GamersHeroes Monday, March 31, 2025 3:36 PM The team at Uncapped Games announced that the next public beta test for its upcoming action real-time strategy game Battle Aces will begin April 16 in North America and Latin America. The post Battle Aces Entering Next Beta Phase April 16 appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Monday, March 31, 2025 1:57 PM Garnering rave reviews and making an appearance at the happening Day of the Devs event, Gamers Heroes recently spoke with inkle's Jon Ingold to learn more about how Expelled! came to be. The post Expelled! Interview – inkle's Jon Ingold Talks Creation, Morality, and Community appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Monday, March 31, 2025 1:44 PM Since its release on February 28, Capcom announced that Monster Hunter Wilds has surpassed 10 million sales worldwide - that's a lot of Hunters! The post Monster Hunter Wilds Surpasses 10 Million Sales Worldwide appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Monday, March 31, 2025 1:18 PM My time with WWE 2K25 is one of mixed emotions. So much of the game is great, but it's the same stuff that has been great for some time. The post WWE 2K25 Review appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Monday, March 31, 2025 12:18 PM Celebrating Japanese culture while introducing a heartwarming story about friendship, tradition, and cats, Scarlet Moon has released the original soundtrack to Mineko's Night Market on all major streaming services. The post Mineko's Night Market OST Now Available Across All Streaming Services appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
Kotaku Monday, March 31, 2025 5:30 PM  Baldur's Village is a fan expansion that adds the characters from Dungeons & Dragons RPG Baldur's Gate 3 to the cozy, pixel art farming sim Stardew Valley. The head of Larian Studios, which made Baldur's Gate 3, thought it was really cool. But Wizards of the Coast, who owns the D&D license? Not so much. The tabletop… |
Kotaku Monday, March 31, 2025 5:20 PM  If you look at the the top played games on Steam, you might notice something new right at the top. Above the usual heavy hitters and longtime classics you'll spot Schedule I, an open-world, first-person drug-dealing sim developed by one guy that, as I write this, has over 340,000 concurrent players on Steam. |
Kotaku Monday, March 31, 2025 4:25 PM  We're less than 48 hours away from the Switch 2 deep-dive everyone's been waiting months for, and the biggest questions around power, price, release timing, and launch lineup still remain. Will Nintendo play it safe as it seems to have done so far with the new hardware, or has it been patiently keeping a big surprise… |
Kotaku Monday, March 31, 2025 4:00 PM  483 days ago, Rockstar Games released the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6. And assuming GTA 6 doesn't get delayed, the CEO of Rockstar parent company Take-Two seems to have indicated that fans might have to wait a few more months yet before another GTA 6 trailer arrives. |
Kotaku Monday, March 31, 2025 3:05 PM  Monster Hunter Wilds is rounding out its one-month anniversary with a major patch later this week. It'll add new features and monsters to the game, as well as some urgent stability improvements on PC where performance has remained pretty abysmal since launch. |
Kotaku Monday, March 31, 2025 2:55 PM  I used to be the sentimental type in video games. For instance, if a certain character offered you a weapon—a keepsake—I would hang on to that weapon for as long as possible. Something like Naoe's starting katana would be the kind of thing that I'd stubbornly hold onto for far too long. |
Kotaku Monday, March 31, 2025 1:25 PM  Cloak & Dagger are one of the most commonly picked Strategist characters in the entire game, and for good reason: They are incredibly powerful. While each of their abilities are somewhat limited, you'll maintain control of two characters with completely different roles, so balancing them will be key to excelling. |
Kotaku Monday, March 31, 2025 1:15 PM  Some oddly-shaped baseball bats have become a hot topic among fans and players, after the Yankees' so-called "Torpedo Bats" seemingly helped some sluggers hit multiple home runs. |
Kotaku Monday, March 31, 2025 12:35 PM  While you and a partner are exploring the worlds created by Split Fiction's protagonists, you may come across a special rift which will lead you to a "Side Story"—the game's version of side quests or bonus levels. |
Kotaku Monday, March 31, 2025 12:25 PM  We are two weeks away from the premiere of The Last of Us' second season. The HBO live-action adaptation will be based on The Last of Us Part II, and anyone who's played it knows it builds heavily off the first game's ending. As such, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are doing promotional interviews for the… |
PCGamesN Monday, March 31, 2025 6:59 PM  Despite Baldur's Gate 3 icons like Astarion ascending into the hall of fame for beloved gaming characters, and the RPG being a huge canvas for mods itself, fans were surprised and saddened to see today that Wizards of the Coast (the license holders of Dungeons and Dragons) had DMCA'd a popular Stardew Valley mod. Baldur's Village puts a romanceable Astarion into the game, among other additions, but is currently unavailable following a takedown notice. After some critical remarks from Baldur's Gate 3's game director and the co-founder of Larian Studios, Swen Vincke, WotC has now apologized and admitted the takedown notice was a mistake. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Stardew Valley multiplayer, Stardew Valley realism, The best Stardew Valley mods |
PCGamesN Monday, March 31, 2025 5:08 PM  In recent months, it's felt like Warzone has been in a bit of a downturn, but in just a few days time, expect that trend to reverse - Verdansk is back, and the battle royale's developers are pulling out all the stops for the map's triumphant return. The iconic battleground has been faithfully remade, and as you'll see from the Warzone Season 3 patch notes, the desire to recreate the original Verdansk experience extends to gameplay as well. The new update is full of tweaks and changes that'll make it feel like 2020 all over again. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Warzone loadouts, Best Warzone AR, Best Warzone guns |
PCGamesN Monday, March 31, 2025 2:24 PM  How many genres is too many to merge together in a new Steam game? Three? Four? Well, the real answer is: as many as you like, just so long as it keeps you hooked and offers up something novel. From what I've seen so far of Darfall - an upcoming mashup of RTS games, city builders, class-based RPGs, and horde-slaying action games - it seems to be finding that sweet spot. With its Steam demo leaving a good impression, this Paradox-back strategy game is shaping up nicely, and now Darfall has confirmed that its release date isn't too far away. Continue reading Promising RTS and city builder hybrid Darfall locks in release date MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best city building games, Best RPGs, Best RTS games |
PCGamesN Monday, March 31, 2025 12:29 PM  If you had just one week to stay alive, what would you do to keep breathing? That's the central thesis of Sultan's Game, a new strategy RPG with roguelike elements that's just launched on Steam. With an array of difficult choices, cards, and characters all at your disposal, every decision means life or death. So if you're looking for a new experience to test your skills, look no further. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best card games, Best RPGs, Best management games |
PCGamesN Monday, March 31, 2025 12:28 PM  HP's Omen gaming brand is set to release its own standalone PC components soon. Traditionally known for rather expensive gaming laptops and pre-built PCs, the HP Omen brand is branching out into the wider PC gaming market. This means it is targeting anyone who plans to upgrade their existing PC or build a new one from scratch, as the components won't be limited to just Omen systems. If you're looking for the best gaming PC that will arrive at your door assembled, Omen by HP is a brand you're very likely to have encountered in your research. In our Omen 40L review, we praise it as a solid 1080p gaming machine, but this new strategy will also enable you to use HP's Omen-branded gear if you build your own gaming PC. Continue reading HP Omen is turning its attention to components in a surprising move MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card, Best gaming PC, Best SSD for gaming |
PCGamesN Monday, March 31, 2025 12:13 PM  The latest Helldivers 2 PC patch has got PC players begging for performance optimizations on Reddit and the Steam Community forum. Even though performance isn't directly addressed in the latest patch, it seems that some players are reporting worsening conditions with little explanation. These ongoing issues aren't targeting any specific piece of hardware, meaning even if you have one of the best graphics cards, you might experience a downturn in performance since the latest Helldivers 2 patch arrived late last week. In fact, despite upgrading my GPU since I last played, my performance has also taken a hit, which I detail below. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card, Best gaming PC, Best SSD for gaming |
PCGamesN Monday, March 31, 2025 12:01 PM  Survival games have, in many ways, become the new battle royale games. In 2024 alone we saw everything from the creature-catching of Palworld to the gaslamp steampunk fantasy of Nightingale, with Enshrouded, Bellwright, and the Valheim-esque Aska all vying for a place in the spotlight. While the trend feels like its tapering off slightly coming into 2025, the colossal Dune: Awakening is just around the corner, and 11-bit Studios' The Alters, perhaps the most bizarre take on the genre yet, is slated to drop later this year. Where, then, does Jagex's new spinoff title, RuneScape: Dragonwilds sit in the mix? During an exclusive preview at RuneFest 2025, I quiz senior community manager Jake Blunt for all of the details. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best survival games, Best MMORPGs, Best multiplayer games |
PCGamesN Monday, March 31, 2025 12:00 PM  Trade is an incredibly powerful political tool, and the new Victoria 3 DLC proves it. The Paradox grand strategy game continues to get better after a somewhat rocky launch, and the imminent release of the latest mechanics pack is the ideal time to check back in. With plenty of patches and expansions under its belt, the newest Victoria 3 DLC will permeate the entire game, if you've got a brain for business. Continue reading New Victoria 3 DLC turns trade into the mechanic it deserves to be MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Victoria 3 review, Victoria 3 beginner's guide, The best strategy games on PC |
PCGamesN Monday, March 31, 2025 12:23 PM  What is the best gaming laptop? The answer to that question depends on your priorities, as well as your budget. The latest laptops pack Nvidia GeForce RTX 5000 GPUs, alongside AMD Ryzen 9000 and Intel Core Ultra CPUs. Higher-spec models will typically run hot and loud under full load, as the components inside them pull the most power and require more active cooling. Other factors such as the laptop's screen tech also greatly impact the experience of using it, as well as the price, with the resolution, refresh rate, and panel type all affecting usability, and new OLED panels costing considerably more money. We're constantly testing the latest gaming laptops so that you can buy the best one for your budget and needs. Continue reading Best gaming laptop 2025 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card, Best gaming PC, Best SSD for gaming |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, March 31, 2025 5:53 PM -1280x720.jpg?width=1920&height=1920&fit=bounds&quality=80&format=jpg&auto=webp) IGN Live was already confirmed to return this June, but now RPS's corporate papa has put a date on it. The in-person fan event, with streams for those who can't attend, will return on June 7th-8th in LA, and tickets are on sale now. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, March 31, 2025 1:30 PM  I've hit the install cap on my storage drive more times than I've rage-quit in Apex. At some point, deleting a 90GB game just to download another becomes a sad cycle of SSD suffering. So yeah, when a bunch of top-tier M.2 drives go on sale, I pay attention. Amazon's Spring Sale has been great for PC gaming deals, but it's also the last day of the sale as well, so don't delay on these latest price drops. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, March 31, 2025 12:16 PM  Jagex have announced RuneScape: Dragonwilds, a new open world co-operative survival game set in the same fantasy realm as their ancient MMO. It runs on Unreal Engine 5, looks a bit like Valheim and Enshrouded, and will launch into early access this spring. Dragonwilds takes place on the continent of Ashenfall, a wilderness abundant in winged lizards, and your overall goal is to "slay the Dragon Queen". I'm going to make the obvious prediction here: you will spend much more time in Ashenfall chopping down trees and composing their delicious, grainy innards into barn doors than chopping down any dragons, regal or otherwise. It's a survival game, after all. The ratio of dragons to logging and carpentry in the first screenshots is a nail-biting 1:1 - if it weren't for that subtitle, I might have assumed this to be a game about woodlands management with optional Smaug-bashing QTEs.
Rather than dragon-felling cantrips, the announcement release gives prominent mention to a spell for summoning spectral axes to chop trees down for you, which feels a bit like a car salesman leading with the option to just buy a train ticket instead. Still, let's not be entirely miserable before we've even played the game. Here's the announcement trailer. |
Twinfinite Monday, March 31, 2025 12:39 PM  |
Siliconera Monday, March 31, 2025 8:00 PM
During her second "used Pokemon Emerald cartridge gacha" stream on March 29, 2025, hololive VTuber Usada Pekora streamed herself encountering Lugia, Ho-oh, and Mew in the game. This means that the cartridge had the very rare Old Sea Map and MysticTicket items, but the original owner of the cartridge never used them. [Thanks, Resetera!]
You can watch the original stream here:
Usada Pekora inserts the winning Pokemon Emerald cartridge (the twenty-second one) at around the 1:21:06 mark, and plays it for around twenty minutes as she uses the event items. You can also watch a clipped and subbed version of the encounter here:
For reference, the only way to get a legitimate version of Lugia, Ho-oh, or Mew in Pokemon Emerald was to use event items. If you had gotten the Mew on your Japanese cartridge of Emerald, you can also use Pokemon Home to transfer it into modern games such as Scarlet/Violet.
GameFreak distributed both event items—the MysticTickets and Old Sea Map—back in 2004 and 2005, and the Old Sea Map was exclusive to Japan and Taiwan. This means that Usada Pekora found a cartridge twenty years later that not only had the limited-time event items, but also never used them, which allowed her to experience encountering these Pokemon on stream.
The latest upcoming entry in the Pokemon franchise, Pokemon Legenda Z-A, will come out on the Nintendo Switch in Fall 2025.
The post Usada Pekora Streams Rare Pokemon Emerald Event Encounters appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, March 31, 2025 7:30 PM
Anycolor posted a PSA and reminder on X (formerly Twitter) to use a specific contact form if you would like to report negative comments (ones that would count as verbal abuse) you see online. It also asks that people do not go and tell the livers about said comments.
In the statement, Anycolor states that some people may post negative comments and opinions about its talents online. Though Anycolor and the talents take these criticisms seriously, as they can use them to find ways to improve their content, some comments cross the line and border on defamation. If you see such comments on Twitter or YouTube, you can report them using this link here. You can also use this portal to report other incidents, such as impersonation.
Anycolor would like fans to use the above form to report any comments that can constitute as verbal assault, harassment, defamation, or the like. It reminds fans to avoid reporting these comments to the livers, whether it's through DMs or in comments. The livers would like to see comments and messages that support them and their work, as these encourage them in their activities.
In the past, Anycolor has teamed up with other VTuber companies like Cover to combat defamation or harassment against its livers. Anycolor has also pursued legal action when it comes to protecting its livers from online harassment.
The post Anycolor Puts Out PSA About Negative Comments appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, March 31, 2025 7:00 PM
During the first anniversary stream for Persona 5: The Phantom X, it was announced that the game will appear on Steam. It's likely that when the game appears in English outside of regions like China, we will be able to download it via Steam as well.
The information comes near the end of the stream, at around the 58:50 minute mark. The stream did not mention whether the game would be compatible with the Steam Deck. As for the rest of the stream, Perfect World discussed topics such as anniversary rewards, as well as what players can expect to see in the upcoming patch, Version 4.0.
Atlus Sound Team and Lyn also released a new song for Persona 5: The Phantom X. It's called "Show Stealer" and it will serve as the new opening for the game. You can watch it here:
Persona 5: The Phantom X is a Chinese free-to-play gacha spin-off of Atlus's Persona 5. Like P5, it's a combination between social simulation and a turn-based RPG dungeon crawler. Though a closed beta for the game appeared in Japan, there's no information on when the game will come out for regions outside of China.
Persona 5: The Phantom X is readily available on mobile devices and Windows PC in China, and Version 4.0 of it will launch on April 10, 2025. The game will also come out on Steam.
The post Persona 5: The Phantom X to Appear on Steam appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, March 31, 2025 6:00 PM
Blaze Entertainment shared an Evercade Showcase going over 2025 titles and additions, and among them are cartridges with NeoGeo arcade games and Windjammer. There will also be two new Super Pocket models, with one that has Data East games built into it and another with NeoGeo ones. As a reminder, those can play Evercade cartridges. All Evercade cartridges are compatible with the handheld and console.
Pre-orders for the Super Pocket Data East edition open on April 1, 2025. That costs $59 and includes 18 games. It's expected to debut sometime in June 2025.
Here's the full list of its games:
There's also a trailer focused entirely on it:
In the case of NeoGeo Arcade 1, you get six games on an Evercade cartridge. These are the arcade versions of Ironclad, The King of Fighters 2000, Magician Lord, Metal Slug, Sengoku, and Shock Troopers. Basically, it's a solid mix of action, run-and-gun, shoot'em up, and fighters. Pre-orders for it open on May 1, 2025, and it ships in July 2025.
That trailer is below as well:
The matching NeoGeo Super Pocket features more games included. You get 14 total. Like the Data East one, it costs $59. Pre-orders open on April 1, 2025, and it debuts in June 2025.
Here's the list of its games:
Here's its trailer:
The final two cartridges from the Evercade March 2025 showcase are Gremlin Collection 2 and Windjammers, Karnov, and Friends. The Gremlin games on the one cart are Buggy, Hogs of War, Loaded, and Re-Loaded. As for the other cartridge, you get Atomic Runner Chelnov, Karnov, Rohga: Armor Force, Vapor Trail: Hyper Offence Formation, and Windjammers. Pre-orders for both open on April 1, 2025, ahead of their June 2025 debut.
Here's the full showcase:
The Evercade Alpha, EXP-R, and VS-R, as well as some Super Pocket models, are available now worldwide.
The post New Evercade Games Include NeoGeo Arcade, Windjammers appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, March 31, 2025 5:30 PM
Sanrio opened a new website delivering information on themed Sanrio character hotels and cafes across Japan. The new Hotel and Cafe Guide official website is only available in Japanese.
The website allows users to filter information per region or per character. The region setting allows users to look at which characters are featured in each hotel or cafe, with a small portrait of the character available under the preview thumbnail. Some locations include more than one character.
Meanwhile, while looking at the "per character" filter character hotels are listed in green and cafes are listed on purple. The character list also shows which hotels offer sales of merchandise goods and/or breakfast plans. Both filter options inform users of which city the hotel or cafe is located in.
Here are the Sanrio characters available so far in the filter for the new Hotel and Café Guide website:
As a reminder, Hello Kitty will be prominently featured as part of an upcoming Cubs vs Brewers MLB match on June 18, 2025, and tickets for the match are already sold out due to high demand.
The new Sanrio Characters Hotel and Cafe Guide website is now up and running, and it offers information on a variety of official Sanrio collaboration locales across Japan.
The post Sanrio Shares Update on Character Hotels and Cafes Website appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, March 31, 2025 5:00 PM
Bandai Namco released a video featuring the voice actors for the main character in each of the Tales of titles to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the video game series. The voice actors each shared a brief message about their experience working on the series.
The video features 20 voice actors that portrayed the main protagonists across 19 games in the long-standing action RPG series. The video is only available in Japanese with Japanese subtitles, and it is approximately 43:44 minutes long.
In addition, Tales of Legendia voice actor Ken'ichi Suzumura asked for a remake or a sequel to the title as part of his message in the video. As a reminder, Tales of Legendia is celebrating its 20th anniversary on 2025, and a new event to mark the occasion will appear in Japan.
Here is the full list of Tales of games and voice actors featured in the new 30th anniversary video:
And you can watch the video below:
Tales of Graces f Remastered is the latest title in the series, and it is now available worldwide for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch, and PC via Steam.
The post Tales of Games Voice Actors Share Messages for 30th Anniversary appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, March 31, 2025 4:30 PM
Marvelous opened pre-order product pages for the Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar Switch release, and we now get to see the pocket plush of the Suffolk sheep in the Premium Edition. It is tradition for Bokujou no Monogatari games to include a stuffed animal of one of the pets or livestock you can raise in the game. This time around, it costs $49.99 for the version without any bonuses and $69.99 for the one with the sheep.
Right now, only the Switch pre-order pages are live. It isn't possible to do so with the PC copy. On Steam, it is possible to wishlist that version of the game though.
For those unaware of the Premium Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar contents, here's a closer look at what you get. In addition to a copy of the game, there's the small Suffolk sheep plush. A cloth poster showing the two avatar options alongside all the romance options is in the box. So is an art book and a CD soundtrack.
Here's the official photo showing everything:
It's pretty much guaranteed that the premium edition of these Story of Seasons games includes a new pocket plush stuffed animal. A Wonderful Lifecame with a goat. Pioneers of Olive Townhad a buffalo with it. A Strawberry Cow could come with Friends of Mineral Town.
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar will come to the Nintendo Switch and PC on August 27, 2025, and it is possible to pre-order the console version now.
The post Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar Premium Pre-orders Open appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, March 31, 2025 4:00 PM
NieR series creator Yoko Taro was told to make NieR: Automata focusing on the Japanese market without worrying about overseas reviews. The developer recently shared an anecdote about the game's creation on X (formerly Twitter).
In a recent interview with AV Watch, Shuhei Yoshida of Sony and PlayStation fame, credited NieR: Automata with being one of the games that changed the direction of the Japanese market from trying to imitate Western games and Hollywood-style trends circa the PS3 era. Yoshida also said that he thinks the Japanese game industry "revived after NieR."
Yoko Taro shared the interview on his personal social media and thanked Yoshida for his words. He then added that it was NieR: Automata Producer Yosuke Saito who "ordered" Taro to make a game "for the Japanese market without worrying about overseas reviews."
Here's another direct from Yoko Taro regarding the instructions Producer Saito gave him on NieR: Automata:
Yosuke Saito himself responded to Yoko Taro's post, by adding "That's not exactly what I said lol. What I meant was, because we're Japanese people there's no need to go out of our way to appeal to overseas audiences. We can probably attract around a million people across the world who want to play a Japanese game made by a Japanese person (the one and only Yoko Taro!)" Yoko Taro responded to his interaction with Yosuke Saito with a final, "Aren't we saying the same thing? (laughs)."
NieR: Automata is available worldwide on the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC. The anime is streaming on Crunchyroll. A NieR game series livestream will be held on April 19, 2025.
The post Yoko Taro Told to Make NieR: Automata With Japan in Mind appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, March 31, 2025 3:30 PM
For April Fools' Day 2025, Square Enix created a Final Fantasy VII high school AU (alternate universe) scenario for FFVII Ever Crisis called Ever Crisis Academy. It reimagines Midgar as Midgard, with characters like Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, Zack, Angeal, and Sephiroth as students at Midgard Seventh Heaven High School and Shinra Private Academy. This comes complete with free wallpapers and a complex relationship chart.
Midgard Seventh Heaven High School is a school for delinquents in this FFVII Ever Crisis AU. Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Zack are all students there. Zack is the current Brawler First Class at the academy, but Cloud wants to steal that spot from him. Meanwhile, Tifa is class president there. However, a teacher who is coach for the baseball team named Barret wants to recruit all four of them to form an ideal team capable of defeating Shinra Private Academy.
As for Shinra Private Academy, Sephiroth and Angeal are both students there. Both are part of the student council. Glenn is an art teacher, Matt teaches both political science and economics, and Lin teaches biology.
You can see the full relationship chart below. It is divided up into the Midgard Seventh Heaven High School and Shinra Private Academy sides. The only connection between the two is between Barret and Glenn, so we don't know how high schooler Cloud feels about fellow student Sephiroth.
And here are all of the wallpapers for the April Fools' Day event:
Cid, Vincent, Red XIII, and Yuffie are all absent.
The official website for April Fools' Day 2025 also references a trailer, but it isn't available yet.
Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis is available for mobile devices, and the FFVII Ever Crisis Academy April Fools' Day high school AU is only available until April 1, 2025.
The post See the FFVII Ever Crisis April Fools' Day High School AU appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, March 31, 2025 3:00 PM
Square Enix will be making it easier to pick up both Octopath Traveler 1 and 2 physical game copies on the Switch, as a new cartridge option includes both of the JRPGs. The three stores with retail listings online are PNP Games, Play-Asia, and Video Games Plus, though PNP and VGP are both sold out as of 12:30pm ET on March 31, 2025.
Right now, the prices seem to vary. PNP was selling the bundle for $55.99. The VGP price was $79.99 CAD, which came out to $55.90. There's no price on the Play-Asia listing yet, though sometimes it can end up being a bit more for certain titles. Both PNP and VGP note they should ship all orders on April 4, 2025, but note that is the expected date. For those who missed pre-orders, it might be worth returning on or around that date to see if additional stock appeared.
The notable point about this release is that the early reports seem to suggest there are no additional downloads. So if someone picks up the Octopath Traveler 1 and 2 physical Switch bundle, each of the JRPGs will be on a single cartridge together. Prior to this, both games were available separately both digitally and physically for the system.
Here's what the box art for the bundle looks like:
It is also possible to buy both games in a bundle from the eShop. The listing is live on the storefront and has been for some time. That costs $74.99.
Octopath Traveler is available on the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and PC, and Octopath Traveler 2 is on the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.
The post Octopath Traveler 1 and 2 Switch Physical Copy Includes Both Games appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, March 31, 2025 2:00 PM
Each year for April Fools' Day, Aniplex, Type Moon, and FGO Project release a Fate/Grand Order game created just for the holiday. 2025 is no exception, and the April Fools' Day game this year for FGO is called Fate/Final Journey. The official site is live, and it can be played on a mobile device via the App Store and Google Play pages. Unfortunately, it is region-locked.
The Fate/Final Journey game this time around is a Vampire Survivors sort of game starring the Crypters from FGO. Players will pick a Master and Servant pair, then will pick weapons and items upon leveling up or finding them. The confirmed initial characters on the site are the player with Mash Kyrielight and Kadoc Zemlupus with Caster/Anastasia. Each pair is available at the start. However, imagery also shows characters like Beryl Gut, Daybit Sem Void, Hinako Akuta, Ophelia Phamrsolone, and Scandinavia Peperoncino. Your new goal as a Crypter is to fight to overcome hordes of enemies and survive, so you can get out of the UR simulation.
There is already gameplay footage online. xNaya shared about a six minute clip showing Kadoc and Anastasia in action against hordes of Servants.
Here are some screenshots showing how the game looks:
There is also an in-game bonus for FGO for April Fools' Day 2025. People get 10 Saint Quartz for logging in. This is being given out until April 2, 2025. As usual, you can use this to do things like get Servants from the gacha.
These April Fools' Day FGO games always tend to pull from different genres. For example, the 2022 Fate/Pixel Wars entry was a "grow" style game. In 2023, we could play Fate/Grail League baseball. For 2024, the title was Fate/Dream Striker soccer.
Fate/Grand Order is available on mobile devices worldwide, and the April Fools' Day 2025 FGO game is Fate/Final Journey.
The post FGO April Fools' Day 2025 Game Is Fate/Final Journey appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, March 31, 2025 1:00 PM
There'll be a Hello Kitty Night at Wrigley Field, and that Cubs vs Brewers game is already sold out. It will take place on June 18, 2025, and it seems like it won't be possible to get tickets to the 7:05pm CT game outside of resellers at this point. Both the standard and premium versions of the tickets are no longer available via the official site.
As is common with these types of special events, there were two options for tickets to the Cubs Hello Kitty Night that offered different types of merchandise tied to the game and character. The standard option, which started around $40, involved getting a bobblehead of the character with your ticket. That figure features her in a Cubs uniform with a batching blue bow, on a blue base that says her name. As for the bobble part, her arm could also move. Once at the game, there will be activities and imagery of the Sanrio mascot around the stadium.
The more expensive ticket included both the figure and a themed bomber jacket. On the front of the blue jacket with white trim, you'd see Hello Kitty's face. In addition to her typical red bow, she'd be wearing a Cubs baseball cap. On the back is a larger image of her face and her name in red.
In recent years, we've seen Japanese mascots, performers, and anime series represented at these special nights during games. For example, the Hololive Night at the Los Angeles Dodgers game included merchandise and performances by the Vtubers. There have also been multiple One Piece Nights at different games in 2025 already. The LA Lakers event came up in February 2025. A Seattle Mariners one will happen on April 8, 2025. A Red Sox One Piece Night is set for May 3, 2025.
The Cubs vs Brewers game with Hello Kitty Night merchandise and activities takes place on June 18, 2025, and it is completely sold out.
The post Tickets Sell Out for Cubs Hello Kitty Night Game appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, March 31, 2025 12:30 PM
Good Smile Company teased a new image of an upcoming Cardcaptor Sakura figure of Sakura Kinomoto in her iconic black and pink cat maid battle costume on social media. This will be a part of the Pop Up Parade line and will be one of the Ver L larger size models. There's no expected release window yet, but pre-orders for it will start in May 2025.
While the Cardcaptor Sakura figure is unpainted at the moment, we can still tell exactly what battle costume Sakura is wearing in it. The cat maid outfit is rendered exactly, right down to the bell on the collar, apron, and cat ears and tail on her head and back. She's also wielding her Clow-style Sealing Wand, which appeared in the earliest part of the series. (In later arcs, its appearance changed.)
Here's the first image showing how she looks. As this is still early in development, we only get to see her from one angle.
As a reminder, the black cat maid is one of the older Cardcaptor Sakura battle costumes. Tomoyo Daidouji made it for her to wear when she was capturing the Thunder Card during the series. In the past, Good Smile Company made a Nendoroid Co-de figure of her in it. As it was part of the Co-de line, there were no extra accessories or elements, like with typical Nendoroids.
Since this is a Pop Up Parade figure, there will be no additional face plates or parts. Since it's a part of the Ver L line, that could mean she'll stand at about 240mm, like the recent Atelier Ryza one.
The Cardcaptor Sakura Pop Up Parade L Ver figure is in development, with pre-orders opening worldwide in May 2025. Kodansha handles the manga worldwide. The anime is streaming on Crunchyroll.
The post Cardcaptor Sakura Figure Features Her Cat Maid Battle Costume appeared first on Siliconera. |
Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 6:19 PM
Getting your hands on Coca Leaves is one of the late-game features of Schedule 1. But once you've done so, you'll be rewarded with lots of money.
Before you can go on and start harvesting Coca Leaves, you'll have to arrange Coca Seeds first, and the supplier is present in the Docks region. Here's how to get Coca Leaves in Schedule 1.
Arrange a Coca Seed first
You have to first unlock the Docks area and then head over to Salvador Moreno (the final supplier of the game) to get hold of Coca Seeds (red colored). It will cost you $80 to get one seed, plant it, and wait for it to develop into a Coca Plant. Now comes the process of getting Coca Leaves out of it.
How to get Coca Leaves in Schedule 1
Once the Coca plant is fully grown, press E to harvest, and you will receive nine Coca Leaves at once. You can use Red Fertilizer to increase the yield. To improve the quality of these Coca Leaves, all you need to do is dry them on a Drying Rack.
Coca Leaves are ultimately used to prepare Cocaine in the game, where you need to mix 20 of them with Gasoline in a Cauldron to get the output.
Now, when you level up and the risk factor increases, you must equip yourself with a gun or weapon to safeguard yourself during adverse moments. Take a look at all weapons and how to get them in Schedule 1.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 6:10 PM
Schedule 1 makes it crucial for players to automate their properties if you want to take your business to the next level.
Automation in the game usually refers to a system where you'll need minimal involvement. The setup will ensure that things work on their own, but you'll have to provide the ingredients required to produce the drugs. This guide will provide you with the best setup available for both Barn and Docks Warehouse.
Best automated Barn setup in Schedule 1
The Barn is located near the Church, and it has two floors available for production. Ideally, this property requires a total of 10-12 workers to run efficiently (you can use less, but that will just reduce the total production).
While you can go with a full Cocaine setup, but I will recommend going with a full Meth setup instead. Here's the ideal worker distribution you'll need (assuming you go with Meth).
Botanists will be required if you're going with Cocaine. If that's the case, reduce the Chemists you're hiring, and replace them with Botanists.
The upper floor should be the beds for most of your workers, and you can visit to pay the salaries of the workers. On the ground floor, place cabinets along the wall. You'll be using them to store Acid, Phosphorus, and Pseudo. Place a Lab Oven and a Chemistry Station side-by-side. Each dual setup should be assigned to a chemist. They will use the Chemistry Station to mix Pseudo, Acid, and Phosphorus to create Meth. Then, they will put it in the oven to get the final product out.
