GamersHeroes Monday, October 7, 2024 1:23 PM For all the thrill-seekers out there this spooky season, Gaggle Studios' intense, co-operative horror title 7 Minutes in Hell is now available in Steam Early Access. The post 7 Minutes in Hell Now Available in Steam Early Access appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Monday, October 7, 2024 12:49 PM 5minlab (a creative studio in the KRAFTON, Inc. family) has released their top-down arena shooter Kill the Crows for the Nintendo Switch. The post Top-Down Arena Shooter Kill the Crows Now Available on Nintendo Switch appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Monday, October 7, 2024 10:00 AM Metaphor: ReFantazio is a deep, stylish, and rewarding adventure, but it's not for the faint of heart. The post Metaphor: ReFantazio Review appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
Kotaku Monday, October 7, 2024 1:30 PM  Over the years, Persona, Atlus' high school social sim RPG series, has captured my heart as the quintessential "power of friendship" games. The games have meaningful things to say about human connection as they follow high schoolers trying to save the world and still study for their final exams. But even when the… |
Kotaku Monday, October 7, 2024 1:30 PM  In addition to a brand new story, tons of quality-of-life improvements, many new mechanics, and even some new endgame dungeons to enjoy, Diablo IV: Vessel Of Hatred also adds a new class; the Spiritborn. |
Kotaku Monday, October 7, 2024 1:02 PM  I'll be real with you, there's a lot to play right now. The fall season of releases is in full swing and is especially full of heavyweight RPGS like Metaphor: ReFantazio and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which are coming down the pipeline later this month. However, if I could draw your attention away from the incoming… |
Kotaku Monday, October 7, 2024 12:30 PM  It's time, once again, for The Wanderer to suit up and go dungeon crawling. This time, in the new Vessel of Hatred expansion for Diablo IV, you're in pursuit of poor, tormented Neyrelle in the Hate-ridden lands of Nahantu. Much as I'd like to tell you that there's a nice handy little pamphlet titled, "So, You Just… |
Kotaku Monday, October 7, 2024 11:55 AM  Star Wars is a mess at the moment. There are unvarnished bright spots like Andor, and then there's everything else. There's always a new hope though, and right now that's seeing Obi-Wan Kenobi get a second season and go full live-action Clone Wars with flashbacks galore. Despite no confirmation of a season 2 from… |
Kotaku Monday, October 7, 2024 11:40 AM  New hit Throne and Liberty gives players quite a few unique spins on traditional MMO mechanics, but its most compelling is the weapon combo system. Instead of choosing a player class, by equipping two different types of weapons you earn both the active and passive skills of each, letting you create hybrid builds that… |
Kotaku Monday, October 7, 2024 11:30 AM  On Monday, Sega and Creative Assembly announced that after a decade of fans asking and pleading for an Alien: Isolation sequel, it's actually happening. However, it'll still probably be at least a year or two before we'll see the highly anticipated horror game. |
Kotaku Monday, October 7, 2024 11:05 AM  In the past decade, Metroidvanias have seen a massive resurgence thanks to the indie scene. There have been dozens of new entries in the genre that introduce their own twists on the formula, and one of the best examples of this is Dead Cells. Released in 2018, the title from developers Motion Twin and Evil Empire has… |
Kotaku Monday, October 7, 2024 10:10 AM  Ever since mass layoffs at Halo maker 343 Industries, fans have wondered what the future will hold for the famed sci-fi shooter. It turns out Microsoft still has big plans for Master Chief, and they involve multiple upcoming projects as well as the franchise making the jump to Epic Games' Unreal Engine, the tech that… |
Kotaku Monday, October 7, 2024 10:00 AM  Throughout Metaphor: ReFantazio's roughly 80 hours, the RPG's protagonist carries a novel with him as he travels through the fantastical world of the United Kingdom of Euchronia. The book depicts an idealized metropolis of skyscrapers where equality is written into law. It's clear this story envisions a pristine… |
Kotaku Monday, October 7, 2024 9:35 AM  Back in February, we learned that Disney had invested an astonishing $1.5 billion in game developer Epic, as the two companies set out to create what they called "a new persistent universe." Little more was known how this integration would work, but now an interview with Epic management by The Verge has made things a… |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 1:49 PM  There are several big names in the horror game pantheon such as Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Alien Isolation, Outlast, Dead Space, and of course - Until Dawn. Most of them have found a home on PC but it's taken a staggering nine years for the last title to reach our beloved computers. Its launch appears to be bittersweet for fans, however, with the game earning a 'mixed' rating on Steam following its release with several different issues reported by players. Continue reading Legendary horror game Until Dawn lands on PC but struggles on Steam MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best horror games, Best story games, Best adventure games |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 1:39 PM  Who are the Metaphor ReFantazio voice actors? Sporting a full suite of accents from across the UK, Metaphor ReFantazio really has put the 'United Kingdom' into the 'United Kingdom of Euchronia' for Studio Zero's big post-medieval election adventure. But who's made the cast list in the game of the year candidate? As we can attest to in our Metaphor ReFantazio review, the RPG's actors have popped off. Featuring top dogs from across anime, gaming, and beyond, alongside upcoming stars, the Metaphor ReFantazio cast list is filled to the brim with talent. To learn who the Metaphor ReFantazio voice actors are, as well as what they're known for, read on. Continue reading Metaphor ReFantazio voice actors and cast list MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Metaphor Refantazio release date, Best RPG games, Best JRPGs |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 1:01 PM  Pathologic might be a tough game to recommend, but it's one every single enthusiast needs to play. The metatextual survival RPG is the textbook definition of friction by design alongside Dark Souls. Pathologic wants you to suffer, it wants the mechanics to feel obtuse, it wants there to be extended downtime. You grow to appreciate the deliberate design decisions, and eventually admire them. If you're yet to try this cult classic though, Pathologic 3 has just been announced, and you have plenty of time to catch up. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best RPGs, Best single-player games, Upcoming PC games |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 1:08 PM  When is the next Supervive playtest? Theorycraft Games is aiming for the stars with its debut release. Supervive is part hero shooter, part battle royale, with a sprinkling of everyone's favorite MOBA on top, as a treat. They call it an improvisational sandbox, and after taking part in the latest playtest, we can confirm all of these descriptors are accurate. While Supervive doesn't have a firm release date, with an open beta coming sometime later this year, alpha playtests have been occurring, giving players a chance to jump in and get to grips with the multiplayer game. There are plenty of characters on show, and already a competitive and healthy player base, but for those who haven't had a chance to play, or those who are chomping at the bit to get in, when is the next Supervive playtest? Continue reading When is the next Supervive playtest? MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best MOBAs, Best battle royale games, Best multiplayer games |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 12:44 PM  October 7, 2024: We have checked and added 26 new Shindo Life codes to this list. What are the new Shindo Life codes? Shindo Life is among the most popular gacha games on the Roblox platform thanks to its lightning-fast action, wealth of unlockables, and Naruto-like vibes. Developer RellGames is also an extremely active creator, delivering a tight weekly update schedule and serving up regular codes for rellcoins, spins, double XP, and more. If you want to stay ahead of the competition, you'd be wise to make use of our codes list down below, which we update regularly to bring you the latest rewards before they're gone. We'll also explain how to redeem Roblox Shindo Life codes as well as when you can expect new codes to arrive. If you need more freebies, we also keep updated lists of new Blox Fruits codes, Pet Simulator 99 codes, and All Star Tower Defense codes. Continue reading Shindo Life codes October 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games, Roblox promo codes, Roblox music codes |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 12:42 PM  The Nvidia CES 2025 keynote has been confirmed, and Jensen Huang will once again take to the stage to reveal the latest hardware and software updates from the company. This year's keynote is all the more exciting as it's expected to be where the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 are revealed. While the GeForce RTX 5090 release date is still being kept under wraps by Nvidia, rumors of a CES 2025 reveal have been running rampant for a few months after an RTX 5090 launch date leak suggested the iconic trade show would be where the new GPUs are going to debut. While the RTX 5090 is expected to be the best graphics card for gaming, leaks suggest the new RTX 5080 will be much less powerful. Continue reading Nvidia CES 2025 keynote confirmed as RTX 5090 reveal rumors heat up MORE FROM PCGAMESN: GeForce RTX 4070 Super review, DLSS explained, Best graphics cards |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 12:34 PM  Intel has finally stated, for the record, that it has fixed all the problems with its 13th and 14th-gen gaming CPUs for good. This final Intel CPU fix was issued over a week ago, and while the company did say that it had tracked down the root cause, it didn't say with certainty that the fix it released was the final one. This is the first time Intel has spoken, on the record, with confirmation that undamaged Intel Raptor Lake CPUs now have a permanent fix. It's been a long road getting here, with many of the best gaming CPUs facing months of risk from voltage instability issues, even after several updates. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Core i5 14600K review, Best gaming CPU, Core i9 14900K review |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 12:36 PM  If you've been waiting to purchase one of Intel's most recent gaming CPUs amid concerns over instability issues, then the time has finally come to part with your cash. Newegg currently has a massive Intel CPU deal on its 14th-gen chips, where you can save over $130 on a brand-new processor. This sale comes off the back of confirmation from Intel that the instability issue is now resolved, with the latest update, microcode 0x12B, being the final Intel stability update rolled out by motherboard manufacturers. If you already purchased one of the impacted chips, say, the Intel Core i9 14900K, and the instability issue has already caused damage, your only option is to contact Intel customer support. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Core i5 14600K review, Best gaming CPU, Core i9 14900K review |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 12:16 PM  What are some cool Minecraft build ideas? The sandbox game remains one of the best of all time over a decade on from its release, but such a long time in one game means you might be running out of ideas. We've been there: you've already built a city, a castle, or even a Wild West outpost, so what's next? Luckily, there are plenty of unique builds, farms, and creations out there to inspire your next Minecraft project. Unlike our favorite Minecraft house ideas or Minecraft castles, for example, this list is more varied, and contains plenty of inspiration. From a stylish Minecraft Nether Portal to automated farms, from massive decorative builds to homely aquariums, these ideas can be copied directly or simply used to inspire your future Minecraft builds. Continue reading 31 Minecraft build ideas for 1.21 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Minecraft seeds, Minecraft skins, Minecraft mods |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 12:04 PM  I love Halo, but recent years haven't been too kind to our Master Chief. 343 Industries made the best feeling game in the entire series with Infinite, but a dreadful launch held it back from true greatness. Then the team fell silent. Infinite was slowly crawling out of the pit, but the series' future felt nebulous. Now we have a glimpse of what's coming, and it's incredibly promising. The way Halo is being developed is changing, and it's symbolic of a revision we need to see across all triple-A games. Continue reading The new Halo games could totally fix the broken triple-A industry MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Halo Infinite system requirements, Halo Infinite Bosses, Halo Infinite ranks |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 11:53 AM  In any conversation about the best survival horror games ever, Alien Isolation should always get a mention. The game has just turned a decade old, and what better way to celebrate than by announcing that its long-awaited sequel is actually happening. Yes, Alien Isolation 2 is in development. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best horror games, Alien: Isolation review, Best VR games |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 11:40 AM  What are the best Minecraft mods in 2024? Every game of vanilla Minecraft can vary quite dramatically, and the best Minecraft mods go one step further to provide an entirely new experience. Whether you love creative building, terrifying survival, or speedrunning the story, we've got the mod for you below. We've included interface mods and tools to make things easier, too. All the Minecraft mods below are divided into sections, depending on what you want to do with the sandbox game – from simple utility changes to deep world mods you can get lost in for months. There are new mobs, new biomes, performance boosting mods, and more, and you can jump to the bottom if you don't know how to install Minecraft mods and want to learn. Continue reading The 57 best Minecraft mods October 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Minecraft seeds, Minecraft skins, Minecraft mods |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 11:23 AM  A new AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D benchmark has leaked, and it appears to show a substantial increase in clock speed compared to the new CPU's predecessor, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. While the latter is an amazing gaming CPU, its 5GHz peak clock speed held it back in application benchmarks, but these newly leaked Cinebench results appear to show that this CPU can also hold its own in content creation tasks. That means the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D wouldn't just be the best gaming CPU when it launches, but also a formidable chip when it comes to heavily multi-threaded workloads, such as video encoding and 3D rendering. Not only that, but it also looks as though the 9800X3D's single-threaded performance is also well ahead of that of the 7800X3D, suggesting a substantial increase in clock speed. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7 7800X3D review, Best gaming CPU, Radeon RX 7800 XT review |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 10:48 AM  How do you install and play a Minecraft snapshot? These snapshots are the very first iteration of Minecraft updates and are a way for Mojang to test out bug fixes, technical changes, and new mechanics before officially rolling them out. Anyone with the Java edition of the creative game can try these features without any risk to your current world, so let's find out how to be the first to try the next big Minecraft update. During Minecraft Live, the next big Minecraft update or drop is revealed to the community. At past events, we've had the likes of the Caves and Cliffs update, The Wild Update, and the Trails and Tales update - each of them overhauling the base game with new Minecraft biomes, blocks, and mobs. Since these updates come with so much new content, they need to be tested out first, and that's where Minecraft snapshots come in. Use them to test out new experimental features before anyone else, and feedback to Mojang if you have any issues. It's a win-win situation. Continue reading How to play Minecraft snapshots - snapshot 24w40a MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Minecraft seeds, Minecraft skins, Minecraft mods |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 10:32 AM  When is the next Steam sale? It feels like one Steam sale has just ended when the next one begins, but with some events offering better discounts than others and genre-specific sales to look out for, it's a good idea to keep these dates to hand. Fortunately, we've got a complete list of all the official Steam sale dates for 2024 and beyond, so you can make a dent in your Steam wishlist without breaking the bank. Whether you're looking for new PC games to sink your teeth into or simply the best PC games of all time, there's something for everyone on Steam. Genre sales can introduce you to hidden gems if you can snap up the bargains in time, while seasonal Steam sales can last for weeks, with more games, DLC, and bundles available at chunkier discounts. Continue reading When is the next Steam sale? MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Steam FAQ, Steam family sharing, Steam in-home streaming |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 10:12 AM  What are the best PC games? From triple-A world-beaters like GTA 5 to enchanting indie releases such as Rocket League, these classics are the biggest games across Steam, Epic Games Store, and more. Finding the top PC games is no easy task. There are, you may have noticed, quite a lot of them. From the 50,000-plus Steam games to… all those other platforms you love so much, there has never been more choice available to the discerning PC gamer. From the best RPG games to the most mind-blowing FPS games, here are the best PC games of all time, according to us. There are even some free PC games thrown in there, too. Continue reading The best PC games 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Elden Ring builds, Elden Ring bosses, Elden Ring weapons |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 10:06 AM  From the shimmering sands of Diablo 3's Caldeum to the bloodstained, defiled churches of Diablo 2's Rogue Encampment, Sanctuary is easily one of the most macabre, fully-realized worlds I've ever encountered in my [redacted] years playing videogames. My black, rotting heart has always found a home on Kurast, the jungle that frames Diablo 2's third act, and the earthly home of my favorite Prime Evil, Mephisto. As someone who's always loved the shaman-style aesthetic, Kurast was always equal parts beautiful and twisted, but seeing it reimagined in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred truly took my breath away. Perfectly weaving native iconography with emerald green yet oddly eerie foliage, Diablo 4's Kurast - and Nahantu as a whole - is my favorite Diablo zone ever made. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Diablo 4 builds, Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred review, Diablo 4 classes |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 10:02 AM  There's a new folding keyboard on Kickstarter that has an AMD Ryzen gaming PC built right into it. Made by Chinese company Linglong, the Lunar packs a powerful computer into a small, portable keyboard that folds in half, making it easy to fit in your pocket. This Linglong PC doesn't look like a traditional PC. It's packed with enough power to make it competitive against some of the best mini gaming PCs out there, thanks to the power of its AMD processor. The design of the Lunar has more in common visually with a travel keyboard, however. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7 7800X3D review, Best gaming CPU, Radeon RX 7800 XT review |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 10:03 AM  When Atlus revealed Metaphor ReFantazio as the first original project under its new Studio Zero division, I was licking my chops in anticipation. An all-star team of ex-Persona devs with series director Katsura Hashino at the helm, working on a post-medieval acid fantasy turn-based RPG? Get in me. Having rolled credits after spending just over 80 hours uniting the kingdom of Euchronia, I can confidently assert that Metaphor is so much more than the Persona reskin many feared would materialize and that this bold, beautiful adventure might be Hashino's finest project yet. Initially, Metaphor ReFantazio has all the telltale signs of a classic succession thriller after Euchronia's monarch is murdered, promising bloody conflict between its myriad factions - chiefly the crown theocracy, led by his holiness Sanctifex Forden, and the young upcoming military superstar Count Louis. However, just as the threat of civil war palpates, the royal magic wielded by the late king kicks in, forcing the throne's candidates to lay down their arms (sort of), pick up their picket signs, and start campaigning. If you were looking for an escape from election season, I'm sorry to say this thrilling RPG isn't it. Continue reading Metaphor ReFantazio review - the crowned prince of turn-based JRPGs MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Metaphor Refantazio release date, Best RPG games, Best JRPGs |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 9:42 AM  Silent Hill 2 Remake was a troublesome proposition. Obviously it comes from a good pedigree - the original is one of the most renowned, admired videogames ever made - but with that reputation comes an enormous amount of expectation and dubiousness. When the original version is so good, how could Bloober Team possibly justify a new version of Silent Hill 2? Well, despite skepticism, SH2 Remake seems to be a big hit, with an enormous amount of glowing reviews from critics and players, and a healthy presence on Steam just before launch. It's apparently so good, in fact, that the director of the 2001 classic is eager to play, and suggests that the remake might even improve on the OG. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Silent Hill 2 remake system requirements, The best horror games, Silent Hill 2 remake review |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 9:52 AM  What are the best Minecraft servers? We've jumped into some of the many multiplayer servers around to find the best, friendliest, and most fun of them all. Joining any one of the varied Minecraft servers in this list will invite you into a magical world full of like-minded fans, builders, redstone masters, and survival experts. Minecraft worlds are infinite, so what better than sharing one with others? While vanilla, single-player Minecraft is still one of the best games ever, there's nothing better than jumping into a world with friends and creating a world together. The servers below aren't just for builders, though, and there's something for you whether you want Minecraft mods, parkour, PVP, or a number of other things. So, dive into the expansive world of multiplayer with these incredible Minecraft servers, or head to the bottom of the list if you need to know about hosting your own Minecraft server. Continue reading The 36 best Minecraft servers list 2024 - Java and Bedrock MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Minecraft seeds, Minecraft skins, Minecraft mods |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 10:59 AM  How do you solve the Silent Hill 2 motel safe puzzle? Silent Hill is rife with puzzles to solve, but few can cause more consternation than the humble safe code puzzle. Following Maria to her "special place" in Silent Hill 2 takes you through Jacks Inn, a prominent location in the horror game series – there are even a few easter eggs to spot while you're here. However, while Jacks Inn was just a save point in the old game, you won't be able to proceed through it in Bloober's remake without the Silent Hill 2 motel safe code. Thankfully, we can guide you to the note's location and explain the logic to reach its solution. Continue reading Silent Hill 2 Jacks Inn motel safe code MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Silent Hill 2 remake system requirements, The best horror games, Silent Hill 2 remake review |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 9:26 AM  What are the upcoming Game Pass games on PC? New titles constantly appear on the platform, and as more developers jump on board with Microsoft's subscription service, it can be easy to lose track of the best of the bunch. Our complete list of games coming to Game Pass charts new releases in 2024, so you can play your most anticipated PC games on day one without spending a cent more than your subscription fee. Game Pass on PC presents an excellent opportunity to take the best PC games for a spin without worrying about triple-A price tags. Equally, you can take a chance on the most experimental and unorthodox indie games that might otherwise go overlooked on other platforms. Whether you're a fan of fast-paced FPS games, spine-chilling horror games, or immersive RPGs, the best way to keep up to date with all the games coming to Game Pass in 2024 and beyond is right here on PCGamesN. Continue reading All Game Pass games 2024 and beyond MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Hellblade 2 review, Hellblade 2 lore stone locations, Hellblade 2 face locations |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 9:48 AM  When is the Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 5 release date? The island is now teeming with Marvel heroes and villains following the launch of season 4, and with the first live event of the season complete and Dr. Doom still raging through the island, who knows what'll happen next? The Fortnite battle pass features some well-known faces this time around, including Mysterio and Gwenpool. There's still plenty of time to pick up some of War Machine's weapons or Iron Man's combat kit and dominate Zero Build and the standard battle royale game mode, but we also know when the Fortnite chapter 5 Season 5 release date is scheduled, so there's no harm in looking ahead while we're at it. Continue reading Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 5 release date and latest news MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Fortnite map, Fortnite skins, Fortnite weapons |
