PCGamesN Sunday, September 11, 2022 11:41 AM  The Path of Exile Archnemesis system continues to frustrate fans of one of the main Diablo competitors. PoE has long been seen as one of the best RPG games on PC and as a game that gave fans of the genre who felt disappointed by Diablo 3 a new place to call home. However, recent updates to the free PC game such as the disappointing Path of Exile Lake of Kalandra release have left the community in disarray, and continued frustrations arising from the Archnemesis system have even seen some players turn to the Blizzard series they long ago snubbed in search of an alternative. The Path of Exile Archnemesis challenge league ran from February 4 - May 10 2022, as part of PoE's patch 3.17 update Siege of the Atlas. Its unique twist was allowing players to build their own boss fights by applying new 'Archnemesis modifiers' to them before the fight. These introduced a series of dangerous behaviours and traits to the foes, but rewarded players with a range of valuable items and resources in return. The league was seen as fairly rewarding, but some of the modifiers could be rather frustrating to deal with. However, as these were under player control it was very much a 'you made your bed, now lie in it' situation. This became a more dramatic issue when the next league, Sentinel, began - the Archnemesis modifiers were instead introduced to the pool used by all rare monsters in the game, meaning that players began encountering packs featuring some of the most frustrating variants. However, they weren't given the previous reward bonuses as compensation for doing so. RELATED LINKS: PoE 3.9 release date, Best free PC games, Free MMO list |
PCGamesN Sunday, September 11, 2022 10:33 AM  If you've ever felt like traditional magic is a bit too safe and boring, a new Skryim mod introduces the dark art of blood magic to the Bethesda game. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the best RPG games of all time, and the almost uncountable number of incredible Skyrim mods made by fans has only made it better since release. Whether you want to transform into a dragon or simply get a delicious Skyrim hot dog, mods have you covered - and this new addition is one of our favourites in a while. Skyrim mod Hemomancy: Blood Magic, from creator KataPUMB, introduces a new blood magic system comprising fifteen unique spells that utilise your character's own life force to cast. Instead of spending mana for these spells, you will drain your health to do so - and, yes, you can absolutely kill yourself if you aren't careful about balancing your essence. Blood magic, as KataPUMB explains, is a very potent school of the dark arts, and as such utilising blood spells will cause your health to regenerate slower and reduce the effectiveness of healing spells and potions. It's not without its benefits however - all blood magic absorbs health from its victims, and you will get 50% of a blood spell's health cost back on a successful hit. This effect can stack, meaning that clever use against multiple targets can actually lead to a net health gain, making you a fearsome force to reckon with. RELATED LINKS: Skyrim mods, Play Skyrim, Games like Skyrim |
PCGamesN Sunday, September 11, 2022 8:09 AM  Tower of Fantasy players are highlighting apparent issues with localisation in the free-to-play game, pointing to a series of items and skills with descriptions that they say have missing, wrong, or misleading details. The Genshin Impact-like has proven popular since its launch in August and players are already anticipating the Tower of Fantasy 1.5 release date later in September. However, some say they have become frustrated by a number of notable inconsistencies across the anime game's text descriptions. A thread on the Tower of Fantasy subreddit raised the issue, querying why the Samir matrix set used in the best Samir build has completely different descriptions between the in-game reward preview page and the actual item description on the matrix itself. In response, user Tankulator provided an extensive count of incorrect or misleading descriptions they have come across, calling upon other players to contribute their own findings. Tankulator says, "At this point, no-one will know what anything in the game does any more until people go and test every little detail themselves." Among the most notable highlights on the list is Tower of Fantasy character Meryl, whose 4000 point awakening trait causes water around your character to be automatically frozen, despite this not being mentioned anywhere in the trait's description. Bygone Phantasm, which claims to temporarily max out your current weapon's level and rotate on a daily bonus, no longer does this - according to YouTuber gateoo, this is the result of an older description being translated from the Chinese version. RELATED LINKS: Tower of Fantasy codes, Tower of Fantasy characters, How to level up in Tower of Fantasy |
PCGamesN Sunday, September 11, 2022 7:09 AM  Ubisoft has shown off a gameplay tease for its upcoming free game Tom Clancy's The Division Heartland at the Ubisoft Forward event. The Division Heartland beta signups are now live, giving players a chance to get their hands on the next game in the post-apocalyptic shooter series. Heartland is a co-op game that sees players once more step into the shoes of a trained Division agent, this time answering a distress call from a rural community in Middle America. Heartlands creative director Keith Edwards explains what fans can look forward to as they arrive in the small town of Silver Creek. Featuring "streamlined survival gameplay and a beautiful new world to explore," players will go up against The Division's usual range of hostile factions in the wake of the Dollar Flu outbreak. For those wanting to try out the game for themselves, Ubisoft is planning upcoming closed beta tests ahead of the game's release. You can sign up now on The Division Heartland website for a chance to be invited to the closed tests, though there's no date yet for when they'll be taking place. RELATED LINKS: Best co-op games, Free games on PC, Best RPG games |
Twinfinite Sunday, September 11, 2022 1:55 PM Indie developer Polygonomicon released another gameplay trailer of its upcoming 3D combat action game Varvarion. |
Twinfinite Sunday, September 11, 2022 1:04 PM Unsure of when the Bleach The Thousand Year Blood War anime is coming out? Worry noy. We've got you covered with this guide. |
Twinfinite Sunday, September 11, 2022 12:20 PM The new Bleach anime covering the Thousand Year Blood War arc has received a new trailer packed with reveals, including a firm date for its release. |
Siliconera Sunday, September 11, 2022 1:00 PM
Sword Art Online focuses on the stories of people who dive into life-threatening virtual worlds, at first by force, and then by choice. The new Sword Art Online 10th Anniversary Blu-Ray box highlights a key tool from the very first death game Kirito and his pals endured: The NerveGear. The VR helmet that trapped the participants in Sword Art Online is emblazoned on the cover of the box, which contains the first two seasons of the anime. Only 10,000 copies of this box will be available. Aside from the Blu-Ray discs and CDs, the box will come with a 500-page storyboard book and a 112-page 10th Anniversary art book. It will cost 65,870 JPY, or $462.10. https://twitter.com/sao_anime/status/1568623079554748416 Information on the contents of the Sword Art Online 10th Anniversary Blu-Ray box first came out in late May 2022. It will contain 20 discs, with twelve of them containing the first two seasons, as well as the movie. It will also come with the Sword Art Offline shorts, and bonuses include audio commentaries. Discs 13 to 20 contain the soundtracks for the show and Ordinal Scale. In total, it will contain 223 pieces and songs. As well, depending on which retailer where you pre-order from, you can get a different bonus. The bonuses (with pictures), as well as where you have to order them from, are:
[gallery columns="5" link="file" ids="935270,935269,935268,935267,935266,935265,935264,935263,935262,935261,935260"] The Sword Art Online 10th Anniversary Blu-Ray box is available for pre-order in Japan, and will come out on October 31, 2022. No overseas release plans have been detailed as of yet. The post Sword Art Online 10th Anniversary Blu-Ray Box Immortalizes the NerveGear appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Sunday, September 11, 2022 12:00 PM
To be honest, I never thought that I would be playing Pac-Man World again, especially in 2022, nearly two decades after I first picked it out of my parent's video game pile. I absolutely adored the game growing up. Given the opportunity to play Pac-Man World: Re-Pac, the choice was a no-brainer. Now, after playtesting the game for several hours, I'm not quite sure anymore. The game was different, and not in a good way. It was easier to play, looked fantastic, and was almost exactly how I'd remembered it. But something -- some distinct sense of charm -- was missing. Was I reminiscing about the game through rose-tinted glasses? Had my tastes simply changed? Or was the remake truly an inferior product to the classic platformer? There are various schools of thought when it comes to how companies should remake games. No wonder, as the practice has become somewhat of an industry staple within the last decade. Square Enix with its Final Fantasy VII Remake series took the opportunity to completely redesign the game from the bottom-up, blurring the line between a reboot and a remake. Other companies, like Capcom with the Resident Evil remakes, may largely keep the same level layout or mechanics, but with slight changes to the storyline.
When compared to these titles, however, Pac-Man World: Re-Pac almost feels like a remaster. The stage layouts are almost identical, save for a few changes to boss fights (the most notable being Krome Keeper). The location of practically every fruit, every button, every steel ball powerup, and every Galaxian collectible is unchanged. Pac-Man's animations, attacks, and moves are all pretty much on par with his blocky, PlayStation predecessor. And aside from a few improvements in quality, even sound effects and stage themes are the same, for better or worse. Here's a video comparing the two games' animations, courtesy of YOYO-DODO from YouTube: https://youtu.be/FKu2_kTsWcw When it comes to new additions and quality-of-life updates, there were fewer than I had expected for a nearly two-decade-old game. While in mid-air, Pac-Man can wiggle his feet for longer air time, making platforming less of a hassle. The steel ball power-ups respawn, and there is also a toggleable easy mode to make things even easier. Coupled with the UI and graphics updates, Pac-Man World: Re-Pac is noticeably easier to play than its original version. The game's 4K resolution and high-quality textures also make levels look crisp and clean, though it's hard to appreciate it when the camera perspective is always fixed. On the other hand, I was disappointed by a few of the significant changes that Bandai Namco did make. Classic mode, for example, is now locked behind the completion of the Quest mode. Arguably the most heinous change is that the intro cutscene of the game has been completely recreated, but with gibberish instead of actual spoken dialogue. On top of that, the new cutscene removes any reference to the five world bosses that you fight in the game and removes the party scene introducing Toc-Man entirely. While the change may seem minor, players who didn't play the original game might find it a bit confusing as to why you're suddenly fighting a flying ship at the end of the first area. The most disappointing change, personally, was that Pac-Man no longer does his dramatic scream.
Pac-Man World: Re-Pac is a solid game, and I scarcely encountered any game-breaking bugs during my playthrough. It's faithful to the original game, almost to a fault. At the same time, it fails to recreate a lot of the off-beat, wonky humor that was present in Pac-Man World. For someone who doesn't own a working PlayStation anymore and wants to re-experience the game, it might even be worth the $30 price tag. But if you're really itching to play the game, your money may be better spent simply buying a second-hand PlayStation 2 and a copy of Pac-Man World. That way, you'll at least be able to play Pac-Man World 2, too. Pac-Man World: Re-Pac is available to play on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC. The post Pac-Man World: Re-Pac Adds Some, Loses Some appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Sunday, September 11, 2022 11:00 AM
All of One Piece (so far) is now all in one piece, with a new 21,450-page One Piece book. Printed by France-based Jean Boîte Éditions (JBE Books), this book is literally impossible to read and is actually more of an art project. It can also double as a weapon to wield if you need to slam your evil robotic doppelganger on the head with a One Piece collection. There will only be 50 copies available at 1900 euros, which is around $1920.30, each. [Thanks, Actualitte!] The One Piece sculpture contains all of the current volumes of One Piece. The book's spine is decorate with large-format illustrations from the series. On his website, Ilan Manouach has a picture of how you can display it. You can use it as bookends, or as a rather large piece of decor if you have the extra space on your bookshelf. [gallery ids="935251,935252,935253" link="file"] The 1900 euros does not include shipping, though JBE Books will ship it worldwide from France. JBE Books takes inquiries via email. For reference, the book's dimensions are 12 x 18.5 x 80 centimeters (4.7" x 7.2" x 31") and weighs 17 kilograms (about 38 lbs.). While it may be possible to lay the book on the spine to flip through the pages, Manouach did not make it with the intent of people reading it. Manouach's webpage notes that this piece symbolizes the "materialization of digital comics' very own media-saturated digital ecosystem. One Piece exists only as an object of pure speculation." The 21,450-page One Piece art piece is available from JBE Books. As of the time of writing, six people have put in their orders, meaning there are 44 volumes left. It is unknown if Manouach will create a follow-up piece when One Piece finishes its final arc. The post One Piece Art Piece Combines All Volumes in 21,450-Page Book appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Sunday, September 11, 2022 9:00 AM
The anime adaptation of Bleach's final story arc has a firm premiere date. Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War opens worldwide on October 10, 2022. Viz Media, publisher of the Bleach manga in North America, confirmed that the show is a simulcast (will debut in official English-language channels and services at the same time as in Japan). Viz also uploaded a new trailer for Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War showing off more footage from the series. As the video is region-locked, you can check it out at this link if you're in North America or Europe. We've embedded the trailer uploaded by Aniplex below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G22qtNj4QZY The Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War trailer is the most substantial look so far at footage from the show proper. It depicts a montage of scenes from early in the story arc, which shows the restoration of the Quincy Wandenreich, an ancient kingdom of Quincy led by their king, Ywach. Unlike Ichigo's ally Uryuu, the Quincy of the Wandenreich consider the Soul Reapers mortal foes, and mount an assault on both Soul Society and the Hollow homeland of Hueco Mundo. The trailer also shows brief cuts from some of the battles between Ichigo and his allies and the Wandenreich's fighters, such as Quilge Opie and various members of the elite Stern Ritter. Ichigo's human allies Orihime, Chad, and Uryuu also make an appearance, fighting off a large surge of Hollows in Karakura Town. Finally, the trailer also previews the series' opening theme, "Scar" by Kitani Tatsuya. Oricon News also confirmed that Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War will air as a "4-cour" show. A "cour" is term usually used in anime broadcasting to denote a production block of 10 to 14 episodes, aired weekly over 3-4 months. It's often used interchangeably with "season" and "series" in US/UK parlance, though in recent years some anime have used the term "season" as a title convention to distinguish new productions. In this case, a 4-cour broadcast suggests Bleach will run for between 40 and 52 episodes, with one or more breaks in between cours. As such, Bleach fans can expect to be watching the show well into 2023 and possibly 2024, depending on the length or timing of the cour breaks. Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War begins airing on October 10, 2022. International streaming plans have not yet been announced, but previous carriers of Bleach included Crunchyroll, Netflix, Muse Asia, Ani-One, and Bilibili. The post Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War Premiere Date Confirmed appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Sunday, September 11, 2022 8:00 AM
Azur Lane will have a new crossover event featuring Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy. The teaser first appeared at the mobile game's Japanese 5th Anniversary live stream. The official Twitter account for the English version also confirmed that this crossover will appear on the global server as well. The development team has yet to provide further details on this crossover event other than a brief teaser image. The picture features a silhouette of Reisalin "Ryza" Stout, the protagonist of the console RPG title released for Japan in December 2020 and the rest of the world in January 2021. The team also noted that it is currently working to finalize content for the upcoming crossover. Atelier Ryza 2 will be the second title from Koei Tecmo Games to appear in a crossover event for Azur Lane. The first honors went to Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation in late 2020. It added seven character riggings—Kasumi, Marie Rose, Honoka, Nyotengu, Misaki, Nagisa, and Monica—to the mobile game's roster. Azur Lane has also featured crossovers with titles outside of Koei Tecmo's franchises, such as Bandai Namco's The Idolmaster and Trigger's anime shows SSSS.Gridman and SSSS.Dynazenon. Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy is available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Check out Siliconera's official review. This crossover event will happen in the mobile game Azur Lane, which is available on iOS and Android devices worldwide. The post Azur Lane x Atelier Ryza 2 Crossover Event Announced appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Sunday, September 11, 2022 7:00 AM
The Azur Lane Japanese 5th Anniversary live stream revealed a new major event that will star the second Yamato-class battleship, IJN Musashi. It will run for three weeks from September 15 to October 5, 2022. The event will add a total of five new shipgirls to the ever-growing roster of Azur Lane. All of them will belong to the Japan-inspired Sakura Empire.
[gallery link="file" columns="5" ids="935238,935243,935240,935236,935237"] The addition of Haguro will complete the four-ship roster of Myoko-class Heavy Cruisers. Myoko, Nachi, and Ashigara have appeared through previous events. The third Agano-class cruiser Yahagi and the nation's flagship Yamato are some of the remaining notable Japanese ships yet to appear in Azur Lane as of this writing. Azur Lane's Japanese anniversary, which falls in September, has always come with a new event adding shipgirls from the Sakura Empire. The third anniversary in 2020 added Shinano as the game's first-ever constructible Ultra Rare shipgirl. The fourth anniversary in 2021 brought in Shimakaze, who previously starred in the console game Azur Lane: Crosswave. The same stream also revealed that the Royal Navy's heavy cruiser HMS Shropshire and CL-52 USS Juneau will newly receive enhancing retrofits. The bi-monthly seasonal Cruise Missions will also receive an update in October 2022. All players will have an opportunity to unlock a META version of the destroyer HMS Hunter. Purchasing a Cruise Pass will also let them obtain an exclusive skin for Pamiat' Merkuria. [gallery columns="2" ids="935234,935233" link="file"] Azur Lane is available on Android and iOS mobile devices worldwide. The Japanese 5th anniversary event will run from September 15 to October 5, 2022. The post Azur Lane Japanese 5th Anniversary Event Will Star Battleship Musashi appeared first on Siliconera. |
Pivotal Gamers Sunday, September 11, 2022 1:35 PM What's up folks? itch.io holds a new giveaway for Pink Takes Shape. Their message follows. Get Pink Takes Shape for FREE! A few words about Pink Takes Shape Pink Takes Shape is a queer metroidvania about exploration and changing shape. Last minute notes Login with your itch.io account, follow the on-screen instructions to add it to your library. Isn't that great news or what? Just... |