Put two Brick Press, and two Packing Stations on the properties, which the Handlers will handle. The Meth made by your Chemists will be taken to Packing Stations or the Brick Press (if the output is more than 10 units). The Handlers will get them ready for you to sell the product, and your Dealers will help you to increase your sales.
Best automated Docks setup in Schedule 1
The Docks Warehouse area is another great property option available for you to have a bigger base of operations. This area is largely a one-floor affair. There's a small room upstairs, but it has little practical use. The Docks is perfect for a Cocaine-focused business.
Ideally, you're looking at a 10-worker setup with four Botanists and two Chemists. The remaining four spots can be split between Handlers and Cleaners. Make sure to have at least two Handlers.
Once again, the walls should be lined with cabinets, but there will be some changes. Unlike Meth, Cocaine needs you to grow the Coca plant. All the pots should be in the middle of the room. Each Botanist can look after eight pots, and make sure to assign them nearby cabinets for them to store the leaves.
In the Docks, you'll need two workstations without failure: a Cauldron and a Lab Oven. The Cauldron is where you add the leaves and Gasoline to cook the raw materials. The Lab Oven is where you'll put the raw Cocaine in and get the finished products. Make sure to put a Cauldron and a Lab Oven as a pair to assign them to a Chemist. It's best to place a Cabinet close, where your Botanists will put in the Coca Leaves.
Once the Chemists complete the products, they can be stored in the cabinets or added to the Packaging Station/Brick Press. Your Handlers will take care of the rest of the stuff and get your Cocaine ready for sale.
I would add that producing Cocaine entirely in an automated fashion tends to get iffy. The Meth is perfect for an automated process because there's no plant to grow in the first place. This allows you to avoid hiring any Botanist and automate the production process more easily.
Some workers tend to get mixed in their assignments (which can happen due to bugs), so always make sure to check out your properties and ensure that the production process is working as per plans.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 5:21 PM
Jagex Ltd announced a new survival game today called RuneScape: Dragonwilds. The upcoming title is set in the same universe as the classic MMORPG and will hit the shelves in early access in spring 2025.
At the time of writing, very little is known about the game, but fans are waiting anxiously nonetheless for April 15, when the devs will dive deep more details during a livestream. In the meantime, you can check the minimum and recommended system requirements for RuneScape: Dragonwilds during its early-access period.
Table of Contents
RuneScape: Dragonwilds minimum system requirements
RuneScape: Dragonwilds recommended system requirements
At the time of writing, it's difficult to tell how well the game performs on PC. But if we have to judge by the specifications revealed on the game's official Steam page, they're fairly decent and won't require a top-of-the-line rig to enjoy it. So if you're like me and you're struggling to get your hands on one of the hottest new GPUs on the market, don't fret too much.
Once the game releases in early access, we update this article based on the performance I'll be getting on my PC as well as the best graphics settings for you to use.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 5:01 PM
League of Legends players will be getting a dedicated TCG pretty soon with the launch of Riftbound, and developers Riot Games have shared the first phase of plans for the upcoming launch.
Unlike Legends of Runeterra, Riftbound will be a physical card game, having its own set of decks, booster packs, and more. With a launch coming later this year, let's take a look at all the important information available to us.
Riftbound: League of Legends TCG Release Date
The upcoming game will have regional launches as it will make over to China first of all. This is scheduled to take place in Summer this year. The introduction of the game to English-speaking countries begins in October, and the rollout is expected to be completed sometime in 2026.
Unless there are unprecedented delays, the game should be available in major regions by the end of this year.
Riftbound: League of Legends TCG game modes
While the game is a physical card game (different from Runeterra), it will have various game modes. You can choose from 1v1, 2v2, and free for all modes. The fun begins with Riftbound: Origins, which will be the first expansion to kick off proceedings.
A Proving Grounds version is also going to be available for 2-4 players, and it will be a great starting point for those looking to pick up the game. Those looking for a more competitive experience can choose from a variety of Champion Decks, which have 56 cards ready for action. Finally, there will be expansion packs featuring over 300 cards of all types.
Card types will vary between Champions, Units, Legends, Gears, and more. Origins will have some of the fan-favorite names like Lee Sin, Jinx, Lux, and more. To get more cards, you can opt for the Booster Packs, which will have 14 cards in each of them.
For the time being, fans will have to wait patiently till the game makes its debut in China. So far, we have got glimpses of a few of the cards that will be part of the opening expansions. If executed properly, Riftbound could become a big name in the world of TCGs.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 4:39 PM
Season three of Black Ops 6 and Warzone is set to add six weapons to the game, beginning with several Verdansk throwbacks to kick things off, like the CR-56 AMAX and Kilo 141.
The fifth new weapon in season three of BO6 and Warzone is a submachine gun called the Ladra. It's eerily reminiscent of the MPL SMG from Black Ops 1 way back in 2010, so it could also be considered a throwback. The Ladra is a full-auto SMG with an "extreme rate of fire, excellent range, and low recoil," according to Activision.
"What this SMG lacks in power it more than makes up for with a blistering fire rate that's effective even in mid-range fights due to the weapon's low recoil," Activision said about the SMG in a blog post. "Consider an Extended Mag to cut down on reloads and aim for the head to improve your damage output. Pairs well with Scavenger and the Assault Pack, giving you the ammo reserves you need to keep up the pressure and continue spitting out damage."
Here's everything we know so far about the new SMG in BO6 and Warzone's season three.
How to get the Ladra in BO6 and Warzone
The Ladra is going to be an unlockable weapon as part of a mid-season event in BO6 and Warzone after the Season Three Reloaded update. That's all we know so far, as we don't even know what the official launch date for the update is.
The second limited time event in BO6 season three, Black Ops Tribute, runs from April 17 to May 1, so we can assume or estimate that the update could come on May 1. The Ladra SMG will likely be the Mastery Reward as the final unlockable of the event that begins shortly after Season Three Reloaded begins.
Previous seasons of BO6 have had limited time events where weapons, perks, and more were unlockable via playing the event. These usually include events where players collect dropped items from enemies, or simpler ones where all you need to do is earn enough XP to unlock it while the event is active. After that, it becomes an Armory Unlock in BO6.
More information about the Ladra, the event it's unlockable in, and Season Three Reloaded in general, should be released in the final week of April leading up to the update.
This article will be updated with more information whenever it becomes available.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 4:21 PM
After COD Pod dropped the bomb on Area 99's hidden Easter Egg, fans wasted no time uncovering it. The hunt involves shooting mannequins scattered across the map, building up to an explosive nuke finale. Here's your guide to locating every Area 99 mannequin in Warzone.
Where to find Area 99 Nuke Mannequins in Warzone
The first thing you want to do is travel to the Mannequin Assembly area at E2 coordinates. There are 24 possible locations scattered around this section, but only 12 mannequins will spawn each game. You must shoot their heads off to progress further for the Area 99 Nuke Easter Egg. Unfortunately, you cannot do this challenge solo; an additional teammate is always required for this Warzone map.
Although there are tons of mannequins in this area, the ones you're looking for have clothes on. They can either be located in the exterior of the Mannequin Assembly or well-hidden inside.
Their spawns can also change with each playthrough, so they may appear in a different place the next time you hop into Warzone. Let's break down each mannequin location and go into detail about their locations (shout out to YouTuber Geeky Pastimes for finding them all):
Once you've shot the heads off 12 mannequins, you should hear a chime-like noise, indicating that you've conquered a part of the Nuke Easter Egg. You can then go to the center of Area 99, inside the Reactor, to locate two bodies lying on the ground (they'll glow to make it easier to see). Approach one of these bodies and initiate the 'Steal Credentials' prompt when close enough. A fellow teammate must press the same prompt at the other corpse, providing you with keycards for the last step.
Head to the Bunkers at the Test Sites, where you can launch nukes at the computer terminals. It'll be next to a large circular table, and you'll have to simultaneously hit the 'Launch Nukes' interaction with your teammate. In return, your squad will unleash a devastating explosion near the Mannequin Assembly. Although it doesn't seem to damage enemy players, you'll at least be satisfied with completing the Warzone Area 99 Easter Egg. Plus, it's just plain fun to watch all the chaos unfold. For more Warzone content, here's a complete overview of the Season 3 roadmap.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 4:14 PM
With the release of Wuthering Waves version 2.2, Cantarella makes her Resonator debut, and she's quite a unique character. If you want to get started building Cantarella, you've come to the right place.
Best Cantarella build in Wuthering Waves
Like Brant, Cantarella is a jack-of-all-trades, meaning she can play any role you need on any given team, all at the same time. She wields the Havoc element and uses a Rectifier as her weapon of choice. Due to her kit, I recommend you build her as a Main DPS or Sub DPS, which I'll dive a bit more into later in this guide. She also has access to a unique mechanic called Hazy Dream, which significantly alters how you'd play her in most teams. Let's jump right into her gameplan.
Cantarella gameplan in Wuthering Waves
Cantarella is a stance dancer; changing stances alters most of her kit/moveset. Her main goal is to land as many Perception Drains as possible while she is in her Mirage stance. Both of these mechanics are tied to her Forte Circuit.
Forte Circuit
Cantarella has two stances that change her kit:
Technical names aside, Cantarella's Forte involves her landing attacks to build up her bar so she can enter her Mirage Stance as often as possible. When landing specific attacks, Cantarella gains a resource called Trance, her Forte Bar. Trance is gained when you:
As long as Cantarella has at least one Trance, she can enter her Mirage Stance at will.
Mirage Stance
While in Mirage Stance, Cantarella's whole moveset (minus her Resonance Liberation) changes to be much faster and deal more damage. Each time she deals damage with one of her Basic Attacks in Mirage Stance, she loses one Trance to heal herself and her teammates. When she loses a Trance, though, she also gains a secondary resource called Shiver, which can be stacked up to three times.
At three Shiver, Cantarella's Resonance Skill becomes Perception Drain, which can be activated only in Mirage Stance. Cantarella's primary goal is to land Perception Drain as often as possible.
Resonance Skill
Cantarella has access to three different Resonance Skills that are all crucial to utilize. She has one in her Default Stance and two in her Mirage Stance. All three Resonance Skills should be used in conjunction with each other in order to gain access to Perception Drain more often, while it's not on cooldown. Failing to use all three is a DPS loss.
For clarity, I'll start with the Default Stance Skill first:
Graceful Step
This Resonance Skill is Cantarella's most basic one, and it propels Canterella forward, allowing her to hit any enemies in front of her twice with her umbrella.
Graceful Step deals mediocre damage, but its true value comes from granting one stack of Trance. She doesn't need to hit a target to gain this stack, so it should be used on cooldown when possible. Graceful Step can only be used when Cantarella is in her Default Stance and has a six-second cooldown.
Flickering Reverie
Cantarella gains access to the Resonance Skill while in Mirage Stance, regardless of resources.
When used, it deals decent damage in a fairly large AoE instantly. Most importantly, however, it inflicts Cantarella's most unique status to the target: Hazy Dream. Flickering Reverie has a 12-second cooldown and can only be used while Cantarella is in Mirage Stance with less than three Shiver.
Perception Drain
This is Cantarella's most powerful Resonance Skill, and it can only be used while in Mirage Stance with three Shiver.
Perception Drain deals massive damage to any targets hit by its AoE, provides a large burst of healing to her entire team, grants Cantarella herself a large amount of Concerto, and applies Hazy Dream to any target hit by it. Perception Drain is her primary goal and should be used on cooldown. Its cooldown is the longest out of her Resonance Skills at 18 seconds.
Resonance Liberation
Cantarella's Resonance Liberation isn't as complex compared to the rest of her kit, but it's still just as important. It's called Flowing Suffocation and when it is used, it does moderate damage to everything around her, while applying the Diffusion buff to all of her teammates.
Teammates with Diffusion trigger Coordinated attacks from Cantarella when they attack a target. These Coordinated attacks deal minor amounts of damage and are largely not impactful except in situations where characters can utilize Coordinated attacks to benefit themselves, such as in the case of Jinhsi. Lastly, when cast, her Resonance Liberation rewards her with three Trance, making it an important rotational tool.
Unique Abilities
Beyond her standard kit, Cantarella has a couple of extra abilities that are special to her alone.
Hazy Dream
Cantarella has access to a uniquely powerful mechanic called Hazy Dream. Hazy Dream is a debuff status effect that, when applied to an enemy, dramatically slows their ability to perform actions.
Unlike the Stagnate status, Hazy Dream does not completely freeze enemies, and because of this, its effect lasts dramatically longer, rendering enemies affected largely helpless for 6.5 seconds. To compensate for this longer crowd control time, when an enemy under the Hazy Dream effect is hit, the effect ends early. Coordinate attacks (from any source) and Utilities will not break Hazy Dream.
Cantrarella can inflict the Hazy Dream debuff in two different ways throughout her kit:
Jolt
When Cantarella attacks an enemy affected by Hazy Dream, she gains access to a second unique mechanic called Jolt, a large instance of damage that only takes effect if Cantarella breaks a Hazy Dream. It's a significant portion of her DPS, so make sure to only break Hazy Dream with Cantarella herself, or you won't get the Jolt effect.
In Summary
Cantarella's kit is quite expansive even when compared to other characters in the game, so here's a quick summary of how you should approach playing Cantarella:
Wuthering Waves is an action game first, and not all rotations will go as planned. Simply alter your rotation as needed. Ultimately, you want Cantarella to land Perception Drain every time it comes off its 18-second cooldown. Anything less is a DPS loss.
Best Echoes for Cantarella in Wuthering Waves
As a Havoc Resonator who can dish out damage, support, and heal teammates, you have several options you can choose from for Cantarella.
Best Weapons for Cantarella in Wuthering Waves
As a Rectifier user, Cantarella has several viable weapon options:
Best Team Compositions for Cantarella in Wuthering Waves
Cantarella released without her perfect teammate. Her Outro buffs Havoc and Skill Damage, but there are currently no characters in Wuthering Waves who use that specific combination. This puts Cantarella in a weird place where she doesn't actually belong anywhere perfectly.
Jinhsi/Cantarella/Zhezhi
This composition is, without a doubt, Cantarella's best team; she works together with Zhezhi to greatly empower Jinhsi's Forte generation. Both Cantarella and Zhezhi supply Jinhsi with the Coordinated attack she needs to deliver her massive damage. Cantarella also provides the team with plenty of healing through her damage, which makes this team safe against everything in the game.
Camellya/Cantarella/Shorekeeper
Cantarella plays the role of a Sub-DPS in this composition, aiming to support Camellya by supplying her with Havoc damage and additional healing on top of Shorekeeper's buffs and healing. Camellya and Cantarella work together better than you'd expect, and I recommend this team over her best, if you have access to it. As always, Shorekeeper can be replaced with Verina if you have the stats to do so.
Cantarella/Sanhau/Shorekeeper
This is Cantrarella's best Main DPS team composition and it's a solid option to use her for. Since Cantarella's damage is almost all considered Basic Attack, Sanhau is perfect for supplying her with a large Basic Attack buff and a lightning-fast Concerto rotation. Shorekeeper continues to do Shorekeeper things, by applying huge buffs and constant healing.Sanhau can be replaced with Roccia, and Shorekeeper can be replaced by Verina, as you see fit.
Best Sequences for Cantarella in Wuthering Waves
I'd like to say Cantarella is a strong character at S0, but she's far more capable at S1. Her Sequences are frontloaded in general, giving her considerable performance boosts, with the best stopping point being S3. Here's a bit of summary for each one, for your reference.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 4:08 PM
The Kilo 141 makes a return to Call of Duty Warzone and Black Ops 6, and getting this Assault Rifle will be fairly simple.
To top things off, Kilo 141, the AR first introduced in 2019's Call of Duty Modern Warfare, will be free to unlock in Black Ops 6 and Warzone. Here's how you can get it.
How to get the Kilo 141 for free in Warzone and BO6
You can get the Kilo 141 for free in Call of Duty Warzone and Black Ops 6 when Season three launches on April 2. All you need to do is head over to the Warzone game menu during the 24-hour downtime when season three starts, and you will get it as a login reward.
Warzone will be offline on April 2, as confirmed by Activision, to prepare for the return of the popular map, Verdansk, back to the game. The Kilo 141 is one of the returning weapons, alongside CR-56 AMAX, HDR, and Kali Sticks.
This AR was one of the most popular weapons in Modern Warfare 2019, thanks to its great rate of fire and accuracy. A majority of the players will be looking forward to grabbing this Assault Rifle for free during the short period, so make sure you don't miss out on it.
While you wait for the new season to arrive, check out the start and end dates of all Call of Duty Black Ops 6 seasons so far.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 3:40 PM
EA FC 25 servers are down globally on all platforms on the last day of March, and it has halted all forms of online activities on the popular football game.
This is the second instance of the servers going down without notice in March, and it comes amidst the last few hours of weekly Champs finals. EA Sports has yet to acknowledge this problem, but plenty of players have poured their frustrations on social media.
When will the EA FC 25 servers come back online?
As of writing, it's impossible to pinpoint an exact time. Typically, EA Sports takes down servers during routine maintenance. Those maintenances last between 5-6 hours, but this outage isn't a scheduled one. It happened when players were busy grinding the Ultimate Team modes to get the weekly rewards. It's unclear as to what will be the outcome of the matches that were ongoing as the servers went down.
When such a similar situation happened earlier in March, it took about an hour for the servers to start functioning normally. The servers went down approximately at 12:10 pm PST/2:20 pm CST/3:20 pm EST.
Given that not long is left for the Champs finals to end for the last week of March, players will hope that the servers are restored as quickly as possible. Based on previous such incidents, EA Sports should be extending the finishing time for this week's Champs finals to compensate for this unfortunate incident.
For the time being, it's better to prepare for an hour or two without your favorite football game. You can still try out offline modes like Player and Manager Career, which don't require an active online connection for matchmaking.
Interestingly, the outage comes after EA Sports informed about the impending launch of Title Update 12, which will be available for EA FC 25 on all platforms. Make sure to check out the patch notes for the upcoming update to know more about the changes being made by the developers.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 2:50 PM
The long wait for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's season three is finally over.
While Warzone is getting reinvigorated with Verdansk and an overhaul to the battle royale mode's quality of life, BO6 multiplayer and Zombies are both injecting a ton of content into the game, like new weapons, maps, operators, and a whole lot more.
Here's everything coming to BO6 multiplayer in season three's update.
Table of contents
BO6 season 3 patch notes
Although Warzone and Verdansk are the main themes of season three, there's still a fair amount of new content for BO6 multiplayer fans to dig into.
New battle pass
As always, a new season means a new battle pass with dozens of new unlockable rewards. Rewards this season include several new weapons (detailed below), new operators, new blueprint weapons, a ton of cosmetics like weapon stickers, and a lot more.
This season's BlackCell operator is RO-Z3, a tribute to the infamous Roze skin from Modern Warfare.
Weapon balancing and other changes
The meta will shift again with new weapon nerfs and buffs for season three. Buffs include the AS VAL, Tanto .22, Marine SP, ASG-89, Maelstrom, and DM-10, while the Jackal PDW received a substantial nerf in what could change up the meta.
For the full list of BO6 weapon changes, visit the CoD website for detailed info.
New multiplayer maps
Firing Range, a classic map from Black Ops 1, is returning again in the new season, widely regarded as one of the better maps in the franchise, but that's not all. Four new maps will make their way to BO6 this season: Barrage, Nomad, Haven, and Signal.
New weapons
With Warzone as a focal point this season, the weapons are returning ones from the past, including the CR-56 AMAX assault rifle, Kilo 141 assault rifle, HDR sniper rifle, Kali Sticks melee weapon, and finally, the Ladra SMG and Nail Gun, which will be coming mid-season.
New multiplayer modes
Long-time mode Demolition makes its return to CoD multiplayer, along with the party mode Sharpshooter, which also returns from BO1. A time-limited mode will also join mid-season.
New events and limited time modes
New equipment
Season three will add two new Perks and a new Scorestreak to the battlefield as event rewards throughout the season.
Jay and Silent Bob
This season's collab is with Jay and Silent Bob and their alter egos, Bluntman and Chronic. They will be added during the season as part of operator bundles.
New Zombies map - Shattered Veil
The BO6 Zombies storyline continues with Shattered Veil, a new round-based map that takes place in a massive mansion on the outskirts of Liberty Falls. Check out our Zombies patch notes for more info.
This article will be updated with more information once it becomes available.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 2:48 PM
This is the one you've been waiting for, Warzone gamers. Season three of Black Ops 6 is set to arrive, and Verdansk is coming with it.
The OG Warzone map that players fell in love with in Call of Duty's free-to-play battle royale way back in 2020 has returned. While it's not a one-to-one copy, it has been rebuilt from the ground up for better graphics and improved gameplay flow, with minor changes around the map.
But that's not all that's new and different in Warzone's season three. Check out the patch notes below to see everything that's included when Warzone comes back online on April 3 after a 24-hour maintenance period to bring it all to life.
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Warzone season 3 patch notes
Season three of BO6 means the return of everyone's favorite battle royale map in Warzone, plus a slew of other additions and changes to the existing formula to hopefully increase the fun.
Verdansk returns
It's been a long time coming. Verdansk returns as the primary battle royale map in season three of BO6. While Ranked Play won't be available until Season Three Reloaded some time in May, this will give players ample time to learn or re-learn the map ahead of the competitive ladder's return.
Verdansk is mostly similar to what players remember, including vehicles like the "Big Bertha" truck, but with some slight changes to the map design to better help the overall flow of gameplay.
The return to 2020 is also illustrated with 150 player count lobbies, the original announcer and opening cinematics, the ability to shoot during skydiving,
Return to Verdansk event
Player who hop back in to Verdansk can unlock a bunch of new rewards, including several instant ones for Verdansk veterans, including the Kilo-141, Domino operator, and MIL-SIM USEF operator, plus a lot more by finishing in-game challenges.
Weapon buffs and nerfs
With the big new season, existing weapons are being tweaked to better fit with Verdansk and a whole new meta that includes some classic guns. Some of the changes include nerfs to assault rifle range but buffs to damage, several SMG buffs, and several buffs for LMGs and marksman rifles as well.
For the full list of weapon changes, visit the CoD website for the lengthy details.
OG Warzone weapons
Several classic 2020 weapons from the original Warzone are making their return, including the CR-56 AMAX and Kilo 141 assault rifles, the HDR sniper rifle, kali sticks melee weapon, and the Grau 5.56 (as a conversion kit for the SWAT 5.56 from BO6).
Server downtime and a free gun
Warzone will go offline for 24 hours when season three begins on April 2. Warzone — and Verdansk — will be back online at about 12pm ET on April 3. While Warzone is offline, however, players who access the Warzone tab in the CoD HQ UI will be gifted the Kilo 141 for absolutely free.
Players can then take the Kilo 141 into Black Ops 6 multiplayer or the new Zombies map Shattered Veil to level up the AR for a full day before Warzone returns and the gun takes over the meta once more.
New omnimovement changes
BO6's omnimovement is being tweaked for Warzone to give it its own unique movement system that utilizes some of omnimovement but also brings it more in line with how it felt in the original Warzone back in 2020.
Here are some of the specific changes made in this update:
Floating loot
Another callback to the original mode, ground loot that floats off of the ground and makes it easier to both pick up and determine what it is before doing so is another nostalgic selling point of the new season.
Ranked Play offline for now
There won't be any Ranked Play playlist in Warzone for about a month, as Activision said that the mode will be coming to Verdansk at Season Three Reloaded's launch, which should be sometime in early May.
This article will be updated with more information whenever it becomes available.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 2:48 PM
Season three of Call of Duty for Black Ops 6 is on the horizon, and it's all about Warzone and the game's original map making a huge comeback.
The marketing leading up to Warzone's return to Verdansk has been intense, with Activision enlisting influencers like baseball star Juan Soto and singer Tinashe for a social media campaign, and there's the classic Queen song "Bohemian Rhapsody" for the launch trailer.
But things got even wilder on March 31 when a giant loadout drop appeared in London. Its contents were unknown as those in the area said they couldn't open it, but it did have a QR code on the outside, which those in the area soon scrambled to figure out.
The huge loadouts went viral, with people posting about them all across social media. Word spread quickly about some free loot, and we've confirmed the intel behind it. Here's everything you need to do to get the free calling card for your own collection in Warzone.
'Verdansk is Back' calling card in Warzone
Scanning the QR code on the giant loadout drop will bring you directly to the page you need, but to skip that whole process, follow the steps below to get this calling card for yourself:
The next time you log in to Warzone, the calling card will be on your account, and there's nothing else to do besides equip it to let everyone in your lobbies know that you're hyped for Verdansk to be back.
Warzone's season three update, including Verdansk, classic weapons, and a whole slew of rollbacks to the 2020 era of Verdansk, begins at noon ET on April 3 after 24 hours of server downtime for the BR mode.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 2:04 PM
There are some cryptic areas in Schedule 1 that the game doesn't really explain much, and the Mayor's House is one such location.
You'll actually have to spend a few hours in the game and order regularly from Albert Hoover (yes, the same guy that delivers Marijuana seeds). Once you become his Loyal customer, you can text him to meet in the game. The Mayor's House is one of those locations, but it can take a long time to find (as the location isn't marked on the map).
This guide will pinpoint the exact location of the place, so read on.
Mayor's House location in Schedule 1
The best way to reach the location is by getting to Taco Ticklers. Take the road that goes from in front of Taco Ticklers and go straight. Travel straight until you reach the Police Station, and then turn left. Go straight, and you'll reach the Casino.
From the Casino, take the right (there's no alternative unless you want to dive into the Ocean, which isn't possible). Go straight, and you'll find the lovely house shown on the cover. If you go there normally and knock, you'll find Philip. You can offer a deal and try to sell drugs. To meet with Albert, you'll have to first set up an appointment.
To set up an appointment, open your phone and go to Contacts. From there, select Albert, and you'll get three options. Select "we need to meet up," and Albert will give you a place. The Mayor's House doesn't appear to have any other use as of writing, and you can't own the place.
If you're looking for real estate to expand your business, go to Rays Realty. He will offer you two properties to buy: Barn and Docks. Between the two, I am a bigger fan of the Docks, as it's also close to the Warehouse. A few more locations, like the Mayor's House, don't show up on Schedule 1.
Things could change in the future with updates, and some of these places could become POIs related to different quests.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 1:45 PM
Fortnite OG Chapter One, Season Three has taken over the island with some space-themed chaos and plenty of nostalgia. If you're a fan of the older Fortnite themes and gameplay, experiencing it before it ends is a must.
Like all Fortnite content, Fortnite OG Season Three won't be around forever, so you have to jump in while you can to experience everything it has to offer. If you're wondering how much time you have, here's a countdown to the end of Fortnite OG Season Three.
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When does Fortnite OG Season 3 end?
Fortnite OG Season Three ends on June 8 at 12:30am CT. The end date and time are listed right underneath the Fortnite OG Season Three battle pass to highlight exactly how long it's available for, although the precise end date varies depending on where you live.
If you want to keep up with how much longer you have to play, our countdown is set to the exact end time. You can check back here to see how much longer is left all the way up to the official end time for Fortnite OG Season Three. We've also listed the end date and time across major time zones if you're curious when it ends in your area.
What's in Fortnite OG Season 3?
Fortnite OG Season Three features the return of the Lucky Landing, a massive meteor heading for the island, and an OG 50v50 player mode. This ominous meteor will get closer as the season progresses, so keep an eye on the sky to track its progress and brace for impact.
The OG 50v50 mode featured alongside this season isn't available for as long as Fortnite OG Season Three. It's only around until April 14, so if you're interested in this special altered version of gameplay, be sure to try it before it's gone.
There's also plenty of epic loot you can find around the island, like the Guided Missile, Clingers, Hunting Rifle, Hand Cannon, Port-A-Fort, and Heavy Shotgun. Older loot from Season One and Season Two is still in the pool, too, including items like the Minigun, Crossbow, Scoped Assault Rifle, Boogie Bomb, Damage Trap, Rocket Launcher, and Pump Shotgun.
The battle pass running throughout this season features fresh looks inspired by Power Chord, Raven, and Rex, including Power Punk, Mecha R3X, and Sir Raven. The three characters they're based on were shop skins that debuted during the original Season Three.
What's next after Fortnite OG Season 3?
After Fortnite OG Season Three ends, Fortnite OG Season Four will likely take over. It hasn't been confirmed yet, but since we've been progressing through old seasons in chronological order, it seems fairly likely. The meteor heading toward the island is an especially strong indicator that this will happen since Season Four is focused on its impact.
In addition to what we can expect to see for Fortnite OG, there will also be some big events unfolding for other Fortnite modes. For classic Battle Royale Fortnite, we know who the next Fortnite Fetsival artist is thanks to a Sabrina Carpenter Easter egg you can find on the island.
The main theme of the next regular season is currently rumored to be Star Wars, according to several prominent leakers, including Shiina, HYPEX, and Loolo. There's a lot to look forward to, so be sure you tackle important quests around the island while you still can. For example, someone is planning a joyride and finding Golden Llamas.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 1:38 PM
Schedule 1 has tons of equipment and tools to collect as you level up. As you buy upgrades, certain items will become redundant and sit on your shelves for eternity. While you can discard these, selling them is an entirely different conversation.
Can you sell old tools and items in Schedule 1?
At the time of writing, there is no way to sell old tools, equipment, or items you previously purchased from shops like Dan's Hardware store or Gas-Mart. While the Pawn Shop would normally be a great spot for this, visiting this building will only let you knock on the door to talk to anyone inside. It has no buying or selling functionality, and there's no word on whether that'll change.
While you can use Gas-Mart substances for mixing and resources like baggies, jars, and soil for growing your products, old tools like Plant Trimmers and outdated machines typically go on a shelf in an old property or into your discard box. In short, you can't sell the following items through usual means:
Alongside being unable to sell items, Schedule 1 also doesn't let you drop them. However, you can discard items by heading into your inventory, selecting them, and dragging them to the Discard box on the bottom-right side of your screen. That way, although you won't make money from your old gear, they won't take up space on your storage shelves or inventory.
While there's no way to sell or drop items right now, that doesn't mean this won't change in the future. Over time, as TVGS introduces new mechanics and features to Schedule 1, we may see the Pawn Shop have use in buying and selling old items, or a separate NPC you can meet up with like a regular supplier. For now, you'll have to discard or store your equipment elsewhere.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 1:30 PM
The Jan Oblak Player Moments SBC is now live in EA FC 25, and you can complete the challenge to unlock a new goalkeeper for your Ultimate Team squad.
The new SBC looks to have decent value, especially if you missed out on the Iker Casillas TOTY Icon challenge. This guide will help you to complete the new SBC and all the tasks that are part of it.
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EA FC 25 Jan Oblak Player Moments SBC tasks
The Jan Oblak Player Moments SBC has four tasks, and here are the requirements.
Task 1 - Atletico de Madrid
Task 2 - LaLiga
Task 3 - Top Form
Task 4 - 85-Rated Squad
EA FC 25 Jan Oblak Player Moments SBC solutions
Here's a set of solutions to complete the new Oblak SBC in Ultimate Team.
Task 1 - Atletico de Madrid
Task 2 - LaLiga
Task 3 - Top Form
Task 4 - 85-Rated Squad
Is the Jan Oblak Player Moments SBC worth it in EA FC 25?
Having a good goalkeeper is crucial as they protect your goal. This card could be a solid addition, and Oblak's SBC is pretty easy to complete. He isn't the tallest of keepers, but Deflector and Far Reach are both amazing playstyle+ options for the position. He can also perform well as a sweeper keeper, which is crucial in the current meta.
If you are on a tight budget and need a versatile wide attacker, check out our guide on the Steve McManaman Dreamchasers Hero.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 1:05 PM
Although Cantarella is the premium character banner of Wuthering Waves 2.2, Camellya makes her return alongside her. If you're wondering if a version 1.4 character is still worth your time and money, here's everything you need to know.
Should you pull Camellya in Wuthering Waves 2.2
In Wuthering Waves 2.2, Camellya gets her first rerun banner, and her value depends on several factors.
For a bit of context, Camellya is a Havoc Main DPS with a heavy focus on AoE damage and genuine DPS versatility. She remains a top-tier character for the most difficult content, and her best team is F2P (Free-to-play) friendly, with Sanhau and Verina being her ideal teammates. She is a selfish character, but she can participate and excel in any content. Overall, her value is still high for most accounts, thanks to her versatility.
However, since Cantarella releases at the same time as Camellya's rerun, and is a new character entirely, it's important to consider her as well.
Cantarella is a jack-of-all-trades character that can perform any role in the game, though not at the height of a dedicated character. She is also a Havoc DPS, but unlike Camellya, she can buff, heal, and deal damage all at the same time. In hindsight, she is similar to Brant. Brant is a highly spoken-of character in the Wuthering Waves' meta thanks to his extreme versatility in team compositions, and Cantarella is no different in this regard.
Following the Cantarella/Camellya banners in version 2.2, the second half sees the return of The Shorekeeper: a juggernaut in the game's current meta.
Shorekeeper is a pure Spectro Support character that exists to massively buff ally damage while providing healing at the same time. Her damage buffs are similar to Verina's (sometimes better), so Shorekeeper is widely considered the only must-pull character in the game.
Cantarella, Camellya, and Shorekeeper: If you can only pull one, which one should you?
Camellya vs Cantarella
Despite Cantarella's versatility, she has genuine issues that lower her value when compared to Camellya. The main one is her limited team compositions that utilize her Outro buff. Cantarella buffs Havoc damage and Skill damage when she leaves the field, and there is currently no character in the game that utilizes both at the same time. This puts her in a strange spot: being a character you can pull now, though, she cannot fully use all of her buffs for anyone in the roster. Jinhsi is her best teammate thanks to her coordinated attacks. Cantarella's niche with Jinhsi is already filled by Zhizhi, who is able to accomplish all of the same feats.
Camellya has quite a few limitations too, being a character who needs to stay on the field, therefore, her best teams require characters with fast Concerto rotations (Sanhua, Verina). Swapping her out early also has consequences for her DPS, as Camellya's self-buffs require her to remain on-field. However, Camellya's damage output is so high that she can easily serve as a main DPS anchor. This alone makes Camellya a higher value pull than Cantarella.
Camellya vs Shorekeeper
Shorekeeper is an exceptional support unit, offering a mix of powerful crit buffs, damage boosts, and healing that can significantly enhance a team's overall performance. Unlike other lower-end supports in the game who focus on sustain, Shorekeeper actively increases a team's offensive potential, making her an ideal choice for players looking to boost their damage while surviving. She slots into almost any team composition, making her a highly valuable pull for players who need a reliable, well-rounded support.
Meanwhile, Camellya remains a dominant on-field DPS, but she lacks the versatility Shorekeeper provides. While her damage potential is immense, she demands specific team setups that cater to her selfish nature and extended field time. Shorekeeper, on the other hand, fits into various teams.
Who should you pull in version 2.2?
Overall, if your account lacks strong support options, Shorekeeper will provide more immediate value, whereas Camellya is the better choice if you need a hard-hitting carry.
Cantarella is, honestly, the third option. While she is Brant-like in versatility, she doesn't fit into any teams exceptionally well, and her best teammate currently does not exist in the game. I recommend skipping Cantrarella unless you just want a new character to play around with. Cantarella might be a better pull in the future.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 1:01 PM
The patch notes for Title Update 12 are now available in EA FC 25, and EA Sports is leaving gameplay unchanged for the time being.
Despite the recent positives, the gameplay at the moment is far from balanced. There are several issues like the auto-press getting activated with 95 height, which disrupts the overall flow of the game. Unfortunately, the latest patch will focus mainly on bugs as EA Sports fixes some crucial issues plaguing the community.
Complete EA FC 25 Title Update 12 patch notes
Ultimate Team users have been affected by a bug that allows some outfield cards to perform as goalkeepers. That problem should be fixed with Title Update 12 in EA FC 25. Here are some crucial changes you can expect across Clubs and Career Mode.
There are a few more changes to the audio and visual section, which includes updated badges, trophies, and kits. Players should also expect greater stability following the launch of the new update, and it will be available soon on all platforms.
While bug fixes are necessary, I would have appreciated some changes in gameplay. Lately, players have been relying heavily on 95 Defensive Depth, which leads to the AI auto-tackling the ball. This allows lower-skilled players to escape tight spaces and bad positions on the field. Hopefully, EA Sports won't take long to sort out this issue.
Title Update 12 is expected to go live on April 1 across all available platforms. To read the full patch notes, click here or on the link included in the embed.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 12:56 PM
Hideo Kojima has had one of the biggest impacts on video games and how we play today. His games have consistently raised the bar to the point where people play Kojima games because of the man himself. So, let's take a look at every Hideo Kojima game since the very first.
I'm only counting games that Kojima was heavily involved in, so his early collaborations or ports made without him don't make the cut. All of the games below are Kojima games in the same way that Tarantino movies are the ones directed by him.
Hideo Kojima game release order
Early Works
1987 - Metal Gear
Released on the little-known MSX2 console, Metal Gear is the first game that Hideo Kojima had complete control over, with him serving as director, lead designer, and writer. Metal Gear changed the face of the stealth genre and put it on the path to where it is today. Although Metal Gear was later released for the Famicom (NES), that version contained extra levels and changes not overseen by Kojima.
Kicking off the iconic Metal Gear series, this groundbreaking title introduced us to the legendary Solid Snake—an unforgettable hero who would go on to define the franchise. The story follows the classic tale as Snake embarks on a high-stakes solo mission to take down the infamous bipedal tank, Metal Gear.
1988 - Snatcher
Snatcher is Kojima's take on the cyberpunk genre, drawing influence from genre-definers like Blade Runner and Akira. It's a visual novel/graphic adventure game in a similar style to modern games like Phoenix Wright. The player-controlled character, Gillian Seed, hunts for human-looking robots called Snatchers that have taken the place of humans. I did say it's similar to Blade Runner.
The game was originally a Japan exclusive on the PC-8801 and MSX2 in 1988 before coming to the PC-Engine in 1992, the US/Europe on the Sega CD in 1994, and the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in Japan in 1996. Despite its positive reception, it hasn't received a modern re-release.
1990 - Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
The Kojima sequel to Metal Gear wasn't the first sequel to the original game. Konami had tasked other developers with creating a sequel, Snake's Revenge, for the US and Europe. Rumor has it that Kojima wasn't aware a sequel was being made. After discovering the game was in development, he took over production of the sequel with Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, which was initially only released in Japan. The two sequels were released within months of each other, albeit not in the same countries.
Solid Snake steps back into the spotlight in this sequel, but this time, the mission's even more intense—he must take down the formidable Metal Gear D. The stakes are higher, and the game's central base of operations, along with its memorable cast of characters, sets the stage for future entries in the franchise. Among them is the iconic Frank Jaeger, a key figure whose impact will resonate throughout the series.
1994 - Policenauts
Another graphic adventure game that Kojima first got the idea for while developing Snatcher, Policenauts is a grounded sci-fi police story set in the far-off years of 2013 and 2040 as humanity creates human colonies in space. The game was way ahead of its time in terms of storytelling in video games, which has always been one of Kojima's top areas of innovation.
Franchise Highlights
1998 - Metal Gear Solid
There was an eight-year gap between Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and the release of Metal Gear Solid, and Western audiences had to wait a mighty 11 years for another Metal Gear game from Kojima. But it was worth the wait.
The first 3D game in the series, Metal Gear Solid, set the standard for every MGS game that was released after it. Pick MGS if you have to choose one game to show the jump in graphics from the SNES generation to the PlayStation. MGS is where the stealth gameplay formula and storytelling that the franchise is now known for started to take shape. While it still follows the age-old tradition of Solid Snake's grand mission to take down yet another Metal Gear, it ramps everything up with heart-pounding boss fights, deep emotional character arcs, and plot twists that will leave you breathless.
2001 - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
One of the highest-rated PS2 exclusive games on Metacritic, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, was an all-around masterpiece of its time. Sons of Liberty successfully built on the groundwork of Metal Gear Solid as a technical showcase.
However, the game is perhaps best remembered for its surprise protagonist switch that divided fans. Although the game starts with Solid Snake as the playable character during the prologue, it then switches to Raiden, in his debut, for the rest of the game. Kojima even went as far as having Solid Snake appear in trailers and promotional materials pre-release to trick players and keep the playable character change a surprise. It isn't easy to imagine a game on the scale of MGS2 getting away with that today.
2003 - Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand
What do you make after creating one of the best games ever? A family-friendly Game Boy Advance title that requires players to use the sun to charge their virtual weapons. Classic Kojima.
While it has a simple-looking outer layer, Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand is unique even by today's standards. The game asks players to set their time zone to accurately display, in-game, where the sun is in real time. The Sun is in Your Hand's cartridge offers a light sensor that reacts to the sun and charges your weapons. If you run out of charge and it's night, you'll have to avoid enemies and get to a Solar Station to charge them. That's impressive for a Game Boy Advance game.
2004 - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Chronologically, the earliest game in the Metal Gear Solid franchise, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, had much to live up to following Sons of Liberty, and boy, did it. Snake Eater went back to the Cold War era of the 1960s to tell the story of Big Boss, aka Naked Snake (not Solid, this time). Although, like Sons of Liberty and Raiden, Kojima was coy about this crucial fact pre-release.
The jungle setting significantly changed from prior games and allowed players more freedom. The idea with Snake Eater was for players to work their way to the enemy base from a remote starting point. This was paired with a more intricate health system that demands players keep a close eye on Snake's well-being—monitoring his health, energy, and even specific injuries like broken legs that directly impact gameplay. It was designed to immerse you fully in the battlefield, where every detail matters. The game doesn't just make you feel like you're playing a soldier; it makes you live it.
One area of Snake Eater that received criticism at the time was the camouflage system, which assigned a percentage number to the player's visibility. 100% camouflage means you're essentially invisible, and the number scales down to 0%, i.e., visible. Players have to match their camo pattern and other elements to the surroundings as they're playing to manage stealth. It was an interesting idea but not wholly appreciated at the time.
The fan favorite is getting the remake treatment with Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, announced for current-gen consoles in May 2023. It'll be interesting to see what, if anything, is done with the camo system in that game.
2008 - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Originally, Kojima wanted to retire from directing the Metal Gear Solid series after Snake Eater, but just when he thought he was out, the fans pulled him back in. It was worth it, too. Metal Gear Solid 4 was released two years into the PlayStation 3's life cycle, and it immediately set a high watermark for other games to beat as, to this day, it is in the top 15 highest-rated PS3 exclusives on Metacritic.
Guns of the Patriots is a love letter to series fans, with cutscenes that serve as the conclusion to many of the series' long-running plot threads. Heck, the epilogue clocks in at over an hour. Since the game is the conclusion to Solid Snake's story, it's not exactly surprising. Gameplay-wise, MGS4 builds on Snake Eater by introducing OctoCamo and the Psyche system. The OctoCamo, as the name suggests, changes dynamically to match the player's surroundings, like an octopus.
Meanwhile, the Psyche meter brings a battlefield psychology aspect to the game. Like the various health aspects in Snake Eater that had to be managed, you'll have to keep track of the Psyche meter by reducing Snake's stressors. These could include being hunted and killing too many enemies. Using non-lethal methods on enemies reduces the meter, and if it gets too full, Snake can have trouble aiming or pass out.
In many ways, Metal Gear Solid 4 was ahead of its time, but unfortunately, the only way to play the game is to jump back into the past and dust off a PS3. Hopefully, the following Master Collection will bring it back to make it easier to play.
2010 - Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker wasn't the first portable Metal Gear game, but it was the first and only portable Metal Gear game to be classed as a Hideo Kojima game. The man directed, designed, co-wrote, and produced the game, putting it on the same level as the other numbered entries in the series.
Peace Walker is a real Metal Gear Solid game in every sense, and it made the PSP shine. It's a direct sequel to Snake Eater and continues the Big Boss story, which makes it the mid-game within the Snake Eater, Peace Walker, and The Phantom Pain storyline. Luckily, the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection for PS3 and Xbox 360 later included the game for home console fans.
2014 - Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
Ground Zeroes is a prologue to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, released the year after. Prologue is also the right word for it; completing the main story in just a couple of hours is possible. Despite its short length, the game showed off much of what would come in The Phantom Pain. Today, Ground Zeroes can often be found bundled with the fifth entry to get the complete Metal Gear Solid V experience in one package.
2014 - P.T.
The one that never was, P.T., was released as a teaser for an upcoming but later canceled Silent Hill game from Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro. It makes the list because P.T. was a full, albeit short, at 1.5 hours, game. It's widely regarded as one of the best horror games ever, but, unfortunately, it was removed from the PlayStation Store in 2015. Konami also made the infamous move to make it so that the game could never be re-downloaded. That means the only way to play the game is by buying a PS4 with it already installed.
2015 - Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
For those who enjoyed Ground Zeroes, The Phantom Pain couldn't come soon enough. The game introduced an open world to the series for the first time, and unlike other franchises that tend to slap an open world into a game, The Phantom Pain did it magnificently. It offered players countless ways to approach missions as Big Boss, truly enhancing the experience of playing as a stealth operative.
The rift between Konami and Kojima Productions left a notable scar on The Phantom Pain, but it remains a fitting send-off to one of the greatest gaming franchises ever. The long-time partnership came to a bitter end after the release of The Phantom Pain, and it was so acrimonious that Kojima was barred from attending The Game Awards, where MGS V won Best Action/Adventure game.
2019 - Death Stranding
Death Stranding is the first Hideo Kojima game to be made after he left Konami and the first game from the now-independent Kojima Productions. The game has a kind of love-it-or-hate-it flavor about it, but those who love it really love it.
One of the reasons it's so divisive is its slower, more methodical pacing compared to other Kojima titles. You'll often find yourself traversing long, treacherous paths as Sam Porter Bridges, delivering packages across a fractured world. At times, the journey feels almost serene as you lose yourself in the mesmerizing landscapes of your extended treks. But just as often, it transforms into a nightmare filled with suspense, tension, and lurking dangers.
It might not be for everyone, but Death Stranding, as Kojima's first post-Metal Gear Solid title, is a fresh experience and the fourth of his games to receive the coveted 40/40 score from Famitsu. No wonder it's being made into a film.
2025 - Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Death Stranding 2 is the next highly anticipated game in Hideo Kojima's lineup, set to release on June 26, 2025. Sam Porter Bridges returns for this sequel with a new mission to save humanity from the edge of extinction. As expected from Kojima, the trailers have been anything but ordinary, featuring everything from a talking puppet to an enemy wielding an electrifying guitar. Honestly, I'd be more shocked if the trailer wasn't weird.
Like its predecessor, Death Stranding 2 promises to unravel even more layers of the game's deep lore. The Social Strand gameplay will also return, connecting players' journeys in ways that affect the world around them.
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Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 12:30 PM
Marvel Snap's popularity as both a mobile and PC card battler game has waxed and waned over the years, but one issue has remained constant: card acquisition.
Whether it be returning players attempting to catch up or new players trying to get new cards without breaking the bank, the method of acquiring cards has been a topic of discussion since launch almost three years ago.
Second Dinner is looking to finally fix the problem for good with another iteration of acquisition in an upcoming update in what it's calling Snap Packs, the dev announced on March 28. The Token Shop (in-game store) will soon become a dedicated card shop where players can open these packs, along with continuing the method of Spotlight Cards and pinnable ones, while also adding daily tokens and token packs to be purchased with real-world money.
The developer says that Snap Packs are meant to offer greater control over the cards you earn, the ability to catch up faster and for cheaper, and a smoother collection journey for all players with the new addition.
In short, Snap Packs will come in Series Five, Series Four, and Series Three variants, and the Spotlight Cache system is being retired and replaced with tokens. These tokens (also replacing Spotlight Keys in the Collection Track) can be used to purchase a Snap Pack (prices were concerningly not disclosed just yet) to better target the cards you wish to unlock.
In theory, it sounds like a better system. But will the prices remain fair, or will the game edge closer into pay-to-win territory? It may be a while before we know because Second Dinner said it's aiming to launch Snap Packs "in the April 29 or June 3 patch," so the Spotlight Cache and Keys will be the main method for the time being.
Some other positive news, though, is that Second Dinner said it's planning to release more cards in every season and offer Custom Packs (themed around X-Men, card ability types, etc.) to show "how Snap Packs can evolve over time."
Marvel Snap's newest season, themed around the Disney Plus show What If?, launches tomorrow, April 1.
The post Marvel Snap aiming to fix card acquisition woes with yet another different method, Snap Packs, coming soon appeared first on Destructoid. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Monday, March 31, 2025 12:21 PM
Flows in Blue Lock: Rivals give you a variety of temporary buffs that can decide the match for you. Now, different flows go along well with specific styles, and some are just way better than others. So, if you want to check out what each flow does and which ones are the best, follow our ultimate Blue Lock: Rivals flow guide and tier list below.
Table of Contents
Blue Lock: Rivals Flow Tier List
In the Blue Lock: Rivals flow tier list above, we ranked every flow from best to worst based on how good they are in competitive play overall. Even though each flow has a matching style, you can use most of them effectively, even without it. Also, you have to be very lucky to get one for some of the rarer styles. Thus, we didn't let their strength influence the rankings on our Blue Lock: Rivals flow tier list.
Blue Lock: Rivals Flow List
Below is a list of every flow in Blue Lock: Rivals, along with each of their effects, as well as styles and positions for which they are best suited. Flows come in several rarity tiers that have different pull rates, and those are:
Best Blue Lock: Rivals Flows and Their Strengths
Every flow in Blue Lock: Rivals has its strengths that make each one suited for specific playstyles. Below, you can find out a bit more about flows and what areas they excel in the most.
S Tier Flows
Prodigy is the best flow in Blue Lock: Rivals for one reason only: it allows you to curve your shots without the Rin style. When you pair it up with styles like Kaiser and Don Lorenzo, you are basically unstoppable on the offense. Emperor and Awakened Genius are equally strong. However, Emperor is more suited for true egoists, while Awakened Genius is more beneficial for creative players.
A Tier Flows
Soul Harvester is a fantastic flow, but we put it in the A tier because it is a tad weaker overall compared to some other flows. Dribbler is one of the best flows for wingers in Blue Lock: Rivals because of the extended dribbles you get with it. Demon Wings makes the Shidou style really shine. However, you can use it effectively with other styles as well. Chameleon reduces your move cooldowns enough for you to get to use your awakening abilities twice in the same window. So, if you are a fan of ultimate moves, grab the Chameleon.
B Tier Flows
The Wild Card is a great flow overall, but its randomness can debilitate you at times. Snake is all about stopping opponents in their tracks, and even though we put it in B-tier, it is the best flow you can get if you like to play as a defender. Crow is a balanced style that offers buffs useful on both ends of the pitch. The Trap flow is weak overall. However, if you pair it up with the Nagi style, you've got yourself a killer offensive style and flow combo.
C Tier Flows
Monster is good when paired up with styles that are all about dribbling past your opponents. King's Instinct is decent for players who like to play as center-forwards in BLR and shoot after just one short dribble. Gale Burst is useful in every position, but there are better options out there. Ice, even though a very common flow, is excellent if you like to create chances for your teammates.
D Tier Flows
Genius, while it doesn't grant you any buffs, it lets the rest of your team use their flows for longer, and that can decide close matches. It requires only about 40% of your flow bar to be used while granting the rest of your team around 120% in total. Puzzle and Lightning are not that good when compared to every other Blue Lock: Rivals flow out there. So, try to reroll them when you can.
How to Use, Reroll, and Store Flows in Blue Lock: Rivals
To use a flow in BLR, press T on your keyboard when you have enough flow bar, which will be visible on your screen. On use, the bar will either drain slowly or completely deplete, depending on your current flow.
To reroll your flow, click on the flow button at the bottom of your screen while in the lobby. Each roll costs 2000 cash or one flow spin if you have some, both of which you can get by redeeming Blue Lock: Rivals codes or by completing quests. If you want to switch between multiple flows, you can also unlock additional flow storage slots and store them.
That's it for our Blue Lock: Rivals flow guide and tier list. For more of our BLR guides, make sure to stay tuned to the Blue Lock: Rivals guides section here on Destructoid.
The post Ultimate Blue Lock: Rivals Flow Guide and Tier List [KAISER] – All Flows & Their Buffs appeared first on Destructoid. |
WGB Monday, March 31, 2025 5:36 PM A new special edition of The Last of Us is rumored for PS5, priced at 119.99 Euros or 109.99 Dollars, to be available for pre-order soon, likely coinciding with the TV show's second season. |
WGB Monday, March 31, 2025 5:08 PM Monster Hunter: Wilds has sold over 10 million copies within a month, with a free update adding a new monster and settlement. However, its reception has been mixed on Steam. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Monday, March 31, 2025 4:32 PM For PC and consoles. The post The Sinking City Remastered Announced for PC and Consoles appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Monday, March 31, 2025 4:03 PM A teaser trailer was also released. The post Survival Crafting Game RuneScape: Dragonwilds Announced for PC appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Monday, March 31, 2025 3:28 PM A trailer was also released. The post Palworld! More Than Just Pals Dating Sim In Development appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |