Kotaku Sunday, September 1, 2024 9:30 AM  Sometimes we come across news that makes it seem is if there are real life "Grand Theft Auto" characters walking among us. Take the lead singer of an LA punk band who made his way to the other wise peaceful region of Yosemite National Park and allegedly spent the day tearing shit up in a very un-punk way. |
Kotaku Sunday, September 1, 2024 9:00 AM  Is it us, or was that the fastest August ever? Yet here we are in September already, which promises to be a highly entertaining month, starting with whatever great plans you have on tap for this Labor Day Weekend. Maybe you'll be picking up a game from our tried and trusted Weekend Guide? Let's start you off with a… |
PCGamesN Sunday, September 1, 2024 3:05 PM  The FF14 Dawntrail story puts the focus on newer characters as it attempts to reset the balance of power after Endwalker, placing its beloved Scions into more background roles. Most of the MMORPG's beloved cast members have already had their moment to shine, and so at Gamescom 2024 I ask game director Naoki Yoshida, best known as 'Yoshi-P,' whether he sees the likes of Thancred, Urianger, and the twins getting all-new story arcs in the future or if he's happy to let them be. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The best MMOs, FF14 Dawntrail release date, FF14 Island Sanctuary guide |
PCGamesN Sunday, September 1, 2024 11:19 AM  Saber Interactive confirms that Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2 will not launch with any form of digital rights management (DRM), including Denuvo. With the launch right around the corner, Saber is going against the industry trend by not only leaving DRM out of its game, but openly communicating this information to players ahead of time. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Space Marine 2 system requirements , Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 release date, Best Warhammer 40k games |
PCGamesN Sunday, September 1, 2024 10:30 AM  It's Tuesday afternoon, just ahead of Gamescom Opening Night Live. Behaviour Interactive has just announced that The Boulet Brothers are coming to Dead by Daylight. Our news team is prepped and ready for an ONL watch party. Spirits are oh so high. Then, Paradox announces that it's delaying Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. "Everyone make sure Lauren's OK," my colleague Will says. Lauren was very much not okay. Continue reading VTM Bloodlines 2 might be amazing, but I just want a remake MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Bloodlines 2 release date, Best vampire games, Best RPG games |
PCGamesN Sunday, September 1, 2024 10:17 AM  September 1, 2024: We added new Special Anime Defense codes to our list. What are the new Special Anime Defense codes? Another fun anime-themed Roblox game, Anime Special Defense stands out with its colorful neon aesthetics and character drops. By redeeming codes in the game, you can instantly enjoy a whole bunch of helpful rewards even if it's your first time diving in. Just like using the latest Anime Defenders codes or Blox Fruits codes, getting free rewards in Anime Special Defense makes the Roblox experience even more of a great time. Let's get into all of the active bonuses available to redeem right now. Continue reading Special Anime Defense codes September 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games, Roblox promo codes, Roblox music codes |
PCGamesN Sunday, September 1, 2024 9:39 AM  Risk of Rain 2 Seekers of the Storm DLC developer Gearbox is working on a PC patch for the expansion, after players mass reported a plethora of issues with the launch. While RoR2 is one of the most played and beloved roguelikes on Steam, with nearly 200,000 reviews at 93% positive, this new DLC is fraught with problems. Between glitches and a lack of balance, both the base game and extra content are fraught with bugs, and now Gearbox outlines a major patch coming to the game. Continue reading Gearbox promises Risk of Rain 2 PC patch after disastrous DLC launch MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best roguelike games, Best platform games, Best upcoming PC games |
PCGamesN Sunday, September 1, 2024 9:15 AM  September 1, 2024: We've added two new Monopoly Go dice links for free dice rolls. How can I get Monopoly Go free dice links? The household favorite board game has been reimagined as a free-to-play app 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 September 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best board games, Monopoly Go events, Monopoly Go dice |
PCGamesN Sunday, September 1, 2024 8:05 AM  4X games can be daunting, and the genre's high barrier for entry is normally enough to deter many from even getting started. Ara: History Untold doesn't subscribe to that notion, despite its gargantuan scope suggesting otherwise. I played Oxide's latest at Gamescom and quickly settled into its rhythms. Continue reading Ara History Untold is the Civilization 7 rival to watch |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Sunday, September 1, 2024 11:00 AM  Hello reader who is also a reader, and welcome back to Booked For The Week - our regular Sunday chat with a selection of cool industry folks about books! I've moved on to Wolfe's Sword Of The Lictor this week and, readers, I'm starting to think that Severian might not be a very good dude. This week it's Still Wakes the Deep, Little Orpheus, and Robocraft designer (along with many others) and current lead technical level designer at Half Mermaid, Robert McLachlan! Cheers Robert! Mind if we have a nose at your bookshelf? |
Siliconera Sunday, September 1, 2024 12:00 PM
The WitchSpring games always surprise me. The blend of character training, a relaxed pace, and shockingly deep lore tend to enthrall me. WitchSpring R, a major remake of the original game, fleshes out the original game even further while ensuring this version of the game looks and plays even more smoothly than the original.
