Kotaku Sunday, October 6, 2024 9:35 AM  Happy Sunday, gang! The weekend's half-gone (or half-full, depending on how much you're dreading Monday). We've got our Sunday mental workout ready for you, and then you can head off and get your gaming grind on. (We've got the new Assassin's Creed teed up this weekend.) |
Kotaku Sunday, October 6, 2024 9:15 AM  Update: With his fourth-round defeat of Khalil Rountree via TKO at UFC 307, Alex Pereira completed step one of my eight-part plan for him to capture a third UFC title and become a combat sports GOAT. But that's not all he set in motion. He also answered questions about deficiencies in his game that caused me to doubt… |
Kotaku Sunday, October 6, 2024 9:00 AM  It's been a week, guys.From new DLC releases, to a new PS5 feature getting frustrating real fast, there was a lot to cover in this first week of October. We covered Astro Bot devs acknowledging the lack of FF7 characters in its PlayStation love letter, Microsoft asking devs why they're skipping Xbox, Nintendo killing… |
PCGamesN Sunday, October 6, 2024 7:34 AM  Warhammer 40k games are hot right now, with the Space Marine 2 launch and continued updates for Darktide ensuring there are plenty of ways to live out your grimdark fantasy future existence in the digital realm. If you're looking for your next hit, strategy game Warhammer 40k: Battlesector might be just the answer. A robust offering that lets you live out those Space Marine power fantasies, the 2021 release boasts an impressive 89% Steam user rating, and you can snag it cheap right now ahead of a brand-new DLC launching in December. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best 4X games on PC, Best strategy games, Best space games on PC |
PCGamesN Sunday, October 6, 2024 7:37 AM  I'm constantly floored by the creativity on display in Halo Infinite Forge. Reach's avalanche mode is still a hallmark of my misspent youth, but even I can see how 343 has refined the creation tool into a well-oiled machine. Players are making entirely new games within Infinite, never mind multiplayer modes, and it's incredible. That's why I'm overjoyed the tell you that a free, ODST spin on Helldivers 2 is coming to Halo Infinite, and it'll be here incredibly soon. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Halo Infinite system requirements, Halo Infinite Bosses, Halo Infinite ranks |
PCGamesN Sunday, October 6, 2024 6:38 AM  If you've been struggling to get onto the Throne and Liberty server you want, life should now be a little smoother. The free MMORPG from NCSoft and Amazon Games has seen peak player counts of around 300,000 on Steam each day since its full launch on Tuesday October 1. That pushes it into the top five most-played games on the Valve store and it also sits at number three globally for revenue. Unfortunately, that popularity comes with server congestion, meaning it's been tough for players to get into the server they want or create new characters. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best MMORPGs, Throne and Liberty codes, Throne and Liberty weapons |
PCGamesN Sunday, October 6, 2024 6:14 AM  Even if Fallout 5 is just a mere twinkle in Todd Howard's eye, the series is still the biggest it's ever been. Between the ongoing resurgence of 76, the Amazon TV show, and the excellent Fallout London, there's more than enough to keep us busy ahead of Bethesda's official return. While we wait, though, there's no better place to look than the Fallout New Vegas modding community. After initially being put on hold earlier this year the expansive, DLC-sized total conversion mod Fallout: Nuevo Mexico is back, and it has a packed trailer to show for it. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Fallout New Vegas mods, Fallout 5 release date, Best RPG games |
PCGamesN Sunday, October 6, 2024 4:43 AM  October 6, 2024: We've checked for the latest 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 October 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best board games, Monopoly Go events, Monopoly Go dice |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Sunday, October 6, 2024 6:00 AM  Sundays are for more Space Marine 2 operations. Ah, I see you've combined incredibly slow progression XP with worthwhile upgrades, forcing me to play for hours. I hate you for this, but I will not stop. Before I pour yet more of my life into making a fake number go up, let's read some of this week's writing I personally found interesting about videogames (and game related things!) |
Siliconera Sunday, October 6, 2024 9:00 AM
It's amazing how many Touhou Project games end up localized or released worldwide. We're getting easy access to mainline entries, spin-off projects, and even indies inspired by the series. One of the most notable recent ones is Touhou Danmaku Kagura Phantasia Lost, which is a rhythm game that features traditional and shoot'em up inspired stages. It's definitely worth trying, but certain elements might leave those unfamiliar with the series feeling left out.
I'm talking about the story, first and foremost. In Touhou Danmaku Kagura Phantasia Lost, you go through a campaign to find out what's gone wrong in the setting of Gensokyo this time and unlock new rhythm stages. The whole region is something of a wasteland, dilapidated and desolate. Reimu Hakurei, our ever present recurring heroine, is there to hopefully set things right. However, she completely lost her memories. So in addition to restoring things around her, she needs to rediscover her own identity. This means finding the Fragment of Memory Mitama Cards and perform the Reigen Kaisei prayer.
This is the only part of Touhou Danmaku Kagura Phantasia Lost that doesn't feel "right." The execution of the story isn't great. The localization is fine enough, but you can tell the original script might not have perfectly articulated things. It makes assumptions about the player's familiarity with the series. The pacing is bad. It's just not well done. And since you are forced into it, it's a bit disappointing.
At least it doesn't matter that the story isn't anything special. The Touhou Danmaku Kagura Phantasia Lost gameplay is fantastic and not held back by it. You go through incredible songs from throughout the Touhou Project series. Passing them means advancing, succeeding, and unlocking more tracks and cards. The library of songs is vast! They're fantastic even if you are entirely new to them! It's just wonderful. The optional extra missions, which can involve getting certain combo lengths, are manageable. I also liked how there are stage gimmicks that can make a run feel more fun in the campaign.
The gameplay is also great since the execution for the stages are honestly super sound. Touhou Danmaku Kagura Phantasia Lost is a rhythm game with both a traditional approach and one that adds in a shoot'em up feel. The Kagura stages are the more typical ones. There are six lanes, each tied to a different button. Notes drop, and you press the keys in time with standard or held notes. But what really gets neat is when a Danmaku stage comes up. When this comes up, there are between two and four lanes, based on difficulty, with two on either side of the main screen. You then also move back and forth to avoid the bullets from the enemy and "fight" by shooting, occasionally also moving back and forth on-screen when arrow indicators appear to help you dodge. It's really innovative and fresh! The downside is, movement is pretty slow when going back and forth, which might be an issue in certain songs and on certain difficulties.
The only thing I'd really recommend doing is customizing your controls. The initial inputs threw me off a little bit. Not because they're bad! They rely on the face buttons and are both comfortable and responsive. Just depending on your familiarity with other rhythm games, you might feel more comfortable assigning those lanes to six different buttons. Which is really easy to do, as custom key binding is an option here. It's especially helpful when the danmaku battle comes up, since then you know right away what inputs you need.
I really appreciate the chances that Touhou Danmaku Kagura Phantasia Lost takes, in terms of gameplay, because it is a solid rhythm game! The track listing is fantastic. It's drawing from all the amazing Touhou Project music we love. I just wish the story was either handled better or more approachable for those who aren't familiar with the series, as that's going to be quite a barrier for most people to overcome if they give it a chance. Knowing you need to go through that to even unlock your songs is a lot.
Touhou Danmaku Kagura Phantasia Lost is available on the Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.
The post Review: Touhou Danmaku Kagura Phantasia Lost Is at Its Best in Rhythm Game Stages appeared first on Siliconera. |
