GamersHeroes Monday, August 26, 2024 2:52 PM Capcom's first video game adaptation of a Marvel comic, see The Punisher in action with the latest trailer for Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics. The post Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics The Punisher Trailer Released appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Monday, August 26, 2024 12:48 PM The latest trailer for Bandai Namco's BLEACH Rebirth of Souls puts the spotlight on Kisuke Urahara. The post BLEACH Rebirth of Souls Kisuke Urahara Character Trailer Released appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Monday, August 26, 2024 9:00 AM It has been 42 years since the release of the first ever Star Wars game, and open world games have been around for decades. I'm not sure why this is the first open-world Star Wars game, but to say it was overdue would be an understatement. Full disclosure. I have spent the last year playing … The post Star Wars Outlaws Review appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
Kotaku Monday, August 26, 2024 3:40 PM  BioWare changed Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's title to Dragon Age: The Veilguard to better represent its story. This new name refers to your party as a whole, and the characters who make it up were the stars of the new cinematic trailer the studio showed off at the Xbox Games Showcase. But if you're a Dragon Age diehard,… |
Kotaku Monday, August 26, 2024 2:45 PM  Sony's latest big video game, Concord, launched last week on PS5 and PC. And while the online shooter is fun and looks very expensive, it seems very few people are playing it based on some truly abysmal numbers and stats. |
Kotaku Monday, August 26, 2024 2:40 PM  Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a remake of the beloved PS2 espionage game that aims to modernize the look and feel of the original while preserving its quirky humor and charm. Based on the first batch of actual hands-on previews with the new Metal Gear Solid 3, it sounds like publisher Konami has so far… |
Kotaku Monday, August 26, 2024 12:30 PM  Fortnite's second story mission for Chapter 5, Season 4, is out. Unlike the first one featuring Gwenpool, this one isn't hidden, so you won't need to do anything special to unlock it. To get all the delicious XP and continue the quest to thwart Doctor Doom, follow our handy guide. |
Kotaku Monday, August 26, 2024 12:25 PM  It's finally time, my fellow blue blur buffs. It looks like Paramount is gearing up to release a proper look at the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 live-action movie set to premiere on December 20. While the company has given a few brief teasers over the past year, including a logo and an image of Sonic's angsty rival Shadow's… |
Kotaku Monday, August 26, 2024 12:15 PM  Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft's giant open-world Star Wars action game, is finally out and it's pretty good. But before you hop in, you might want to read up on these 21 tips to become the best scoundrel in the galaxy. |
Kotaku Monday, August 26, 2024 12:05 PM  This week, Riot Games will add a new agent to its tactical shooter Valorant. Vyse, the 26th character players will be able to control, brings more of the game's signature style and inventive gameplay to players. After teasing the agent on social media in the lead up to the Valorant Champions esport competition, Riot… |
Kotaku Monday, August 26, 2024 11:40 AM  Now and then you see something that reminds you that the passage of time marches on so quickly that it's nearly imperceptible. Yesterday, August 25, was Batman: Arkham Asylum's 15th anniversary. That's right. What is arguably the most well-regarded game starring Bruce Wayne ever made is old enough for a learner's… |
Kotaku Monday, August 26, 2024 11:30 AM  Back-to-school season is upon us, which usually means the endgame for avid players. (Nothing puts a crimp in an epic quest quite like a term paper due in the morning.) Thankfully, in recent years makers of gaming gear have begun to design peripherals with the specific needs of students in mind: immersive speakers… |
Kotaku Monday, August 26, 2024 11:30 AM  Fortnite's latest batch of quests for Chapter 5, Season 4 is here. This week introduces five new challenges for you to complete. Each quest is worth 20,000 XP, meaning that if you complete all five of them, they can earn you up to 100,000 XP, used to unlock items in the battle pass. This guide will detail everything… |
Kotaku Monday, August 26, 2024 10:55 AM |
Kotaku Monday, August 26, 2024 10:40 AM  The big Nintendo Direct usually doesn't happen until September, but this year the Mario maker is sneaking out a slightly smaller showcase at the tail end of August for indie and third-party games. Does that mean we're getting the official reveal of the Switch 2 next month instead? |
Kotaku Monday, August 26, 2024 10:35 AM  Deadlock is official. The multiplayer shooter that thousands of players have been testing on Steam but not been allowed to talk about now has its own store page that's mostly full of information about how the game could drastically change at any moment. |
Kotaku Monday, August 26, 2024 10:30 AM  If creepy-crawlies such as spiders give you the major heebie-jeebies, the latest quality-of-life feature in World of Warcraft: The War Within will come as something of a relief. The newly added Arachnophobia Mode allows those of us who would rather keep the spiders at bay a shot at enjoying the game without making our… |
Kotaku Monday, August 26, 2024 9:30 AM  With so many new features heading to World of Warcraft The War Within, it can be hard to get a grasp on everything. One of the key features being added is the Warband System, which allows you to seamlessly send currency, gear, and materials to your other characters on the same account. |
PCGamesN Monday, August 26, 2024 3:18 PM  Tactical combat fits into just about any videogame setting. The Commandos series takes place during the Second World War. Mimimi Productions set Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun in feudal Japan, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew in an alternate history Golden Age of Piracy, and revived the late 19th century set Desperados with Desperados 3. XCOM involves a sci fi alien invasion and Marvel's Midnight Suns is filled with superhero battles. Even the Gears of War shooter series fit into the genre well with Gears Tactics. It isn't surprising, then, that the upcoming Shadow of the Road's premise — a 19th century Japan where steampunk technology and creatures from folklore exist — would look so promising when it uses a blend of tactical combat and RPG game storytelling for its design. Continue reading XCOM 2 style tactics head to fantasy Japan in Shadow of the Road |
PCGamesN Monday, August 26, 2024 2:37 PM  August 26, 2024: We've searched and added one brand new Arm Wrestle Simulator code. What are the new Arm Wrestle Simulator codes? This popular Roblox experience channels the simulator games of the past few years, rewarding your strenuous clicks with rapidly multiplying strength. Arm Wrestle codes can speed up the process exponentially, earning you the gains you need to bend everyone's elbows and slam even the beefiest of opponent's forearms onto the table. As we've already alluded to, Arm Wrestle Simulator takes the ideas of many other popular Roblox games to create one centered around a less violent form of settling your differences, without resorting to a boring game of rock, paper, scissors. For further freebies in other action-packed Roblox releases, be sure to grab the latest Blox Fruits codes, King Legacy codes, and Fruit Battlegrounds codes before they're gone. Continue reading Arm Wrestle Simulator codes August 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games, Roblox promo codes, Roblox music codes |
PCGamesN Monday, August 26, 2024 2:31 PM  August 26, 2024: We've checked for new Anime Champions Simulator codes. What are the latest Anime Champions Simulator codes? If you're new to this Roblox experience, you will want some bonus resources to give you a head start. This includes diamonds, tokens, medals, and boosts to bolster your team and get them fighting more formidable opponents sooner. So, if you want some up-to-date Anime Champions codes, we have a list of all the free stuff you can get right now. Alternatively, there are plenty of other anime Roblox games worthy of your attention that have their own set of codes, such as Blox Fruits codes, Fruit Battlegrounds codes, and Blade Ball codes which is currently the hottest game on the platform. Continue reading Anime Champions Simulator codes August 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games, Roblox promo codes, Roblox music codes |
PCGamesN Monday, August 26, 2024 2:28 PM  Valve has been in the news a lot lately. The digital storefront owner and (too occasional) game maker has just shared details on its latest project, an Overwatch style multiplayer hero shooter called Deadlock that looks to be coming out soon after running invite only tests. Less officially, we've also heard fresh rumblings about the eternally anticipated Half-Life 3, with speculation on a current iteration of the game picking up thanks to a voice actor's CV. But, amidst all of this, a group of fans has looked back further into Valve's history to make another kind of news, gathering together to give the first Half-Life's Blue Shift add on a new concurrent player record on Steam. Continue reading Underrated Half-Life game gets huge new Steam record 23 years later MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Whatever happened to Half-Life 3?, Best old games, Best FPS games |
PCGamesN Monday, August 26, 2024 2:24 PM  August 26, 2024: We have checked and added three new All Star Tower Defense codes. What are the new All Star Tower Defense codes? Developer Top Down Games has struck gold with their smash-hit game, blending tower defense gameplay with characters inspired by popular Japanese anime. It may have lost a few with news of an official release elsewhere, but the majority of the anime all-stars are still kicking it as deployable units. The first few missions of the tower defense game may seem easy, but it doesn't take long before your units start to struggle. That's where our Roblox guide comes in, allowing you to claim free Stardust and Gems to unlock powerful units in the free PC game. Not only does this guide cover the code redemption process, but we're also always looking for new ASTD codes, so keep this page bookmarked for any updates. Continue reading All Star Tower Defense codes August 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games, Roblox promo codes, Roblox music codes |
PCGamesN Monday, August 26, 2024 12:58 PM  If it wasn't enough of a challenge to construct and take care of a city in building games like Manor Lords, Cities Skylines 2, Tropico 6, or Anno 1800, another spin on the genre introduces the doom and gloom of an apocalypse to the equation. The original Frostpunk, and the fast approaching Frostpunk 2, are probably the best examples of this kind of building game, but newer projects in this vein are still coming out, too. One example is Endzone 2, a post apocalyptic city builder we've been watching with interest that's just launched on Steam in Early Access. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best strategy games, Best survival games, Best upcoming PC games |
PCGamesN Monday, August 26, 2024 12:34 PM  While we're awaiting the launch of new strategy games like Age of Mythology Retold and Frostpunk 2 in the near future, there are still plenty of other great entries to the genre from the past to check out, too. Amidst classic series like SimCity, Cities Skylines, Anno, and Tropico, one of our top choices is Tropico 4, a city building and management game that is not only one of the best of its kind but is also currently available entirely for free thanks to a GOG giveaway. Continue reading Tropico 4, one of the best strategy games ever, is suddenly free |
Siliconera Monday, August 26, 2024 3:30 PM
The crossover between Mobile Police Patlabor and Zoids will continue with a new manga serialization. Takara Tomy has revealed that it is working with Patlabor's creator group Headgear to produce a new manga adaptation of the crossover. It will be available in Fall 2024 with the title Zoids X Patlabor: Code Name B.U.D.D.Y.
The companies have also revealed the key staff members working on this new project, and most of them had previously worked on the Patlabor series. The character designer Akemi Takada and scenario writer Kazunori Ito had worked on the original Patlabor anime, and the mechanical designer Hidetaka Denjin made the AV-98 Ingram Moderoid model kit boxart. This will be the first involvement in both Zoids and Patlabor franchises for the manga artist Naoto Tsushima, who had mostly worked on Transformers manga titles.
Takara Tomy first revealed the crossover between Zoids and Patlabor in 2023 to mark the respective 40th and 35th anniversaries of both franchises. The company revealed a special model kit featuring the Metropolitan Police Force version of the Hunter Wolf, which it eventually released in June 2024.
The new manga Zoids X Patlabor: Code Name B.U.D.D.Y. will be available in the Fall season of 2024.
The post Zoids Patlabor Crossover Will Continue With New Manga appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, August 26, 2024 3:00 PM
There are now two new Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra character trailers to watch, this time for the iconic Mami Tomoe and the spin-off character Yachiyo Nanami. Both will be playable units when the mobile and PC game eventually appears, and a key visual confirmed many of their allies will join them.
First, here's the Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra Mami Tomoe trailer. She debuted in the original Madoka Magica anime series. She's a well-established magical girl, and she's known for attacks that involve all sorts of guns. This is preserved here, and we also see her use the move that involves her turning her ribbon into a huge cannon.
Next, here's the trailer for Yachiyo Nanami in Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra. She ends up becoming one of Iroha's allies in the Magia Record spin-off. However, due to the nature of her abilities, she started out as the sort of person who worked alone.
This isn't the only recent trailer for Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra, as another two major ones appeared ahead of the looks at Mami and Yachiyo. One was a general teaser that focused on characters like Madoka Kaname and Iroha Tamaki. Then, we got one that focused entirely on Homura Akemi and her gameplay.
The new piece of key art also teased a number of Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra characters who will appear in the game. In addition to Madoka, Homura, Mami, and Yachiyo, we also see Sayaka Miki, Kyoko Sakura, Nagisa Momoe, Tsuruno Yui, Sana Futaba, Felicia Mitsuki, and Ui Tamaki. This means the game mainly consists of characters from the original anime and Magia Record.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra will be available on the PC via Steam and mobile devices.
The post Watch Mami and Yachiyo Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra Trailers appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, August 26, 2024 2:30 PM
It's a Monday, which means Bandai Namco shared a new character trailer for the latest Bleach game. This time, we get to see what gameplay for Kisuke Urahara, owner of the Urahara Shop, looks like in Bleach Rebirth of Souls.
The video begins by introducing Urahara and Zanpakuto Benihime. Rather than beginning with normal attacks he uses, Bandai Namco kicked off the trailer with a "distinctive technique." He has a Special Flash Attack that acts like Byakurai Kido that Rukia and Byakuya use in the series. From there, it moves on to the typical Spiritual Pressure Move showcase we've come to expect from these trailers. One is Kamisori Benihime, that attacks ahead of Urahara, and it also can cancel projectiles. Are You Prepared changes his state, making him move more quickly than usual. For his Awakening, he says his typical, "Scream, Benihime," then uses his Bankai
Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame to improve Flash Step and Reverse Action opportunities with Shikai: Benihime.
Here are the other Bleach Rebirth of Souls trailers that appeared before the one for Kisuke Urahara.
Renji Aburai is also confirmed, but doesn't have his own trailer yet.
Bleach Rebirth of Souls is in development for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. The Bleach anime, including Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. Viz Media handles the manga.
The post Urahara Steps Away From the Shop to Fight in Bleach Rebirth of Souls appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, August 26, 2024 2:00 PM
Sunrise has announced that it will screen new versions of the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom movie with a new epilogue in Japan. People residing in the country will be able to watch the new version in theaters for a limited time throughout the Fall season of 2024.
The new version of the movie will have over 500 updated cutscenes. However, the most important addition will be the new epilogue at the end of the movie. Sunrise will hold two separate windows for the new Gundam SEED Freedom movie screening, and each of them will feature a different epilogue. The first one will run from September 20, 2024, until October 3, 2024. The second one will be available on November 1-14, 2024.
Gundam SEED Freedom was first available in Japanese theaters from January 26, 2024, until May 23, 2024. Sunrise and Bandai Namco also worked with theaters worldwide to gradually release the movie outside Japan. The companies eventually made the movie available online via Netflix and Prime Video worldwide in early June 2024.
The new movie version of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom will be available in Japanese theaters from September 20, 2024, until October 3, 2024, and November 1-14, 2024.
The post Gundam Seed Freedom New Screening Will Have Extra Epilogue appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, August 26, 2024 1:30 PM
Between August 23-25, 2024, Square Enix and players reported a series of FFXIV DDoS attacks. Following these, the company took to the Lodestone site to confirm it is aware of the issues and trying to counter the attacks.
Square Enix first alerted us to the FFXIV DDoS attacks hitting the Data Centers for Europe, North America, and Oceania on August 23, 2024. At the time, it noted the attacks were making it difficult to log in or generally play the game uninterrupted. It later noted those lasted about two hours. The second round affected all Data Centers worldwide on August 25, 2024, and it again meant we might have been unable to log into the game, play as usual, or even stay connected. That attack was the briefer of the two, with Square Enix noting it ran for about 30 minutes when it summed up the situation on August 26, 2024.
We've seen a number of DDoS attacks hit FFXIV over the past few months. One of the biggest ones came up at the beginning of May 2024. Like the ones that happened between August 23-25, 2024, these affected players worldwide. After the happened, Yoshida discussed them during the Letter from the Producer Live LXXXI and pledged Square Enix and the team would address such issues.
Final Fantasy XIV and its Dawntrail expansion are available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
The post FFXIV Hit by DDoS Attacks Over the Weekend appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, August 26, 2024 1:00 PM
SNK has opened a new official website and X account to mark the 30th anniversary of The King of Fighters series. The new publications coincided with the inaugural release of The King of Fighters '94 for arcades on August 25, 2024.
The company also revealed that it will publish 30 programs to coincide with the anniversary number. The company has shared sketches for the ending scene of The King of Fighters '94 on the Japanese account for the first publication. It will continue publishing concept art on a daily basis until September 5, 2024.
SNK has also revealed plans for the next two programs on the website. The company will move on to publishing posters of the series' classic entries from September 6, 2024. It will then release new digital stickers and smartphone wallpapers themed after The King of Fighters' 30th anniversary on September 13, 2024. The remaining 27 projects have yet to be announced when the company just established the new website.
The series' latest mainline entry is The King of Fighters XV, which has been available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC since February 2022. SNK still has not done improving the game's character roster, as it will add Vice and Mature as bonus DLC characters in December 2024.
The post The King of Fighters 30th Anniversary Website Opens appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, August 26, 2024 12:30 PM
Takara Tomy has revealed a new toy brand named Synergenex. The new brand, which will be under T-Spark, will have a focus on crossover items. The company will use this brand to release new collaborations between Zoids, Transformers, and Diaclone—the three mecha IPs Takara Tomy owns in Japan—and many other franchises.
The first item revealed is a transformable figure of the Shield-D-Prime that will also act as an in-house three-way crossover between Zoids, Transformers, and Diaclone. However, this product will be available in 2025.
Takara Tomy also revealed other crossover toys in the same brand that will appear earlier. The Spider Zoids Spider-Man Special toy will be available first in red and black color sets in September 2024. It will also release the Transformers-Godzilla crossover toys Optimus Prime Type MFS-3 Kiryu and Megatron Type Godzilla in November 2024.
At the same time, the company published teasers for more upcoming toys in the brand. It will release new Transformers crossover toys with Macross 7 and Monster Hunter. And while there are already Zoids crossover products with Patlabor and Monster Hunter, Takara Tomy will also release new items from this brand, as it focuses on pre-assembled action figures instead of model kits.
The new teaser trailer for the Synergenex toys is available to watch on YouTube:
Takara Tomy's new Synergenex brand will launch with the Spider Zoids Spider-Man crossover toys coming out first in September 2024.
The post Synergenex Toys Will Tie Zoids and Transformers With Many IPs appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, August 26, 2024 12:00 PM
HoYoVerse announced the air date for the 2.5 Honkai: Star Rail Special Program. It will detail what we can expect next from the Xianzhou Luofu and Yaoqing storyline and upcoming characters at 4:30am PT/7:30am ET/1:30pm CET on August 30, 2024.
The Wardance storyline began in 2.4. That involved members of the Astral Express heading to the Xianzhou Luofu for an event involving competitors from different ships. It also added a new Path and event for March 7th. The story there ended on a cliffhanger in the Shackling Prison, which will continue when the update arrives in September 2024.
We do know the three new characters who will debut in this Honkai: Star Rail 2.5. All of them appeared in the 2.4 storyline as NPCs. The five-stars are Feixiao and Lingsha. Moze will be the new four-star unit. It also seems like all three of them are going to play larger parts in the next portion of this new storyline.
Here is the YouTube placeholder for the Honkai: Star Rail 2.5 Special Program. It will also air on Twitch.
Honkai: Star Rail is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the 5.1 Special Program will air at 4:30am PT/7:30am ET/1:30pm CET on August 30, 2024.
The post 2.5 Honkai: Star Rail Special Program Continues Xianzhou Storyline appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, August 26, 2024 11:30 AM
Jujutsu Kaisen Phantom Parade, a mobile game that debuted in Japan in November 2023, will appear in English. Bilibili Game already opened pre-registration for the Android and iOS versions, though there is no word if the PC version that launched in other regions in April 2024 will also eventually show up everywhere too.
This game essentially follows Yuji Itadori's story after he eats Ryomen Sukuna's finger and, in so doing, is exposed to the world of sorcerers and curses. He then heads to Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School to learn to hone his new skills alongside his classmates Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugisaki and teacher Satoru Gojo.
Here's the first English trailer for Jujutsu Kaisen: Phantom Parade, which includes some animated segments and a look at turn-based battles in the game.
Pre-registration is now open, and there are also rewards we get if certain sign-up tiers are hit. Here are the goals so far:
As of time of writing, over 285,000 people signed up.
This game has proven to be a success so far. In July 2024, it was confirmed that the developer and publisher had earned over $100 million from player purchases.
Jujutsu Kaisen: Phantom Parade is available in Japan on iOS and Android mobile devices, as well as PCs via DMM Games, and it will appear in English on mobile devices globally.
The post English Version of Jujutsu Kaisen Phantom Parade Mobile Game Appears appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, August 26, 2024 11:00 AM
Sega and Atlus have updated their annual Tokyo Game Show website with the TGS 2024 edition. The companies have yet to announce the list of games they will feature at the event. However, they have revealed the list of items that will be available for purchase at their joint merchandise booth.
The lineup will include franchises from both companies. Sega is listing items from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise—including those branded with the upcoming title Sonic X Shadow Generations—and the Like a Dragon series which was formerly known as Yakuza. Meanwhile, Atlus will bring in items themed after Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance as well as Persona 3, 4, and 5 titles.
Some of the items in the list are also available for online pre-orders. Amazon Japan will release the items on October 12, 2024, and it can also ship them internationally. However, it only lists items from Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog and Like a Dragon series. That means people who are after Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei and Persona merchandise will have to get the items directly from the physical booth at TGS 2024.
Tokyo Game Show 2024 will take place at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on September 26-29, 2024. Sega and Atlus will set up their TGS 2024 merchandise booth at Hall 11.
The post Sega and Atlus Reveal TGS 2024 Merchandise Lineup appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, August 26, 2024 10:30 AM
HoYoVerse revealed details about Xilonen, an ocelot-like cat girl who is one of the first new Genshin Impact characters in 5.1. She'll be a Geo unit and her Constellation is appropriately enough called Panthera Ocelota.
Xilonen is a Nanatzcayan blacksmith in the game. Her title is referred to as "Ardent Flames Forge the Soul." There's no word on whether she's a four or five-star unit yet. Also, no weapon was shown in the first teaser image, so we don't know what kind of equipment she'll carry. Her initial character story does mention her using a hammer at the forge to create weapons for other people, however.
Here's that initial story discussing her background.
While Xilonen is the next new cat girl character in Genshin Impact, a few other ones already appeared in the game. The first was the four-star Cryo archer Diona, who is from Mondstadt. Then the Dendro swordswoman Kirara appeared to represent Inazuma. Lynette appeared alongside her siblings Lyney and Freminet in Fontaine.
Genshin Impact is available for the PS4, PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and Xilonen the cat girl will appear in the 5.1 update. The 5.0 update appears on August 28, 2024. The Xbox Series X version debuts on November 10, 2024.
The post New Genshin Impact Character Xilonen Looks Like an Ocelot Cat appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, August 26, 2024 10:18 AM
Nintendo announced that it will air a Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase presentation that will be immediately followed by an Indie World one to look at Switch games at 7am PT/10am ET/4pm CET on August 27, 2024. It also said the Switch 2 successor console won't be announced again either showcase.
As usual, people will be able to catch the presentation on video. This time, they will air one after another. The Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase will spend 20 minutes going over titles from companies like Atlus, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Square Enix, and XSEED. The second 20 minute segment will only focus on Switch games from indie developers. No titles were confirmed so far.
Here's the official announcement:
We saw another one of these types of presentations back in June 2024. That was held around when E3 used to appear. During that showcase, we saw Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, Fairy Tail 2, Fantasian Neo Dimension, Hello Kitty Island Adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, LEGO Horizon Adventures, Mario & Luigi Brothership, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
The Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase and Indie World presentation will appear online at 7am PT/10am ET/4pm CET on August 27, 2024.
The post Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase and Indie World Coming appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, August 26, 2024 10:00 AM
Over the years, Star Wars video games have become their own institution separate from and adjacent to the source material. The massive multimedia franchise offers a wide range of playstyles ranging from RPGs, a variety of first and third person shooters, Lego platforming games, and even an ongoing MMORPG. However, the franchise was missing a proper open-world experience. Or at least it was before the arrival of Star Wars Outlaws, a full-fledged scoundrel adventure game spanning a galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars Outlaws is the first open-world game available featuring the Star Wars extended universe. This third person shooter adventure puts players in the role of Kay Vess, a fledgling scoundrel accompanied by her alien mascot Nix. After two failed attempts at her big break in the criminal underworld of Canto Bight, she gets thrust into a galaxy-wide underbelly world of intrigues, backstabbing, political alliances, where the powerful and influential have a lot to lose and everyone else has a lot to gain. With a reputation following Kay, a new and flashy spaceship in tow, and a death mark from the head of the biggest crime syndicate himself on her back, the scoundrel must now find a way to survive in a ruthless galaxy and make a credit or two in the process.
After a brisk and exciting prologue setting the events of the game in march, Kay Vess lands in the planet of Toshara, where she needs to get her act together and start acting as a true criminal and trickster. The first few main quests in the game introduce the players to the structure of the game and its main draw— the aforementioned open-world. While the first planet offers a vast expanse, the always accessible speeder allows for these big open areas to feel easy to cover. The focus is always on exploring and finding points of interest in the map, whether it be interconnected and detailed city hubs, settlements, caves, or Imperial bases to sneak into and get a hold of rare parts and materials.
What I found most interesting about Star Wars Outlaws is that it felt like games I've already played, but never before for a Star Wars title. Different parts of other titles combine to make something exciting. The main gameplay loop lies in semi-linear missions, third person action, and free-form exploration. On top of it all you have a healthy dose of stealth-action, some light roleplaying elements and decision making, and even some space travel elements added to the mix. Star Wars Outlaws doesn't reinvent the open-world, but it adds layers of genres you're familiar with to make for a fun theme-park ride that keeps itself fresh for long enough to captivate, but not to much that it bores or distracts from what makes the game enjoyable.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the game is how reactive the world felt to my choices. Throughout both main story missions and other various contracts and side quests, Kay has the chance to ally herself or favor the four major crime syndicates that appear in the game, these being Crimson Dawn, the Pyke Syndicate, the Hutt Cartel, and the Ashiga Clan. During my time in Toshara I spent plenty of time favoring Crimson Dawn over rivals, which led to my reputation following me when I traveled to other planets.
The narrative of the game is mostly linear, meaning that the game only allows for some decisions to truly alter the world of Star Wars Outlaws. Despite that, the Reputation system of the game stands out for its interesting gameplay repercussions. If your stand with any of the crime syndicates is good, you'll have it easier to get inside their home turfs both inside cities and in the open world areas. Meanwhile, a bad reputation means getting worse deals from their merchants, or even being persecuted and blacklisted if you mess with them too much. I like how this meld with both side content and main story quests, as you will often need to have a different approach to complete objectives depending on who you favor and who you betray for plenty of occasions.
This is different when it comes to the Galactic Empire, as they have no interest in making friends. Instead, the Empire and its iconic Stormtroopers act as the Wanted system in this game. If you cause too much trouble to them, the Empire will put a bounty on you that you can only clear by staying off their nose for long enough. Unless you max out your bounty, in which case they will deploy a full manhunt for Kay. I met this instance twice, in which I had to go to a Death Trooper camp and delete my record from their files to clear my name. While this sounds daunting, the manhunts are a good spectacle and show of might for the Empire, deploying an inordinate amount of war machinery against a single person. Fortunately for Kay and for the player, clearing your name is not too difficult or intrusive, and it made for very cool highlights of my galactic hijinks.
The events of Star Wars Outlaws are set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, allowing the Rebel Alliance and Force-sensitive characters to take a step back in the narrative and allow the criminal syndicates to take center stage. Star Wars hasn't been historically great at allowing non-Force sensitive characters to take the spotlight, which is why I loved being able to soak in the more mundane and down to earth world of Outlaws, with its common folks trying to make a quick credit and its more unsavory fellas waiting to double cross you at the drop of a hat.
Some colorful and interesting characters complete the roster of the game, with the Clone Wars-era ND-5 battle droid being a standout with his sexy long coat. While he's a great crew member, I wish he had gotten a bit more gameplay participation than just being your handler and your guy on comms, as he's always a great presence to have. Likewise, Sliro and his Zerek Besh crime syndicate are an interesting addition and offer great tension throughouth the course of the game. Aside from them, the adorable Nix is your mainstay partner. Nix is great fun and acts as both great comic relief as well as a great gameplay element. Nix can fetch items for Kay or distract them during stealth, as well as attack enemies to blind them in the fray of combat. Using him to open vents or complete platforming puzzles always felt fun and quick.
Other gameplay elements that changed the experience somewhat noticeable were the varied costumes, tokens, and collectibles. Almost everything you collect has a gameplay purpose, and with exploring feeling fast and engaging every aspect of Star Wars Outlaws felt rewarding. It helps that both the various planets available in the game and their corresponding surrounding space areas are absolutely stunning and filled with unique looking vistas. Some maps like Akiva or Tatooine can feel vast and their scope too big, but the speeder and some smart fast travel points make them very easily accessible. Meanwhile, planets like Kijimi focus on a maze-like single city and hiding things at every corner.
With an oversaturated market for open-world games, Star Wars Outlaws keeps things varied, fast-paced, and constantly rewarding. Developers at Massive Entertainment focused on variety and quality over quantity, and didn't skimp on visual spectacle. There is always something for Kay Vess and her Trailblazer crew to do, whether it be treasure to find, some gang territory to sneak into and rob, an Imperial space base to assault, or even some card games to play. For a true space scoundrel there is no limit in the galaxy.
Star Wars Outlaws will release for the Playstation 5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC via Ubisoft Connect on August 30, 2024.
The post Review: Star Wars Outlaws Keeps Things Fresh and Familiar appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, August 26, 2024 9:30 AM
Sword Art Online: Last Recollection will still retain the crossover content featuring the Hololive Vtuber and SAO fan Minato Aqua even after she has graduated. Bandai Namco shared the reassurance on the game's Japanese official X account.
The company made this announcement in light of Aqua's impending graduation on August 28, 2024. The Vtuber will no longer be active after the date. The graduation also served as the primary reason for Entergram to cancel the development of a sequel to Aquarium. The latter is a visual novel starring Minato Aqua which is available worldwide with English subtitles on PC via Steam. Entergram also released the visual novel on the Switch and PS4 exclusively in Japan.
Bandai Namco added Minato Aqua to SAO: Last Recollection via a free title update in early March 2024. That means all players of the game can get the content by simply downloading the latest update patch without even having to access the DLC pages. The update added an optional subquest that will result in Aqua's addition to the game's roster upon its completion. The patch also included a new bed talk scene between Kirito and Aqua.
Sword Art Online: Last Recollection is available worldwide on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
The post SAO Last Recollection Minato Aqua Content Will Remain Available appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, August 26, 2024 9:00 AM
Founded in 2016, Cover Corporation, owners of hololive Production, took the world by storm during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, introducing the world at large to what would become an international sensation: Vtubers. Since skyrocketing in popularity, hololive introduced talents such as Gawr Gura, Mori Calliope, and Usada Pekora. Siliconera had the opportunity to speak with Motoaki "Yagoo" Tanigo, the CEO of Cover, to discuss what it takes to become a prospective Vtuber candidate for hololive and what collaborations he'd like to see come to fruition.
"We focus on how to support our talents, and this is one of the most important policies within our company. We don't increase the amount of talents we have in a short amount of time so that we can support our talents to the best of our ability," Tanigo stated. "We care about our talents a lot and want to provide a lot of resources for them. If we have more talents to debut, that would be fantastic, but we wouldn't be able to support them equally." He further went on to elaborate and stated that creating 3D models for the company's talents for concerts and other performances is a lot more extensive than some might realize, with talents needing to fly out to Japan during the creation of these models. Tanigo also stressed that while Hololive would love to expand their roster of VTuber talents, the company would not be able to support the line-up it already has if it expanded too quickly.
While hololive is no doubt an international success, Tanigo shared that the North American group is not as profitable as its Japanese counterpart. He said he hoped that upon opening the North American office for hololive (Cover), that the agency will begin to see a return on their investment in their North American talents. However, that hasn't stopped Hololive from debuting European talents as well, with the VTuber agency branching into an audience it has no doubt already tapped into — just in a handful of different languages.
I asked Tanigo what it would take for an up-and-coming VTuber or content creator to join hololive. He stated that while applications are always open, a prospective candidate needs to be incredibly driven. This is one of several deciding factors, along with their calibur of singing and ability to speak several different languages. He did mention that not being able to sing wouldn't mean that a prospective talent would be out of the running, but that anyone who wants to join Hololive would need to understand the amount of time and dedication that would be required. "I want people that dream big," he said.
"One of our talents, Mori Calliope, wanted to sing an anime opening. So we supported her in that and helped make her dream happen. And we want to be able to support our talents in that avenue as well. We want them to dream big and we want to help them achieve those dreams." Given how large hololive is, it doesn't come as any surprise that this would be one of the requirements to join the agency. With several of hololive's largest Vtuber talents appearing at a Los Angeles Dodgers game in July 2024, it seems like Hololive wants to continue to explore new avenues and new promotions with big names.
However, Tanigo has ambitions and dreams of his own when it comes to potential collaborations. "I would love to do something with Riot Games." Tanigo admitted to being a big fan of League of Legends, and even dreamed of hololive doing some kind of collaboration with Riot Games' K-Pop group K/DA. He hoped that with the opening of the North American office, that these partnerships and collaborations will eventually come to fruition.
And while fans already released several games under the hololive Indie label, such as Idol Showdown and Holo X Break, Tanigo stated he would like to create something with AAA Western developers if given the opportunity. He did not share what kind of game he would like to make, only that he would like to collaborate with large studios in North America.
As it stands, hololive remains a giant in the Vtuber industry. Cover garnered international success, tapping into various audiences through its numerous collaborations, to truly make Vtubing something mainstream. After the appearance of Gawr Gura, Hoshimachi Suisei, and Usada Pekora at the Dodgers game, it can be hard to deny just how effective and successful Cover was at making both itself and its talents into a recognizable brand. And with hololive now properly branching into the European market with hololive EN Justice and being as selective as it is with talents and debuts, it seems like there's no sign of it slowing down. Whether or not we'll see major collaborations in games has yet to be seen.
The post Hololive CEO Would Like to Collaborate With AAA Game Developers appeared first on Siliconera. |
WGB Monday, August 26, 2024 12:22 PM Black Myth: Wukong still hasn't made the journey to Xbox, and now a new report from a notable insider is potentially shedding light on why. |