Kotaku Saturday, June 8, 2024 12:00 PM  It was eclectic week of gaming news, and we've got a diverse sampler platter for you with the week's biggest stories, or at least, the biggest ones from before Summer Game Fest kicked off on Friday. For more on that, see our roundup of everything shown off at this year's Keighley-fest, and our look at the games shown… |
PCGamesN Saturday, June 8, 2024 11:06 AM  Few things are quite as satisfying as pulling off the perfect turn in XCOM, transforming impossible odds into a winning position with just a few clicks. The likes of Into the Breach and Invisible Inc implement that feeling into a more puzzle-style roguelike format, each making you feel like a tactical genius. Yet new strategy game Tactical Breach Wizards may be the coolest such setup yet, combining slick, speedy combat scenarios with snappy, witty dialogue. Continue reading XCOM and Into The Breach fuse in high-octane new Steam strategy game MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best indie games, Best turn-based strategy games, Best story games |
PCGamesN Saturday, June 8, 2024 11:04 AM  June 8, 2024: We've added new Monopoly Go dice links for free dice rolls and removed expired ones from our list. How can I get Monopoly Go free dice links? The household favorite board game has been reimagined as a free-to-play application on smartphones, allowing everyone to experience the thrills of Monopoly on practically any device. Everything that makes the board game special is here in Monopoly Go, so you'll be collecting properties and building hotels as you go around the board, and there are a variety of multiplayer minigames to get through along the way. You're going to need to get your hands on Monopoly dice rolls, but they are difficult to come by no matter how far you are into the board game. There are ways to earn additional dice rolls, including logging into the game every day to collect daily bonuses, progressing further in the game, and inviting friends to try Monopoly Go. While you can also spend real money to unlock more dice rolls, you may want to give our list of Monopoly Go dice links a try instead, especially if you're waiting for the next Monopoly Go Golden Blitz event. Take a look at all the currently active Monopoly Go free dice links for today. Continue reading Free Monopoly Go dice links June 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best board games, Monopoly Go events, Monopoly Go dice |
PCGamesN Saturday, June 8, 2024 10:51 AM  The next installment in Sid Meier's 4X strategy series, Civ 7, got its official announcement at Summer Game Fest. Unfortunately, it's still at least six months away, due to launch sometime in 2025. Lucky for you, the game that came before, Civilization 6, is on sale for just 5% of its original price. An absolute steal for one of the best turn-based strategy games out there. Continue reading Don't wait for Civilization 7, Civ 6 just hit its lowest price ever MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The best Civ 6 mods, The best Civ 6 civs, Play Civilization VI |
PCGamesN Saturday, June 8, 2024 10:31 AM  Ultra-realistic shooter Bodycam, shown from the POV of the titular cameras, launched in early access yesterday. Despite its mixed reviews, it's sitting at a relatively high concurrent player count of 7,622 at the time of writing. Its 24-hour peak was more than double that, 16,457. It's also sitting at number three in Steam's top-sellers chart, so those numbers will likely only go up. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best FPS games, Best upcoming games, Best multilplayer games |
PCGamesN Saturday, June 8, 2024 10:41 AM  How do you complete Destiny 2 Salvation's Edge raid? This tricky raid is stumping even the most experienced raiders. There's no shame in seeking a little helping hand, especially if you want to get it finished within contest mode. We're working our way slowly through it ourselves too, so this guide is a work in progress. Destiny 2 has long been famed for its raid races, which sees fireteams of six gather together to try to complete the raid on "day one" which recently became two days to encourage Guardians to stay healthy, get rest, and not stick to their desks for 24 hours straight. With the complexity of Salvation's Edge, this one could well take the full 48 hours to finish, even if you've got the best Prismatic build around. Continue reading Destiny 2 Salvation's Edge raid walkthrough MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Destiny 2 classes, Destiny 2 Lightfall review, Destiny 2 builds |
PCGamesN Saturday, June 8, 2024 9:24 AM  Wolfenstein, but a Metroidvania. That's a pretty concise and strong sell for upcoming indie game Wolfhound. Announced during this year's Summer Game Fest, it's a side-scrolling, pixelated shooter that looks tough as nails. Set in a clandestine Nazi base hidden on an island in the Bermuda triangle, you'll fight Nazis and their abominable creations in this sci-fi Metroidvania. Continue reading Wolfenstein reimagined as a super hard, WW2 Metroidvania MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Metroidvania games, Best indie games, Best PC games |
PCGamesN Saturday, June 8, 2024 6:39 AM  One of the most interesting-looking games from Summer Game Fest's Day of the Devs is this horror fusion of Cyberpunk 2077 and Silent Hill. It's a stunning, haunted house mystery that looks as twisted and scary as it does deeply philosophical. It's called Psychroma, and there's a free Steam demo you can try out now. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best cyberpunk games, Best story games, Best PC games |
PCGamesN Saturday, June 8, 2024 9:12 AM  Do you like the bullet-time effect from the Matrix? How about X-ray vision? Combine the two and you get the bone-shattering imagery of the Sniper Elite video games, WW2-era tactical third-person shooters where you shoot Nazis in slow motion and watch as the bullets ricochet around their insides. Now, the whole series is on sale on Steam, so you grab them for up to 90% off. Continue reading Grab Steam's top five sniper games for up to 90% off |
PCGamesN Saturday, June 8, 2024 5:23 AM  Want to know all the Street Fighter 6 characters? Looking back to older games in the series, Street Fighter 4 launched with 25 characters, but the lackluster Street Fighter 5 featured just 16 characters on day one. Capcom appears to be learning from its past mistakes with Street Fighter 6's roster, bringing a mix of fan favorites, revamped returning characters, and new fighters. Now that the Street Fighter 6 release date has been and gone, it's time to start thinking about what DLC season two fighters might be heading to the game. Street Fighter 6 has just wrapped up its first season, ending the game's first year on a high with the return of Akuma. Continue reading Street Fighter 6 characters list and full roster MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Street Fighter 6 review, Street Fighter 6 tier list, Street Fighter 6 roster |
PCGamesN Saturday, June 8, 2024 9:04 AM  One of the best roguelike games in recent years will soon get even better. Cult of the Lamb combines combat reminiscent of action games like Hades and The Binding of Isaac with a base building and management side that has you sacrificing followers to an Eldritch god like some sort of devilish midpoint between Animal Crossing and Darkest Dungeon. Now a new update is set to bring a hefty helping of upgrades aside the long-requested addition of co-op. Continue reading Fantastic Steam roguelike set to add co-op and more in big update MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Upcoming PC Games, Cult of the Lamb beginners guide, How to get lumber and stone in Cult of the Lamb |
Siliconera Saturday, June 8, 2024 12:00 PM
There have been Oshi no Ko moments and manga volumes that make it absolutely feel like Aqua and Akane are getting moments to shine. However, this has never been more clear with the sixth volume. Now that the Tokyo Blade stage play is in full-swing, we're also getting major reveals and development between the two leads.
Editor's Note: There are spoilers for previous volumes up to and story beats from Oshi no Ko volume 6.
This Tokyo Blade arc in the Oshi no Ko manga brings together a number of major and minor characters, however on opposing sides. So Kana Arima and Melt Narushima are among the "heroes," while Aqua Hoshino and fake girlfriend Akane Kurokawa are the major villains. This also involves an actual rivalry behind the scenes. However, we've only really seen Kana's side of things until now. Past volumes looked at her past as a child star and why she sees Akane as such competition. (She's popular and is dating Aqua.) Now, we're seeing things from the other side.
Initially, the focus is on some development between Aqua and Akane that is tied to their "relationship" in Oshi no Ko. We see him let her in on exactly why he's trying to succeed in show business. (He wants to get revenge on his mother Ai's killer.) She then agrees to not only support him, but aid his cause. She brings up her reasoning why, and also suggests that as her "boyfriend" he should also assist with her goal of besting Kana.
This leads to opportunities to see both characters' growth, as well as insights into who they are and what drives them. Aqua is dealing with PTSD both from his past and present life. As such, it makes tapping into and dealing with emotions difficult. However, to assist Akane and make the stage play a success, he'll need to do so. So we see his determination to overcome things for the sake of his personal goals.
Meanwhile, with Akane we're getting a chance to see how her past encounters with Kana shaped her present in Oshi no Ko. We see how admiration and her own drive influenced her goals. There are also shades of "never meet your heroes" here, which is especially fun given the execution of the manga. After all, we've been exposed to Kana more often up until this point and seen her viewpoint. Now we're seeing Akane and her encounters with Kana, and Kana ends up being an antagonist in that story. We're able to appreciate her desire to overcome, which makes the course of this volume feel like it really pays off.
This also means this volume of the Oshi no Ko manga is again doing a great job of setting up the future actions of characters like Akane and Aqua, while teasing major updates in their career. Akane's goal is to surpass Kana's performance in Tokyo Blade. The volume leaves off right as we're about to see if that's possible. (And not knowing who to root for, since both are sympathetic leads.) Aqua's goal is to get closer to Ai's killer, and Tokyo Blade's success and Akane's help could assist with that. It continues to develop wonderfully.
Volume 6 of Oshi no Ko is available now, and Yen Press will release volume 7 of the manga on August 20, 2024. The anime is streaming on HIDIVE.
The post Aqua and Akane's Growth Propel Oshi no Ko Manga Volume 6 appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Saturday, June 8, 2024 11:46 AM
Just a month after the debut of Akuma and end of the Year 1 Character Pass, Street Fighter 6 gameplay for M Bison appeared. He's the first Year 2 Character Pass DLC launching on June 26, 2024, and his first trailer is now live.
The M Bison Street Fighter 6 gameplay trailer begins with him riding in on a horse. After someone takes a picture of him, he asks, "Do I resemble this man you call Bison? I shall take that name for myself." We then get to see him fight Juri in a stage that looks like a ruined laboratory. It begins with his new look, but at the 1:20 mark he appears in his classic uniform.
Here's the full M Bison Street Fighter 6 gameplay trailer:
In addition, the official social media account for Street Fighter showed some concept art. It highlighted Vega, aka M Bison, paying particular attention to his face, gloves, and boots. His character page is also live on the official site, though it doesn't show his command list, frame data, or costumes yet.
We already know who will join M Bison in the Year 2 Character Pass. Fellow Street Fighter cast member Elena will return. So will Fatal Fury and KOF staples Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui.
The post See the Street Fighter 6 M Bison Gameplay Footage appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Saturday, June 8, 2024 11:39 AM
Atlus and Sega revealed the release date for the upcoming Episode Aigis DLC for Persona 3: Reload. Players who own the expansion pass or pick it up at launch will have the chance to explore the Abyss of Time as Aigis on September 10, 2024.
The Episode Aigis DLC, also known as The Answer, is available as part of the game's Expansion Pass and originally appeared in the FES edition of Persona 3. The DLC will allow players to directly control Aigis as the team encounter mysterious figure called Metis in a follow-up to the main game. The release date was announced with a new trailer showing some gameplay and cutscenes of the game, including Metis summoning her persona Psyche and Aigis' victory screen.
You can watch the full trailer via Youtube below:
Back in May 2024, Atlus released another DLC pack for the game including a set of Velvet room-themed costumes and background music tracks. That same month, Genda GiGO Entertainment also announced the return of Persona 3-themed Taiyaki and drinks for a limited time.
The Persona 3: Reload Episode Aigis DLC will release on September 10, 2024. The main game is already available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game is also available via Xbox Game Pass.
The post Here's the Persona 3: Reload Episode Aigis DLC Release Date appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Saturday, June 8, 2024 9:00 AM
Haikyuu: The Dumpster Battle is a fun and satisfying conclusion to the long-running rivalry that exists between the Karasuno and Nekoma teams. However, its heavy focus on Kenma and Nekoma, as well as the structure of the movie, may make it boring for those who have little interest in his character.
Before we start, I'd like to pose a question. How has the movie-going experience been for you since COVID-19? Every movie I watched since then, I've only ever sat next to people who talk or text on their phones. During Haikyuu: The Dumpster Battle, the girls on my left whisper-screamed at the slightest provocation or yelled things like "Shut up, you nerd!" when Kuro was giving his pre-match speech. They only settled down after I shushed them for screaming through Yamaguchi's big moment. But the peace didn't last for long. The group on my roommate's right kept talking in a foreign language, as well as mimed the movements of the volleyball players. Like, I get cheering during triumphant scenes and laughing at funny ones. But this is a little ridiculous. As a disclaimer though, because of these distractions, I sometimes had a hard time focusing on the movie.
The plot of Haikyuu: The Dumpster Battle centers on the Karasuno versus Nekoma match during the Spring Nationals. This is a very important match for both teams, as Karasuno and Nekoma have been rivals for quite some time in-universe. This is a showdown that fans have been waiting years to happen. While the manga version of this match also had a heavy focus on Kenma, Kenma fully takes center stage in the theatrical adaptation. The movie starts with a flashback to his first meeting with Hinata, as well his childhood playing volleyball with Kuro. It also gives more insight on Kenma, showing that while he seems apathetic towards volleyball, he would have given it up if he really didn't like it. During his match against Karasuno, he becomes much more determined and fired up to win, which contrasts with how reserved and lethargic he was in the past.
If you like Nekoma or Kenma, you're going to have a great time with this movie. It's really all about Kenma and, by association, Kuro. The movie portrayed Kenma's character development really well. Even as someone neutral on him, I loved it. However, if you like Haikyuu!! for the volleyball or you're not a Kenma fan, this movie might not be your cup of tea. There were some really exciting moments during the match. But flashbacks felt like they made up the greater chunk of the film. The show strikes that perfect balance between volleyball and reminiscing. However, the movie's more limited run time seems to have worked against it. For reference, in the manga, Karasuno's game with Nekoma ran from chapters 293 to 324. Meanwhile, Shiratorizawa versus Karasuno was chapters 150 to 187, and that had an entire season's worth of episodes to adapt it.
Since the movie is a direct continuation of the show, I highly recommend people to watch or catch up to Haikyuu before this movie. The movie had everything that makes Haikyuu such a standout sports anime. It had the cute and lovable characters, the heart-pounding sports action, the funny gags, and the heartwarming writing. But something about it felt off to me. I left the theater thinking that it didn't really feel like I watched a Haikyuu match. The rallies are faster, for one. They make the game feel more realistic but might have contributed to the "different" feeling. However, I think part of this issue stems from the way the movie strings rallies together with Kenma's flashbacks serving as a sort of divider block. If this match was an entire season, much like the Shiratorizawa one was, then it might not have felt disjointed to me.
All of the standout moments from the movie to me were from the game. Tsukishima's blocks, Yamaguchi's serves, the way Kenma plays Karasuno like a fiddle, Kageyama and Hinata's teamwork, Yaku and Noya's saves... The extra care that the animators could put into all of the expressions and movements for the movie made the volleyball segments shine. There was a particular rally near the end that made me incredibly emotional. While Production I.G. did a great job adapting the lengthy arc to the big screen, I personally thought the flashbacks slowed down the pacing of the film. These flashbacks were not so noticeable in the manga and wouldn't have been so out of place in the show.
The bigger screen also made some of the smear frames very obvious. In my theater, I heard some people laughing during the more dramatic moments, likely because of this. It reminded me a bit of how people condemned the Karna versus Siegfried fight in Fate/Apocrypha. That was due to the different animation styles that A-1 Pictures employs compared to ufotable. But as someone who doesn't really know much about animation or sakuga, I can't comment on how Production I.G.'s looked.
Haikyuu: The Dumpster Battle was a fun experience for fans of the anime and manga series. But its heavy focus on Kenma might make it a bit boring for people who don't care much about him. There's what feels like an entire two minutes of listening to Yuki Kaji (Kenma's voice actor) ASMR as he breathes into the microphone. However, the scene in question was also a very unique and immersive sequence. Perhaps my more negative opinions about the movie comes from how irritated and distracted I was from the patrons. My roommate, who said she wasn't bothered by the people around her, said she found the movie perfectly fine. I urge people who want to watch this movie to leave their bad etiquette in the dumpster before going inside.
Haikyuu: The Dumpster Battle came out in Japan on February 16, 2024. Crunchyroll distributed the movie internationally from May 30, 2024.
The post Haikyuu: The Dumpster Battle Is for the Kenma Fans appeared first on Siliconera. |
PC Invasion - FeedDDD Saturday, June 8, 2024 9:10 AM  The Final Shape campaign has some of the most enjoyable and challenging story missions in Destiny 2 of all time, ever. Emphasis on the challenging, as interesting mechanics in the story force you to think outside the box (or in this case, inside the bubble). So let's meld Light and Dark together, and figure out how to survive the instant kill attack in Iconoclasm final boss fight in Destiny 2. Quick preface, we will be talking about the later missions and story of The Final Shape, so pretty large SPOILER WARNING. The mission you had to complete before jumping into the brand-new raid tasks you with weakening the Witness in order to deal with it properly. Destiny 2 — How to survive the instant kill attack in Iconoclasm Screenshot: ZaFrostPet/YouTube This mission is titled Iconoclasm, and at the end of it, you'll finally come face to face with the dreaded Witness, kinda. While you don't exactly fight him, you do deal damage to his health bar in this fight o... |
WGB Saturday, June 8, 2024 8:40 AM Black Myth: Wukong's Xbox release date has been pushed back until an unknown date due to optimisation issues. |