Mar 05, 22:00


Kotaku Tuesday, March 5, 2024 5:15 PM
    

Dragon's Dogma 2 launches on most platforms on March 22, and I checked it out at a preview event in New York City. In his 2023 hands-on preview of the high-fantasy RPG, Kotaku senior reporter Ethan Gach said that it's "shaping up to have all the tools necessary to become the widely acclaimed hit it deserves to be"—and…

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Kotaku Tuesday, March 5, 2024 5:00 PM
    

As my fearsome archer walks across a bustling sand-coated bazaar, my coin purse must be jingling, because countless town folk are vying for my attention. Nestled on a mountain top, this dust-coated medieval market city is abuzz with activity. A fully clothed, purring cat-man beckons me towards his stall, tail swaying…

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Kotaku Tuesday, March 5, 2024 4:45 PM
    

The Pokémon-like is a popular subgenre of game, spawning successes like Palworld and Temtem—games that have toyed with the legendary franchise's monster-catching formula in multiplayer settings. However, though the former is fresher and seemingly built to be an ongoing service game, the latter is entering the end of…

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Kotaku Tuesday, March 5, 2024 4:00 PM
    

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth features an evolved form of the combat system as it appeared in Final Fantasy VII Remake. As an action RPG, Rebirth's combat is both tactical and demanding of reaction time. There are a number of moving parts going on all at once when the blades and spells start flying.

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Kotaku Tuesday, March 5, 2024 3:15 PM
    

Next month, the live-action Fallout TV show premieres and, seemingly in preparation for that, Xbox and Bethesda have released a new, customizable controller design that looks pretty dang swanky. However, it's going to cost you some extra caps compared to a standard custom Xbox controller.

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PCGamesN Tuesday, March 5, 2024 6:03 PM
     Massive Steam discount brings Saints Row back from the dead

Saints Row is trending on Steam after a 192.6% increase in players in the last 24 hours. The cheeky GTA clone has been dead in the water for some time now, but a huge discount on the main games has led to a spike in concurrent players for the first time in months.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Saints Row release date, Best action-adventure games, Upcoming PC games

PCGamesN Tuesday, March 5, 2024 5:05 PM
     Dragon's Dogma 2 could be the best open-world RPG since Elden Ring

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when stepping into Dragon's Dogma 2's expansive world for a three-hour hands-on preview. With the cult classic 2012 original having landed a lifetime ago in videogame years, I wondered where this long-awaited sequel would sit among the modern greats like Elden Ring. Venturing into Vermund and Battahl, however, I was surprised and delighted to discover just how much Capcom's latest bucks almost every trope and trend of the genre.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Dragon's Dogma 2 release date, Dragon's Dogma 2 vocations, Dragon's Dogma 2 system requirements

PCGamesN Tuesday, March 5, 2024 3:47 PM
     Razer Huntsman V3 Pro review – raw gaming power comes at a cost

The Razer Huntsman V3 Pro isn't built with customization and hot swapping in mind. Instead, it's aimed at providing raw gaming performance and being the ideal companion for any gamer who takes their K/D ratio perhaps a little too seriously. Building upon a legacy of keyboards striving to be the best esports peripherals, the Huntsman V3 Pro delivers an ultra-fast response time but does very little beyond this to appeal to a wider audience.

Despite not breaking ground across all its features, the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro is still one of the best gaming keyboards you can buy right now. If esports is at the core of your gaming interests, there are few keyboards that can compete for speed of response and customization of the way a keyboard's keys can be activated.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Razer Viper V2 Pro review, Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023) review, Best gaming mouse

PCGamesN Tuesday, March 5, 2024 3:38 PM
     This underrated horror game is at lowest-ever price on Steam today

The underrated horror game The Medium is at its lowest-ever price on Steam right now. Giving it a spin at a whopping 60% off is well worth the risk. It might not be the most universally beloved spooky experience, but there's a lot here for narrative-first players to delve into, and its quirks make it stand out against similar games.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The Medium review, The best horror games on PC, The best adventure games on PC

PCGamesN Tuesday, March 5, 2024 3:34 PM
     Today is an important day in Tomb Raider history for Lara Croft

It has now been over a decade since the Tomb Raider franchise was revitalized for a new generation of gamers, as March 5, 2024, marks the 11th anniversary of 2013's Tomb Raider. The release reintroduced the iconic hero Lara Croft to fans in a gritty, compelling, survival story that stands tall among the series' many installments.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Tomb Raider System Requirements

PCGamesN Tuesday, March 5, 2024 4:35 PM
     How to format Steam Deck SD cards

How do you format a Steam Deck SD card? With two Steam Deck models now available, the LCD and OLED, you might think the process for formatting a MicroSD card is different depending on which one you own. Thankfully, Valve resisted the temptation to pull this trickery and instead, the process is nice and simple on both handhelds.

With the ever-increasing storage demands of some of the best PC games, it's no wonder then why you'd want to buy one of the best microSD cards to give yourself that well-needed extra install space. However, before you can get to playing the best Steam Deck games, you have to format your Steam Deck SD card first.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card, Best gaming PC, Best SSD for gaming

Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, March 5, 2024 5:41 PM
    

It's a new month, which means a new set of games arriving on Microsoft's Game Pass subscription service. The arrivals begin today with stompy, old school shooter Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, and will continue before the advent of spring with the mechs-and-plants craft 'em up Lightyear Frontier and telekinetic adventure Control Ultimate Edition, among others.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, March 5, 2024 5:23 PM
    

Chivalry 2's latest update is called "Duel of the Fêtes", which makes me wish I could drop the chef's kiss emoji into RPS posts. It gets even better, though. Aside from adding new maps, "skill based team balancing", and quality-of-life improvements, the update also adds unofficial server support, for players who want to tweak game rules and party like it's 1999.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, March 5, 2024 5:02 PM
    

Meta keep emailing me to tell me my Oculus account is going to be deleted on March 29th. It's only today, seeing other people talking about it, that it occurs to me: this is not personal. Meta is perhaps going to delete your Oculus account on March 29th as well, if you have one.

You've got until that date to migrate your account, and if you don't you'll lose all your purchases.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, March 5, 2024 5:01 PM
    

Before I sat down to play three hours of Dragon's Dogma 2 at a Capcom event last month, I gave myself two broad objectives. The first was to discover if there's anything genuinely different about this undeniably enchanting but very familiar sequel to one of the happiest, barmiest action-RPGs of the past 20 years. The second was to royally screw myself by fielding a party consisting exclusively of magic-users.

In Dragon's Dogma 2 as in Dragon's Dogma 1, you lead a gang of up to three AI-controlled "pawn" characters – one permanent main sidekick who levels up alongside you, plus two auxiliary pawns created by other players, who are either summoned at Rift stones or spawned into the open world as hired help. As in most RPGs, the ideal party setup is a mix of pure melee, ranged and magical DPS or support classes, but given the whimsicality of Dragon's Dogma's sorcery, with its levitation spells and lightning whips, I've always wanted to try a whole playthrough as a posse of unescorted occultists.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, March 5, 2024 4:29 PM
    

It's been rumoured for a while that mechs were on their way to Helldivers 2, thanks to leaks and, y'know, official trailers. Well, now it's actually confirmed: the official Helldivers 2 Xwitter account shared today that they were "ready for deployment on the battlefield soon".

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Siliconera Tuesday, March 5, 2024 5:01 PM
    

Dragon's Dogma 2

One of the most interesting features in Dragon's Dogma has always been its Vocations. These are effectively classes players can change at any given time upon heading to the Vocation Guild, where they can choose between melee, ranged, and magick classes. Naturally with Dragon's Dogma 2, Capcom expanded on this system with the addition of the Mystic Spearhand, an entirely new vocation that makes use of a spear. Having had the opportunity to give this role a spin, it is no doubt an interesting, if not unusual, addition to the game.

The Mystic Spearhand is more or less a "support" class that can provide beneficial effects for your party of Pawns. Pawns are AI controlled companion characters, with the player allowed to create their very own, recruit ones made by other players online, and pick up pre-created Pawns that roam the world. You can also change the appearance of your personal Pawn with the right item, so it was nice to learn that I wouldn't be locked into whatever I created during my initial foray with the character creator. (The same goes with the player character!)

I had roughly an hour and a half to spend with the Mystic Spearhand Vocation in Dragon's Dogma 2, which gave me a taste of some of its skills. Outside of having a few gap closers, the role has an attack similar to a Dragoon Jump from the Final Fantasy series. But because Dragon's Dogma is a true action game, this makes combat feel more dynamic in comparison. This is a huge boon when fighting airborne enemies like griffons and the random dragons you will encounter while exploring the world map. I say this, because I absolutely did encounter a dragon while mistakenly wandering around at night.

While attempting to find the den of some wolves that dragged off a local boy into the wilderness, I was fighting a group of kobolds. It was then that I heard a booming voice speaking in some strange language break through the sound of combat. In an instant, a dragon was upon me. It was a lesser dragon by the look of it, but it was still a formidable opponent. Even as I used the Mystic Spearhand's abilities to shield both myself and my Pawns from waves of dragon fire, I felt the pressure. Using that aforementioned jump ability gave me the opportunity to mount the dragon, all without expending too much stamina. A well-timed jump landed me on the head of the dragon, where I could whittle away at its health while a Pawn took to driving its axe into its heart. You'd think that we'd have taken it down, but no matter how much I tried to chip away at the dragon's health, nothing happened. So I ended up absconding into the night to resume looking for the wolves as dawn broke.

I found the Mystic Spearhand's strengths to be in providing support to your Pawns, which puts the Vocation in a strange position in Dragon's Dogma 2. It feels like it was balanced for playing with actual players and not with Pawns, despite how much better their AI has gotten. I wonder how it will play out in later levels, what players will make of the class, and if they will rely on their Pawns for damage and assume the role of a hybrid DPS/support character. Overall, it was an interesting experience, as I would be sometimes dictating the flow of combat when we'd engage with the various enemies I encountered. These included kobolds, wolves, spirits and skeletons that appeared at night, and a large giant that lumbered down a hillside as I was exploring for crafting reagents.

While testing what the Mystic Spearhand could do, I was able to immerse myself in the world of Dragon's Dogma 2 for a second time, and I was impressed with just how organic it felt. While playing, I took a break to jot down some of my thoughts in a notebook. Suddenly, I heard an NPC address my character. They told me that they were looking for a specific object and, if I found it to give it back to them. This all happened while I had just been standing in town. Upon leaving the village to look for it, another NPC approached me, telling me that they were looking for the same object and I should give it to them instead. It felt extremely organic in the way that I obtained the quest. I was impressed, as it feels like Dragon's Dogma 2 will have plenty of secrets the players can discover. Certain quests are also timed, which means that you will want to clear some of those objectives as soon as you get them. There is a bit of leeway, but whether or not you complete quests in a timely fashion will have some consequences, which is cool.

Additionally, Dragon's Dogma 2 seems rich in texture when it comes to its worldbuilding. I explored two locales, one of which was a city ruled by the Beastrans. The city was decently sized in terms of scale, not overwhelming, but had a lot of really neat places to check out. This included a marketplace where I could change my Vocation, purchase equipment, and rest. I was also introduced to an NPC that intervened when I was singled out by the Beastrans for being an unwelcome outsider. There seemed to be a healthy variety of NPCs too, all ranging in their appearances as denoted by the announcement trailer of the game. It also was cool to see a dark-skinned Black man and interact with him as a key character, when Final Fantasy XVI's scenario was utterly bereft of any people of color despite the game quite literally taking you to a desert region inspired by the Middle East and Africa. Whether or not this will be of any significance in Dragon's Dogma 2 has yet to be seen, but regardless, it was nice to see.

Overall, my experience with Dragon's Dogma 2 has been pretty positive thus far. The map is sprawling and the world feels very much alive, with enemies roaming the outskirts of villagers and the few quests I did get to undertake were fun and felt significant even in a much smaller scale. The new Vocation is an interesting addition, even if I may not play it when I get my hands on the full release of the game. Dragon's Dogma 2 seems to be a larger version of what the first game was, and that isn't bad at all.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is set to launch on March 22, 2024, for the PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.

The post Preview: Dragon's Dogma 2 Mystic Spearhand is an Interesting Addition appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Tuesday, March 5, 2024 4:00 PM
    

FFVII Rebirth Nissin Donbei Wallpaper Turns Sephiroth Into a Fox

Square Enix shared a new FFVII Rebirth smartphone wallpaper of Sephiroth as a fox. The company released the wallpaper through its official social media to celebrate the recent collaboration campaign with Nissin Donbei that depicted Sephiroth as the the One-Winged Dongitsune.

The wallpaper features Sephiroth Dongitsune with his fox ears, holding the Masamune sword on his left hand, and a Nissin Donbei udon package on his right hand. A Japanese caption that reads "good boy" appears on the left side of the image. Meanwhile, the social media post opens with the sentence "Shall I give you wallpaper?" in reference to Sephiroth's iconic "Shall I give you despair?" line that he says to Cloud in the FFVII Advent Children movie.

You can check out the new FFVII Rebirth Sephiroth Dongitsune fox wallpaper here:

https://twitter.com/ffviir_cloud/status/1764833207906714026

In other FFVII Rebirth news, the recent collaboration with the Nissin Donbei udon brand is not the only one going on for the game, as Square Enix revealed on February 19, 2024 a collaboration with Insomnia Cookies to promote the release of the latest RPG in the FFVII Remake series.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is now available for the PS5. The game's PS5 exclusivity arrangement expires on May 29, 2024.

The post FFVII Rebirth Nissin Donbei Wallpaper Turns Sephiroth Into a Fox appeared first on Siliconera.


PC Invasion - FeedDDD Tuesday, March 5, 2024 8:24 PM
     Destiny 2 Diamond Medallions Guardian Games 2024Diamond Medallions are a brand new rarity introduced in Destiny 2 Guardian Games 2024. If you want your class to win Guardian Games 2024, you need to know how to farm Diamond Medallions. Best ways to farm Diamond Medallions in Destiny 2 Guardian Games 2024 The class that banks the most Medallions in a single day earns the win. At the end of Guardian Games, the class with the most days won wins the entire tournament. That's why Diamond Medallions, a new type that have the power to change to outcome of an entire day, are important to get. To earn a Diamond Medallion, you need to acquire a Diamond Medallion Contender Card. Contender Cards are one of the best ways to farm Medallions, but they're also the only way to get a Diamond Medallion. There are three ways to get Diamond Medallions in Destiny 2 Guardian Games: Play Dungeons or Raids Play Trials of Osiris Watch two hours of a Destiny 2 Twitch streamer and claim your Twitch Drop One Diamond Medallion c...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Tuesday, March 5, 2024 8:19 PM
     Destiny 2 How To Get HullabalooHullabaloo is an Arc Compressed Wave Frame Heavy Grenade Launcher in Destiny 2 that is only acquired through Guardian Games. If you're wanting to know if it's worth grinding for, if it's craftable, what the perk pool is, and what the Hullabaloo God Roll is, you're in the right spot. How to get Hullabaloo in Destiny 2 You have a chance at getting Hullabaloo every time you bank Medallions in The Tower. Completing Guardian Games playlists also gives you a chance at getting Hullabaloo, but cashing in your Medallions is the best way to farm for a Hullabaloo God Roll. The faster you farm Medallions, the better. Is Hullabaloo craftable in Destiny 2? Unfortunately, Hullabaloo is not craftable. This means you'll need to play a lot of Guardian Games activities to eventually get your hands on the Hullabaloo God Roll. Guardian Games 2024 lasts for three weeks. If you don't get it now, you'll need to wait for next year. Destiny 2 Hullabaloo G...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Tuesday, March 5, 2024 7:50 PM
     Diablo 4 Sorcerer StandingThese arcs won't make you "love it". Instead, they will be the last thing you'll ever see and feel. Here is the best Sorcerer build for The Gauntlet in Diablo 4. Diablo 4: Best Sorcerer build for The Gauntlet What I love about Diablo 4 builds – which fits my historic playstyle very well – is the feel of facing the enemy hordes straight and taking care of things closely. Yeah, I don't dig the ranged classes or builds. So when I found out that one of the best Sorcerer builds in the game attempts and succeeds to emulate what a Barbarian or even a Druid can, then I knew that the Arc Lash Sorcerer build was meant to be, and it is perfect for The Gauntlet. Now, you can also use the Ball Lightning Sorcerer build, but the idea of a Sorcerer focusing on melee damage made me completely biased and I'm not willing to apologize. Sorry. With the use of the Arc Lash skill – which, surprise, is our main source of damage – you will ge...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Tuesday, March 5, 2024 7:11 PM
     Diablo 4 Best Druid Build Season 2 Featured ImageNothing like the anger and sheer power of nature and the rawness of the wild to deal with demonic hordes. Here is the best Druid build for The Gauntlet in Diablo 4. Diablo 4: Best Druid build for The Gauntlet While I rather use the raw power of the Barbarian, Druids are better than ever today thanks to the many balance changes now live in Season 3 of Diablo 4. Well, what about taking that raw power and converting it to wild power? That is what the Lightning Storm Druid build is meant to do, and all the enemies in The Gauntlet will know that. Combining both the unstoppable nature of the Werebear, its immobilizing skills, and Lightning Strikes, Druids have a chance against all these Level 100+ enemies. Since this level will require you to match it, Uber Uniques such as Tempest Roar, Flickerstep, Tibault's Will, or Mad Wolf's Glee, among others, will almost become mandatory. Be sure to farm Uber Duriel and even focus craft them. After all, you want to appear in the Le...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Tuesday, March 5, 2024 5:38 PM
     Diablo 4 BarbarianIf there are enemies, then there are punches and a very big hammer coming their way. Here is the best Barbarian build for The Gauntlet in Diablo 4. Diablo 4: Best Barbarian build for The Gauntlet If there is a particular Diablo 4 class I'm very fond of is the Barbarian. Furthermore, if there is a build that I've found I cannot live without, it is the Hammer of the Ancients build. Now, combine it with the absurd might of the Charge skill and you have a Charge HotA build that will maul all of the enemies that lurk within The Gauntlet. With the use of the Rallying Cry, you will also get a valuable Movement Speed bonus that will get you out of trouble whenever necessary and also allow you to deal as much damage as possible in the shortest amount of time. Since The Gauntlet will feature Level 100+ enemies – which will arguably require you to get to Level 100 – then getting Uber Uniques will turn the tide of the battle in your favor. Uber Uniques such as Tiba...

Tabletop Gaming News – TGN Tuesday, March 5, 2024 6:25 PM
     Games Workshop has announced an array of new products scheduled for pre-order next week, highlighting the continuation of the Dawnbringers Crusade with "Dawnbringers: Book V: Shadow of the Crone" leading the lineup. This installment introduces gamers and lore enthusiasts to the latest developments in the Twin-Tailed Crusade's efforts to establish new settlements in the realms …

Tabletop Gaming News – TGN Tuesday, March 5, 2024 6:15 PM
     Etherstone, an evolving card game created by designers Virginio Gigli and Simone Luciani, and illustrated by Paolo Voto, has achieved significant success on Kickstarter. With a goal set at $32,554, the campaign has already garnered $53,576 in pledges from 811 backers, and with 22 days remaining until its conclusion on March 28, interest continues to …

Tabletop Gaming News – TGN Tuesday, March 5, 2024 5:40 PM
     UniVersus is set to expand its collection with the introduction of three renowned franchises: Godzilla, Star Trek, and TEKKEN 8. Each series brings distinct elements and iconic characters into the collectible card game, offering diverse gameplay experiences for enthusiasts. Godzilla Challenger Series Debuts The Godzilla Challenger Series, arriving in local game stores on June 21st, …

Tabletop Gaming News – TGN Tuesday, March 5, 2024 5:26 PM
     The Kickstarter campaign for Relicblade: Cursebreaker, a new magical miniatures game from Metal King Studio, has successfully surpassed its funding goal. With a pledge total of $53,950, exceeding the initial goal of $35,000, the campaign has attracted 441 backers with 20 days remaining until its conclusion on March 26. Cursebreaker is designed for 1-4 players …

Tabletop Gaming News – TGN Tuesday, March 5, 2024 5:17 PM
     Japanime Games, in collaboration with Son of Oak Game Studio, has recently announced the launch of "QUEERZ!", a superhero-themed tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) that emphasizes themes of empathy, love, and inclusivity. Designed to incorporate LGBTQ+ themes, the game encourages players to use the power of rainbows to combat ignorance and spread understanding. The game employs …

Tabletop Gaming News – TGN Tuesday, March 5, 2024 5:03 PM
     A new board game titled Superclub Rivals, described as the definitive football manager experience for tabletop gaming, has initiated its Kickstarter campaign. This project aims to deliver a dynamic, strategy-driven football management game, and it's the latest creation from the team behind the original Superclub game. The Kickstarter campaign for Superclub Rivals has garnered significant …

Tabletop Gaming News – TGN Tuesday, March 5, 2024 4:30 PM
     BKOM Studios, in collaboration with Paizo, has announced that "Pathfinder: Gallowspire Survivors" will launch on April 4th. The game, which combines elements of roguelite and bullet hell genres, invites players to explore the world of Pathfinder in a novel way. After a period in Early Access, the game is set to introduce new features based …

WGB Tuesday, March 5, 2024 7:27 PM
     During a recent Morgan Stanley speaking event, Warner Bros. Discovery gaming boss J.B. Perrette addressed the company's plans going forward in the gaming space and has also seemingly confirmed what we all feared: they haven't learned anything from Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and intend on chasing the free-to-play and live-service markets even more aggressively.

Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Tuesday, March 5, 2024 3:37 PM
    

The game first launched in Japan on September 30, 2021.

The post The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak Launches in July Worldwide appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism.


Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Tuesday, March 5, 2024 3:11 PM

MonsterVine Tuesday, March 5, 2024 5:00 PM
     Ahead of its March 22nd release, I had a chance to interview Dragon's Dogma 2 director, Hideaki Itsuno, last month and discussed the sequel's inspirations, challenges, and history at the company. It's been 10 years since the first Dragon's Dogma, have you taken any inspiration from other Capcom video games like Monster Hunter? It has […]