Jun 26, 22:00


GamersHeroes Monday, June 26, 2023 5:13 PM
    

Created by indie developer Dino Trnka, 3D cyberpunk hack-and-slash Lifespace Traveler is now available on Steam.

The post Lifespace Traveler Now Available on Steam appeared first on GamersHeroes.


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 8:03 PM
    

The Yakuza Complete Series dropped on retailer Good Old Games last week, bundling the first seven games in the franchise in the one offering. It is a great deal, but fans testing out the release to see if there was anything different about it have turned up something weird.

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 7:30 PM
    

Mars First Logistics, released last week into Early Access on Steam, is a game with a very simple setup. You are driving little robot vehicles around the surface of Mars, doing jobs for people, and those jobs involve you having to build your own cars (or whatever else!) in a way that gets the job done.

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 7:00 PM
    

Microsoft is currently in court trying to move forward with its massive deal to acquire Activision Blizzard. But new emails, which surfaced during the ongoing court hearing, reveal that Xbox was discussing plans to buy up other video game studios and publishers, including Sega, Bungie, Niantic, IO Interactive, and…

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Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 6:05 PM
    

The clever minds over at r/HyruleEngineering have done it again. This time, instead of building something entertaining like a veritable hamster wheel for Yunobo, or devastating drones that would land Link in trouble with the ICC, one fan has taken to building an in-game scale to weigh objects and get a sense of how

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 4:25 PM
    

If, like me, you're making your way toward Anime Expo, the self-proclaimed "largest celebration of Japanese pop culture in North America" this coming weekend (yes, the Otaku of Kotaku will be there!), you may be feeling overwhelmed. But fear not! If you have no earthly idea what must-see events the great congregation…

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Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 4:00 PM
    

When Final Fantasy III released in 1990, developer Square Enix had no idea that the pastille-shaped, cave-dwelling Moogles it introduced would inspire decades worth of commemorative figurines and nightlights on Etsy. These paunchy creatures existed for so long in designer Koichi Ishii's imagination, how could anyone…

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Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 3:26 PM
    

You might think you're a skilled Roller Coaster Tycoon player. Perhaps you've built dozens or even hundreds of perfectly profitable parks. Or maybe you've beat every built-in scenario a dozen times. But your skills won't help you with a new map designed to take millions of years to complete.

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 3:20 PM
    

Fairy Pokémon are technically the new kids in town, but the series' most recent type has been around for a decade. The eighteenth type was introduced in Pokémon X and Y, and not only did it give a new, reliable counter to dragon Pokémon, it also recontextualized several old Pokémon by changing their typing to fill out…

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 3:15 PM
    

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom sure has a lot of weapons of varying shape, size, durability, and, of course, attack power. As you come across various weapons in your trip across the lands, depths, and skies of Hyrule, the game sometimes feels like a bit of a lottery. So where can you find the best weapons?

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 3:07 PM
    

Final Fantasy XVI is in some ways a radical departure from the hit Square Enix RPG series' past and in other ways pulls from its rich history to create a very old-school-feeling adventure. So where does it fall in the pantheon of Final Fantasy game lengths? The answer is somewhere in the middle.

Read more...


PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 7:05 PM
     Temtem Showdown is a new free game, and it's giving Pokémon vibes

As a Pokémon lover, Temtem has always been the closest I can get to the cozy creature collect-a-thon on PC. While there are many RPG games to choose from out there, none have that cutesy turn-based battle feel to them quite like Temtem does. The colorful Pokémon-inspired game is not ending with just Temtem, though, as a new spin-off title has just been announced. Temtem Showdown, much like Pokémon Showdown, stands apart from the base game as a completely free-to-play entry.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Temtem evolutions, Temtem starters, Temtem type chart

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 5:19 PM
     Lost Ark says goodbye to separate server regions in Europe

Lost Ark has been globally available for a good while now, despite its initial release having been exclusive to South Korea. Smilegate's MMO has since come far in the West, with hundreds of thousands of players logging in each day to the mythical Arkesia. The western version of Lost Ark is split into five regions that host servers currently, but Smilegate has plans to change that. The developers have just announced their plan to merge the European servers into one which will make just four western regions.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best MMORPG – top MMOs you should play, Lost Ark class tier list, All Lost Ark Mokoko Seeds locations

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 4:01 PM
     Stardew Valley blasts off to space in this sci-fi farming game

Stardew Valley, but make it space. That's what the new farming game One Lonely Outpost strikes me as at first glance. This galactic indie game is developed and published by Freedom Games, a studio known best for other cozy titles like Cat Cafe Manager and Mail Time. One Lonely Outpost stands apart from its other published games with its alien setting and focus on terraforming. As the first person to hit a barren planet, it's your job to make the most of life in One Lonely Outpost.


PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 3:00 PM
     GTA 6 release date rumors, news, and speculation

When is the GTA 6 release date? Given how many years it takes to create open worlds of the same caliber as GTA 5, it's no surprise that Rockstar Games has already spent years developing GTA 6. However, like most developers, Rockstar prefers to keep its secrets close to its chest until they're close to the end of development, but we've had our first real hints about when the game's coming out.

Early gameplay footage of GTA 6 surfaced online last year, along with lines of source code from the game itself. Rockstar has issued a statement on Twitter that confirms that an unauthorized third party managed to access and download information from their systems, including development footage for the open-world game. However, its statement notes that the developers don't believe this leak should impact the development of their long-term projects or disrupt their live service games.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: GTA 6 release date rumours, Best open-world games, GTA 5 cheats

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 7:44 PM
     Payday 3 will be

Payday 3 is just around the corner, and Starbreeze could not have made us any more excited for the upcoming FPS game than we already are. From an entirely new setting to fresh gameplay mechanics, Payday 3 is likely to be one of this year's biggest releases. While we do have one trailer to scour for details, the developer has also been discussing what the series' newest entry is bringing to the table in an interview, giving a closer look at the soon-to-launch shooter.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The best co-op games on PC, The best crime games on PC, The best FPS games

Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, June 26, 2023 5:54 PM
    

It used to be that getting 32GB of fast DDR4 RAM cost triple figures - but nowadays, thanks to the prevalance of DDR5 kits, getting even this amount of RAM in a competitive spec is quite affordable. This 32GB kit of Corsair Vengeance RS RGB RAM, for example, offers 3600MT/s speeds, decent CL18 timings and a price point of £67.99 after a tidy £26 discount at Amazon UK compared to its price last month.

Read more


Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, June 26, 2023 5:28 PM
    

HDMI 2.1 monitors were the new hotness back when the new generation of games consoles arrived in 2020 and 2021, with these models offering 4K 120Hz HDR gaming without the need for chroma subsampling. Unsurprisingly, these monitors also cost a huge amount of money, with even lower-end options in the £600+ range and higher-end examples in the quadruple figures.

Two or three years on, things have settled down and these HDMI 2.1 monitors are now much more affordable - if not yet exactly cheap. One such example is the Acer Nitro XV282KKV, a 28-inch monitor with a 4K 144Hz refresh rate on PC, that's down to £409.98 plus £5 shipping at Ebuyer. That's nearly £200 off its UK RRP and an awesome deal for a monitor with these specs.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, June 26, 2023 2:49 PM
    

Like Phasmophobia, Among Us and BattleBit Remastered before it, it's time for a new indie game to blow up on Twitch and keep thousands enthralled for at least a day or two before something else comes along. This time around, it's the turn of Only Up, a bizarre game about climbing your way into the sky.

Read more


Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, June 26, 2023 2:15 PM
    

The much-anticipated reboot of Perfect Dark is still "in the earliest stages" of development and at least two years away from being released, according to a new report.

Read more


Twinfinite Monday, June 26, 2023 6:18 PM
     Respect the grind.

Twinfinite Monday, June 26, 2023 3:30 PM
     No number of Fatalities faced stopped me from persevering.

Siliconera Monday, June 26, 2023 5:30 PM
    

Sonic Adventure 2 figure

Good Smile Company announced it will be selling the new Sega S-FIRE Sonic the Hedgehog figure of Sonic and Shadow from Sonic Adventure 2. The new Sonic figure costs 44,000 JPY (or roughly $306), and it is planned to release sometime on June 2024 in Japan. The figure is now available for pre-order from the Good Smile Company Japan online store. Good Smile Company also offers international shipping from a variety of international partner shops. It is not showing up in its English storefront, however.

The new Sonic figure is part of the Super Situation line. The figure highlights Sonic and Shadow among city rubble, with each character's iconic speed trail following them. The dimensions of the figure are approximately 215mm in height, 340 in width, and 380mm in depth, or 8.4 inches in height, 13.38 inches in width, and 15 inches in depth.

You can take a better look at the new Sonic and Shadow figure from Sonic Adventure 2 in the gallery below.

[gallery columns="5" size="large" ids="969807,969808,969809,969810,969811" link="file"]

As a reminder, songs from Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Forces will be available in the upcoming Samba de Amigo: Party Central.

The new Sonic and Shadow Super Situation Figure from Sonic Adventure 2 is now available for pre-order from the Good Smile Company Japan online store until August 24, 2023. The company also offers international shipping from a variety of international partners.

The post Sonic Adventure 2 Figure Highlights Sonic and Shadow's Rivalry appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Monday, June 26, 2023 5:00 PM
    

Dragon Quest Yuji Horii

In a recent interview with Japanese radio show TOKYO M.A.A.D SPIN, Dragon Quest Creator Yuji Horii and former Shonen Jump Editor-in-Chief and Shueisha CEO Kazuhiko Torishima talked about some of their favorite games in the series, their experience leading up to the creation of the first game, and the ties between the DQ franchise to Shueisha's Shonen Jump magazine and manga artist Akira Toriyama. Horii also gave a small update on development progress for Dragon Quest XII. [Thanks, DenFamiNico Gamer!]

When asked about how progress of the latest entry was, Horii said that since Dragon Quest XII is aimed at adult audiences, he's having some trouble with the game. He also noted the COVID-19 pandemic having affected the development of the game to some extent. The developer also said that a variety of members of the development team have been working from home for over a year as well.

When talking about the events leading up to the creation of the first Dragon Quest game, Horii and Torishima mentioned the feedback from creating The Portopia Serial Murder Case and using the Shonen Jump magazine to introduce the game to the audience, as influential when developing Dragon Quest. They explained that Portopia and Dragon Quest shared some similarities. Portopia is an adventure game that uses commands to direct characters towards several objectives and goals, and Dragon Quest is a command-based RPG.

Additionally, another important relationship between Dragon Quest and Shonen Jump lies in the choice of character designer for the game. Torishima mentioned that having Akira Toriyama design the characters and monsters for Dragon Quest gave them a good reason to feature the game in the magazine at the time.

When asked to pick their favorite Dragon Quest games, Yuji Horii said that he felt very attached to Dragon Quest 3, as well as Dragon Quest 5. The reason for his attachment to Dragon Quest 3 lies in it being the first game in the series to allow for a wider range of player expression. Meanwhile Dragon Quest 5 stuck in Horii's mind due to the inter-generational plot and branching choice of wife, as well as still finding surprising the reveal that the "hero of legend" is the descendant of the protagonist, instead of the protagonist.

Meanwhile, when talking about Dragon Quest 3 and the leap in game design it signified, Kazuhiko Torishima revealed that he prefers Dragon Quest and Dragon Quest 2 over the popular third entry. As the reason for why he favored the first two entries, Torishima claimed that he prefers a more focused, character-driven story like that of the second installment compared to the more free-form third entry.

The post Dragon Quest Creator Yuji Horii Talked About His Favorite Entry appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Monday, June 26, 2023 4:30 PM
    

Elden Ring T-Shirt

Torch Torch revealed that a new line of Elden Ring shirts and bags is now available to purchase. This new collection includes four items, which consists of two t-shirts and two bags. They are based on the Elden Ring characters Starscourge Radahn and Blaidd the half-wolf. The shirts and bags are now available for purchase from the Torch Torch online store in Japan. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

The Radahn Festival T-shirt and shoulder bag are styled like concert merchandise, displaying the character in the front, and the dates of the event (in this case the release date of the game) and a list of "guest artists" that players can recruit for the fight in the game in the back. The shirt costs 5,500 JPY (~$38), while the shoulder bag costs 6,600 JPY (~$46). Both versions are available in black or white models.

You can check out the Elden Ring shirt and shoulder bag for the "Radahn Festival" here:
[gallery columns="4" size="medium" ids="969779,969780,969781,969782" link="file"]

Meanwhile, the Blaidd shirt and tote bag simply display the character. The t-shirt includes details from the game, like the two fingers or the runes of the Elden Ring itself drawn in labels. The shirt is available in grey, white, and black, and it costs 5,500 JPY (~$38). The tote bag is available in black or white, and it costs 7,700 JPY (~$53).

You can take a better look at the Elden Ring T-shirt and tote bag of Blaidd here:

[gallery columns="4" size="medium" ids="969783,969784,969785,969786" link="file"]

Torch Torch is a Japanese fashion brand, and it is known for releasing various video game-related merchandise. Past collections included Dark Souls and Bloodborne merchandise.

The new Elden Ring t-shirts and bags are now available for purchase from the Torch Torch online store.

The post Elden Ring Radahn and Blaidd Shirts and Bags Now Available appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Monday, June 26, 2023 4:00 PM
    

Salty Hounds Otome RPG Enters Early Access on PCs This Week

Topping Palette announced an early access launch date for the PC version of its otome RPG Salty Hounds. It will be available on Steam on June 27, 2023. It didn't explain what exactly will appear in this early build. However, its roadmap mentioned more dating activities, story segments, character events, and minigames will appear. Most importantly, the roadmap shows lover endings will appear in 1.0. It was funded on Kickstarter in 2022.

In Salty Hounds, players run the bodyguard agency of the same name. While you do, you'll also get to meet and interact with five people in the same line of work. You can follow them as they go about their schedules. call and text each other, give gifts, and go on dates. There are also different minigames.

As for what's to come, here's a list of things that will be present in the full version of the game, but may not be completely implemented to the same degree in the early access build:

  • Additional voice acting
  • Gifts
  • Home decorating
  • Lover endings
  • Minigames
  • More character events
  • More dates
  • More texts from love interests
  • More phone calls from love interests
  • Pet cat
  • Visit love interest homes

Salty Hounds early access will begin on PCs on June 27, 2023, and the otome RPG will also eventually head to the Nintendo Switch.

The post Salty Hounds Otome RPG Enters Early Access on PCs This Week appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Monday, June 26, 2023 3:30 PM
    

Pokemon Plane Eevee

The Pokemon Company and Japanese airline ANA revealed that a new Pokemon plane based on Eevee and its evolutions, the Eevee Jet NH, will be traveling the skies from August 31, 2023. Various domestic and international flights are planned. The new plane is part of the Soratobu Pikachu Project (or the Flying Pikachu Project.)

The first three international flights announced for the Eevee Jet NH consist of flights from Haneda Airport in Tokyo, to London, New York, and San Francisco. There are also flights to Europe planned for the Eevee Jet NH, but there are no details on the destinations at the time of writing.

The new Pokemon-themed plane highlights the popular Pokemon Eevee and its eight evolutions, affectionately called "Eeveelutions" by fans. Additionally, Pikachu is also featured in the unique design. Previously, ANA's Pikachu Jet NH was the first plane to start operations on June 4, 2023, as part of the Soratobu Pikachu Project.

The decorations inside the plane are also based on Pikachu, and special souvenirs and merchandise based on the Pokemon franchise will be offered as well. Additionally, Pokemon content such as Pokemon Kids TV and POKETOONS will be available on all ANA international and domestic flights.

Other popular Pokemon planes include the Wailord and Magikarp Pikachu Jet BC2, China Airlines' Pikachu Jet CI, and Singapore's Pikachu Jet TR.

The new Pokemon-themed Eevee Jet NH will begin operations on August 31, 2023.

The post New ANA Pokemon Plane Is Based on Eevee and Its Evolutions appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Monday, June 26, 2023 3:00 PM
    

Interview: What Went into Designing Double Dragon Gaiden

Many developers have "gotten their hands" on Double Dragon over the years. We've seen entries from Arc System Works, Gravity, Million, Technos, and WayForward. Now Secret Base is stepping up as the creator of the upcoming game Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons with a whole new vision. To learn more about how the game will work ahead of its July debut, Siliconera spoke with Founder Raymond Teo about the title.

Jenni Lada: How long have you been working on Double Dragon Gaiden, and what led to the team working on a new Double Dragon game?

Raymond Teo: I have been working on Double Dragon Gaiden for more than 3.5 years now, but if we're talking about how this all happened, then that's a much longer story.

I released a parody beat 'em up called Devil's Dare on Steam in 2014/2015. It was a time when the genre was considered dead. It didn't sell very well, but it was really well received by our players and critics. That caught the attention of Arc System Works, who I believe was scouting for interesting titles to bring to Japan. He liked the game, but I already had a publisher for the console version, so we couldn't work together at that time. Bummer.

Unfortunately, things weren't smooth, and it took 4 years of struggle and a change of publisher to finally launched the console version of Devil's Dare, renamed Streets of Red: Devil's Dare Deluxe. Thanks to the new Nintendo Switch, it did much better and allowed me to continue making games again. During this time, I learned that Arc System Works had acquired the Double Dragon IP and released Double Dragon IV in 2017. It was a homage to the classic games, but I wondered if Arc System Works would be open to a new direction and a fresh start, so I contacted Arc System Works again and pitched my idea for a new Double Dragon game, with a mock-up video of the game design and art style.

I like to think that the team at Arc System Works was impressed by my pitch, but it wasn't easy to convince Arc System Works to trust me with such a legendary IP. And it took almost another year of on-and-off discussion and familiarizing, until they finally gave me the green light in late 2019, just before the pandemic hit. Talk about timing.

I'm very grateful to Arc System Works for giving me this opportunity. It's a rare and amazing story in this industry, and I'm honored to be part of it. And yes, I still pinch myself every morning to make sure this is real.

WayForward and Abstraction, Arc System Works, and many other developers have worked on Double Dragon games before. What do you hope to accomplish to help set your entry apart?

Teo: The main feature that sets our game apart would be the Tag Team mechanic, which adds more depth and strategy to the combat. We also wanted to create a feeling of fighting against a huge horde of enemies without losing control or clarity.

But beyond the combat, my personal goal is to recreate the arcade-like experience of short, intense and memorable gameplay sessions that make you want to play again and again. We have implemented many systems to achieve that, such as randomization, unlockables, different routes and more. I hope that even single-player gamers, or even non-fans of the franchise, will enjoy replaying the game multiple times.

[caption id="attachment_969663" align="alignnone" width="1200"]Interview: What Went into Designing Double Dragon Gaiden Image via Secret Base and Modus[/caption]
Which past Double Dragon games did you find most influential?

Teo: I studied all the previous Double Dragon games, as well as other media like movies, comics and the animated series, so they all influenced the choices I made for this game.

But I would say that I was especially inspired by the three Double Dragon games on NES, because they were some of the few beat 'em ups that were redesigned for a console experience and not just a direct arcade port.

They made the terrain a lot more interesting and painful, they let you to learn new moves as you progress and they even had additional characters to join you in your journey. We look at all these and ask how we can bring them in and make this a game that players can enjoy at home.

When creating Double Dragon Gaiden, what returning elements from past games did you feel were most important to preserve?

Teo: Unlike some other classic beat 'em ups, I think the Double Dragon franchise has already gone through quite a few iterations of "preserving the classic elements while updating it with modern design." In fact, I'd say that many of the later beat 'em ups in the 1990s arcades were pretty much trying to do that, building on top of Double Dragon.

My approach this time was to look at Double Dragon and try to reinterpret it. For example, the idea to create the Tag Mechanic was simply looking at the title Double Dragon, and thinking... well, what would make this a DOUBLE Dragon game? What about controlling two characters? Or what do we expect from a beat 'em up? Well, it should be about fighting lots of enemies and having the ability to manage the crowd.
[caption id="attachment_969664" align="alignnone" width="1200"]Interview: What Went into Designing Double Dragon Gaiden Image via Secret Base and Modus[/caption]
How do Double Dragon Gaiden characters differ from each other in terms of movesets? How did you handle balancing as a result of them being individual characters?

Teo: The goal was that no two characters are the same, so although everyone had their regular combo, jump attack, run attack and special moves, in truth, they all do different things. For example, Billy would perform a dive kick and knocks down his target, but Jimmy would do a ground pound that pushes all nearby targets away.

And because of how different they are, and how many of them there are, it was quite a massive workload balancing the characters. Of course, the usual trick is to categorize them in size and archetype. But we also wanted to showcase some of the well-known characters, and they don't always fit well into the archetype we wanted, so we needed to look at the character's lore or other spin-off titles to draw inspiration from to give them new moves. Not only that, but there were also many moves that were created, tested and thrown away because they weren't as fun as originally imagined.

Beyond that, it's back to good old playtesting, rebalancing, and playtesting again.

How did you decide which characters would be playable in Double Dragon Gaiden, and how far back in the game series' lore did you go when picking unlockable characters?

Teo: The idea back then was to create a "Double Dragon All-Star" game, so I naturally looked at all the most well-known and memorable characters of the franchise and studied them all. For the longest time, my solution would be to make this a prequel to justify why these characters would come together again. However, there were complications with the storyline that were hard to resolve.

In the end, Arc System Works suggested that we should make this a Gaiden side story. This allowed us to bring all these characters together in sort of an alternate timeline and retell the franchise in a new way. This would appeal to both new gamers, who could get into the series easily, and older fans, who could enjoy a fresh take on a classic adventure.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons will appear on the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC on July 27, 2023.

The post Interview: What Went into Designing Double Dragon Gaiden appeared first on Siliconera.

Jun 26, 16:00


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 3:26 PM
    

You might think you're a skilled Roller Coaster Tycoon player. Perhaps you've built dozens or even hundreds of perfectly profitable parks. Or maybe you've beat every built-in scenario a dozen times. But your skills won't help you with a new map designed to take millions of years to complete.

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 3:20 PM
    

Fairy Pokémon are technically the new kids in town, but the series' most recent type has been around for a decade. The eighteenth type was introduced in Pokémon X and Y, and not only did it give a new, reliable counter to dragon Pokémon, it also recontextualized several old Pokémon by changing their typing to fill out…

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 3:15 PM
    

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom sure has a lot of weapons of varying shape, size, durability, and, of course, attack power. As you come across various weapons in your trip across the lands, depths, and skies of Hyrule, the game sometimes feels like a bit of a lottery. So where can you find the best weapons?

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 3:07 PM
    

Final Fantasy XVI is in some ways a radical departure from the hit Square Enix RPG series' past and in other ways pulls from its rich history to create a very old-school-feeling adventure. So where does it fall in the pantheon of Final Fantasy game lengths? The answer is somewhere in the middle.

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 1:18 PM
    

Microsoft is about to raise the price of its Netflix-like subscription service, Xbox Game Pass, by a couple bucks a month. But you can start renewing your subscription ahead of time to save some extra money, especially if you scour the web for some of the already cheap deals.

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 1:06 PM
    

Diablo IV has been out since June 5, so folks have had enough time to beat the game and see its final cutscene. However, it seems there are some secret post-credit scenes that only a few players have been able to see. And now, folks lucky enough to witness those brief secret endings (it seems there are a few ways to…

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 1:02 PM
    

The video game industry is littered with canceled projects and bad games, so it's amazing when something manages to 1.) get released and 2.) be really, really good. Season: A Letter To The Future checked both boxes, arriving on PlayStation 5 and PC earlier this year to some rave reviews that praised the open-world…

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Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 12:53 PM
    

Calling all Barbie girls living in their Barbie worlds. I've got new plastic; it's fantastic. It can also control your Xbox and help you look cool while gaming. Plus, Microsoft announced a new, specially made Barbie-themed Xbox that sadly—along with the controllers—can't be bought, but can be won as part of an…

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 12:32 PM
    

Long after it was first teased and nearly a year after it was originally supposed to come out, Starfield is finally releasing September 1 as an Xbox console exclusive. It would have taken even longer if the open world sci-fi RPG was also on PlayStation 5, Bethesda executive Pete Hines claimed in recent federal court…

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 12:20 PM
    

Diablo IV is about vanquishing evil and pressing the same buttons over and over to demolish enemy hordes in the hopes they drop a new sword or pair of boots that are stronger than the ones you already have. But what's the rarest, most powerful gear you can possibly get in the action-RPG? A Blizzard developer has…

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 11:19 AM
    

Last month, Remedy announced Alan Wake II, the long-anticipated sequel to its 2010 action game, won't be released on a disc when it launches on October 17. This news was upsetting to those who prefer to have a physical game on their shelf, but in an interview with Eurogamer, creative director Sam Lake and game…

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Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 9:53 AM
    

Jimmy Donaldson, aka Mr. Beast, is a man who got famous playing video games on the internet and has since leveraged that into a business empire built on charity stunts, YouTube videos and merch. He is now also a man who, in the wake of the Titan disaster, says had been invited to make a dive on the ill-fated…

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Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 9:45 AM
    

To defend your closet from devastation, Team Rocket is making a transition from trafficking Pokémon and hunting down Ash's Pikachu and instead turning to fashion. Here's Team Rocket's latest scheme, a new line of clothes and accessories to go alongside everyone's favorite criminal organization, fit with overpriced…

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 9:36 AM
    

Most role-playing games don't give you much of a chance to really get to know your blacksmith, but one of Final Fantasy XVI's most charming multi-part quests has you investigate what's bothering the smithy Blackthorne. Even more importantly, it's vital to unlocking and crafting the single best sword you can get on…

Read more...


Kotaku Monday, June 26, 2023 8:30 AM
    

The first Final Fantasy came out in 1987. Ever since, each new game in the beloved role-playing series has pushed it to grow, change, and often subvert fans' expectations of what it can be. Final Fantasy XVI might be the biggest test yet, in some ways harkening back to the medieval world-building the series used to be…

Read more...


PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 3:00 PM
     GTA 6 release date rumors, news, and speculation

When is the GTA 6 release date? Given how many years it takes to create open worlds of the same caliber as GTA 5, it's no surprise that Rockstar Games has already spent years developing GTA 6. However, like most developers, Rockstar prefers to keep its secrets close to its chest until they're close to the end of development, but we've had our first real hints about when the game's coming out.

Early gameplay footage of GTA 6 surfaced online last year, along with lines of source code from the game itself. Rockstar has issued a statement on Twitter that confirms that an unauthorized third party managed to access and download information from their systems, including development footage for the open-world game. However, its statement notes that the developers don't believe this leak should impact the development of their long-term projects or disrupt their live service games.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: GTA 6 release date rumours, Best open-world games, GTA 5 cheats

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 1:55 PM
     Payday 3 will be

Payday 3 is just around the corner, and Starbreeze could not have made us any more excited for the upcoming FPS game than we already are. From an entirely new setting to fresh gameplay mechanics, Payday 3 is likely to be one of this year's biggest releases. While we do have one trailer to scour for details, the developers have also been discussing what the series' newest entry is bringing to the table in an interview, leaving us with a closer look at the soon-to-launch shooter.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The best co-op games on PC, The best crime games on PC, The best FPS games

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:59 PM
     Resident Evil 4 DLC Separate Ways could be coming sooner than expected

Months have passed since the Resident Evil 4 Remake blessed us with its shiny, updated graphics and thrilling design. With hundreds of hours in Capcom's horror game under our belts, many of us want to see additional content for the Resident Evil 4 Remake come to fruition. After all, as much as we all love playing as Leon Kennedy, experiencing the game through the eyes of Ada Wong in a new version of Resi 4's Separate Ways expansion would make for a welcome change.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Resident Evil 4 Remake review, Resident Evil 4 Remake system requirements, Best Resident Evil 4 remake weapons

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:59 PM
     How to find Diablo 4 Whispering Keys

Where do you get Diablo 4 Whispering Keys? As you explore Sanctuary, you might spot some Silent Chests. These elusive containers are locked, but opening them grants you valuable treasures that could contain exactly what you need to make the build of your dreams. Therefore to ensure you have a Whispering Key whenever you come across a silent chest, it's worth stocking up on as many keys as you can physically carry.

So far, we've found one way to find the Diablo 4 Whispering Keys to open the silent chests. The good news is that it's rather easy to achieve in the RPG games, but it does require that you complete optional randomly generated side objectives. So if you want the best chance at getting some of the top items in Diablo 4, we're here to help you get more than enough D4 whispering keys to last your entire adventure.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Diablo 4 builds, Diablo 4 review, Diablo 4 classes

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:56 PM
     All Diablo 4 Stronghold locations

Where are all the Diablo 4 Strongholds? Wandering aimlessly around Sanctuary, you will discover one of these bastions of evil. A fortified location housing Lilith's minions, Strongholds are one of the toughest challenges you'll face out in the open but can reward you with high-end gear if conquered.

Diablo 4 introduces a new mechanic, Strongholds, which are similar to a dungeon, only housed in the overworld. There are intense groups of enemies, bosses, and missions to complete in the area, and completing a Stronghold will reward you with XP for your chosen pick of the five Diablo 4 classes, high-end gear to make the best Diablo 4 builds, and Renown, and will also transform the site into a new town hub, complete with vendors and side quests to complete.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Diablo 4 builds, Diablo 4 review, Diablo 4 classes

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:52 PM
     Starfield release date, latest news, and gameplay

When is the Starfield release date? It was initially going to be in November 2022, but Bethesda announced a Starfield delay in March 2023, pushing the game back until September. Thankfully, we still got a pretty decent showing of the new open-world game at the Xbox and Bethesda showcase over the summer.

To put it lightly; Starfield has potential. Potential to be one of the best PC games ever. Although the finer details from the space-faring, open-world game haven't risen to the surface yet, we do know some things. We know the Starfield release date, and we've pieced together every last scrap of information from interviews, trailers, and passing comments from devs to build a picture of what we all might be playing this year. Here's everything we know about Starfield so far.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Starfield release date, Starfield companions, Starfield system requirements

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:46 PM
     Fable 4 release date speculation, trailers, and story

What is the Fable 4 release date? Fable was finally revealed at the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase a few years back, but details about the long-awaited sequel have been thin on the ground following that announcement. But don't despair, young chicken chaser - we do have some details that we can share to ahead of the Fable 4 release date, especially after the follow-up trailer revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase this year.

For one thing, we know Fable 4 is currently being developed by Playground Games, the studio behind the Forza Horizon series. We also know that it won't be called Fable 4 at all. Join us while we dig through the juicy details, discuss what's likely to appear, and gush openly about what we're hopeful about in the whimsical action-adventure game.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Fable 4 release date, Best RPG games, Best story games

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:42 PM
     The 28 best Minecraft seeds for 1.20 2023

What are the best Minecraft seeds for 1.20? If you're new to seeds, you can skip to the bottom of the guide to find out more about them, but in essence, seeds are codes that Minecraft uses to generate worlds for you - if you know the right seeds, you'll be able to live your every fantasy in this amazing game, like easy-access strongholds for speedrunning, beautiful landscapes for building, or rare structures for looting. To help you do just that we've scoured the internet to find the coolest and most demanded seeds, and put them all together in this easily navigable guide.

Of course you can leave your world generation completely up to fate, but if you're unlucky, you could spend hours looking for a village, an ancient city, desert temples, or whatever else you want to experience in Minecraft. So that you don't waste time exploring a bad seed, keep reading our comprehensive list of 28 cool Minecraft seeds, or use the handy jumplinks to find the specific experience you're looking for. Unless otherwise stated, these seeds should work for Minecraft Java version 1.20, the latest version of the game, so make sure your Minecraft launcher is set up for version 1.20 before heading into the game, or you may get different results.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Minecraft seeds, Minecraft skins, Minecraft mods

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:40 PM
     The 13 best Minecraft shaders 2023

What are the best Minecraft shaders? With shaders, you can instantly level up the look of your Minecraft world - even without a fancy schmancy RTX graphics card. But with so many downloadable mods for the sandbox game, if you're unsure, let's start with what Minecraft shaders are.

One of the best PC games of all time and the ongoing king of sandbox games, Minecraft has incredible replayability, keeping fans and newbies coming to the game time after time. While the vanilla game still gets regular updates, Minecraft mods, texture packs, resource packs, and shaders can completely reinvent the game, affecting its overall look. For example, mods can completely alter gameplay, and Minecraft texture packs and resource packs change the appearance of existing blocks and add new blocks, respectively. Meanwhile, shader packs give you the same game with fancier graphics and effects.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Minecraft seeds, Minecraft skins, Minecraft mods

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:36 PM
     Street Fighter 6 tier list – best characters June 2023

Who is on the Street Fighter 6 tier list? If you want to win, you need to pick a top-tier fighter. Character loyalty is cute, but it won't get you anywhere. The fact of the matter is that if your goal is to win games of Street Fighter 6, you should pick an S-tier character.

We've spent dozens of hours with Street Fighter 6  - something you can read more about in our review - putting all 18 members of the Street Fighter 6 roster to the test to bring you the definitive list of the best SF6 characters to grace Capcom's fighting game. Naturally, this will be an ever-evolving SF6 tier list as any potential updates arrive.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Street Fighter 6 review, Street Fighter 6 tier list, Street Fighter 6 roster

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:26 PM
     The best Ark servers 2023

What are the best Ark servers to join in 2023? We've scoured the internet looking for the top Ark: Survival Evolved servers and server clusters to cater for all experiences, whether you're looking for some intense competitive PvP, a relaxed PvE sandbox, a place to play Omega or Primal Fear, or even a boosted server like FiberCraft, where you can tame and breed all of Ark's wonderful dinos with minimal investment. We'll also talk about the official servers and what happens when they go offline in August.

Ark: Survival Evolved is one of the best dinosaur games and survival games on PC; its increasingly weird meta-narrative provides an excuse to throw dinosaurs together with other prehistoric and even mythological creatures in several gorgeous sandboxes with robust crafting and survival systems. Whether you want to build a sprawling menagerie for its own sake or lead a dino army against other players, a range of experiences are on offer, and you'll find a range of servers optimised for each of these. Read on for our list of some of the best and most populated unofficial servers, and a breakdown of exactly what they offer to the discerning Ark player.

Continue reading The best Ark servers 2023
MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ark 2 release date, Best survival games, The best Ark mods

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:25 PM
     Genshin Impact new characters in the 3.7 update and beyond

Want to know about new Genshin Impact characters? During each new update, there's usually at least one banner with a minimum of one brand-new character. The banners feature characters with increased drop rates, including one five-star character and three four-star characters.

While we know which characters are likely to appear on the next Genshin Impact banners, the characters featured in this guide might not be playable right now but they can be found in Genshin Impact. We've also included some characters who are rumored to join the free PC game down the line but may not have an in-game model just yet. While none of this information is official until Hoyoverse says otherwise, here's a round-up of all of the current rumors and speculation.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Genshin Impact codes, Genshin Impact character tier list, Genshin Impact leveling guide

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:22 PM
     Alan Wake 2 more

Alan Wake 2 being a digital-only horror game gives the team more time to polish it on all platforms, developer Remedy says. While the talk of no physical disc upset many, at least there's some light in the dark regarding that decision for Alan Wake 2, which releases later this year.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best horror games, Best story games, Best upcoming games

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:22 PM
     Before Starfield, Bethesda built and canceled another space game

Starfield is set to push the RPG game genre to new heights. Building on Fallout, Skyrim, and the rest of the Elder Scrolls series, what we've seen of Starfield gameplay promises a huge galaxy, a seemingly endless number of quests and characters, and incredibly deep customization. As we stand on the brink of the Starfield release date however, a little dive into gaming history reveals this is not Bethesda's first interstellar trip. Back in the '90s, another space adventure from the Starfield maker was planned and partially built, but ultimately never saw the light of launch.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Starfield release date, Starfield companions, Starfield system requirements

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:24 PM
     CSGO launch options to use in 2023

Want to know about all of the CSGO launch options in 2023? You might not know it, but you can save yourself a number of unnecessary headaches by using utilising CSGO launch options to ensure your game is always ready to go. Whether you're trying to troubleshoot your game, or you're trying to get your server running at 128 tick, CSGO launch options make it easy to toggle settings without ever going through any menus.

Reaching the highest CSGO ranks requires dedication, resilience, and crisp aim. All of that, paired with the perfect in-game settings, can help you get closer to achieving your dream rank in the free PC game. Of course, CSGO console commands and config are the keys to a smooth game, but you can further improve your gaming experience by familiarizing yourself with CSGO launch options.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best FPS games, Counter-Strike 2 release date, Best multiplayer games

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:18 PM
     Games to play if you're looking for an inclusive space

Games are for everyone, no matter your sex, gender identity, color, creed, sexual orientation, age, or disability status. This has always been the case, but games haven't always been the most representative medium around, and not everyone has always felt welcomed in the community. Thankfully, this is slowly changing thanks to the efforts of game creators and, of course, the fans themselves.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Cyberpunk 2077 review, Best Cyberpunk 2077 mods, Buy Cyberpunk 2077

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:16 PM
     Roblox promo codes June 2023

June 26, 2023: We updated our Roblox promo codes list to bring you the latest freebies.

Looking for all the active Roblox promo codes? There is a wide variety of promo codes from Roblox events and giveaways out there that grant you free virtual goods like hats, outfits, and more. With new Roblox codes arriving on the regular, you'll find plenty of ways to keep your avatar looking fresh - and our updated list is here to help.

Roblox promo codes won't hang around forever, however, so it's important that you redeem them before they expire. If you wish to reap their rewards, you'll first need to know how and where to redeem them, so we'll guide you through that process too. Be sure to check back here regularly, as we'll update this page whenever new Roblox promo codes release or older ones expire, saving you the trouble of searching for and checking them yourself. We also keep lists of Blox Fruits codes, Anime Adventures codes, and King Legacy codes if you're looking for game-specific freebies.

Continue reading Roblox promo codes June 2023
MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games, Roblox promo codes, Roblox music codes

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:13 PM
     Final Fantasy 16 PC release date speculation, story, and gameplay

Want to know the Final Fantasy 16 PC release date? We're fast approaching seven years since we last had a new mainline Final Fantasy title, but fans won't have to wait much longer for the next one.

Following its main character, Clive Rosfield, the JRPG game takes place in Valisthea, a land divided between six powerful nations. Peace is threatened between the nations as Valisthea learns to deal with the mysterious threat known only as the Blight. So with all that out of the way, it's time to look at everything we know about Final Fantasy 16, including trailers, news, story, and gameplay.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The best action-adventure games on PC 2022, Final Fantasy 16 release date, Best Final Fantasy games on PC

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:11 PM
     AMD Radeon RX 7600 price drops days before RTX 4060 launch

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 was already a budget-friendly graphics card, but less than a month from release, it's already coming down in price. This move is likely inspired by the Nvidia's new RTX 4060 lurking on the horizon, in a bid to secure team red's footing in the 1080p space.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7000 CPUs - everything we know, RDNA 3 GPUs - everything we know, Best gaming CPU

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:19 PM
     Baldur's Gate 3 release date, trailers, gameplay, and story

What is the Baldur's Gate 3 release date? The latest installment in the classic D&D adaptation has been sitting in early access for a few years now, and at this point, you might be wondering when we can expect the full launch. Well, wonder no more, because we've compiled everything we know into one handy guide, which contains all the latest updates you need to know ahead of launch.

It's been a whopping two decades since Baldur's Gate 2 was released, and we're more than ready to step back into the Forgotten Realms. Baldur's Gate 3 launched in early access back in 2020 – and with Divinity: Original Sin developer Larian Studios at the helm, it's already considered by many to be one of the best traditional RPG games around. Here's everything you need to know about the Baldur's Gate 3 release date, including its story, romance options, and launch editions.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Baldur's Gate 3 release date, Baldur's Gate 3 races, Baldur's Gate 3 classes

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:10 PM
     Apex Legends Season 18 release date and Revenant rework

What is the Apex Legends Season 18 release date? If it feels like Season 17 with the introduction of Ballistic only just happened, that's because he launched at the beginning of May. There's still plenty of time to go before the start of Season 18, and we've got some early information as to what we can expect from the upcoming season.

Fans of Revenant will be pleased to know that he's set to receive a big balance rework, potentially changing the effects of his kit and potentially his overall appearance. There's a chance this could happen before the Apex Legends season launches, but we fully expect it to tie in with the story events that lead up to the new update in the battle royale game. Here's everything we know about Apex Legends Season 18 release date so far, including information about the Revenant Reborn, balance changes, and more.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Apex Legends characters guide, Apex Legends skins, Apex Legends season 17 release date

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:08 PM
     New, rapid Seagate Firecuda 540 PCIe 5.0 SSD listed, then taken down

Seagate's first ever PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD, the FireCuda 540, has been taken down from Amazon UK and B&H Photo, having been available for pre-order earlier in the day. It looks like someone's got a little trigger-happy in listing it online, as the SSD was only available for a few hours before the plug got pulled. Although it's since been deleted, the fact it was listed for pre-order suggests the Seagate product isn't far away.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card, Best gaming PC, Best SSD for gaming

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:05 PM
     Diablo 4 tips and tricks guide for beginners

Looking for a guide to best Diablo 4 tips? We've got all the most crucial tricks for you as you dive into the devilishly good RPG game - specifically if you're a beginner to the long-running franchise. Having said that, it's been over a decade since Diablo 3, so if you've been out of the game some time and are looking for a little refresher before your next Diablo adventure, there might just be a tip or two here for you, too.

As you can see from our Diablo 4 review, the series' latest brings Diablo back to its best, and is undoubtedly one of the best PC games of 2023.  We have every Diablo 4 guide you could possibly want, but if you're just getting started, take a look at these tips we wish we'd known earlier. Give yourself every advantage and don't get left behind as Lilith's goons wreak havoc on you and your party with these Diablo 4 tips and tricks for beginners.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Diablo 4 builds, Diablo 4 review, Diablo 4 classes

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:01 PM
     Elden Ring classes – all stats and keepsakes

Want to know about best Elden Ring classes? At the very beginning of your adventure in this highly rated open-world game, you get the chance to choose a class for your character, known in-game as their 'origin'. This choice determines your starting level and attributes, which will form the core of your future Elden Ring build.

The question of which is the best Elden Ring class is entirely subjective. While each class has a certain playstyle associated with it, in addition to their own starting Elden Ring weapons and other gear, the RPG game's leveling system is free-form so, in the long run, your choice won't matter as much. That said, we can make some recommendations for classes suited to newer players.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The best Elden Ring builds, Elden Ring bosses, The best Elden Ring classes

PCGamesN Monday, June 26, 2023 12:10 PM
     All Mortal Kombat 1 characters

Who are all of the Mortal Kombat 1 characters? NetherRealm Studios is once again rebooting the timeline, only this time, we have Liu Kang as the Fire God guiding the mortals of EarthRealm instead of the Thunder God Raiden, as history repeats itself once more. However, instead of being a traditional fighter, Mortal Kombat 1 introduces assist characters called Kameos, who you can call to help get out of sticky situations.

So far, we've seen fighters we'd expect as Mortal Kombat 1 characters, and no new challengers have yet been introduced to the new timeline. That said, even some of the fighting game's classic characters have had tweaks to their origin story, with Scorpion seemingly alive and Kitana genuinely caring for her sister Mileena. With the Mortal Kombat 1 release date coming relatively soon, we're listing all of the fighters that have been confirmed so far.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best fighting games, Mortal Kombat 1 release date, Mortal Kombat 1 system requirements

Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, June 26, 2023 2:49 PM
    

Like Phasmophobia, Among Us and BattleBit Remastered before it, it's time for a new indie game to blow up on Twitch and keep thousands enthralled for at least a day or two before something else comes along. This time around, it's the turn of Only Up, a bizarre game about climbing your way into the sky.

Read more


Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, June 26, 2023 2:15 PM
    

The much-anticipated reboot of Perfect Dark is still "in the earliest stages" of development and at least two years away from being released, according to a new report.

Read more


Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, June 26, 2023 1:13 PM
    

If you want to play Metal Gear Solid's Master Collection - which will bring MGS3: Snake Eater to PC for the first time - when it releases this autumn, you'll need to have a controller.

Read more


Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, June 26, 2023 12:50 PM
    

The recent release of the Yakuza series on GOG has been tempered by the notable removal of several developers and even entire studios from the games' credits.

Read more


Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, June 26, 2023 12:00 PM
    

Six months ago, MMORPG Temtem introduced a mode that let you jump straight into the game's 2v2 turn-based battles, ignoring the busywork of quests, creature-catching, and all the other Pokémon-isms. Showdown was the mode's name; something for the animal fight pit lovers in the room, rather than the plain old animal lovers. That mode has now been spun into a free standalone release aptly called Temtem Showdown, out now.

Read more


Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, June 26, 2023 11:12 AM
    

The team of modders working to remaster The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in Skyrim's engine have released a hefty roadmap video, updating us on all the work they have left to do before Skyblivion's 2025 release window. As well as development updates, the new video (embedded below) contains plenty of glimpses at Skyblivion's nostalgic landscapes. Come take a look at fancy Cyrodiil down below, which looks exactly how I remember Oblivion looking (until I looked at actual Oblivion again.)

Read more


Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, June 26, 2023 10:30 AM
    

Last week while I was away from my desk, Pete Hines showed that the Starfield hype train is an unstoppable perpetual motion engine, and he certainly won't pull the emergency break for something as normie as a federal court. While his comments were part of the ongoing Actiblizz acquisition malarkey (the point seemingly being "it's so big it'd be too hard to optimise for PS5"), hearing him pitch Bethesda's upcoming grey-rocks-but-in-space-this-time RPG as "irresponsibly large" made me want to go full Reggie Perrin.

Every time I bring my reviews of giant games to the altar of the industry, I weep tears of blood and beg that games be shorter. And every time the golden idol with the face of Phil Spencer opens its maw to spit a new £80 disc out and says: "Bigger than ever before. A million pointless collectibles. A feast of zero-calorie content. Lol. Lmao."

Read more


Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, June 26, 2023 9:01 AM
    

Every weekend, indie devs show off current work on Twitter's #screenshotsaturday tag. And every Monday, I bring you a selection of these snaps and clips. This week, my eye has been caught by an android demon (not to be confused with that hellish Android mascot), chill snowboarding, a golf game played on an actual physical pop-up book, and more. Check out all these attractive and interesting indie games!

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, June 26, 2023 8:35 AM
    

June has been a feverishly hectic month between the NotE3 season, big games relentlessly releasing back-to-back, and this infernal heat wave we've been stuck in. Amidst all the madness though, one indie has been able to blast through the noise to become a smash hit on Steam - only sitting behind CS:GO on the sales charts - and potentially one of this year's biggest shooters. That impressive feat goes to BattleBit Remastered, a 254-player FPS that mixes Battlefield's large-scale skirmishes, Roblox's low-poly aesthetics, and some wild destructible environments.

Read more


Twinfinite Monday, June 26, 2023 3:30 PM
     No number of Fatalities faced stopped me from persevering.

Twinfinite Monday, June 26, 2023 12:37 PM
     Drive to thrive in EA Sports' F1 23.

Siliconera Monday, June 26, 2023 3:30 PM
    

Pokemon Plane Eevee

The Pokemon Company and Japanese airline ANA revealed that a new Pokemon plane based on Eevee and its evolutions, the Eevee Jet NH, will be traveling the skies from August 31, 2023. Various domestic and international flights are planned. The new plane is part of the Soratobu Pikachu Project (or the Flying Pikachu Project.)

The first three international flights announced for the Eevee Jet NH consist of flights from Haneda Airport in Tokyo, to London, New York, and San Francisco. There are also flights to Europe planned for the Eevee Jet NH, but there are no details on the destinations at the time of writing.

The new Pokemon-themed plane highlights the popular Pokemon Eevee and its eight evolutions, affectionately called "Eeveelutions" by fans. Additionally, Pikachu is also featured in the unique design. Previously, ANA's Pikachu Jet NH was the first plane to start operations on June 4, 2023, as part of the Soratobu Pikachu Project.

The decorations inside the plane are also based on Pikachu, and special souvenirs and merchandise based on the Pokemon franchise will be offered as well. Additionally, Pokemon content such as Pokemon Kids TV and POKETOONS will be available on all ANA international and domestic flights.

Other popular Pokemon planes include the Wailord and Magikarp Pikachu Jet BC2, China Airlines' Pikachu Jet CI, and Singapore's Pikachu Jet TR.

The new Pokemon-themed Eevee Jet NH will begin operations on August 31, 2023.

The post New ANA Pokemon Plane Is Based on Eevee and Its Evolutions appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Monday, June 26, 2023 3:00 PM
    

Interview: What Went into Designing Double Dragon Gaiden

Many developers have "gotten their hands" on Double Dragon over the years. We've seen entries from Arc System Works, Gravity, Million, Technos, and WayForward. Now Secret Base is stepping up as the creator of the upcoming game Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons with a whole new vision. To learn more about how the game will work ahead of its July debut, Siliconera spoke with Founder Raymond Teo about the title.

Jenni Lada: How long have you been working on Double Dragon Gaiden, and what led to the team working on a new Double Dragon game?

Raymond Teo: I have been working on Double Dragon Gaiden for more than 3.5 years now, but if we're talking about how this all happened, then that's a much longer story.

I released a parody beat 'em up called Devil's Dare on Steam in 2014/2015. It was a time when the genre was considered dead. It didn't sell very well, but it was really well received by our players and critics. That caught the attention of Arc System Works, who I believe was scouting for interesting titles to bring to Japan. He liked the game, but I already had a publisher for the console version, so we couldn't work together at that time. Bummer.

Unfortunately, things weren't smooth, and it took 4 years of struggle and a change of publisher to finally launched the console version of Devil's Dare, renamed Streets of Red: Devil's Dare Deluxe. Thanks to the new Nintendo Switch, it did much better and allowed me to continue making games again. During this time, I learned that Arc System Works had acquired the Double Dragon IP and released Double Dragon IV in 2017. It was a homage to the classic games, but I wondered if Arc System Works would be open to a new direction and a fresh start, so I contacted Arc System Works again and pitched my idea for a new Double Dragon game, with a mock-up video of the game design and art style.

I like to think that the team at Arc System Works was impressed by my pitch, but it wasn't easy to convince Arc System Works to trust me with such a legendary IP. And it took almost another year of on-and-off discussion and familiarizing, until they finally gave me the green light in late 2019, just before the pandemic hit. Talk about timing.

I'm very grateful to Arc System Works for giving me this opportunity. It's a rare and amazing story in this industry, and I'm honored to be part of it. And yes, I still pinch myself every morning to make sure this is real.

WayForward and Abstraction, Arc System Works, and many other developers have worked on Double Dragon games before. What do you hope to accomplish to help set your entry apart?

Teo: The main feature that sets our game apart would be the Tag Team mechanic, which adds more depth and strategy to the combat. We also wanted to create a feeling of fighting against a huge horde of enemies without losing control or clarity.

But beyond the combat, my personal goal is to recreate the arcade-like experience of short, intense and memorable gameplay sessions that make you want to play again and again. We have implemented many systems to achieve that, such as randomization, unlockables, different routes and more. I hope that even single-player gamers, or even non-fans of the franchise, will enjoy replaying the game multiple times.

[caption id="attachment_969663" align="alignnone" width="1200"]Interview: What Went into Designing Double Dragon Gaiden Image via Secret Base and Modus[/caption]
Which past Double Dragon games did you find most influential?

Teo: I studied all the previous Double Dragon games, as well as other media like movies, comics and the animated series, so they all influenced the choices I made for this game.

But I would say that I was especially inspired by the three Double Dragon games on NES, because they were some of the few beat 'em ups that were redesigned for a console experience and not just a direct arcade port.

They made the terrain a lot more interesting and painful, they let you to learn new moves as you progress and they even had additional characters to join you in your journey. We look at all these and ask how we can bring them in and make this a game that players can enjoy at home.

When creating Double Dragon Gaiden, what returning elements from past games did you feel were most important to preserve?

Teo: Unlike some other classic beat 'em ups, I think the Double Dragon franchise has already gone through quite a few iterations of "preserving the classic elements while updating it with modern design." In fact, I'd say that many of the later beat 'em ups in the 1990s arcades were pretty much trying to do that, building on top of Double Dragon.

My approach this time was to look at Double Dragon and try to reinterpret it. For example, the idea to create the Tag Mechanic was simply looking at the title Double Dragon, and thinking... well, what would make this a DOUBLE Dragon game? What about controlling two characters? Or what do we expect from a beat 'em up? Well, it should be about fighting lots of enemies and having the ability to manage the crowd.
[caption id="attachment_969664" align="alignnone" width="1200"]Interview: What Went into Designing Double Dragon Gaiden Image via Secret Base and Modus[/caption]
How do Double Dragon Gaiden characters differ from each other in terms of movesets? How did you handle balancing as a result of them being individual characters?

Teo: The goal was that no two characters are the same, so although everyone had their regular combo, jump attack, run attack and special moves, in truth, they all do different things. For example, Billy would perform a dive kick and knocks down his target, but Jimmy would do a ground pound that pushes all nearby targets away.

And because of how different they are, and how many of them there are, it was quite a massive workload balancing the characters. Of course, the usual trick is to categorize them in size and archetype. But we also wanted to showcase some of the well-known characters, and they don't always fit well into the archetype we wanted, so we needed to look at the character's lore or other spin-off titles to draw inspiration from to give them new moves. Not only that, but there were also many moves that were created, tested and thrown away because they weren't as fun as originally imagined.

Beyond that, it's back to good old playtesting, rebalancing, and playtesting again.

How did you decide which characters would be playable in Double Dragon Gaiden, and how far back in the game series' lore did you go when picking unlockable characters?

Teo: The idea back then was to create a "Double Dragon All-Star" game, so I naturally looked at all the most well-known and memorable characters of the franchise and studied them all. For the longest time, my solution would be to make this a prequel to justify why these characters would come together again. However, there were complications with the storyline that were hard to resolve.

In the end, Arc System Works suggested that we should make this a Gaiden side story. This allowed us to bring all these characters together in sort of an alternate timeline and retell the franchise in a new way. This would appeal to both new gamers, who could get into the series easily, and older fans, who could enjoy a fresh take on a classic adventure.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons will appear on the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC on July 27, 2023.

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