Aug 28, 06:00

PCGamesN Wednesday, August 28, 2024 5:58 AM
     Get Star Wars Outlaws for free thanks to Crucial

If you're looking to play Star Wars Outlaws and could also do with a storage upgrade for your gaming PC, Crucial has the perfect deal for you. If you buy any of over 20 SSD models, you'll get the game for free, as well as scoring yourself some extra space. Alternatively, you can pick from Assassin's Creed Shadows, Stalker 2 Heart of Chernobyl, or Helldivers 2.

The best gaming SSD for your needs isn't always the fastest or largest, but often the one that offers the best balance of performance, price, and capacity. But now, as well as already making the fastest SSD we've tested, Crucial has given you an extra factor to consider, while also making its own drives even more tempting.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Crucial MX500 review, Best SSDs for gaming
PCGamesN Wednesday, August 28, 2024 5:46 AM
     Is Darth Vader in Star Wars Outlaws?

Is Darth Vader in Star Wars Outlaws? If you're diving into Ubisoft's latest open-world game set in the Star Wars universe, you might be wondering if key characters are returning, including the infamous Darth Vader, here's what to expect.

Of course, this article contains major story spoilers for Outlaws, so if you're happy to know if the villain is returning as a Star Wars Outlaws character, then read on. If you want it to remain a surprise, check out our guide to when Star Wars Outlaws is set, so you can get an idea of which characters are operating and the Star Wars Outlaws planets you'll find them on.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Star Wars games, Star Wars Outlaws release date, Best open world games
PCGamesN Wednesday, August 28, 2024 5:24 AM
     Why was Blue Protocol canceled? Development timeline

Why was Blue Protocol canceled? Unveiled at The Game Awards 2022, weeby free-to-play game Blue Protocol came hot on the heels of the successes of Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, introduced an MMO angle, and was being developed by Bandai Namco Online and published by Amazon Games - a recipe for success by anyone's standards. Unfortunately, after a string of delays and a decline in popularity in Japan, Blue Protocol will not be making it to Western shores as it has been canceled in its entirety.

Bandai Namco Online announced the news regarding the MMO game on August 28, 2024. "We regret to inform you that the Japanese version of Blue Protocol will be discontinued on Saturday January 18, 2025," the official statement begins. "As a result, we have also canceled our plans to release a Western version of the game in collaboration with Amazon Games."

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best anime games, Best MMORPGs, Blue Protocol release date
PCGamesN Wednesday, August 28, 2024 5:15 AM
     Blue Protocol ending service, Amazon no longer shipping to the west

In a shock announcement, upcoming anime MMO Blue Protocol has been cancelled in the west, and will be ending service in Japan early next year. While the exact reasoning remains unclear, Bandai Namco Online writes that it has "come to the conclusion that it will not be possible to provide a service that satisfies all of you."

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best anime games, Best MMORPGs, Blue Protocol release date
PCGamesN Wednesday, August 28, 2024 4:22 AM
     All Black Myth Wukong bosses, locations, and rewards

What are the Black Myth Wukong bosses? Not to be outdone by the 81 trials in Journey to the West, Game Science's inaugural action RPG includes a gauntlet of 95 bosses to beat on your quest to resurrect the long-lost Sun Wukong. We've combed through each area on this arduous journey to uncover every Black Myth Wukong boss per chapter so you can clear every challenge and reap the rarest boss rewards.

Bosses form the basis of progression in Black Myth Wukong, and learning how to beat them is the only way to complete your first playthrough ahead of Black Myth Wukong new game plus. Some bosses have multiple phases to catch you off-guard, while others can be weakened with secret items found in the action-adventure game's hidden areas. Our full list of every Black Myth Wukong boss includes all main bosses and optional bosses and your reward for beating them.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Black Myth Wukong bosses, Black Myth Wukong abilities, Black Myth Wukong weapons
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, August 28, 2024 4:37 AM
    

Workers at Nacon-owned Greedfall 2 studio Spiders have penned an open letter "to their employer" detailing grievances over a period of several years, and called for a strike in response to "management's continued refusal" to take their concerns seriously. 44 of Spider's 95 workers have signed the document, made public through French union Stjv in the hope that it "will finally push management to act in the best interests of employees and the company."

Read more

Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, August 28, 2024 4:31 AM
    

There's nowt more magical than the lambent inscriptions of tangled sigils required to spell places like Ainderby Quernhow, Weedley Copse, or Upper Poppleton. A shiny whippet to the first of you to correctly identify which of these are real, and which were invented for "roguelite word puzzle RPG" Sternly Worded Adventures. Actually, scratch that. I'm not made of whippets, and you can just as easily find out yourself via the Steam demo. I think you should, if only because "I killed a slime by spelling out the word Toblerone" is easily in my top ten gaming moments of the year.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, August 28, 2024 4:17 AM
    

Exterminatus. Exterminatus. You're all exterminatused. None of you are free of sin. Except, maybe Focus Interactive are actually? While it would be a monumentally silly heel turn to go back on their promise of only charging Space Marine 2 players extra for cosmetics a mere week and change before the shooter's September 9 release date, the new year one roadmap does at least look piously forthright.