PCGamesN Monday, October 7, 2024 9:00 AM  Another incredible Steam Deck bundle just dropped, thanks to Humble. This time you can get seven twin-stick indie games for just $12, a huge saving of $117 compared to their MSRP. The Steam Deck is one of the best handheld gaming PCs, and it shines brightest when playing indie titles that almost feel like they were designed with the console in mind. Every game in this Twin Stick 'Em Up bundle plays great on the Deck, even if Valve's rating doesn't reflect this situation. Continue reading Save an enormous $117 on these seven great Steam Deck games MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card, Best gaming PC, Best SSD for gaming |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 7, 2024 1:00 PM  Found a dead rat in my inbox this morning. When I examined the entrails it spelled out the following: PaThoLoGiC 3 aNnOuNcEd ToDaY. Ah, I see. Developers Ice Pick Lodge are working on a sequel to their infamously oppressive plague town simulator, only this time the follow-up will feature "a time-travel mechanic, allowing players to go back and see how their decisions change the lives of the townspeople." It will also put you in the fancy-schmancy shoes of the Bachelor, a doctor fond of quoting Latin phrases, who will have the ability to order quarantines and request patrols of entire areas of town. There's no firm release date yet, but we're told it'll be ready some time next year. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 7, 2024 12:48 PM  Why yes, that was a micro change in air density you just noticed on your motion tracker. Ten years since the release of horror adaptation Alien Isolation, Creative Assembly have announced that they're making a sequel. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 7, 2024 12:06 PM  Halo creators 343 Industries are having a bit of a glow-up. They're now calling themselves Halo Studios, a piece of rhetorical doubling-down that reminds me of those dril tweets about "James Bond, author of James Bond". They've also abandoned the proprietary Slipspace game engine used by Halo Infinite in favour of Epic's Unreal Engine 5, which will be the basis for "multiple new games". To celebrate the occasion, Halo Studios have released some footage of Project Foundry, an expansive Unreal Engine 5 prototype and spawning vat for actual Halo games, which is billed by the Xbox Newswire as a kind of ur-Halo - "a true reflection of what would be required for a new Halo game using Unreal, and a training tool for how to get there". |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 7, 2024 12:04 PM  The Silent Hill 2 remake is only out today, but it's been nearly two years since the first system requirements appeared, immediately distressing our PCs so badly that they started having their own nightmares of fog-smothered towns and James Sunderland in an uncomfortably high-poly nurse outfit. Those requirements have since lowered and risen, and now we know for sure that nu-Silent Hill 2 is one tough customer for performance – albeit one that benefits greatly from just one or two key settings tweaks. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 7, 2024 10:00 AM  Graham asked me if I'd discovered what the metaphor in Metaphor: ReFantazio might be, and I replied, "I don't know haha", or something along those lines. Having given it more thought, I think there are two metaphors: 1) It plays quite like Persona. 2) Its story is like a commentary on our society… or something to that effect. Metaphors aside, though, the game is a gigantic fantasy RPG that's technically better than Persona 5 in a lot of ways. Structurally, it feels less repetitive. It has more animated cutscenes that elevate those key story moments. You can brush aside weaker enemies in real-time combat, rather than face them in tiresome turn-based tangoes. And overall, I think it's the best game Persona or Persona-like Atlus have put out - it really is brilliant. But there's a part of me that feels like it's missing something that'll leave it less ingrained in the memory than Persona 5 once its final chapter has closed. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 7, 2024 9:30 AM  There's a genre of lesser fun that only makes itself known to me once I've completely given up on enjoying a game in any traditional sense, lurking under the surface like a silly icon on a losing scratchcard. I'll call it 'system tourism' in lieu of something better. It's not like the actually fulfilling virtual tourism you might do in something like Yakuza's Kamurocho, where you're scarfing down deep fried whiskeys, entranced by the lights. It's more like doing a Google street view tour of Venice's canals to see if you can spot someone taking a leak off the side of a gondola - hunting for anarchic anomalies because, honestly, the sights just aren't grabbing you. At the risk of sounding like some sort of horrible joy-mathematician: My experience with open world zombie survival game Dread Dawn involved precisely two and half discrete instances of fun, plus some additional appreciation for a few genuinely good ambient bits I'll get into shortly. With a significant overhaul of basically every player interaction Dread Dawn offers - from the abysmally tedious looting to the rusty combat - it might some day be worth your time. It harbours some incredible ambition, though it's surrounded by murk and detritus, like a dictatorial rat in a toilet bowl. Mostly, though, I can only give you advance warning to avoid it. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 7, 2024 9:11 AM  My default movement mode in horror games that actually scare me is: meandering. I seek to approach without approaching, scooting back and forth across the path like a stray hamster, worrying at the corners and avoiding clear perspectives of the route ahead, while keeping the route behind me in my peripheral vision. I have been trained to do this especially by Amnesia, where tilting your gaze too decisively at anything nasty drives your character nuts. Lurks Within Walls has no time for my hamstery antics. Developed by Here Be Monsters, it's a grid- and turn-based first-person dungeon crawler - a long-lost cousin of Etrian Odyssey that has wound up in an asylum jammed with internet cryptids, reminiscent in cinematic texture of F.E.A.R. In keeping with other grid-based dungeon crawlers, it only lets you turn the view by 90 degree angles and travel in straight lines. Going by the demo, it's a promising restraint for a horror game, though they really do need to expand on the combat, which is currently a slight waste of some terrific creature art. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 7, 2024 8:56 AM .jpg?width=1920&height=1920&fit=bounds&quality=80&format=jpg&auto=webp) Playing Phoenix Springs feels like David Lynch spliced together the ripped pages of a pulpy sci-fi comic with the storyboards of a broody noir. Its visuals are stark and foreboding, its dialogue delivered in riddles, and its haunting choral music sounds like it's been recorded in a wind tunnel. It's a point-and-click that calls back to early 90's Lucas Arts adventure games, and while it shares the same frustrations, the presentation makes it feel entirely contemporary. What begins as a standard detective game - chatting to strangers, rummaging through junk, finding addresses found on the net - soon spirals into something else entirely. I've finished it twice and I'm still not sure I totally understand what it all means. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 7, 2024 7:04 AM  Epic Games laid off over 800 people a year ago, following what CEO Tim Sweeney confessed was an "unrealistic" period of investment designed to "grow Fortnite as a metaverse-inspired ecosystem for creators". Now, it's time to start talking about brighter, metaversal tomorrows and hopefully, not do the whole thing all over again. Epic have detailed early plans for Unreal Engine 6, which Sweeney says will combine Unreal Engine with Fortnite's easy-to-use Unreal Editor to create a gigantic, "interoperable" metaverse platform that lets developers sell stuff that can seamlessly be transferred to other games, whether they run on Unreal Engine or not. Stealth blockchain post? Genuinely, I can neither confirm nor deny. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, October 7, 2024 6:22 AM  If you've been keeping up with the positive review scores for the Silent Hill 2 Remake, you may have been surprised to read the Wikipedia page over the weekend, only to learn that the horror game had "received the worst reviews imaginable." As spotted by Eurogamer, the page has now been locked following some deranged edits that altered review scores to appear much lower than they actually were. |
Twinfinite Monday, October 7, 2024 11:37 AM  |
Twinfinite Monday, October 7, 2024 10:00 AM  |
Twinfinite Monday, October 7, 2024 10:00 AM  |
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Siliconera Monday, October 7, 2024 1:30 PM
Hideaki Anno and his studio Khara will produce a new anime show based on the Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato series. The renowned Japanese animator best known for the Evangelion franchise made the announcement by himself when he hosted the Space Battleship Yamato 50th anniversary screening event. [Thanks, AV Watch!]
Khara's press release revealed that the studio has earned consent and privilege to produce the new anime from the Space Battleship Yamato rights holders Voyager Holdings and Tohokushinsha Film Corporation. Khara is working on the project's plans as of this announcement, and it aims to begin the show's production in 2025.
The press release added that the new Star Blazers anime show by Hideaki Anno and Studio Khara will take a different path from the ongoing remakes. Xebec's successor Studio Mother released the first episode of Be Forever Yamato: Rebel 3199 in Japanese theaters in July 2024. This title will consist of seven films, and the studio will release the second episode on November 22, 2024.
Space Battleship Yamato originally appeared as a TV anime series by Leiji Matsumoto that first aired in Japan in October 1974. The franchise is also known in the US by its localized title Star Blazers. Xebec gradually released remakes of the classic anime series, starting with Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 in 2013. Bandai Namco included the latter in the 2017 crossover game Super Robot Wars V, which is available in Japan and Asia on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Studio Khara will start producing its own Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato anime show in 2025.
The post Hideaki Anno Will Work on a New Star Blazers Anime Show appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 7, 2024 1:00 PM
Kadokawa and Design Coco announced a trio of Re:Zero Jewel Princess figures of Emilia, Ram, and Rem as fairies. They are expected to launch in Japan in March 2025, and Good Smile Company and AmiAmi started taking pre-orders for all three of them ahead of their debut. They cost 4,290 yen normally, and they are $33.99 each at Good Smile Company and about $28.90 at AmiAmi.
Each of these Re:Zero Emilia, Ram, and Rem figures are 1/7 scale ones. They are all wearing matching white and gold outfits. Their accessories and wings feature their signature colors. So in the case of Emilia, her color scheme is white and purple, while Ram is pink and white and Rem is blue and white. Emilia is the tallest of the lot at just over 9 inches (233mm). Due to the poses, Ram and Rem are slightly shorter at just around 8 inches (209mm).
Here's a gallery showing all of the initial photos going over how the three figures will look. While there are no pictures showing them from the back, we can see them from the front and sides.
The Design Coco Re:Zero Jewel Princess Emilia, Ram, and Rem fairy figures will debut in Japan in March 2025, and pre-orders are open at various retailers now. The anime is streaming on Crunchyroll, with season 3 available now. Yen Press handles the light novels and manga. The next game is Re:Zero Witch's Re:surrection for mobile devices.
The post New Re:Zero Figures Make Emilia, Ram, and Rem Fairies appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 7, 2024 12:30 PM
Bandai Namco revealed another major Bleach character for Bleach Rebirth of Souls, and it is Sosuke Aizen ally Kaname Tosen. In the series, Tosen started out as the 9th Division Captain, and he's known for his exceptional skills and ability to sense and "see" everything even though he is blind.
Tosen is present in Bleach from the earliest arcs, and his appearance in the game represents his debut in the series. He wields Suzumushi in the video, which he uses with his Bankai Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Korogi. His trailer begins by showing his Signature Move and counter Transcendence. That's followed by looks at his two Spiritual Pressure Moves Sayabane and Suzumushi Hishiki, Benihiko.
You can watch the full Kaname Tosen Bleach Rebirth of Souls trailer below:
Here are all the Bleach Rebirth of Souls characters introduced ahead of Kaname Tosen:
Bleach Rebirth of Souls will come to the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC in early 2025. The Bleach anime, including Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, can be found on Disney+ and Hulu. Viz Media handles the manga outside of Japan.
The post Kaname Tosen Reintroduced in Bleach Rebirth of Souls Trailer appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 7, 2024 12:00 PM
Bandai Spirits has revealed the full prize list of the Super Mario Ichiban Kuji lottery that will launch in mid-October 2024. This lottery will have the subtitle Home Party With Everyone, and most of the prizes in its lineup will be related to food preparation and serving.
The Question Mark Block will be the most prominent object featured in this lottery's prize lineup, as it is slated to appear in four prize tiers. The object will particularly feature in two of the lottery's most important tiers.
The highest A tier will have a snack dispenser where people can store non-meltable snacks like peanuts and jelly beans inside the Question Mark Block. The last prize for the lottery in any given outlet will feature the same block as a room light that can light up when someone touches or shakes it.
Here is the full prize list of the Super Mario: Home Party With Everyone Ichiban Kuji:
This will not be the first time Bandai Spirits holds a Mario-themed Ichiban Kuji. The company had previously held a merchandise lottery based on The Super Mario Bros Movie in 2023. It also held an Ichiban Kuji featuring merchandise from Animal Crossing: New Horizons in March 2024.
The Super Mario: Home Party With Everyone Ichiban Kuji lottery will be available in Japan from Tuesday, October 15, 2024.
The post Super Mario Ichiban Kuji Prizes Feature the Question Block appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 7, 2024 11:30 AM
HoYoVerse confirmed the next Honkai: Star Rail Special Program for the 2.6 update. We'll be able to learn about things to come at 4:30am PT/7:30am ET on October 11, 2024.
The teaser image hints at some of the things we can expect from the update, aside from the continuation of the 2.0 storylines. Rappa, the next playable 5-star character, is shown in the official art. She is a Galaxy Ranger, just like Boothill, who makes her debut in the story and as a unit. Dr. Ratio might feature prominently either in the story or as a rerun banner, as he showed up as well. Finally, Herta will appear.
Here's the official announcement on social media:
The art also brought up Penacony again. While the 2.0 update started in this new world, more recent patches' stories brought us back to the Xianzhou Alliance. We visited the Xianzhou Luofu for the Wardance festivities. That also meant the introduction of characters like Lingsha, Moze, and Feixiao. Looking forward, we still don't know when the 3.0 update and presumably new world will debut for the game.
Honkai: Star Rail is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the Special Program for 2.6 airs at 4:30am PT/7:30am ET on October 11, 2024.
The post 2.6 Honkai: Star Rail Special Program Airs This Week appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 7, 2024 11:00 AM
HoYoVerse shared first details about Chasca and Ororon, the two new Genshin Impact characters from Natlan who will debut in 5.2. She is expected to be the new 5-star unit, while he might be the new 4-star.
Chasca is an Anemo unit who wields a bow, and we'll also see her appear in the Genshin Impact 5.1 storyline. Her Constellation is Vultur Gryphus. She's known as an arbitrator and mediator, which came up in her initial teaser announcement. As for the brief character story, it gets into what made her become a Peacemaker and try to find a common ground to help people come together and work together toward answers.
Here's the Chasca Genshin Impact character story ahead of her 5.2 playable debut:
As for Ororon, it is uncertain what weapon he might wield. We also aren't sure if he'll be a 4-star or 5-star unit. With drip marketing in the past, it often ends up turning out that one is of a higher ranking than the other. We do know he is an Electro unit and his constellation is called Vampyrum Spectrum, and he is known for being stubborn. His initial character story suggests he's also the sort of person who talks to inanimate objects, giving them names that might only make sense to him, and is associated with a doctor named Ifa.
Here's the Ororon background story in Genshin Impact from HoYoVerse:
This comes after the 5.1 update only added one new character to the game. Xilonen joins Genshin Impact this week. She's a Geo type 5-star unit.
Genshin Impact is available for the PS4, PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the 5.1 update arrives on October 9, 2024.
The post Genshin Impact Characters Chasca and Ororon Debut in 5.2 appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 7, 2024 10:05 AM
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero aims to capture the wild, acrobatic, over-the-top battles of the anime and its various iterations as characters vanish and reappear behind one another, counter each other's counter moves, and fire off devastating blasts that leave the area a wasteland. When even the early story battles have that much mayhem in them, you'd better be ready for everything your opponents can throw at you right from the very first battle. Bandai Namco will throw some incredibly thrilling fights at you in this latest Dragon Ball game, but you'd best believe you need to be trained and ready before you start fighting against these ultra powerful characters.
I cannot stress this enough: if you have not played the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai and Budokai Tenkaichi arena fighter games, you need to head over to the Super Training menu and go over everything in Battle Training. I figured since I have a decent handle on fighting games I could give the commands a glance and hop right into playing the game. I was utterly wrong and got stomped immediately. I thought the game would at least let me learn the ropes by lowering the difficulty, but by the time I hit Vegeta in Episode Battle (the story mode), I was getting mauled constantly. I even turned on every possible Battle Assist, getting the game to help with combos, Dragon Dashes to catch up with hurled foes, and help with blocking, and it made next to no difference. You can't just lower the difficulty and mash buttons, here. You need to learn the systems.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's systems are very satisfying and help you fall in love with game once you commit to learning them. Battle Training will walk you through each of your moves one by one, letting you practice them until you master them. Since there's a lot to factor into every second of combat, you should take your time, here. For instance, basic movement involves far more than just walking around, as you can leap into the air and fly at will. You can also Dragon Dash to move far faster, allowing you to chase foes you've launched away from you or to make a quick getaway if you need to get to some cover to avoid an incoming blast.
This leads us to your Ki, the meter that fuels many of your handy abilities. Dragon Dash costs Ki to use (the yellow bar under your health bar), and while it recharges as you smack your foe around (or if you stand still and hold R2, which charges it fast but practically begs to get you smacked), you can burn through it fast if you Dragon Dash too much. Same if you use Ki Blasts to pepper foes with a few bursts of energy or if you hold the button down to launch a single, devastating one. You'll also burn through Ki in a hurry if you use your character-specific specials (like Gohan's Explosive Cannon). While managing a special meter in a fighting game isn't unique, since it's connected to movement and being able to use many of your best moves, it feels even more stressful to keep track of it in this game.
So, it's got more in-depth moves and the special meter is tied into combat a bit deeper. Why would I be worried about getting trashed playing Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero? On top of this, there are in-depth dodge, clash, and counters system in play. If you're about to get slammed up close, you can Vanish Assault to appear behind your enemy, trying to get the drop on them. You can also just hold Circle and use Perception to counter your opponent's strikes. You can do a high speed evasion by blocking with perfect timing when you're about to get hit, slipping away to hit back. Your throws, fast steps, and Ultimate Blasts can enter a clash state against your opponent, resulting in a short quicktime event where you're suddenly mashing buttons to come out on top. You have lots of tools to quickly turn a bout around, but things can just as easily get turned around on you.
This all results in battles that are extremely chaotic if you don't have all of these moves, skills, and combat possibilities firmly in your mind. Right from the start, and even at low difficulties, you and your opponent will be vanishing and reappearing around one another, entering sudden clash states where you have to switch what you're doing, and alternating between chasing and hurtling away from one another. It all happens blazingly fast, too. The game gives you a fair amount of health to make it so the matches don't end too quickly even while you're getting the hang of this stuff, but it can still be a lot to learn and get the hang of.
But when you start to get it, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero looks and feels incredible. While I would argue that Dragon Ball FighterZ looks a little bit sharper when it comes to its characters and attacks, it doesn't capture the feeling of movement and massive destruction that this game does. You will both be flying all over these massive battlefields, shifting from high-speed flight to an intimate beatdown where you're doing dodges and counters against one another in the space of milliseconds. It captures this incredible spectacle because of all of these systems working in tandem – especially so as your attacks blow up the battlefield itself. If you slowed the game down to look at its visuals they don't look as good as FighterZ, but when everything's moving, it looks great. It's relentlessly cool to look at these fights, and feels even better that you're the one in charge of what happens.
Episode Battle is a good place to start practicing these skills; just don't expect it to go easy on you. This story mode follows the narrative arcs of some of the major characters, capturing several major battles they went through. It manages to hit highlights from the various plotlines quickly and effectively without boring you with long plot dumps between fights, hitting a rare good middle ground for story that I didn't see in Jujutsu Kaisen Cursed Clash or Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections. The game gets to the point while still conveying the story and looking good while doing it, making Episode Battle pleasant to fight through. You can also bounce around several character arcs at will, so if you get stuck on a fight, you can switch characters and do someone else for a bit.
If you want something else that's not in any previous Dragon Ball Z storyline, Bonus Battles offers some unique fights between characters in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero. Maybe it's just a hard battle where you are especially weak or it has some unique restrictions, but these offer special fights to test your abilities or just try out a battle between characters that would be different from the regular storyline. These add some extra fun for single player, but you can also design your own Bonus Battle for you or other players to work through.
Custom Battles sees you choosing who will fight and where they'll fight. On top of this, you can set battle conditions for the fight. For these, you set a trigger condition (someone gets defeated, for example, or hits a certain level of health left), and then something will happen (they get transformed, lose access to certain moves, enemies will get harder, etc). You can also set up a story scene before, during, and after the fight, choosing effects, captions, announcer voices – basically creating your own cutscene (with some limitations). You can really do a lot with this – far more than I expected.
You can also post these Custom Battles online for others to play through, too. You can't just create some miserable beatdown, though, as, like Mario Maker, you need to win the fight to be able to post it online. That said, players who want to set up creative challenges or to dabble with making their own limited Dragon Ball Z stories can do some neat things with this tool. It's time-consuming, but is an incredibly neat extra for the game to have.
If you find yourself having trouble with some of the fights in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero or are getting frustrated that you're not progressing, there are Ability Items you can buy in the game's shop that can improve your character's powers when equipped. I didn't find these broke the game – more like they gave you a bit of an edge in a fight. Plus, you can only equip so many on your character. Still, they make a difference and are fairly affordable as the game gives you Zeni constantly for every little thing you do in it. Even if you lose, simply playing as characters and doing things in a fight gives you Zeni, so you're always getting a little something from playing it.
After being unimpressed with Jujutsu Kaisen Cursed Clash and Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, I was pleasantly surprised with Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero. It looks spectacular in motion and really captures the scope of the franchise's wild fights. With its many counters, fast movements, explosive field effects, and incredible blast moves, it makes you feel like you're fighting for your life against relentless enemies. It will take some real training to get all of its battle expectations down, but it is absolutely worth it.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero will be available on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC on October 11, 2024.
The post Review: Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is Delightfully Frantic appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 7, 2024 10:00 AM
With slick controls, somewhat distracting visuals, and a story full of ups and downs, Metaphor: ReFantazio can be a mixed bag of an experience. Though I didn't approach it or want to approach Atlus' new game as "fantasy Persona 5," there are so many similar elements when it comes to both its gameplay and storytelling that it's hard to fully divorce the two. Some parts of the worldbuilding and story may fall flat, but as a whole, it's an entertaining ride thanks to its fun characters and fast-paced combat.
Metaphor: ReFantazio takes place in a fantasy world that consists of many different races called "tribes." Each tribe has unique traits, and it doesn't take long for the game to show you the average state of this world is "cruelly racist." The Protagonist, as an elda, gets it the worst. Nonetheless, he, along with fairy companion Gallica and other friends, strive to save the country from the dark ambitions of the archmage Count Louis. Louis not only killed the king, but cursed the prince into a coma as well, all to rule the kingdom. With a proper heir absent, people argue between the Sanctist Church's more rightful claim to the throne and the new order Louis promises to bring about as king. Then, a rock bearing the king's face appears in the sky and proclaims that whomever gains the most support from the populace shall become the next monarch.
Thus begins a competition among the most determined to see who can capture the hearts of the people. The Protagonist and his friends vow to secure the throne for the prince so that he, not Louis, can lead the country down a brighter path. That's easier said than done though, considering they have to deal with the corrupt Sanctist Church, Louis's schemes, and other candidates' interference. Clocking in at well over 80 hours even if you don't do all of the side content, the story evolves beyond this premise, of course. While it can get predictable at times, it's not a bad thing and I still enjoyed it for the most part. I've never actually laughed out loud when playing Persona 3 through 5, but there are some points at Metaphor: ReFantazio that, for both good and bad reasons, elicited a little chuckle or guffaw.
You know how media or moral guardians usually (and inaccurately) depict child predators as a skeevy-looking stranger or whatever group they want to point fingers at that day? Even though statistically, most children know their attacker? The racism that's depicted in Metaphor: ReFantazio is kind of like that. It's asinine, shallow, and childish, usually boiling down to NPC chatter hurling insults (not even slurs) while you're passing by or cartoonish scenes of racial injustice. While the memorandum gives in-lore reasons as to why certain tribes have a worse reputation than others, very few in-game characters make charged comments about cuisine or appearance. Considering how, barring the eugief, they're all basically human variants, it makes the very harsh racism feel forced. Yes, sometimes writing shouldn't be subtle, especially with the rise of anti-intellectualism. But there's a way to be on the nose with your themes without verging into caricature territory.
One of the first things Metaphor reminded me of was Zootopia. Zootopia's allegory of racism falls apart the moment you think a little bit. Prey animals have a legitimate reason to be scared of predators. Meanwhile, in real life, there's no legitimate reason to be scared of everyone with a particular skin tone or cultural background. In Japan though, where racism in media is not usually analyzed beyond the surface level, Zootopia was viewed as a triumph of social justice in entertainment. Since I'm not physically in the country, I only have the Internet to rely on. From what I can tell, the Japanese Internet applauds Zootopia for avoiding preachiness and "forced political correctness" to spread its message in a family-fun film.
Racism and prejudice in Japan is a topic that's far too broad to discuss in a video game review. But to put it simply: the average Japanese person in Japan doesn't have a lot of personal experience with the everyday racism that people of color in Western countries experience. The low rate of people with passports may also contribute to them not having firsthand experience with microaggressions or more. Of course prejudice exists, and bullying is a very serious societal issue there. But when it comes to racism? I've seen takes from Japanese people ranging anywhere from "Foreigners in Japan who think we're prejudiced are just too sensitive; people stare because it's like seeing a legendary Pokemon in the wild" to "We're not shooting people of color over their skin tone, hence we're not racist."
This is not a knock against Japan in particular. Come on, I live in Canada. However, this was all to note that when an average Japanese person who may not have extensive personal experience with racism tries to write a story delving into racism, it can ring hollow for those who have to deal with that. This isn't a surprise; Western-made games can be that way as well, which is why elevating minority voices is so important in creative spaces. It's hard for a member of the racial majority to have a full perspective of what life's like for the "other" and conversations about those experiences aren't as common compared to the English space.
When Metaphor: ReFantazio wants to focus on political corruption, greed, and the dangers of ignorance, it's far more compelling. Hardly surprising, considering what Persona 5 was like and how universal those issues are. The way Metaphor: ReFantazio tackles its themes will likely resonate with a Japanese audience. But from a Western perspective, it reads as horribly naive. If they'd released this game back in 2018, maybe it would've been fine. In the social and political climate of 2024, though? Oof. Fortunately, while it makes a pretty horrible first impression, thanks to the way it handles the racism bend, the game does grow on you when it starts to introduce and focus on other plot elements.
Now, let's discuss how the game actually feels. Prior to the optimization update on PCs, the game was a stuttering mess. After the patch, it runs butter-smooth. I would like to extend a very sincere and heartfelt "thank you" to people who complained and reported issues. You guys saved my eyes and sanity. Visually speaking, the game can be hit or miss. I personally like the watercolor look it employs for portraits, menus, and scenic spaces. The filter over the 3D movies looks fairly bad, but it adds to the overall fictional fantasy aesthetic so I can appreciate its addition. One thing that either grows on you or doesn't is the battle UI and the fact that everything is always moving. Pre-optimization, the battle UI seemed so messy and busy what with the cartography lines and all. Post-optimization, with the better FPS, everything moves so fast that the overall effect is much better.
Outside of battle though, the constant moving can be terrible, especially in the gauntlet runner. There's a running joke that Strohl gets carsick (runner-sick?) a lot. He was already my favorite due to his Japanese voice actor and his personality, but this endears him to me more. The gauntlet runner can be a nightmare at times. It's always shaking and rumbling when you're on the move. Depending on how many hours I spent in-game, this could be either manageable or a serious eyesore. The text box is always moving too, which can be distracting at first glance. You really do have to give yourself some time to adjust to the game, though I can't say how much of my current comfort with everything comes from familiarity or, again, the update.
The fantasy world of Metaphor is pretty fun to explore, and I liked to talk to the NPCs to get a feel of each individual town. The cities all feel very distinct, and it was a huge sigh of relief to leave Grand Trad behind early on. Dungeon designs were a lot less inspired, as they all kind of looked and felt the same. There's something about the map design and the overall graphics that make them look like something I'd see in Fire Emblem: Three Houses or Three Hopes, which was kind of strange. Exploration's not that fun, but at the very least you can defeat weak enemies on the overworld without having to waste time trouncing cannon fodder you're twenty levels stronger than.
If you liked Persona 5 or Persona 3 Reload, you'll like Metaphor: ReFantazio. For one thing, the gameplay loop is exactly the same. You have deadlines that you must meet throughout the story or else it's game over. During your free time, you can explore dungeons and make headway on the main mission, or you can hang out with your companions and level up your Royal Virtues. A new inclusion in this is that when you're going to dungeons, you might need to use up several days' worth of travel time. This means that you'll need to be a bit more mindful of how you plan your time before your deadline. There are also some exclusive rewards that you can get from leveling up your Royal Virtues or relationship levels in addition to new Archetypes, much like how you could get bonuses in social links in the Persona games.
The reason why Persona 4 wasn't included in the above is because the combat in Metaphor: ReFantazio uses the same modern take on turn-based battle that those two games did. It's fun and addictive, and the feeling of unlocking more skills and Archetypes is quite rewarding. For me, the familiarity of the established Shin Megami Tensei and Persona battle system was welcome, since it makes it easy to pick up and start. But I can understand others viewing it as a con. Additions like the front and back lines, Synthesis, and the option to skip a turn can really expand your strategies, so it's not one-to-one to past games from director Hashino.
There's an extra layer of planning between battles, thanks to the game not letting you switch Archetypes on the fly. See an enemy you know has a Pierce Weakness and you don't have anyone who can hit it? Better shove one in or regret it later. It's great that there aren't limits as to what Archetypes characters can unlock. While everyone has their own specialties, due to differing stats, it's still nice to know that I have the option of using, say, Hulkenberg as a makeshift mage or healer should my more dedicated magic users run out of MP. I also highly recommend that you take a look at the weather report before heading to dungeons. Even if it's more worthwhile to fight enemies on bad weather days, the bonus isn't big enough to justify going through hell if you have to deal with enemies like my nemesis, the Guptauros.
As a whole, Metaphor: ReFantazio is quite charming and fun. It's interesting to see so many familiar elements from Shin Megami Tensei and Persona in this sort of high fantasy game. But I also wish that Atlus had tried something completely different, especially since this is a separate IP. At times, it doesn't feel like there's enough difference between this and what Persona 5 brought to the table. I went into this game wanting to judge it on its own merit, and yet it refuses to let me leave behind Joker's specter. Granted, Metaphor's story does have a lot more intrigue as it goes on. There's probably something to make of all this—that promises to branch away from the status quo usually don't pan out, leading to little actual change—but I'm sure I'm just reading too deeply into this metaphor.
Metaphor: ReFantazio will come out on October 11, 2024 for the PS4, PS5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
The post Review: Metaphor: ReFantazio Takes Time to Grow on You appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 7, 2024 9:30 AM
Bandai has revealed that it will produce and sell replicas of the Sealing Wand from Cardcaptor Sakura. The replica will be part of the Special Memorize brand, and it will be available in March 2025.
The company will use the bird head-like Clow Form as the basis for this Sealing Wand replica. The wand will have a total length of around 61 cm (~24 inches).
Pre-orders for the replica have opened on the Japanese Premium Bandai website with a price tag of 7,480 yen (~$50.45). Bandai also teased on its Japanese press release that it may sell the replicas outside Japan as well.
Here is a sample image of the Sealing Wand replica being actually held:
This new replica will appear as part of celebrations for the 25th anniversary of Cardcaptor Sakura's anime adaptation. Bandai had previously revealed that it will hold an Ichiban Kuji merchandise lottery based on the franchise in mid-October 2024. Meanwhile, Good Smile Company is gradually releasing new figures of Sakura Kinomoto and Tomoyo Daidouji across the world.
The Special Memorize replica of the Sealing Wand from Cardcaptor Sakura will be formally available in March 2025. Bandai will close the pre-order window for the item on November 27, 2024.
The post Cardcaptor Sakura Sealing Wand Will Appear in Real Life appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 7, 2024 9:00 AM
Koei Tecmo has confirmed that Fiona will be the second heroine set to appear in Venus Vacation Prism - Dead or Alive Xtreme. The character's Japanese voice actress Kaede Hondo will also return to reprise her role.
Fiona is one of the original characters who debuted in Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation. She appeared first in the Japanese version in late 2018. Koei Tecmo also brought her to the Asian English server in January 2020.
The official announcement tweet, which also includes a brief trailer featuring Fiona, is available below via the official X account for Venus Vacation Prism:
Venus Vacation Prism will have a total of six dateable heroines at launch. Misaki was the first character shown when Koei Tecmo made the dating simulator game's grand reveal at the Tokyo Game Show 2024. The company has confirmed that it will reveal the remaining four heroines on a weekly basis.
Koei Tecmo also confirmed that Venus Vacation Prism will have English subtitle support as well. In addition, the company has set up a Steam page for the game's PC release. However, there have been reports that the store page is not accessible outside Southeast and East Asia.
Venus Vacation Prism - Dead or Alive Xtreme will be available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam and DMM Games in early 2025.
The post Fiona Is the Second Venus Vacation Prism DOAX Heroine appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, October 7, 2024 7:05 AM
We're pleased to announce that Siliconera will be offer its own free email newsletter. Every week, you can get one installment of Siliconera Speaks Up in your inbox to catch up with all the gaming news, reviews, and features you might have missed during the week.
What can you expect? Good question! Primarily, this will be a way to help you catch up with something important you might have missed. We'll curate a list of our most popular articles of the week, so you won't miss out on major announcements and news stories. Did a big game drop? Links to our reviews will be there in case you want more insight into the title before making the plunge.
Each week, there will also be an exclusive feature found only in our newsletter for subscribers. So if you sign up for the Siliconera Speaks Up newsletter, you'll get an extra article to read in your email that won't appear anywhere else.
Finally, at the end of every newsletter we'll name a few games (or game updates) coming up in the next few days. That way, you'll never miss out on a possible title.
Here's how you sign up:
Our first issue is coming soon, and we're looking forward to providing easier access to news and articles soon!
The post Sign Up for the Free Siliconera Speaks Up Newsletter appeared first on Siliconera. |
WGB Monday, October 7, 2024 11:08 AM 343 Industries has been renamed, forging itself anew as Halo Studios. Oh, and Halo is going to Unreal Engine 5. |
iDev Games Feed Monday, October 7, 2024 6:17 AM https://dorise.itch.io/frog... |
MonsterVine Monday, October 7, 2024 10:00 AM Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is more than worth the nearly 17-year wait since Budokai Tenakichi 3. The sheer number of characters is incredible, but the intense gameplay and multiple additional modes truly cement Sparking! Zero as one of the best Dragon Ball games there is. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Developer: Spike Chunsoft Price: $70 Platforms: […] |
Gaming on PC Monday, October 7, 2024 12:49 PM Al Hope, Creative Director for Alien: Isolation, took to Twitter today to confirm that a sequel to the beloved horror game is in early development. Read more after the jump. |