of hype to? Us old PCGamesN sages have been round the videogame block plenty of times already, so we're perfectly placed to tell you about the titles you should be saving your pennies up for. Below you'll find the upcoming PC games you should keep on your radar, as well as their expected release dates.


PCGamesN Wednesday, March 9, 2022 6:33 AM
     The best Elden Ring summons and spirit ashes locations

To help make Elden Ring a little less daunting for new players who aren't fans of the Dark Souls difficulty level, the open-world game introduces summons; spirits of fallen souls that you can conjure to help you in combat.

These spirits appear in many forms, from skeletal warriors and deadly plants to creatures like wolves, serpents, and winged monsters. They can be the difference between life and death, and there are a lot of them, so naturally there are some that are better than others. Sadly, it's not as simple as tapping a button to summon your spirit pal, you have to search and obtain the spirit ashes first.

It's worth taking the time to find the best summon as they are a great distraction in boss fights, either taking damage or allowing you to get in a few extra hits. They can also be upgraded using Grave or Ghost Glovewort; plants found across the Lands Between. Here are the best spirit summons in Elden Ring, from early game spirits like the Jellyfish, to the overpowered Mimic Tear.

RELATED LINKS: Elden Ring system requirements, Elden Ring bosses guide, The best Elden Ring classes

PCGamesN Wednesday, March 9, 2022 6:36 AM
     The best new PC games in 2022

What are the best new PC games 2022? Perhaps you have just been paid, bank account fat with virtual dosh, or you simply want to get caught up with the latest PC games because they are, well, new and shiny.

It is all well and good starting another daring round of PUBG, taking on a new 100-hour Football Manager save, or yet another The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim adventure but, as much as we love setting mammoths ablaze, there are plenty of the latest PC games that will more than supply your gaming fix. You don't want to be the person who isn't In The Know now, do you?

These days, new PC games pour onto Steam at a frankly dizzying rate, making it impossible to keep up with them all. Thankfully, us kind folk at PCGamesN have separated the wheat from the chaff when it comes to recent PC releases. So, below you will find every new PC games for which you should be saving up your pennies. This list is updated regularly to include the latest releases.

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

PCGamesN Wednesday, March 9, 2022 4:40 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, March 9, 2022 7:51 AM
     AMD will fix Windows 11 TPM stuttering issues on Ryzen CPUs

Windows 11's TPM requirement has left many hoping to upgrade to the latest version of Microsoft's operating system confused at best, and frustrated at worst. However, even those with eligible gaming PCs that meet the prerequisite are enduring their own share of frustrations with TPM, particularly those with Ryzen processors. Thankfully, a fix is on the way from AMD.

In a support article on its official website, AMD says it has determined that the cause of these stuttering issues is related to "extended fTPM-related memory transactions in SPI flash memory." Users will need to apply a BIOS patch in order to resolve the problem for good, which the company expects to be available in early May.

In the meantime, AMD recommends installing a hardware TPM module if you can't go without the functionality. If you can forgo it for now, users report that disabling fTPM in your motherboard's BIOS shouldn't negatively system performance, but we recommend proceeding with caution.

RELATED LINKS: Zen 4 CPUs - everything we know, RDNA 3 GPUs - everything we know, Best gaming CPU

PCGamesN Wednesday, March 9, 2022 6:30 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 ever since Season of the Lost, fan-favourite legacy weapons from the original Destiny have been added to the rotation. Two new weapons were introduced into the pool in Season of the Risen, 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, March 9, 2022 9:04 AM
    

Team17 today announced they're publishing Ship Of Fools, a two-player cooperative "action roguelite" about sailing and fighting through extremely hostile waters filled with all sorts of monsters. Made by Quebec studio Fika Productions, it's due to launch later this year. For now, check out the trailer below.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, March 9, 2022 7:43 AM
    

The first gameplay video for Star Trek: Resurgence shows seven minutes of hot chat action in the Telltale-style story 'em up made by a studio founded by Telltale veterans. I'm glad to see it's got a good amount of chat, not all Beastie Boys and laser guns, but I can't get past one point. The voice actor filling in for Leonard Nimoy as Ambassador Spock sounds like he's doing an impression of Diablo's Deckard Cain. Stay awhile, watch, and listen.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, March 9, 2022 6:39 AM
    

Assassin's Creed Valhalla enters its endgame phase with its final DLC Dawn Of Ragnarök, the very concept for which is kind of a big honking spoiler, so consider yourself forewarned.

