GamersHeroes Friday, November 29, 2024 5:18 PM XENOTILT: HOSTILE PINBALL ACTION's three-tiered table provides a triple threat of action. The post XENOTILT: HOSTILE PINBALL ACTION Review appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
Kotaku Friday, November 29, 2024 4:55 PM  If you, or the severed you who binge-watches television, need a refresher on Apple TV+'s breakout hit Severance, two of the main men behind it have you covered. Debuting on January 7, ten days before the show's second season debuts, Severance executive producer Ben Stiller and the show's leading man Adam Scott will… |
Kotaku Friday, November 29, 2024 2:00 PM  Thanksgaming 24 continues into Bleak Friday, to bring joy and light into the darkness. Here are another 20 games you've almost definitely never heard of before, but each offering something unique, special, or outright bizarre. Get your wishlist-clicking fingers ready. |
Kotaku Friday, November 29, 2024 1:15 PM  Honestly, most of us are just grown children, even Award-winning directors. On a recent episode of The Town podcast, Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve allows his intrusive thoughts to win when he explains how his childhood disappointment in Return of the Jedi is still preventing him from ever directing a Star… |
PCGamesN Friday, November 29, 2024 5:05 PM  Escape From Tarkov still remains the king of the extraction shooter - but with Delta Force's huge global beta launch just around the corner, many are wondering if it'll stay that way. The new free-to-play tactical shooter - which has the Operations extraction experience alongside the Battlefield-style Warfare mode - has generated a lot of hype, but it's going in a different direction to Tarkov when it comes to one important aspect: wipes. Continue reading Unlike Escape From Tarkov, Delta Force will make wipes optional MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Delta Force guns, Delta Force operators, Delta Force loadouts |
PCGamesN Friday, November 29, 2024 3:30 PM  While all eyes fervently turn towards the likes of GTA 6, my mind is still very much on Warframe 1999. Since it was unveiled a year ago, it's been lurking in my brain like the Infestation, rearing its head whenever a new trailer drops, then returning to its slumber. With the days ticking down and New Year's Eve drawing ever closer, there's a brand-new mode in the works that changes up the traditional action for something that's "unlike anything Warframe has done before." MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Warframe on Steam Deck, Warframe builds, Warframe codes |
PCGamesN Friday, November 29, 2024 3:00 PM  There's nothing more exciting in life than getting some new hardware over the holidays, and unwrapping an expensive bit of tech that you've been desperate to get your hands on all year. If you've been hoping to pick up a Meta Quest 3S over the holidays, this excellent Black Friday offer gives you even more reason to do so. Despite the Meta Quest 3S being a budget option, it's still one of the best VR headsets, capable of playing some of the best VR games on the market, whether you decide to play some standalone hits or some PCVR experiences. While the Meta Quest 3S doesn't have a Black Friday discount itself, this offer is a must-have for anyone looking to pick up Meta's latest headset. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card, Best gaming PC, Best SSD for gaming |
PCGamesN Friday, November 29, 2024 2:48 PM  At a first glance, Atlyss really doesn't look like a challenging co-op action RPG, but it most certainly is. Multiple, highly-customizable classes? Check. Dynamic combat and daunting dungeons? Check. A brilliant character creator? Check. All the hallmarks are there. While it's getting plenty of attention for some of its more… suggestive… aspects, fans of early 2000s MMOs or even modern ARPGs should find enjoyment in its addictive gameplay, which has helped earn Atlyss a remarkably high 98% Steam user rating just one week on from its early access launch. Continue reading Suggestive but challenging new RPG Atlyss is a 98% rated gem MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best co-op games, Best RPGs, Best indie games |
PCGamesN Friday, November 29, 2024 1:30 PM  From long-running franchises like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest to the spellbinding Kingdom Hearts series, and even underrated gems like Forspoken, Square Enix's RPGs have captured my heart. Now, for Black Friday, you can get up to 85% off some of the very best games the studio ever developed or published. Continue reading Square Enix's best-ever RPGs are up to 85% off for Black Friday MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Final Fantasy games, Best RPG games , Final Fantasy 7: Remake review |
Siliconera Friday, November 29, 2024 7:00 PM
Square Enix announced that it will open a new pop up store at the Daimaru Umeda department store in Osaka, Japan. This temporary store will be available for a whole month starting from December 6, 2024.
This store will mostly sell merchandise based on Square Enix's game franchises like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts, and NieR. Some of the items have also been released in the past, such as the Final Fantasy Record Keeper character sprite lights. However, the lineup will also include goods from manga titles published in Square Enix's magazines, such as Black Butler and Tokyo Aliens.
In addition to the direct merchandise sales, the pop up store will also showcase actual samples of Final Fantasy XIV-themed outing equipment by Logos; the pre-orders for which have been available in Japan. Square Enix will also display the life-sized armor and weapon set worn by Erdrick in Dragon Quest III, although it does not specify whether the latter items would also be available for sale or not.
The Square Enix Pop Up Store will open on the 13th floor of Daimaru Umeda in Osaka from December 6, 2024, until January 6, 2025. The store will close on January 1-2, 2025, due to the New Year holidays, though.
The post Square Enix Pop Up Store Will Appear in Osaka appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, November 29, 2024 6:00 PM
A public demo build for Dynasty Warriors Origins has been available worldwide on all of the upcoming intended platforms—PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. It showcases the overhauls of the action gameplay systems for the upcoming 2025 tactical action game, which may bring fresh wind to the genre that started with Dynasty Warriors 2 in 2000.
I had previously written about how the halved unique character roster may pose some issues in the full game's storyline. However, that concern is barely an issue in this demo, as no key characters are missing in the featured Battle of Sishui Gate. The team even managed to accurately place Jia Xu on Dong Zhuo's side and Chen Gong with Cao Cao's faction.
In fact, I have also spotted positive evidence that Omega Force is creating new semi-unique designs for several generals, which have been done occasionally in Samurai Warriors entries but would be a first in Dynasty Warriors (unless you count Huche'er's one-off generic design in Dynasty Warriors 7). A couple of generals like Gongsun Zan and Kong Rong have attire designs that resemble the armor parts available for custom officers in Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires. You can also notice how the side portraits of both characters differ from generic officers, who have darkened spots around their eyes.
With the character concerns out of the way, it's time to focus on the gameplay. The game's overall combat feels more challenging and relentless, especially if you do not know what you are doing. You really cannot simply plow through enemy officers with mindless attacks this time around. A majority of their attacks are uninterruptible and also deal considerable damage, so you will have to make good use of parries and counterattack arts to deal with them.
In addition, the morale bar also plays a very important role in the game's battles. When story-based events tilt the morale to enemy advantage, allied officers will easily struggle and you will need to optimize your paths along battle areas to rescue them while defeating the more motivated enemies. Once you have restored the morale advantage, your allies can breeze through the map even without your assistance.
Producer Tomohiko Sho has promised that the weapons in Dynasty Warriors Origins will have more unique actions, and he sure has delivered on that. Out of the four weapon types available in this demo, only the Sword retains the series staple Charge Combo system, where you unleash a different combo finisher based on the time you press the Triangle/Y button in the middle of the Square/X button attack string.
The other three weapons feature unique applications of the Triangle/Y button. For instance, Xiahou Dun's Podao scimitar will have you hold the button to literally charge up the attack for more power, while Sun Shangxiang's Chakram Wheels require precise button presses when they return after being thrown to chain more combos.
By the way, when I checked the weapon moveset lists, I noticed that the music track in the pause menu has a calmer ambiance with fewer instruments playing. That one is a clear inspiration from the Fire Emblem Warriors games Omega Force had previously worked on.
The references from other entries do not end there, as the Eyes of the Sacred Bird (along with the protagonist's Japanese voice actor) brings Persona 5 Strikers to mind, while the Tactics executable by the bodyguard unit reminisce me of Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War. To sum it all up, Omega Force is looking back at its prior projects and cramming their unique features into this major game project.
In addition, I am also impressed with the optimization of the game's presentation and performance stability. I have played the Dynasty Warriors Origins demo on the regular PS5 and a PC nearing the recommended specs, and I managed to see a stable 60 fps frame rate on both platforms with barely any drops even during the climactic massive army clashes. And speaking about the large armies, the march towards the climactic battle is being presented in a breathtaking way that completely suits the war situation. The game can also support even higher frame rates on the PS5 Pro and state-of-the-art PCs.
The only other concern I still have besides the character roster is the availability of language options on the PS5 version, though. While the PC and Xbox versions look set to include every supported language in a single build, the PlayStation 5 release appears to have the Chinese language options split from the rest. This might hamper people who can only play on the console from enjoying the game with English subtitles and region-accurate Chinese voiceovers.
The Dynasty Warriors Origins demo is immediately available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. Koei Tecmo will release the full game simultaneously worldwide on January 17, 2025.
The post Dynasty Warriors Origins Demo Promises Overhauled Actions appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, November 29, 2024 5:00 PM
Meta Quest Japan has announced that it will hold a physical VR exhibition featuring the Gundam franchise. The event, titled "The Gundam Is Too Close," will be held in Tokyo throughout the 2024-2025 Winter season.
This event will have a specific focus on Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom. The VR movie has been available for purchase with additional MR (mixed reality) minigames since October 3, 2024.
The venue will let people experience a portion of the title with the Meta Quest 3S. In addition, there will also be an MR Gallery mode where visitors can view virtual exhibits of characters and mobile suits that appeared in Silver Phantom. However, the organizers will only allow people aged at least 10 to use the headsets.
Meta had previously launched another physical VR event that features Gundam: Silver Phantom at Shibuya Tsutaya. While this event is slated to return on December 10-21, 2024, it also includes titles from other franchises like Batman: Arkham Shadow and Square Enix's Triangle Strategy. The newly announced event will have an exclusive focus on Gundam: Silver Phantom.
Meta Quest's "The Gundam Is Too Close" Exhibition will take place at Tokyo Dome City on weekends and holidays from December 14, 2024, until February 24, 2025.
The post Meta Quest Will Hold Gundam VR Event Physically in Tokyo appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, November 29, 2024 4:00 PM
Good Smile Company has opened global pre-orders for its upcoming figma of 2B from the anime adaptation of NieR Automata. After previously appearing as an unpainted prototype in June 2024, it has made the action figure available to order on its North American and Japanese international web stores at $79.99 / ¥12,800.
The non-scale action figure will have an overall height of around 16 cm (6.30 in). The set will come with the Virtuous Contract and Virtuous Treaty weapons, as well as Pod 042 and a holdable black box.
The package will also include a total of four interchangeable face parts. Two of them will feature 2B's eyes closed by the goggles, and the other two will show her full face. However, one of the latter will depict 2B in an infected state with her eyes turning red.
Here are some of the sample images for the upcoming 2B figma:
Good Smile Company will close the pre-order period for the figma of 2B from the NieR Automata Ver1.1a anime on January 15, 2025. The company will start shipping the finished action figures from Japan in October 2025 and North America in Q1 2026.
The post NieR Automata 2B Figma Pre-Orders Open Worldwide appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, November 29, 2024 3:00 PM
Blaze Entertainment continues to support its Evercade ecosystem of devices with new cartridges, supplementing the library of licensed retro games with even more weirdness! We've been able to check out the 10 latest releases, so we can let you know what's worth checking out and why!
The heavy hitters: Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain
Tomb Raider has served as Blaze's cornerstone release of the year, with the collection of three PS1 games included in the bundles for both the EXP-R and VS-R hardware revisions. Lara Croft might be the most recognizable mascot character it could hope to license, and even the earliest games in the franchise are more sweeping adventures than have been available in the Evercade's quick-fun-focused selection. (It also probably didn't hurt that Tomb Raider began its life at British studio Core Design; Blaze has shown a lot of love for its home.)
Blaze connected with Crystal Dynamics a second time, too, licensing Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver for a dual-pack. Of all five of these games, action-platformer Soul Reaver definitely holds up best for first-time players. The late-'90s theming that tries a bit too hard aside, the traversal and combat controls work totally fine today and it's worth a play for Evercade owners! These two releases are the start of the "Giga Cart" line for the company. Essentially, these are cartridges with a slight price bump in exchange for higher storage capacity. That seems fine with us! Though we're sure these games weren't the cheapest to license either, and maybe that helps bring more publishers to the platform.
Japanese publishers redux: Sunsoft and Data East Collections
Sunsoft Collection 2 arguably bests the first release's lineup, starring NES platformer Ufouria: The Saga and Game Boy Color gem Blaster Master: Enemy Below. It even throws in some Evercade-signature weirdos, like head-to-head fighter Galaxy Fight and surprisingly compelling Game Boy puzzler Pri Pri Primitive Princess!, which in aggregate we think outweighs the first's Mr. Gimmick.
We spent a lot of time playing Ufouria on this collection — it's a great game — and were reminded how PAL games can cause some display issues due to their different resolution. As it stands, they're stretched wider than they should be, and we wish there were a display option to force 4-by-3 and remedy this. Seems doable in a firmware update, right, Blaze?
Data East Arcade 2 offers a handful of fun Tate Mode options, as well as some great co-op beat-'em-ups. Edward Randy is a blast with unlimited credits, and stars an action hero that definitely isn't Indiana Jones and why would you even bring that up? Trio The Punch brings a different sort of feel to the genre, with lots of super-short levels. Joe & Mac Returns tries a single-screen take on the caveman game, and can be fun to work through with a friend.
We have games at home: Piko Collection 4
Piko Interactive has embraced its niche of picking up licenses for games that feel like store-brand takes on big releases. But on Evercade, where their first-party siblings are likely never going to appear? That's kind of appealing. Without Mario Kart, you may actually want to play Street Racer. Without a big-name puzzler, it doesn't hurt to have Mermaids of Atlantis on the menu. Star X may be missing that F and O you'd want in the title, but it's as close as you're going to get here.
The centerpiece of this cart is Glover. We have a soft spot for the N64 platformer, and this version got a bit of development attention to make sure it works okay on the Evercade. It's definitely a game that you want to play on the VS with a third-party controller so you can use an analog stick, but thankfully the system supports that through an in-beta menu option.
Tate Mode showcases: Toaplan Arcade 3 and 4
One of the coolest features of the Evercade EXP handhelds is the Tate Mode toggle, allowing you to play games vertically on the display. So it's good to see some more Toaplan collections with a bunch of Tate Mode-friendly options. There are, of course, shooters — Batsugun, Truxton II, Dogyuun and more — but we're particularly interested in games that use a vertical display and still offer genre variety.
Ghox is a take on the Breakout formula, with the sort of flash and intensity you'd expect from a developer that usually makes shooters. There are tons of collectibles falling at you, and it even starts with two balls to juggle by default! There are also Out Zone and FixEight, which are arguably still vertically scrolling shooters but on foot rather than flying around. This subgenre, perhaps most popularized by Pocky & Rocky or Shock Troopers, offers its own sort of fun and the ability to control the pace a bit more.
Old computer weirdness: Thalamus and Bitmap Brothers Collections
The selection in the Evercade library has always been tinted by the company's UK origins, and nothing makes that clearer than the wide array of old computer game representation. Thalamus Collection 1 includes 11 Commodore 64 games from the late 1980s and 1990s. In our experience, the C64 library is a sort of "you had to be there" experience, with "there" meaning "Europe in the 1980s," and it's not the easiest to encounter for the first time today. Still, we did have some fun with action-shooter Retrograde.
The Bitmap Brothers Collection 2 offers a selection of Amiga games, which are certainly also quirky but a bit more palatable to modern sensibilities. The Cadaver games are isometric adventure games that take a bit of time to learn to control, but they're charming. The Chaos Engine 2 is the top of the bunch for us, a top-down action game designed for co-op. And platformer Gods is worth it for the title screen music alone. Added to the collection, perhaps confusingly given the cart's blue-line categorization, is a console game! The PlayStation port of real-time strategy game Z also makes the cut after missing out on the first, red-line compilation.
New-retro showpieces: Metal Dragon / Life on Mars
We're on record saying that the greatest value of the Evercade is in giving modern retrogames accessible cartridge releases, so we're happy to see that continue with the latest dual-pack. Metal Dragon is an '80s-inspired run-and-gun game that unfortunately makes the number-one mistake in games: falsely thinking it's extremely funny. We wanted to enjoy its action levels and modern approach to controls, but its writing — a Metal Gear spoof seemingly penned by an "edgy" teen boy in detention — is pretty much insufferable.
Life on Mars fares significantly better, thankfully. It's a Metroid-style exploration platformer, set on a Martian base where all the robots are attacking you as you land to re-establish communications and find out what happened. We wish the controls were a bit tighter — jumping in tight spaces can be particularly irritating — but there's enjoyment to be found here.
Most of these Evercade cartridges are available now. The Metal Dragon/Life on Mars dual pack and Toaplan Arcade 4 are slated for release in December 2024. For more of Siliconera's Evercade coverage, check out our archive.
The post The Best Evercade Cartridges of 2024 appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, November 29, 2024 2:00 PM
A new recruitment event established in 2024 in Japan has been focused on Japanese game companies, and it will make its return in December 2024. The Japanese news outlets Game*Spark and 4Gamer will hold the second Career Quest event on December 22, 2024.
The event will take place in multiple timeframes throughout the day in the Japanese time zone. The first session will run from 10 AM until 1:30 PM. A special event that runs for an hour will separate it from the second session, which will run until the whole event ends at 6 PM.
Here is the full list of companies that will participate in this event, along with their notable game series:
Game*Spark and 4Gamer held the first event at Akihabara UDX on June 30, 2024. Capcom, Sega, Bandai Namco, and Square Enix were present at the first iteration. Colopl and Marvelous will make their debut in the upcoming second event. As a side note, the official webpage will eventually publish interviews with staff members from Aiming, Koei Tecmo, Konami, and Wright Flyer Studios.
The second Career Quest event will take place at Tokyo Big Sight on Sunday, December 22, 2024.
The post Career Quest Will Highlight Japanese Game Industry Recruitments appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, November 29, 2024 1:00 PM
Bandai Namco has published more details on the Hatsune Miku concerts that will take place inside the Gundam Metaverse. People in Japan and the US will be able to enter the Metaverse in early December 2024 to watch the Vocaloid's concerts.
The first concert will run at the live venue area on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at 3 AM PST. The final time people can catch the concert will be on Sunday, December 8, 2024, at 8 PM PST. Bandai Namco will also frequently replay the concert in between those times.
The concert's set list will feature a total of four songs. Hatsune Miku will perform covers of "Tobe! Gundam" (Fly! Gundam) and "Flying in the Sky," which are the respective opening themes for the 1979 show Mobile Suit Gundam and the 1994 entry Mobile Fighter G Gundam. The Vocaloid will also bring two of her own signature songs: "Senbonzakura" by KuroUsa-P and Supercell's "The World is Mine."
The Hatsune Miku concerts will take place inside the Gundam Metaverse 3rd limited-time opening, which will be available via PC browsers in Japan and the US from 6 PM on December 4, 2024, until 10 PM on December 8, 2024, in the Pacific time zone.
The post Hatsune Miku Gundam Metaverse Concert Schedule Published appeared first on Siliconera. |
TGN – Tabletop Gaming News Friday, November 29, 2024 2:58 PM Free TTRPG Resources Free Miniature Game Resources Free Board Game Resources |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, November 29, 2024 7:27 PM Orignially announced last year. The post Project Mugen Gets New Teaser Trailer, Officially Titled Ananta appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, November 29, 2024 7:10 PM Revealed in a recent interview. The post The Witcher 4 Will Reportedly Be Bigger Than The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, November 29, 2024 6:21 PM Lies of P launched on September 19, 2023. The post Lies of P DLC Release Window Officially Announced appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, November 29, 2024 6:00 PM According to prominent Mortal Kombat 1 leaker, FateUnknown on Reddit, NetherRealm Studios has cancelled future DLC plans and a third Kombat Pack for Mortal Kombat 1. According to the leaker, this is due to low sales of the game's expansion Khaos Reigns. Additionally, it is possible that a "kameo or two" that were already being […] The post Future Mortal Kombat 1 DLC Allegedly Cancelled appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |