Kotaku Saturday, March 11, 2023 12:00 PM |
Kotaku Saturday, March 11, 2023 10:30 AM  10 years ago, The Last of Us' unexpected and morally divisive ending made history. Choosing to land in a place of uncertainty, the conclusion bucked what many other games chose to do, and often still do: present a straightforward, neat, conventionally satisfying end where the good guys are the good guys and the bad… |
Kotaku Saturday, March 11, 2023 10:00 AM  Nine years ago, Super Mario 64 player toyuru2 wall-jumped his way up the slide in Cool, Cool Mountain, sending the plumber into the void–but not before grabbing a 1-up mushroom. At the time, it was a feat, as nobody had ever gotten the mushroom. But then, a new challenge emerged: was it possible to grab the mushroom… |
PCGamesN Saturday, March 11, 2023 12:27 PM  If your Overwatch 2 competitive matchmaking has felt off lately, you aren't alone. Blizzard has taken dramatic steps to try and salvage the narrative around the matchmaking system for its hero-driven multiplayer game, admitting, "we're at risk of sounding like a broken record." Instead, game director Aaron Keller lays out some Overwatch 2 stats and graphs to detail just where the system is failing, and what the current plans are for the future. Continue reading Blizzard shares Overwatch 2 stats showing how broken matchmaking is MORE FROM PCGAMESN: All Overwatch 2 characters, Best Overwatch 2 settings, Overwatch 2 tier list |
PCGamesN Saturday, March 11, 2023 11:13 AM  The first major Wild Hearts update brings with it a blazing new Kemono and a corresponding talisman that grants players another addition to their roster of skills. The new patch for the monster hunting RPG game also includes some handy improvements to crafting and modification, along with a wide range of bug fixes and some balance changes including buffs for a number of Wild Hearts weapons. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Wild Hearts review, Wild Hearts monster list, Wild Hearts weapons |
PCGamesN Saturday, March 11, 2023 9:44 AM  The Resident Evil 4 Remake demo is a ton of fun, but did you know that there's a third, secret weapon to be uncovered in the survival horror game's playable teaser? That's right, alongside Leon S Kennedy's trusty handgun and the shotgun found in a village house, there's actually another favourite weapon from Capcom's original 2005 game to be used in this tantalising taste of Resident Evil 4 Remake. Continue reading The Resident Evil 4 Remake demo has a third, secret weapon MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Resident Evil 4 Remake release date, Resident Evil 4 Remake system requirements, Best horror games on PC |
PCGamesN Saturday, March 11, 2023 10:25 AM  How do you complete the Destiny 2 Root of Nightmares raid? The Destiny 2 Root of Nightmares raid, introduced as part of the Destiny 2 Lightfall expansion, is exciting showdown of skill, wits, and bravery as players take on a powerful enemy from an ancient time. Bungie's newest Destiny 2 raid, now available with Destiny 2 season 20 content in the FPS game, is a showdown against Nezarec, a Disciple of the Witness. Continue reading Destiny 2 Root of Nightmares guide MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Destiny 2 classes, Lightfall exotics, Destiny 2 builds |
PCGamesN Saturday, March 11, 2023 7:41 AM  In case you're living under an asteroid, the Starfield release date is now official. Director Todd Howard confirmed that the next Bethesda RPG game will land in September during a brief video teaser, but in doing so also gave us a few more teasing glimpses of what we can expect from the final game. As such, eagle-eyed Starfield fans can spot that the video confirms it will bring back the Fallout 4 favourites system, rather than the likes of ones used in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim or Fallout 76. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Starfield release date, Starfield ship design, Starfield Game Pass |
Twinfinite Saturday, March 11, 2023 10:00 AM Duel of the Deflectors. |
Twinfinite Saturday, March 11, 2023 9:30 AM Joker who? |
Siliconera Saturday, March 11, 2023 12:00 PM
Among the many topics that came up in Square Enix's hour-long interview with Chrono Cross Director Masato Kato was how the game featured parallel worlds, compared to Chrono Trigger's time travel. When discussing its development, he noted that he was "approached to create something new" and decided to do "something different this time." He then also explained about how the conceptualization stage is one of his favorite parts, though it can mean more frustration later on when trying to actually bring said concepts to life. Here's exactly what Kato had to say about the concept of Chrono Cross' parallel worlds and how they came about to contrast with Chrono Trigger's time travel.
Kato also talked about the parts of game design and development he enjoyed most when discussing Chrono Trigger's time travel and Chrono Cross's parallel worlds. That also led to his joking about the frustrations that can also come up as a result.
In the same interview, Kato also discussed how the game had 40 playable characters because he added "whatever [he] wanted on a whim." Here's the full Chrono Cross and Radical Dreamers interview with Director Masato Kato. Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition is available on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The post Chrono Cross Director Explained Its Parallel Worlds Happened to 'Create Something New' appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Saturday, March 11, 2023 9:00 AM
How far would you go to resurrect someone? In Paranormasight, this moral dilemma forms the cornerstone of its various characters' driving motivations. When playing through it, the game feels like the J-Horror love child between Ace Attorney, Fate/stay Night, and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. The word "love" is applied liberally here. The development team's passion oozes from practically every facet of the project. With its strong story, colorful cast, and beautifully unique aesthetic, Paranormasight is an unforgettable experience. Paranormasight takes place during the Showa era of Japan. As such, there is a very retro vibe to all of the characters and even the game itself. The various protagonists find themselves embroiled in a battle for the Rite of Resurrection. Using curse stones that appeared before them in a flash of resentful memories and murderous impulses, they can kill people with curses that reflect various superstitions from the Seven Mysteries of Honjo. The more people you kill with a curse stone, the more soul dregs it collects. Whoever has the most soul dregs at the end of it all will get to revive a dead person of their choosing. Thus begins a kill-or-be-killed battle royale across the Sumida city ward. Or so you might believe. The large majority of the characters that you control lean towards being pacifists. Yakko and Tsutsumi both immediately start off unwilling to use their respective curse stones. Harue, on the other hand, is brimming with motivation. However, her private investigator Richter manages to convince her not to do so. The characters you control are reactive towards threats, rather than being a threat themselves. In fact, the plot actually revolves more around solving the mystery of the Rite of Resurrection, as well as the history of the ritual itself. The curse royale aspect of the game is a small portion of the plot. That's perfectly fine, though! It would likely be alienating for some people to play as a curse-happy, murderous maniac, even if it is in the name of reviving somebody.
I particularly enjoyed Harue's storyline for its more singular focus. Granted, without Richter's presence, she might have quickly devolved into an aforementioned curse-happy, murderous maniac. Conversely, Yakko's route was fairly weak. Some of the revelations in her story feel like they needed more time to develop, and Mio was a far more interesting character. Understandably though, there is very little time for the numerous plot threads to have ample breathing room. The game is fairly short, despite how complicated some of the storylines are. It proceeds at a fairly fast-paced tempo. And so, the game utilizes humor to prevent the player from becoming exhausted at all of the twists or feeling like the game is too bleak. I personally enjoyed the jokes and quirkier characters. But some who want a more pure J-Horror game experience might want to keep that in mind going into it.
From a meta perspective, I really liked how it utilized its multiple protagonists. You have to actively move characters to locations for them to show up in another character's route. This would then unlock a scene to advance the story. However, a downside of this is that when you get stuck, you get stuck. Which character needs to accomplish what action before you can continue with someone else's route? It can really slow down your progress as you figure that out. The game using its basic functions, such as saving or adjusting the settings, as part of the story was fantastic too. In general, I appreciate games who use their medium in unique ways. NieR Automata is an example of one that pulls it off effectively. This mechanic works well in Paranormasight without feeling unnatural, thanks to its framing device. Wow, Square Enix! The thing about Paranormasight that had originally caught my eye during the Nintendo Direct Square Enix unveiled it in was the visuals. The real-life Sumida Ward government collaborated with the development team on making sure the environments are accurate. And there is a wonderful watercolor-like aesthetic over all of the characters. Gen Kobayashi (The World Ends With You) did an amazing job at capturing such a wide range of emotion in everyone's expressions. It's a visually beautiful game, even if there is not too much going on due its genre. I especially enjoyed the retro TV filter look of the menu. There's even a slight curve to the words, as if it's recreating an old-fashioned TV! [gallery columns="2" ids="954578,954577" link="file"] One aspect of the game that had me occasionally raising my brow, though, was the music. It can ping-pong between fitting and goofy. Don't get me wrong here. I think Hidenori Iwasaki (Chocobo Grand Prix) is a fantastic composer. The spooky tracks in the game all accentuate the vibe of the story. However, some characters have themes that feel kind of silly. For example, Tsutsumi and Erio, who are both police officers, have a theme reminiscent of 1980s procedural cop J-Dramas. Obviously, this is due to the game's Showa influence. But it and similar Showa-inspired tracks stand out amidst the more modern horror ones. Not only are the mood shifts very sudden, but they don't feel like they belong in the same game. With a snappy script and some genuinely unnerving jump scares, Paranormasight is a very approachable J-Horror game. The slow process of turning around using a mouse on the PC was a great way to amplify the tension in a lot of scenes. Because it leans heavier into the mystery aspect of the horror-mystery genre, even players who are nervous about horror games can enjoy it. It is a beautifully crafted game that makes imaginative use of its medium. Clocking in at under 10 hours—with some of that time spent lost, idling, or just reading through its impressively detailed files—Paranormasight is a wonderful game for a lazy weekend. Paranormasight is readily available for the Nintendo Switch and Windows PC via Steam. The post Review: Paranormasight is an Approachable J-Horror Game appeared first on Siliconera. |