The series as a whole is still electing to carry on with that subplot about super-advanced precursor god-people, like a chill friend who you ask to party knowing that they will, univited, bring along their mate who is really into a specific genre of sci-fi and will not stop derailing conversations to talk about it. In Valhalla this manifests as protagonist Eivor, Viking raider and big blonde buff meat sculpture, being the reincarnation of Odin, one of the aforementioned god-people. Dawn Of Ragnarök is Eivor dreaming that they are Odin for about 35 hours of adventuring and son-saving in the magical realm of Svartalfheim. That's a pretty intense nap.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, March 9, 2022 5:27 AM
    

Stranger Of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin, Team Ninja's gleefully edgy action-RPG spin-off, now has some PC system requirements courtesy of its official Twitter account. They, like what we've seen of the game itself, are pretty weird – the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super on the same tier as the much more powerful AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, whaaa – but should be doable for most systems at 1080p.

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Twinfinite Wednesday, March 9, 2022 9:22 AM
    

Today, Warner Bros. Games announced a new release date for its action-RPG Gotham Knights, which was previously delayed.

The post Gotham Knights Release Date Scheduled for October 2022 appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Wednesday, March 9, 2022 6:56 AM
    

Purely in terms of its graphical fidelity, Horizon Forbidden West is another technical marvel from developer Guerrilla Games. It's an utterly beautiful game that looks absolutely superb on PlayStation 5, in particular. It is, however, far from perfect if we're talking technical performance across the board; as we noted in our review of the game […]

The post Horizon Forbidden West Patch 1.07 Notes Reveal Bug Fixes & Performance Improvements appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Wednesday, March 9, 2022 4:18 AM
    

Few games boast the iconic notoriety of Square Enix's classic RPG, Chrono Trigger, but when it re-released on PC, iOS, and Android back in 2018, the game received a fair amount of flack for its weird fonts, odd-looking battle interface, and general lack of basic necessities like full-screen support. Fast-forward to today, and it looks […]

The post Chrono Trigger on PC, iOS, & Android Gets New Update Adding Full-Screen Support & More on March 11 appeared first on Twinfinite.


Siliconera Wednesday, March 9, 2022 9:30 AM
    

Hideo Kojima received Japan Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts

Hideo Kojima has received an Award of Fine Arts from Japan's Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. The success of his latest title, Death Stranding: Director's Cut, contributed to the award. Kojima Productions made the announcement via a press release, which is available in English.

The announcement page on Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs website confirmed Hideo Kojima's award in the Media Arts category. It also included a document detailing the reason behind the award. The committee highlighted Death Stranding's dynamic interactions created by having the protagonist connect segregated societies as a courier. The members also praised Kojima for his continued approach to demonstrate methods that exceed existing theories and can only be enacted in games, beginning with his work on the 1987 Metal Gear game.

Hideo Kojima is the second game creator to receive the annual Japanese Minister's Award of Fine Arts in the Media Arts category, which launched in 2008 as the most recent addition. Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto was the first game-related recipient of the award in 2010.

Death Stranding is available on PlayStation 4 and PC. A Director's Cut edition of the game has also appeared on PlayStation 5. Kojima Productions and 505 Games will release the PC version of Death Stranding: Director's Cut on March 30, 2022.

The post Hideo Kojima Received an Award From Japan's Minister of Education appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, March 9, 2022 9:01 AM
    

Ken and Koromaru in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax - Atlus published streaming guidelines

Atlus shared new streaming guidelines for the upcoming ports of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax on its Japanese Persona Channel website. It generally allows uploads and streams for most parts of the fighting game outside of its story segments.

While the company discourages people to make a profit from the gameplay videos, it makes an exception to secondary profit from website services like the YouTube Partner Program. However, Atlus strictly forbids any streams and uploads of the ports before the official release date on March 17, 2022.

Atlus has been known for its strict rules about video uploads and live streams of its titles. In its guidelines, it generally asks video creators to add spoiler warnings when their videos include critical story elements. It also prohibits uploads containing only the game's music and videos made with illegal methods, such as hacks and exploits. The company published similar guidelines to its prior releases like Shin Megami Tensei VShin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster, and Persona 5 Strikers.

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax originally appeared on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and arcades. New ports of the fighting game will be available simultaneously worldwide for PlayStation 4, PC, and Nintendo Switch on March 17, 2022. A rollback netcode patch will come to the PS4 and PC versions in Summer 2022.

The post Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Port Video Guidelines Published in Japan appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, March 9, 2022 8:30 AM
    

new physical Guilty Gear Strive original soundtrack album OST Necessary Discrepancy preorder at Arc System Works

A new Guilty Gear Strive original soundtrack (OST) album will appear physically in Japan, Necessary Discrepancy. Named after Ramlethal Valentine's theme song in the game, the album will contain 25 tracks on two CDs.

Arc System Works had previously released a digital soundtrack to people who purchased the Ultimate Edition of Guilty Gear Strive. However, it only featured theme songs for characters in the launch roster. The upcoming Necessary Discrepancy album will include the themes of five DLC characters from Season Pass 1.

In addition to Goldlewis Dickinson, Jack-O, Happy Chaos, and Baiken, the soundtrack will include the theme song for the fifth and last character in the season pass, whose identity is yet to be revealed. Another new song, titled "Rock and Roll, Rock Hard Maniac," will complete the album.

The Guilty Gear Strive Original Soundtrack Necessary Discrepancy will release in May 2022 in Japan. However, Tower Records will sell the album earlier at a Pop Up Shop that runs from March 23, 2022 to April 3, 2022. The temporary store will also sell various merchandise items featuring eight characters with new rock concert costumes. While the website uses "WorldShopping," it is yet to be known whether these Guilty Gear items will be eligible for international purchases.

Guilty Gear Strive is a fighting game available worldwide on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. People residing in Japan can also play the game in arcades.

The post Guilty Gear Strive New Album Will Include the Next Fighter's Theme appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, March 9, 2022 8:00 AM
    

Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin Range of Difficulty Options

In an interview with Team Ninja Producer Fumihiko Yasuda, the developer shared details about Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. This included some information regarding multiplayer aspects and the wide range of difficulty options players can expect from Stranger of Paradise. Yasuda specifically mentions that Stranger of Paradise will be approachable to those who are not familiar, or good, at action-focused titles. [Thanks, ryokutya2089!]

In relation to the multiplayer aspect of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Yasuda stated that, while some items have a higher chance of dropping in multiplayer, there is nothing that can be exclusively obtained through offline or online play. This means that players will be able to obtain any and all items regardless of how they choose to tackle the game.

Additionally, Yasuda said this about the varying degrees of difficulty in Stranger of Paradise:

There may be some people who are apprehensive because this is a full-scale action game. But we have made sure to provide a wide range of difficulties for those who are inexperienced and to those looking for a challenge. We wanted to make this a game that those who have never experienced a Final Fantasy title can still enjoy.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin will release on March 18, 2022 for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC via the Epic Games Store.

The post Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Will Feature Different Difficulty Levels appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, March 9, 2022 7:30 AM
    

Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin Kingdom Hearts novelist Tomoco Kanemaki

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Creative Producer Tetsuya Nomura has shared several development details regarding the title in an interview. This includes reasons behind certain design decisions. However, the interview also revealed that, while Nomura drafted the initial concept, it was Kingdom Hearts light novelist Tomoco Kanemaki who put the Stranger of Paradise narrative together. [Thanks, ryokutya2089!]

Nomura elaborated in the interview the reason for putting the protagonists in modern clothing. This is because the characters, as mentioned in previous interviews, are not from this world. This was something he wanted to see easily conveyed. Their attire is also nondescript because he wanted each character to lack an identity. Plus, players will constantly be swapping out armor as they progress through the game.

Further into the interview, Nomura said this about the conceptualization of the plot for Stranger of Paradise:

I made the initial draft for the plot but asked Tomoco Kanemaki to put everything together as the scenario.

Kanemaki has created several novelizations of Kingdom Hearts titles. These have included adaptations of Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and Kingdom Hearts II. She also served as one of three writers for Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin will release on March 18, 2022 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC via the Epic Games Store.

The post Kingdom Hearts Novelist Worked on Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, March 9, 2022 7:00 AM
    

Final Fantasy VII Remake Buster Sword Clock FFVII

Square Enix released more information about the Final Fantasy VII Remake Buster Sword clock. This includes the cost and release date, along with finer details about the product. The Final Fantasy VII Remake Buster Sword clock will cost 21,780 yen ($188) and release on September 17, 2022. Consumers can pre-order the item through the Square Enix e-Store.

The Buster Sword clock will feature an LED display that will change depending on what song is playing. For example, the Materia in the sword will glow blue when playing "Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII." A total of five songs are available to select as an alarm for the clock. These include the following:

  • "Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII"
  • "Fight On!"
  • "The Airbuster"
  • "Final Fantasy VII Remake: Aerith's Theme - Home Again -"
  • "One-Winged Angel"

You can watch a video of the Buster Sword clock in action below.

[embed]https://twitter.com/SQEX_eSTORE/status/1501393118003798016[/embed]

When the clock is on standby, the colors of LED will fluctuate at random. Additionally, the volume and brightness of the clock can be adjusted. This clock was originally revealed in January 2022 with a promotional image. This included a look at the display, which features a Final Fantasy VII Remake placard.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is available for the PlayStation 4. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is available for the PlayStation 5 and PC.

The post Final Fantasy VII Buster Sword Clock Plays One-Winged Angel as Alarm appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, March 9, 2022 6:30 AM
    

Netflix One Piece Cast Reveals Actors for Koby, Alvidia, Helmeppo, Buggy, Arlong, and Garp

Netflix has revealed more cast for the live-action adaptation of One Piece, covering several characters outside the Straw Hats Pirate Crew. The core members were revealed back in November 2021.

https://twitter.com/NetflixAnime/status/1501316832237699072

The newly revealed Netflix One Piece cast members include actors playing the characters Koby, Alvida, Helmeppo, Buggy, Arlong, and Garp.

[gallery link="file" ids="919368,919369,919370,919371,919372,919373"]

Morgan Davies plays Koby, a young pirate encountered by Luffy at the beginning of the series. Koby is a cabin boy for Alvida and is the first person Luffy befriends. Davies also played Madeline in the 2019 film Storm Boy.

Ilia Isorelýs Paulino plays Alvida, captain of the Alvida Pirates. Known in the manga as "Iron Mace" Alvida, she runs her crew (including Koby) and terrorizes the islands in her territory. Paulino played Rosa in the 2021 film Queenpins and Lila in the series The Sex Lives of College Girls.

Aidan Scott plays Helmeppo, the son of Navy Captain "Axe-Hand" Morgan. Encountered early in Luffy's adventure, Helmeppo is first seen torturing Roronoa Zoro, who later becomes Luffy's first crewmate. Zoro is played by Mackenyu. Aidan Scott performed in the films Action Point and The Kissing Booth 2.

Jeff Ward plays Buggy, a pirate captain and head of the Buggy Pirates. Buggy featured in Luffy and Zoro's first encounter with Nami, terrorizing Orange Town. Like Luffy, Buggy consumed a devil fruit and gained the ability to split his body into pieces. Jeff Ward played Deke Shaw in the series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Seth Marlowe in Channel Zero.

McKinley Belcher III plays Arlong, leader of the Arlong Pirates and major character in the Arlong Park story arc. Arlong is a fish-man and is portrayed in the manga and anime as having purple skin and a serrated nose. McKinley Belcher III played Trevor Evans in the Ozark TV series and had roles in The Passage and Marriage Story.

Lastly, Vincent Regan plays Garp, a powerful vice-admiral in the Navy. Known as "Garp the Fist" and "Hero of the Marines," Garp was active during the time of Gol D. Roger the Pirate King and has some connection to Luffy's past. Vincent Regan played roles in 300, Snow White and the Huntsman, Troy, and Clash of the Titans.

The Netflix One Piece TV series is in production and will debut worldwide on the service. The One Piece manga is published in English by Viz Media, and the anime series is viewable on Crunchyroll.

The post Netflix One Piece Cast Reveals Actors for Koby, Alvida, and More appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, March 9, 2022 6:00 AM
    

Final Fantasy 35th Anniversary Website

Square Enix has opened a special Final Fantasy 35th anniversary website. It features a composition of the "Main Theme" of Final Fantasy, a closer look at the anniversary logo, and a special message from Final Fantasy VII Remake Producer Yoshinori Kitase. The website also states that, while the series is celebrating its 35th anniversary, Square Enix plans to bring "many new exciting ways to enjoy Final Fantasy" this year. However, the developer did not specify if this could be linked to potential game-related announcements, merchandise, or events.

In the message, Kitase noted that several titles within the franchise are celebrating significant anniversaries. He mentioned Final Fantasy V, VII, and XI specifically. You can read the full message below.

V=30, VII=25, XI=20

What do you think these numbers mean?

They are actually the anniversaries of Final Fantasy titles this year. Every year a number of titles celebrate their anniversaries, but if you think about it so many from one series lining up in such a way is pretty unusual.
This is only possible because of the long-lasting passionate support for each game in the Final Fantasy series from fans like you. Thank you so much.

And this year, the Final Fantasy series itself celebrates its 35th anniversary.

We will continue to work hard making each Final Fantasy game one that you will remember for a long time to come.
The Final Fantasy 35th website will support new releases, sharing info on upcoming titles and merchandise. I hope you're excited for what's on the way for Final Fantasy!

In January 2022, Final Fantasy VII Remake Creative Director Tetsuya Nomura and Producer Yoshinori Kitase teased Final Fantasy VII-related projects. However, further details about the projects have yet to be revealed.

The post Final Fantasy 35th Anniversary Website Has Message from Yoshinori Kitase appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, March 9, 2022 5:30 AM
    

Sanei announced that it will release plushes of Fire Emblem: Three Houses characters as part of its Fire Emblem All Star Collection Dolls series. Each doll will cost 3,300 JPY (around $28.55), and they have a release window of early June 2022. All of the characters will appear as they do during the White Clouds route. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

The Fire Emblem: Three Houses characters that will appear as plushes are Male Byleth, Female Byleth, Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude, and Sothis. Aside from cotton, the plushes will also have plastic pellets inside. Because of the pellets, the dolls will not quite be able to sit up by themselves. They are around 9 x 11 x 26 centimeters in size.

Here are some more pictures of the plushes:

[gallery columns="6" ids="919356,919357,919358,919359,919360,919361" link="file"]

In commemoration of these new dolls, Sanei will also re-run some of its earlier Fire Emblem dolls for 2,750 JPY ($23.80) each. These are dolls of Marth, Roy, Ike, Lucina, and Female Corrin. These plushes came out in 2019 and are still available via Sanei's Amazon store.

As mentioned earlier, the plushes depict the characters as they looked during the White Clouds route. That is the common route prior to the time skip, when everyone is a student at Garreg Mach. During the February 2022 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, which introduced new designs for the characters. However, the trailer does show that the academy versions of the characters are playable.

The Fire Emblem: Three Houses plushes will be available in early June 2022.

The post Six Fire Emblem: Three Houses Plushes Will Appear in June appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, March 9, 2022 5:00 AM
    

Voice Actor Shunsuke Takeuchi to play Cucuruz Doan in Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doans Island Doan's Island

Bandai announced that voice actor Shunsuke Takeuchi will play the role of Doan in the upcoming Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island movie. The company also released new visuals of Cucuruz Doan's character design, as well as images of both Amuro's Gundam and Doan's Zaku. [Thanks, Gundam.info!]

In a message to fans, Takeuchi stated that he was honored to be part of the movie and work under director Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. The voice actor mentioned that he was surprised that the movie would reboot a 40-year-old episode from the Mobile Suit Gundam series. Furthermore, Takeuchi revealed that the movie will be entertaining for non-Gundam fans and fans alike, much in the same way the original episode was.

Voice actor Shunsuke Takeuchi made his major debut as the Producer in the anime adaptation of The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls. Since then, Takeuchi has appeared in various other anime series including Tokyo RevengersFate/Apocrypha, and Mob Psycho. The voice actor also played Iram Masam in Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash.

Additionally, Bandai released new images of Amuro's Gundam, Doan's Zaku, and Doan himself, as they appear in the movie. Each graphic comes with a brief description and background. Notably, Doan's personal Zaku is described as being made of various parts taken from those he's defeated.

You can take a look at the new images below:

[gallery ids="919350,919351,919352" link="file"]

Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island will debut in Japanese theaters on June 3, 2022, with Shunsuke Takeuchi as the voice actor of Cucuruz Doan.

The post Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island Doan Voice Actor Announced appeared first on Siliconera.


Destructoid Wednesday, March 9, 2022 9:27 AM
    

'Stay tuned for updates on a new release date' Nintendo has announced an Advance Wars Switch delay this morning, one...

The post Nintendo delays Advance Wars Switch 'in light of recent world events' appeared first on Destructoid.


Gamer Empire Wednesday, March 9, 2022 5:11 AM
    

In a high-action, fast-paced MMORPG like Lost Ark, having a low ping and high FPS is essential. Your ping describes the delay from your client to the game server, and FPS describes the number of frames per second your computer generates while playing the game. Recommended Read: Lost Ark – Beginner's Guide If you're wondering […]

The post Lost Ark – How to See In-Game Ping and FPS appeared first on Gamer Empire. It was written by Tim Stadel Clausen.


Gamer Empire Wednesday, March 9, 2022 4:07 AM
    

A lot of quests in Lost Ark ask you to use a specific emote in front of an NPC or a crowd. Sometimes you do not have the emote that you need to use by default, making you need to acquire it before you can complete a specific quest. Recommended Read: Lost Ark – Beginner's […]

The post Lost Ark – How to Get Negative Emote: Does It Exist? appeared first on Gamer Empire. It was written by Tim Stadel Clausen.


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

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