GamersHeroes Friday, January 10, 2025 11:49 AM Happening from February 14-17, Closed Network Test registrations for FromSoftware and Bandai Namco's standalone multiplayer co-op action survival title ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN are now open. The post ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN Closed Network Test Registrations Now Live appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
Kotaku Friday, January 10, 2025 3:50 PM  Sony's PlayStation 2 had a long lifecycle. It launched in 2000 and the final game released for it arrived in 2013. But the PlayStation 4 might be on track to beat this impressive record. In fact, it might demolish it. |
Kotaku Friday, January 10, 2025 3:00 PM  Every Severance fan has Ben Stiller to thank for saving Apple from themselves by preventing them from ruining our favorite show. In the second episode of The Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller & Adam Scott, the co-hosts reveal the story of how Apple didn't want Scott to play the lead role of Mark Scout, in part… |
Kotaku Friday, January 10, 2025 2:00 PM  Remember when Activision was publishing other games besides Call of Duty? Recall how, for a brief period of time, some of those other Activision games included Transformers: War for Cybertron and its sequel, Fall of Cybertron? I do, and it's shame that in 2025 these cool sci-fi shooters aren't easy to play anymore. |
Kotaku Friday, January 10, 2025 1:15 PM  A hero shooter's tank is often harder to define compared to the more obvious damage dealers and support characters. Tanks are typically expected to be defensive bullet sponges that pull aggro from their squishier teammates. But the role splits into two: some are main tank protectors, others are off-tank supporters,… |
Kotaku Friday, January 10, 2025 1:05 PM  Microsoft has made no secret of wanting to bring more of its Xbox exclusives to other platforms, and it sounds like Halo might finally be making the leap. The platfor- defining franchise will see its Halo: The Master Chief Collection come to PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 in 2025, according to gaming insider NateTheHate. |
Kotaku Friday, January 10, 2025 12:25 PM  Looking for the best settings to maximize performance and frame rate in Marvel Rivals? The new hero shooter makes crossplay refreshingly simple, but optimizing your settings is a bit more of a complex task. Getting the best performance that you can out of the game on PC will take a little more legwork than getting… |
Kotaku Friday, January 10, 2025 12:17 PM  Looking to wicked the evil ways of the symbiote with Venom, the best dive tank in Marvel Rivals? With so many players jumping into what is arguably the hottest hero shooter right now, it can be hard to rise above the rest of the pack in Marvel's new hero shooter. However, learning this character is a great way to… |
Kotaku Friday, January 10, 2025 12:05 PM  Somewhere in the world, CM Punk is smiling at another Seth Rollins failure. During a recent appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, the wrestling starrevealed that he will not be part the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World, and he's not sure why. |
Kotaku Friday, January 10, 2025 11:00 AM  Every year is a good year for cosplay, but there's definitely a sense of things returning to full blossom after the difficulty of the covid years. 2024 has shone with some of the most extraordinary, imaginative, and fantastically strange costumes worn at shows all around the world—here are some of our favorites from… |
Kotaku Friday, January 10, 2025 10:45 AM  Baylan Skoll, the nihilistic Jedi fallen to the dark side in Ahsoka season 1, has officially been recast following the death of original actor Ray Stevenson in 2023. Rory McCann, who played The Hound in Game of Thrones, will be stepping into the role for season 2 of the Star Wars show. |
Kotaku Friday, January 10, 2025 10:05 AM  Elden Ring: Nightreign still doesn't have a release date, but its first online playtests do. FromSoftware has revealed times for when players can get their hands on the upcoming multiplayer spin-off, and signups for the free network tests on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S are now underway. |
Kotaku Friday, January 10, 2025 9:25 AM  Articles saying Switch 2 leaks and rumors are appearing like a torrent are appearing like a torrent, as CES 2025 produced a new round of speculation, hope, confusion and possible visions of the unrevealed device. All the while, Nintendo has sat silently, presumably watching our frenetic rushing about with arch… |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 3:47 PM  Square Enix has something of a "don't ask, don't tell" policy for the Final Fantasy 14 community in regards to mods. The use of third-party plugins is outlawed and against the MMO's terms of service, but modders still continue to create them for FF14 and their use is fairly well known. Now PlayerScope, a troubling new mod that was made public recently, is causing panic among the community and is being dubbed "a stalker's wet dream." Continue reading This problematic FF14 mod poses huge stalking and privacy risks MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best MMOs, FF14 Dawntrail review, FF14 Island Sanctuary guide |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 2:53 PM  Marvel Rivals has been doing so unbelievably well and has been bombarding players with so much new content already that the launch of its actual first season seems almost irrelevant. Of course, there's a lot to be excited about with Marvel Rivals Season 1 - The Fantastic Four are here, there's a new map, and there's a fresh battle pass to grind. However, there is one very big change brought about in the Season 1 update that's going to make a lot of you pretty sad - mods have been completely wiped out. Continue reading Marvel Rivals Season 1 just killed all of your custom character mods MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Marvel Rivals codes, Marvel Rivals characters, Marvel Rivals tier list |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 12:32 PM  I felt it the most keenly when I played Civilization Revolution, this ongoing problem with Firaxis's 4X icon - and other games like it - whereby interactions with other nations are too limited. In the Civilization games of old, including Civ 6, diplomacy is often a case of just trading a few resources for time-limited favors. It doesn't feel grand. But in Civilization 7, that's all going to change. Firaxis is totally revamping how you negotiate with your rivals. Alongside the big new combat ideas that were unveiled recently, Civilization 7 feels like a shakeup of the series' formula. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Civilization 7 release date, Best strategy games, Best 4X games |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 12:27 PM  Blame Intel for your AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D stock shortages. That's according to AMD executives who, during a roundtable interview at the CES 2025 trade show this week, blamed Intel's "horrible" next-gen gaming CPU launch for causing higher-than-expected demand for AMD's own flagship CPU. It's been true to say that AMD has consistently produced the best gaming CPUs in recent years, with the 9800X3D now the current champion. The latest Intel effort to break the mold didn't go exactly to plan, either, with Arrow Lake CPUs like the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K offering poor gaming performance on launch. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7 7800X3D review, Best gaming CPU, Radeon RX 7800 XT review |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 12:27 PM  An increasing number of Escape From Tarkov players are reporting a bizarre new cheat that's plaguing the extraction shooter. Dubbed the 'CPU fryer,' this new exploit lures players in with audio only to completely tank their frame rate and crash their game, leading to easy kills. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Escape from Tarkov system requirements, Escape From Tarkov Steam, Best FPS games |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 12:14 PM  New AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D gaming CPUs could have been produced with even better specs, but to do so would have made them far too expensive. That's according to AMD, who stated at CES this week that its new Ryzen 9000X3D series only has a single 3D V-Cache, rather than a long-speculated dual configuration, to keep them cheap enough to make and sell for gamers. The inclusion of the 3D V-Cache into Ryzen CPUs has given AMD the edge over Intel in recent years, when it comes to gaming performance, with its flagship models regularly reaching the top of best gaming CPU charts. However, while it makes sense for the likes of the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D to only feature a single 3D V-Cache - as that chip only has one CPU die - higher-end models that use two CPU dies could in theory host two cache dies, yet AMD has chosen not to implement this option. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7 7800X3D review, Best gaming CPU, Radeon RX 7800 XT review |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 12:09 PM  A gaming PC isn't just a computer - it's a show piece - and MSI is here to ensure your system lives up to that status. This new concept MSI CPU cooler ditches the cliché of a fancy LCD screen or infinity mirror lighting and instead gives you a rotating turntable for you to place your favorite figurine, letting you make the most of all that RGB and turn your PC into a proper display case. While the best gaming PCs you can buy include plenty of gimmicks that aren't just about high specs, if you really want your computer to stand out, MSI's new cooler could be a smart and understated way to do so. It could even save you some desk space too. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC review, MSI GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X Trio review, Best gaming motherboard |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 11:59 AM  What are the best Cities Skylines mods? Colossal Order's city builder is a prospective civil engineer's dream come true. It's been a staple of the genre for many years, and the modding community has flourished in that time. Today, thousands of Cities Skylines mods are available on the game's Steam Workshop page, making it understandably daunting to find the best ones. Luckily, you have us. We've handpicked a suite of the best Cities Skylines mods that are guaranteed to breathe new life into the building game. Whether you're a casual builder or a hardcore city planner, you're sure to find something to tickle your fancy, so without further ado, here are the best mods for Cities Skylines. Continue reading The 23 best Cities Skylines mods and maps MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Cities Skylines mods, Cities Skylines 2 release date, The best city-building games |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 11:27 AM  What are all the Skyrim achievements? There are many reasons for wanting to explore a game's achievements. The most obvious, perhaps, is the pride of attaining full completion and showing off your prowess to others. In a game like Skyrim though, some achievements might guide your journey or help you make important decisions. As a sprawling open-world RPG game, Skyrim invites you to make decisions on your character's behalf. Which faction do you choose to join? Do you play lawfully or break the rules? Where should you build a house? If you aren't sure how you want to play through the action-adventure game, some of these achievements may guide you one way or the other. Or, if you simply want to know how to complete every single achievement in the game, we've got the full list of Skyrim achievements right here. Continue reading All Skyrim achievements MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Skyrim mods, Elder Scrolls 6 release date, Games like Skyrim |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 11:27 AM  January 10, 2025: We checked for new Girls Frontline 2 codes, removed expired ones, and added another new code for the new year. What are the latest Girls' Frontline 2 Exilium codes? Another anime gacha game launches soon thanks to developer Sunborn, but Girls' Frontline 2 is different from anything you've seen so far thanks to its thrilling, female-led military theme and top-down turn-based strategy combat. For its uniqueness, Girls' Frontline 2: Exilium is still a gacha game, so you're going to need the most up-to-date Girls Frontline 2 codes to give yourself a head start in drawing for the latest Dolls like Suomi and Nemesis. Lucky, then, that we've got them right here, along with how to redeem them in the anime game for some useful rewards. Continue reading Girls Frontline 2 codes January 2025 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best anime games, Girls Frontline 2 codes, Best gacha games |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 11:18 AM  What is the next Monopoly Go event? With so many limited-time events in Monopoly Go, it can be hard to keep track of the rewards you can get your hands on. Monopoly Go events can last anywhere from a few hours to a week, so bookmark this page as we'll keep it regularly updated with the next events and their start and end dates. Monopoly Go is the latest online board game sweeping the globe, but completing all of these events won't be easy without some free Monopoly Go dice links, so check out our daily updated guide for some freebies and rewards before you get started on the next Monopoly Go tournament. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best board games, Monopoly Go events, Monopoly Go dice |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 11:14 AM  When is the next Monopoly Go Golden Blitz? This special, limited-time event allows players to trade the usually locked golden stickers up to five times a day. This is an ideal solution for grabbing elusive missing stickers and completing albums quickly. While you can trade these up to five times a day, each event is limited to two specific stickers, set by Scopely. There's no official schedule for Monopoly Go's Golden Blitz event, so a lot of sites that confirm dates are actually speculating based on the current Monopoly Go events. While you're waiting for the next Golden Blitz, make sure to keep on top of other freebies with our free Monopoly Go dice links guide, which is updated several times a day with the newest links. Continue reading When is the next Monopoly Go Golden Blitz event? MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best board games, Monopoly Go events, Monopoly Go dice |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 11:13 AM  What are the best Minecraft farms? There's nothing quite like reaching the depths of a dark and gloomy cave before realizing you've forgotten to bring food with you, or trying to breed you favorite animals but having to wait ages for one wheat crop to grow. That's why one of the first things your Minecraft base should have is a farm or two. There are a variety of Minecraft farms, from simple, manual farms that you can create on day one of your new survival game world, to more complex automated farms that do the work while you're down in the mines. Either way, we've got the best and most useful farm designs to turn Minecraft into one of the best farming games around, whether you're just starting out or working on a ten-year-old Minecraft world. Continue reading The best Minecraft farms, ideas, and farm designs MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Minecraft seeds, Minecraft skins, Minecraft mods |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 10:58 AM  How do you test the latest Minecraft features? These snapshots are the very first iteration of Minecraft updates and are a way for Mojang to test out bug fixes, technical changes, and even new blocks, biomes, and mobs 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, while Minecraft Preview exists for those on Bedrock edition, so read on to 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 and Minecraft Preview 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. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Minecraft seeds, Minecraft skins, Minecraft mods |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 10:40 AM  Who are all the current Dreamlight Valley characters? An array of Disney characters will join you on your adventure in this adorable life sim, as you become buddies with familiar faces from your favorite animated movies. We've been playing the game for some time now, and have gotten to know everyone in the game so far, so we can help you befriend them all. While Dreamlight Valley is a life sim, it is also very story driven, and some of the characters you come across make up part of that story. Others can be chosen and unlocked in any order from inside the Dream Castle - though you'll want to read our Disney Dreamlight Valley guide beforehand, as it recommends you spend your Dreamlight on something else before unlocking too many realms. Here though, we go through all the Disney Dreamlight Valley characters you'll come across in the story, those you can rescue from their realms, and the ones we're yet to meet. Continue reading All Disney Dreamlight Valley characters MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Disney games, What's the next Dreamlight Valley update?, Disney Dreamlight Valley guide |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 10:31 AM  What are the best Marvel Rivals skins? Marvel and NetEase is continually building out the spandex-filled wardrobes of Rivals' vibrant cast of heroes and villains, to the point where choosing which skin to go for next can be a dizzying task. Fortunately, we're here to help. Marvel Rivals skins and their associated bundle can set you back a pretty Unit, so having that extra affirmation that your costume of choice is a banger can help strip away any post-purchase regrets. Whether your fave Marvel Rivals characters sit atop the Marvel Rivals tier list doesn't matter, what's important is that you're slaying in looks in the FPS game, even if you're not slaying on the scoreboard. Continue reading The 26 best Marvel Rivals skins MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Marvel Rivals codes, Marvel Rivals characters, Marvel Rivals tier list |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 10:26 AM  Despite AMD officially announcing the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT at CES 2025 this week, the company hasn't yet revealed a firm launch date or price for its new flagship GPU. Thanks to several new leaks, however, we now have some idea as to when we might see this card in the flesh, as well as how much money we'll be paying for it. Unlike Nvidia, which stole the show at CES with its brand-new RTX 50-series cards like the RTX 5090, AMD is carefully taking its time before it unveils further details about the card that it hopes will compete with the best graphics cards out there. However, we might not have long to wait, if these new rumors are to be believed. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7 7800X3D review, Best gaming CPU, Radeon RX 7800 XT review |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 10:18 AM  It's no secret that action RPGs are back in fashion. Black Myth Wukong, Stellar Blade, Armored Core 6; I could go on and on. It's a list I expect to see expanded throughout 2025, with The First Berserker: Khazan, a gritty dark fantasy RPG steeped in blood and oozing moodiness, set to kick things off. It's a game a lot of us are pretty curious about, and if you've been waiting to take it for a spin, I've got good news for you. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best action games, Best soulslike games, Upcoming PC games |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 10:07 AM  Carefully chopping down trees, building taverns brick by precious brick, meticulously balancing all your resources - I suspect playing Manor Lords feels a lot like developing it. But the strategy game from Greg 'Slavic Magic' Styczeń has just taken a giant leap forward. With Civilization 7 about to arrive and Cities Skylines 2 bringing up the rear, the huge new Manor Lords update makes the medieval city builder feel basically brand new. If you haven't tried Manor Lords yet, or you checked out after early access, now's the time to give it a shot. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Manor Lords early access review, Best strategy games, Manor Lords system requirements |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 10:25 AM  When is the ZZZ 1.5 release date? Now that ZZZ 1.4 is here, it's time to start looking ahead to future updates. HoYoverse has already begun drip-marketing new characters and teasing how the story might continue following the previous update. If you're already saving up your Polychrome, we've got a full itinerary of everything coming to HoYoverse's urban fantasy in the next update. ZZZ 1.5 is the fifth major update to hit the gacha game following the Zenless Zone Zero release date, and starlet Astra Yao is set to take to the Starloop stage to help us celebrate the new year. Otherwise known as "Astra-nomical Moment," Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 includes the Urban Video Game Festival and Angler Championship, plus brand-new characters for our Zenless Zone tier list, banners, and more. Continue reading ZZZ 1.5 release date, new banners, characters, story, and events MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Zenless Zone Zero review, Zenless Zone Zero codes, Zenless Zone Zero banners |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 10:51 AM  What are the Path of Exile 2 classes? The class you pick in Path of Exile 2 will define how you play the game. Some classes are glass cannons that opt to attack foes from a distance, while others are hulking tanks that thrive on the frontlines. While 12 classes are confirmed for the full Path of Exile 2 release date, there are only six PoE 2 classes available right now: Ranger, Witch, Warrior, Monk, Sorceress, and Mercenary. We've got a full overview of the weapons, combat style, and attributes of each one, to bring you the best one to pick for your playstyle and prior experience with the RPG game series. Continue reading Best Path of Exile 2 classes ranked MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Path of Exile 2 builds, Path of Exile 2 classes, Path of Exile 2 quests |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 9:00 AM  While once upon a time soulslikes were a big no, over the past few months they've slowly but surely sunk their hooks into me. It began with Lies of P, then transitioned to Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn and eventually FromSoftware's magnum opus, Elden Ring, which I genuinely fell in love with. But I also took a trip back into the past, picking up Bandai's age-old vampire RPG, Code Vein. As someone who has a hopeless infatuation with creatures of the night it quickly became my favorite soulslike. So imagine my face when I saw AI Limit, a mashup of Code Vein's combat and Nier Automata's dystopian aesthetic - spoiler alert, I was smiling. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best soulslike games, Best JRPGs, Best anime games |
PCGamesN Friday, January 10, 2025 10:26 AM  How do you sign up for the Elden Ring Nightreign beta? The Lands Between beckons us once more for a standalone co-op adventure that introduces a roguelike loop into FromSoftware's formula. Playtests are the perfect opportunity to get early access and discover if a dedicated multiplayer version of this landmark RPG is for you. If you can't wait for the Nightreign release date, you're in luck – the first Elden Ring Nightreign closed beta is on its way. Given FromSoftware's track record with beta periods, this might be your only chance to play the soulslike game ahead of launch. Thankfully, the Nightreign network test sign-up process is straightforward, so let us help you secure your participation. Continue reading Elden Ring Nightreign beta start date and how to sign up MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best soulslike games, Elden Ring review, Elden Ring Nightreign release date |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, January 10, 2025 12:01 PM  Slavic Magic and Hooded Horse have released a new Manor Lords update, adding a couple of maps, the ability to construct bridges, and a bevy of smaller features to an already quite robust medieval city builder. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, January 10, 2025 11:27 AM  If it seems like only last week that I was complaining there were too many gigantic space games, that's because it was only last week. Since then, I have written about Kerbal Space Program 2 and Space Engineers 2, because I am nothing if not a creature of contradictions. Now, here I am writing about Era One. In my defence, it's all your fault. Specifically, it's TheGreatOneSea's fault. They left a comment about Era One on our list of most-anticipated 2025 games, and reader, I Googled. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, January 10, 2025 11:00 AM  Factions. Here are the factions: the aggressive conquest Klingon guys. The evil insectoid hive mind who build stuff and/or have loads of cheap soldiers. The researchers who are probably robots and you usually pick because they can be competitive at anything. The diplomacy/espionage ones (humans, or The Greys). You know what I'm talking about. You may well have thought of a recent exception too, since we've had a fair few 4Xeses experimenting with some of the standard formulae these last few years. It's been a while though since I read through every word of every faction's description and wanted to play all of them. Zephon captured my interest immediately. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, January 10, 2025 11:00 AM  Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 continues the misadventures of Henry of Skalitz, 15th century Bohemian blacksmith's son and chivalric Laddy Lad, who is questing to reclaim his murdered father's sword from some absolute shit of a noble. The prologue starts you off as the handsomely equipped and fully levelled-up bodyguard of Sir Hans Capon - an exasperating gadabout and your bosom chum from the 2018 game. You're on your way to deliver a message to a distant lord, in hopes that he'll take your own lord's side in the on-going civil war. But Plot intervenes in the shape of some suspiciously familiar bandits, who slaughter your retinue and reduce Henry and Sir Hans to a pair of shirtless runaways. |
Siliconera Friday, January 10, 2025 3:30 PM
Square Enix has opened pre-orders for new pixel sprite lights based on Dragon Quest 3 on its Japanese e-Store. The company will release the new merchandise lineup in the country on April 22, 2025.
The collection will consist of four items based on sprites of the following vocations: Hero, Warrior, Priest, and Mage. But no matter which type one purchases, all of them will have the same individual price tag of 3,520 yen (~$22.20). If one wants to purchase all four items, they will have to shell out around 14,080 yen (~$88.80).
These new sprite lights will work similarly to the ones based on Final Fantasy Record Keeper that Square Enix had released in 2024. After installing three LR03 / AAA batteries, the owner will be able to turn on the LED lights inside the sprite block with a switch button.
The new products will be based on sprites from the initial Famicom / NES version of Dragon Quest 3, which Enix released in Japan in 1988 and in North America as Dragon Warrior 3 in 1992. Square Enix has released an HD-2D remake of the legendary game for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC worldwide in November 2024.
The Dragon Quest 3 pixel sprite lights will be available in Japan on April 22, 2025.
The post Dragon Quest 3 Pixel Sprite Lights Will Appear in April 2025 appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 10, 2025 3:00 PM
It's no secret The Pokémon Company and Game Freak largely ignored 2024. If it weren't for Pokemon TCG Pocket, 2024 would've likely gone down as possibly the worst year in the history of the franchise. And this is even if the infamous leaks never happened. Thankfully, Pokemon has the chance to make 2025 a major comeback year with releases like Pokemon Legends Z-A and much more.
Take a look back at 2024 and there isn't much to talk about. The Horizons anime did its thing alongside updates for the typical free-to-play titles. Of course, there was the monumental release of Pokemon TCG Pocket, which saved the year for the company. But no major DLC for Scarlet & Violet, remasters, remakes, other spin-offs, and so on.
The lack of releases in general wouldn't be so bad on its own. After all, this has happened before in years like 2005 and 2015. That said, it has been almost 10 years of something new for players to enjoy outside of mobile titles every single year. But the worst part of it all has been the general radio silence from the company.
Sure, the leaks do play some role in this. However, TPC and Game Freak can't put all of the blame on those leaks. After all, they happened in October 2024. That doesn't even account for the lack of new info on games like Pokemon Legends Z-A from its initial reveal in late February 2024 to October 2024. That is about eight months TPC could've given the fan base something.
As such, we're going into 2025 when this game is supposed to release without almost any information about it. Nothing official about the starters, time period, characters, new Mega Evolutions, and so on. As such, 2024 will likely go down as one of the most disappointing years for Pokemon in the franchise's history, if not the clear cut winner.
That is why it is so imperative 2025 goes all out to turn this around. Sure, it is not quite the 30th anniversary of the series — that's next year in 2026 — but there is still so much that can happen. The obvious part is Legends Z-A needs to be one of the best games in the series. It needs to take the open-world collectathon vibes of Legends Arceus and amp it up a notch. Make battles more prominent, have a great story, and generally feel like the second chance Generation VI desperately needs.
But it shouldn't stop there. We are long past due for some older titles to come to Switch. Whether on the Switch 2 or on the original Switch, we need to see Generations I-III come to the Nintendo Switch Online service. This should've happened in 2024 to avoid such a long drought, but better late than never regardless. I could even see these NSO releases be an exclusive for Switch 2 only, which would be a shame, but I'll take what I can get.
Of course, the juggernaut that is Pokemon TCG Pocket shouldn't stop, either. New sets, events, and cards are inevitable. The main new feature I'd like to see beyond trading is a release on Switch and Switch 2. Sure, the game is designed to be played in portrait, but some adjusting can be done with the background to make it work in a landscape viewpoint on Switch. If anything, this could explain its release long after the mobile version.
Finally, I'd like to see some sort of surprise from the company in 2025. This could be in the form of an early Generation 10 announcement ahead of 2026 or a new spin-off game. My personal wish would be for a new Mystery Dungeon or a remaster of Pokemon Colosseum or XD: Gale of Darkness. That said, I'd even settle for a Pokken Tournament 2, which would be a great Switch 2 launch title to mirror what happened in 2017 with the original Switch.
Regardless, 2025 is The Pokémon Company's chance to redeem an almost historically abysmal 2024. Pokemon Legends Z-A should absolutely be the headliner for the year, but far from the only showstopper. Other releases and announcements like older games, spin-off titles, and impressive updates for TCG Pocket are equally a must.
Pokemon Legends Z-A will release sometime in 2025 for Nintendo Switch.
The post Game Freak Must Do Better in 2025 With Legends Z-A appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 10, 2025 2:30 PM
Nintendo shared more information about some of the new characters, areas, and quality of life additions introduced in the second trailer for Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. This came up both in Japan and the US social media account.
The trailer showcased a new Skell mech named Hraesvelg, as well as its unnamed pilot. While the identity of the new Xenoblade Chronicles X character remains a mystery, they seem to be friendly towards the protagonist. The mech was also shown in the trailer transforming into a unique jet during flight, and it carries a weapon reminiscent of a Japanese katana.
Meanwhile, the Japanese Nintendo website revealed that one of the new characters appearing in Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is called Neil Nail. She shares her name with the Neilnail Albus and Neilnail Furvus special Skell bosses that appeared in the original Wii U release and seems to be connected to them somehow. Nintendo also showed the new "floating continent" area added to the game.
Some quality of life improvements were shown. These include the Follow Ball system, which allows players to find objectives easier and is similar to the navigation system that appaeared in the main Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy. Furthermore, the new "Quick Recast" system reduces the time needed to cast Arts (skills) during combat.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition will come to the Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2025. The original version of the game also appeared on the Wii U.
The post New Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Characters Detailed appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 10, 2025 2:00 PM
Megahouse has opened pre-orders for a new batch of the Precious G.E.M. Series figure featuring Ling Yao and Greed from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. The company primarily set up the listing on the geo-locked Premium Bandai website. However, Dengeki Hobby Web added that the figure is also available to order via AmiAmi, which supports worldwide shipping. [Thanks, Dengeki Hobby Web!]
This figure depicts Ling Yao, who is being possessed by the homunculus Greed. The non-scale figure set has a total height of around 25 cm (~9.84 inches), with approximately 4 cm for the base and 21 cm for the actual figure.
Megahouse originally released the figure in October 2021 at 18,700 yen. The new restocked batch will appear in late June 2025 with a higher price tag of 22,000 yen (~$139.25).
The price tag for this restocked figure is still lower than several other Fullmetal Alchemist figures revealed in recent years, though. Proof released figure sets of Edward and Alphonse priced at 39,600 yen or almost $300 in 2023, as well as Roy and Maes that costed 61,600 yen or almost $400 in 2024.
The Precious G.E.M. Series figure of Ling Yao and Greed from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood will be available again in late June 2025.
The post Fullmetal Alchemist Ling Yao Greed Figure Will Return in 2025 appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 10, 2025 1:30 PM
Starting on January 17, 2025, McDonald's in Japan will offer Little Twin Stars toys as part of its Happy Meals prizes. This is to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the mascots. [Thanks, Game Watch!]
In total, there will be three different waves of Little Twin Stars toys. So the line-up will change depending on which date you visit McDonald's. From January 17 to January 23, you can get a star stamp, a comb, or a name clip. Then, between January 24 and 30, you have a chance of receiving a compact mirror, a case for small items and accessories, or a scrunchie. Finally, from January 31, you have a chance of getting any of the above six items. So if there's a specific item you really want, you might want to aim for the time period when you only have three possible prizes to receive.
Here are the pictures of the Little Twin Stars toys from McDonald's:
Little Twin Stars (Kiki and Lala) first debuted in 1975 and were popular in the early 1980s. That's not to say they've fallen into obscurity in recent times, though. They came in 10th in the Sanrio 2024 popularity poll, behind strong contenders like Tuxedosam and Keroppi. The Little Twin Stars even appear as a character in Fragaria Memories.
The Little Twin Stars toys will appear in McDonald's Japan from January 17, 2025.
The post Little Twin Stars Will Appear in McDonald's Japan appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 10, 2025 1:00 PM
The Pokemon Center in Japan will start selling Valentine's Day merchandise starting on January 18, 2025. You can start purchasing them a day earlier via the online store, though.
Pikachu is the star of all the merchandise, though it's sporting a simpler design. Here are the prices for all of the items:
All the items feature heart patterns and Pikachu. Even the handle of the mug has a heart shape. While Ichiban Kuji collections or merchandise lines from Pokemon usually feature a variety of species, the "Pikachu with a heart" goods for Valentine's Day only features Pikachu. This includes on the chocolates and snack packagings as well. Considering the enduring popularity of the Pokemon, as well as it acting as the face for the franchise, this is likely so that you can gift it to a casual or hardcore fan with no issue.
The Valentine's Day chocolates and goods will appear via the online Pokemon Center on January 17, 2025. Physical locations will stock them on January 18. Other video game chocolates you can purchase for this year's Valentine's Day include ones of Pikmin and Animal Crossing from Godiva.
The post Valentine's Day 2025 Pokemon Chocolates Star Pikachu appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 10, 2025 12:30 PM
Square Enix announced that it will temporarily pause all FFXIV automatic housing demolition on the game's North American servers due to the fires in Los Angeles, California. It expressed sympathies to those affected by the natural disaster. This is a measure to ensure players from the area wouldn't lose their in-game property due to dealing with real-world events.
Typically, there is a counter that would determine when unattended homes in FFXIV would be torn down so the lots could be offered up to others, but a pause on automatic housing demolition halts that and ends that process on servers. This is because the only way to stop things from being destroyed and removed is to log into the game and either build a home on your plot or visit the place your character "lives." Since the Los Angeles fires resulted in things like internet outages, power outages, and evacuations, it meant people wouldn't be able to play FFXIV and visit their properties as usual.
The four North American Data Centers affected by the FFXIV automatic housing demolition pause are Aether, Crystal, Dynamis, and Primal. This means the following worlds are temporarily safe from sudden teardowns.
It isn't uncommon for Square Enix to take natural disasters, in-game issues, and other situations into account when it comes to FFXIV and automatic housing demolition. After the February 2023 earthquake in Turkey, the company paused teardowns on the Chaos and Light data centers. In January 2024, it paused it in Japan due to the Noto Peninsula earthquake. One of the more recent ones happened for European worlds in November 2024 due to torrential rains in Spain.
Final Fantasy XIV is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC worldwide, and the FFXIV automatic housing demolition is temporarily paused until further notice.
The post FFXIV Automatic Housing Demolition Paused Due to Los Angeles Fires appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 10, 2025 12:00 PM
HoYoVerse shared the 1.5 Special Program for Zenless Zone Zero today and, in addition to the release date and other regular reveals, it also went over the new Outfits that let you change costumes for playable characters. The update launches on January 22, 2025. The first three folks getting new looks are Astra Yao, Ellen Joe, and Nicole Demara.
The 1.5 storyline will involve Stars of Lyra characters. It will focus on Astra's New Year's concert, which is why the S-Rank Agents Astra and Evelyn will both be joining as the two new Signal Search banners this patch. Astra's signature S-Rank W-Engine will be Elegant Vanity, while Evelyn's is Heartstring Nocturne. Two new Bangboo will show up too. This update will mark the first appearance of rerun banners in the game, with Ellen and Qingyi being the first two to return. The Godfinger Arcade will expand and offer a Mach 25 minigame. An Astra Special Episode, Ellen Agent Story, Endless Tower: The Last Stand, and events like Brilliant Overture, Eh-Nah into Your Lap, The Day of Brilliant Wishes, Elpis Ultimate Angler Championship, and Godfinger Ultimate Showdown also debut.
As for the first three Zenless Zone Zero Outfits, the costumes for Astra, Ellen, and Nicole were already revealed and named. The Astra one is a black and white dress called Chandelier. Ellen's is based on her school uniform and is called On Campus. Nicole's casual look is called Cunning Cutie. Of those three, only Nicole's will be free, as we'll get to earn it as an event reward.
Here's the official image showing the three teaser images of the Zenless Zone Zero characters' new looks off:
The official teaser trailer for the 1.5 update is live now, and it focuses on the new story elements, characters, events, and Outfits that let you change Astra, Ellen, and Nicole's costumes.
Here's the full Zenless Zone Zero Special Program going over the 1.5 update additions.
Zenless Zone Zero is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the release date for 1.5 is January 22, 2025.
The post 1.5 Zenless Zone Zero Update Adds Characters, Costumes appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 10, 2025 11:30 AM
Sega Plaza will open up pre-orders for a plush of Hatsune Miku dressed up like a snake for the Year of the Snake. It'll come out in July 2025 and cost 7480 JPY ($47.40).
Pre-orders for the snake Hatsune Miku plush will open up on January 20, 2025. Until then, you can't find this plush on the Sega Plaza website. It's part of the Fuwapuchi series of plushes. Like other toys in this line, the plush has a chibi design and a cute, simplified facial expression. Size-wise, it's 60 x 90 x 45 cm. The 90 cm includes the tail. It looks like Miku wearing a nuigurumi of a snake, complete with a red scarf for good luck.
As one of the most iconic and famous mascots in Japan, it should come as little surprise to see plenty of Hatsune Miku merchandise and campaigns. In late 2024, Sega released collaboration merchandise of her and Cinnamoroll, which is one of Sanrio's most popular and well-known characters. Good Smile Company also announced that it would re-run the Sakura Miku: Bloomed in Japan Nendoroid from 2015. Finally, Desktop Mate announced that Hatsune Miku is the first DLC mascot you can download onto your computer.
The Hatsune Miku Year of the Snake Fuwapuchi plush will become available for pre-order from January 20, 2025. It'll come out in July 2025.
The post Year of the Snake Hatsune Miku Plush Has a Long Tail appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 10, 2025 11:00 AM
Good Smile Company announced Zenless Zone Zero Belle and Wise Nendoroids of the player avatars are on the way, with the MiHoYo Gift site already sharing product pages for the siblings. Good Smile Company said pre-orders are opening soon. The MiHoYo Gift imagery noted they will appear in China in September 2025. The two will be sold separately.
First, here is the official Good Smile Company announcement for the two figures. It shows each of them set against a backdrop of the Random Play video store where they work, live, and perform their Proxy missions. The first photo shows Wise holding a VHS tape box, with a smiling face plate being used. The second picture features Belle holding a VHS tape. The face plate for her shows her smiling and winking.
The official MiHoYo Gift site featured some infographics with additional images highlighting the face plates, accessories, and possible poses Belle and Wise Zenless Zone Zero Nendoroids. In addition to the first face plate Good Smile Company shared, he'll have one where he's smiling with both eyes closed and a sad expression. His accessories include a VHS tape, a tape box, a receipt, and a cardboard box filled with tapes. Belle features her winking expression, as well as smiling and sly ones. Her other accessories include the VHS tape we saw in the other photo, the key for the siblings' van, a paper bag, and a handheld gaming console.
Here are those images from MiHoYo Gift. These also note there will be pre-order bonuses like a photo album accessory for Belle and a cup of coffee for Wise.
Other HoYoVerse Nendoroids include ones from Honkai Impact 3rd, Honkai: Star Rail, and Genshin Impact.
There's no exact release date for the Belle and Wise Zenless Zone Zero Nendoroids yet worldwide, but Good Smile Company said it will open pre-orders for both "soon." We'll also see them start to roll out overseas in September 2025. The Chinese pages Zenless Zone Zero is available on the PS5, PC, and mobile devices.
The post First Zenless Zone Zero Nendoroids Are Belle and Wise appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 10, 2025 10:30 AM
Uniqlo announced that it has added new stamps for shirts and merchandise based on Capcom's Monster Hunter series to its UTme! custom design service in Japan. People in the country can now make their own apparel and tote bag designs featuring monsters from the popular game series.
The company added a total of 46 new stamps from the Monster Hunter franchise. The primary highlights in the lineup are the flagship monsters from the series' mainline entries and expansions. The list features the likes of Nergigante from World, Velkhana from Iceborne, Magnamalo from Rise, and Malzeno from Sunbreak. However, it also notably includes the Monster Hunter 3 flagship monster Lagiacrus, which last appeared in Monster Hunter Generations and its Ultimate expansion. In addition, there are also icons based on Palicoes and Palamutes from Monster Hunter World and Rise.
While Uniqlo's anime and game-themed shirt designs are eventually available in its worldwide outlets, there is usually a time gap between the releases in Japan and the rest of the world. As of early January 2025, the Monster Hunter stamps have yet to appear on Uniqlo's UTme! webpages for other countries, such as the United States.
The Monster Hunter stamps are now available to use on shirts and other items in Uniqlo's UTme! custom designs line in Japan.
The post Monster Hunter Stamps Added in Uniqlo UTme! Japan appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 10, 2025 9:55 AM
Bandai Namco and FromSoftware opened the signups page for the upcoming Elden Ring Nightreign Closed Network Test beta and confirmed the dates it will run. The official site is now open for potential console players to sign up, and it will take place between February 14-16, 2025.
As this is a closed beta, there is no guarantee everyone who registers will get to play. Bandai Namco will randomly select from those who meet requirements. To take part, you need to be in a country in North America, Central America, or South America. The PS5 and Xbox Series X are the only options, even though the "platform of choice" section of the survey does mention the PC version. You need to be over 17 years old too.
Here is the full schedule for the Elden Ring Nightreign Closed Network Test, which will consist of five beta sessions.
The goal of this beta will be to check the "large-scale network load." Those of us who get to participate will be able to work together in teams of three to take on challenges. FromSoftware and Bandai Namco didn't note specific bosses or areas that will appear.
Elden Ring Nightreign will come to the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2025. The Closed Network Test runs February 14-16, 2025.
The post Elden Ring Nightreign Closed Network Test Signups Open Ahead of Beta appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 10, 2025 9:30 AM
Sunrise and Khara have published a new trailer for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- on the franchise's Japanese YouTube channel. The new trailer also revealed that the early movie adaptation of the new Gundam show will have "Plazma" by Kenshi Yonezu as its theme song.
This revelation also marks the first time Kenshi Yonezu performs a theme song in the Gundam metaseries. The Japanese musician's fame has been rising sharply in the 2020s. His opening theme song for Chainsaw Man, "Kick Back," managed to reach not only the #1 spot on the weekly charts of Japan's Oricon in November 2022 but also 47th place on Spotify's daily top 50 and 13th in Billboard's weekly Global 200 rankings in October 2022. Kenshi Yonezu was also the singer behind "Tsuki Wo Miteita - Moongazing," the theme song for Square Enix's game Final Fantasy XVI.
The new Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- trailer that includes the theme song "Plazma" by Kenshi Yonezu is available to watch via the Japanese Gundam Channel on YouTube:
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- will launch in Japanese theaters on January 17, 2025. The new Gundam anime show will also appear later as an episodic anime series on Japanese television channels and global streaming platforms.
The post Kenshi Yonezu Sings Gundam GQuuuuuuX Beginning Song appeared first on Siliconera. |
WGB Friday, January 10, 2025 9:56 AM A new job listing has confirmed the existence of a triple-A studio in LA, possibly led by Jason Blundell, collaborating with Bungie on a new sci-fi action game, amid previous uncertainties regarding secret PlayStation Studios. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, January 10, 2025 3:12 PM An announcement trailer was also released. The post The House of the Dead 2: Remake Release Window Announced appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
MonsterVine Friday, January 10, 2025 2:32 PM FuturLab and Square Enix Collective have revealed that Wallace & Gromit will be the next franchise to cross over with PowerWash Simulator. Following the recent release of the new film Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, it was announced that players will be able to clean up everything from the British suburb Wallace resides in to the cheesy […] |