Kotaku Friday, February 14, 2025 3:50 PM  Metal Slug Tactics is all about customization: choosing your characters, picking their loadouts, and then deciding which modifications you want to implement into their weapons. But not all mods are available from the beginning of the game. |
Kotaku Friday, February 14, 2025 3:20 PM  In 2022, Obsidian Entertainment was the only first-party Xbox studio to ship a new game, Pentiment. And in 2025, the Microsoft-owned studio has already launched one big RPG, Avowed, and is set to release a second one, The Outer Worlds 2, later in the year. If it wasn't clear before, it is now: Obsidian has quietly… |
Kotaku Friday, February 14, 2025 2:05 PM  Since the Dragon Age series takes place in different places and times within BioWare's fantasy universe, we've had the opportunity to hop around the universe and kiss men from different eras of the, well, Dragon Age. But while we may love our video game love interests, perhaps it's worth reflecting on whether or not… |
Kotaku Friday, February 14, 2025 1:25 PM  Okami 2 was one of the most surprising game reveals ever, as evidenced by the fact that host Geoff Keighley almost broke into tears when talking about it at The Game Awards 2024. But there's still a ton we don't know about the sequel to the beloved PlayStation 2 cult hit, including its official title. That's starting… |
Kotaku Friday, February 14, 2025 12:56 PM  Nintendo is currently the only console maker that makes you pay for a monthly subscription to access its classic games instead of letting you buy them a la carte. That needs to change with the Switch 2. |
Kotaku Friday, February 14, 2025 12:10 PM  While Grand Theft Auto Online is over a decade old at this point, and many players are likely ready to move on to this year's Grand Theft Auto 6, Take-Two's CEO suggests the aging online game might continue to get updates so long as enough people are still playing. |
Kotaku Friday, February 14, 2025 11:55 AM  Sometimes I think back on the arrival of Achievements, when suddenly every minuscule or major accomplishment in an Xbox 360 game earned you a little congratulatory chime and persistent points to fuel your bragging rights. We didn't know it then, but it now seems that was a harbinger for the modern era, in which… |
Kotaku Friday, February 14, 2025 10:00 AM  After years of hype and multiple delays, Hyper Light Breaker finally arrived in Early Access on Steam last month. At last, players were able to dig into its moody mashup of loot, extraction shooter, and roguelite elements, and what they found wasn't great. From its grueling boss fights to haphazard exploration, it was… |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 2:40 PM  There's no denying that Necromancer Minion has been one of the most popular builds in Diablo 4 for a while now, but since Season 7 began a few weeks ago, something's felt… off. It turns out that a core Unique in this build, the Ring of Mendeln, was bugged and completely skewing your damage numbers. Well, I've got good news for you - the latest Diablo 4 update has fixed this issue, so your Necro Minion build is firmly back on the menu. Patch 2.1.2 also comes with several of other fixes and new gameplay features, including a super helpful new Nightmare Dungeon affix. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Diablo 4 builds, Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred review, Diablo 4 classes |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 2:01 PM  Three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and a deluge of new sports games every year. Whether it's annually or biannually, fans of soccer, basketball, ice hockey, Formula 1, and more are rarely left uncatered for. In the coming weeks, two more massive sports games, WWE 2K25 and PGA Tour 2K25, will arrive, but right now you can get a decent discount on them before they've even dropped. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best sports games, Best multiplayer games, Best PC games |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 1:07 PM  What are the best Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 swords? The answer is not as straightforward as you might think, as the swords Henry of Skalitz can wield differ greatly in type and quality – even among swords of the same type. As a result, we've put together a list of all the swords we found in both the Trosky and Kuttenberg regions of Bohemia so you can choose the right one for you. You're going to want to pair your Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 sword with some equally good armor. Thankfully, we've also created a list of the best KCD2 armor pieces in the RPG to get you up and running in no time. Thankfully, deciding which sword to use is a little easier than finding and selecting the best armor, but we've still got you covered with details on sword stats and locations down below. Continue reading Best Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 swords MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 review, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 mods, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 map |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 12:41 PM  Gray Zone Warfare aims to put a slightly different perspective on the hardcore, realistic FPS game. Where most follow the extraction-driven focus of Escape From Tarkov and Hunt Showdown, developer Madfinger Games presents a more persistent experience that keeps you in the world. With options for entirely PvE servers alongside the standard PvEvP, you have the choice of how to play, and Madfinger's newest update brings some heavily requested features to the table, including the ability to repair your gear without the need for replacement parts. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best FPS games, Gray Zone Warfare System Requirements, Best survival games |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 12:26 PM  You don't have long to wait for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti to launch. Nvidia has now officially announced the release date for its new mid-range graphics card, confirming that the GPU is set to go on sale in just under a week's time. This brand new Nvidia graphics card will be the third RTX 50-series gaming GPU to be released, and the company will be hoping it immediately becomes the best graphics card for the average gamer. With both RTX 5090 stock and RTX 5080 stock seeing immediate shortages, however, it's likely that we'll see similar availability issues with the RTX 5070 Ti launch, no matter what date the GPU maker is planning to release it. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: RTX 5090 review, DLSS explained, Best graphics cards |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 12:15 PM  February 14, 2025: We've added the latest Monopoly Go dice links for free dice rolls and tokens. How can I get Monopoly Go free dice links? The household favorite board game has been reimagined as a free-to-play app on smartphones, allowing everyone to experience the thrills of Monopoly on practically any device. Everything that makes the board game special is here in Monopoly Go, so you'll be collecting properties and building hotels as you go around the board, and there are a variety of multiplayer minigames to get through along the way. You're going to need to get your hands on Monopoly dice rolls, but they are difficult to come by no matter how far you are into the board game. There are ways to earn additional dice rolls, including logging into the game every day to collect daily bonuses, progressing further in the game, and inviting friends to try Monopoly Go. While you can also spend real money to unlock more dice rolls, you may want to give our list of Monopoly Go dice links a try instead, especially if you're waiting for the next Monopoly Go Golden Blitz event. Take a look at all the currently active Monopoly Go free dice links for today. Continue reading Free Monopoly Go dice links February 2025 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best board games, Monopoly Go events, Monopoly Go dice |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 12:02 PM  What are the latest DBD codes? These freebie-granting DBD rewards can reward you with anything from a few bonus Bloodpoints to help prestige the latest character, to new and exclusive in-game cosmetics, so it's crucial you get them while they're live. There are more ways to customize your game than ever with DBD badges and banners, but there are still occasional rewards for items for your DBD killers and survivors, too. All of them let you show off your style, while Dead by Daylight Bloodpoints and Rift Fragments help your in-game progress, so there are always plenty of goodies to be had. Some of these Dead by Daylight codes are ongoing though, so you may have snapped them up already. Continue reading DBD codes February 2025 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: DBD killer tier list, Best horror games, DBD codes |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 11:48 AM  Paradox has big plans for Stellaris 4.0. The next major update for the space game is giving it a hefty rework for its ninth birthday. Currently targeted for May, the Phoenix update aims to act as a reigniting spark, and one of the biggest focuses for the strategy game giant is tackling the performance issues that have cropped up as Stellaris continues to grow ever larger and more complex. As part of this process, game director Stephen 'Eladrin' Muray explains how Paradox is dramatically rescaling populations, and what that means for your next game. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Stellaris review, Stellaris mods, Stellaris DLC guide |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 12:28 PM  PCGamesN strives to be the one-stop destination for PC gaming guides. If you enjoy helping your fellow gamers conquer challenges, can break down complex guidance in clear and entertaining ways, and have a cutting-edge knowledge of SEO, we want to hear from you. Continue reading We're hiring! PCGamesN is looking for a Guides Editor |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 11:43 AM  What are the Black Ops 6 events? If you're on the hunt for even more cosmetic goodies and unlockable weapons in BO6, you're in luck. Black Ops 6 has brought back limited-time, seasonal events that reward you handsomely for completing various challenges. The Black Ops 6 events that we've experienced so far include the Hit List and Gobblegum Mania, each with individual and community rewards up for grabs, and we're sure there'll be plenty more events to come in future Black Ops 6 seasons. So, polish off your best BO6 loadouts, get out onto the latest BO6 maps, and start racking up all the rewards the FPS game has to offer. Continue reading Current Black Ops 6 events and rewards MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Black Ops 6 guns, Black Ops 6 missions, Black Ops 6 loadouts |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 11:23 AM  The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 are set to receive an official introduction in just a few weeks time, the GPU maker has confirmed. This will likely see the reveal of the official specs and performance data for the new graphics cards, along with a final release date. The cards are believed to offer performance on par with Nvidia's new mid-tier GeForce cards, the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5070, with those GPUs also expected to get full unveilings in the coming few weeks. The new AMD gaming GPUs were initially teased by the company during the CES trade show in January 2025, but it hasn't said much about them since. However, we've seen various RX 9070 XT spec leaks pop up, along with rumors that the RX 9070 XT pricing strategy will see these GPUs go toe-to-toe with Nvidia's new RTX 5070-series cards. As such, we won't have too much longer to wait to find out which cards will prevail and ultimately find their way on to our best graphics card guide as the best mid-range option. Continue reading AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT gaming GPU to be revealed in just a few weeks MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7 7800X3D review, Best gaming CPU, Radeon RX 7800 XT review |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 10:43 AM  How do you get Civilization 7 Twitch drops? Free stuff is always welcome, especially when it comes to exclusive in-game items. You can show off to other players with exclusive customization items like the one available with the new Civilization 7 Twitch drops. This pre-release Twitch drops campaign for Sid Meier's long-running strategy game gave fans a chance to earn in-game rewards for Civilization 7. As with most Twitch drop campaigns, the only requirement was to watch official streams for just a short period of time. Here are all the details for the previous Twitch drops campaign for Civ 7. Continue reading Civilization 7 Twitch drops and how to claim MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Civilization 7 review, Civilization 7 leaders, Civilization 7 Ages |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 10:25 AM  A leaked GPU-Z screenshot has apparently revealed some key specs for the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card, which could prove to be better for gamers than expected. While AMD hasn't released this information itself, the screenshot gives us some idea of the potential performance that this card will offer gamers, weeks ahead of its release in March. This new AMD flagship GPU is set to launch in early March, according to an RX 9070 XT release date window provided by the company's CEO. That timescale means the new card is only weeks away, but AMD still hasn't confirmed much about the card itself, leaving leaks and rumors to fill in the gaps. However, we do expect this GPU to be one of the best graphics cards available for the average gamer, even if it lacks the performance power that Nvidia offers with its top-tier Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7 7800X3D review, Best gaming CPU, Radeon RX 7800 XT review |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 10:24 AM  Friday February 14 - Added statement from FromSoftware regarding a potential additional network test session. The Elden Ring Nightreign beta is underway, and if you were one of the lucky few who got their hands on a key you can dive into the new FromSoftware game right now. At least in theory. Despite being a limited-access test, the launch of the beta is already suffering server troubles in its opening hour, with players finding themselves unable to login or being kicked from the game before they can matchmake. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best soulslike games, Elden Ring review, Elden Ring Nightreign release date |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 10:21 AM  Command and Conquer, whether it means to be or otherwise, is a frightening satire of modern warfare. Soldiers are treated like objects - mass produced in factories ("unit ready"), they're sent to die in great, anonymous waves. Red Alert and Tiberian Dawn are meat grinders, but they're also at a remove, offering macroscopic, top-down POVs on battle. To get in close, you need a smaller-scale RTS like Company of Heroes or maybe XCOM. Or, if you were anywhere near a PC and a browser back in 2008, Warfare 1917 and Warfare 1944. It's been almost two decades, but the brutal Flash classics are about to return courtesy of a complete remaster. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best strategy games, Best RTS games, Best WW2 |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 10:30 AM  February 14, 2025 We added three new Borderlands 3 Shift codes. What are the new Borderlands 3 codes? Gearbox's chaotic shooter has plenty to offer, but we can never say no to even more free loot. Redeem codes are released regularly and include keys to open loot chests and other trinkets to expand your arsenal further. Some Borderlands 3 codes are permanent fixtures, while others are only available for a limited time. We've collected all the latest codes so you never miss out. You can even redeem these codes in Tiny Tina's Wonderlands if you just can't get enough of the FPS game series. Now you're all set, gear up for new Borderlands 3 updates with the latest promo codes below. Continue reading Borderlands 3 Shift codes February 2025 and how to redeem MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Borderlands 3 Shift codes, Borderlands 3 legendary weapons, Play Borderlands 3 |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 10:25 AM  Is Path of Exile 2 down? Dungeon crawling is the spice of life, but PoE 2's servers crawling to a halt certainly isn't. Troubleshooting network issues is a pain at the best of times, but it's even worse when you and the homies are trying to jump back into Wraeclast for another loot-hunting session. Considering just how massive a release Path of Exile 2 is, there's every chance that Grinding Gears' latest and greatest RPG might run into server issues from time to time. Fortunately, we're here to update you on the latest PoE 2 server status. While you're twiddling your thumbs waiting for PoE 2 to come back to life, read up on the best Path of Exile 2 classes - our comprehensive guides for each one are packed with all the tips and tricks you'll need to master your craft. Continue reading Is Path of Exile 2 down? Current server status MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Path of Exile 2 builds, Path of Exile 2 classes, Path of Exile 2 quests |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 10:01 AM  Slay the Spire 2 is set to arrive in a world very different from its predecessor. The first game was a real inflection point for the genre, and remains one of the best roguelike deckbuilders to this day. But with competition ranging from Wildfrost and Cobalt Core to Balatro and Diceomancer, we've seen a lot of distinct evolutions of the format. Nevertheless, Slay the Spire 2 remains one of the most anticipated upcoming PC games. In its latest developer blog, developer Mega Crit gives us another glimpse at what's new with the reveal of an enchantment system to modify your cards. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best indie games, Best roguelike games, Best card games |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 11:16 AM  Looking for a complete list of Monster Hunter Wilds monsters? The best way for any hunter to prepare for a trip to the Forbidden Lands is to get familiar with all the monsters that call it home. Capcom has already confirmed plenty of fan favorites returning from earlier entries in the series, plus new monsters exclusive to Wilds. Our complete list of monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds includes all that we've seen in the open-world game's beta and trailers. We've even thrown in every monster's species and element, plus a brief rundown of their moveset to help you prepare for the fight. Remember to stock up on supplies and sharpen the best Monster Hunter weapons once the MHWilds release date arrives. Here are all the monsters that await in the Forbidden Lands. Continue reading All Monster Hunter Wilds monsters MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Monster Hunter Wilds monsters, Monster Hunter Wilds weapons, Monster Hunter Wilds release date |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 10:06 AM  What is the current Fortnite server status? While Fortnite server downtime between patches and season changes is usually predictable, there are occasions when something more serious has occurred, warranting prolonged maintenance. Any downtime in Fortnite is annoying, particularly if you've only got a few hours in the day to play the battle royale game, but the servers can go down at any point. If Fortnite is down and you're locked out right now, find out why below. And, while you wait to drop back into the latest Fortnite map, take the time to check out the best Fortnite weapons for the current meta or which Fortnite NPCs you can hire this season. Continue reading Fortnite server status and extended downtime MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Fortnite map, Fortnite skins, Fortnite weapons |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 10:08 AM  What are the best free MMOs on PC? There's been an explosion of free-to-play options in recent years, especially in the massively multiplayer online space. We're here to help you find genuinely enjoyable free MMO experiences and avoid the cheap cash-ins. Even if your bank account is best friends with the number zero, our list of the best free MMORPGs currently available on PC promises endless hours of gameplay at absolutely no cost. From space games to anime games, let's take a look at some of the best free PC games that are available to play without breaking the bank. Continue reading Free MMORPGs and MMOs to play right now MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Genshin Impact codes, Genshin Impact character tier list, Genshin Impact leveling guide |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 9:22 AM  What are the best civilizations in Civ 7? At launch, there are 30 Civ 7 civilizations to pick from, including brand-new options like the Aksumites, and with the mix-and-match leaders and civs mechanic, you might be struggling with the mammoth choice in front of you. Civilization 7 marks a new era for the legendary series of 4X games, introducing a host of leaders, old and new, and additional ways to secure victories. The only restriction when mixing and matching is that certain civilizations can only be played in specific eras using specific leaders or via quest unlocks. With all that said, we're here to break down the best Civilization 7 civs to help make your decision that much easier. Continue reading The best Civ 7 Civilizations for each Age MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Civilization 7 review, Civilization 7 leaders, Civilization 7 Ages |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 9:22 AM  Want to know about new Genshin Impact characters? During each new update, there's usually at least one brand-new playable character introduced to the roster. They typically appear on event banners with increased drop rates, including one five-star character and three four-star characters. While we know which characters are likely to appear on the next Genshin Impact banners, some characters featured in this guide might not be playable right now, but they can still be found in Genshin Impact. We've also included some characters who are rumored to join the free PC game down the line, but may not have an in-game model just yet. While none of this information is official until Hoyoverse says otherwise, here's a round-up of all the current rumors and speculation. Continue reading Genshin Impact new characters in the 5.4 update and beyond MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Genshin Impact codes, Genshin Impact character tier list, Genshin Impact leveling guide |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 12:17 PM  What is the next Monopoly Go event? With so many limited-time events in Monopoly Go, it can be hard to keep track of the rewards you can get your hands on. Monopoly Go events can last anywhere from a few hours to a week, so bookmark this page as we'll keep it regularly updated with the next events and their start and end dates. Monopoly Go is the latest online board game sweeping the globe, but completing all of these events won't be easy without some free Monopoly Go dice links, so check out our daily updated guide for some freebies and rewards before you get started on the next Monopoly Go tournament. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best board games, Monopoly Go events, Monopoly Go dice |
PCGamesN Friday, February 14, 2025 9:07 AM  What are the Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater system requirements? Following the debut of a brand new trailer during a Sony State of Play event, the MGS Delta system requirements for PC have been revealed, and there are some very lofty demands. While you won't need the best graphics card to get the most out of Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater, the storage and memory demands are on the high side. This may catch out anyone with an older or budget gaming PC hoping to run the long-awaited remake. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card, Best gaming PC, Best SSD for gaming |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, February 14, 2025 12:35 PM  In an ultimately failed attempt at cobbling some Elden Ring: Nightreign impressions together, I spent a little over three hours of my Valentine's Day fruitlessly trying to get a match going in the roguelike spinoff's doomed PS5 network test. I hope said test provided FromSoft with some helpful data, considering Nightreign releases in May, though it would have been a lot easier for everyone if I could've just sent Hidetaka Miyazaki an email saying "Sir, your server infrastructure is made of biscuits." In the interests of a more productive outcome, here are some lovely/interesting/terrifying little PC games that I could have started and finished while waiting for the closed beta to sort itself out, and that you might enjoy regardless of whether you've just spaffed away a perfectly good afternoon. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, February 14, 2025 12:25 PM  Hazelight founder Josef Fares has called upon Ubisoft to make a splitscreen-only Splinter Cell game - a move that even I, with my absolute lack of business acumen, recognise as being comparable to demanding that Cadbury start making chocolate bars out of soot. He thinks it would be a "guaranteed success". |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, February 14, 2025 12:07 PM  There's something uncanny about dipping "classic" games in a tub of HD paint for the purposes of a remaster. A reboot can completely reinvent an old character, intriguing players in the same way an adaptation of Macbeth might excite a theatre dweeb. But remasters often feel like someone has plainly yet painstakingly rolled over every inch of the original with linoleum. The worst remasters bring to mind the Spanish pensioner who butchered a fresco of Jesus Christ. As acts of restoration go, Aspyr's work on Tomb Raider (and Soul Reaver) isn't quite that egregious. Hard work has gone into updating the scenery and textures. Basic vine sprites become handsome twirls of plantlife. Egyptian reliefs are given form. But there's a limit to this unfurling of digital lino. The results ultimately evoke the look common in mobile games when smartphones were becoming ever more powerful. This is Lara Croft if she were designed by Gameloft in 2011. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, February 14, 2025 10:04 AM Dell has slashed the price on this excellent Alienware 27-inch gaming monitor, now down to just $200  Dell is currently offering an excellent 27-inch Alienware gaming monitor for just $200 in its latest round of discounts ready for Presidents Day. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, February 14, 2025 10:00 AM  Sometimes it's nice when city-builders look like stratospheric views of actual cities, and sometimes it's nicer when they look like a collection of animated postage stamps. Behold Dawnfolk - a pixelart fantasy town grower packed full of minigames that describes itself as "charmingly dark and minimalist", much like a potential hook-up on some highbrow dating service. |
Siliconera Friday, February 14, 2025 4:00 PM
FromSoftware apologized for the connectivity issues present in the Elden Ring Nightreign servers during the recently started Closed Network Test. The servers underwent maintenance in the middle of the first session of the test and some players were unable to play because of this.
The developers are currently working on a fix to these issues and to improve the experience for players that were granted access to the test that started on February 14 and that will run until February 16, 2025. Additionally, FromSoftware is currently considering adding one more Network Test session to make up for these issues.
There are 4 characters available as part of the Elden Ring Nightreign Closed Network Test, these being the offensive focused Wylder, the defensive avian Guardian, the nimble rogue Duchess, and the magic oriented Recluse. While the final game will include more playable character classes, FromSoftware hasn't offered any details on them yet. For those that might have missed it, FromSoftware confirmed that Elden Ring Nightreign will not offer crossplay multiplayer.
Elden Ring Nightreign will come out on May 30, 2025 for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam. The Closed Network Test started today and will end on February 16, 2025, with the possibility of one extra session being added.
The post FromSoftware Issues Elden Ring Nightreign Network Test Apology appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, February 14, 2025 3:00 PM
Sunblink promised more content is coming to Hello Kitty Island Adventure, and part of that includes the Hugs & Hearts event returning to the game for Valentine's Day 2025. As in the past, it means catching Lovebugs in the Resort Plaza and caring for them. The activity is live now, and it will be available until February 21, 2025.
This is the second year we've seen the Hugs & Hearts event in Hello Kitty Island Adventure, so we know exactly how it works. In the Resort Plaza, there will be a Lovebug Habitat. If you explore that Seaside Resort region, you'll see Lovebugs roaming around. If you catch them with a net and place them in their new home, you eventually earn rewards. Basically, certain items require certain amounts of bugs. Some of the returning items shown in the trailer include furniture like the Double Heart Bed, Hugs & Hearts Habitat, Heart Lamp, Rockabilly Suit, and Draped Caftan. New items include things like the Heart Wings, Heartwing Cape, and Rose Backpack you can wear on your back or the Heart Arch, Heart Dining Chair, Heart Table, and Heart Divider furniture pieces.
Here's the new video that shows off all the additions to the game:
The other event going on is the Luck & Lanterns Celebration. That's designed to celebrate the Lunar New Year. It started on January 19, 2025. It's still running now until February 24, 2025. As with Hugs & Hearts, it also appeared in the game in 2024. Just like this event, it involved both new and returning items for us to earn as we'd go through activities and log in every day.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure is available on the Nintendo Switch, PC, and Apple Arcade. It will also come to the PS4 and PS5. The Hello Kitty Island Adventure Hugs & Hearts Valentine's Day event will until February 21, 2025.
The post Hello Kitty Island Adventure Hugs & Hearts Event Returns appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, February 14, 2025 2:30 PM
While we already knew the characters who would be romance options in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, two new trailers go over the bachelors and bachelorettes who will be love interests in the game. The bachelors video looks at Cuilang, Fubuki, Ikagura, Kai, Kurama, Mauro, Murasame, Subaru. As for the bachelorettes one, it features Clarice, Hina, Iroha, Kaguya, Kanata, Matsuri, Pilika, and Ulalaka. Of those, Cuilang and Pilika are DLC candidates you need to buy in the Seasons of Love add-on.
First, here's the Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma bachelors trailer showing what it is like to romance those eight romance options. It highlights the English voice acting for each one, showing the character's portrait, then looking at them in-game. First up is Murasame. After that, Mauro shows up. Kai appears after him. He's followed by Kurama, with Fubuki appearing after that. Ikaruga shows up after that. The DLC character Cuilang comes after. Finally, things close out with Subaru.
Meanwhile, the Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma bachelorettes trailer begins by showing what it'd be like to try and romance the love interest Iroha. As with the other video, each segment begins with official character art before showing gameplay and interactions. The second heroine to appear is Ulalaka. Another pink-haired woman named Hina follows her. Matsuri shows up after that. She's followed by Kanata. A Clarice segment appears after that. Pilika comes up after Clarice. Finally, that video ends with a peek at Kaguya.
Marvelous and XSEED also shared another look at the game's limited edition alongside pre-orders for it opening. It is up at places like Amazon and Best Buy for $99.99. That gets you the game, on the Switch, four DLC packs, an art book, a fan with display stand, a soundtrack, and a Woolby plush keychain.
Here's how that looks:
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma will come to the Nintendo Switch and PC on May 30, 2025.
The post Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Love Interest Trailers Look at Romance Options appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, February 14, 2025 2:00 PM
Megahouse has revealed that it will restock its Lucrea figure featuring the Loki version of Goro "Crow" Akechi from Persona 5 Royal. The company originally released the figure in November 2022, but it will make the figure available again in late August 2025 at 24,200 yen (~$158.60).
The figure will stand at around 20 cm (7.87 inches) tall, but Megahouse only measures it up to the tip of Crow's headgear so it does not include the raised sword. The package will contain two swappable face parts with a removable mask, so the owner can have up to four different expressions of the character.
In addition, every package of the restocked figure will come with a new acrylic pedestal. Megahouse will design the new pedestal to pair Crow-Loki with the Joker figure from the same Lucrea line.
Atlus D Shop offers a set of acrylic stand and badge featuring Crow's portraits as an exclusive bonus. However, it does not ship the figure outside Japan despite featuring a WorldShopping widget. People residing elsewhere worldwide can still order the figure via AmiAmi. Although the latter does not have Atlus D Shop's exclusive bonus, it will still include the above new pedestal.
The Lucrea figure of Persona 5 Royal's Goro "Crow" Akechi in the Loki version, which originally appeared in November 2022, will be available again in late August 2025.
The post Persona 5 Royal Crow Loki Lucrea Figure Will Return in 2025 appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, February 14, 2025 1:30 PM
Square Enix and Fujifilm shared more details about the Instax Photograph emote coming to Final Fantasy XIV, as well as the contest involving FFXIV cosmetics tied to it. The new action came up during the February 2025 Letter from the Producer Live, and debuts on February 25, 2025. Meanwhile, the contest connected to it starts on February 27, 2025.
In terms of the emote, it is called Photograph. It doesn't require any Instax or Fujifilm purchase. It will just be added and available for everyone to acquire after patch 7.18 arrives.
It's the FFXIV Instax Photograph emote contest that is more clearly explained by Square Enix and Fujifilm on a new site. Rather than real-world prizes, people can earn in-game ones. However, there are some limitations. You must be playing the game, because it will be tied to screenshots you take in-game. You also need to have an X social media account, as the companies said we'll need to enter by sharing those photos there. Those can be put online between February 27, 2025 and March 23, 2025, and 10,000 "winners" will get one of three different in-game cosmetics.
Said FFXIV cosmetics are all items that tend to be given away as rewards for events and contests. For example, the Fat Cat Earrings accessory could be won in the Hairstyle Design Contest 2023. The Gaelicap head armor, which we saw appear as a Dawntrail Benchmark Screenshot Sweepstakes prize. Finally, The Great Paraserpent umbrella fashion accessory showed up as a prize in the Weapon Design Contest and Capturing Valentione's Day Memories Sweepstakes, as well as other events.
Here's how those rewards look:
Final Fantasy XIV is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the Fujifilm Instax camera emote will appear in FFXIV when patch 7.18 arrives on February 25, 2025.
The post FFXIV Fujifilm Instax Photograph Emote Contest Explained appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, February 14, 2025 1:00 PM
Key and Visual Arts have opened a Steam page for their visual novel AIR. The companies will release the classic visual novel with remastered visuals on the platform on March 5, 2025.
AIR has been regarded by the Japanese visual novel community as one of the classics that defined the genre the most. Its theme song "Tori no Uta," which had appeared since the title's initial release as a PC R-18 game in 2000, has also become a popular song.
Visual Arts and Prototype have since brought the all-ages version of the visual novel to the Dreamcast, PS2, PSP, PS Vita, Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch. The latter was the most recent platform to get the visual novel in September 2021.
The new Steam version will have the addition of full Japanese voiceovers, which Key did not add to its prior PC releases. It will also have additional subtitle support in English and Simplified Chinese. The side story "Hatsuzora no Sho," which is now officially known in English as "First Sky Chapter," will also be available in visual novel format. In addition, Key and Visual Arts revealed that the Steam version will also support touchscreen gestures when installed on a Steam Deck or tablet PC.
The visual novel AIR will be available on PC via Steam on March 5, 2025.
The post Classic Visual Novel AIR Will Appear on Steam This March appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, February 14, 2025 12:30 PM
Qureate shared an update about its Bunny Garden game for Valentine's Day 2025, and it unveiled a cheat code that lets you change characters' costumes in the dating sim. It is available now, and the company announced how to perform the cheat in-game to make everyone who is on duty look different.
It's fairly simple. First, you need to start a game in Bunny Garden, though you don't need to make an entirely new file to use this cheat code. Then, bring up the smartphone to see the menu. When you are in there, you need to press certain inputs in order to trigger a change. First, you need to press "up" twice. Then, press "right" twice. Follow that up by pressing "down" twice. To finish things up, you need to press the "back" button twice, which would be B on the Switch and in some controller schemes.
Doing so will switch the characters' costumes in Bunny Garden. However, there is also a pattern to that. While working, the heroines will wear the bar's official waitress uniform that consists of a black vest with blue, red, or yellow skirt and a pair of black bunny ears with white poofy tail. By cycling through outfits with this cheat code, you can also end up seeing them wear their casual outfit or swimsuit at work. As the following screenshots shared by Qureate show, entering the code will make every woman working at the bar change her outfit to match her coworkers.
Here are the Qureate sample screenshots showing how the Bunny Garden cheat code works when used in the game:
In addition to the update, we've started seeing a lot of Bunny Garden merchandise. In some cases, these involved figures. Cospa is selling acrylic keychains, acrylic standees, and t-shirts. An event was held in Japan in December 2024 too.
Bunny Garden is available for the Switch and PC.
The post Bunny Garden Cheat Code Lets You Change Costumes in the Game appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, February 14, 2025 12:00 PM
Plushes of Ryu and Chun-Li using their designs from Street Fighter 6 have appeared in the crane games at Sega Plaza. As they only started appearing on February 14, 2025, some stores may not stock them until a later date.
Each plush stands at around 21 x 14 x 31 cm, meaning they're on the smaller size. As mentioned earlier, the plushes use the Street Fighter 6 designs for both Ryu and Chun-Li. So Ryu has facial hair and isn't wearing a shirt, whereas Chun-Li's clothes and eye shape are somewhat different from her previous incarnations.
Like other Sega Plaza prizes, there's no guaranteed price on these plushes, as you need to play for them in the crane games. If you mess up too many times trying to get them, the store may help you. But when the employee steps in differs from person to person.
Street Fighter 6 came out in 2023, and was wildly popular among critics and fans at launch. Earlier this month, Capcom announced that it sold over 1 million copies in Japan as of December 20, 2024. When including sales from other regions, the game sold over 3 million as of January 2024.
Street Fighter 6 is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC.
The post Street Fighter 6 Chun-Li and Ryu Plushes Appear as Prizes appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, February 14, 2025 11:30 AM
Koei Tecmo announced that it has sold over 1 million copies of Dynasty Warriors Origins on all of its intended platforms combined worldwide. The company also added that the demo version of the same game has also surpassed 2 million downloads.
These announcements add more entries to the game's achievements after Sony Interactive Entertainment revealed that Dynasty Warriors Origins became the most downloaded PS5 game in Japan in January 2025. The milestones also brought the series back to the general spotlight.
As of July 2024, Koei Tecmo had recorded over 22 million copies sold worldwide from all Dynasty Warriors entries released to date. With Dynasty Warriors Origins contributing a million more copies, the series' overall sales have also increased to 23 million.
The Dynasty Warriors series mostly had its heyday in the PlayStation 2 era. Dynasty Warriors 3, 4, and 5 were noted to have surpassed 1 million copies in Japan on their own. However, subsequent releases on the PS3 and later platforms could not reach the same levels. For example, the PS3 and Xbox 360 releases of Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires had over 430,000 units sold globally in 2009, while Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires—which appeared on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch, and PC in 2022—could only reach 280,000 copies sold worldwide as of March 2022.
Dynasty Warriors Origins is readily available worldwide on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
The post Dynasty Warriors Origins Surpasses 1 Million Sales Worldwide appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, February 14, 2025 11:00 AM
The 3.1 Special Program for Honkai: Star Rail debuted and confirmed the characters Mydei and Tribbie's will join the game, as well as a February 26, 2025 release date. It also teased what will happen next with the Flame-Chase Trailblaze Mission questline as the Trailblazer and Dan Heng help the Chrysos Heirs. This also means visiting new locations and taking part in new events.
The new Honkai: Star Rail missions will involve visiting the Grove of Epiphany and Abyss of Fate in Amphoreus. In the case of the former, it'll continue the storyline alongside Phainon and his allies. The latter is where we'll learn more about Tribios, who was a priestess of Janusopolis before it became the Abyss of Fate.
As for the 3.1 Honkai: Star Rail characters, we'll see two new ones and two old ones. The five-star Harmony character Tribbie deals Quantum damage and deals quite a lot of follow-up attacks. She'll follow-up allies Ultimates, for example, and follow-up attack the enemy with the most HP. She also increases all damage dealt to enemies by everyone. She'll appear alongside the return of five-star character Yunli. Destruction character Mydei is a five-star who deals Imaginary damage, and he'll sacrifice his HP to change his form and deal more damage. (Think of it as being similar to Blade, in a way.) He'll appear alongside the returning five-star healer Huohuo.
Here's the new 3.1 Honkai: Star Rail trailer that focuses on gameplay, its story, and the new characters. Upcoming events are highlighted at the two minute mark.
And this is the full Special Program:
Honkai: Star Rail is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the release date for 3.1 is February 26, 2025.
The post 3.1 Honkai: Star Rail Release Date and Characters Unveiled appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, February 14, 2025 10:30 AM
Infold Games has opened a new Steam page for Infinity Nikki. It confirmed that PC players who prefer to use the platform will be eventually able to download and access the open-world game there.
The upcoming Steam version will have the same language support and spec requirements as the existing PC releases via Epic Games Store and a standalone installer. The game contains voiceovers in English, Japanese, and Chinese, with additional subtitles in French, Italian, German, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, Thai, and Indonesian.
The PC version requires a minimum OS of Windows 10 22H2 with DirectX 12, as well as 16GB of RAM and 50GB of free storage space. For optimal graphics and gameplay performance, Infold Games recommends a Core i7-6700 or Ryzen 5 2600 for the processor and an RTX 2060, RTX 3050 Laptop, Radeon RX 5700 XT, or Arc A580 as the graphics card.
Infold Games has also published a new campaign that involves fans wishlisting the upcoming Steam release. The company will publish a live wallpaper and concept art when it has reached 10,000 and 50,000 wishlists, respectively. It also teases more surprises when it could reach 100,000 and 200,000 wishlists.
The Steam version of Infinity Nikki is "coming soon." The same game is also readily available on PC via Epic Games Store and a standalone installer. In addition to PCs, Infinity Nikki has also been available on PlayStation 5, as well as iOS and Android devices since December 5, 2024.
The post Infinity Nikki Steam Version Is 'Coming Soon' appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, February 14, 2025 10:00 AM
Bandai Namco has revealed that it will release Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Battle Destiny Remastered worldwide on May 22, 2025. The remaster of the game that originally came out for PlayStation Vita in June 2012 will appear on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. This announcement confirmed speculations that rose up following Bandai Namco's re-registration of the Battle Destiny trademark in October 2024.
The Japanese official site provided more details on the remaster, since the original game appeared exclusively in Japan. The Switch version will have a variable frame rate capped at 30 fps, while the PC version can have an unlimited frame rate with a maximum resolution of 4K by going over the recommended specs. But while the original Vita release had a network menu with ad-hoc multiplayer features, the remastered version will remove all of those and thus become a completely offline single-player game.
Here are the comparison images showing the graphical differences between the original 2012 release on PS Vita and the upcoming 2025 remaster for Switch and PC:
Bandai Namco has also published an official trailer showcasing the new remaster. But even though the English trailer features an English-dubbed narration by Archangel's captain Murrue Ramius, the company has clarified that the full game will only have Japanese voiceovers with additional subtitles in English and Traditional Chinese.
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Battle Destiny Remastered will be available worldwide on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam on May 22, 2025.
The post Gundam Seed: Battle Destiny Remastered Will Appear This May appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Friday, February 14, 2025 9:30 AM
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, a new entry in the life sim RPG, will appear for the PS4, PS5, and PC in addition to the Switch. This comes after Gematsu and other folks noticed a PlayStation Store page briefly appeared for the game on January 2025. This is accompanied by another delay. Instead of showing up in April 2025, Level-5 announced it will now be out on May 21, 2025.
As in past entries, the primary goal in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is to live a life. You choose one of 14 different roles, called lives, to accomplish quests and progress. These aren't necessarily combat-focused, as some are dedicated to crafting like the Cook or Tailor. There is also an overall story to go through, with this one involving some time travel.
A new trailer went over all of the Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time features, as well as brought up the PS4, PS5, and PC versions.
There have been multiple delays when it comes to Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. It was first announced for the Switch back in February 2023, and it was supposed to release on the system that year. In November 2023, it was delayed into 2024. For a while it had a Summer 2024 launch window, and Keiji Inafune even committed to that release expectation. For a while it had an October 10, 2024 launch date, before being indefinitely delayed again. An April 2025 launch window came up in September 2024.
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time will come to the Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC on May 21, 2025.
The post Fantasy Life i PC, PS4, and PS5 Ports Confirmed Alongside Delay appeared first on Siliconera. |
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 2:41 PM
The Hristo Stoichkov Grassroot Greats Icon SBC is now live in EA FC 25, and you can complete the challenge to unlock a new icon for your Ultimate Team squad.
Stoichkov becomes the first Grassroot Greats Icon card to be released as part of a SBC. You can obtain the item by completing all the tasks of the challenge.
EA FC 25 Hristo Stoichkov Grassroot Greats Icon SBC tasks
The Hristo Stoichkov Grassroot Greats Icon SBC has 12 tasks, and here are the requirements.
Task 1 - Born Legend
Task 2 - Rising Star
Task 3 - On a Loan
Task 4 - El Pistolero
Task 5 - League Finesse
Task 6 - League Legend
Task 7 - Top-notch
Task 8 - 87-Rated Squad
Task 9 - 87-Rated Squad
Task 10 - 88-Rated Squad
Task 11 - 88-Rated Squad
Task 12 - 89-Rated Squad
EA FC 25 Hristo Stoichkov Grassroot Greats Icon SBC solutions
Here's a set of solutions you can use to complete the latest Icon challenge in Ultimate Team.
Task 1 - Born Legend
Task 2 - Rising Star
Task 3 - On a Loan
Task 4 - El Pistolero
Task 5 - League Finesse
Task 6 - League Legend
Task 7 - Top-notch
Task 8 - 87-Rated Squad
Task 9 - 87-Rated Squad
Task 10 - 88-Rated Squad
Task 11 - 88-Rated Squad
Task 12 - 89-Rated Squad
The new Stoichkov card costs almost one million coins worth of fodder to obtain, so he's not cheap by any stretch of imagination. However, I really like how the card looks in terms of stats and playstyles. Power Shot+ might not be too useful, but Technical++ is pretty great in the current meta.
Additionally, he can play in three different positions, offers three roles++, and 5* Skills. If you can afford the fodder, this SBC might not be a bad shout at all. If you're on a lower budget and looking or a cheaper SBC, the N'Golo Kante Grassroot Greats SBC is a viable option as well.
You can also choose to evolve Maradona Grassroot Greats all the way up to 92 by spending 500,000 coins or 1,000 FC Points.
The post EA FC 25 Hristo Stoichkov Grassroot Greats Icon SBC solutions appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 2:39 PM
A mysterious cult classic from 1996, Drowned God: Conspiracy Of The Ages, just appeared on Steam out of nowhere. Let's look into why this is one of the creepiest games ever made and how this specific choice of date probably makes this the most cursed game release of all time.
What's special about Drowned God: Conspiracy Of The Ages?
Drowned God: Conspiracy Of The Ages is a point & click adventure title in the vein of Myst and Riven. Though not as revolutionary as the games that inspired it, Drowned God enjoyed good reviews, featured gorgeously eerie art, and even earned some award nominations back in the day.
Drowned God's most remarkable aspect, however, is its plot and the way it tells it. Drowned God is the brainchild of Harry Horne, an English writer and cartoonist who went by the pen name Harry Horse.
Long before directors Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick started toying with the idea of a horror movie that was actually real for The Blair Witch Project, Horse had already forged a manuscript to claim it was a secret document written by 19th-century poet Richard Henry Horne. The manuscript was filled with wild prophecies and eerie conspiracies that he'd later use to fuel Drowned god: Conspiracy Of The Ages.
Another remarkable element of Drowned God is its heavy usage of conspiracy theories in its plot long before they became one of the most common things on the Internet. The plot revolves around subjects like the Greys, Atlantis, and the Illuminati, but at its core resides a tale about how humankind has evolved due to the influence of a superior alien intelligence - so yeah, History Channel's Ancient Aliens.
But that's not the scariest part about Drowned God
The truly messed-up dark part is how Horse and his wife both turned up dead under grim and unclear circumstances back in 2007. Obviously, once a man who's known for a game about conspiracy theories is found dead, people begin theorizing about conspiracies. Still, the case doesn't need any external factor to look utterly bizarre. Both bodies were found with dozens of stab wounds on them, with the couple's pets also being found dead and mauled around the house. The authorities declared Horse the author of the killings; the only doubt remaining being whether he died in consequence of a suicide pact he made with his terminally ill wife, or if it was a rage-induced murder-suicide. With all that, just how bizarrely tone-deaf is it that Steam has chosen — or accidentally allowed — for the game to be released on Valentine's Day, of all days?
The post Steam Celebrates Valentine's Day with the most cursed release imaginable appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 2:12 PM
The Argentine legend has finally returned to EA FC 25, and you can celebrate the moment by securing a 92-rated item for your Ultimate Team squad.
EA Sports has ensured that everyone manages to secure a copy of the magician for their respective squads. In fact, all players are guaranteed to get an 89-rated version for free of cost, and there are three versions to choose from. Those who are willing to spend, however, will be able to get a 92-rated version with significantly better stats.
How to obtain the 92-rated Maradona Grassroot Greats in EA FC 25
To complete your process of getting the 92-rated item, you'll first have to unlock the El Pibe de Oro Evolution. This has to be done after you've obtained the 77-rated version from your Ultimate Team club. The item can be found in your packs for free.
To unlock the El Pibe de Oro Evolution, you'll have to spend either 500,000 coins or 1,000 FC Points ($10). This will unlock an exclusive evolution, which will upgrade your Maradona item to a 92-rated item. Do note once again that if you don't spend any coins/FC Points, you can't get this evolution.
Once you've your 77-rated item, you have three options to choose from.
Each evolution takes your 77-rated Maradona to an 89-rated card but with some differences. There will be minor alterations in stats, and the playstyle+ will be completely different. Additionally, the cards will also differ in their positions. This is a decision you have to make based on your squad requirements and playing styles.
Once done, you'll now have to put your 89-rated Maradona card into the El Pibe de Oro Evolution. The evolution is pretty easy to complete, and it will upgrade the 89-rated card to an overall of 92. Along with stat boosts, the new card will also get a Finesse Shot+ playstyle. Irrespective of the position you have chosen, the second playstyle+ will always be a Finesse Shot.
That's pretty much all you need to do in order to get a 92-rated Maradona item for your squad. If you're unwilling to spend on FC Points or coins, the alternative is to be satisfied with an 89-rated version with a single playstyle+.
Make sure to check out our guide on the N'Golo Kante Grassroot Greats SBC if you're looking to obtain a midfielder.
The post EA FC 25: How to get the 92-rated Diego Maradona Grassroot Greats card appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 1:57 PM
As you walk, roll, glide, and sail through Rogueport in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, you'll eventually run afoul of Zess T., the grouchy chef. After you've smoothed things over with her, she'll whip up unique dishes for you using the items you find on your journey as cooking ingredients.
Zess T.'s dishes are some of the game's best healing/buffing items, so you'll want to familiarize yourself with the best and worst culinary combinations. Here's a round-up of every recipe in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
How to get Zess T.'s Contact Lens in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
You can run into Zess T when the game frees you to explore Rogueport Plaza. Head west from the gallows, and you'll run into Zess T. stomping about. She's lost her contact lens and tells you to stand still until she finds it, lest you step on it with those Goomba-spore-stained clodhoppers of yours.
What happens next is inevitable. Zess T. never finds her contact lens, and even if you reverse course and walk away the exact way you came, you'll end up squishing it. Like any grouchy grannie worth her salt, Zess T. demands immediate compensation, ordering you to get her a new contact lens before blocking the route to Rougeport's West Side, holding progression hostage until you repay your debt.
Head to Toad Bros Bazaar (next to Zesti's shop) and talk to the owner. He'll tell you he doesn't have contact lenses and will put in an order for some. The contact lens will show up after you've beaten Chapter 1, so I recommend placing the order before you head out to Petelburg. The Bazaar will email you on your Mailbox SP once the contact lens comes in, so check it often.
Once the contact lens is in, you can buy it for ten coins. Once you've given it to Zess, T., she'll return to her kitchen. Now you're free to head into Rogueport's West Side, but more importantly, you can talk to Zess. T and have her cook for you!
Every recipe in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Zess T. can cook a whopping fifty-eight items in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, each with a corresponding recipe you'll need to follow to bring it to life. The game doesn't tell you which item/item combo creates which dish, so if you don't plan on looking up a guide, you'll have to get experimental.
Here's a breakdown of every recipe in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. We also threw in what each of the dishes they make and how much each of them sells for in shops. If you can't eat 'em, make a mint off of 'em!
How to get the Cookbook in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
At first, Zess T. can't cook more than one item. You won't be able to do anything about this until after you've finished Chapter 4. Once you've reached this point, a new side quest will become available at the Trouble Center on Rogueport's East Side, "Seeking legendary book."
You can complete this side quest during your first trip through Creepy Steeple. Once you enter the front door, head north and roll into Tube mode. It's hard to see, but there's a hidden hole you can squeeze through. This leads you to what I can only assume is Doopliss' secret crash pad. The cookbook is in the chest on the right.
Once you've got the cookbook, return to Rogueport and bring it to Zess T. She can now cook two items. She also gives you a Honey Mushroom for your trouble—a free sample!
The post All Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door Recipes appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 1:38 PM
The Strategic Shift evolution is now live in EA FC 25, and you can complete it to upgrade one of your lower-rated items for free.
This the first evolution themed around the new Grassroot Greats promo, and the upgrades include some massive stat boosts, playstyles, and more. Let's take a look at all the requirements, followed by the upgrades and the best cards to use.
EA FC 25 Strategic Shift evolution requirements
Here are the requirements of the Strategic Shift evolution in EA FC 25.
EA FC 25 Strategic Shift evolution upgrades
There are three levels of upgrades, and here are the required conditions.
Upgrade level 1
Upgrade level 2
Upgrade level 3
Upgrade level 1 requirements
Upgrade level 2 requirements
Upgrade level 3 requirements
Best players to use in EA FC 25 Strategic Shift evolution
Here are some of the best cards to consider for this evolution.
These are some of the best items for this evolution, considering the upgrades, but you can include plenty of other great cards as well.
The post EA FC 25 Strategic Shift Evolution: Best players to use appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 1:27 PM
Enchanting weapons in Avowed is a simple yet powerful method to enhance their effectiveness, but there are a few key aspects to consider before diving in.
Avowed Weapon Enchanting Guide: How to Upgrade Your Gear
Enchanting in Avowed only works on Unique Weapons. These come with powerful buffs, called Enchantments, already attached to them. Enchanting allows you to take that potent Enchantment and either improve it or replace it with a different one altogether, assuming you have the necessary materials in your possession.
Enchanting is done at the Enchanting Station located within your Party Camp. Interacting it with a bring-up a list of Unique weapons on your character, along with a second list depicting those weapons' active Enchantments. By selecting a Unique weapon in the list, you'll be given the option to improve its Enchantment or Augment it into a different one using the Enchantment materials you have.
How to access your Party Camp in Avowed
Since the Enchanting Station can only be found in your Party Camp, you must get there first. Your Party Camp is always accessible via interacting with Adra Waystones in the overworld. These look like giant green crystals that glow with a trailing purple hue.
By interacting with an Adra Waystone, either through the World Map or directly, you'll be prompted to set up your Party Camp, and then you'll have immediate access to the Enchanting Station from there. If you interact with a Waystone through your World Map, you'll additionally be prompted to Fast Travel there before setting up the Party Camp.
Your Party Camp is full of helpful things, besides the Enchanting Station, and various other benefits that will make your adventuring in The Living Lands much easier. These include an Equipment Stash for storing gear, a Workbench for upgrading gear, and even a Camp Tent for messing with cosmetics for your companions. Good stuff.
What are Enchanting Materials in Avowed?
Enchanting Materials are mostly comprised of common materials you find when you kill monsters and loot various locations throughout the game. Chances are, you already have several Enchanting Materials if you've been exploring Avowed's overworld in any meaningful capacity.
All Enchantments require different combinations of Enchanting Materials. Think of this like a reagent requirement list for crafting an item, where the more basic an Enchant is, the easier it will be to find the materials for it. Avowed has many different types of Enchanting Materials, so it may take some time to find and get what you need for a specific Enchant.
The post How to enchant weapons in Avowed appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 1:18 PM
The N'Golo Kante Grassroot Greats SBC is now live in EA FC 25 Ultimate Team, and you can complete the challenge to unlock a special item of the French midfielder.
Kante is the first special Grassroot Greats promo item to be released as part of a SBC. To play with the card, you'll have to complete all the tasks before the SBC expires from Ultimate Team.
EA FC 25 N'Golo Kante Grassroot Greats SBC tasks
The N'Golo Kante Grassroot Greats SBC has seven tasks, and here are their conditions.
Task 1 - France
Task 2 - Top Form
Task 3 - 86-Rated Squad
Task 4 - 87-Rated Squad
Task 5 - 87-Rated Squad
Task 6 - 88-Rated Squad
Task 7 - 88-Rated Squad
EA FC 25 N'Golo Kante Grassroot Greats SBC solutions
Here's a set of solution you can use to obtain the new Kante item in Ultimate Team.
Task 1 - France
Task 2 - Top Form
Task 3 - 86-Rated Squad
Task 4 - 87-Rated Squad
Task 5 - 87-Rated Squad
Task 6 - 88-Rated Squad
Task 7 - 88-Rated Squad
If you're looking for a defensive rock for your squad, this is the perfect SBC to complete. You'll get a 90-rated CDM item with Press Proven+ and Anticipate+. Additionally, the item has four roles++, and has the potential to be one of the best defensive midfielders in the game.
If you're looking for an icon with a lower budget, the Andrea Pirlo Future Stars Icon SBC is a worthwhile consideration.
The post EA FC 25 N'Golo Kante Grassroot Greats SBC solutions appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 12:58 PM
The game's new meta Fire DPS, Evelyn arrived to bring all to heel in Zenless Zone Zero, the latter given her ability to group and then nuke enemies through her unique Burning Seal and Chain Attack combos.
But given the intricacies of her kit, she can also be considered one of the hardest and most demanding Attackers to build in the game. To help you awaken her full potential, here's the best Evelyn build in ZZZ.
How to play Evelyn
A combo-focused DPS, Evelyn's game plan revolves around building up enough Burning Tether Points stacks to activate and spam Chain Attacks —aka her biggest tool. Burning Tether stacks can be generated by performing both Garrote and her Ultimate. Once the latter is ready, she can enter Dance of Awakened Fire and unlock her Lunalux Garrote - Shadow Ultimate variant. Her ability to perfect dodge through her EX Special also allows her to stage an overwhelming and non-stop offense.
True to that, Evelyn's optimal rotation will entail applying your team's buffs, switching her in, building up enough stacks via her basic and Special combos, and then calling a sub-DPS to stun your target before spamming her Chain Attack and repeating the process. That will not change even after entering Dance of Awakened Fire, although its permanent Burning Tether stack will allow you to use her Chain Attacks more frequently.
Best W-Engines for Evelyn
Like all other featured S-Rank Agents, the best W-Engine for Evelyn is her signature, Heartstring Nocturne. Apart from offering 713 ATK, 24% Crit Rate, and a 50% boost in CRIT DMG via its passive, the engine will allow her to gain Heartstring stacks per Chain Attack or Ultimate performed. Up to two stacks can be gained, with each allowing the moves to ignore 12.5% of a target's Fire Defense.
If you don't have the resources to pull for her signature or had to overspend after losing your pity on Koleda like me, Harumasa's Zanshin Herb Case would be my main pick for Eveylin given its permanent 10% Crit Rate and 48% Crit DMG bonuses. Steel Cushion's 24% Crit Rate value and situational DMG boost also make it a fair pick, although the engine will still lag behind our FP2 choice.
Best F2P W-Engine
To no one's surprise, the best F2P W-Engine for Evelyn is the event-exclusive Marcato Desire. As the engine is the only non-BP-exclusive A-Ranker to feature a Crit Rate substat, its overclock level won't matter much here. Keep in mind, however, that the pick will only be able to compete with our S-Rank alternatives when above R3.
Best Drive Discs for Evelyn in Zenless Zone Zero
As she must reach 80% Crit Rate to trigger the full effect of her Additional Ability and add a 125% damage boost to her biggest tools, the best drive disc composition for Evelyn in Zenless Zone Zero is a 4-piece Woodpecker Electro paired with a 2-piece Inferno Metal. When equipped, the composition will boost her Crit Rate by 9%, her Fire DMG by 15%, and allow her to get a 9% ATK boost after performing her Basic Attacks, Dodge Counter, and EX Special Attack. If you are still working on getting the Inferno Metal discs, its 16% CRIT DMG boost makes Branch & Blade Song the ideal placeholder.
If you want, pairing up a 2-piece Woodpecker Electro with a 4-pice Puffer Electro can also work here, given the latter's 9% increase in PEN Ratio, situational 12% ATk boost, and huge 20% DMG buff to Evelyn's Ultimates.
Best stats and substats
Since Evelyn's Core Passive will provide her with a more than welcome 25% Crit Rate boost when under Binding Seal, focus on Crit DMG, Fire DMG Bonus, and ATK when looking at your disc's main stats. Substat-wise, we will then focus on Crit Rate and DMG. So that Evelyn can reach her stat goal, you want to have at least 55% Crit Rate once your build is done. Make sure to also aim for 150+% (200+% if using Heartstring Nocturne) Crit DMG for optimal damage.
The best Evelyn teams in Zenless Zone Zero
As Evelyn shines the most when in compositions capable of leaving enemies stun-locked, her best team features Lighter as its daze-focused sub-DPS and, of course, Astra as her support. If you wish, using Caesar in the supporting slot can also work, as she will offer both an ATK buff on par with Astra's and the game's strongest shield. Lighter, on the other hand, does not have a single replacement capable of matching his impact, with Caesar being the closest pick in situational encounters.
To recap, here are the best Evelyn teams in Zenless Zone Zero. We also added a few alternatives for those who either have yet to get or skipped any of the S-Rankers above:
Best F2P Evelyn team in ZZZ
If you don't have any of the S-Rankers above, the best FP2 team for Evelyn in Zenless Zone Zero will have Lucy as its focused support and Anby (or any stun agent) as its stun sub-DPS. When on the field, this team will work like our BIS composition and focus on using Lucy to provide a constant attack buff. Our chosen stun agent will then enable Evelyn's Binding Sunder - First Form coordinated attack and dish out large amounts of daze to support her onslaught.
The best Bangboo for all Evelyn teams
When using Astra and Evelyn, Snap will be by far the best Bangboo for the job, given their great DMG boost and healing. If you don't have Astra, Rocketboo's Fire Anomaly Buildup output will make it my main pick, followed by Cryboo.
The post Best Evelyn build in Zenless Zone Zero – Best Drive Discs, W-Engine, and team compositions appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 12:37 PM
When you first explore the region of Shatterscarp, you'll come across a roadblock with its broken lift. The NPCs will ask you to mend it, but the game doesn't necessarily tell you how. So, if you're wondering what to do, here's how to fix the Shatterscarp lift in Avowed.
How do you fix the lift at Shatterscarp in Avowed?
You'll likely encounter the broken lift while on the quest for the Fires in the Mine mission or when simply traveling around the Shatterscarp map. Interacting with the lever won't do you much good, so you'll need to go the long way around and fix it from the other side. Head towards Deadfall Highlands and then make your way to the Sulfur Mines Basecamp.
As you may expect, there will be a few enemies along this pathway, so come prepared with weapons and healing items. Once you cross the bridge to the camp, you must use electricity magic to power the generator on the lift's right side. You can shock the Essence Generator yourself with a grimoire or utilize Giatta's Spectral Jolt.
The lift should now work after you power the generator, allowing you to interact with the lever. Head down to get a nice little dialogue scene from the NPCs below it. I was hoping it would unlock a quest or reward with them, but nothing seems to be tied to them after this. I checked back on these characters, and they just continue to stick around there. However, this time, they're thankful for what you did.
An event could trigger later on, as the townsfolk mention they need to return to work soon. At the most, you can finish out the Fires in the Mines quest, which you can begin on your way to Thirdborn. The Shatterscarp lift will always work from now on, making travel much more accessible in Avowed.
The post How to fix the Shatterscarp lift in Avowed appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 12:10 PM
So, you've started playing as a Soul Reaper in Project Mugetsu and are trying to get more powerful? Well, if you're familiar with the series, you'll already know what every Soul Reaper needs to have: a Shikai and a Bankai. Unfortunately, just like with most Roblox games, not all of them are created equal, and some are just better (and rarer) than others. To help you know whether or not you should reroll your given Shikai & Bankai, we've compiled these tier lists.
Shikai Tier List
You unlock your Shikai when you reach level 20 Meditation and level 15 of your character. Here are all the currently available ones ranked from best to worst.
S-Tier
A-Tier
B-Tier
Bankai Tier List
Once you reach level 75, you can fight your Zanpakuto and unlock your Bankai. Here are all the currently available ones ranked from best to worst.
S-Tier
A-Tier
B-Tier
How to reroll your Shikai & Bankai
To reroll your Shikai/Bankai, talk to Dante, who is located across Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, Karakura Town, and Wandenreich. Give him $150,000, and he can reroll your Bankai/Shikai. Be ready to reroll multiple times if you are after a specific one.
There you have it. If you need a boost, check out our Project Mugetsu codes.
The post Ultimate Project Mugetsu Shikai & Bankai Tier List appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 11:51 AM
Coffee is a gift from the deities. That sweet caffeine is the perfect thing to get anybody through even the roughest days, and apparently, the characters in Hello Kitty Island Adventure are not immune to its appeal and effects.
The Espresso Machine is one of the many Cooking Stations that can be utilized to turn basic resources into gifts in Island Adventure. It's the only Cooking Station that has more than one location. The first is located in the Comedy Club of Rainbow Reef, with the secondary one in Hello Kitty's Café, which becomes available to unlock later.
How to unlock the Espresso Machine in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Before you can get access to the first of the two Espresso Machines, you'll need to work on progressing your friendship with Kuromi. Once you reach level 6 with her, you can complete her "Deep Diving" quest, which will unlock the Snorkel and, therefore, your ability to dive underwater.
Once you can do that, you'll be able to get into the Comedy Club in Rainbow Reef, and you'll automatically have access to the Espresso Machine there.
The second of the two Espresso Machines, located inside Hello Kitty's Café, is unlocked by increasing your friendship with Hangyodon to level 11 and completing his "Espresso Machine Repair" quest. This second Espresso Machine will automatically be upgraded as soon as it's unlocked.
How to upgrade the Espresso Machine in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
As with most Cooking Stations in Island Adventure, the Espresso Machine can be upgraded. Doing so allows you to use two additional ingredients, rather than the initial one you can use, unlocking far more recipes that can be made at the machine.
The Espresso Machine is one of the easiest Cooking Stations to upgrade, and it only requires you to increase your friendship with Hangyodon to level 4. When you've done that, you'll immediately be able to explore the extended list of two-ingredient recipes.
All Espresso Machine recipes in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
You can make 19 recipesat the Espresso Machine, 11 of which only require one additional ingredient and, therefore, do not require the machine to be upgraded. All of the recipes listed below require the Espresso Machine's basic ingredient, Candlenut, which Hangyodon will supply in varying numbers whenever you give him a gift.
Here's all of the recipes that you can make at the Espresso Machine in Island Adventure:
One-ingredient recipes
Two-ingredient recipes
The post All Espresso Machine recipes in Hello Kitty Island Adventure appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 11:51 AM
Early on in Avowed, you can get the 'Escape Plan' side quest from Remei, who asks you to help a young couple flee to Thirdborn. After acquiring Ondra's Kiss and the deeds for land in Thirdborn for the refugees, they'll tell you that they're essentially wanted for murdering two people, and the smugglers who will ferry them out of Paradis have doubled the agreed-upon price as a result. This leaves you with two options, confront the smugglers, or report the refugees to Captain Aelfyr in Paradis.
What happens if you report refugees to Captain Aelfyr in Escape Plan side quest?
If you choose to report the refugees, Captain Aelfyr will simply thank you for reporting them and will dispatch agents of the Steel Garrote at once to take care of them. She tells you that they'll 'fashion a visible lesson to everyone in this city that justice does not discriminate.'
I didn't have a high enough 'Resolve' stat for one of the dialog options after she said this, but I don't think it changes the outcome of the conversation.
You'll get 470xp for completing the quest, but Kai will be disgusted with your decision. He'll tell you that you've sent them to their deaths and both yourself and the empire gain nothing from this. In my opinion, this is the less satisfying decision and outcome of the quest of the two.
What happens if you confront the smugglers in Avowed's Escape Plan side quest?
If you choose to confront the smugglers, there are a few ways this can pan out. The first and best outcome depends on whether or not you free Ilora in the 'On Strange Shores' main quest. Ilora is one of the smugglers and if you chose to free her, she'll tell Captain Soldis that you saved her life at Northreach. Eventually, Soldis will admit defeat and will tell you to inform the refugees that the deal is settled, free of charge.
If you didn't choose to free Ilora from her prison cell, there will be no way of convincing Soldis to honor the originally agreed price and you'll need to pay the difference. Turns out it pays to trust people in the land of Eora!
This objective earns you 78xp, but you'll still need to return to Leoflaed to let them know the good news. Upon doing so, you'll then receive the remaining 392xp as well as the following:
When you reach Thirdborn as part of the main questline, you'll be able to find Leoflaed and stood outside a house, just to the left of the entrance gates. Speak to them, and they'll tell you they've settled well and thank you again for your help. More importantly, they'll also give you some 'exceptional quality' unique light armor called Gambeson of the Grand Empire that they found in the house they've inhabited.
This comes with two perks, Steel-Threaded, giving you +3% damage reduction, and Greater Gunnery, granting +15% reload speed. It's damage reduction stat is pretty low at just 8%, but it makes up for this with very low reductions to your Maximum Stamina and Essence.
If you're really not a fan, you can always break down the armor for the following materials:
Whatever you choose to do with the armor, it's better than having the guilt loom over you of sending two refugees to their deaths.
Should you confront the smugglers or report the refugees in Avowed?
The better rewards come from confronting the smugglers and hopefully not having to pay the difference. Even if you do have to pay it, the items that Leoflaed gives you are useful for upgrading your armor and weapons early on in Avowed, and the armor you get in Thirdborn is very viable for the mid-late-game section of your adventure. Plus, it's technically a nicer ending than sending some poor refugees to their deaths.
If you can't afford to pay the difference to the smugglers, didn't free Ilora, and just want the side quest done, you can report the refugees to Captain Aelfyr. You'll just have to live knowing that Kai is really, really disappointed in you.
As far as I can tell, though, the decision you make here doesn't have any meaningful impact on the main storyline in Avowed, so you can rest assured this isn't going to have any major consequences later on in the game.
For more on Avowed, be sure to check out our guides on hiding Godlike hair and facial features, burning Brambles, and getting the Premium Edition armor and skin sets.
The post Should you confront the smugglers or report refugees to Captain Aelfyr in Avowed? (Escape Plan Side Quest) appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 11:48 AM
Avowed pays a lot of importance to a character's leveling-up system, and you should pay proper attention from the very beginning of your journey.
As you level up, you'll inherit different skills and boost your in-game stats. You'll be able to dedicate a level-up point to one of your major attributes (as long as you don't break the cap), along with secondary stats. This will make it easier to complete certain tasks and unlock new abilities after hitting important milestones.
When you complete any task in the game, you'll gain experience points and level up (standard Obsidian system). The main aim is to streamline the process to boost the speed you level up.
Best ways to level up in Avowed
Completing the main quests makes a lot of sense as that will allow you to progress through the main story and move closer to reaching the ending point. However, you should also invest an equal amount of time in side quests. You'll find plenty of them when you access new regions.
Completing the side quests has two major benefits. You'll gain a lot of useful in-game resources, which include new equipment and money, and your character will gain a lot of XP, allowing you to level up faster.
Similarly, Bounty Missions can be a great source for leveling up your character. You'll find boards set up in different regions, and going through them will allow you to accept the quests. Compared to side quests, Bounty Missions are a lot harder to complete. They're also far fewer in numbers and can't be farmed repeatedly.
That said, completing a Bounty Mission is extremely rewarding, as you get plenty of XP to level up, along with new resources. If you want to learn more about earning money in Avowed, check out our guide.
Ultimately, there's no rocket science or glitch to improve your levels in the game. Make sure to complete as many quests as possible, and don't get fixated on the main storyline.
The post Avowed: How to level up fast appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 11:43 AM
Spread around the many areas of Hello Kitty Island Adventure are many Visitor Cabins that can play host to a huge number of different Sanrio characters. They all have unique requirements and schedules, so it can be hard to figure out how to attract certain ones.
My Melody's Grandparents are two such visitors. They are a lovely elderly couple who visit every four weeks, and they're not all that difficult to attract once you know how. Here's everything you need to know to get them to your Cabins.
My Melody's Grandma and Grandpa visit schedule
Visiting only a few days every four weeks makes My Melody's Grandma and Grandpa some of the rarest visitors that can appear, but it allows you time to prepare for their arrival. Before you can do that, though, you'll need to know when they'll appear.
Here is when My Melody's Grandparents will be available during the remainder of 2025:
How to get My Melody's Grandma to visit in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
My Melody's Grandma is a sweet old rabbit who gives Art Supplies when you talk to her daily during her visit. To attract her, you'll need to set up a Visitor Cabin that meets the following requirements:
Once you've got her to visit, you can start to increase your friendship with her by completing the following Daily Quests:
How to get My Melody's Grandpa to visit in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
They say that opposites attract, and this is true when it comes to My Melody's Grandparents. While her Grandma favors more homely styles, her Grandpa seems to have more in common with Retsuko than his Granddaughter. If you talk to him during any of his visits, he will give you a copy of Sounds of Steel in return.
Here's how to set up a Visitor's Cabin to lure My Melody's Grandpa to Friendship Island:
To increase your friendship with My Melody's Grandpa to 5 stars, you'll need to complete the following Daily Quests during his visit:
The post How to get My Melody's Grandparents to visit in Hello Kitty Island Adventure appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 11:29 AM
There's a lot to be impressed about with Avowed, from its vividly hued fungal world to its ever-changing combat system. For me, it has to be the tarp physics, a simple yet effective mechanic that instills more realism in this dark fantasy world.
I've gone through my fair share of jumping on tarps in video games, and without fail, it's usually gone through the character as if they have somehow turned into a ghost. But to my surprise, Avowed has a much different approach where it actually reacts to your touch, waving around and making you slip just like it would in real life. And, if you time it right, it'll cause a tear and eventually rip apart to cause a scene in the Living Lands' market districts. There's even a ripping sound as a cherry on top.
It's such a tiny detail that I much appreciated as a gamer. Obsidian Entertainment could've just stuck with the old and had it pass through you, but instead, the team took the time to fine-tune it, making the game that much more realistic.
Because of it, I've been surfing on the tarps throughout the market district, just to see what kind of chaos the physics will throw my way next. It's like a throwback to the carefree days of my childhood when I'd explore every nook and cranny in a game, testing the limits of its world with nothing but curiosity and mischief.
I've discovered many more tiny details in the many hours of my Avowed playthrough. One of my favorites has to be when I was up high, gazing at the majestic scenery, only to find the skeleton of an unfortunate traveler splattered down below. Did I loot their bag? Why, yes, I did. Got to get my money somehow.
What makes it better is that countless hidden gems still have yet to be discovered. I've only scratched the surface on two of them, but I'm sure you can find more. Who knows — maybe you'll catch the wave and ride those tarps like I did, carving out your own mischievous adventures.
The post Avowed's bewitching world may dazzle, but the tarp physics are the real magic appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 11:01 AM
As you progress through Hello Kitty Island Adventure, you'll begin to unlock new areas, complete with new characters to befriend and level up. Each of these new friends has specific likes and dislikes, and that's a lot to remember.
Wish me mell is a character that you'll only be able to meet once you've unlocked Merry Meadow, which you'll get to via leveling up your friendship with Pompompurin. Once you've met Wish me mell, you'll need to start leveling up your friendship because opening up more of Merry Meadow relies on it.
Most loved gifts for Wish me mell in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Leveling up your friendship with Wish me mell is complicated, and, unfortunatel,y rather slow. This is because her two and three-heart gifts are all locked behind her increasing friendship and progression through unlocking the various areas of Merry Meadow.
To make Wish me mell's two or three-heart gifts, you'll need to unlock the Creation Station, which is located near Merry Meadow Temple and will require the growth of at least three Giant Seeds, which takes nine days on its own, without adding in the fact that one of the Giant Seeds is annoyingly locked behind Wish me mell's level 12 quest.
Here are Wish me mell's two- and three-heart gifts and how to make them:
Easiest gifts for Wish me mell in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
While Wish me mell's preferred gifts are locked behind the rabbit herself, all hope is not lost when it comes to initially leveling up her friendship. As with all characters in Island Adventure, Wish me mell does enjoy a selection of simple, easy-to-get items that can be obtained through exploration, simple crafting, or cooking.
Wish me mell will gladly accept any gift that has one (or more) of the following tags:
This opens up a lot of options for slow but effective friendship leveling. A handful of basic resources can be given to her, and she'll also accept any Cooking recipe or crafted item made using those resources.
Here are all of the items that can be gifted to Wish me mell:
*When it comes to Flowers, Wish me mell will accept a grown flower, seedling, or seed packet of those listed above. Crafted items made using these flowers will also count, but making any of those crafted items requires using the Creation Station and will not be available initially.
The post Hello Kitty Island Adventure: Best Gifts for Wish me mell appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 10:40 AM
Monopoly GO has tons of different events for you to participate in, from daily tournaments to monthly Partners events and seasonal minigames with dozens of valuable rewards. Events are the way to go if you want to keep your dice high and obtain prizes like Wild Stickers and five-star card packs.
Table of contents
Monopoly GO event schedule
As of February 14, 2025, Monopoly GO has an ongoing main event, tournament, and the continuation of Sweets Partners. Peg-E's Prize Drop ended recently, with Sweets Partners giving you additional chances to score some dice. A new season, Artful Tales, also began last month and will last until March 2025.
Let's check out every Monopoly GO event, tournament, and season, including any publicly known upcoming events.
Season - Artful Tales
Monopoly GO's Artful Tales album includes 17 themed sets, with 10,000 dice, a Visual Virtuoso board token, and cash up for grabs as completion rewards.
Banner Event - Date Night Thrills
The current Monopoly GO main event began on February 14, 2025, at 6 a.m. PT / 9 a.m. ET. Date Night Thrills provides another opportunity to receive Sweets Partners tokens, giving you an extra chance to get some dice rewards. Collecting these is the key to progressing far in this recurring minigame.
Tournament - Bullseye Bliss
Monopoly GO's tournaments are typically daily, giving you a few thousand dice as potential rewards and leaderboard ranking prizes depending on how many railroad points you collect. Bullseye Bliss, in particular, lets you grab Sweets Partners tokens to help your partners win valuable prizes.
Golden Blitz - Inactive
Monopoly GO's latest Golden Blitz event is currently inactive. The most recent iteration began in February and ended on February 13. These events only last 24 hours, giving you a limited time to arrange sticker trades. However, you can't trade golden cards outside these events, making them very important if you want to complete the current season's album. Here's a complete list of past Golden Blitz stickers if you want to plan for future events.
Special Event - Sweets Partners
Monopoly GO's latest special event is Sweets Partners, a collaborative event where you and up to four other players partner up to build special structures and collect milestone prizes. Rather than competing against other players, you work together in pairs to obtain point tokens, spin a wheel, and advance through reward tiers ranging from dice and sticker packs to limited-time powerups. The grand prize is a Wild Sticker and an exclusive Valentine's-themed board token.
The previous event was a returning version of Peg-E's Prize Drop that features dice rewards. Rather than having multiple prize types, this one is entirely focused on rewarding you with dice. If you want a quick and easy way to farm a few hundred dice, this one is for you.
Monopoly GO Quick Wins list - February 14
Alongside your regular events and minigames, Monopoly GO also has a Quick Wins list that gives you a small amount of dice and cash. Each day, you can collect various milestone prizes for finishing all three Quick Wins, with a weekly prize usually consisting of five-star packs or Wild Stickers.
Here is today's Quick Wins list, updated on February 14, 2025.
The post What's the next event in Monopoly GO? appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 10:30 AM
Monopoly GO's daily Quick Win tasks are among the most helpful ways to get dice, cash, and sticker packs as a new or experienced player. These rewards can make a huge difference between completing your seasonal sticker packs and being just a few cards short.
Table of contents
Today's Monopoly GO Quick Wins tasks and rewards
Monopoly GO has three Quick Win objectives you can complete daily. These are typically quick and easy tasks you can finish to gain some small rewards and advance through a weekly prize pool. While early week rewards are small, the grand prize is usually a Five-Star pack, Swap Pack, or a Wild Sticker if we're lucky.
Here's a complete list of today's Quick Win tasks and rewards, updated on February 14, 2025.
What are Quick Win tasks?
Monopoly GO's Quick Wins are daily tasks you complete for weekly rewards. You'll receive five small prizes daily, including dice, low-tier sticker packs, or emojis. The end-of-week reward is the most valuable, ranging between a Five-Star pack, Swap Packs, or even a Wild Sticker.
Here are some Quick Win objectives you might encounter throughout your Monopoly GO playthrough:
Since these are daily tasks, Scopely has designed them to be relatively easy to complete, even if you're a new player. However, you may still miss a few, especially if you're out of dice or don't get opportunities to open sticker packs.
How to find Monopoly GO's Quick Win task list
Your Quick Wins list is available directly on your main Monopoly GO screen. After loading in and arriving on your board, tap the "Wins" button in the bottom left corner of your screen to find your Quick Win objectives. You'll also spot a timer until the list refreshes, your weekly progress, and a reward bar at the bottom of the screen.
How many Quick Wins can you miss?
In Monopoly GO, completing all three Quick Win objectives daily will grant you 84 progress points a week. You only need 74 points to get a week's grand prize, allowing you to miss up to ten points worth of tasks.
However, one day gives you 12 points, so you can't miss a full day. Instead, you can have one day to complete the first task and skip the last two or two days to miss the third objective. As long as your missed tasks don't exceed ten progress points, you're in the clear for the week's end.
Tips for completing Monopoly GO Daily Quick Wins
Your exact strategies to finish your Quick Win tasks will depend on the day's objectives. While some days rely heavily on your dice rolls, others focus on upgrading landmarks and collecting stickers. That said, below are some tips for ensuring you complete all three of your daily Quick Win tasks and get your weekly grand prize:
Good luck finishing your Quick Wins and grabbing some weekly prizes. Whether you're completing a Partners event or want to snag a five-star pack, hopping on and completing these is one of the easiest ways to get valuables items each week, especially if you're a new player who doesn't have access to thousands of dice and tens of thousands of levels worth of profile upgrades.
The post Monopoly GO: Today's Quick Wins tasks and rewards (February 14) appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 10:24 AM
Combat specs in Verse Piece are usually a lot weaker compared to swords. However, there are exceptions to that, and one of those exceptions is the Sukuna V2 (Curse King) spec. Sukuna V2 boasts damage that is higher than some meta Verse Piece swords. So, if you want to find out how to get one of the best specs in Verse Piece, follow our Sukuna V2 (Curse King) guide below.
Table of Contents
What is the Sukuna V2 Spec in Verse Piece?
Sukuna V2 Spec is one of the highest damage and CC specs in Verse Piece. Even though Sukuna V2 has no moves that grant you invulnerability, like Hakari (Gambler), its damage is on par with Aizen (TYBW). Sukuna V2's M1 attacks deal more damage than even some sword M1 combos like the Cid V2's and Toji V2's. In general, Sukuna V2 is a great DPS spec to have if you don't plan on grinding for swords that hard to get, like Sung Jin Woo.
How to Get the Sukuna V2 Combat Spec in Verse Piece
You can purchase the Sukuna V2 spec from the Sukuna (Curse King) Teacher in Jujutsu Village for 7,500 Gems, 250 Curse Energy Shards, and 25 The True Sukuna Fingers. You need to have the Yuji combat spec as well. To farm Gems efficiently, equip yourself with the best title you have and grind the Boss Rush dungeon. As for the other materials needed to get the Sukuna V2 spec in Verse Piece, we dedicated a section for each of them down below.
Farming Curse Energy Shards
Curse Energy Shards drop from basically every Jujutsu Kaisen Boss in Verse Piece. Also, they are a very common drop while fishing or when opening chests. A few Curse Energy Shards are also often in stock at the Adventure Shop. However, I wouldn't buy them as you will get enough of them while farming for other Sukuna V2 components.
How to Get The True Sukuna Fingers
There are two ways to get The True Sukuna Fingers in Verse Piece. The first method is to defeat the Sukuna (Curse King) Boss, which you can summon on the Boss Island using 3 Boss Tickets and 5,000 Gems. In case you run out of Boss Tickets, you can exchange Mythical materials for them through the Ticket Exchange NPC on Bleach Island.
The other method to get The True Sukuna Fingers needed for the Sukuna V2 (Curse King) spec in Verse Piece is to use normal Sukuna Fingers (Epic material). When you use a Sukuna Finger, there is a low chance you will get one The True Sukuna Finger. Sukuna Fingers drop from Sukuna Bosses and Mythical Chests. You can even catch them while fishing.
How to Obtain the Yuji Spec
To get the Yuji Spec, interact with the Yuji Teacher NPC in Frost Town while you have 3,500 Gems, 1 The True Sukuna Finger, and 25 Curse Energy Shards in your inventory. You will get all of the materials needed for the Yuji spec while farming for the Sukuna V2 in Verse Piece. So, there is no need to target farm anything specifically for it.
That sums up everything you need to know on how to get Sukuna V2 spec in Verse Piece. If you want to maximize the damage potential of the Sukuna V2 spec you just unlocked, then check out our Verse Piece race, trait, and trait passives guides.
The post Definitive Guide on How To Get Sukuna V2 in Verse Piece [Sukuna V2 Rerun] appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 10:01 AM
Having your scouts auto-explore in Civilization games makes it much easier to uncover the entire map without manually moving your units around. While previous games in the series included auto-exploring for automatic navigation, Civilization 6 hid it behind an extra menu, while Civilization 7 removed it altogether.
Can your Scouts auto-explore in Civilization 7?
No, scouts don't have auto-explore in Civilization 7. Your scouts have a few new features, including joining an Army Commander for group navigation and Search for a temporary sight range increase. An option for healing your unit even appears if their health is low. However, auto-explore isn't among your menu actions, even after moving beyond the game's Antiquity Era.
In previous Civilization games, you could set your scouts to auto-explore the map and uncover any tiles you'd yet to discover. Having them explore automatically allowed you to focus on other parts of your match, like training your army, watching out for barbarian outposts, and observing the movements of different civilizations. You could even use this feature to discover new civilizations early in the match without thinking about it.
What's the downside, then? They get into trouble easily. Although exploring any unknown part of the map is helpful, scouts in previous games tend to stumble upon enemies, particularly barbarian camps. They don't always run away from danger, leaving you with an injured scout out of commission for a few turns. Moving them yourself can help you avoid these situations while gaining helpful intel through exploration.
It's unknown why Firaxis Games and 2K decided to remove auto-explore from Civ 7 or whether it'll return in the future. For now, you'll have to manually move them or add them to an army commander for easier mass-unit movement. Fortunately, Civilization 7's scouts come with Lookout and Search for increased sight range, making exploration slightly easier.
The post Do Scouts have auto-explore in Civilization 7? appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 9:23 AM
There has been something of a movement in the realm of established MMOs in recent years, with many of them deciding to take a look backward into their own history to plunder the past for a way to bring back players who may have fled the fold, and it's working well for many of them.
Old School Runescape took a little while to find its feet, but now it's home to millions of players who love to spend their time there instead of the more modern version. World of Warcraft Classic has been a tremendous success for Blizzard, and I've personally seen people who swore off the Blizz product years ago be pulled back into the Classic charm.
One of the uniting factors for these games was that it wasn't enough to just relaunch old products, they truly came to life and found purpose when the developers realized that the time machines they had invented also allowed them to poke and prod at the cogs, adding new features, quests, and content. What if we were not just revisiting the past? What if we were trying to make it better? It's not enough to just bait the hook of nostalgia and draw people back with fuzzy memories; you need to fix flaws.
This is something that Blade and Soul NEO developers NC America appear to have taken quite seriously when it comes to releasing their upcoming classic version of the long-running MMO to us eager players in the west. After sitting down with Senior Producer Andrew Long and Community Manager Andrew Gant, I'm happy to say that nostalgia is definitely a factor here for the developers, but not in a bad way.
"I think it's definitely a feeling of nostalgia, you know. We love this game, and we grew up with it and we kind of want to re-experience it with the new generation as well. We think there's going to be a lot of people that were there from launch and over the last nine years kind of moved away. And then also there's going to hopefully be a new wave of users that get to kind of experience this game for the first time," says Andrew Long.
And there in lies the often unconsidered aspect of all these projects that seek to bring back a classic version of an established MMO. You will only ever win back a percentage of your old players with a project like this. You have to find ways to make it appeal to new players, too. One way to do both things is to track down parts of the original that might have landed poorly with fans and fix them. Passionate veterans will then inspire curious newcomers; it's just the way of the world.
Long, as both Senior Producer and someone who is hugely emotionally invested in Blade and Soul as a fan, is happy that they put this kind of player focus front and center in their approach. "We looked at a lot of things that players were giving us feedback on, and we tried to make it so it's going to feel like you're playing Blade and Soul again, but also where we're going is in the direction you might have wanted it to go that we didn't in the past."
Impressively, the developers were not shy about discussing one big issue that Blade and Soul has had for many players, and that was broached many times by questions from those in attendance at the preview event we got to join. Monetization. Unpopular player power systems of the past are gone, replaced instead with the more classic idea of random drops and farming to gain the specific items that you need and a battle pass limited to cosmetics and some minor xp boosts. Things like Treasure Trove, a controversial way to get player power in the past, are no more. If you were interested in Blade and Soul NEO but felt that this issue might stop you from diving in, you can be safe in the knowledge that it won't be a problem.
It can be hard for developers to look back and correctly figure out where something went wrong with a release like this because that means taking on the pressure of trying to do it the right way this time, which comes with its own unique set of worries, but it's something that the team was eager to do.
"We have the nine years of history, so we know like, hey, at this point, maybe this is when we kind of took the game in a direction that the data is telling us wasn't the best. We want to make sure that we get back to that point, and by the time we get back to that point, the game's in a better spot," says Long.
"So we really wanted to make sure that these changes that we added, like, you know, changing the gear upgrade system, which was very harsh, and we would feel like maybe someone's not gonna want to go through that again. They love Blade and Soul, they love the combat, they love the boss fights, the PvP, but the grind is something they don't want to experience again."
Blade and Soul NEO will launch with a very focused experience, mimicking the content offering of the original as regards the story, playable races, and the original seven starting classes. Further updates will roll out over the following months, but no timeline has been confirmed regarding what might appear and when. While some folks might feel the game should include more at launch, the simple truth is that MMO nostalgia is more than just one sharp shock; it's also about revisiting anticipation. If you are just barrelling through everything right from the get-go, are you truly exploring your own nostalgia, or are you just speed-running it?
An aspect of such releases that I broached with Community Manager Andrew Gant is that a lot of the people that will come back to this game, their lives will have changed in the years since they moved on from it. New families, new jobs, and new responsibilities. Others might be going through rougher times, in need of a connection to happier days that is non-exploitative, offering a new way to escape for those who need it. There is, in a way, a duty to approach their nostalgic leanings with care.
"I feel like a lot of games that are this old do have a user base that is going through, you know, changes in their life, having families, having kids, and you do see that in our other games like Aion and Lineage, from a community standpoint. That's happening, but at the same time, in our Discord, you know, every day, we have new types of players come in, people that are hearing about it. It is very fun to see people revisiting older MMOs, and for Blade and Soul specifically."
Such considerations even have to extend to the geography of the game, the actual locations that you explore and experience while playing through quests and story missions. People have spent so much time there, often with friends, and the validity of those environments as important homes to cherished memories can't be understated. It's why you'll sometimes recoil a little to see a game that suddenly looks so different from the original or has strange new structures or landscapes shoved into it, seemingly for no reason other than the fact that it could be done.
"I mean, we're talking about very memorable areas that many people tie a lot of memories to, so every design change was scrutinized very heavily. I don't think there are that many dramatic changes where entire things have been removed or added. A remaster is a perfect term for it. So, you will find only small changes over lesser areas of the game, I would say, and then it's just very beautiful texture, lighting enhancements, and stuff like that," says Gant.
One change to the game that has already caused a lot of joy for players might sound simple but is also indicative of the overall approach the developers have taken to Blade and Soul NEO. Stamina is no longer an issue, which means infinite windwalking. It's the perfect example of examining the game and finding something that was interfering with the potential fun players could have, so removing it made sense. Gant is particularly effusive about this change.
"One of my favorite things to do is in this starter area, in Bamboo Village, is a beach with a big beautiful ocean out there. Playing Blade and Soul Live you could run out there a little bit, and your stamina would run out, and then you fall in the ocean, and you have to swim back. In NEO, the first thing I did was just run out on that ocean you can windwalk across it, and it's beautiful. I can just go on forever and just imagine myself walking across the ocean just for fun, just cause I can."
It's hard to tell before diving into the game, but from what I have seen so far, this is the most telling aspect of the design approach to Blade and Soul NEO. What would be fun? What would respect the audience? What would fix simple issues from the past?
We will all get to find out how well this comes together when Blade and Soul NEO launches in North America and Europe on February 25th. I'll see you in the servers.
The post Interview: Blade and Soul NEO wants to bring you back to better days. appeared first on Destructoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Destructoid Friday, February 14, 2025 9:15 AM
It's oddly comforting to see game demos pick up in popularity over the past couple of years over on Steam. I often find myself scrolling through whatever's available at a given time, and that's how I came across Deadzone: Rogue, a game that's actually much better than it might seem.
More specifically, I do feel that Deadzone: Rogue looks too generic and sterile for its own good, but its unexciting visual language actually hides something genuinely awesome and exciting. It's not quite on the level of Sulfur, keep in mind, but few things are. The download is fairly small (just over 5 gigs in size), and the full demo actually comes with a fairly decent chunk of content. What you're getting here is an unexpectedly dynamic and brutal System Shock and DOOM hybrid that's unlikely to leave you disappointed.
Deadzone: Rogue demo is totally free, and genuinely fun, so give it a shot
I've already seen a few interesting comparisons to Synthetik 2 floating about, and though there's some merit to those, Deadzone: Rogue definitely leans more heavily towards the two games I mentioned above.
Visually, this demo is like a less gritty and interesting cousin to Nightdive's System Shock remake. Gameplay-wise, it's a Roguelike DOOM 2016 with less blood and gore. The screenshots really do not do this game justice, however, and though I'll admit I was skeptical while the demo was downloading, actually sitting down and playing it made me a real believer.
The sheer smoothness of combat you get out of Deadzone: Rogue is one of those things you have to see to believe. It is strikingly polished and satisfying, and though its arenas are about as uninspired as they get, the core gameplay loop is more than strong enough to keep you gunning down cyborgs for way longer than you expected to.
The curious bit is that Rogue is related to the developer Prophecy Games' older "corridor extraction shooter" that actually is sitting in Steam Early Access since July 2023: Starsiege: Deadzone. I can't speak to that game's quality due to not being interested in the concept at all, but the assets and the general gameplay mechanics have been streamlined and improved upon for Rogue, and it all works quite well already.
Deadzone: Rogue doesn't currently have a proper release date, and it is the kind of game that you'd expect to spend a few years in Early Access. I've seen no word as to whether that'll be the case with Deadzone, but don't be surprised if it is. Regardless of all of that, and setting aside the game's uninspiring visual language, there's something really special hiding underneath. If you're even remotely interested in roguelites and high-octane FPS titles, do yourself a favor and give Deadzone: Rogue a shot. It is free, after all.
The post Do yourself a favor and try the Deadzone: Rogue demo appeared first on Destructoid. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, February 14, 2025 3:49 PM An 11-minute gameplay video. The post Tides of Annihilation Gameplay Showcase Video Released appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, February 14, 2025 3:27 PM The Remaster will add new content. The post Days Gone Remastered Announced for PlayStation 5 appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, February 14, 2025 3:11 PM A DLC trailer was also released. The post Stellar Blade PC Release Date and DLC Announced appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, February 14, 2025 2:57 PM A trailer was also released. The post Lies of P DLC Expansion Overture Announced appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Friday, February 14, 2025 1:00 PM How many controversies did Assasin's Creed Shadows land itself in? The post Every Assassin's Crred Shadows Controversy appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
iDev Games Feed Friday, February 14, 2025 11:56 AM Fruit Collector is a fun and fast-paced game where you control a basket to catch delicious falling fruit!... |