GamersHeroes Monday, January 1, 2024 11:00 AM Get a taste of things to come with the teaser trailer for Vol. 1 of Type-Moon, Omega Force, and Koei Tecmo's Fate/Samurai Remnant. The post Fate/Samurai Remnant DLC Vol. 1 Teaser Trailer Released appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
Kotaku Monday, January 1, 2024 10:00 AM  Maybe you finally got Baldur's Gate 3 this past week after pining for it for months and want some help tackling its tactical battles, or maybe you're more interested in looking ahead to what early 2024 has to offer. Whatever the case, our roundup of tips and informative posts likely has something for you. |
PCGamesN Monday, January 1, 2024 1:57 PM  January 1, 2024: We're searching for new Blox Fruits codes for Winter Update Part 1 and will have them as soon as they hit. What are the new Blox Fruits codes? We've compiled a regularly updated list of all Blox Fruits codes to redeem in-game freebies like XP boosts, free Beli, and stat resets for your pirate adventures. Need a boost to take on the increasingly tricky competition? We've got you covered. Blox Fruits is one of the biggest Roblox games ever, thanks to its fun, anime-inspired pirate action. That said, it can be challenging to find new Blox Fruits codes, much like Anime Adventures codes, Blade Ball codes, and Anime Champions Simulator codes, but we've done the hard work and listed all the active Blox Fruits codes prior to Update 21 in one place below. Continue reading Blox Fruits codes January 2024 – free XP and money MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games, Roblox promo codes, Roblox music codes |
PCGamesN Monday, January 1, 2024 12:00 PM  Almost 20 years ago, Troika unleashed Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines on the world, engulfing us in a world of undead political struggles and thrusting us into Santa Monica fangs first. It's a game that I return to far too often, each time choosing Malkavian and yelling indiscriminately at innocent stop signs while internally urging myself to 'play another clan next time around.' Bloodlines has all seven of the tabletop game's original clans, each with their own unique attributes and playstyles, executed perfectly. Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2, by contrast, has four at launch, and I can't deny that such an immediate step back has come as a disappointment. Continue reading I want to love Bloodlines 2, but it takes a big step back MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Bloodlines 2 gameplay, Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines 2 release date, Pre-order Bloodlines 2 |
PCGamesN Monday, January 1, 2024 7:48 AM  January 1, 2024: We've added new Monopoly Go dice links to our list. How can I get Monopoly Go free dice links? The classic board game has made its way to a free-to-play format, and you'll be doing laps of the board collecting houses and hotels and completing a variety of multiplayer minigames along the way. You can't get far in Monopoly Go without dice rolls, which you'll have a limited amount of to begin with. To earn more dice rolls, you'll need to log in daily to collect bonuses, invite your friends to the game, or progress further. If you don't want to spend your hard-earned money on more dice, you can use dice links for the board game instead. Now, let's run down all the currently active Monopoly Go free dice links for today. Continue reading Free Monopoly Go dice links January 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best board games, Free PC games, Monopoly Go dice |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, January 1, 2024 1:49 PM  Fallout: London has been in the works for five years now, culminating in a seriously impressive mod for Fallout 4 that's essentially a brand new game set in a radiated England rather than North America. After missing its planned release window in 2023, it now has a full release date - and it's only a few months away. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, January 1, 2024 12:50 PM  The director of Tekken 8 has responded after a video of the upcoming fighting game's colourblind mode was reported to have caused migraines and vertigo among players, with accessibility experts expressing their worries that the filter could cause even more serious side effects among those with epilepsy and other photosensitive conditions. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, January 1, 2024 11:55 AM  While the weather outside is still a bit chilly and everyone's bank accounts are recovering from the holidays, visiting an escape room with friends might not be at the top of your to-do list. Fortunately, you can currently get some of the same puzzly satisfaction for free - and without having to go outside - by nabbing Escape Academy over on the Epic Games Store for the next 24 hours. |
Siliconera Monday, January 1, 2024 12:00 PM
Turn-based combat is one of the oldest forms of battle in video games. Decades later, genres like the RPG still use turn-based combat effectively, so why has it stood the test of time?
The iconic combat system originated in pen-and-paper RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons. When making the first RPG video games, translating the turn-based system was a natural choice for developers. It circumvented many technical issues, as the system was basically all math. You didn't need to see characters or really anything at all, but it still offered complexity and depth.
However, as the video game industry grew in popularity, so did the technical capabilities of games. Now, there are plenty of ways to portray combat in real-time effectively. Despite there being more advanced alternatives available, we still have many games released that are turn-based. This is because the combat system still offers a unique depth.
Once again, the system is, at its core, all math. This means difficulty comes from how well you've prepared and understood the mechanics. Players are rewarded for how they've distributed their equipment and abilities. While many real-time games offer similar preparation and planning, they also incorporate a human execution component.
This is why turn-based games can have incredibly consistent speedruns. You can set up things so precisely because human ability is far less important than planning and, in some cases, luck. Personally, it is this, at the end of the day, that has gamers still interested in the combat system.
How has turn-based combat evolved?
Some mainstays like Final Fantasy have moved on from turn-based combat, opting for more action-oriented gameplay. First, they moved to the ATB system, which sped up turn-based combat and gave it some tension. Slowly, this has evolved into the full real-time action gameplay seen in Final Fantasy XVI.
Other franchises like Dragon Quest and Shin Megami Tensei have held onto turn-based combat. Even modern games with turn-based combat offer quirks and mechanics to make things fresh. The Press Turn system in the Shin Megami Tensei series is the best example of this. You gain or lose turns based on your attack's effectiveness on enemies (and vice versa).
This adds another layer of strategy and planning to combat that the turn-based system promotes. Another frequently used quality of life enhancement is viewing the turn order. Many games, like the Trails series, allow you to view upcoming turns and manipulate them with attacks and abilities.
While some argue combat can become repetitive, luckily, many modern games are offering "auto battles" to remedy this. These titles are also built around not having to grind nearly as much as older games in the genre. However, I personally think grinding is worth it once you get past a major boss and exect planning out your fight.
This is how turn-based combat has survived into the modern day. Through evolving and adding enhancements that accent the pace and strategy of the system. While I know it's sometimes thought to be outdated, I personally find turn-based combat to be my favorite. I think the level of planning and detail that goes into fights, especially major fights, is just unparalleled to something in real-time.
How do you feel? Do you still think turn-based combat works in the modern day?
The post Why Turn-Based Combat Has Stood the Test of Time appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, January 1, 2024 12:00 PM
After a lengthy development cycle, Neko Atsume VR is finally around as Neko Atsume Purrfect Kitty Collector for Meta Quest 2, 3, and Pro headsets. While it is cute and quite relaxing, it feels like it sticks a bit too closely to the mobile balancing and doesn't take into account that someone might only play it once or twice each day.
Like the mobile game, Neko Atsume Purrfect Kitty Collector is about making your virtual home inviting to stray cats. You set out food and place objects and toys for the cats to use. Then, you take some time away and come back to see what animals were lured in by your treats. You then get to take photos of them being adorable, which you catalog in a journal, collect fish as gifts from them or mementos if they like you enough, and put out more food and items to repeat the process. Here, the new gimmicks involve handheld items to feed treats or shake toys, the opportunity to pet or pick up cats after calling them over, and taking advantage of mixed reality features to see the cats in the "real world."
To its credit, Neko Atsume Purrfect Kitty Collector does completely recreate the experience in VR on the Quest. You're in the exact home and yard as in the mobile game. (Though there is a sliding door to "your room," aka the real world, that is new.) The spots to place different toys are the same. Many of the cats return, though some of the more elaborate and fanciful ones and their trigger toys are absent. So it is still a very similar experience.
It also works very well as a "break" between games. This is still an idle simulator, which largely means you set out the food, leave, come back to see which cats appeared, then take photos of and possibly play with them with the newly added tools while collecting the gifts they left you. I've been popping into Neko Atsume Purrfect Kitty Collector between playing other VR games on my Quest 3, like Beat Saberand Asgard's Wrath 2. So I load up the headset, pop in to feed and catalog kitties, go kill some stuff or attack boxes, then see what happened back at the cat house after an hour or two.
I did find I didn't use the mixed reality much. It's fine and a neat option. Maybe if someone has more open room in their space and aren't in an apartment, or if they have actual animals, it could be fun. But I spent almost all my time in the virtual home.
However, in my time playing Neko Atsume Purrfect Kitty Collector, I feel like the balancing is way off in this VR game or that it probably isn't best suited for anything beyond a mobile experience. The pacing is incredibly slow. Given items are at a few hundred fish, not even to mention gold fish, it can take days to earn a new item to place or use to play with cats. I'd have appreciated different pacing to make it easier to start acquiring items since you aren't going to be checking it upwards of five to six times a day like you would the app.
There's also an issue I found with turning. The way it handles it made me feel uncomfortable and a bit motion sick, to the point that I would make sure I was in a spot where I could turn around and move a little bit so I could shift to the two different positions in the home and yard and look at the cats by turning myself in reality, rather than with the joystick on the controller. However, a developer response to a review on the Meta Store says that snap turns will be implemented at a later date.
Neko Atsume Purrfect Kitty Collector is a slow burn game. You'll be playing for probably a week or so before you accumulate a good number of items. Which some people might love! Neko Atsume Purrfect Kitty Collector is quite cute and a good wind-down game after more strenuous Meta Quest 2 or 3 VR games. However, it keeps the same sort of pacing as the mobile game, without providing much incentive to keep playing beyond petting and shaking a toy at virtual cats.
Neko Atsume Purrfect Kitty Collector is available on the Meta Quest 2, 3, and Pro VR headsets.
The post Review: Neko Atsume Purrfect Kitty Collector Recreates the App in VR appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, January 1, 2024 9:00 AM
Touhou spin-off, indie games are hit or miss. You never know what the experience and quality will be like until you give one a shot. Koumajou Remilia II: Stranger's Requiem is a follow-up to Frontier Aja and CFK's original 2022 Castlevania sort of release and, while the game doesn't do too much new for this series or genre, it's a challenging enough adventure.
Some background with the Touhou series helps here, but the story of Koumajou Remilia II: Stranger's Requiem is pretty easy to jump into. Sakuya Izayoi is essentially a maid/bodyguard for Remilia Scarlet. Upon returning to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, she finds things are awry and everyone else there missing. You'll need to defeat familiar and unfamiliar bosses, who retain their bullet hell sort of energy attack patterns despite this being a Castlevania-like, reunite with characters who can become summon partners, and fight your way through stages to discover what's going on.
As this is taking cues from the original Castlevania games on the NES and such, the gameplay may feel familiar. Players follow Sakuya as she goes through stages in the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Everything is shown from a 2D perspective, and she has her knives to attack as well as sub-weapons and summoned partners you can pick from for stages. As you go through general enemies, which are devastatingly strong on their own on the standard difficulty, you eventually reach bosses who are familiar faces. When you do, you'll need to stay alive and take them down. However, as this is based on the older Castlevania entries, that means that falling in stages too many times nets you a game over and ends your progress.
Given this is a sequel, you expect some repetition in Koumajou Remilia II: Stranger's Requiem. The thing is, there's a lot more than I expected, as well as seeing some lessons haven't been learned. There are a lot of the same enemies again. They both look and act in the same ways. There are still some of the same platforming pitfalls as the original, with knockback issues hampering progress in certain areas and sometimes the controls feeling a bit slower than I needed to deal with bosses. (Admittedly, it does control better than Scarlet Symphony, but only a little.) Also, while there are updates in the form of more subweapons, I felt like the new additions weren't substantial enough to feel exciting.
That said, some of the features that are new to Koumajou Remilia II: Stranger's Requiem do genuinely feel worthwhile. Especially if you're feeling like you need to push yourself further and perhaps get beaten down by its fearsome foes. The boss rush mode lets you tackle all of the most intimidating opponents. I was terrible at it, but appreciate that it is there and it seems to be handled well.
Also, since so many enemies are being recycled from the original game, I was pleased to see Reimu return as a playable character. However, I found this option doesn't also include a new storyline, which is disappointing. It just replaces Sakuya with Reimu. It's actually more barebones in a way, because it's just like she was plucked from Scarlet Symphony with no quality of life adjustments.
Really, the best thing about Koumajou Remilia II: Stranger's Requiem is the way it looks and feels. Banpai Akira's art is absolutely incredible. All of the Touhou character designs look amazing. Much of the sprite work is very good and quite detailed as well. Also, the game does have a lovely soundtrack. That there is now an option to head into the Collection section so you can appreciate some of these elements without the constant threat of death is also an appreciated perk.
I enjoyed Koumajou Remilia II: Stranger's Requiem and did enjoy my time with it. It will really test you with its difficulty. It also looks gorgeous. However, this is an incredibly basic title. There are no frills to this Castlevania inspired Touhou fan game. Also, it feels like while I did see progress from the original, it didn't build on and learn from it enough to really stand out and show major progress. It's absolutely fine, especially if you enjoyed Koumajou Remilia: Scarlet Symphony and want more of that, but it isn't one of the best Castlevania-likes I've played.
Koumajou Remilia II: Stranger's Requiem is available on the Nintendo Switch and PC.
The post Review: Koumajou Remilia II: Stranger's Requiem Pays Tribute to Classic Castlevania appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, January 1, 2024 9:00 AM
LEGO Fortnite feels like one of the best surprises in gaming in a long time. Epic Games and LEGO came together to offer a survival experience that feels like an amalgamation of multiple titles into one monumental offering. It may not be perfect, but it lays the foundation for something special.
LEGO Fortnite feels like a mix of games like Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Story of Seasons, and Animal Crossing. It takes the standard survival and building mechanics of Minecraft, tosses in farming and relationships from Story of Seasons, and has the idea of building houses and recruiting lovable villagers, like in Animal Crossing.
This makes for a massive and beautiful adventure where players make their LEGO worlds and survive or build within them. The aesthetic is fantastic, as classic characters and creatures from Fortnite have a glossy new blocky look. This works well, giving LEGO Fortnite an appearance that looks better than the main game, in my opinion.
The overall survival experience feels like the heart of the game right now. It carefully guides players through their custom world with tutorials on how to build villages, create houses, upgrade their town, gain new villagers, and more. The various biomes, ranging from the grasslands to the snowy areas, offer various materials and monsters to tackle.
But LEGO Fortnite feels, in many ways, like the original Minecraft did near its alpha launch. There is a clear game here, even with a final boss-like monster at the end, but the overall experience is a bit shallow. Even the various custom worlds you can create all feel a bit too samey at times in their design and style.
Sure, there are lots of buildings and materials to gather, but I will admit that LEGO Fortnite loses its luster over time, especially if you don't have people to play it with. It becomes a quick and repetitive chore to go into that cave, farm some materials, return and craft your desired upgrade, and repeat the cycle.
Smart elements like villagers being able to go out and gather resources help with this, but it only goes so far. Within a dozen hours, you'll probably see everything the game pretty much has to offer. What holds it back is the lack of features to keep the experience going past this point. After all, the actual building in this game feels a bit clunky and odd.
There are blueprints for houses and certain items you can follow, which makes it accessible for newcomers. But you can also use custom parts to make your creations. Unfortunately, these planks, platforms and the like still feel like they are forcing you into a box of what you can and can't do. This isn't like Minecraft in the way that every item is essentially a similar block, so it feels a bit too restrictive at times.
Fortunately, there is room for some creativity, such as creating a flying car Tears of the Kingdom-style. That said, it all gets pretty boring quite fast, and it comes down to the closed-off nature of the game and only 10 levels for villages. It doesn't help that the game isn't too forgiving (at least in survival) when it comes to moving structures.
If you build your village up with a dozen houses and structures and then want to move it to a different biome, it doesn't let you easily do that. You have to destroy every single piece and rebuild them again elsewhere. Sure, games like Minecraft also have a similar idea, but the building in this game is already so cumbersome that it would be nice to have some quality-of-life features here.
Then there is the combat, which also feels somewhat awkward to control. Oddly, the combat in this game doesn't take after Fortnite completely, so don't expect your shotty to be here. Instead, it has some slow hack-and-slash moves and a dodge. I like the dodge but everything feels slower than it should, which led to me getting hit more than I would like.
LEGO Fortnite could be truly special with more villagers, better quality-of-life features, and a general sense of direction. For now, it remains a solid but incomplete foundation. It is great fun for a time, but it will need some improvements and additions before it becomes a more permanent video game home for me to live in.
LEGO Fortnite is available for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Android devices.
The post Review: LEGO Fortnite Feels Like a Solid Foundation appeared first on Siliconera. |
PC Invasion - FeedDDD Monday, January 1, 2024 12:00 PM  Genshin Impact has over 70 playable characters, each with a unique design, personality, and kit. There's nothing like a little competition when it comes to which character appeals to the community the most. Here are all of the most popular Genshin Impact characters ranked. Most popular characters in Genshin Impact It's hard to quantify the popularity of an individual character. With so many different metrics, such as social media engagements, banner sales, and popularity polls, there are arguments you can make for any of these characters to top the list. However, these characters are consistently the most popular in the game, and we've ranked them here for you. #10: Diluc Despite Diluc's weak position in the meta for a 5-star character, it's no surprise that Diluc is one of the most popular characters in the game. The original hypercarry and one of the most stylish characters in the game, he is an astonishingly pop... |
PC Invasion - FeedDDD Monday, January 1, 2024 9:00 AM  Since the release of Genshin Impact, we have seen hundreds of cosplays. But which one is the best among all of them? The anime aesthetic that Genshin Impact provides, makes it one of the top choices for cosplayers from all over the world. Till now, we have seen a lot of cosplays of our favorite Genshin Impact characters and also have been mesmerized a lot of times. But certainly, there are few cosplays that make themselves stand out from the others due to the extraordinary effort that the artists put behind them. In this article, we will provide you with a list of the best Genshin Impact cosplays of all time. Hu Tao by Arurinh Here's some amazingggg Hu Tao Cosplays <3cr. @/arurinh_ cr. @/sixtutu622 cr. @/Tenletters in Reddit pic.twitter.com/HV0925Tqcz— Neulilith? | liilliithh (@neulneull) July 15, 2022 For a person who manages funerary affairs, Hu Tao certainly looks very jolly and joyful at all times. Cosplayer Arurinh with her... |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Monday, January 1, 2024 1:29 PM From the director that worked on Soul Hackers 2. The post A New Unannounced Atlus Game is Currently in Development appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Monday, January 1, 2024 1:05 PM Includes tons of gameplay fixes The post Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Update Fixes Lots of Issues appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Monday, January 1, 2024 12:55 PM The current free game as of writing is Ghostrunner. The post The List of Epic Games Store Free Games Have Seemingly Leaked appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Monday, January 1, 2024 10:17 AM Will likely not be delayed again. The post Granblue Fantasy: Relink is "Finally Complete" appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |