Kotaku Saturday, November 18, 2023 11:50 AM  From mergers to memes, the landscape of interactive entertainment is always in motion. Here's your cheat sheet for the week's most important stories in gaming. |
Kotaku Saturday, November 18, 2023 11:50 AM  Gamers are a passionate bunch, and we're no exception. These are the week's most interesting perspectives on the wild, wonderful, and sometimes weird world of video game news. |
PCGamesN Saturday, November 18, 2023 3:03 PM  I loved the first Dead Island game back in the day, but returning to play it again before the DI2 release date, I found myself bored with the to-ing and fro-ing of the missions and long drives where you're just running down zombies. Dead Island 2 doesn't have the cars, and traveling is, to an extent, faster, but even then a lot of the campaign still feels like it could be streamlined. This is where the Dead Island 2 Haus DLC shines. Continue reading Sorry Cyberpunk 2077, Dead Island 2's Haus is best DLC right now MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Dead Island 2 characters guide, Dead Island 2 review, Dead Island 2 map |
PCGamesN Saturday, November 18, 2023 12:09 PM  Death Must Die is a new Steam Early Access game that brings together the bullet hell moment-to-moment gameplay of Vampire Survivors, the character-filled gods and powerups of Hades, and the equipment stylings of the Diablo series. So if you're looking for something new with a gorgeous pixel aesthetic, this may very well be the game for you. Continue reading Hades meets Vampire Survivors in new Steam indie, with launch sale MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best indie games, Best single-player games, Best upcoming games |
PCGamesN Saturday, November 18, 2023 12:25 PM  The Steam autumn sale is about to start. That's right; just when you thought it was safe to go back onto the Steam store as Halloween fades into the distance, Valve prepares to unleash its scariest weapon - bargains. All those games on your Steam wishlist, the biggest and best games of 2023, and all those classic old games that you've been pondering picking up. As the official teaser for the event arrives, we already know that there are some big names lined up for discounts, so let's see what's in store. Continue reading Prepare your wallets, Valve's Steam autumn sale is upon us MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Steam FAQ, Steam family sharing, Steam in-home streaming |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Saturday, November 18, 2023 5:06 PM  Immortals Of Aveum never looked like it was going to be successful, and it wasn't. I root for it, however. In an industry where big budget blockbusters are most often sequels, or boringly safe, Aveum feels comparatively bold just by being a self-evidentaly daft first-person mashup of Call Of Duty and Doctor Strange magic powers. Now it has a demo, so you can try it for free. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Saturday, November 18, 2023 4:45 PM  Half-Life came out 25 years ago tomorrow and to celebrate Valve ahve released an anniversary update. It includes four new multiplayer maps, updated graphics settings, and fully verified Steam Deck support. It also includes some new multiplayer models and skins, including proto-Barney and the original design for Gordon Freeman, pictured above. |
Twinfinite Saturday, November 18, 2023 4:18 PM  |
Twinfinite Saturday, November 18, 2023 12:41 PM  |
Twinfinite Saturday, November 18, 2023 11:34 AM  |
Siliconera Saturday, November 18, 2023 3:00 PM
With shojo manga, there's often a push to immediately start setting up the couple and romantic moments. However, what I appreciated about the new Viz series Tamon's B-Side is that it starts more with character development for Utage and the potential love interest and pop star Tamon.
Which is funny, given how Tamon's B-Side begins. It starts off by establishing Utage is a huge fan who adores Tamon, a member of the boy band F/ACE. Super fan is likely the more appropriate term, given her actions with her friends, dedication to watching, and collecting of his merchandise. We see overwhelming support for the performer she sees on stage.
Then she meets the actual Tamon when he's off-stage. Her part-time job is to work as a housekeeper, and she fills in for his absent one. But because the name and the actual person are so different, it gives her pause. While his stage presence means he's a flirty, bad boy extrovert, he's actually a pessimistic, quiet, and even depressed introvert.
