GamersHeroes Wednesday, January 22, 2025 5:57 PM Gamers Heroes recently got a chance to speak with The Blueshift Big Band's Joel Baer to learn more about their upcoming MAGFest performance, how they choose which tracks to cover, and more – read more with our interview. The post The Blueshift Big Band Interview: Joel Baer Talks MAGFest, Song Creation, and Inspiration appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Wednesday, January 22, 2025 5:19 PM The team at Bandai Namco has kicked off Season 9 of MY HERO ULTRA RUMBLE, with Kurogiri from the League of Villains joining the battle alongside a new battle stage and costumes. The post MY HERO ULTRA RUMBLE Season 9 Now Available appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
Kotaku Wednesday, January 22, 2025 8:22 PM  Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is a Metroidvania title sporting challenging combat, engaging platforming, and a stirring story. With all of that combined, fans of the genre are all but certain to adore every moment spent in its captivating world. Before you dive into the game, though, you're probably curious how… |
Kotaku Wednesday, January 22, 2025 5:45 PM  Earthblade was going to be the next game from the creators behind 2D pixel art action hits TowerFall and Celeste. But on Wednesday, designer Maddy Thorson announced the project was quietly canceled last month after a fallout between some of the team's members and the realization that the game's protracted development… |
PCGamesN Wednesday, January 22, 2025 8:42 PM  If you thought January was a bit dry for amazing new games and that all the good stuff would begin to roll out in February, think again. After a stint in early access, Metroidvania sequel Ender Magnolia has just hit 1.0 and it's drowning in praise. This dark fantasy adventure already boasts an eye-watering 98% rating on Steam, glowing reviews from the critics, and is enjoying a big influx of players. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best action-adventure games, Best platform games, Best Metroidvania games |
PCGamesN Wednesday, January 22, 2025 7:54 PM  It doesn't feel like it's been almost seven years since Celeste blew us all away with its gorgeous, memorable platforming. It's still talked about as one of the best indies ever. With that kind of reputation, there's naturally been a lot of buzz around the next project from developer EXOK (previously Maddy Makes Games), Earthblade. However, in a surprise announcement from studio head Maddy Thorson, the promising Metroidvania platformer has been canceled due to a "fracture" in the studio and a general lack of passion for the project. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Celeste: a platformer about anxiety, The best PC games of 2018: Celeste, PCGN Awards 2018 |
PCGamesN Wednesday, January 22, 2025 6:24 PM  Dragon Age The Veilguard always had a tough act to follow - a ten year wait since the launch of the critically-acclaimed Inquisition made sure of that. Nevertheless, EA had some high expectations for BioWare's latest RPG, but now the publisher says it is revising its forecast for the rest of the financial year due to a collective underperformance from Dragon Age The Veilguard and, even more surprisingly, EA FC 25. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Dragon Age The Veilguard class, Dragon Age The Veilguard review, Dragon Age The Veilguard builds |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, January 22, 2025 11:13 PM  Celeste and Towerfall creators Extremely OK Games have announced the cancellation of their pixelart exploration platformer Earthblade, in what studio director Maddy Thorson calls a "huge, heartbreaking, and yet relieving failure". The decision to call it quits follows a bust-up within the development team, though this isn't, apparently, why they pulled the plug. Thorson and programmer Noel Berry have found making something "bigger and better" than Celeste exhausting, and have decided to work on smaller projects in future. |
Siliconera Wednesday, January 22, 2025 11:30 PM
The Game Developers Conference 2025 is set to host a panel on the battle design of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Hosting the panel will be FFVII Rebirth's Battle Director Teruki Endo during GDC 2025, which will run from March 17-21, 2025.
The panel will center on the development of FFVII Rebirth's battle system and the process of turning a formerly turn-based system into one more focused on real-time action and strategy. Teruki Endo, leading the panel, will discuss the challenges in undertaking required to implement it.
The panel is open to anyone attending GDC 2025 with an interest in creating games with combat features and will not require any prerequisite experience or knowledge to attend. As of this moment, it is unknown as to how long the panel will be, or on what day or time during GDC 2025 it will be occurring. It is also currently unknown who else besides Endo will be part of the presentation.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will release on the PC on January 23, 2025 after being an exclusive title for the PS5. Square Enix are also giving away Chocobo-themed Steam Decks in honor of the release. FFVII Rebirth is also Steam Deck verified.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will release on Steam on January 23, 2025. It is currently available to play on PlayStation 5. GDC 2025 will be hosted in San Francisco, California on March 17-21, 2025.
The post GDC 2025 Will Feature Panel on FFVII Rebirth Battle Design appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Wednesday, January 22, 2025 10:00 PM
Consumers can obtain an exclusive series of Pikmin toys through a collaboration with Furuta Confectionary. Pre-orders for the Pikmin Chocolate Eggs are now available through online retailers such as Rakuten and Amazon. The Pikmin Chocolate Eggs will ship on February 3, 2025. [Thanks, Game Watch!]
A total of sixteen different toys are available to obtain through the collaboration. Unfortunately, this item can only be obtained in Japan. Which means if you want to get one of these exclusive toys, you'll need to use a middle-man service.
You can take a look at the toys you can collect from purchasing Furuta Confectionary Chocolate Eggs below:
All pre-orders are relegated to a 10-pack of eggs, with no guarantee of which toy consumers will get. As shown above, there are a variety of Pikmin and other creatures (like monsters) consumers can obtain. Some of these toys feature Pikmin holding various items from the game.
In 2024, the Pikmin 4 ice maker and cup were re-released. Consumers were given a second opportunity to get their hands on these themed items. The ice maker mold was, of course, Pikmin shaped. Whereas the cup itself featured illustrations of Pikmin bordering the edge.
The latest entry in the Pikmin series, Pikmin 4, is available on Nintendo Switch.
The post Pikmin Toys Are in Furuta Chocolate Eggs appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Wednesday, January 22, 2025 9:30 PM
Developer S-GAME has shared a new gameplay video for it's upcoming title Phantom Blade Zero. Coming in at six minutes, the gameplay video showcases a total of two new weapons and highlights a boss fight that will appear in the game.
This gameplay trailer was released to celebrate the Year of the Snake, but more importantly, teases that a release date for Phantom Blade Zero will be announced sometime in 2025.
You can take a look at the trailer below:
Announced in 2023, Phantom Blade Zero is an action game from developer S-GAME. While compared to Black Myth Wukong, this title seems to feature an all original dark fantasy setting. Further details about the game have remained scarce despite it showing up at several trade shows and Summer Game Fest 2024.
The narrative surrounds the protagonist, Soul, as he seeks revenge on a mysterious order while only having sixty-six days to live. The original trailer featured several characters, with their names and involvement in the story having yet to be revealed. No doubt we'll be learning more about that soon, along with a potential release date for this action title.
Phantom Blade Zero is currently in development and will release sometime in 2025.
The post See New Phantom Blade Zero Gameplay in Year of the Snake Trailer appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Wednesday, January 22, 2025 9:00 PM
Sony and Capcom announced that a new Play! Play! Play! Monster Hunter Wilds event will allow players to play the game in advance and will appear in Tokyo on February 22, 2025. The recruitment period for those wanting to participate in the event will run until February 2.
The Play! Play! Play! event for Monster Hunter Wilds will offer an early play session of the game, as well as a public talk with the developers of the upcoming entry in the hunting action franchise. Additionally, the talk will be streamed live on the official PlayStation YouTube channel, and the stream time will be announced at a later date. It is unclear if the stream will be available in languages other than Japanese.
The event is free of charge, and those interested in assisting will have to submit a request via the available form shared by Sony. In case of too many submissions, the participants will be selected via lottery system. Sony has yet to reveal the exact location of the event, which is currently listed within the Tokyo Metropolitan Area.
For those outside of Japan looking to try the game, a new Open Beta Test 2 will appear on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC between February 6-9, 2025, then February 13-16, 2025.
Monster Hunter Wilds will come out for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam on February 28, 2025. The Play! Play! Play! Monster Hunter Wilds event will be held in Tokyo on February 22, 2025.
The post Play! Play! Play! Monster Hunter Wilds Event Heading to Tokyo appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Wednesday, January 22, 2025 8:30 PM
Cygames filmed and uploaded a live-action tokusatsu episode based on Carrotman to promote Umamusume. The entire episode, which is nineteen minutes long, is available for free on YouTube.
You can watch Nutrition Warrior Carrotman - Lardlon Attacks! Unhealthy Food Is Changing the World?! here:
The plot of Carrotman follows Emperor Fukenko (literally "unhealthy") ordering his underling Lardlon to make people unhealthy, which will in turn make them easier to conquer. Carrotman does his best to fight against the forces of evil and calories, but Lardlon overpowers him. Then, Biko Pegasus—the umamusume most obsessed with tokusatsu and sentai stuff—jumps in to save him. They then fight off Lardlon together.
As one might be able to infer from the lengthy live-action production of Carrotman, Cygames went all out for Umamusume. Musician and singer Hironobu Kageyama sang the opening theme, "Nutrition Warrior Carrotman." He is akin to the father of anison (anime songs) after his popularity with them in the 1980s brought him success. He sang the title tracks for Saint Seiya and Dragon Ball Z, and is also one of the founders of JAM Project.
Tomokazu Sugita also appeared in this commercial, voicing every male character other than Carrotman. Sugita is a prominent voice actor, whose career started in 1998. He's appeared in many anime and games, such as Gintoki in Gintama, Sakamoto in Sakamoto Days, Joseph in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Yusuke in Persona 5, Chrom in Fire Emblem Awakening, and more.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is available on mobile devices and Windows PC in Japan. A global version is in development.
The post Cygames Films Entire Tokusatsu Episode For Umamusume appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Wednesday, January 22, 2025 8:00 PM
Arc System Works revealed that the upcoming Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers anime series will begin airing on April 5, 2025. A new trailer for the show also appeared alongside a key visual.
The promotional video showcases the new character Unika, a mysterious woman who claims coexistence with Gears is a mistake and wants to save the world by eradicating them all. Unika is an original character making her first appearance in the Guilty Gear franchise on the anime series. The new Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers video also showcased the opening theme song, which is titled "AXCLUSION" and performed by ulma sound junction.
The trailer is available in Japanese with English subtitles, and you can watch it below.
You can also take a look at the new key visual here:
As a reminder, Arc System Works announced the contents of the Guilty Gear Strive Season Pass 4, which will include Unika as a DLC character. Furthermore, the second DLC character in Season 4, Venom, has been delayed to the end of March 2025.
The Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers anime series will start airing in Japan on April 5, 2025. It will also appear on Crunchyroll sometime in the same month. Guilty Gear Strive is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.
The post Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers Anime Starts in April appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Wednesday, January 22, 2025 7:30 PM
Toei Animation revealed that hololive VTubers will perform the opening themes for Special Edited Version - One Piece: Fish-Man Island Saga. There will be two versions of "We Go!" with different performers for each. [Thanks, Famitsu!]
From February 2, 2025, we'll hear the Shirakami Fubuki, Houshou Marine, and Tsunomaki Watame version of the song. Maki Otsuki, who performed the original anime's first ending theme "Memories," will join them. Then, from March 2, 2025, we'll hear the Takanashi Kiara, Hakos Baelz, and Kobo Kanaeru version of "We Go!" Joining them is Hiroshi Kitadani, who sang the original "We Go!" and other tracks for One Piece. Teddyloid and tepe will arrange this version. The songs will also appear on streaming platforms the day after they debut on the show.
In comments from the hololive VTubers and singers, they discuss how excited they were to participate in this project. Kiara mentioned that this was the first time they sang for an anime, so it was a great experience. Fubuki also talked about how she couldn't believe that she and other hololive members would sing for One Piece.
One Piece is available on streaming platforms like Crunchyroll. The hololive collaboration covers of "We Go!" will start appearing in Special Edition Version - One Piece: Fish-Man Island Saga episodes from February 2025.
The post Hololive Vtubers to Perform One Piece Theme Song appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Wednesday, January 22, 2025 7:00 PM
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin characters will appear as free launch-day DLC characters in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. This information first appeared during the official stream to commemorate how pre-orders are open for the latest Rune Factory game. [Thanks, Famitsu!]
The information comes near the end of the stream, which shows Sakuna and Tama sitting outside a house before running to help with the rice fields. It then ends with a shot of Sakuna looking out over the village. The stream did not provide any further information on the Sakuna and Tama DLC in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. However, as this is free DLC, you don't actually need to add them to your game if you don't want to see them.
Other information that Edelweiss revealed in the stream include new romanceable characters Pilika and Cuilang, as well as information on village management and combat. In total, there are sixteen possible characters to romance—the most in a Rune Factory game—and all of the scenes are fully voiced. Aside from romantic scenes, you can also hang out with them in everyday situations. The game also includes same-sex marriages, as well as marriages between the protagonists. Heterosexual marriages may also results in children.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma will come out on May 30, 2025 for the Nintendo Switch and Windows PC via Steam.
The post Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin DLC to Appear in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Wednesday, January 22, 2025 6:00 PM
Koei Tecmo has delayed the release of Venus Vacation Prism – Dead or Alive Xtreme by 3 weeks to March 27, 2025. A second trailer for the game showcasing the gameplay and available Dead or Alive heroines was also released.
Producer Yasunori Sakuda shared a message regarding the delay. In it, he explained that they decided to delay Venus Vacation Prism – Dead or Alive Xtreme in order to deliver the best possible experience. To do this, the developers have decided to increase the number of episodes and improve the quality of the game to avoid compromising the experience.
The new trailer is only available in Japanese, and it showcases the 6 heroines Misaki, Honoka, Tamaki, Fiona, Nanami, and Elise. You can check out the second trailer for Venus Vacation Prism – Dead or Alive Xtreme here:
Furthermore, Koei Tecmo shared the PC system requirements for the game. The minimum requirements ask for at least an Intel Core i5-7400 or Ryzen 3 3200G, 8GB of RAM, and at least a GeForce GTX 1650 (VRAM 4GB) or AMD Radeon RX 570 (VRAM 8GB) GPU. As for the recommended settings, the game will require at least an Intel Core i7-8700 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 XT for the processor, 16GB of RAM, and at least a NVIDIA GeForce RTX2070 (VRAM 8GB) or Radeon RX 5700 XT (VRAM 8GB). The game size will be 32GB and an SSD is recommended.
While Venus Vacation Prism – Dead or Alive Xtreme will only come out in Japan, South Korea, and other Southeast Asian countries, the game will also include an English localization aimed for the aforementioned region. Koei Tecmo originally announced the game back in late September 2024.
Venus Vacation Prism – Dead or Alive Xtreme has been delayed and will come out for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam and DMM Games on March 27, 2025.
The post Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme Delayed appeared first on Siliconera. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Wednesday, January 22, 2025 10:11 PM What are the biggest failures of 2024? The post 3 Biggest Flops of 2024 appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
MonsterVine Wednesday, January 22, 2025 11:00 PM Extremely OK Games, LTD. has announced in a blog post today that they're cancelling work on their no-longer upcoming 2D action-adventure game, Earthblade. EXOK's past titles, Celeste and Towerfall, generated a lot of hype in the gaming community for their next project, which was sadly cancelled just today. Originally announced in April of 2021, it […] |