GamersHeroes Thursday, February 20, 2025 7:08 PM Known for his role as Gregory Goyle in the iconic Harry Potter film series, Josh Herdman will be a Special Guest at this summer's Fire & Ice RGX 2025 event. The post Harry Potter's Josh Herdman Special Guest at Fire & Ice RGX 2025 appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
PCGamesN Thursday, February 20, 2025 10:00 PM  Team Jade's hit shooter Delta Force is doing its part to revive the dying art of co-op chaos. Based on Ridley Scott's Academy Award-winning war epic Black Hawk Down, the FPS game's new campaign adds a fresh coat of paint to a genre classic. Rather than treading into threats unknown with an AI-controlled squad, you'll bear arms with your friends in a pulse-pounding retelling of the Battle of Mogadishu. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Delta Force guns, Delta Force operators, Delta Force loadouts |
PCGamesN Thursday, February 20, 2025 7:16 PM  If strategy game subgenres were rock ballads, Songs of Silence is like a greatest hits album. A dash of 4X here. A sprinkling of autobattlers there. An injection of RTS combat. Voila. Oh, and some stunning artwork for the cover, too. This medley of strategy influences both looks and plays unlike almost anything else, and now it's just got even bigger and better with the arrival of its first DLC expansion, Lighteaters. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best strategy games, Best RTS games, Best story games |
Siliconera Thursday, February 20, 2025 10:30 PM
Atlus announced that a previously launched Metaphor: ReFantazio merchandise collection in collaboration with Isetan will be coming back to Japan due to popular demand. The goods are now available for pre-order from the Mitsukoshi Isetan online storefront or Mood Mark by Isetan until March 31, 2025.
The original event where goods were featured was held at the Isetan Shinjuku store in Tokyo, Japan between January 15-30, 2025. You can check out the full lineup with prices here:
You can also check out the Metaphor: ReFantazio Isetan merchandise in more detail here:
At the end of January 2025, Kotobukiya also revealed new Metaphor: ReFantazio figures of Gallica, Hulkenberg, and Junah. While the Gallica figure appeared as a painted prototype, the Hulkenberg and Junah figures were shown in its unpainted gray versions.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is out now on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC worldwide. The Isetan collaboration merchandise is now available for pre-order until March 31, 2025.
The post Metaphor: ReFantazio Merchandise Being Sold Again appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Thursday, February 20, 2025 9:30 PM
Atlus is adding new Persona 3 and Persona 5 mini keychain plushes to its previously released line of soft toys. With these new additions, the entire roster of playable characters in both games are available for purchase. [Thanks, Famitsu!]
The new characters featured in the Persona 3 collection include Yukari, Junpei, Akihiko, Mitsuru, Fuuka, Koromaru, Ken, and Shinjiro. Meanwhile, the Persona 5 side includes school uniform versions of Joker, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, as well as Kasumi Yoshizawa from P5R. Each plush costs 1,760 yen (or about $11.74) and will release in mid-July 2025. The plushes are now available for pre-order from the Ebten online store, which offers international shipping via the WorldShopping third party service.
You can check out the new Persona 3 and Persona 5 keychain plushes here:
Previously, the line included the Persona 4 protagonist, Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko, alongside the P3 protagonist, Aigis, Ryoji Mochizuki, in addition to Joker as a Phantom Thief, Akechi, and Morgana from P5. The plushes originally released on October 2024.
The Persona 3 and 5 character keychain plushes are available for pre-order from the Ebten online store. Each keychain plush costs 1,760 yen or roughly $11,71 and they are expected to release later in July 2025.
The post Atlus Selling New Persona 3 and 5 Character Plushes appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Thursday, February 20, 2025 7:30 PM
Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land marks a major shift for the Koei Tecmo and Gust JRPG series. With a drastic change into pure action combat and base-building, we sat down with Junzo Hosoi, Producer for Atelier Yumia and Head of Gust to discuss the development process, characters, and surprising inspirations during our hands-on preview of the upcoming game.
Cody Perez, Siliconera: Is there any particular idea or theme that the team decided to base Atelier Yumia around when starting development?
Junzo Hosoi, Gust: Before I started working on Atelier Ryza, in 2018 or 2017, I was thinking about how I could make a three-part series, and how I could step up as a system. I was thinking about what kind of system and game I would like to make when I get a big chance in the next series. As a result, I've been getting feedback from the users every time I released a game, and I've been making adjustments, so I've already decided what kind of game I would like to make.
As for the design of the story, I've been getting a lot of reference from Atelier Ryza 3 and the current story trend. First of all, we reinterpreted the complex parts of the story, and reconstructed the overall system. We wanted to make sure that the story was well-received by players alongside the battle system.
The area that was well-received during Atelier Ryza, in the battle system especially, has been utilized within Atelier Yumia as well. And also, these days, action RPG is actually a popular genre right now. So that is why he mixed and merged those areas to create the battle system.
Also, as for the synthesis system, it could get difficult to understand all those areas. We actually received those comments from the survey and social media. So that is why the synthesis system has been redesigned. Also, during Ryza 3, we received comments saying there are no villains. So that is why, since there is a villain in this Atelier Yumia, the motivation on continuing the story and worldview might be more engaging this time.
Speaking of villains, what can you say about the villains and their role in the story?
Hosoi: The villain that comes out in Atelier Yumia is actually because of alchemy. The villains' lives actually changed because of alchemy. Yumia actually believes in alchemy. However, the villains actually have a lot of stuff that has changed their lives, good and bad, because of alchemy. So, they are actually against each other.
You [the player] might actually think that Yumia's way of thinking of alchemy is similar to how you feel. Or, you might say, "I feel the same way as the villains." It might depend on the player once you play through and that might be an area to check out once you play out.
How did the protagonist Yumia's creation come about? What can you say about Yumia as a character in terms of her design and backstory?
Hosoi: In the past Atelier games, there were more volumes in the silhouettes and a lot of decoration within the costumes. However, for the Yumia, we wanted to turn down the silhouettes and volumes. So the reason why is, for example, if you have a coat running around, it's actually a bit bothersome. There is also much verticality in the field this time, so that's why we wanted to add some decoration of gadgets on her shoes. I think that's why she has bullets that are similar to the gun design in her outfit design.
And also, as for Yumia's personality, she is self-confident. Her inner core is really strong and she believes in herself. As for the backstory, in past games, it actually took 3 or 4 hours to get to the core of the adventure. However, it has been changed for this title, as you can actually start off quite quickly in comparison. And that is why the villain shows up early as well. Yumia herself uses alchemy, but that is forbidden in her world.
Her mother was actually an alchemist as well, so she wanted to find the reason why her mother was an alchemist, even though it's forbidden. She has a love for her mother, so that is why she goes on a journey to find out more about alchemy.
Regarding the other party members besides Yumia, who would you say is your favorite and why?
Hosoi: My favorite character is Yumia but in terms of second favorite, it would be Rutger. There are two sides of Rutger. The one we've already announced and shown is the face that he actually shows to the other party members. However, there is a second side that involves his past experiences. We are actually confident of the story that we have created for Rutger's scenario.
A new feature in Yumia is the dedicated building system. How did that housing system come about in development?
Hosoi: The value of exploring on the field, that is why we added the building system. We wanted to add more value in the series. There is a popularity of crafting games as well, which I happen to like myself, such as Valheim. So, that is why we wanted to implement those into the series with this housing system.
Moving on to the action combat system, what were the central themes of the action combat system you wanted to focus on?
Hosoi: What will be important about the combat for some players is player skill. So, if you have higher player skill, and use just the dodge and guard, even if the enemy's level is higher than your actual party member's level, by using your own skill, it actually allows you to beat the enemy.
What changes or systems are in place to welcome newcomers to the series. At the same time, what is new for existing fans to look forward to in this game?
Hosoi: The synthesis system being simple is one example. A lot of people thought the Atelier synthesis system is actually difficult to play; it's really hard to understand. However, now it has been made more simple, so it might be easier to understand compared to the other Atelier titles. But then, even though it's simple, you do have the fun in synthesizing, so I think that is kept and has been balanced throughout.
Existing fans can also understand synthesis, because it doesn't have a big change, so it should be fine for the current Atelier fans as well. Although the trait system is actually changed, now that you can edit on afterwards, there is a lot more fun in crafting. That might be an element for Atelier fans to be excited about, and also for the general exploration and gathering in the field.
In addition, in previous titles, you just synthesize items using materials. However, since there is a building system now, there is a joy to creating new stuff throughout building as well with materials. There are now two areas that you can enjoy for those who like to create stuff.
What type of content did you create to make the open world interesting and engaging for the player?
Hosoi: For me, it's the game Valheim. Of course, I didn't just copy the design of Valheim, but I was really impressed with playing this game. I think there are a lot of open-world games these days, but in my experience, Skyrim or Oblivion. In addition, it's been a while, but I was really impressed in the past with Halo's open field design, and I wanted to incorporate that impression into this game. That's how I came up with the idea for the open world content in Yumia.
Finally, as a fun type of question, what is your favorite monster in the series and why?
Hosoi: Puni. Even though the Puni gets attacked all the time, they live free. Their living environment seems fun! *laughs*
Post-Interview Questions
After the formal interview, there was a time later on where all of my fellow previewers for Atelier Yumia had left. As the only one left in the office still playing the preview, I had some casual time where Hosoi sat down and we chatted about the game and my thoughts about the four hours I had spent with the game. While I won't share everything we spoke about during this informal time, there were some notable and even funny anecdotes worth mentioning.
For one, on the discussion of the newmotorcycle. (Yes, there is indeed a motorcycle you can cruise around this fantasy open-world in.) Apparently, the motorcycle was partly inspired by the iconic bike that Akira uses in the beloved 1988 anime film.
In addition to that, we spoke on the character designs and, more specifically, the companion Flammi. While I didn't get to see too much of Flammi as a character, I learned about how the adorable little floating candle-like creation came from Yumia's mother. When designing and writing Flammi, Hosoi explained that it came about partly because of characters like R2-D2 and C-3PO from Star Wars. More specifically, the idea of Flammi being a message or gift from Yumia's mother, much in the same way R2-D2 brings a message to Ben Kenobi and Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.
All of these fascinating details show that Atelier Yumia has had an intriguing development thus far. With the game pretty much complete at this point, only time will tell how Atelier Yumia lands for existing fans and newcomers alike when it launches worldwide on March 21, 2025.
Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land releases for Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on March 21, 2025.
The post Interview: Atelier Yumia Takes Inspiration from Valheim, Akira, and Star Wars appeared first on Siliconera. |
Destructoid Friday, February 21, 2025 12:45 AM
Early on in Severance Season 2 Episode 6, Milchick has a discussion with Ms. Huang in which he speaks of Wintertide, which may have seemed like a mysterious reference. Let's take a look at what exactly Wintertide is in Severance and why Milchick made a reference to it in the episode Attila.
What exactly is Wintertide?
Wintertide is a school, university, or some sort of training program in the Severance universe, more than likely with a direct relation to the company Lumon. During promotional activities leading up to the start of Severance Season 2, the LinkedIn account Lumon Industries which is used for marketing purposes for the show, made a direct reference to Wintertide as its connection to Ms. Huang. Here's what the post said:
"Felicitations are in order for this quarter's Wintertide Fellow: Ms. Huang. Her green outlook is precisely what Lumon aims to cultivate as an organization. She will be invaluable on our severed floor." The post is accompanied by an image of Ms. Huang with the note "New Hire Day! Please Welcome Ms. Huang".
Now let's compare this to the words of Milchick in Severance Season 2 Episode 6, in which he tells Ms. Huang, "I feel I should remind you, you cannot graduate from this fellowship until I have deemed you Wintertide material. This will mean using your time well, focusing on your own duties, and eradicating from your essence childish folly."
So after some understandable confusion based on how the events of Season 2 have played out so far, it would appear Milchick is in fact in a leadership position of Ms. Huang, despite it looking possibly the other way around. It appears as though Ms. Huang is on some sort of fellowship/intern program at Lumon in order to gain access to either an educational institution or training program named Wintertide.
And, according to Milchick, it is he who has the final say on determining whether or not Ms. Huang is in fact "Wintertide material". It's likely Ms. Huang was overstepping simply to try and prove herself management material to Lumon, but I'm sure we'll see more of Ms. Huang and her intentions as we enter the second half of Severance Season 2.
The post What is Wintertide in Severance? appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Friday, February 21, 2025 12:12 AM
For a show like Severance, the episode titles are often clever hints towards what's actually going on. In Season 2 Episode 6, titled Attila, the meaning of the title is actually more comical than anything. Let's explore the meaning of the title Attila for Severance Season 2 Episode 6.
What is the Attila meaning for Severance Season 2 Episode 6?
The title Attila for Severance Season 2 Episode 6 is actually a reference to Attila the Hun, who ruled over the Huns for nearly 20 years from the year 434-453. So what does that have to do with Severance? Well, it has more to do with the relationship between two characters in the show: Burt and his partner Fields.
After an encounter between Burt and Irving in Season 2 Episode 5 titled Trojan's Horse, the two met for ham alongside Burt's husband Fields. During introductions, Fields—played by legendary actor John Noble—refers to Burt as Attila.
Noticing a confused Irving, Burt immediately explains that early on in their relationship they used to call each hunter "Hon", an endearing term that is short for honey, and a common "nickname" between two people in a relationship. As Burt would explain it, that eventually turned to them calling each other Attila. This is clearly a play on words of the word "Hon", referencing Attila the Hun (or Attila the Hon, jokingly).
Interestingly, Attila the Hun was known for his military conquest across Europe and the Roman Empire, and earned the nickname the "Scourge of God" due to wide-spread destruction and brutality against his enemies as he expanded the Hun Empire.
While this could just be irrelevant information in the scope of Severance and specifically the title of Season 2 Episode 6, it may also be somewhat of a nod to Burt, who admits to Irving that he "used to be a bit of a scoundrel", and references that one of his regions for joining Lumon is that he and Fields feel as though Burt's soul is destined for Hell after death based on his earlier actions in life.
Furthermore, dialogue in a show like Severance always serves a purpose. As Irving leaves, Burt tells Irving that Fields memory "gets fuzzy at times" before referencing him claim that Burt has worked at Lumon for 20 years, despite Severance technology not being that old. It's quite possible Burt is a long-time employee of Lumon, and may have some ulterior motive with Irving.
The post Why is Severance Season 2 Episode 6 titled Attila? appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Thursday, February 20, 2025 11:28 PM
Late in Severance Season 2 Episode 6, Attila, we see someone going through Irving's box of things in his home, most importantly the list of names of Lumon employees. However, we don't get a direct look at the person's face. So who was looking through Irving's thing in the Severance Attila episode?
Who was looking through Irving's things
The person looking through Irving's things in Severance Season 2 Episode 6, titled Atilla, was Mr. Drummond. If you forget who that is, Mr. Drummond has the position of Global Management at Lumon Industries. He was introduced earlier in Season 2, and is the Lumon employee we've seen speaking with Helena quite often, and who also did Milchick's performance review alongside Natalie.
Even though it only showed the character's eyes as he looked through Irving's things, there's actually a bigger hint that gives away that it is in fact Mr. Drummond doing the deed.
How do we know it's Mr. Drummond?
As Mr. Drummond is looking through Irving's things, look at this hand, more specifically the tattoo on his hand. The tattoo is simply the word Frolic. It's in the same exact position we've seen earlier in the season that Mr. Drummond has the same exact tattoo. While it's not impossible that it could be another Lumon employee with the same tattoo—after all, Frolic is important to the Severance story, being one of Kier Eagan's four tempers—it is in the exact spot we've seen on Mr. Drummond and the close up angle of his face certainly looked like it could be him anyway.
Now that we know it was Mr. Drummond going through Irving's things in Severance Season 2 Episode 6, let's ask the more important question: how did he know Irving would be gone? It's possible that Lumon has simply been watching his house for the opportune moment but after the ending of the episode, I think it's more likely that Burt, played by Christopher Walken, might actually still be more involved with Lumon than we've been led to believe.
The post Who was looking through Irving's things in Severance Season 2 Episode 6 appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Thursday, February 20, 2025 7:15 PM
Developer Supergiant Games has dropped its second major update for Hades 2, returning Ares to the game, adding a new familiar, a final boss encounter, and too many changes to count. Oh! And you can now stop and sing a duet with Artemis while in the Crossroads. Probably should have led with that.
Anyway, the Warsong update brings new content and reworks across the board for Hades 2. That's right: you have to re-learn some of the game again. This is what it's like with Early Access development. The highlights of the update include the final fight on the surface with a new boss, the God of War Ares, a new familiar friend, revamps to Boons, the Altar of Ashes, resource gathering, menus, and more. The patch also includes 2,000 new voice lines and new dialogue events.
Hades 2 - Warsong update adds Ares and a feisty new familiar friend
The meat of the update is the one-two punch of a new god and the final boss fight. Fans have been clamoring to see the return of the war god since Hades 2 hit Early Access, and now their dreams have been realized. Ares arrives with a suite of new Boons (including Duo Boons) to enhance your gameplay, which should hopefully help in the fight against the new big bad. Supermassive is keeping the boss of Mount Olympus a secret, so you'll need to get climbing to see how the surface story concludes.
The Warsong Update trailer offers a glimpse of the new familiar you can find in Hades 2. As expected, it appears Gale the Polecat, which was mentioned in the game long before the update, has arrived. Gale joins the likes of Toula, Raki, and Hecuba, bringing the list of furry friends to five in total. As per the norm, you'll need to figure out how to unlock Gale before you can bring the polecat on your quest to kill time.
The Hades 2 - Warsong Update patch notes are (ahem) super giant and cover gameplay changes, additions, and reworks. The developer revamped the Altar of Ashes, giving cards new effects and artwork. There are new Testaments for the Oath of the Unseen, Boons, and Daedalus Hammer upgrades. Some Boons, Hammer upgrades, and weapon abilities have also been reworked, which should certainly make new runs feel interesting again.
You should also expect plenty of changes to the Crossroads. The patch notes include a section called the Crossroads Renewal Project, which shouldn't be taken lightly. Yes, you can invite Artemis for a singing duet, but there are many new changes, improvements, decorations, and more to check out.
As mentioned, the Warsong patch notes are lengthy. I haven't even covered the new Cauldron Incantations and menu changes. Be sure to navigate to the patch notes page for more.
The post The second major Hades 2 update adds Ares, a cute new familiar, and a 'final confrontation' for the story appeared first on Destructoid. |
MonsterVine Thursday, February 20, 2025 11:00 PM Earlier this month, MonsterVine was able to attend a hands-on event for Team Jade and NovaLogic's upcoming co-op PvE campaign, Black Hawk Down, for its free-to-play shooter Delta Force. As the name suggests, the campaign is based on the 2003 video game and 2001 movie. While playing, it was very clear that Team Jade and […] |
MonsterVine Thursday, February 20, 2025 10:00 PM Arc Games and Snapshot Games have revealed Chip 'n Clawz vs. The Brainioids, an action-packed RTS adventure that fuses third-person combat with real-time strategy mechanics. Developed by Julian Gollop (X-COM, Phoenix Point) and his team at Snapshot Games, Chip 'n Clawz aims to deliver a fun, accessible spin on classic strategy gameplay. A free demo […] |
MonsterVine Thursday, February 20, 2025 9:30 PM After years of anticipation, Funcom has finally announced the release date for Dune: Awakening. The open-world survival MMO set in the brutal deserts of Arrakis is officially launching on May 20, 2025, for PC via Steam. Alongside the release date reveal, Funcom has dropped a Character Creator & Benchmark Mode, allowing players to design their […] |
MonsterVine Thursday, February 20, 2025 9:00 PM In a nostalgic treat for fans, Samurai Pizza Cats is coming back with a brand-new video game, Samurai Pizza Cats: Blast from the Past. Announced to celebrate the anime's 35th anniversary, the game is currently in development for all major platforms and features a faithful recreation of the show's iconic cel animation style. A Nostalgic […] |