Pieberry is a young woman and a witch. She doesn't remember much about herself or her past! She knows she loves pies and berries, hence the name she gave herself. She also knows she's pretty much stuck in the forest where she lives, due to a golem and all. However, there's more to her, and the world around her, than she realizes. And since humans have been on a crusade against witches ever since, she'll soon find herself leaving her safe space and going to the Springs around Vavelia, reviving them and learning who she is.
Now, as I mentioned earlier, WitchSpring R ends up being quite a dramatic and dark game. The witch hunts are no joke. Bad things happen to good people. There are times we see characters we care about broken. But at the same time, it's also a very touching story! There are happy moments scattered throughout, and the nature of it means plenty of times it does feel downright cozy. Pieberry herself is a fun, though perhaps a bit too naive, character. This version of the game and story stands out due to the extra attention given to supporting cast members. However, while I do appreciate the larger plot beats and lore surrounding witches and the world, there are some moments that feel a little… dumb. Like situations might be too obvious or ridiculous, spoilers aside.
Like all other WitchSpring entries, WitchSpring R involves building up Pieberry's magical repertoire via getting new spells, acquiring pets to help in and out of battles, taking part in turn-based fights, crafting, and training the witch. The general gameplay loop doesn't change all that much between the original game and remaster. While the original version of this game also involved a time-limit, it takes a queue from other games and the Atelier series for a more relaxed approach that allows Pieberry to complete her objectives at your leisure.
These are all introduced in a gradual way, to help you ease into the new responsibilities. So much so that it might feel a little overbearing or like your hand is being held too tightly. Even though you can right away see certain areas and opportunities to explore, Kiwiwalks determines when you get to encounter new items, gain access to new areas, and learn how to train or use certain features. While in a way, it makes sense since they show up when the story demands Pieberry need them. However, I wish it got through these elements a bit quicker so we could really let loose.
Which is funny, because WitchSpring R is good at respecting your time in other ways. Anti-grinding features such as easily avoidable enemies, frequently replenished material sources, and the game outright telling you that you won't get EXP for redoing enemy encounters keeps you from wasting time going through certain routines. I honestly felt like I was strong enough to handle anything even when I raced through it for the sake of the review. I'd say in general the pacing is fine, once the tutorials are all done. It's just the introduction and certain moments later on that get a bit bogged down, especially when it feels like there's limited freedom when it comes to what you can do "next."
I honestly wouldn't have minded more excuses to fight. The battle system and mechanics surrounding it are quite fun. When training Pieberry through scheduled classes, you determine her specializations. So you could make her a physical bruiser or lean heavy into magic. Having pets act as additional party members and traversal methods makes them feel more important, especially since you can bond with them with food to make them more powerful. The battle system clearly telegraphs the turn order, to allow you to plot things out and keep situations from getting overwhelming. Using magic first can strengthen and affect physical attacks after. Not to mention you can trigger bonus hits. Also, the magic system really lets you customize Pieberry's spells via choosing the elements like the type of slab and magic circle to determine the effects, MP cost, critical hit chances, boosts, and power. If you want to go overboard making her a major powerhouse, you can! But also, the nature of it means you could take a more relaxed approach and still see her succeed.
But what makes WitchSpring R feel so much more worthwhile is how it differs from that original mobile release. The graphics, the character designs, the story, the overworld… it all is so much grander than it was before. It's such a substantial series of changes that it feels like a new, fresh game that just so happened to pull from the ideas and concepts in the original. The systems and mechanics feel much stronger, even though you can see the inspirations and roots from that first release.
While I played it on the Switch and loved it there, I did experience one odd issue with Pieberry herself in the first few hours. This happened during the first Pudding Cave dungeon, after I unlocked the teleportation function there. After going through the tutorial and using it to teleport out to restock potions, I headed back in and teleported to the newly unlocked point. Even though it seemed to have worked and the game took me to the new area, I didn't see her character model. Quitting, reloading, and retrying fixed it, and I didn't encounter the problem again. So it is possible by the time you read this review, a patch rectified whatever that issue was and you won't have to deal with it.
WitchSpring R feels like it is the comfort food of JRPGs. It isn't too taxing. There are some typical JRPG story elements. Its turn-based battle system is sound. The story starts a bit slow, due to a tutorial holding your hand through every gameplay element. However, there's some fun stuff happening with the lore and Pieberry's story can be entertaining.
WitchSpring R is available on the Switch, PS5, and PC. An Xbox One version is in development.
The post Review: WitchSpring R Can Be Both Delightful and Deep appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Sunday, September 1, 2024 9:00 AM
The Tiger Won't Eat the Dragon Yet is an interesting manga series, given it is filled with humans who can shape-shift into animal counterparts and a legend that involves the benefits of eating dragons. Much of the first volume focuses on the developing relationship between Hekidou the dragon and the white tiger Hakurei. With the second, we're learning more about these legends and how much truth there is to them, especially since Hachi Inaba introduces a second dragon named Shinsui and her avian companions Kokuran and Misumi. It ends up being fascinating to compare the two dragons, as well as find out more truths about exactly how much of the legend is real.
Editor's Note: There are some mild spoilers for the first half of volume 2 of The Tiger Won't Eat the Dragon Yet manga below.
Right away, The Tiger Won't Eat the Dragon Yet volume 2 starts with the other dragon Hekidou is fleeing from and doesn't want to meet, with the introduction revealing she travels alongside sibling birds named Kokuran and Misumi. We get a better impression of how mercurial Shinsui from the outset, based on her interactions with the snake that Hekidou and Hakurei dealt with at the end of the previous volume. In a flashback, we see how the temperaments of the two dragons compared. It's then that Misumi and Kokuran appear. While this interlude is brief, it immediately sets the tone for the relationship.
While the Hakurei and Hekidou get along well, are comfortable with one another, and there's clear affection, there's a marked detachment between Shinsui and the two birds. Kokuran and Misumi are deferential to her, referring to her with an honorific "lady." There's a hesitation in Misumi's reply, perhaps out of fear. It's clearly a relationship in which the dragon is the "superior" and the siblings are under her in some sort of forced commitment, rather than the natural, affectionate, and mutually beneficial partnership between the other duo.
From there, we get more valuable insights into both the lore tied to dragons and interactions between them and other species. Hakurei and Hekidou decide to head off on a journey to find a way to prolong her life. Since he's a long-lived species, he's already older than he looks and will outlive her. This brings them to a group of monkeys.
This leads to the first hint that something is awry and about the myth regarding dragons. From what the head monkey they speak to says, eating a dragon's heart doesn't make the person who ate it immortal. There are multiple examples in which doing so seemed to kill whoever consumed it, with the victims appeared to have been poisoned. Of course, there's no concrete evidence just yet. The monkey is going off of hearsay. However, it's the first account that seems to involve actual examples, rather than rumors or urban legends.
For the sake of avoiding spoilers, I'll avoid heading further into the revelations found in volume 2, but this latest entry in The Tiger Won't Eat the Dragon Yet offers many insights into the nature of dragons in the manga. The segments involving Hekidou and Shinsui offer us an opportunity to see how dragon dispositions can vary among individuals, as well as how they may treat those around them. We're also starting to really see what happens to people who do dare to eat a dragon, and the contradictions between myths and reality. It's fascinating and left me wondering if there really is some way to grant Hakurei a longer life after all.
Volumes 1 and 2 of The Tiger Won't Eat the Dragon Yet manga are available via Yen Press, and there's no release window for the third volume yet. The series is still running in Japan.
The post The Tiger Won't Eat the Dragon Yet Volume 2 Gets More Into Lore appeared first on Siliconera. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Sunday, September 1, 2024 1:23 PM A trailer was also released. The post To the Moon Announced For PS5 and Xbox Series appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Sunday, September 1, 2024 1:14 PM The game will launch in September. The post Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP Will Also Launch For Last-Gen Consoles appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Sunday, September 1, 2024 1:02 PM The collection will feature new improvements. The post Lego Harry Potter Collection Announced For PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |