GamersHeroes Friday, January 31, 2025 7:40 PM The team at Akatsuki Games Inc, together with Too Kyo Games, have announced that the "TRIBE NINE Ver 1.0 Release Preview Showcase—Enter Neo Tokyo" will make its debut on February 7 at 10pm PT. The post Extreme Action RPG TRIBE NINE Showcase Happening February 7 at 10pm PT appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Friday, January 31, 2025 4:34 PM The team at Digital Extremes announced that Warframe: 1999's follow-up update, Techrot Encore, is set to release this March on all platforms. The post Warframe: 1999 Techrot Encore Update Coming This March appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Friday, January 31, 2025 1:50 PM Inspired by classic horizontal shmups like Lords of Thunder, Elemental Master, and the Thunderforce series, learn more about Mega Cat Studios' ZPF with the latest lore trailer for the title. The post ZPF Lore Trailer Released appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
Kotaku Friday, January 31, 2025 5:00 PM  Oh hey, it's another weekend. Hopefully that means you have some time off from work, the chaos of the 21st century, or other annoying responsibilities and realities. And what better way to escape from that stuff than by jumping into the beautiful interactive art form that most of us refer to as video games? |
Kotaku Friday, January 31, 2025 4:44 PM  The creative design lead and lead writer of 2010's Fallout: New Vegashas returned to the studio that made it. John Gonzalez announced he's rejoined Obsidian Entertainment as creative director, just as the Xbox studio prepares for its biggest year yet with the launch of fantasy RPG Avowed and New Vegas spiritual… |
Kotaku Friday, January 31, 2025 4:05 PM  For decades, a war has been raging online and in stores. A fight between massive corporations trying to sell you plastic boxes that play games and their weirdly dedicated supporters. The fight was always silly, but very real and expensive, involving massive companies spending hundreds of millions of dollars on… |
Kotaku Friday, January 31, 2025 3:57 PM  Overwatch 2 has what Blizzard calls "groundbreaking changes" on the way next month, but before that, it has a smaller, welcome one in the pipeline. Clash, introduced in season 12, is Overwatch 2's newest game mode. As director Aaron Keller describes it, the mode was inspired by the original hero shooter's two-point… |
Kotaku Friday, January 31, 2025 2:50 PM  What's left of BioWare, the renowned RPG powerhouse behind beloved franchises like Dragon Age, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and the original Baldur's Gate games? It's a hard question to answer in 2025 after multiple rounds of layoffs and restructurings as the studio pivots between the character-driven… |
Kotaku Friday, January 31, 2025 2:15 PM  Sniper Elite: Resistance features a heavy focus on stealth, deadly sniper killshots, and brutal takedowns. Perfect for those who love stealth and the thrill of landing the perfect shot. But, uh, you can also earn a trophy or achievement for finding a gnome and snapping a picture of it—and it's pretty unlikely that… |
Kotaku Friday, January 31, 2025 2:10 PM  Netflix is known for just dropping hundreds of hours of movies and TV at a moment's notice, almost daring you to test your limits of unproductivity to finish it all. This week, it did a version of that by laying out its slate of 2025 films set to be released. Out of the dozens of movies that range from the lowlights… |
Kotaku Friday, January 31, 2025 1:25 PM  Unsurprisingly, Sniper Elite: Resistance features the franchise's famous X-Ray killcam feature, which slows down time to show bullets entering a soldier's body. Sometimes, you may even hit an organ for some extra gruesome visuals. If you're wondering how many organs are in the game and how to hit them all to snag the… |
Kotaku Friday, January 31, 2025 1:15 PM  On January 30, Microsoft nonchalantly announced that later this year open-world racing sim Forza Horizon 5 would make the leap to PlayStation 5. That might not mean much to some, but for Xbox's biggest fans, it marks the beginning of the end of an era that truthfully wrapped up years ago. |
Kotaku Friday, January 31, 2025 1:05 PM  From early previews, it's taking most people approximately 60 to 70 hours to complete Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. The game features two massive maps, one bigger than the other, an extensive skill system, a branching storyline with choices and consequences, and some of the most harrowing melee combat in the RPG genre.… |
PCGamesN Friday, January 31, 2025 7:34 PM  There have been plenty of exciting nostalgia hits in recent years, but few have been greeted with as much joy (among PC players, especially) as The Sims and The Sims 2 being re-released today as part of the series' 25th birthday. The Legacy Collection versions of these two iconic life sim games come stuffed with almost all of their respective expansion packs and a few small enhancements for modern setups and systems - but these are not full remakes or remasters. And that's disappointing some Sims fans. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best life games, The Sims 1 cheats, Best simulation games |
PCGamesN Friday, January 31, 2025 6:23 PM  It's almost time for Civilization 7 to arrive, and even though it's bringing some significant shakeups, it's on course to be 2025's biggest new strategy game. While series veterans are naturally going to be locked into Civ 7 from minute one, for many players it will also be their first ever Civilization experience - at least, that's what Firaxis and Take-Two's money men hope. If that sounds like you (or someone you know), here's the perfect way to warm up for Civilization 7 for just three dollars - grab a heavily discounted copy of Civilization 6 through Fanatical. |
PCGamesN Friday, January 31, 2025 5:28 PM  After spending well over a decade writing for other game studios and projects, the lead writer for the timeless RPG Fallout New Vegas is back at Obsidian. While that's excellent news for whatever project the studio is cooking up next, I've got some less-excellent news to share too - Fallout New Vegas 2 seems to be off the cards. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Fallout New Vegas mods, Fallout 5 release date, Best RPG games |
PCGamesN Friday, January 31, 2025 2:21 PM  Millions of people play Ultimate Team each year in EA FC (and previously FIFA), and pretty much all of them will lose their minds at least once over an opponent quitting while the game is level and not receiving the win. Sure, the game could've gone either way, but if your opponent forfeits in a real game of soccer, you will be the one walking away with a W. Players have begged for years for EA Sports to change its stance on this, and now it's finally happening. The next FC 25 update is going to award a win if your FUT opponent leaves while drawing. Let the celebrations commence. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: EA FC 25 review, All EA FC 25 heroes, EA FC 25 custom tactics codes |
Siliconera Friday, January 31, 2025 8:00 PM
Tokyo Marui announced the rerelease of the Vorpal Bunny gun replica, the signature weapon of Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online protagonist LLENN. The replica costs 32,780 yen (or about $ 211.20) and is now available for purchase in Japan. [Thanks, Hobby Watch!]
The replica in question is a faithful reproduction of the fictional AM45 gun that appears in Gun Gale Online in the world of SAO. LLENN's version of the airsoft replica is similar to the regular model with the distinction of having a complete neon pink finish, with a white accent on the left side, as well as the trigger, hammer, and other minor details retaining its original black finish.
Additionally, the Vorpal Bunny nickname of the gun is etched on the left side of the slide, next to the AM45 model name. The airsoft pistol's magazine can hold 18 rounds plus one on the chamber. The replica comes with one magazine, and more magazines can be purchased separately for 4,165 yen (~$26.84.)
You can take a look at the replica of the Vorpal Bunny gun from the Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online anime series in more detail here:
Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online has two anime seasons. The latest one aired between October 5 and December 21, 2024, and both are available on various streaming services.
The post Sword Art Online GGO LLENN Vorpal Bunny Gun Replica Returning appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 31, 2025 7:30 PM
Fruit company Dole announced a new collaboration with the popular Bananya Around the World anime series. The new collaboration aims to promote bananas in Japan as well as the daily habit of eating 2 bananas, or "Banakatsu" as Dole calls it.
As part of the collaboration, Dole will start displaying educational posters depicting the ripening process of bananas while featuring Bananya characters, with the green fruits showcasing younger cats and the ripe fruits represented by the adult Bananya. These posters will appear in supermarkets across Japan
Additionally, the Dole Japan X (formerly Twitter) official account will hold a Bananya campaign between January 31 and February 13, 2025 where participants can win collaboration goods featuring characters from the show. To participate it is required to follow the Dole account as well as the Bananya anime account and repost the campaign post.
You can check out the aforementioned poster and the collaboration goods here:
The Bananya Around the World anime series, focuses around the Bananya, a new species of small cats living inside bananas and the adventures they go about in their daily lives. One particular characteristic of the Bananya is that the part of the cats wrapped in the banana peel has never been seen before.
The Bananya Around the World anime has 3 seasons and is available for streaming on Crunchyroll.
The post Bananya Teams up With Dole for Most Appropriate Collab appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 31, 2025 7:00 PM
Zombie Land Saga will be appearing on the big screen with the movie Yumeginga Paradise. It'll come out in 2025, though there aren't any further details about the release window.
You can watch the trailer for the Zombie Land Saga: Yumeginga Paradise (which literally translates to Dream Galaxy Paradise) movie here:
It starts with a quick recap of how protagonist Sakura died at the beginning of the show. Then, it shows her and the rest of Franchouchou's career as they worked to become top idols with manager Kotaro's help. We don't see any new footage in the trailer, as MAPPA is likely still working on it.
Zombie Land Saga came out in 2018, produced by MAPPA, Avex Pictures, and Cygames. It stars an aspiring idol and high schooler, Sakura Minamoto, who dies one morning after a truck hits her. Ten years later, a man named Kotaro Tatsumi brings Sakura, along with six other "legendary" girls, to have them form an all-zombie idol group and revitalize the Saga Prefecture. Though it's an idol anime, it has elements of horror and comedy. Critics and fans also praised the depiction of Lily Hoshikawa, as well as her character arc.
Zombie Land Saga: Yumeginga Paradise will air in Japan in 2025. You can watch the show on streaming services like Crunchyroll.
The post Zombie Land Saga Movie to Air in 2025 appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 31, 2025 6:30 PM
NTT Solmare announced Fantome Rapport, an adventure game that's a combination of romance, horror, and mystery. You can play it in your browser, as well as keep up with the main story via YouTube. [Thanks, PR Times!]
In Fantome Rapport, you play as a man who was lost at sea without his memories. However, a phantom ship full of mysterious women rescue you. As they continue their journey, with you now onboard, you can deepen your relationships with these girls as you solve the puzzle of your new vessel. The story concept focuses on how one's emotions and psychology may change around others when in an enclosed space.
Excluding the protagonist, there are six human characters. Only three of them—Galatea, Manan, and Ageha—are romanceable, though. Here is the voice cast for everyone:
As mentioned earlier, there are two parts to the game if you want the full experience. You can watch the main story (from the first chapter to the final one) on YouTube, with updates every Friday. Then, you can go to the browser game from the Fantome Rapport homepage and interact with Galatea, Manan, or Ageha. If you didn't watch the YouTube video, you can still get a feel of the main story in the visual novel segment, and if you did watch the video, you can just skip it.
The game will give you the full story, let you solve puzzles, and show all illustrations without any censorship. While you won't get to hear all the dialogue voiced, there will be some short sound bites and such, like in your average visual novel. The protagonist will not have any voiced lines in the game. The videos will give you the full story, complete with every line voiced. However, you can't actually "play" anything and there may be some adjustments to illustrations or presentation.
Fantome Rapport is available on your web browser, and you can watch the main story segments on YouTube.
The post Fantôme Rapport Is a Dating Sim You Can Also Watch on YouTube appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 31, 2025 6:00 PM
Anycolor announced that Nijisanji VTuber Seto Miyako will graduate. Her final day will be on March 4, 2025.
The full announcement is on its official X (formerly Twitter) account. It thanks everyone for all their support for Miyako, as well as giving a summary of Miyako's activities since she debuted in 2019. It then thanks her for everything she did during her time as a VTuber. Most of her YouTube, Twitter, and fan club will go private on March 4, 2025, and Anycolor will phase out her merchandise as well. You'll have until March 31, 2025. Anycolor also asks that you reach out to them for comments or questions, and not ask any of the talents about the situation.
On her Twitter account, Miyako stated that as she's graduating from high school, she'll also graduate from Nijisanji. Considering she debuted in 2019 as a high schooler, this is likely a nod at her character lore rather than the real reason. In a later post, she says, "Wait, can I say one thing? 'She has a unique way of speaking and viewing the world'? What do they think of me?" in reference to how Anycolor described her on the announcement.
Seto Miyako debuted in 2019 as a high schooler in her third year, who also serves as the president of the photography club. She often participated in Apex tournaments, and in 2021, her team won the Crazy Raccoon Cup tournament. Anycolor also referenced this accomplishment in its graduation announcement. As of the time of writing, her YouTube channel has over 173,000 subscribers.
Seto Miyako will graduate from Nijisanji on March 4, 2025. As she was not a part of the upcoming NijiFes, her departure will not affect the event.
The post Seto Miyako to Graduate From Nijisanji appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 31, 2025 5:30 PM
Sony is currently looking for part-time QA game testers as well as QA localization testers for PlayStation Studios in Japan. The company will hire new part-time employees in two batches, with deadlines on February 3 and March 3, 2025.
Those hired among the current batch of applicants will start working on March 3, with people hired during the last batch starting on April 1, 2025. In addition to the aforementioned QA game tester and QA Japanese localization tester, PlayStation Studios is also accepting applications for QA game tester with reduced hours, and Linguistic Quality Assurance Coordinator.
QA game testers will be tasked with playing PlayStation Studios games and compiling reports on any possible flaws or errors found, by following a checklist. This position focuses on games made in Japan, and the listing notes titles such as Gran Turismo, Death Stranding, and Astro's Playroom as examples of games tested in the past.
Meanwhile, the QA Japanese localization testers will check the localized elements present in PlayStation Studios games to see if they match the setting of its original versions, and report in case of any discrepancies between the original game and its localized version. Some examples of games previously covered in this position include God of War, The Last of Use, Marvel's Spider-Man, and the Horizon series, among others.
In case you might have missed, Sony Group Corporation recently announced a restructuring and Hideaki Nishino will be the new president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, with Hiroki Totoki appointed the new CEO of Sony Group Corporation.
The post Sony Looking for PlayStation QA Game Testers in Japan appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 31, 2025 5:00 PM
Multiple Bishoujo figure updates appeared at Kotobukiya Collection 2025, and one is a Monster High Draculaura one based on the doll. There's no release window yet, but the latest reveal offered a first look at a prototype.
As this is still early in development, the figure is rather rudimentary at the moment. The prototype is unpainted, of course, with the only detailed elements being on her face. No transparent parts appear just yet, but the designer comments on the official site did mention there will be different elements in the final product. Specifically, it mentioned see-through sleeves and the same lacy net on the skirt of the figure as there is on the actual doll. References to accessories also came up during that commentary, but none appeared in the official photo.
To help offer additional context, here's a closer look at how the original concept art for the Monster High Bishoujo Draculaura figure looked compared to the prototype figure. When finished, it will be a 1/7 scale model.
It isn't uncommon for Kotobukiya to create Bishoujo figure versions of iconic toys. Multiple characters in the Transformersline are a part of the collection. Many My Little Ponyfigures appeared too. Princess Cadence and Queen Chrysalis ones showed up at this event.
The Bishoujo Monster High Draculaura figure is in development, and different variations the Mattel doll is widely available in stores now.
The post Bishoujo Draculaura Figure Based on Monster High Doll appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 31, 2025 4:30 PM
The many Kotobukiya Collection 2025 event announcements included an update on some Metaphor: ReFantazio figure designs for Gallica, Juani "Junah" Cygnus, and Eiselin Burchelli Meijal Hulkenberg. No release windows are available for any of them yet. However, the Gallica one is the furthest along in development. This means we could see pre-orders open for her in the next few weeks or months.
The Gallica and Hulkenberg Metaphor: ReFantazio figure announcements first showed up back in June 2024. At the time, concept art for both appeared. While Gallica's finished figure looked pretty much identical, it seems like the pose for Hulkenberg's is slightly different. The Junah one came up in October 2024.
Two of the three figures appeared as unpainted prototypes this time. However, the Gallica one is painted this time around. The unpainted example appeared back in September 2024 for the first time. Both Hulkenberg and Junah are unpainted at the moment.
Here's how all three are looking so far. We don't know what the bases could look like for Hulkenberg and Junah yet, but the one for Gallica already appeared below.
As a reminder, Metaphor: ReFantazio isn't just a game now. It's also a manga. The first chapter debuted on January 20, 2025 worldwide, and the next one launches on February 19, 2025.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is out on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC worldwide.
The post Metaphor: ReFantazio Figure Update Shows Gallica, Junah, Hulkenberg appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 31, 2025 4:00 PM
Kotobukiya issued a series of updates on its Unicorn Overlord figures at its Kotobukiya Collection 2025 event, and it included an announcement of a Melisandre one. Others that appeared in various states of development were Yahna, Rosalinde, Eltolinde, and Scarlett. No release dates were shared for any of them.
Melisandre is the Unicorn Overlord figure that is earliest in development. As such, there wasn't even merchandise to show yet. Instead, Kotobukiya shared concept art for how she'll look when it is released.
Here's the preliminary art for her from Kotobukiya Collection 2025:
The state of the other figures varies. Two appear to practically be ready for pre-orders to open, while we probably will see the other two show up at another event. The Yahna and Rosalinde ones were both revealed at the end of 2024. While they initially only showed up as concept art like Melisandre, now both are at the unpainted prototypes stage. Both Scarlett and Eltolinde were revealed earlier in 2024, and as such are both already showing up as painted figures.
Here's how all of those look so far:
Since the Eltolinde and Scarlett ones are so far along, we'll likely see an update on them in the next few weeks. Depending on production updates, it is possible both of them will appear before 2025 ends. Given the state of the Melisandre one, we might not end up seeing a prototype of some kind until the end of the year.
Unicorn Overlord is available for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X, and the Melisandre, Yahna, Rosalinde, Eltolinde, and Scarlett figures are in development.
The post Unicorn Overlord Kotobukiya Figures Update Includes Melisandre appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 31, 2025 3:30 PM
Good Smile Company opened global pre-orders for a new figure modeled after Magician's Valkyria from the Yu-Gi-Oh series. The figure is available to order worldwide via the company's Japanese international web store at ¥28,500. People residing in the U.S. and Canada can alternatively head to Good Smile Online Shop U.S., where the same figure is available at $168.99.
The 1/7 scale figure will have an overall height of around 27 cm (10.63 in), which is measured from the base to the character's hat. The upper half of the character's pose—including those for her hands—will take direct inspiration from her card art. The lower half will, however, have a different pose. The figure's overall balance will also be delicately designed, as only the tip of her right boot will be connected to the base.
Here are some of the sample images for the upcoming figure:
Magician's Valkyria will join the ever-growing list of humanoid characters from Yu-Gi-Oh's monster cards that have been made into figures. Prior examples in the list include Hiita the Fire Charmer, Dark Magician Girl, and I:P Masquerena.
The Yu-Gi-Oh Magician's Valkyria figure will be available to ship worldwide from Japan in January 2026 and in North America from the U.S. in Q2 2026. Good Smile Company will close the pre-order window on March 19, 2025.
The post Yu-Gi-Oh Magician's Valkyria Figure Will Arrive in 2026 appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 31, 2025 3:00 PM
I have long been interested in Synduality: Echo of Ada ever since Bandai Namco first revealed it around the 2022 Tokyo Game Show. The premise of exploring a world inside a mech while being accompanied by a customizable waifu (or husbando) sounds very appealing to me. However, I ended up having to readjust my expectations after learning that the title would appear as an online-exclusive game.
The general gist of this game's flow is that you are a Drifter who has to gather materials while piloting a mech unit called Cradle Coffin on the ground. You will also be accompanied by an AI consort called Magus, whose appearance you can customize to your liking.
When you just start the game, you will get to create your first Magus. While you can adjust their face details and body part lengths with sliders, I noticed that dragging the bars with a mouse lets me adjust with closer precision compared to a gamepad.
One of the most important items to gather during your outings will be the AO (Amorphous Orange) Crystals, which you will sell to earn money. These crystals are originally from outcrops that occasionally spawn at specific locations. But drilling through the outcrops to break them will take some time, and it will also generate noise that attracts monsters called Enders that attack any Cradle they come across.
The world of Synduality also has toxic rain that is hazardous to humans and their Cradles, the latter of which will have actual damage after the weather resistance layer is already depleted. The same rain will temporarily strengthen the Enders as well. However, it will also increase the grade of the harvestable AO Crystals, which generate more money when sold. And as some of the late-game missions will require you to get high-grade crystals, it will gradually force you to take higher risks for not only better rewards but also further progressions.
Your Magus will play a lot of roles during your exploration sessions. Besides scanning containers for important items, they can detect any Ender or Cradle from a distance. And for the latter, they can also determine whether they are hostile bandits and bounty targets or potential friendlies.
I said "potential" just now because, as the game's tutorials taught us, we are supposed not to blindly trust every player on the field. While some players can invite you to form a co-op party, several others may threaten you to surrender your loot to them.
There are even some players who are striving to join the dark side and become a bounty target by deliberately destroying another player's unit. This is partially because there is an entirely different mission line by joining the dark side. However, they must clear the first few missions in a map specifically geared to host fellow trigger-happy players before they can return to the initial map as a real menace.
Although from what I've seen on the public leaderboards, I find it a bit weird that there is a value ceiling for the bounty target players (600,000 as of the launch season) while there is none for the bounty-hunting members of the Association. On one side, I do acknowledge the need to balance the bounty values when they are destroyed. But on the other, I feel like there should be another way to properly show the bounty targets' rankings outside of the aforementioned values.
After gathering enough items, you must head toward an available Return Elevator to retain both your Cradle and loot. If your Cradle is destroyed before you can return, you will lose not only all the loot but also your unit parts. However, you can purchase insurance for your Cradle's parts and weapons so that you can claim some funds as compensation when you lose them in the following session.
Once you have made a successful, safe return, your Magus will give you a debriefing rundown of your activities in the last session. Other than showing the routes and items taken, it also reveals details on the bandits and other players you have encountered. This feature looked cool the first few times, but it ended up feeling tedious after a long while due to the repetitive lines, especially the ones for first-time discoveries. So I eventually just opted to fast-forward or sometimes even skip the scene altogether.
The first-time encounters I mentioned just now, however, will be actually important for subsequent outings. Your Magus will record the sightings in their database. The next time you open your map, you can check the locations of the items that become relevant to your newer missions, and you can even place your own Objective Point marker to set a waypoint towards those locations.
My gripe with this feature, though, is that I can only check the map during a sortie. Even though the Magus will put you at a starting point where you can accomplish your mission objectives more easily, I would've preferred more if I could study the map and the recorded locations at a calmer place like the Base so that I could plan my routes better.
Speaking of the player's Base, it is shaping up to be one of the biggest motivations in this game. You initially start with a run-down building, but you can gradually renovate it with the materials you have collected from your sorties.
Renovating the Base's foundations and upgrading its facilities will bring many improvements to the gameplay experience. You can get not only feature improvements like larger inventory limits, daily bonuses, and cheaper repair costs. You can also notice how your Magus interacts in a more leisurely manner with all the high-quality facilities.
After completing several missions in the online mode, you can unlock a new line of missions issued by the Amasia Collapse Investigation Committee. These are single-player missions that will differ in a big way from the primary extraction shooter mode, as they will pit you in unique maps with a fixed gear loadout. That means you will have to complete the missions by precisely utilizing the limited amount of ammunition and items that can also drop from destroyed enemies.
Instead of AO Crystals, the scan mode in these missions will let you locate record logs which, if successfully obtained, will let you watch audio and/or video records of past events that also help explain the game's world setting. The exclusive and limited resources given in these solo missions make them even more challenging, though I hope there could be a mode in the missions where we can bring our own loadouts from the main mode.
One particular thing I noticed with Synduality: Echo of Ada is that the game has very demanding requirements for playing with maximum graphics settings. Even on a regular (non-Pro) PS5, the "Prioritize Graphics" option will make it unable to maintain a decent frame rate. That means those who play on the older console will have to settle with "Prioritize Performance," although I didn't notice any significant graphical downgrades in the console.
I also managed to join the open network test on PC back then, but my now-substandard i9-10900 processor also struggled with "Prioritize Graphics," so I had to choose the performance option, which also ended up making the Magus model look very blurry. The full release thankfully has more detailed graphical settings, so I can set the model detail setting to High while retaining other options to maintain a somewhat more stable frame rate.
One thing that might draw away the more casual players other than the loot and gear perma-loss, though, is that since Synduality: Echo of Ada is being made as an online-exclusive live service game, it has daily and weekly missions which, when completed, will contribute more experience points than most regular outings. These points will be gathered to unlock exclusive level rewards in the Drifter Pass, which will be reset when a season has run its course for about three months.
This game also has a premium currency called Syn Coins, which are mostly obtained through microtransactions. But even though the game has a Shop menu, it does not have any Gacha or Lootbox purchases.
A majority of the entries in the menu consist of access to additional Magus and sets of outfits and accessories for them, so most of them are only for Magus cosmetics. Other than that, you can also spend the Syn Coins to purchase level boosts for the Drifter Pass, which also include the Deluxe and Ultimate Drifter Passes with additional exclusive bonuses.
But even though you can have multiple Magi in your roster, I find it rather odd that we cannot make them interact with each other. Only the Magus you have selected as your current main partner appears in all the main menu scenes, and the rest are nowhere to be seen at all. I understand some players want to focus on their primary waifu or husbando, but I think it wouldn't hurt at all if there is an option toggle to enable interactions between multiple Magi.
The other thing I find very lackluster as of the game's launch pertains to the color customization. The only things with changeable colors here are the Magus' hair, skin, and facial features like eyes and lips. Despite having an abundance of outfits and accessories, none of the wardrobe items are colorable, so it ends up limiting the fashion sense.
But the one thing I find the most disappointing from my playthrough of the game is the complete lack of opportunities to customize and take great care of the Cradle Coffins. There is already the inability to color the mech parts, just like the aforementioned Magus wardrobes. And there are also the exclusive stat buffs that only apply when all parts of the Cradle come from the same series.
However, the development team is somehow trying to inject some realism more than necessary by making the mech parts and weapons eventually wear out beyond any further possible repairs, and your only plausible options at that time would be to either sell them or insure and abandon them to recoup some funds. Coming off from games like Gundam Breaker, Megaton Musashi, and Front Mission, such a feature goes completely the opposite way from my expectations.
Synduality: Echo of Ada has the potential to become a fun mech-based exploration third-person shooter game with a waifu/husbando companion. But while I wanted to recommend it to my fellow mecha-loving friends, I really cannot at the moment due to the lack of personalization features in that aspect. On the contrary, the spotlight is more focused on customization for the humanoid Magus consort so that you can watch your ideal AI waifu or husbando interacting with you.
As Bandai Namco launched this title as a live service game, the company will regularly update it with new maps and features, which may or may not address the concerns I have written in this review. But at the same time, being a live service game with time-limited content means that players will have to commit a good portion of their time to this game. And I also feel more guarded than I should because I haven't even seen more assurance on features outside the single-player missions being retained when the game inevitably goes offline either.
Synduality: Echo of Ada is available worldwide on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
The post Review: Synduality Echo of Ada Has a Magus Focus at Launch appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 31, 2025 3:00 PM
Appearances can be deceiving, and Genso Manege is an otome game that is a prime example of it. While it involves a young woman working at a shining amusement park, magic, and colorful characters and environments, the backgrounds and storyline can sometimes get pretty dark! Everyone has an involved background, so much is going on, and there are serious moments, yet the aesthetic means there's still fantasy and hope present in any possibly grave times.
Emma is a young woman who ended up orphaned when her father died years ago. What exactly happened? She's not sure. She doesn't remember. However, he left behind a manege (merry-go-round) music box for her that she treasures. She's been living with her childhood friend Arnaud ever since and hiding the fact she's a witch, something feared and hunted down. She takes a chance and visits the La Foire du Reve amusement park that's in town after hearing about it, even though there are rumors about people dying en masse once it leaves.
It's after Emma visits that she learns the truth. Almost everyone working at Reve isn't just doing so for fun. They have to. They're trapped. A witch's spell bound everyone to the park. Because of an interaction Emma had with the manege at the park, the man in charge named Hugo realized she's a witch and could potentially set them all free. That is, if she trains and works at it. Her magic is unstable and unprepared. So she ends up working at the park in Genso Manege the hopes of breaking this spell, and naturally finding love with one of the otome game's love interests in the process.
Right from the outset, I loved the direction Genso Manege takes. What's happening in Reve is serious business, gilded in varying pastels. While characters might seem merry and bright when at work, like Crier, Hugo, and Lyon, there's more going on! The pacing is handled well, so secrets trickle out in satisfying ways. What's going on isn't blatant, so I even felt a bit surprised by some of the twists and turns in the routes. Also, while some characters do feel like they were designed to appeal to certain otome game love interest "types," like Arnaud, Crier, and Serge, I feel like the execution of their storylines and personalities helped them feel more unique than others of their ilk. I often find myself only really loving two or three routes in most dating sims, but this is one where I generally like everyone.
The art direction is also honestly amazing. The quality of the CGs is really lovely, so much so that it's one of those games where I didn't want to take too many screenshots for a review for fear I'd "spoil" it for anyone reading. The character designs all fit the storyline, time period, and feel right in place with everyone else, even given the nature of their experiences and how they ended up at Reve. It's ephemeral, in a way, and all feels very magical.
As much as I like it though, there is one thing that I feel holds Genso Manege back and keeps it from being an otome game I can read for hours. The UI isn't great! The text boxes are shades of purple, and the font is white with either dark purple shadows or outlines. Regardless of which one you choose, it can be quite difficult to read for extended periods of time! I wish there'd been an option to make it a solid, darker shade of purple, as the transparency option doesn't help even at its highest level. There are also a lot of times when you'll have a huge text box space that goes unused, and I almost felt like a slightly larger font might have helped.
Here are some examples, showing how the border and shadow font options look both with no transparency and fully transparent text boxes with some non-spoiler text.
Also, while the story is great, the "minigame" element isn't. There may be times when Emma is focusing and collecting her power. The first time this happens, it means tapping on the Switch touch screen to hit enough stars within enough time, then tapping "A" when a star outline overlaps with a star. It isn't fun and adds nothing to the experience. The visual novel elements here? Great! Anything else? Eh. It's fine and I'll go through it to keep going, but I'm not going to probably even remember there was a minigame element in here when I think back on it three to five years from now.
I really wish the UI in Genso Manege had been handled a bit differently, as it ended up being an otome game I both really enjoyed and couldn't often play for extended periods. Some minor adjustments would have made a big different in terms of readability. However, it is absolutely a wonderful story with charming characters in every route. Mages did a wonderful job with it, and I'm so glad it's a title PQube picked up.
Genso Manege will be available on the Nintendo Switch and PC on January 31, 2025.
The post Review: Genso Manege Is the Brightest Dark Otome Game appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 31, 2025 2:30 PM
HoYoVerse opened applications for testers to join the 8.1 Honkai Impact 3rd test server and confirmed it will feature a chance to use the new Kiana Kaslana Battlesuit. Ba-dum! Fiery Wishing Star will be available to everyone in February 2025.
The process of taking part should be familiar to anyone who's been playing the game for a while, as it is identical to past tests. First, open up the game. In the news section, there should be an announcement called "Recruiting v8.1 Testers." Open that, then fill out the survey you'll find mentioned there. HoYoVerse will then notify players who are selected to take part.
We don't know too much about the Ba-dum! Fiery Wishing Star Battlesuit for Kiana debuting in Honkai Impact 3rd just yet. It is an S-rank unit. This is also the first new Battlesuit for the character since Part 2 kicked off in February 2024.
The return of Kiana in Honkai Impact 3rd 8.1 marks the second reappearance of a Part 1 character in 2025. The first was Bianka "Durandal" Ataegina. She showed up in the 8.0 update that appeared in January 2025. That is also an S-rank unit.
Honkai Impact 3rd is available for PCs and mobile devices, and players can register for the 8.1 test server in-game now.
The post 8.1 Honkai Impact 3rd Test Server Features New Kiana Battlesuit appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 31, 2025 2:00 PM
Various Kirby Nendoroids will be returning to stores worldwide, Good Smile Company announced. The Kirby, Waddle Dee and Robobot Armor are all now open for pre-orders for another run in Japan and the US.
The three returning Kirby Nendoroids are available to pre-order now from either the Japanese store or via the US store. Kirby and Waddle Dee will cost 5,800 or $34.99 but the Robobot Kirby will be 7,500 or $56.99 due to its chunkier size. The Nendoroids are expected to ship in July 2025 from the Japanese store and Q4 2025 from the US store.
The Kirby Nendoroid features Nintendo's happy pink ball with a range of parts. These include smiling, serious, inhaling and puffed up facial expressions, as well as accessories representing the Sword and Fire Copy Abilities. A Star Rod is also included. Ordering from the Good Smile store will also grant you an extra Maxim Tomato accessory. The Waddle Dee Nendoroid also comes with four expressions, a spear, bandana and apple.
The Robobot Armor Nendoroid replicates the armor from Kirby: Planet Robobot. It's a poseable figure that features a slot to place the Kirby Nendoroid, along with a helmet piece. The Kirby Nendoroid is not included with the armor and will have to be purchased separately.
The returning Kirby Nendoroids are among many pieces of Kirby merchandise releasing at the moment. The last couple of months have seen a collaboration with Heinz to make Maxim Tomato Ketchup, a Star Rod that plays iconic Kirby music and chopstick holders featuring Kirby and Waddle Dee.
The Kirby, Waddle Dee and Robobot Nendoroids are returning to the Good Smile store and are available to pre-order now. They will be shipped in July 2025 from the Japanese store and Q4 2025 from the US store.
The post Kirby, Waddle Dee and Robobot Nendoroids Are Returning appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, January 31, 2025 1:30 PM
People who want to send Valentine's Day and White Day gifts to game characters and staff members of Koei Tecmo Games are still unable to do so in 2025. The company published a new tweet on its Japanese X account, which leads to a webpage noting that it still refuses gifts related to the special days due to safety considerations and the difficulty in sending responses.
Koei Tecmo Games used to accept Valentine's Day and White Day gifts for not only its staff members but also characters from its game franchises, especially those from Ruby Party's NeoRomance otome games like Angelique and Omega Force's mainline Warriors games like Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors. The company still accepted the gifts when its staff members moved to the newly completed office building in Yokohama's Minatomirai in 2020.
The company stopped accepting such gifts in 2021 due to the lockdowns and restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it still has yet to lift the restrictions in the following years. With Koei Tecmo now confirmed to close its gift receptions in 2025, it marks the fifth consecutive year the company has stayed with this policy.
Fans of Koei Tecmo's game characters will have to wait until 2026 or further when the company finally determines the situation is safe enough to start accepting Valentine's Day and White Day gifts again.
The post Koei Tecmo Isn't Accepting Valentine's Day Gifts for Characters Again appeared first on Siliconera. |
Destructoid Friday, January 31, 2025 6:56 PM
If you take a look around the Tomb map, you may have noticed several vases. Breaking them will unlock a classic Call of Duty Easter Egg, earning you a free Self Revive. Here's how to find all vases in BO6 Zombies.
Table of contents
Where to find all Vases in BO6 Zombies Tomb Free Self Revive Easter Egg
You can find and shoot 10 vases around the Tomb map, from the spawn point to the temple tunnels. Weapons like Assault Rifles or SMGs are needed for this quest, as some vases are far away. Let's break down all vase locations for the free Self Revive Tomb Easter Egg.
Dig Site Vase #1 location
At spawn, go to the right of the Dig Site to shoot one of the vases on top of the locked doorway. It'll be near coordinates B5.
Dig Site Vase #2 location
Go to the Rampage Inducer and look up to spot a vase on one of the scaffolding at A5 coordinates.
Dig Site Vase #3 location
Travel to the top of the Dig Site, next to the headless statue that's used for the Golden Armor Plates. To the statue's right, you'll see a vase carefully hidden on a structure at C5 coordinates.
Death Perception machine Vase location
After you've opened the doorway to the Tombs/Death Perception room, you can spot a vase on one of the bull paintings. It's the one on the right side at D4 coordinates.
Stamin-Up machine Vase location
While inside the Stamin-Up room (E3 coordinates), look up to the right to shoot a vase near the dome's ceiling.
Quick Revive machine Vase location
Progress through the Main Quest's Pack a Punch objective to enter the Subterranean Temple, aka the Quick Revive room. Shoot the vase to the left of the red doorway.
Quick Revive machine Vase #2 location
Another vase can be found in the Subterranean Temple. Look above to see a large opening in front of the red doorway. It can be slightly hard to see with the cave's terrain, so try to use an optic to get a better picture.
Quick Revive machine Vase #3 location
Walk over to the Quick Revive Perk machine and look to your left. You'll see a vase on top of the stone terrain at I4 coordinates.
Speed Cola machine Vase location
You'll find a stack of bones near a stone pedestal on the far left side of the Speed Cola area. A vase can be found above the doorway to the left at E6 coordinates. Unfortunately, the object blends in with the environment, making it harder to see. Just shoot in this general area until a dust of yellow/orange particles appears.
Deadshot Daquiri machine Vase location
Go towards the cave opening near the Mystery Box at the Deadshot Daquiri room (D6 coordinates). Jump up to shoot the final vase.
When you shoot the last vase, a Self Revive and Ammo mod will drop immediately after. The Self Revive can be pretty handy for the Tomb Main Quest, especially if you've been downed from the final boss fight. It also saves you more points, as these kits go for 1,500 Salvage at the crafting table.
The Ammo Mod rewards may differ from each playthrough, but it does seem to provide Light Mend frequently. Use this resource to deal Light damage to enemies. It also makes normal or Special Zombies transform their health into healing glyphs to assist any injured teammates. Additionally, each vase contains Potts and Pains folders, completing your intel folders collection.
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Destructoid Friday, January 31, 2025 5:12 PM
Cheating has become a big part of the Sims universe, as many players utilize it to advance further up the virtual totem pole. This tradition has continued with the re-release of Sims 1 and 2, and we're here to show you the best cheats to use for the new collections.
How to use cheats in Sims 1 and Sims 2
Before we get into the best Sims 1 and 2 cheats, it's crucial to know how to use them. You can open the cheat box by pressing 'CTRL + Shift + C'. A pop-up will appear in the screen's top-left corner, allowing you to enter any cheat you want.
The cheat box string can be used in the original and Sims 2, whether on the Birthday Bundle or Legacy Collection. It works the same way as the Sims 4 and almost every other entry in the franchise. However, keep in mind that some cheats from the originals aren't available in the Birthday Bundle or Legacy Collections. The games will warn you if a string doesn't work, either bringing up an 'error' in Sims 2 or showing up as 'doesn't exist' in The Sims.
Best Sims 1 cheats in Birthday Bundle and Legacy Collection
Compared to other iterations, The Sims doesn't include too many cheats. However, there are still a few of them you can use with the following strings:
Rosebud is the only money cheat available in The Sims. So, if you want a ton of cash, you'll have to input this cheat repeatedly. Another good one to use is the 'autonomy' cheat, allowing you to sit back and relax while your virtual family takes care of themselves. It's excellent when you're away from the keyboard, but don't be away from it for too long. These characters always tend to catch themselves on fire when you least expect it.
If you aren't familiar with The Sims' Interests feature, the corresponding cheat lets you see what your character enjoys, including subjects on Music, Travel, and Sports. Younger Sims also have a few categories of their own, using Toys, Aliens, Pets, and School. When your character isn't all that interested in a subject, it'll be set to '0'. It's best to avoid these activities to make them happier.
Best Sims 2 cheats in Birthday Bundle and Legacy Collection
Sims 2 offers many cheats that are still used today in Sims 4. Here are the best ones:
Motherlode is one of the most notable cheats in the Sims franchise, providing you with a significant amount of money. It'll help you afford the game's luxurious products, from the GiganTek Home Theater Television to the skating rink. This cheat can even help you get a car, a feature not available in The Sims 4.
You can also use Aspiration cheats to unlock various rewards in the catalog. The rewards here offer benefits similar to cheats. The Elixir of Life, for instance, makes your Sim resistant to age, similar to the aging hack.
Overall, higher Aspiration Levels allow your Sim to live a happier and longer life. There may still be some hiccups along the way, but at least you can help yourself out with the Sims 2's cheats.
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Destructoid Friday, January 31, 2025 4:47 PM
With the release of the Space-Time Smackdown booster deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket, tryhards and serious players alike will want to know the best new decks.
If you're spending all your hourglasses and Pack Points to get the best new stuff, here's what to look out for.
Best new decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket Space-Time Smackdown
The following are the best new decks you can build from getting cards from the new Space-Time Smackdown booster packs in Pokémon TCG Pocket:
Weavile EX / Darkrai EX
This new deck is going to be an expensive glass cannon build. It'll require four Ex cards, which can take a while, depending on how much you play or how lucky you are. This is the setup needed:
Anything marked with an asterisk(*) is obtained through another booster deck.
With this setup, you want to quickly evolve your Sneasels while doing early damage with their Double Scratch moves. Flipping heads will soften up your foes for confirmed KOs later in the match.
Spiritombs and Darkrais are basic Pokémon, so they do not require evolution. Ideally, you want your Spiritombs to take early damage as you ramp up energy for your Darkrais or Weaviles.
Spiritomb will be important for priming up your Weavile EX's damage potential since it can damage every single one of your opponent's Pokémon in play or on the bench. This brings your Weavile's Scratching Nails move to do 70 damage per turn, being a potential early-game sweeper.
This is then where you utilize your Cyrus cards to swap your opponent's injured Pokémon to the front, which are most likely on the weaker side. A common strategy is to use throwaway Pokémon to deal early damage while you build a sweeper on your bench. This deck setup breaks that meta.
The best part is that Weavile EX only needs one energy to deal that much damage. With all the excess energy, feed them to your Darkrai EX. Specifically, you want to feed it Dark energy to deal more damage thanks to its Nightmare Aura ability.
In short, use Spiritomb to deal early-game priming while building up your Weavile(s). Then, switch to Weavile EX to sweep early game front Pokémon. With excess energies, give them to Darkrai EX to finish off tanky opponents.
The only weakness this deck has is grass attacks. With popular grass decks like Celebi EX, Exceggutor EX, and Venusaur EX, that can be an issue.
Palkia EX
The Palkia EX deck is a really strong Water-type deck that can be quite flexible. It's essentially a way stronger Articuno EX but more energy-dependent. Here's a list of cards needed for the deck:
All cards denoted with an asterisk(*) are obtained in other decks.
Yes, there are only 14 cards in this setup, but this is where the flexibility starts. With the six remaining needed to make a legal deck, you can mix and match strong, basic, colorless Pokémon, or you can opt to use more Trainer and Item cards.
With this setup, you're dealing with an easy buildup, preferably with Manaphy and Palkia EX in your starting hand. Use Manaphy to build up Palkia's energy pool quickly so that it can use Dimensional Storm right away.
However, even if you don't start with a Manaphy, your Palkia can still attack early on with its Slash. This is where cards like Leaf, Potions, or the Giant Capes are useful.
Since Manaphy cannot attack, you want to preserve it as long as possible to keep feeding your Palkia(s) energy so that it'll have more than enough to cast Dimensional Storm. Pair it with Misty and Dawn so you can have an effective early-game sweeper with some luck.
Don't ignore the residual 20 damage per benched Pokémon, either. It's a good means to soften up those with larger health pools so that when they are summoned by your opponent or by force with the Cyrus card, you can take those down more effectively.
However, while it would be easy to win with fewer cards in hand, that won't be the case, so you need to fill in those last six slots.
These are some cards you can mix and match to fill in the remaining slots:
If you go with the Eevee and Vaporeon combo, use the Vaporeon with the Wave Splash attack. This one has the Wash Out ability, where you can transfer water energy from benched Pokémon to your active hand, making it viable to transfer those left over from Manaphy over to Palkia EX.
If you go with the more item-heavy route, pick restoratives so your Manaphy won't get knocked out early.
Lastly, the biggest weakness this deck has are against those like the Pikachu EX and Zapdos EX decks.
Gallade EX
This is a fighting-type deck that works quite well for energy-hungry decks that require a lot of buildup. It'll also have a more classic setup that focuses on building Gallade while stalling using a Regirock, so use the following setup:
All cards denoted with an asterisk(*) are obtained in other decks.
As usual, you ideally want to stall with Regirock while evolving and building up your Ralts all the way into Gallade. This will work very similarly to using Druddigon as a passive damage dealer, except Regirock can take much more early-game damage.
And since you'll only have to deal with pulls from Psychic, Fighting, and Normal from your energy pool, you can get the two fighting energies equipped on your Ralts well before you evolve it into a Gallade.
Since you only need two for Gallade to start attacking, you can throw excess energies into your Regirocks if needed for more damage (though that will be hard given their hungry energy requirements).
This Gallade EX build will work exceptionally well against late-game builds that utilize three energies or more for each turn to attack. Pair that with other offensive cards like Giovanni; this can deal good damage and foil the plans of late-game builds.
Some of the weaknesses in this build include Grass types that can get through your Regirock defenses before setting up your Gallade. You also do not have access to something like a Brock or Misty trainer card to build your energy up fast enough.
Bastiodon / Dialga EX
This deck is a late-game buildup deck that can be really annoying for enemies to break through but would also require luck on your end. This is like a Melmetal deck, but stronger if you can consistently land Heads on each coin flip.
Use this setup:
All cards denoted with an asterisk(*) are obtained in other decks. This is a more standard deck and will focus on survivability.
First, you'll ideally want to have Farfetch'd as your starter for early damage. Alternatively, you'll want Dialga EX built with two energies so it can use Metallic Turbo to feed these energies into your (hopefully) benched Shieldon/Bastiodon while doing some damage, too.
Once you have the necessary energy to attack with Bastiodon, you can then put it on the front, possibly mitigating 100 damage per enemy turn. Its ability, Guarded Grill, will be successful if you flip heads when attacked.
To ensure that you won't take lethal damage if your flip fails, have the Giant Cape equipped and a Potion ready for your next turn.
80 damage does not seem like a lot, but being able to mitigate damage is huge and a way to slow down a sweep in late-game builds.
This build is particularly weak to fire decks like Charizard EX, Arcanine EX, and Volcarona decks, which have become popular in the meta. If you do go against these, you really want to manage your damage mitigation and restoratives more aggressively.
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Destructoid Friday, January 31, 2025 4:07 PM
The Future Stars Challenge 1 SBC is a simple fodder challenge you can complete in EA FC 25 Ultimate Team, allowing you to win a pack for free.
This is the first fodder challenge that EA Sports has released as part of the Future Stars promo. The challenge has only one task, and the requirements are also relatively simple. Completing it will unlock a bonus pack consisting of player items. Let's take a look at how you can complete the challenge and if doing so is worth your time at all.
EA FC 25 Future Stars Challenge 1 SBC tasks
The Future Stars Challenge 1 SBC has only a single task, and here are its requirements.
Task - Future Stars Challenge 1 SBC
EA FC 25 Future Stars Challenge 1 SBC solutions
Here's a set of solutions you can use to complete the latest fodder challenge in Ultimate Team. As always, prioritize using items already available in your club.
You'll get a tradeable Premium Gold Pack for completing the SBC, which is great. The pack will fetch you about 2,500 thousand coins at discard value, but you could get more. Additionally, the cost of completing the challenge will likely be close to zero as the requirements are extremely easy to solve. If you're lucky, you could find a walkout/Future Stars player from the pack.
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Destructoid Friday, January 31, 2025 3:45 PM
Unlocking important tools in Hello Kitty Island Adventure requires collecting specific resources and crafting them. One material you need for zip lines and the snorkel during Kuromi's Deep Diving quest is Spark, an item that's surprisingly easy to make once you learn its recipe.
How to unlock Spark crafting recipe in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Before crafting Spark, you'll need to unlock its recipe by completing Pochacco's level four friendship quest, A Zipline Adventure. The two of you will ask Chococat for help fixing broken ziplines around Friendship Island, revealing that you need Spark to power them up. Chococat will then give you a Spark crafting recipe blueprint, unlocking access to this material for the rest of your playthrough.
How to craft Spark in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Now that you can access Spark's crafting recipe, you'll need three Light Stones for one you craft. Light Stone is Kuromi's bonus material from gifts. The better the gift, the more stones she'll give you.
Here are some of the best gifts to give Kuromi if you're looking to stockpile some Light Stones:
The best choice depends on how far you are in the game. If you're still early in the game, giving Kuromi pumpkin pie is your best bet. Later, Spicy Pumpkin Latte and Pumpkin Spice Soda will become your go-to as you get more resources and unlock the Espresso and Soda machines.
Once you give Kuromi a few gifts and receive some Light Stone, bring it to Chococat's crafting bench to make some Spark.
How to use Spark in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
One of the most important uses of Spark is crafting a Snorkel to dive underwater. Alongside this, any crafting recipe for cooking stations you unlock through friendships also requires Spark, among other items, to create. Generally speaking, any item you'd expect to use electricity, like Holograms, will use Spark in their recipes.
You'll also need Spark to repair ziplines around Friendship Island. While the zipline in Seaside Resort is the first you'll encounter, you can also find some connecting Spooky Swamp to Gemstone Mountain and the mountain to Mount Hothead. Keep a few Spark on hand if you run into any of these during your travels.
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Destructoid Friday, January 31, 2025 3:18 PM
The Atlantis update witnessed plenty of cool additions to Fisch, but the secret Brick Rod has confused many.
Ever since it was mentioned for the first time, players have been looking to find the Brick Rod for their inventory. It has taken a week since we got the Atlantis update for players to finally learn about how to obtain this rod in Fisch.
How to obtain the secret Brick Rod in Fisch
To obtain the Brick Rod, you'll need to find and interact with three hidden bricks spread all across Fisch. To help your cause, make sure to own the GPS Device (which can be obtained at Moosewood). This will help you to zero down on the locations with the help of their coordinates, and make your searches shorter.
Here are the locations of the three secret bricks.
The first brick is on the top of the volcano in Roslit Bay. The second brick is found in a cave on Ancient Isle, where you can also get the Eclipse Totem and the Phoenix Rod. The final one can be found in the Depths once you go through the Vertigo. The brick will be near the merchant NPC.
Once you have clicked on all three bricks, you'll have to speak with the Innkeeper at the Desolate Deep. You'll reach the spawn point, and the next task is to find a three-digit code on the walls of the Trident Temple. Just look next to where the Trident Rod is kept, and you'll find your code (this will be random for all).
Once you have received the code, speak with Minish at Harvester Spike (XYZ: -1332, 140, 1543). Make sure it's a Foggy Night during the Summer season, as Minish won't spawn else. There are different titles to equip based on when you're interacting with Minish.
Once you have equipped the correct title and interacted with Minish, you'll have to find a fish with toxic spines (more commonly known as the Putterfish). Once you catch this creature and offer it to Minish, you'll be teleported to a room, and you can buy the Brick Rod from over there for C$13,337.
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Destructoid Friday, January 31, 2025 3:06 PM
To the delight of all who already uncovered everything within Citadelle des Morts, Black Ops 6 Season 2 brought to the game a new Zombies map in The Tomb, which did not disappoint regarding both its difficulty and amount of easter eggs.
That of course, makes knowing where to find all of its items a must. Here's where to find all Perk-a-Cola machines and traps, as well as the locations of all armor and weapon wall buy stations in Call of Duty Black Ops 6 The Tomb.
All armor wall buy locations in The Tomb
From the get-go, you will be able to find the wall buy station for the Rare armor vest by heading north from The Tomb's spawning point. As you can see below, the wall buy will be easy to spot and be located on a makeshift mural facing the center of the site.
The Epic (Purple) Wall Buy station can then be found by heading to the map's eastmost portion, more specifically to the Subterranean Temple area. Once there, the wall buy can be found on a pillar close to the center. To make the most of your money, I recommend that you purchase the rare vest before heading here and only commit to the purple one after Pack-a-Punching your weapon.
If you feel you need extra protection, you can unlock the Golden Vest Wall Buy as a reward by completing all Blood Sacrifice challenges after acquiring the two statue heads. Once unlocked, the Wall Buy station will be located close to the map's Exfil Point and be available for free. You can check out where to find the statue heads and how to complete all challenges in our How to unlock the Golden Armor Plates Egg in BO6 Zombies guide.
All weapon locations in The Tomb
You can find six weapon wall buy stations in The Tomb, with the first one (housing the Marine SP Shotgun) being found at the highest point of the Dig Site, more specifically by right of both bull monument and the map's eventual Exfill Point.
From the area above, you will be able to find the stations for the Tanto .22 and Kompakt 92 in the Tombs and Neolithic Catacombs areas respectively. Once in either area, you will be able to spot their set wall buy station by staying close to its center.
The map's remaining three weapon stations —featuring the AK-74, XM4, and the GPMG-7— can then be found in the Shrine of Hierophants, Ossuary, and Subterranean Temple areas respectively. While the LMG can be easily spotted facing the main portal to the Dark Aether Rift, the ones housing the assault rifles will be placed on walls outside of your main path.
All Perk machine locations in Black Ops 6 The Tomb
You can find vending machines for the Death Perception, Stamin-Up, PhD-Flopper, Deadshot Daiquiri, Speed Cola, Quick Revive, and Jugger-Nog Perk-a-Colas while exploring The Tomb. Once you reach the upper rounds, a Der Wunderfizz machine will also become available. You can check out where to find each of them below:
PhD-Flopper location
The first Perk-a-Cola you will get access to, you can find the PhD-Flopper machine right by the Neolithic Catacombs gate, located on the south portion of the Dig Site (the spawn area). If you want to use Mustang and Sally, make sure to grab this perk eventually for its ability to nullify explosive damage.
Deadshot Daiquiri and Speed Cola locations
One of the easiest to spot among the map's selection, you can find the Deadshot Daiquiri machine at the entrance of the Neolithic Catacombs area. There's no secret here, as the machine will be pretty much facing the area's main entrance.
The third Perk you can come across if you choose to follow the pathway south, you can spot the Speed Cola machine by a broken wall on the southmost portion of the Ossuary. The machine will be hard to miss given it's proximity to the gate connecting the area to the Subterranean Temple.
Death Perception and Stamin-Up locations
If you choose to follow the northern path, you will be able to spot the Stamin-Up machine by the entrance of the Tombs area. The machine will be located close to both the Tanto .22 weapon wall buy and an Ammo Cache.
The Stamin-Up machine can be found within the Shrine of Hierophants. Once in the area, you will be able to spot it in the spot highlighted below, facing a Gooblegum Machine. This perk is also a must-have, as it will boost your movement speed.
Quick Revive location
A game-changing pick when in a team, you can find the Quick Revive Perk-a-Cola machine on the opposing end of The Tomb's map, more specifically behind the altar in the Subterranean Temple area.
Jugger Nog and Der Wunderfizz locations
The Tomb's final two, you can find both the Jugger-Nog and the Der Wunderfizz machines in the Dark Aether Nexus. Once inside, you will be able to find the former atop a rock formation in the map's westmost portion, close to the yellow portal leading to the Shrine of Hierophants.
The Der Wunderfizz machine, on the other hand, can be found on the eastmost portion of the nexus, facing the green portal leading to the Ossuary. As always, the vending machine will only become available after you reach the 25th round. The price of the Perks within it will increase per purchase.
All trap locations in Black Ops 6 The Tomb
You can find four series of arrow traps while exploring The Tomb, with two of them being located on the Ossuary and the reaming being found in the pathways connecting the Tomb to the Shrine of Hierophants and the Shrine of Hierophants to the Subterranean Temple respectively. You can check out the exact locations of each of them below.
Now that you know where to find all purchasable items within the map, I also highly recommend checking out how to unlock all Easter Eggs and secrets in Black Ops 6 The Tomb.
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Destructoid Friday, January 31, 2025 2:58 PM
With the release of the Free PC Modding Update for Hogwarts Legacy, the Dungeon of Doom opened its doors to all who dare venture near. The real challenge, however, lies in finding the entrance to this cursed dungeon, as its location isn't exactly easy to spot.
How to enter the Dungeon of Doom in Hogwarts Legacy
The Dungeon of Doom is an officially sanctioned Mod that you must first enable through the Modding Catalogue available on the Hogwarts Legacy's main menu. Making sure the Dungeon of Doom mod is enabled is a crucial step to finding its location, so make sure you've flipped the switch.
Once you have, load up your newly created modding save, and apparate over to South Hogsmeade using the world map.
You're next going to want to exit Hogsmeade using the southern entrance to the village, ensuring you cross over the bridge leading outward.
Follow the cobblestone road down the hill and take a left at the mishmash of Hogwarts signs. This direction leads you down a large set of cobblestone stairs specifically, so make sure you take the leftmost path, as taking any other will lead you completely astray at this junction.
Continue down the winding cobblestone stairs. If you stay on course, the stairs will eventually veer off onto a different path, but you don't need to go that far. Keep descending until you reach a point where, on your right, you'll see a massive stone wall that is detached from the path itself. You should first see it looking down on it from uphill.
From your uphill position, jump over the stone wall onto the cobblestone road beside it. Follow the road North until you reach a strange cavern formation that appears to have no entrance. There will be a lamp post right in front of it.
This perplexing cavern entrance is actually the entrance to the Dungeon of Doom, and while there appears to be no way inside, turns out magic is the key. Simply walk up to the entrance and Interact with it.
The moment you do, you'll begin your perilous journey traversing the dreaded Dungeon of Doom. Have fun and good luck.
What is the Dungeon of Doom in Hogwarts Legacy?
The Dungeon of Doom is, for all intents and purposes, an endless dungeon that you can explore at any time by entering it. Inside, you'll find numerous enemies from throughout Hogwarts Legacy, thrown at you at you in groups, typically at random. Cave Trolls, Spiders, Goblins... you name it; it's in there. Some of these encounters can be tough, so make sure your spellcasting is sharp and you're fully geared up for the challenges ahead.
As you progress through the dungeon, you'll also encounter plenty of familiar puzzles presented before you in unique and interesting ways. These are solved using the tools and spells you've gathered throughout the game's campaign, though you'll still need to think about the best ways to manipulate the blocks making up these puzzles.
For your explorative, dungeoneering efforts, you'll be periodically rewarded with chests that have random amounts of valuable loot inside. Many of these chests are splayed right in front of you. Many more are hidden way off the beaten pay, however. Make sure to search each area carefully if you don't want to miss out on the extra loot.
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Destructoid Friday, January 31, 2025 2:42 PM
The Future Stars Play objective is now live in EA FC 25, and it can be your perfect source for free rewards, which includes a promo card.
This is the latest objective set you can complete in Ultimate Team, and all the tasks can be done for free. Doing so will help you unlock all the rewards, so let's take a look at how to complete all the available tasks.
EA FC 25 Future Stars Play objective guide
The Future Stars Play objective has five different tasks to complete, and some of them will end quicker.
Thankfully, you can complete the objective in any available Ultimate Team game mode, which also includes the friendlies. You can focus more on the objective and the task, rather than care about the results. Squad Battles is another fantastic game mode, as you get to play against the AI and control the match difficulty.
All things considered, the objective offers some highly useful rewards, so make sure to complete it as soon as possible. You'll get an 84+ x4 Rare Gold Players Pack once all the solo tasks are completed, which finishes the objective set.
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Destructoid Friday, January 31, 2025 2:27 PM
The EA FC 25 Future Stars Academy evolutions are now live in Ultimate Team, and it's a great way to upgrade three wonderkids.
EA Sports has revamped how the Future Stars Academy works, and you can upgrade a selected item to turn it into a Future Stars Icon.
Before deciding on the best options, let's take a look at the different upgrades.
EA FC 25 Future Stars Academy Aspiring Attacker 1 Evolution upgrades
This evolution provides attacking upgrades.
EA FC 25 Future Stars Academy Methodical Midfielder 1 Evolution upgrades
This evolution provides well-rounded upgrades.
EA FC 25 Future Stars Academy Dynamic Defender 1 Evolution upgrades
This evolution will help you to upgrade a card with defensive boosts.
Best players to use in EA FC 25 Future Stars Academy Evolution
You'll get to pick between one item out of 15 options to start your evo journey. This can be an attacker, a midfielder, or a defender. Ultimately, you'll be able to tweak a lot of stats and playstyles as you develop the item, but here are my top three recommendations.
Ultimately, make sure you obtain every possible upgrade for your evo wonderkid, as a miss along the way will reduce its growth potential.
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Destructoid Friday, January 31, 2025 2:27 PM
With the Final Fantasy XIV x BlackMilk collaboration collection set to drop on February 3, BlackMilk have released a preview of all of the items that will be available, including their prices. While most are surprisingly reasonable, some do seem overpriced.
BlackMilk is well known for its collaboration collections at this point, and its FFXIV collection has been a popular talking point among players since it was announced on January 27. Thanks to an advanced preview, we now know the cost of each item.
Now, some of these are what I would call reasonable. For a lace maxi dress covered in job icons, I will spend $101. Maybe not happily, per se, but I will because it's pretty. However, I can't help but notice that the rest of the items are pretty much all at least 89% polyester and seem massively overpriced.
Take the World Map Cuffed Pants:
These are, I'm sure you'll agree, glorified leggings. There is no zip or button at the top, they're made of 89% polyester, and are going to cost you just under $80. I don't know about you, but that seems like a stretch for a pair of leggings with a print that isn't even lined up along the seams. On the plus side, they do have pockets, which is definitely a bonus. I'm not sure it's enough to warrant the price tag, though.
If you hope to get your hands on either of the "sets," I have bad news. The Cactuar Knit coord and the Chocobo tee and shorts combo are sold separately. The Cactuar set will set you back a staggering $114, while the Chocobo set will cost $95. Until the prices were released, these have only ever been displayed as full sets, so I can see this separation of items coming as a surprise to those hoping to grab the outfits.
This is still an exciting opportunity to get your hands on some officially licensed FFXIV merch that's actually wearable in an everyday way, as long as you can afford it. And therein lies the problem. Players already pay for their subscription each month, and we all have lives to pay for, so is it really worth forking out for shiny polyester clothes?
The FFXIV x BlackMilk collection goes live at 1 p.m. PST / 4 p.m. EST on February 3, and the clothing brand is insistent that it's going to sell out fast. If you want to get your hands on anything from the collection, you should be on the website for the drop. You can add items to your wishlist now to have easy access to them when the time comes.
The post FFXIV x BlackMilk collab prices revealed, and some are more worth it than others appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, January 31, 2025 2:06 PM
As you set sail onto the oceans of Fisch, you'll discover many peculiar islands that harness majestic fish. While some locations are easy to uncover, others won't be as out in the open. So, if you're looking for the mysterious Harvester's Spike, here's where to find it in Fisch.
Where to find Harvester's Spike in Fisch
The Harvester's Spike is known for its Sawfish and Bluefin Tuna fishing spots, often associated with Angler Quests. The island is also a part of the Brick Rod questline, providing you with the game's most legendary rod. To find Harvester's Spike in Fisch, go to the left of Roslit Bay around coordinates -1297, 228, 1568. Follow its marker when out in the ocean by using any boat.
If you're coming from the home base of Moosewood, take a left while facing the lighthouse. It shouldn't take long to see the island's gigantic spike. Approach it to gain some XP from a new island discovery. You may also be lucky to trigger Sawfish and Bluefin Tuna areas with your Fish Radar. Fishing poles like the Mythical Rod make it easier to catch these critters. They may be relatively tricky to get, so make sure to have enough rod resilience for a more accessible fishing experience.
The Brick Rod quest utilizes Harvester's Spike as the base for the NPC Minish. Use the Sundial and Smokescreen Totems to produce a foggy night in the summer, which is the only time the Minish appears. This character will provide hints regarding how to get the Brick Rod, including setting your spawn point to Desolate Deep and finding three Bricks. You'll likely be returning to Harvester's Spike a lot to unlock each hint, making it even more crucial to remember its location on the map.
It's important to note that the Totems for this quest come with a hefty price tag, ranging from C$2,000 to 500,000. To ensure you have enough funds, consider catching the Bluefin Tuna or Sawfish near the spike for more cash.
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Destructoid Friday, January 31, 2025 1:56 PM
The George Best Future Stars Icon SBC is now live in EA FC 25, and you can complete the challenge to unlock a special item for your Ultimate Team squad.
Best is the first Future Stars icon to be released as an SBC. Here's how you can complete the challenge to unlock the special item.
EA FC 25 George Best Future Stars Icon SBC tasks
The George Best Future Stars Icon SBC has 16 tasks, and here are the conditions.
Task 1 - Born Legend
Task 2 - Rising Star
Task 3 - On a Loan
Task 4 - The Red Devils
Task 5 - League Legend
Task 6 - 86-Rated Squad
Task 7 - 86-Rated Squad
Task 8 - 86-Rated Squad
Task 9 - 87-Rated Squad
Task 10 - 87-Rated Squad
Task 11 - Top-notch
Task 12 - 88-Rated Squad
Task 13 - 88-Rated Squad
Task 14 - 89-Rated Squad
Task 15 - 89-Rated Squad
Task 16 - 89-Rated Squad
EA FC 25 George Best Future Stars Icon SBC solutions
Here's a set of solutions you can use to complete the Best Icon SBC in EA FC 25.
Task 1 - Born Legend
Task 2 - Rising Star
Task 3 - On a Loan
Task 4 - The Red Devils
Task 5 - League Legend
Task 6 - 86-Rated Squad
Task 7 - 86-Rated Squad
Task 8 - 86-Rated Squad
Task 9 - 87-Rated Squad
Task 10 - 87-Rated Squad
Task 11 - Top-notch
Task 12 - 88-Rated Squad
Task 13 - 88-Rated Squad
Task 14 - 89-Rated Squad
Task 15 - 89-Rated Squad
Task 16 - 89-Rated Squad
Despite requiring about 1.3 million coins worth of fodder, this Best SBC might be a great one to complete. He can operate in four different positions, and has three Role++. The combination of Incisive Pass+ and Technical+ can be great in the current meta, and he also offers 5* Skills.
The only notable weaknesses are the 4* Weak Foot and 84 Passing, but there are more positives about this new Best item than negatives. If you have the fodder to spare, this SBC might be an extremely well-valued option to consider.
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Destructoid Friday, January 31, 2025 1:55 PM
Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap has a roster of different characters for you to pick, but unlocking Max, the secret unit, requires some extra steps. Thankfully, the process isn't too elaborate.
How to obtain secret unit Max in Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap
To unlock Max in Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap, you'll need to find five Crystal Shards. You can find these shards spread across the Order Fortress, which serves as the main hub of the game.
To unlock the character, just complete the following steps.
Once you collect the final shard, you'll get an in-game pop-up informing you about Max getting unlocked in Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap. You'll now be able to select him like all other characters on the roster.
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Destructoid Friday, January 31, 2025 1:29 PM
The Kenan Yildiz Future Stars SBC is now live in EA FC 25, and you can complete the challenge to pick between two special items.
The Turkish youngster has become the first footballer to be featured as a Future Stars SBC in Ultimate Team. The SBC offers two different versions of the card, and to make a pick, you'll have to complete all the tasks of the challenge.
Let's take a look at how you can easily complete the latest SBC, and if it's worth your time and efforts.
EA FC 25 Kenan Yildiz Future Stars SBC tasks
The Kenan Yildiz Future Stars SBC has five tasks, and here are the solutions.
Task 1 - Juventus
Task 2 - Serie A
Task 3 -Top Form
Task 4 - 87-Rated Squad
Task 5 - 88-Rated Squad
EA FC 25 Kenan Yildiz Future Stars SBC solutions
Here's a set of solutions to complete the latest Future Stars SBC in EA FC 25.
Task 1 - Juventus
Task 2 - Serie A
Task 3 -Top Form
Task 4 - 87-Rated Squad
Task 5 - 88-Rated Squad
While both items are pretty good, I like the LW card way more. It can play in more positions and has better roles and better playstyles. The combination of Technical+ and Rapid+ is perfect for outfoxing opponents, and it can be extremely difficult to deal with.
That said, the CAM item is perfect if you want someone to attack from the middle. This SBC is extremely well-valued, considering the items that you get in the end.
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Destructoid Friday, January 31, 2025 1:12 PM
One of the most important parts of being the most powerful pirate or marine in Blox Fruits is setting your stats up to match your gear. If you focused your stats in one area but suddenly want to change it, you'll need to reset them using Stat Refund items.
How to reset your stats in Blox Fruits
Resetting your stats in Blox Fruits requires using an item known as Stat Refund. Here's every method you can use to get a Stat Refund:
The easiest way to get Stat Refunds, especially if you're still in the early game, is to use Robux or rewards codes. Blox Fruits often releases reward codes for EXP boosts, titles, and other items, with stat resets among the possible options. It's also free, which is a nice bonus.
If you don't mind spending money and have already used up every reward code, you can also use the in-game shop to buy Stat Refunds for 75 Robux. You can find this by heading into the Shop menu on the left side of your screen and scrolling down until you see Refund Stats.
As you progress later in the game, you'll unlock other means of getting Stat Refunds, such as finding Plokster on the kingdom of Rose Bridge and participating in holiday events.
All Stat Refund codes in Blox Fruits
Since codes are the most useful way to get Stat Refunds and other rewards in Blox Fruits, having one place to see them all can help you get a few resets quickly without spending Robux. Here's a list of every code that gives Stat Refunds in Blox Fruits:
Although this list has Stat Refund items, it doesn't include the dozens of codes for 2X EXP boosts, in-game titles, and other rewards.
How to redeem codes in Blox Fruits
Redeeming codes is quick and easy in Blox Fruits, as detailed in the steps below:
If you enter a valid code in the box, you'll see a "success" message pop up, telling you you got your item. If it says the code is invalid, it may have expired before we could remove it from the list.
The post How to reset your stats in Blox Fruits: All codes appeared first on Destructoid. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, January 31, 2025 6:31 PM The Sims: Legacy Collection and The Sims 2: Legacy Collection. The post The Sims and The Sims 2 Legacy Collections Announced appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, January 31, 2025 5:57 PM Several trailers were released. The post Killing Floor III Release Date Announced appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, January 31, 2025 5:27 PM In-game transactions are also no longer available in the game. The post MultiVersus Will End Service On May 30 appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |