May 28, 16:00


PCGamesN Saturday, May 28, 2022 1:07 PM
     Gotham Knights devs are

Some are excited to play Gotham Knights because it's a big new superhero game, or because it's essentially a Batman game, but others just want to see Dick Grayson's bottom for 20+ hours - and are dissatisfied with the current Gotham Knights Nightwing ass size. However, developer WB Montreal says it is "comfortable" with his derrière the way it is... for now.

The recent Gotham Knights gameplay trailer showcasing Red Hood and Nightwing in action had a bit of a mixed response. While a number of fans praised the RPG game style it is, others bemoaned how different the combat looks compared to the Arkham series. However, one thing that seems apparent is that it looks like the team has flattened Nightwing's butt - which the internet has a bit of an obsession over.

In a question and answer session on the official Discord, game director Geoff Ellenor was asked about the team's plans to possibly expand the cake in question. Apparently, Geoff gets DM'ed about this a lot - but has bad news for anyone hoping for a cheek expansion with the former Robin.


PCGamesN Saturday, May 28, 2022 11:46 AM
     Reddit users are flocking to less toxic 'low-sodium' forums

It seems like many gamers are tired of communities with an abundance of salt and toxicity in them, as users are flocking to Reddit 'low-sodium' forums in search of healthy, positive chats about games such as Halo Infinite, Cyberpunk 2077, and Battlefield 2042.

As spotted by The Drum, an era of 'gentle gaming' may be approaching, as Reddit users seem to be abandoning the official subreddits in droves for major games in favour of joining 'low sodium' versions - i.e. less salt. For example, while the main Cyberpunk 2077 subreddit has around 927k subscribers, the low sodium Cyberpunk forum still has a massive 141k users.

In terms of growth, r/LowSodiumHalo experienced 134 times growth over the last quarter, with the Battlefield 2042 equivalent at 23 times. These areas foster friendlier and less toxic discussions, and Reddit's director of partner insights Rob Gaige notes that "low-sodium subreddits are -46% less angry than their original gaming subreddit counterparts". Whereas the official subreddit is filled with threads like this, the low-sodium version has this instead.

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

PCGamesN Saturday, May 28, 2022 10:18 AM
     Starfield legally becomes 'Starfield' next month

The Starfield trademark and logo become a legal patent in the US next month, meaning that Bethesda's new RPG game will legally become 'Starfield' in June - so hopefully no unscrupulous persons will name their space game 'Starfield' in the next couple of weeks.

According to new details available publicly at the United States Patent and Trading Office (as spotted on Reddit), Bethesda or Zenimax Media appears to have finally applied to patent the circular Starfield logo and name - which have been in use since the official announcement trailer back in June 2018. Exactly four years later, they're set to become a legal trademark.

The trademark was filed earlier this year and is set to be published on June 14, 2022. To be fair, the actual name "Starfield" has been successfully trademarked and updated previously by Bethesda, but it looks like the publisher tried to patent the familiar circle logo a few times, as well as other items such as T-shirts, posters, keychains et cetera, but was too early to have them approved.

RELATED LINKS: Starfield release date, Best space games, Elder Scrolls 6 release date

PCGamesN Saturday, May 28, 2022 8:07 AM
     Star Wars Jedi Survivor feels

After months of speculation, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 is now revealed and confirmed as Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - and according to the action-adventure game's director, it will "feel more filmic" with "more vibrant" worlds thanks to next-gen graphics technology such as real-time ray tracing and better streaming times.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is now the first single-player-only Star Wars game to get a sequel since The Force Unleashed 2 in 2010. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was revealed at Star Wars Celebration this week with a short gorgeous-looking teaser trailer (below), and an interview on the official Star Wars website with director Stig Asmussen reveals a few details - including how it isn't all about looks.

When asked about how Respawn is using more modern tech to improve on Fallen Order, Asmussen point to ray tracing first and foremost. "Since it's real-time, we get to see the changes as we tweak the lights immediately," he confirms. "That means that we have more time to polish, that means that we can iterate more, and we can get better results that feel more filmic." Furthermore, faster SSD drives allow the game to "load tons of content really quickly" and make Survivor more of a streaming game without load times.


Twinfinite Saturday, May 28, 2022 2:22 PM
     Third-party developers had some new reveals and releases to share about upcoming add-ons for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Twinfinite Saturday, May 28, 2022 12:37 PM
     Frontier Developments announced a new large-scale expansion for its dinosaur management game Jurassic World Evolution 2.

Twinfinite Saturday, May 28, 2022 12:07 PM
     Stranger Things Season 4 has been one of the most anticipated installments of a Netflix show ever. Fans are eager to know what is happening so they can jump into all the online discussions about the show, the cast, and the new adventures of Eleven, Mike, and the gang. If you are curious to know […]

Twinfinite Saturday, May 28, 2022 11:57 AM
     D3 publisher hosted a livestream dedicated to its upcoming action game Earth Defense Force 6 showcasing new gameplay and details.

Twinfinite Saturday, May 28, 2022 11:22 AM
     Combo attacks are pretty common in RPGs, but what about combo healing? Today's clip of Sea of Stars from Sabotage Studio shows how it's done.

Twinfinite Saturday, May 28, 2022 11:02 AM
     Good Smile Company hosted an event in Akihabara, Tokyo, showcasing upcoming figures. As usual, plenty were related to video games.

Twinfinite Saturday, May 28, 2022 9:50 AM
     Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) is a huge cultural phenomenon. When we consider the massive boom in anime consumption in the West brought about by the internet, Attack on Titan should be right at the forefront of the conversation. New fans might get a little confused about what order they should watch the various […]

Twinfinite Saturday, May 28, 2022 9:44 AM
     Destiny 2's Season of the Haunted introduced a new Dungeon to the game. The Duality Dungeon sends players on a trip deep into the mind of Calus, the opulent emperor who owns the sprawling Leviathan. To begin the Duality Dungeon, players will need to start the A Single Thread quest, and this can be a […]

Siliconera Saturday, May 28, 2022 3:00 PM
    

Divination is a Short Game That Explores Consequences 1

The idea of the butterfly effect can be fascinating. How much of a difference can one decision make? Divination is a game that attempts to explore that. It very briefly tasks someone with acting as a potentially robotic fortune-teller. Your choices across four sessions end up influencing society.

Divination's concept is an intriguing one. As the game begins, even you have no idea who you are. You see a date. You watch a brief news report. A guest arrives. After introducing themselves, they'll ask a question. You have the option to ask them a few questions, to learn more about the situation. For example, one visitor appears to be a scientist. His wife and daughter were in an accident. His daughter has been unconscious since. After he picks the runes, you take them and arrange them to determine the future.

Divination is a Short Game That Explores Consequences 2

While Divination is a visual novel, the casting of the runes also means it is something of a puzzle game too. The course of the future and level of chaos in society is determined by the order in which you place runes. Your first meeting is fairly simple. The client only picks two runes. But subsequent guests will pick more. The order you choose and the results of past sessions influence how many additional runes could be available. Once you have more, order is more importance. So is watching the way they interact with one another before you present the final result.

There are some mature concepts at play. Divination only gives you a taste of them. After all, you're basically a pair of robotic hands trapped in a room. What you know about the world is what you see on screens. There was an AI named Mother who helped manage society. Mother committed suicide. Corruption, crime, and cults followed. Not to mention moral dilemmas about the treatment of robots and the nature of them. There's a lot to explore! Which… unfortunately you don't get to do. You meet four people. You influence their current situation. They tell you their dreams before they leave, which feels like it acts as a hint of things to come and means of handling other clients. Your actions and theirs alter the level of chaos in this dystopia.

Divination is a Short Game That Explores Consequences 3

The thing is, Divination is such a short game. Something that doesn't wear out its welcome is nice. But there are some concepts and ideas here that are barely explored. There are people I'd like to know more about. I would have wanted to see them return for a second or third reading, especially since your first guest does mention prior consultations. The execution doesn't do the idea justice. Also, even though there are different outcomes you can see, there is one real ending. It isn't difficult to reach.

Much like the ideas presented in the game itself, Divination reminds me of what could have been. It has potential. I wanted to try and make the dystopia better. Even though some of the characters appear briefly, I wanted to know them better. But after about a half hour, or maybe less depending on how many questions you ask, you could be done.

Divination is available on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC

The post Divination is a Short Game That Explores Consequences appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Saturday, May 28, 2022 2:00 PM
    

mahoyo release

Mahoutsukai no Yoru now has a firm release date. Previously Type-Moon Games only confirmed that the visual novel, colloquially known as Mahoyo, would arrive on the PS4 and Nintendo Switch in December 2022. The day for Witch on the Holy Night is now set: December 8, 2022 in Japan. Pre-orders for the game are also open as of May 28, 2022. As announced prior to the full release date being known, Mahoyo will support English, Japanese, and Chinese text options.

Check out a new trailer previewing how Mahoyo will look upon release.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAxPzFHqteY

Mahoutsukai no Yoru first saw release on PC in 2012. It's based on the story penned by Type-Moon co-founder Kinoko Nasu, which was a foundational work for almost all of Type-Moon's productions since. These include Tsukihime and Fate/Stay Night, and their various spinoffs and related titles.

The Mahoyo release date trailer features voice acting, and teases the first interactions between Aoko (voiced by Haruka Tomatsu), Soujuuroh (voiced by Yuusuke Kobayashi), and Alice (voiced by Kana Hanazawa). Characters like Tomibaru Tsukiji, Kojika Kumari, and Hosuke Kinomi are also introduced. The trailer also teases action scenes showing off Alice and Aoko's powers.

Type-Moon Games also clarified the pricing of Mahoyo on release. The standard edition of Mahoutsukai no Yoru will launch in Japan for 6,600 yen (about USD $52). A first-run edition will also be sold at 7,700 yen (about $60 USD). The first-run edition has special box art and an art book. Players who get the game on PS4 can also choose a digital deluxe edition, which includes a digital art book. It'll be a bit cheaper at 7,150 yen (about $56 USD).

Mahoyo is in development, and will launch on PS4 and Nintendo Switch on December 8, 2022 in Japan.

The post Mahoyo Release and Pre-order Date Set for December 2022 appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Saturday, May 28, 2022 12:30 PM
    

Barbara, Diona, and Noelle are on the Genshin Impact Yelan and Xiao Banners

Now that the Yelan banner and Xiao rerun banner are about to appear in Genshin Impact, HoYoVerse revealed details regarding other units on them and exact dates. As is common for banners running at the same time, they each feature the same three four-star units as additional featured characters. In this instance, Barbara, Diona, and Noelle will also appear at a higher rate. After the banners appear on May 31, 2022, they'll run until June 21, 2022.

Yelan is a five-star Hydro archer in Genshin Impact. She's new to the game. However, she was teased ahead of her debut via Archon Quest appearances. Xiao is a five-star Anemo polearm user. Both hail from the Liyue region.

As for the four-stars, they each come from different elements than the five-stars. Barbara is a Hydro character who uses catalysts. She's also a healer. Diona is a Cryo archer who can put up shields and heal the party. Yanfei is a Pyro catalyst wielder with AOE fire attacks.

The new Epitome Invocation information also appeared. The five-star Aqua Simulacra bow will show up for the first time. This is considered to be Yelan's signature bow. There will also be the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear, which is a five-star polearm that could work for Xiao. The featured four-star weapons on this banner are the Eye of Perception, Favonius Greatsword, Lithic Spear, Sacrificial Bow, and Sacrificial Sword.

We also know who will appear after these two banners end. Once they expire, an Itto rerun banner will appear. When it does, it will also mark the debut of the new four-star unit Shinobu.

Genshin Impact is available for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, and mobile devices. The Nintendo Switch version is in development. The Yelan banner and Xiao rerun banner will appear when the Genshin Impact 2.7 update launches on May 31, 2022. People will have until June 21, 2022 to get them. There's also a Yelan web-event running now.

The post Barbara, Diona, and Noelle are on the Genshin Impact Yelan and Xiao Banners appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Saturday, May 28, 2022 11:00 AM
    

Spriggan Anime Will Appear on Netflix in June 2022

We now know when the Spriggan anime will make its Netflix debut. People can start watching the show on June 18, 2022. To go along with the reveal, there's a new extended trailer showing off this adaptation. It spends most of its time introducing characters and the out-of-place artifacts central to its plot.

The video begins with introducing the ARCAM Corporation and its agents who protect OOPArts. Spriggan like Yu Ominae try to stop people from getting and misusing these items. After introducing him, the trailer shows off folks like Bo Brantz, Jean Jacquemonde, Rie Yamabishi, and Yoshino Somei show up. It also brings up the idea of whether to destroy relics for the safety or all or protecting them and letting people die as a result.

Here's the full Spriggan anime trailer. The release date comes up at the very end.

Prior to this latest reveal, the show appeared at the March 2022 Netflix Japan anime event.

In the meantime, a Spriggan movie appeared in 1998 in Japan. It isn't streaming anywhere, but it did get released worldwide in the years after its Japanese debut.

People can watch the Spriggan anime adaptation on Netflix starting on June 18, 2022. The manga is available in English from Seven Seas Entertainment.

The post Spriggan Anime's June 2022 Netflix Debut Set appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Saturday, May 28, 2022 9:00 AM
    

Centennial Case Shijima Story Interview Pt 1

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is an ambitious full motion video experience from Square Enix and h.a.n.d. inc. This interactive mystery features Japanese live action drama at its finest, with a stellar cast stepping up to fill multiple roles. Creating a full motion video game such as The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story requires a fine balance, one that I think developer h.a.n.d. inc managed to do pretty well. In part one of our interview, Producer Junichi Ehara and Director Koichiro Ito took some time to answer a few questions for Siliconera regarding the game's story and gameplay structure.

Annette Polis: The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story features four murders told over three stories spanning one hundred years for the Shijima family. Is there significance to the particular decades in which each of these stories was told?

Junichi Ehara: If the question is whether it is in line with the story, it definitely is. We also intentionally chose distinctive ages with different looks.

Koichiro Ito: In particular, the case from the Showa Era 50 years ago is important to the story, although it is not directly related to the 100-year history of the Shijima clan.

In each era, one actor will play the role of three detectives. Please pay attention to how each of them might feel in approaching the murder cases, and how they pass the baton to those in detective roles of future generations.

Centennial Case Shijima Story red camellia

Building a story that spans three separate timelines yet is all intertwined in the grander scheme sounds like a daunting task. What sort of story building tools were used to ensure that everything wove together in a cohesive manner?

Ehara: I suppose the three main points are, that we decided on the fundamental mystery first, that it took a year and a half to complete, and that we asked mystery experts to peer review the scenario multiple times.

Ito: The first thing I did was to decide on the culprit who would be lurking in the shadows for the span of 100 years (this wasn't an easy task, since such a person would be extremely out of the ordinary in the first place...). With the culprit at the center of the story, I solidified the details for the detectives, their partners, the Shijima clan, and so on.

It was not too difficult to weave the story together as one, but the scenario team had repeated discussions and made adjustments so that the story would have a mystery-like unexpectedness that seems unrelated but is connected, and each chapter would be as broad an experience as possible.

Were there any television shows or films that inspired The Centennial Case's use of the cognitive space? (I'm reminded of Japanese programs such as Meitantei no Okite and Trick.)

Ehara: You are very knowledgeable! The cognitive space itself is quite common, so we did not refer to any particular work as a reference.

We incorporated concepts such as "wabi-sabi" and "Miyabi (elegance)" into the design, which have been around in Japan for a long time.

Centennial Case Shijima Story clues

What was the reasoning for separating gameplay into three distinct phases? Was it to mimic the traditional three-act structure?

Ito: We wanted to clearly define and separate the function of each phase, so in the "Incident Phase" all clues to uncover the culprit and trick are presented, in the "Reasoning Phase" players develop a hypothesis based on the clues, and in the "Solution Phase" players challenge the truth using the hypothesis they developed as a weapon.

The "Incident Phase" is, so to speak, a challenge from the culprit to the player. An insightful detective might discover the truth after watching the "Incident Phase". This means there are other ways you can enjoy the game, such as by putting down the controller after the "Incident Phase" and taking some time to build a theory in your mind or sharing and exchanging theories with others who may have watched with you.

Although it's hard to say if you can actually consider those things a "game"...

Looking through the studio's previous games, The Centennial Case appears to be h.a.n.d's first Full Motion Video game. What technical challenges did you face when designing an FMV, as opposed to a more traditional game?

Ehara: It took us until the last minute to implement a stress-free video viewing system.

The biggest challenge was CPU power, which varies from platform to platform.

In environments with a low thread count, there were frequent cases in the early stages of development where the video would not load in time.

It was also a priority for us to put the footage and the core game on top of the memory, so we had to get creative there too.
Ultimately, we were able to accomplish a video viewing experience that feels seamless.

Stay tuned for the second part of this interview, in which the main character actors speak about their experience with The Centennial Case's multi-role system and filming during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is available now for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC.

The post Interview: The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story's Director and Producer Talk Story appeared first on Siliconera.


Level Up Saturday, May 28, 2022 11:17 AM
     Nintendo has revealed a sneak peek at an upcoming music track from Splatoon 3. Nintendo…

Level Up Saturday, May 28, 2022 10:00 AM
     Video Gameography is on hiatus this week, but in the interim, we'd like to announce…

Level Up Saturday, May 28, 2022 9:28 AM
     Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords is coming to…

Level Up Saturday, May 28, 2022 9:03 AM
     BD-1 is everywhere these days. He starred in <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/review/star-wars-jedi-fallen-order/star-wars-jedi-fallen-order-review-a-turbulent-thrill-ride">Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order</a> alongside…