PCGamesN Sunday, December 25, 2022 1:00 PM  There's no denying that the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 is an awesome graphics card. It boasts unparalleled levels of performance out of the box that can go even further with DLSS 3, providing you can fit in your case and stomach its eye watering price tag. This latter point plays a large role in undermining the importance of team green's flagship, with the announcement of the company's much more pivotal pixel pushers hopefully just over the horizon. Continue reading The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 isn't as important as an RTX 4060 |
PCGamesN Sunday, December 25, 2022 12:32 PM  Want to play the best Christmas games this holiday season? As far-too-short Christmas playlists have taught us, not only is it Chriiiiiiiiiiiiissssstmaaaaassssss, but it is the most wonderful time of the year, mainly as we take a break, spend time with the family, open presents, eat copious amounts of food, and dedicate time to tackle one game in our backlogs. There's a whole bunch of Christmas games out there if you know where to look. From big open-world games you can play through from morning to night, short narrative-driven games to fill the spaces between mince pie feasting, or multiplayer games to play with the family, whether that be online or together on the couch. Continue reading The best Christmas games on PC in 2022 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Skyrim mods, Play Skyrim, Games like Skyrim |
PCGamesN Sunday, December 25, 2022 9:57 AM  While some may reel at the idea of Diablo 4 followers, like them or loathe them, the (un)helpful companions have become a staple part of the action RPG game's combat. I asked Blizzard what its plans are for aides in Diablo 4, and while they didn't say too much, it looks like followers may join the roster at some point. Continue reading Diablo 4 followers confined to RPG game's campaign, for now MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Diablo 4 release date, Diablo 4 gameplay preview, Diablo 4 classes |
PCGamesN Sunday, December 25, 2022 7:11 AM  "2022 has surely got to be the year we get things back on track as a species" we said, with customary PCGamesN optimism, this time last year. Unfortunately it only took two months for those hopeful sentiments to prove premature, and unlike in lockdown, the distraction of videogames wasn't entirely innocent - in habitually featuring Russians as baddies, FPS games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 feel uncomfortably close to the bone in 2022. Continue reading The PCGamesN Game of the Year 2022: our top ten picks MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The best Elden Ring builds, Elden Ring bosses, The best Elden Ring classes |
Siliconera Sunday, December 25, 2022 1:00 PM
When you have a life sim, especially one with season passes and events geared toward special occasions, they can become especially entertaining around the holidays. Disney Dreamlight Valley is a good example. At an initial glance, it might seem like a perfect example just because of the new events or quests. Like Animal Crossing, there are seasonal activities. For example, the Festive Star Path kicked off on December 6, 2022, with cosmetic items like clothing, furniture, motifs, and pets. There are also special quests that involve things like building a snowman and baking cookies. But it's about more than that. Everything about the game lends itself to being a perfect holiday game. This time of years is when everyone gets some downtime. Due to the conglomeration of holidays, even if someone doesn't celebrate one, a number are "off" because of the happy coincidence. Which is one of the reasons why Disney Dreamlight Valley is such a good game for the holiday season. People have time to play it properly. Ideally, it is something you should check in with every day, though a few times each week is also fine. There's a level of investment required, but not in a massive play session sort of way. But since it is a life sim, it might be intimidating to start it at a busier time of year. So when someone days have a few days in succession with nothing to really "do," it fits well into a "I can spend an hour making really good progress today" sort of niche. There's also a sense of nostalgia and comfort that comes from playing not only an Animal Crossing-like life sim, but a game filled with familiar Disney movie faces. All of the faces are comforting, friendly ones. Upon first moving in, characters like Mickey, Goofy, Uncle Scrooge, and Merlin greet you. All of them, Merlin aside depending on your age, are immediately recognizable. Once you complete The Dream Castle quest, you're immediately able to unlock access to characters from more recent releases like Moana, Ratatouille, and WALL-E. Recent updates brought Lion King and Toy Story to the village. The picks are covering all kinds of bases, which lends a sense of solace. You know these characters. It's encouraging to see how happy they are to see you. It's relaxing to spend time with them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBLs7hzIomc&ab_channel=DisneyDreamlightValley I must admit that there's something about getting the daily tasks in Disney Dreamlight Valley when I'm "off duty" too. When I don't have my day job ensuring I'm writing every day and assisting staff or the usual grown-up tasks of cleaning my house and paying bills, sometimes I miss some minor obligations? I want to feel productive and useful. Also, I'd like to mark the passage of time so I'm not just spending hours catching up on The Great British Bake Off season I missed one episode after another with no breaks. Taking an hour each day during this season means okay, I did something and made a difference. Even if it did only turn out to be a virtual one. Not to mention another important point. Disney Dreamlight Valley is a great game for this time of year because it is a good general audience title. If you have it on a handheld device like a Switch, you can safely play it around anyone. Nobody will take offense to crafting furniture, cooking meals, gardening, or running errands for Remy or Woody. The nature of it means the consequences aren't terrible if you let a younger relative explore the world for a bit. Also, given the mainstream appeal of Animal Crossing, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, letting a relative or friend who doesn't normally game know that you are playing a title like that, only with Disney characters they probably know, could result in some fun conversations or possibly getting someone else interested. There are certain games that succeed at making players feel at home, and Disney Dreamlight Valley is one of them. It's a comfort, which is especially appreciated when someone might have downtime and want a low-stakes adventure. Getting to settle in with friendly faces who you've known for years is a good way to spend the holidays, even virtually. Disney Dreamlight Valley is available for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC. The post Disney Dreamlight Valley is the Perfect Holiday Game appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Sunday, December 25, 2022 12:00 PM
For a game that's been remade and remastered as often as Front Mission, it's fitting that Forever Entertainment's Front Mission 1st: Remake got me thinking about what, exactly, "remake" even means in terms of games. In the wake of truly dramatic re-imaginings of old classics, Front Mission 1st: Remake is closer to what folks might call a "remaster" these days. That means that while Forever Entertainment has brought the game to modern platforms using contemporary presentation, it's kept many things the same under the hood, for better and occasionally for worse. If you've never played Front Mission before, Front Mission 1st: Remake will serve as a perfectly decent introduction to the venerable tactical series. The game originally came out on the SNES in Japan, then received an updated rerelease no less than three times before 2022: On the Wonderswan Color, the PlayStation, and most recently the Nintendo DS. The DS edition was the first official English-language release, and is the version from which Remake takes its cues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fbaE5MgE_U Front Mission 1st: Remake is a dark war story taking place in an alternate near-future. Global power blocs fight it out using armies of mecha called "Wanzers" (short for "WanderPanzer", which means "Walking Tank" in German). A cold war is getting hot on the island of Huffman, which is split between two Pacific rim supernations: The Oceania Cooperative Union (OCU) and the Unified Continental States (UCS). Like the DS edition, Front Mission 1st: Remake includes two campaigns: The original, focused on the OCU, and the additional UCS campaign added for the DS update. If you're new, I recommend starting with the OCU Side. In the main campaign, players control Royd Clive, an OCU Wanzer pilot who loses his fiancée during a mission gone wrong that reignites the war over Huffman. Made a scapegoat and disavowed, he's ejected from the OCU army, only to be drawn back into the war as part of the mercenary squad Canyon Crows. Recruited to turn the OCU's declining fortunes around, Royd reenters the fray to seek answers and a bit of payback. The ebb and flow of the war forms a grim backdrop to Royd and the Canyon Crows' operations, as they encounter signs that they're just a small part of a larger, brutal conflict that leaves little left in its wake. The UCS campaign stars UCS pilot Kevin Greenfield. Compared to the OCU campaign, the UCS storyline is shorter and more restrictive, but it cleverly lets you view certain key moments from a different perspective. It also digs a bit deeper into the questions raised during the main story, fleshing out the image of the war-torn world.
If the narrative is a standout element, much of Front Mission 1st: Remake's gameplay fades a bit in its glow. That's thanks in part to the fact that the game is almost mechanically identical to the DS version. In terms of raw stats and gameplay, it's so close to its inspiration that you can even use guides written for the DS version over a decade ago, as-is, without any issue. Even the map layouts are identical, down to the stair-step representation of terrain height. In essence, the most novel feature of Forever's remake is cosmetic, rendering the battle scenes using modern 3D graphics. This is not necessarily a bad thing: Back in the day, a game "remake" was generally expected to be remade on a cosmetic level only, with minor adjustments for convenience or balance. That's pretty much what happened here. The missions are the same as back then, the dialog is mostly the same (with tweaks here and there to the localization), and the content is the same. What's at issue is that the game's design itself is showing its age. Moreso than any other Front Mission title, the original Front Mission, and by extension, Front Mission 1st: Remake, has aged the least gracefully since the mid-1990s. You'll take turns with the enemy moving to points on the map, and engaging in small cutscene-like battles where your Wanzer and the enemy's trade blows. The main factors at play are the weapons you've equipped and the stats of your Wanzer's many parts. A Wanzer's parts can be damaged in battle. Getting one's legs taken out can reduce movement speed, and a destroyed Body part is an instant kill. Losing both arms means a Wanzer can't even attack. Weapons also have different ranges and firing patterns. Machine guns will spread their damage at random over various parts, while rifles concentrate all their damage into a single bullet that can miss. Melee weapons can hit hard, but melee strikes almost always go last in a given exchange of attacks. Finally, long-range weapons like rocket launchers can fire without suffering retaliation, but run out of ammo quickly.
Between battles, you'll customize your squad's Wanzers, buying individual parts and weapons, and mixing and matching them to your heart's content. Customization is a huge part of Front Mission 1st: Remake's play experience, and you'll be doing it a lot over the dozens of hours it'll take to clear the campaigns. The early game can be particularly punishing, as your Wanzers are weak and can be taken out easily, thanks to the often randomized nature of damage distribution. There's no permanent death, but Wanzer repairs can drain your early funds. All of Front Mission 1st: Remake's ideas are strong, even seminal ones. The issue is that they don't go much farther than that baseline. The game was novel at the time, but in the years since, various other titles have gone on to take and build on its achievements. Players unaware of that context will find a game that feels and plays like a very old strategy title. Even the game balance is a bit off and easily exploited, just like before. You can freely grind away in the arena to make more money than you'll ever need, and make all your pilots into powerhouses before you even leave your first few missions, if you have the time and mental fortitude.
There's only so much a fancy new graphical upgrade can do. Even the "Modern" gameplay mode available to choose is more cosmetic than mechanical. You can spin the camera, and Wanzers move more quickly, skating around the field. The new graphics are attractive, with a nice "tilt-shift" effect that makes it look like you're moving miniatures around a diorama. You can also choose between the original and remastered music. That's all fine, though. Front Mission hasn't aged amazingly well, but it's a good game in its own right, so long as you keep its context in mind. More frustrating than slightly crusty mechanics is that Front Mission 1st: Remake doesn't go quite far enough in modernizing the user experience. Though the UI elements themselves have been optimized to take advantage of higher resolutions, with more info readable by default, there are a number of points where updates could still have been made without compromising fidelity to the older mechanics. For example, there's no way to save a Wanzer setup, or easily transfer and compare parts in your inventory with parts in the shop. With upgrading to new parts and weapons being such a regular occurrence, you'll need to change out parts one-by-one for every Wanzer in your squad. This can be a big chore when some missions have you fielding up to 11 Wanzers in a single fight. You can equip parts to a Wanzer straight from the shop menu, but if you want to check if you already have a part you're looking at in your storage, you have to back all the way out to the base menu. Little inconveniences like this add up, and bog down an experience that already feels a little slow by modern standards.
These are minor gripes, though. The game remains a solid revisiting of a years-old game. And it serves as a good way for folks to experience one of strategy and mecha gaming's foundational works on a current platform. Front Mission 1st: Remake won't set hearts aflame with novelty, but it is a satisfying return to first principles, with a promise of more to come. Front Mission 1st: Remake is available on the Nintendo Switch. The post Review: Front Mission 1st: Remake is Faithful, for Better or Worse appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Sunday, December 25, 2022 11:00 AM
A major update, as well as the Season 1 Pass DLC, will appear for the Nintendo Switch version of Skullgirls 2nd Encore. This update will boost some performance and load issues. This patch will go live on January 3, 2023. In a tweet reply, the Skullgirls Twitter account confirmed that the Season 1 Pass will be separate from the update. While it will come out on the same day, it will be paid DLC. According to the Steam page for the Season 1 Pass of Skullgirls 2nd Encore, the DLC it will contain includes:
For those who play online, this patch will also improve the online play experience. While Skullgirls 2nd Encore has been out on the Nintendo Switch for a while, the Switch version never got the Season 1 Pass. This meant that only players on Steam or the PlayStation were able to access DLC characters like Black Dahlia or Umbrella until this announcement. Skullgirls 2nd Encore is readily available on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and Windows PC. It will appear on Xbox One and Xbox Series X in early 2023. The Skullgirls 2nd Encore major update for the Nintendo Switch will appear on January 3, 2023. The post Skullgirls 2nd Encore on Switch Will Get Season 1 Pass Update appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Sunday, December 25, 2022 9:00 AM
The fourth and fifth Nakano sisters Yotsuba and Itsuki The Quintessential Quintuplets Fallen Angel figures are on the way. Good Smile Company announced launch windows and prices for each when opening pre-orders. It will bring out both in July 2023 in Japan. Then in September 2023, the North American release will follow. Each one costs ¥29,700/$206.99. These are both 1/7th scale, static figures. Each one is over ten and a half inches tall. They each feature a gothic style, as they wear a black dress and have black wings sprouting from their backs. Both figures' bases feature a black rose. Their signature accent color also appears as a complement for each one. So Yotsuba also has green elements in her figure, while Itsuki has red. Here's a closer look at this version of Yotsuba Nakano: And this is how Itsuki Nakano will look: This means all five The Quintessential Quintuplets Nakano sisters' Fallen Angel figures publicly appeared. They showed up in order. So first, big sisters Ichika and Nino debuted. After that, middle sister Miku had her moment. The Quintessential Quintuplets Fallen Angel Yotsuba and Itsuki figures will first appear in Japan in July 2023. They will then both land in North America in September 2023. Pre-orders for both close on February 16, 2023. The anime series is available to stream on Crunchyroll. Kodansha released the manga outside Japan. The movie recently debuted worldwide starting in December 2022. The post Quintessential Quintuplets Yotsuba and Itsuki Fallen Angel Figures Appear appeared first on Siliconera. |