Chatting to James at Gamescom recently (possibly from his cathedral ship made out of graphics cards), Saber boss Tim Willits dragged out an armoured horse and proceeded to flog it mercilessly, saying that players don't want to be sold the equivalent of Oblivion's infamous deadbeat daddy of DLCs. As several of you identified, this seemed like an odd comparison when Spice Maureen 2 specifically plans to charge for comparable cosmetics, although I imagine Willits was referencing the "packs" that his space game's baubles come in. "Our fans never thought we ripped them off in World War Z," he said, comparing Space Marine 2's optional spendables to that game.

Whether you see the cosmetic's pricing as egregious or not, yesterday's roadmap does look to make good on Saber's promise to keep wearables and playables separate. Here's it:

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Twinfinite Wednesday, August 28, 2024 4:35 AM
    
Always tip your landlord.
Siliconera Tuesday, August 27, 2024 11:54 PM
    

Blue Protocol Ending in Japan, Worldwide Release Canceled

Bandai Namco announced that service will be ending for Blue Protocol in Japan and Amazon also confirmed the worldwide release is canceled as a result of the shutdown. The Japanese version will remain active until January 18, 2025. 

The announcement appeared on both the Japanese and English websites for the MMORPG. There is also a Japanese video going over the announcement and final roadmap. The team will continue adding new content and updating the game until it is closed down. The paid Rose Orbs currency is no longer being sold, and there will be no refunds for those purchases. Bandai Namco will give out 5,000 Rose Orbs on the first day of every month starting in September 2024 and running until January 2025. Players can get 250 Rose Orbs every day. They can also get the season pass for free starting with the just-released ninth one.

Here is Bandai Namco's full English statement about the Japanese shutdown of Blue Protocol and the global version being canceled:

We regret to inform you that the Japanese version of Blue Protocol will be ending service on Saturday, January 18, 2025.

Due to the end of the Japanese version, we are no longer able to continue development of the Amazon Games version, so after discussing with Amazon Games, we have decided to cancel the release of this title in the US and Europe. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience.

Amazon Games has high expectations for Blue Protocol, and the two companies have had a good relationship up until now and have been making preparations, so we are very disappointed.

We want to provide an experience that makes you feel like you've entered the world of anime.

The project has taken on the challenge of creating a world where each and every player canenjoy an adventure as the protagonist of an anime.

Since the announcement, you have all been looking forward to the game, and we have been making preparations for its release. However, we have come to the conclusion that it would be difficult to provide a service that satisfies you all, and therefore we have decided to cancel the release of the Amazon Games version.

We deeply apologize to everyone for this sudden announcement.

Here is Amazon's official statement on Blue Protocol service ending:

Bandai Namco Online announced that they have made the difficult decision to end service on Blue Protocol. They will shut down their Japanese Blue Protocol servers in January 2025, and have ended plans to release the game in the West in collaboration with Amazon Games.

In their statement announcing the end of service, Bandai Namco Online said, "We have enjoyed a strong relationship with Amazon Games throughout the development of Blue Protocol, and both of our teams are disappointed that we will not be able to deliver the game to players around the world."

We know this is disappointing news, and we share your disappointment. We love the world and characters of Blue Protocol, and we were excited to welcome players around the world into Regnas. We join Bandai Namco Online in expressing deep gratitude to the passionate fans who followed BBlue Protocol development and participated in the Closed Technical Test.

We have great respect and appreciation for the talented team at Bandai Namco, and wish them success in their next endeavors. You can read Bandai Namco Online's full statement about Blue Protocol here.

Prior to the shutdown notice, Bandai Namco regularly added new content to Blue Protocol. In June 2024, chapter 6 appeared. We also saw new classes appear after launch. One was the Beat Performer, and another was the Blitz Lancer.

We did have some idea that there were issues with Blue Protocol before this latest announcement. In February 2024, a Bandai Namco report suggested it was underperforming. In a Famitsu interview with the developers in June 2024, Director Keisuke Fukuzaki said they were looking at when they noticed players dropping off and would work to try and address causes.

Blue Protocol is available for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC in Japan until January 18, 2025, and the global release is canceled.

The post Blue Protocol Ending in Japan, Worldwide Release Canceled appeared first on Siliconera.

Siliconera Tuesday, August 27, 2024 11:22 PM
    

First Suikoden Nendoroid Is a Figure of Hero Tir McDohl

Good Smile Company announced its first Nendoroid based on a Suikoden series hero, and it is a Tir McDohl figure. He is the player avatar for the first game, and he also makes an appearance in the second.

As the Tir McDohl Nendoroid is very early in development, there's no actual prototype figure of the Suikoden hero. However, concept art that teased what we can expect from it did show up in the reveal. While we are looking at him head-on, we can see the tails of the green bandana he wears on his head. His outfit also remains identical to the qipao he has on in-game. It seems his bo will be included as an accessory.

Here's how that figure might look:

https://twitter.com/GoodSmile_US/status/1828628849946489327

Good Smile Company didn't note if we can expect figures of Riou, Jowy, or Nanami, the three major characters in Suikoden II.

The announcement specifically cited this as being tied to the Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars worldwide release. During the August 2024 Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, Konami announced a final release date for the collection. That will come to the PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and PC on March 6, 2025. Pre-orders are open and net people access to in-game money and early unlocks for two pieces of equipment.

There's no release window for the Suikoden Tir McDohl Nendoroid, though since only concept art appeared it could be a while before the figure of the hero appears.

The post First Suikoden Nendoroid Is a Figure of Hero Tir McDohl appeared first on Siliconera.