This leads to a really fun first volume of the shojo manga! Instead of jumping into Utage being flustered about being around her idol, though there is some of that, the vast difference between who Tamon is on-stage and in-person means that the apprehension or unrealistic devotion isn't present. Instead, some of the initial part is Utage reconciling the differences.
With the rest, we get to see mangaka Yuki Shiwasu form the basis of a really fun relationship. Because Utage is such a fan, she knows everything about Tamon's on-stage performance. As his manager even notes, she becomes adept at helping him become better at his job. Her support, insight into his persona, and assistance in getting him to participate in a fan event that he'd avoided before benefits him. Likewise, because of the connection, she ends up permanently being his housekeeper, gets to spend time with her idol, and comes away seeing how he's a human being. I feel we see her start to snap a bit out of the love of the character he creates and instead appreciate the real him.
Of course by the end of the first volume of Tamon's B-Side, we see this is laying the foundation for the "will they or won't they" relationship in the shojo manga. There are clear moments where we start to see evidence of their feelings. In a way, it almost seems like this is one of those situations where Tamon is falling before Utage. Which again, makes it a really fun read. We're getting this character development and seeing people learn about each other before immediately jumping into any kind of feelings, and the first volume executes it in a fun way.
Volume 1 of Tamon's B-Side is available now, and Viz Media will publish volume 2 of the shojo manga on January 2, 2024.
The post Tamon's B-Side Is a Shojo Manga that Starts with Character Development appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Saturday, November 18, 2023 12:00 PM
KarmaZoo feels like it asks how people respond when they go through a Journey like experience where you're randomly tasked to explore with others, but with more strict time limits, hazardous perils, and dinosaurs. It relies heavily on other people and the experience, but that in turn means it is only at its best when everything comes together in the right way.
First of all, I did have a chance to play KarmaZoo ahead of launch. However, it went so poorly that it helped set the stage for how situational the game is. If you're alone, there's really nothing you can do besides spend hearts you've accrued. You need to have at least one other person on hand for either the local competitive Totem mode or for the online cooperative Loop.
Though a single player also isn't ideal as well. KarmaZoo is supposed to adapt to player size. However, some of the stages I encountered when playing with one other person ended up being unreasonable due to things like the time limit and both of us being stuck as the Slime, the most basic and uninteresting character type. If there wasn't an issue with separating to trigger switches while dealing with the Halo that would keep us alive, certain platforming sections that would probably have been easier with different characters ate into our valuable time.
Post-launch, KarmaZoo's experience is better, but again heavily reliant on your resources. Everyone starts this platformer as a slime. You can sing, which is a trigger for certain switches, double jump, leave behind a tombstone when you die, cling to walls, and send people hearts as a "thank you" for their actions in levels. (Said hearts act as a currency for unlocking.) However, other roles have additional abilities, and unlocking them may mean they'll be more helpful to yourself and others. For example, a plant person could grow into a platform, raptors run fast, or a candle could light torches to offer more visibility.
Each run in the Loop begins with a brief fruit catching opportunity before heading into the stage. Getting certain numbers of fruit here or in stages means the group playing can vote on a perk for the following level. When you head into a stage, you have a limited amount of time (300 seconds) to reach the exit, with four stages (acts) for each one. You want to keep close to other players, because that generates a Halo that allows you to revive if you die. (If you die when alone, you become a ghost that can offer emoji directional cues toward the gate.) You essentially platform through areas, occasionally dying on spikes to leave tombstones, singing at switches to move platforms, conducting electricity, standing on switches to open pathways, and collecting keys for doors. I found the main challenges tended to come from properly jumping to the correct places, especially when there are a lot of spikes or crumbling platforms.
Because this is a game that can rely so heavily on people all going the correct direction, hitting the right switches, and reacting in time with other players so you make proper progress safely and swiftly, it means the people you're playing with have the greatest effect on the experience. If you are with people who aren't making good choices or cooperating, it isn't much fun! It's frustrating! Also, I found the ideal number of players tends to be around six. That means you can pair up, to ensure you have Halos, or split into two groups of three. Any fewer and it's far too easy for everyone to get distracted, die, and then fail.
As for the Totem mode, I felt it was a bit bland. It's fine, but many of the minigames can involve platforming to reach a point first or collect fruits before someone else. It isn't as universally fun or accessible as, say, the minigames you'd find in a Mario Party title. It also doesn't feel like it is as much of a draw as the main Loop. I had the impression it was more of an optional "we had room for it, so here it is" inclusion.
KarmaZoo has a noble goal, but the situational nature of things means the stars essentially need to align for things to work perfectly. You need to either get a good group of friends who all own the game together or hope your random session is filled with people who both are serious about working together and unlocked helpful characters. It's too easy for things to not be exactly ideal, and I'd say about two thirds of all my gameplay sessions were fine as a result.
KarmaZoo is available on the PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X, and PC.
The post Review: KarmaZoo Is Fun in the Right Situations appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Saturday, November 18, 2023 11:30 AM
Nippon Ichi Software will release information on a new game on November 20, 2023. You'll be able to watch the new trailer from 8pm JST, which would be 3am PT/6am ET on November 20, 2023. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]
Nippon Ichi Software actually already teased this game. Back in Summer 2023, it uploaded a mysterious illustration with the words "coming soon" in the corner. This illustration is from the IP that Nippon Ichi Software will reveal next week. As for the illustration, it features a mysterious figure sitting at what looks like a bar. Though you can't see the character's face, there are horns protruding from their head. The background for the bar also features a pattern like multiple charts and clocks.
Since its founding in 1993 (technically starting in 1991 as Prism Kikaku), Nippon Ichi Software has released several popular RPG series. Arguably its most well-known series is Disgaea, and the most recent entry in the series, Disgaea 7, came out in earlier 2023. Other games from Nippon Ichi Software include Yomawari: Night Alone and Void Terrarium.
Nippon Ichi Software will reveal a new game on November 20, 2023. The trailer for only be about two minutes long and it'll premier on the company's YouTube channel.
The post Nippon Ichi Software Will Reveal New Game Next Week appeared first on Siliconera. |
PC Invasion - FeedDDD Saturday, November 18, 2023 12:11 PM  Super Mario RPG is getting an exciting remake for the Nintendo Switch. The idea of a Mario RPG may be pretty absurd to most people, and they may be wondering how long it would take to complete. If you find yourself wondering the same thing, then I've got the answer for you. How long does it take to beat Super Mario RPG? RPG games typically take a long time to complete, and that's even ignoring the litany of side quests that add an extra 100 hours. Then again, even your average Super Mario games takes quite some time to beat. With shorter entries, like Super Mario Wonder, clocking in an average of 9 hours to longer entries, like Super Mario Galaxy 2, boasting around 14 hours. And both of those time averages isn't taking any extra content into consideration. Image via Nintendo Super Mario RPG, then, combining two pretty lengthy ideas, does have a lot of content to get through. Different sites and sources have a pretty wild range ... |
WGB, Home of AWESOME Reviews Saturday, November 18, 2023 12:24 PM The Last of Us Part 2 is officially getting remastered for the PlayStation 5, a mere 3 years after it first launched in 2020. According to Sony and Naughty Dog the new version will arrive on January 19th, 2024 along with a physical deluxe edition. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Saturday, November 18, 2023 3:17 PM Pre-orders for all editions will launch on December 5. The post The Last of Us Part II Remastered Announced for PlayStation 5 appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Saturday, November 18, 2023 2:31 PM The trailer teases some details. The post Path of Exile Affliction Expansion Announced With Trailer appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Saturday, November 18, 2023 1:46 PM Increases difficulty and overhauls the lock-on system. The post Lords of the Fallen Gets New Update that Overhauls Lock-ons and Increases Difficulty appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |